New Age Islam News Bureau
23 January 2023
Representative Image
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• Human Rights Organizations Call for Immediate
Release of Saudi Activists, Osama Khalid and Ziad Al-Sufyani
• Quran Burning ‘Not Freedom of Speech’ But a
‘Political and Racist Message’ Directed At Muslims: Swedish Scholar in
Sociology
• China to Provide Modern Weaponry to Taliban after
Terror Attack on Its Nationals in Afghanistan: Report
• Tens of Thousands of Israelis Protest against PM
Netanyahu’s Justice Plans
India
• Karnataka Hijab Ban:
SC to Consider Listing Muslim Students’ Plea before Three-Judge Bench
• Archaeological Survey of India to Restore Archway at
12th Century Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque in Qutub Complex
• Rs 10 Lakh Drone with 5 Kg of Heroin Shot Down On Pakistan
Border
• Hizbul Mujahideen militant arrested in J&K's
Shopian
• MP: Bajrang Dal Members Barge into Woman’s Flat
Alleging Love Jihad, Friends Assaulted
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Arab World
• Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Arab League, Egypt Condemn
Burning Of Muslim Holy Book in Stockholm
• Syria: 13 killed in Aleppo building collapse
• Lebanon Army Declares State Of Alert amid Tension
with Israel
• Saudi grand mufti denounces ‘absurd, disgraceful’
Sweden Qur’an burning
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Europe
• France seeks clarification after request to withdraw
its troops from Burkina Faso
• Supporters of PKK terror group stage provocative
demonstration in Swedish capital
• Yemen blasts UK role in its suffering after envoy's
remarks
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South Asia
• Chinese FM asks Taliban to ensure safety of Chinese
citizens in Afghanistan
• Afghan Refugees in Islamabad Protest against
Detention, Forceful Deportation
• Bangladesh protests Sweden Quran burning as
condemnation pours in
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Mideast
• Heads of Iranian Gov't Branches Describe EU's
Anti-IRGC Move as Part of Hybrid Warfare
• Israeli expansionism: Extremist minister calls for
demolition of hundreds of Palestinian homes
• Iran Launches General Soleimani Satellite Project
• Turkey’s Erdogan announces elections for May 14
• Iran says to put European military on terror list if
EU designates IRGC
• Houthi allegations of shelling on Saadah districts
baseless: Coalition in Yemen
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Pakistan
• Desecration Of Holy Quran A Plot To Fuel Anti-Muslim
Violence: Pakistan PM’s Interfaith Representative
• Pakistan President Calls for Global Resolve against
Islamophobia
• ‘Hurtful and Despicable’: Pak PM Sharif Condemns
‘Burning’ Of Quran in Sweden
• Politicians slam burning of Holy Quran in Sweden
• 44 PTI lawmakers to withdraw resignations from
National Assembly: Asad Umar
• Pakistan team probing attack on PTI chairman Imran
Khan reconstituted again
• Pakistan imported $1.2 billion worth of cars in just
six months despite economic crisis: Report
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Southeast Asia
• Malaysia Urges International Community to Combat
Islamophobia after Quran-Burning In Sweden
• Interfaith Tolerance: Muslim Man Helps Guard Dharma
Bhakti Temple
• Summon Swedish ambassador over Quran burning, govt
told
• National character main foundation to deter
radicalism: VP Amin
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Africa
• Libya Urges Arabs to Back UN Efforts for Holding
Stalled Elections
• Ennahda Leader Calls For Restoring Democracy in
Tunisia
• Arab states boycott regional meet in divided Libya’s
capital
• Libya’s House of Representatives proposes forming
single government
• Security forces end siege at government office in
Somali capital
• Casualties feared as bombings, gunfire rock Somali
capital
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North America
• US Military Captures Three Islamic State Members
during Syrian Helicopter Raid
• Daesh member ‘Jihadi Jack’ to be repatriated to
Canada
• US military’s Central Command says two ISIS members
captured in Syria
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/allah-akbar-terror-muslim-maharashtra-drill/d/128948
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'Allah Hu Akbar' Slogan at Terror Attack Mock Drill in Maharashtra Upsets Muslim Leaders; Lawyers Submit Objection to Police Authorities
Representative Image
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Jan 23, 2023
An anti-terror mock drill in Maharashtra's Aurangabad
has sparked controversy after the dummy terrorists allegedly shouted slogans
connected to a particular community. A police mock drill was held on January 11
in a temple in Chandrapur in Maharashtra. Local Muslim leaders said that during
the mock drill, police displayed tricks to control terrorists. They alleged
that during the mock drill, the police's hatred for the Muslim community came
out in public.
On the other hand, a group of lawyers has submitted a
memorandum to the district police authorities on the issue, while
Superintendent of Police Ravindrasingh Pardeshi on Sunday said all efforts
would be taken to ensure such an error is not repeated, reported PTI.
The mock drill, which was conducted on January 11 at
the renowned Mahakali Temple here, enacted a scene in which a group of
terrorists took over a place of worship and held devotees hostage, before being
apprehended by security forces.
A complainant told ANI, "Those playing the role of
a terrorist shouted 'Allah-Hu-Akbar' during the mock drill, which we do not
like. Muslims have become a soft target. Why are terrorists being shown as
Muslims in mock drills? Why are you telling that a terrorist looks like this by
putting on beard, moustache, Kurta-Pajama?"
"Videos of the drill showing the personnel who
played the part of terrorists in the mock drill shouting particular slogans.
This portrays one community in a negative light and makes one believe all
terrorists are from this community," said Farat Baig, part of the lawyers'
group here.
"We have submitted a memorandum to the office of
the district SP against such sloganeering and portrayal. This act of the police
amounts to defaming a community. Obviously, the script of the mock drill must
have been overseen by the SP and other senior officials," Baig said.
When contacted, SP Ravindrasingh Pardeshi said his
department will "take necessary steps to ensure such an error is not
repeated". The mock drill was carried out by personnel from the local
police, the Anti-Terrorism Squad, the specialised combat unit C-60, among
others, officials said.
Source: Zee News
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original story:
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Human Rights Organizations Call for Immediate Release
of Saudi Activists, Osama Khalid and Ziad Al-Sufyani
The two doctors and
activists Osama Khalid and Ziad Al-Sufyani were imprisoned by Saudi authorities
for speaking up on the internet. (File Photo)
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23 January 2023
Several human rights organizations have called for the
immediate release of two of Saudi Arabia’s “prisoners of conscience,” as Riyadh
is tightening the noose on freedom of speech inside the kingdom.
Access Now, ALQST for Human Rights, ARTICLE 19, Global
Voices (GV), the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), and IFEX called on Saudi
Arabia on Thursday to instantly release two Saudi doctors and internet
activists who were arrested in 2020 for their online activism.
One of the two activists, Osama Khalid, has been
sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
Khalid is one of Saudi Arabia’s most public-facing and
well-known internet freedom advocates. His own Wikipedia page states that his
work as part of Wikipedia has had a huge impact on his life, and that defending
and promoting internet freedom was one of his priorities.
The other activist, Ziad Al-Sufyani, was sentenced to
eight years in prison.
The report, published by ARTICLE 19, was picked up by
Twitter users and circulated through social media, where users called for the
immediate release of the activists.
The human rights organization said the scale of
repression in Saudi Arabia has drastically increased during the past few years,
as Saudi authorities made efforts not only to enhance their control of the
internet, but also to silence dissenting voices online.
The six human rights NGOs, according to ARTICLE 19,
call on the authorities in Saudi Arabia to respect public freedoms including
freedom of expression, both online and offline.
On a related note, the “Prisoners of Conscience”
account said in a tweet that Saudi activist Mohammad al-Rabiah must be released
from prison.
“The legal activist Muhammad al-Rabiah has been in
detention for almost two years because of his opinion and human rights
activities in support of women’s rights,” the account said.
It published a video showing al-Rabiah talking about
the lack of the most basic rights of women in Saudi Arabia, and issues such as
women’s freedom, the formation of NGOs to support women and acknowledging their
right to drive.
“My opinion on women’s right to drive is that simply,
they should be allowed to decide. In my opinion, this topic is not a social
problem but rather a demand that must be fulfilled,” he was shown in the video
as saying.
Hundreds of Saudi activists, bloggers, intellectuals
and others have been arrested since bin Salman took the helm of state affairs
in 2017 as the de facto leader.
The aggressive crackdown is an obvious sign of almost
zero tolerance for dissent even in the face of international condemnation of
the repressive measures.
Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws over
the past years to target activism.
Source: Press TV
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Quran Burning ‘Not Freedom of Speech’ But a ‘Political
and Racist Message’ Directed At Muslims: Swedish Scholar in Sociology
Photo: aa.com
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Leila Nezirevic
23.01.2023
LONDON
Allowing the burning of a copy of the Quran, the
Muslim holy book, in front of Türkiye’s Embassy in Sweden is a ‘political and
racist message’ directed at Muslims, said a prominent Swedish expert.
Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right
political party Hard Line, while surrounded and protected by the police, set
the Quran on fire in Sweden’s capital Stockholm on Saturday.
Following a long rant in which he verbally attacked
Islam and immigration in Sweden, he shouted: “If you don’t think there should
be freedom of expression, you have to live somewhere else.”
Masoud Kamali, a former researcher who was appointed
to investigate the question of integration, structural discrimination and power
in Sweden, told Anadolu that the burning of the Quran in front of Türkiye’s
embassy in Sweden is a “political and racist message” aimed at Muslims that
transcends to all European countries and beyond.
Just over a year ago, Paludan embarked on a Quran
burning “tour” in Sweden during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, triggering
major riots in the country where many took to the streets to protest the
Swedish authorities’ decision to allow the plans by the far-right group to burn
copies of the Quran.
Swedish police at the time said they would no longer
allow Quran burning to take place in the country as societal costs were too
much to bear, but Paludan was still allowed to carry out his actions in front
of Türkiye's embassy this time around.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom expressed
concerns that the far-right politician’s act would further risk Türkiye's
ratification of Sweden's NATO bid. He added, however, that it would be
"very inappropriate" for him to stop a person from carrying out a
demonstration, the local newspaper Expressen reported.
In response to Sweden's permission, Ankara has
summoned Swedish ambassador Staffan Herrstrom and has canceled Swedish Defense
Minister Pal Jonson's upcoming visit to Türkiye.
"At this point, Swedish Defense Minister Pal
Jonson's visit to Türkiye on Jan. 27 has lost its significance and meaning, so
we canceled the visit," Türkiye’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said
Saturday.
Türkiye's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu strongly
criticized Sweden for giving permission to Paludan to burn the Quran.
He emphasized that racism and hate crimes do not count
as freedom of thought.
"Despite all our warnings, such permission was
unfortunately given to this person. No one can call this freedom of expression
and freedom of thought," Cavusoglu told reporters told reporters in the
southern Turkish province of Antalya.
According to Kamali, today “freedom of speech” is
explicitly used as a pretext by politicians and racist groups to enable them to
attack immigrants and Muslims and to allow them “to do and say whatever they
want.”
This, he said, is just a “political game” they play.
Racist government
Another point that the scholar raised was that the
current Swedish government is dependent on the support of the far-right Sweden
Democrats.
The Populist Party was once politically forbidden due
to its ties to neo-Nazis, but now they are the second largest party in the
Nordic country and part of the ruling right-wing bloc.
Hence, any resistance to actions by racist groups
could cause the far right to withdraw from the bloc, which in turn could lead
to the government’s collapse and a political crisis, said Kamali.
The Sweden Democrats, however, are not the only racist
party within the government as, according to the sociologist, there are very
strong racist groups that belong to the Moderates party, the Liberal Party and
the Christian Democrat party.
“So the Sweden Democrats are in very good company.
(Hence) I'm not surprised that the foreign minister is not going to do anything
about preventing this Quran burning,” he added.
‘Crusades influence’
Kamali, who is also a prominent scholar in sociology
and social work, was put in charge of a major European Union project that
investigated discrimination and racism in Europe.
He pointed out that the main aspect of racism in
Europe today essentially translates into “anti-Muslimism,” a term he uses for
Islamophobia.
Allowing the burning of the Muslim holy book in front
of the embassy and insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Türkiye
has to do with “anti-Muslimism,” which has been prevalent in Sweden and Europe
as a whole “since the Crusades,” Kamali said.
He believes that what we are witnessing is a “Crusades
influence” and mentality that was evident for instance at times when questions
were raised about Türkiye becoming an EU member.
“Anti-Muslimism has always been a part of European
countries’ policies, including Sweden. I have written many times that Türkiye
has been a part of Europe for many, many centuries, really at a time when you
did not have something called Europe, you had just some countries,” he said.
In his opinion, Nordic countries’ and other European
countries’ opposition to EU membership is influenced by the fact that Türkiye
is a “Muslim country.”
In his book Racial Discrimination: Institutional
Patterns and Politics, Kamali exposed how Muslims are negatively portrayed in
schoolbooks in Sweden, Germany, Britain, France, Austria, Poland and the Greek
Cypriot Administration.
The Quran burning in Sweden, racist anti-Muslim
rhetoric by far-right politicians such as Marine Le Pen in France or the
British National Party in the UK is a representation of a long tradition which
is rapidly reproducing itself by the “educational and political system” in
European countries and beyond, the former independent investigator said.
European racist parties in its core have one thing in
common and that is “anti-Muslimism,” he added.
This racist ideology against Muslims “is part of the
huge idea about the war” and the mindset “that the European Christian white
people should spread and occupy the whole world,” Kamali added.
Ties with Nazi Germany
Sweden has long enjoyed the illusion of innocence, but
the idealistic neutrality thought to be maintained during World War II, for
instance, is far from the “historical reality,” he said.
For decades, the Nordic country desperately tried to
cover up the truth about its collaboration with Nazi Germany, according to
Kamali.
Sweden in fact was the last country to cooperate with
“Nazi Germany” and had only “left the corporation when Hitler was killed,” he
said.
It was the only country in Northern Europe that was
not occupied by Germans because “we cooperated with them and allowed them to
use railways in their attacks on Finland, Russia or Soviet Union at that time,”
said the sociologist.
Several hundreds of Swedish soldiers volunteered to
“serve in German army” during the war, he added, and Swedish authorities never
attempted to investigate atrocities committed by these soldiers.
The Sweden Democrats lineage traces back to the World
War II era Nazism. However, the populist party managed to become the
second-largest party and part of the governing coalition in the Nordic country
by “pushing its anti- Muslim and anti-immigration narrative,” Kamali said.
Sweden considers itself to be “the most modern, the
most liberal, the most diverse and multicultural society. But that's not true,”
Kamali further said.
Setting the Quran on fire in Sweden by the racist
politician Paludan with the support of Swedish police under the pretext of
“free speech” somehow does not come as a surprise taking the “historical
context” into the consideration,” he added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/quran-burning-not-freedom-of-speech-/2794718
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China To Provide Modern Weaponry To Taliban After
Terror Attack On Its Nationals In Afghanistan: Report
Taliban ousted the US
military after decades of unrest which China saw as strategic disadvantage.
Photo: REUTERS
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By: Anurakti Sharma
Jan 23, 2023
Beijing: According to Zafar Iqbal Yousafzai, author of
The Troubled Triangle: US-Pakistan Relations under the Taliban's Shadow in The
Jamestown Foundation, China is supplying the Taliban with contemporary weapons
in response to the Islamic State Khorasan Province's (ISKP) recent attack on a
hotel in Kabul that primarily housed Chinese nationals, ANI reported.
In addition, according to Chinese officials cited by
Global Times, turbulence and uncertainty could cause Afghanistan to turn into a
haven for terrorists. IT wrote, "targeting China's Xinjiang and its
interests overseas, such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
projects, where enhanced communication and coordination between China and
Pakistan is required to tackle potential threats."
ISKP fighters attacked a local hotel in Kabul on
December 12 while several Chinese people were staying there. Five Chinese
nationals were hurt in the attack, along with 18 other victims, and the three
perpetrators were slain by security personnel.
The hotel, which is frequently frequented by Chinese
diplomats and entrepreneurs, is reportedly owned and operated by Chinese
businesspeople, according to Global Times.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the People's Republic
of China (PRC), said in response that China is greatly outraged by the attack,
which is extremely atrocious, and vehemently opposes terrorism in all its
forms.
According to Yousafzai, China has attempted to give
the Taliban enough assistance to battle all types of terrorism and extremism in
Afghanistan in reaction to these difficulties. China has recently increased its
support for and involvement with the Taliban as a result of a number of issues.
The US presence in Afghanistan was also seen by China
as a strategic danger. The Jamestown Foundation claimed that as a result, the
US exit and the Taliban's ascent to power—with whom Beijing has deep ties—were
generally viewed as positive geopolitical developments for China.
China seeks to protect its strategic, political,
economic, and security interests in Afghanistan. It is advantageous for China
if there is a centralised government in Kabul that is at ease with it.
Taliban-China relations are hardly brand-new. For many
years, the Taliban have visited China frequently. Beijing cooperated with the
Taliban even in the 1990s in order to stop militant infiltration into western
China.
Given that it links China to the Persian Gulf and
Iran, Afghanistan is significant to Beijing both strategically and
economically. Afghanistan is another prospective BRI route with abundant
natural resources.
Source: Times Now News
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Tens Of Thousands Of Israelis Protest Against PM
Netanyahu’s Justice Plans
Israelis protest against
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new right-wing coalition and its proposed
judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court, in Tel Aviv, Israel
January 21, 2023.
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22 January, 2023
Tens of thousands of Israelis joined demonstrations on
Saturday against judicial reform plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
new government that protesters say will threaten democratic checks and balances
on ministers by the courts.
The plans, which the government says are needed to
curb overreach by activist judges, have drawn fierce opposition from groups
including lawyers, and raised concerns among business leaders, widening already
deep political divisions in Israeli society.
“They want to turn us into a dictatorship, they want
to destroy democracy,” the head of the Israeli Bar Association, Avi Chimi said.
“They want to destroy judicial authority, there is no democratic country
without a judicial authority.”
Netanyahu has dismissed the protests, now in their
third week, as a refusal by leftist opponents to accept the results of last
November’s election, which produced one of the most right-wing governments in
Israel’s history.
The protesters say the future of Israeli democracy is
at stake if the government succeeds in pushing through the plans, which would
tighten political control over judicial appointments and limit the Supreme
Court’s powers to overturn government decisions or Knesset laws.
As well as threatening the independence of judges and
weakening oversight of the government and parliament, they say the plans will
undermine the rights of minorities and open the door to more corruption.
“We are fighting for democracy,” said Amnon Miller,
64, among crowds of protesters, many bearing white and blue Israeli flags. “We
fought in this country in the army for 30 years for our freedom and we won’t
let this government take our freedom.”
Saturday’s protests, which Israeli media said were
expected to draw more than 100,000 people to central Tel Aviv, come days after
the Supreme Court ordered Netanyahu to fire Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who
leads the religious Shas party, over a recent tax conviction.
The new government, which took office this month, is
an alliance between Netanyahu’s Likud party and a clutch of smaller religious
and hard-right nationalist parties which say they have a mandate for sweeping
change.
Netanyahu, who is himself on trial on corruption
charges which he denies, has defended the judicial reform plans, which are
currently being examined by a parliamentary committee, saying they will restore
a proper balance between the three branches of government.
Likud politicians have long accused the Supreme Court
of being dominated by leftist judges who they say encroach on areas outside
their authority for political reasons. The court’s defenders say it plays a
vital role in holding the government to account in a country that has no formal
constitution.
A survey released by the Israel Democracy Institute
last week showed trust in the Supreme Court was markedly higher among left-wing
Israelis than among those on the right, but that there was no overall support
for weakening the court’s powers.
Source: Al Arabiya
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India
Karnataka Hijab Ban:
SC to Consider Listing Muslim Students’ Plea before Three-Judge Bench
January 23, 2023
Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday said
he will consider forming a three-judge Bench soon to hear afresh petitions
filed by Muslim students from Karnataka who are seeking a declaration of their
right to wear hijab inside their classrooms.
Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora made the oral
mentioning for early hearing of the case. She said the students were about to
have their practicals on February 6.
A Division Bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and
Sudhanshu Dhulia had delivered a split verdict in October last year on whether
or not students have a fundamental right to wear hijab in government
institutions.
Justice Gupta had upheld the Karnataka’s prohibitive
government order, saying "apparent symbols of religious belief cannot be
worn to "secular" schools maintained from State funds. He had said
‘secularity’ meant uniformity, manifested by parity among students in terms of
uniform.
The judge had held that adherence to uniform was a
reasonable restriction to free expression. The discipline re-inforced equality.
The State had never forced students out of state schools by restricting hijab.
The decision to stay out was a “voluntary act” of the student.
In his divergent opinion, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia had
said secularity meant tolerance to "diversity". Wearing or not
wearing a hijab to school was "ultimately a matter of choice". For
girls from conservative families, “her hijab is her ticket to education”.
“By asking the girls to take off their hijab before
they enter the school gates, is first, an invasion of their privacy, then it is
an attack on their dignity, and then ultimately it is a denial to them of
secular education… There shall be no restriction on the wearing of hijab
anywhere in schools and colleges in Karnataka,” Justice Dhulia had held.
Justice Gupta, in his opinion, had said students need
to follow the discipline of wearing the school uniform without any “addition,
subtraction or modification”. A student cannot claim the right to wear a
headscarf to a secular school as a matter of right. “A girl’s right to express
herself by wearing a hijab stopped at the school gate”.
Source: The Hindu
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Archaeological Survey of India to Restore Archway at
12th Century Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque in Qutub Complex
Jan 23, 2023
By Sadia Akhtar
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is set to
initiate conservation efforts at the archway at the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in
the Qutub complex, officials aware of the matter have said.
Praveen Singh, superintending archaeologist, ASI Delhi
Circle, said a conservation team will soon start work at the site to give a
fresh lease of life to the archway, which has sustained damage over time.
“We are focusing on core conservation and taking up
projects that need urgent attention. Recently, we conserved and repaired the
cupola at Qutub Minar. The team will now take up Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque’s
archway for conservation. We will repair the damaged portions by following the
core principles of conservation so that the original antique and aesthetic look
of the historic structure remains intact,” said Singh.
The construction of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was
started in 1193 by Qutb-ud-din-Aibak, the founder of the Mamluk dynasty, and
was completed in 1196, according to the Gazetteer of the Delhi District
(1883-84). The mosque was enlarged during the reign of subsequent rulers
Iltutmish and Alaudding Khilji. The prayer hall of the mosque comprises an
archway with five arches bearing inscriptions from the Quran and intricate
carvings and stones which will be conserved by ASI.
The archway has been constructed using red sandstone,
buff stone, and grey stone.
“The Delhi Circle is currently focusing on core
conservation and directing its attention towards select projects. The
conservation process can be time-taking but we don’t want to compromise on the
original attributes of the monument. At Quwwat-ul-Islam, our team will try to
replicate the original aesthetics,” Singh said.
Conservation architect Misbah Noorie, who is the ASI
in-charge of the Qutub Complex, said work at the archway will start in the
first week of February, and is likely to continue for at least six months.
“The ornamental stones engraved on the arch have come
off over the years. There are portions where the stones and carvings have been
damaged due to weather. Plaster has also been used in some parts, which needs to
be removed. As part of the conservation, we will use the original stone and
replicate the same design to plug damaged parts,” said Noorie.
Besides the front facade of the arch which comprises
ornamental stones and carvings, the ceiling of the arch will also be repaired.
“We will use patchwork technique on the arch. The ceiling of the arch is also
not in a good shape, due to which seepage is a problem. We will be using lime
concrete on the ceiling,” said Noorie.
He added that iron dowels were originally used between
stones, but due to rust, the red sandstone on the ceiling had been damaged over
the years. “Iron dowels were used to fix stones with one another. However, iron
rusts when it comes in contact with moisture or air. Due to rusting, the stone
cracks or gets damaged. Nowadays, we use copper as part of conservation,” said
Noorie.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Rs 10 lakh drone with 5 kg of heroin shot down on
Pakistan border
Jan 23, 2023
AMRITSAR: PunjabPolice and the Border Security Force
(BSF) teamed up to shoot down ahigh-tech drone estimated to be worth Rs 10 lakh
on Saturday night in the Kakkar border outpost (BOP) area. The forces seized
5kg heroin during a search operation after the UAV, ahexacopter, was shot down
— the sixth such incident in lessthan two months.
Source: Times Of India
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Hizbul Mujahideen militant arrested in J&K's
Shopian
Jan 22, 2023
SRINAGAR: Security forces on Sunday arrested one of
the longest surviving militants of Hizbul Mujahideen in Shopian district of
Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The arrested militant, Nasir Ahmed Sher Gojri
alias Qasim Bhai, a resident of Hom Huna Nagbal, has been active since 2017,
they said.
"Shopian police and army arrested one of the
longest surviving HM terrorists active since 2017 namely Nasir Ahmed Sher Gojri
alias Qasim Bhai, a resident of Hom Huna Nagbal, involved in various criminal
cases," Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.
Source: Times Of India
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MP: Bajrang Dal Members Barge into Woman’s Flat
Alleging Love Jihad, Friends Assaulted
22nd January 2023
Birthday celebrations were ruined for a 24-year-old
woman when her flat was attacked by right-wing organisation Bajrang Dal workers
alleging love jihad was going on.
The incident took place in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
According to police, the woman was celebrating her
birthday with her male friends. The party was suddenly interrupted by a large
crowd of Bajrang Dal members, all men.
A video has surfaced where the woman is sitting with
her face hidden while one of her friends was assaulted by a Bajarang Dal
member.
The right-wing workers soon took the woman and her
friends to the MIG police station where they forced her to lodge a complaint.
But she refused.
While speaking to reporters sub-inspector Seema Sharma
refused to comment on love jihad or religious angle and added that
investigations are underway.
Source: Siasat Daily
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Arab World
Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Arab League, Egypt condemn burning
of Muslim holy book in Stockholm
GOBRAN MOHAMED
January 22, 2023
CAIRO: Al-Azhar Al-Sharif — Sunni Islam’s oldest and
foremost seat of learning — strongly condemned the burning of the Holy Qur’an
by Swedish extremists.
It said on Sunday that the Qur’an will “remain in its
glory” as a “guiding book for all humanity, guiding them to the values of
goodness, truth and beauty.”
The repeated incident “indicates the complicity of
Swedish authorities” with far-right figures in an attempt to “repeatedly and
deliberately offend religious sanctities and provoke Muslims around the world,”
it said.
Right-wing politician Rasmus Paludan burned the holy
book outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm during a demonstration on
Saturday, sparking protests.
The “criminal acts of savagery” will not undermine the
sanctity of the Holy Qur’an in the heart of a civilized person, Al-Azhar said.
It added that the “grudges of the misguided criminals
and the actions of the promoters of fanaticism and sick souls, who have black
records in the history of fanaticism, hatred, and wars of religion, will not
affect the sanctity of the Holy Qur’an.”
Al-Azhar called on the international community to
stand up to attempts to” tamper with religious sanctities,” urging the
condemnation of those behind the burning and an immediate investigation into
the incident.
Allowing the burning “impedes efforts to promote
peace, interfaith dialogue and communication between East and West, as well as
between the Islamic world and the West,” it said.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and
the Egyptian government joined the condemnation.
Aboul Gheit said on Twitter: “I condemn in the
strongest terms the burning of the Holy Qur’an by an extremist in Stockholm,
Sweden.”
He added: “Such extreme and abnormal acts should be
condemned and denounced by everyone, especially in Sweden."
“Freedom of speech should not be a pretext for
extremists to ignite the fire of hatred between followers of different
religions,” said Aboul Gheit, who mentioned the Swedish Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Twitter account in his tweet.
Egypt expressed its strong condemnation of the
Stockholm incident.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
described it as a “disgraceful act” that provoked the feelings of hundreds of
millions of Muslims all over the world.
Egypt warned of the dangers of fueling hate speech and
violence.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2237126/middle-east
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Syria: 13 killed in Aleppo building collapse
22 January ,2023
Thirteen people were killed when a residential
building collapsed in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday and rescue
workers were searching for people believed still buried under the rubble, state
media said.
The five-storey building in the Sheikh Maksoud
district of Syria’s second largest city collapsed due to water leakages that
weakened its foundation, government officials were quoted as saying by state
media.
It is one of many buildings to collapse in recent
years in Aleppo, which bore the brunt of intensive Russian and Syrian aerial
bombing of areas under rebel control until rebels were driven out six years
ago.
Many displaced Syrians have been moved during the more
than decade long conflict to damaged buildings as there has been no systematic
reconstruction of residential areas and state services remain minimal,
residents say.
The opposition has accused President Bashar al-Assad
of withholding services from districts where the rebellion against him flared,
in order to punish residents.
Work to renovate war-damaged buildings is in many
cases done and paid for by local people, residents say.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Lebanon army declares state of alert amid tension with
Israel
22.01.2023
BEIRUT, Lebanon
The Lebanese army declared a state of alert on Sunday
as Israeli forces approached a “technical fence” that separates Lebanon from
Israel.
Lebanon’s state-owned National News Agency said
Israeli bulldozers and a military force moved towards the fence near the Hounin
Valley in southern Lebanon.
The move came amid tension after Lebanese forces on
Thursday stopped Israeli military bulldozers from continuing excavation works
in the area after breaching the Blue Line for a distance of two meters near the
town of Kfar Kalla in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese army.
Forces from the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL) were
dispatched to the area to prevent any escalation on the ground.
The Blue Line is the line set by the United Nations
for the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from Lebanon in 2000.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
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Saudi grand mufti denounces ‘absurd, disgraceful’
Sweden Qur’an burning
January 22, 2023
RIYADH: The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia condemned on
Sunday the burning of the Holy Qur’an by far-right protesters in Stockholm,
Sweden over the weekend.
Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh described the
incident as an “absurd and disgraceful act” in remarks carried by the Saudi
Press Agency.
“This is a provocative act against one and a half
billion Muslims around the world. It fuels strife and serves the advocates of
extremism,” Al-Sheikh said.
He praised a statement issued by the Saudi Foreign
Ministry that condemned and denunciated Swedish authorities for allowing the
Qur’an burning outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry reiterated the Kingdom’s
position in “calling for the importance of spreading the values of dialogue,
tolerance and coexistence, and rejecting hatred and extremism,” the SPA said.
Many Muslim countries condemned the Qur’an burning.
Morocco said it was “astonished” that authorities had
allowed the incident to take place “in front of the Swedish forces of order.”
Indonesia, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE also
issued condemnatory statements, as did the Gulf Cooperation Council, the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Muslim World League.
The Arab Parliament also strongly condemned the
incident and stressed its “total rejection of such disgraceful acts, which are
considered a violation of all international laws and covenants on the need to
respect people’s sanctities, beliefs and religions.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2236856/saudi-arabia
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Europe
France seeks clarification after request to withdraw
its troops from Burkina Faso
Aurore Bonny
23.01.2023
France’s president said Sunday that he is waiting for
an explanation from Burkina Faso after its military government reportedly said
it wanted French troops to leave the country within a month.
"We are waiting for clarification," Macron
was quoted as saying by French media at the end of a meeting of the
Franco-German Council of Ministers on Sunday at the Elysee Palace.
His statement comes a day after the Burkinabe
government reportedly demanded the withdrawal of French troops present in
Burkina Faso in the fight against terrorism.
Macron said there is "great confusion" over
the remarks reported in the media and called for “a lot of prudence.”
Relations between France and Burkina Faso have been
tense, and people in the West African country have demonstrated a number of
times against the French military presence, which they believe is ineffective
against the terrorism that has been raging in the country since 2015.
Previously, authorities in Burkina Faso also demanded
"a new interlocutor" to replace the French ambassador.
But France has decided to deal with the issue through
diplomatic channels, according to French Secretary of State Chrysoula Zacharopoulou,
who was in the capital Ouagadougou on Jan. 10.
"France does not impose anything. It is possible
to invent a future together," she said.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Supporters of PKK terror group stage provocative
demonstration in Swedish capital
Atilla Altuntas
21.01.2023
STOCKHOLM
Supporters of the YPG/PKK terror group on Saturday
staged another provocative demonstration in the Swedish capital.
Having gathered at Norra Bantorget Square in
Stockholm, supporters of the terror group demanded the cancellation of the
memorandum of understanding that was signed between Sweden, Finland, and
Türkiye last summer to address Ankara’s concern about the PKK’s operations in
the two Nordic countries.
The supporters were carrying pieces of cloth
symbolizing the terrorist group and posters of its ringleader Abdullah Ocalan.
They also hung a puppet likened to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Another puppet likened to Erdogan was shown carrying a piece of cloth
symbolizing the YPG/PKK terror group.
Accompanied by police, supporters of the YPG/PKK
terror group marched to the Medborgarplatsen area.
Earlier this month and last November, PKK supporters
in the country also staged similar demonstrations which drew a strong reaction
from Ankara.
In its more than 35-year terror campaign against
Türkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and
EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including
women, children and infants. The YPG is its Syrian offshoot.
Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a
memorandum last June at the NATO summit in Madrid to address Ankara's
legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in
the alliance.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Yemen blasts UK role in its suffering after envoy's
remarks
21 January 2023
The foreign ministry of Yemen’s National Salvation
Government has severely censured the United Kingdom over its “criminal
approach” towards the impoverished and war-wracked Arab country, stating that
its policies have led to the serious deterioration of people’s sufferings as it
torpedoes any attempt aimed at establishment of nationwide peace.
The ministry said in a statement that London is
involved in everyday hostilities being committed against the Yemeni nation, and
stands brazenly on the side of Saudi-backed thieves and terrorists who were
deposed by Yemenis.
It stressed that the latest remarks by British
Ambassador to Yemen Richard Oppenheim clearly attests to London’s criminal role
in exacerbating the sufferings of Yemenis, and explicitly show that British is
chiefly accountable for the maximum pressures campaign against Yemen, the
blockade on Yemen, and starvation of people.
The statement pointed out that Oppenheim’s comments
have brought shame on all Britons, and acknowledges Britain’s in engaged in war
crimes being perpetrated against Yemenis.
“These crimes which are being committed without any
reservations, give the Yemeni nation the full right to pursue and punish
British officials through all available legal channels,” it read.
The head and deputy head of Yemen’s so-called
Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) reviewed the current situation in the
country in a meeting with Oppenheim in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on January
10.
Good to meet with President Rashad Alimi today. Going
into the new year, I reiterated UK support to the Government of Yemen in the
wake of Houthi pressure and to coordinate our efforts to ensure 2023 is a year
of peace for Yemen 🇾🇪 🇬🇧 #YemenCantWait https://t.co/FTaHnfooyS
— Richard Oppenheim (@RJOppenheim) January 10, 2023
The PLC chairman Rashad al-Alimi briefed the British
ambassador to Yemen on retaliatory attacks on oil facilities and “the
implications of these attacks on the humanitarian and economic situation” in
Yemen.
Oppenheim said the UK supports the Saudi-backed
government of Yemen, and alleged he co-ordination of efforts “to ensure that
2023 is a year of peace for Yemen.”
The Yemeni foreign ministry stressed that Britain is
apparently prolonging the Yemen conflict, further deteriorating the miseries of
Yemenis, impeding peace efforts, and resuming vicious military assaults.
It held Britain, the US and their allies fully
responsible for the status quo in Yemen, and warned against the rise of
tensions.
The ministry finally called on the United Nations and
all freedom-loving people of the world to condemn Britain’s flagrant
intervention in Yemeni domestic affairs, which significantly obstruct
restoration of peace.
It underlined the need for a balanced and thorough
assessment of the economic situation in Yemen, and effective measures to
address the sufferings of the Yemeni nation.
Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with its Arab allies
and with arms and logistics support from the US and other Western states,
launched the devastating war on Yemen in March 2015.
The objective was to crush the popular Ansarullah
resistance movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of a
functional government in Yemen, and reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd
Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.
Source: Press TV
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South Asia
Chinese FM asks Taliban to ensure safety of Chinese
citizens in Afghanistan
22 January, 2023
Beijing [China], January 22 (ANI): Chinese Foreign
Minister Qin Gang on Saturday held a phone conversation with Taliban acting
foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and asked him to ensure the safety of
Chinese citizens in Afghanistan.
Qin said that China attaches great importance to the
safety of Chinese personnel and institutions in Afghanistan as the Spring
Festival approaches, hoping that the Afghan side will take strong measures to
ensure their safety, Xinhua news agency reported.
Muttaqi said that Afghanistan prohibits any forces
from using its territory for activities that sabotage the Afghanistan-China
friendship and undermine China’s interests.
“The country will resolutely combat all forms of
terrorism and take strong measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel
and institutions in Afghanistan,” he added.
Qin said China highly values cooperation with
Afghanistan and always respects the independent choices made by the Afghan
people, their religious beliefs and ethnic customs.
The Taliban earlier this month announced a deal with a
Chinese company to enable oil extraction in the Amu Darya basin in northern
Afghanistan, raising alarm bells in the west.
The signing ceremony of the over USD 500 million deal
took place on January 5 in the presence of the Chinese envoy to Afghanistan
Wang Yu, and other high-ranking Taliban officials, including Abdul Ghani
Baradar, the acting deputy prime minister for economic affairs.
“The agreement, the Taliban’s first major energy
investment contract since its 2021 takeover, represents China’s growing
strategic interest in the Islamic Emirate,” wrote, Washington-based researcher
Kyle Sajoyan in the “19fortyfive” publication.
“Despite the growing number of terrorist attacks
targeting Chinese nationals in the region, the PRC is showing no signs of
stopping its global imperial project in the Muslim world,” he added.
This deal comes amid rising violence against Chinese
nationals in Taliban-run Afghanistan. Last month, gunmen from ISIS-K targeted a
Kabul hotel popular with Chinese businessmen.
Source: The Print
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Afghan Refugees in Islamabad Protest Against
Detention, Forceful Deportation
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
January 22, 2023
Many Afghan social activists and refugees in Islamabad
protested on Saturday against Pakistan’s forceful deportation policy and asked
the host country to treat refugees with decency.
Khaama Press has received footage from yesterday’s
gathering showing some Afghan women gathered in the capital Islamabad, urging
the Pakistani government to stop forcefully extraditing Afghan refugees.
The demonstrators stated that they have not wishfully
left their country, but were forced due to the imposition of bans restricting
women and girls from education, employment, and public spaces.
This comes as the detention and deportation of Afghan
migrants have unprecedentedly increased in Pakistan in the recent past in Sindh
province in particular, prompting widespread condemnations within Pakistan and
beyond.
In response to the imprisonment of Afghan citizens,
the United Nation and refugee advocacy organizations called on the Pakistani
government to respect human rights and treat Afghan refugees with decency.
“Pakistan government should not forcefully expel
Afghan refugees because they cannot return to Afghanistan with the gender-based
restrictions in place. We ask the International Community to drive immediate
attention to the living conditions of women in Afghanistan,” a female protestor
said.
“Seek asylum is a human right, therefore, Afghans
should not be deprived of this very basic right outside their home country,”
another protestor said.
The illegal movement of Afghan refugees to the
neighboring countries of Iran and Pakistan has spiked over the past two years.
Gender apartheid, discrimination, and restrictions on women’s education and
work are the key reasons for the mass migration to these two destinations.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-refugees-in-islamabad-protest-against-detention-forceful-deportation/
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Bangladesh protests Sweden Quran burning as
condemnation pours in
January 22, 2023
Bangladesh has strongly condemned the burning of the
Holy Quran by a far-right leader in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm,
Sweden.
The reaction comes as a number of Muslim countries
condemned the act. Far-right politician Rasmus Paludan set fire to a copy of
the Muslim holy book on Saturday.
“Bangladesh expresses grave concern over the act of
insulting the sacred values of the Muslims all over the world in the guise of
freedom of expression,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.
“Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance,” it
added.
Paludan, a Swedish-Danish activist who has already
been convicted for racist abuse, provoked rioting in Sweden last year when he
went on a tour of the country and publicly burned copies of the Quran.
Bangladesh believes that freedom of religion must be
upheld and respected under any circumstance, said the foreign ministry.
Bangladesh also urged all concerned to refrain from
unwarranted provocation for the sake of harmony and peaceful coexistence.
Meanwhile, Sweden's prime minister has condemned as
"deeply disrespectful" the burning of a Quran in Stockholm, which has
raised tensions with Turkey as the Nordic country courts Ankara over its Nato
bid.
Furious that Paludan had been permitted by Swedish
police to carry out the protest, Ankara cancelled a visit by Sweden's defence
minister and summoned Stockholm's ambassador.
Late on Saturday, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson
tweeted: "Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But
what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to
many is a deeply disrespectful act."
"I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims
who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm today."
Paludan's demonstration has further damaged relations
as Stockholm tries to convince Nato member Turkey to approve Sweden and Finland
joining the military alliance.
Sweden's bid has been stalled amid Ankara's demands
that Stockholm hand over Kurdish activists and prevent rallies attacking
Turkey's leadership.
Arab world furious
Many Muslim countries said they were outraged by the
burning of the Quran.
Morocco said it was "astonished" the
authorities had allowed it to take place "in front of the Swedish forces
of order".
Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE also condemned it,
as did the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation.
Jakarta said "the act of blasphemy against the
holy book has hurt and tarnished religious tolerance", adding that
"freedom of expression must be exercised in a responsible manner".
Source: Dhaka Tribune
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dhakatribune.com/nation/2022/12/26/rajshahi-man-sued-for-placing-holy-quran-in-church
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Mideast
Heads of Iranian Gov't Branches Describe EU's
Anti-IRGC Move as Part of Hybrid Warfare
2023-January-22
President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi, Parliament Speaker
Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Eje'i held
their weekly meeting on Saturday, discussing key issues of the country.
Their meeting was held days after the European
Parliament passed a resolution that called for designating the IRGC as a
foreign terrorist organization.
The top Iranian officials called the resolution part
of media, psychological and economic warfare in which enemies have been
defeated due to vigilance of the Iranian people, as well as their support for
the revolution and achievements of the Islamic system.
Raisi, Qalibaf and Mohseni Eje'i stressed that the
IRGC is part of Iran’s military might and armed forces, which has served the
country over the past four decades and has a good record of defending Iran.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament's members backed
an amendment added to an annual foreign policy report, calling for "the EU
and its member states to include the IRGC in the EU's terror list". The
step was passed by a vote of 598 in favor and nine against, with 31
abstentions.
The amendment will urge Brussels to blacklist the IRGC
military force, the volunteer Basij force, and the IRGC's Quds Force.
Tehran has repeatedly announced that the IRGC is an
official state body which has had and will continue to have an important and
key role in ensuring the security of Iran and the region.
Iranian officials have warned the EU that its plan to
blacklist the IRGC as a “terrorist organization” may have unbearable
consequences, urging Europe to avoid repeating the past mistakes.
They cautioned the European governments against
falling into the trap of a plot hatched by the US and Israel, calling on the EU
to maintain its independence from the US.
Tehran stresses the European states enjoy safety
because of the elite forces' efforts in the fight against terror groups in the
region.
The move has been strongly condemned by Iranian
officials, commanders and the Armed Forces.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Israeli expansionism: Extremist minister calls for
demolition of hundreds of Palestinian homes
23 January 2023
A far-right Israeli minister has called for the
demolition of hundreds of Palestinian homes, in a move that reflects escalating
Israeli extremism against Palestinians in the occupied territories amid
unhindered expansionism.
Orit Strook, minister of settlement in the Israeli
cabinet, claimed these homes, as well as “tens of neighborhoods” approved by
the Palestinian authorities, are in fact “located on land belonging to the
Jewish people,” making a reference to the “Area C” of the occupied West Bank
which is classified as Israeli-owned by the Israeli apartheid regime.
She also claimed that the Palestinians who build on
their lands are “carrying out illegal construction without permits.” She called
on the Israeli Minister of Security, Yoav Galant to destroy these houses.
On the other hand, the far-right politician told
Israeli radio that the regime’s cabinet will try to recognize dozens of places
occupied by illegal settlers and put prefabricated houses as new illegal Israeli
settlements as soon as possible.
Despite admitting that settlement outposts like “Or
Chaim” are illegal, Strook said that the current cabinet of the Israeli regime,
based on an agreement of the coalition cabinet, will try to quickly recognize
dozens of settlement outposts and approve construction operations to facilitate
settlement building in the West Bank, the areas where the settlers are called
“Hilltop youth.”
On a related note, Daniela Weis, one of the leaders of
the settlement support movement known as “Gush Imonim,” said in an interview
with Yediot Aharonot newspaper that, “The time has come for the return of
settlement construction activity in Israel.”
Israel routinely demolishes Palestinian houses in the
occupied West Bank and East al-Quds, claiming that the structures have been
built without the so-called Israeli permits, which are almost impossible to
obtain. They also sometimes order Palestinian owners to demolish their own
houses or pay the costs of the demolition if they do not.
Almost 75 percent of applications for a permit by
Palestinian residents of al-Quds are rejected by the Israeli municipality,
according to rights groups.
The Tel Aviv regime plans to force out Palestinian
families from different neighborhoods in East al-Quds in an attempt to replace
them with settlers.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
Source: Press TV
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Iran Launches General Soleimani Satellite Project
2023-January-22
Salarieh made the announcement on the Agency’s
official website on Sunday as he elaborated on the latest implementation status
of General Soleimani’s project, which is part of Iran’s ongoing 10-year space
program.
“Based on the 10-year space program and in order to
provide services to people, government institutions, and organizations as well
as to provide services to private sector companies, the Iranian Space Agency
has been tasked with placing a telecommunication satellite system in Earth's
orbit,” Salarieh said.
“The implementation of the project, which is called
‘Martyr Soleimani Project’ and is considered to be the first satellite system
project of our country, is of great importance owing to the achievements in the
production of satellite series and their network formation,” he added.
He said that the Iranian Space Agency had prepared the
operational plan of the project and codified the executive program of a
narrowband telecommunication system with limited service long ago and even
before the finalization of the country's 10-year space program.
“In less than a month since the approval of the
10-year space program, one of the most important clauses of which is the
implementation of the Martyr Soleimani Project, … the implementation phase of
the project was officially launched,” Salarieh said.
Hailing the steps taken by the Agency to build small
satellites, Salarieh said, "It is axiomatic that upon success in this
step, the way to complete and develop satellite systems and provide more
services will be paved in the next steps."
Iran launched its first satellite Omid (Hope) in 2009
and its Rasad (Observation) satellite was sent into orbit in 2011.
In 2012, the Islamic Republic successfully put its
third domestically-made satellite, Navid (Good News), into orbit.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011102000806/Iran-Lanches-General-Sleimani-Saellie-Prjec
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Turkey’s Erdogan announces elections for May 14
22 January ,2023
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that
Turkey’s elections will be held on May 14 -- a month earlier than scheduled --
according to a video shared by his office Sunday.
“This is not an early election but bringing it
forward,” Erdogan said in a video from his meeting with young people in Bursa
this weekend, shared by the presidency.
Erdogan said he would use his authority to go for elections
on May 14 -- an adjustment he said was decided considering school exams.
This will be the most challenging election for the
Turkish strongman who has been in power for two decades shaping the
predominantly Muslim but officially secular country’s politics.
The May 14 election date was also supported by
opposition alliance still arguing over the choice of a united candidate against
the 68-year-old leader.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran says to put European military on terror list if
EU designates IRGC
Syed Zafar Mehdi
22.01.2023
TEHRAN, Iran
Iran's parliament on Sunday warned of a "decisive
and prompt" response to the European Parliament's move to designate the
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Speaking during a special session, which also saw
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and IRGC chief General Hossein Salami
in attendance, Parliament Speaker Baqer Qalibaf said Iran will respond to any
move sanctioning or listing the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
As part of the response, he stressed, the European
military deployed in the region would be designated as "terrorist
groups", while urging the Western countries to "not close the window
of diplomacy."
In a non-binding vote last week, the European
Parliament condemned the IRGC for its crackdown on protesters amid the
months-long unrest in the country as well as the supply of drones to Russia for
use in Ukraine.
MEPs overwhelmingly voted for a resolution that calls
for “the EU and its member states to include the IRGC on the EU’s terrorist
list".
However, according to reports, it is unlikely to
figure in the next round of sanctions on Iranian individuals and entities
expected to be approved by the EU on Monday.
Iran maintains that designating the elite force as a
terrorist organization would be a "completely illegal” move as it is the
official military branch of the Iranian government.
Qalibaf, a former IRGC Navy commander and a top
conservative leader, said the European countries have "taken the wrong
path" while hailing the elite force for "eliminating the
Daesh/ISIS".
Amir-Abdollahian in a Twitter post said the country's
parliament is mulling over placing the armies of European countries on the
terror list as a "counter-measure".
The top Iranian diplomat told reporters that "all
countermeasures are conceivable", including Iran's exit from the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), "if Europe does not change its
stance" on the IRGC's black-listing.
Iran-EU tensions
While the IRGC is designated as a "foreign
terrorist group" by the US, European countries have so far been hesitant
to push ahead with the move due to legal issues.
The issue came back into the limelight in recent
months in the wake of protests in Iran triggered by the death of a young woman
in police custody, arrest of a number of European nationals as well as reports
about Iran's drone supplies to close ally Russia.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
also announced her support for blacklisting the IRGC last week, after top
officials of France, Britain and Germany said they were considering the move.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said earlier
this month that a new round of sanctions against Iran would not be enough, backing
the move to designate the IRGC.
"Listing the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist
organization is politically important and makes sense," she wrote on
Twitter, while also referring to legal obstacles.
In his phone call with the European Union foreign policy
chief Josep Borrell on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian termed the move to blacklist
the IRGC as "inappropriate", adding that the European Parliament
"shot itself in the foot" with the move.
He also warned of a "strong legal response"
to the move, while urging the European Parliament to "consider its adverse
consequences".
On Saturday, the heads of three branches of the
Iranian government during their weekly meeting dubbed the EU's move as
"part of the bigger anti-Iran hybrid war".
President Ebrahim Raisi in separate remarks said the
move was "out of desperation" and "against the UN Charter".
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Houthi allegations of shelling on Saadah districts
baseless: Coalition in Yemen
January 22, 2023
RIYADH: Houthi allegations of shelling on the Saadah
districts of Shada and Munabbih are “baseless,” the Coalition to Restore
Legitimacy in Yemen said on Sunday.
“What is being circulated comes within the context of
ongoing Houthi allegations in areas under its control that represent hotspots
for disputes,” the coalition said.
The statement also said that crime was rife in areas
managed by the Houthis.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2237056/middle-east
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Pakistan
Desecration Of Holy Quran A Plot To Fuel Anti-Muslim
Violence: Pakistan PM’s Interfaith Representative
January 22, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Special Representative for
Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on
Sunday said the abhorrent act of the Holy Quran’s desecration in Sweden badly
hurt the religious sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims on the globe.
Condemning the incident in the strongest terms while
talking to APP, Ashrafi who is also the Chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council said
it could be a plot to fuel the anti-Muslim violence under the pretext of
advocating freedom of speech in the world.
He urged the Swedish government to adopt the measures
to prevent recurrence of such disgraceful incidents in the future and should
not allow extremists and radical elements to spread hatred against Islamic
sanctities and values.
He said such actions had nothing to do with freedom of
expression and under the international human rights law, nobody was allowed to
carry out hate speech and incite people to violence.
He also urged the United Nations, Organization of
Islamic Cooperation and United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom to take punitive action against the far-right politician in Sweden for
desecrating the divine command.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pakistan President Calls For Global Resolve Against
Islamophobia
Muhammad Irfan
January 23, 2023
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd
Jan, 2023): President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday urged the international community
to show a common resolve against Islamophobia and work towards consolidating
the values of tolerance and coexistence.
Strongly condemning the desecration of the Holy Quran
in Sweden, the president said the abhorrent incident insulted the holy
scripture of islam and hurt the feelings of billions of Muslims under the guise
of freedom of expression.
He termed the act as senseless, provocative and Islamophobic
which hurt the religious sensitivities of Muslims around the world.
Dr Alvi called upon the world to criminalize all acts
that promote the ideology of hatred and not allow extremist and radical
elements to spread hatred against Islamic sanctities and values.
He termed the act as senseless, provocative and
Islamophobic which hurt the religious sensitivities of Muslims around the
world.
The president, in a statement, stressed that the
immoral incident was an act of needless incitement and a serious provocation to
the feelings of Muslims in the world.
This is against the internationally accepted norms and
principles of legitimate expression of the right to freedom of expression or
opinion, which obliged everyone to not resort to hate speech and incite people
to violence, he said.
Source: Urdu Point
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https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/president-calls-for-global-resolve-against-is-1629918.html
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‘Hurtful And Despicable’: Pak PM Sharif Condemns
‘Burning’ Of Quran In Sweden
22 January, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], January 22 (ANI): Pakistan Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday criticised the alleged burning of the Quran
during a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Pakistan-based news
organisation, The News International, reported adding that he termed the
incident extremely hurtful and despicable.
According to news report, Turkey and Saudi Arabia
joined several other Muslim countries to condemn the incident.
The report quoted the Pakistan PM as tweeting, “No
words are enough to adequately condemn the abhorrable act of desecration of the
Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden. The garb of the freedom of
expression cannot be used to hurt the religious emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims
across the world. This is unacceptable”.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, too, issued a
statement on the alleged Quran burning, saying the sentiments of 1.5 billion
Muslims across the globe have been hurt, the report said, adding that Turkey
and several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait, too,
denounced the alleged desecration of the Quran.
Turkey called the protest in Sweden a ‘vile act’. It
released a statement saying that the Swedish government’s decision to allow the
protest to go ahead was ‘completely unacceptable’.
It further said, “Permitting this anti-Islam act, which
targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of ‘freedom of
expression’ is completely unacceptable.”
The Pakistan foreign ministry, meanwhile, called upon
the international community to show a common resolve against “Islamophobia, xenophobia,
intolerance, and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief, and
work together for promoting inter-faith harmony and peaceful coexistence”.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement, “Saudi
Arabia calls for spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence,
and rejects hatred and extremism.”
Further, according to the news report, the alleged
desecration of the Quran also resulted in the cancellation of Swedish Defence
minister’s visit to Turkey.
Source: The Print
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Politicians slam burning of Holy Quran in Sweden
January 23, 2023
LAHORE: Political leaders across the party line have
condemned the burning of the Holy Quran during a right-wing protest in Sweden.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PTI Chairman Imran
Khan, outgoing Punjab chief minister Parvez Elahi, and the OIC
secretary-general strongly condemned the hurtful act on Sunday.
The prime minister strongly condemned the despicable
act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in Sweden the
other day.
“No words are enough to adequately condemn the
abhorrable act of desecration of the Holy Quran by a right-wing extremist in
Sweden. The garb of the freedom of expression cannot be used to hurt the
religious emotions of 1.5 billion Muslims across the world. This is
unacceptable,” the premier said in a tweet posted on his official account.
Former prime minister Imran Khan “strongly condemned”
the act and said his government had sponsored a landmark resolution in the UN
to combat Islamophobia.
PM Shehbaz, PTI chairman and OIC head denounce the act
“Strongly condemn [the] burning of Holy Quran
yesterday at a protest in Sweden. Last March on our govt’s initiative the UNGA
passed OIC sponsored landmark [resolution] on International Day to Combat
Islamophobia. It recognised that Islamophobic acts were not an expression of
freedom of speech,” he said in a tweet.
Parvez Elahi also took to Twitter to condemn the act.
“[I] strongly condemn the desecration of the Holy
Quran in Sweden,” he said in a series of tweets while calling the act
“despicable” and “hurtful”.
“There should be no space for such acts in civilised
societies. No civilised society could even think of desecrating a holy book.”
He added that the reverence for the Holy Quran was
part of every Muslim’s faith and such acts cannot be tolerated in the garb of
freedom of speech.
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry asserted that such acts by
“hatemongers” were a threat to the world’s peace. “World need[s] peace [but]
hate mongers are trying to burn the world peace in the fire of their hate,” he
tweeted.
“[The] Stockholm incident has hurt the sentiments of
1.5bn Muslims, those responsible should be booked in criminal offences for
inciting hatred and sabotaging peace.”
National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani also condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy
Quran and asked the Swedish government to take action against those involved in
hurting the sentiments of Muslims all over the world under the guise of freedom
of expression.
OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha condemned
the act “in the strongest terms” and urged the Swedish authorities to take
necessary action against the perpetrators of this “hate crime”, a release from
the OIC Secretariat in Jeddah quoted him as saying.
He called for increased international efforts to
prevent the recurrence of such acts and for solidarity in the fight against
Islamophobia.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1733149/politicians-slam-burning-of-holy-quran-in-sweden
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44 PTI lawmakers to withdraw resignations from
National Assembly: Asad Umar
Nadir Guramani
January 23, 2023
PTI leader Asad Umar said on Monday that 44 party
lawmakers have decided to withdraw their resignations from the National
Assembly and emails in this regard have been sent to Speaker Raja Pervaiz
Ashraf.
The decision, he said, was taken on orders of PTI
chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan after the speaker refused to
accept all the resignations together.
“The next step will be the nomination of the
opposition leader,” Umar tweeted.
The lawmakers who have decided to withdraw their
resignations — shared by Umar — include Muhammad Riaz Khan, Muhammad Yaqoob
Sheikh, Shaheen Niaz, Nasarullah Dareshar, Zulfiqar Ali Khan, Nafeesa Inayat
Khan, Malik Anwar, Saleh Mohammad, Jai Parkash, Tahir Sadiq, Niaz Ahmed, Raza
Nasarullah, Javed Iqbal, Munaza Hasan, Lal Chand Malhi, Sajida Zulfiqar, Sardar
Muhammad Khan, Uzma Riaz, Tashfeen Safadar, Jawad Hussain and Nausheen Hamid.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said 45 lawmakers
had decided to withdraw their resignations so that the party could take back
the posts of the leader of the opposition and parliamentary party leader.
He added that the aim of the move was to get rid of
the “fake” NA opposition leader and prevent “turncoats” from voting for Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the vote of confidence.
After Umar’s announcement, PTI lawmakers staged a
sit-in outside the NA speaker’s house, demanding that their requests should be
immediately accepted.
As many as 123 PTI MNAs had resigned en masse from the
lower house of parliament following the ouster of PTI chief Imran Khan in April
last year.
Subsequently, NA speaker Ashraf accepted only 11 of
the resignations, stating that the remaining lawmakers would be summoned
individually for verification.
After stalling the process for eight months, Ashraf
last week, accepted the resignations of 69 more PTI MNAs and Awami Muslim
League chief Sheikh Rashid as the party hinted it would “test” the incumbent
prime minister with a confidence vote. The total number of PTI MNAs whose
resignations have been accepted stands at 80 so far.
Source: Dawn
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Pakistan team probing attack on PTI chairman Imran
Khan reconstituted again
Jan 23, 2023
ISLAMABAD: A joint investigation team asked to probe
the attempted assassination attack on former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
has been was reconstituted once again, The News International reported.
The joint team was reconstituted again on Sunday after
four members of the team levelled allegations against the team's head Capital
City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar. Differences between Dogar and
members started after objections were raised on the former's
"politically-inclined" conduct.
The newly constituted JIT team includes Dera Ghazi
Khan's District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Akmal, Superintendent of Police
(SP) Anjum Kamal, and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) CIA Jhang Nasir
Nawaz. The notification said that the decision to appoint the fourth member of
any department rests with the JIT, according to The News International.
The former members of JIT accused Ghulam Mahmood Dogar
of conducting the investigation on political grounds, The News International
reported citing sources. Advocate Mian Dawood, the counsel of the suspect
involved in the gun attack on Imran Khan, claimed that Ghulam Mahmood Dogar was
investigating the case according to the will of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) leader.
In a statement, Naveed Meher's counsel said that
retaining Ghulam Mahmood Dogar as head of the JIT was based on
"malice." He termed it necessary to remove Dogar as well from the
JIT. The lawyer raised question on why the previous members of the body were
presenting the suspects in the court when a new joint investigation team has
been made, as per the news report.
"The nation already considers Ghulam Mehmood
Dogar responsible for botching the investigation of the case," The News
International quoted Naveed Meher's counsel as saying.The PTI chairman Imran
Khan was attacked in Wazirabad on November 23 while he was leading the
"Azadi March" against the PML-N demanding snap polls. The law
enforcement agencies arrested suspect Naveed Meher from the site of the attack.
The suspect also admitted to opening fire on the PTI leadership.
The first information report of the incident was
lodged on November 7 under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. The probe into the
assassination attempt on Imran Khan had been handed over to an anti-corruption
officer by Dogar, as per the sources within the JIT.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan imported $1.2 billion worth of cars in just six
months despite economic crisis: Report
Jan 22, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan spent $1.2 billion on the import
of transportation items, including luxury cars, high-end electric vehicles, and
their parts, during the last six months amidst sinking reserves and fear of
default, according to a media report.
The country is in the middle of a financial crunch
with the foreign exchange reserves depleting to as low as $4 billion, forcing
the central bank to slow down the import of even essential items.
The News reported that despite the overall reduction
in imports of transportation vehicles and other items compared with last year,
the economy was still burdened with heavy outflows for buying expensive luxury
vehicles and useless items.During these six months, the country imported
completely built units (CBU), completely knocked down/semi knocked down
(CKD/SKD) of $530.5 million equivalent to Rs 118.2 billion.
Since CKD kits are not allowed to be imported, yet
millions of dollars of these kits are being imported, harming the local
industry and their production.
The economy is suffering, but hefty spending on cars
and other vehicle imports is raising a lot of questions about the government's
policy of halting imports related to the industrial and commercial sectors.
Under the completely built units (CBU) during July-Dec
2022-23 imports of buses, trucks and other heavy vehicles imports were $75
million (Rs16.6bn), motor cars with $32.6 million.
Under the CKD/SKD, imports of buses, trucks, and other
heavy vehicles imports were $722.5 million (Rs161 billion), while motor car
imports were recorded at $498 million (Rs111 billion). Motorcycle imports also
stood at $27.6 million.
Besides, the parts and accessories imports stood at
$188.6 million (Rs42 billion). Similarly, $47.7 million were spent on the
import of aircraft, ships, and boats.
Only in December, the transport sector's imports stood
at $140.7 million (Rs31.6 billion). Of this, $47.5 million or 11.3 billion
rupees were spent on the imports of cars, $27 million on parts and accessories,
$3.6 million on motorcycles import, $25 million on buses, trucks, and heavy
vehicles, and another $22.4 million on the import of aircraft, ships, and
boats.
Source: Times Of India
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia Urges International Community To Combat
Islamophobia After Quran-Burning In Sweden
23 Jan 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Malaysia has urged the
international community to work together to combat Islamophobia and promote
harmonious relations and peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths
in a diverse global community.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said
Malaysia will continue to work closely with fellow members of the international
community to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and hatred against
Islam, including Islamophobic sentiments and extremism.
He said this in response to the Islamophobic act by an
extremist SwedishDanish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan in burning a copy
of the Quran in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday (Jan 21), which Malaysia condemns
in the strongest terms.
“This vile act is clearly an outright attack against
Islam and Muslims worldwide, which has gone beyond moral limits and norms of
the right to freedom of speech and expression.
“Bigotry, racism and vile desecration of such holy
scripture, regardless of religion, is unacceptable and should be condemned.
Malaysia reiterates that freedom of expression cannot be equated with freedom
to insult. It goes against the universal principle of respect for religions.”
he said in a statement issued by Malaysia’s foreign ministry (Wisma Putra).
Zambry urged the Swedish government to take immediate
action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and to undertake serious
measures to combat the worrisome rise of Islamophobia in the country.
“The Swedish government’s ignorance to stop this
dreadful and wicked act despite several protests from various parties is
utterly unacceptable and could have serious repercussions on relations between
Sweden and Muslims around the world.
“We urge the Swedish government to take immediate
action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and to undertake serious
measures to combat the worrisome rise of Islamophobia in Sweden,” he added.
Source: Malay Mail
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Interfaith Tolerance: Muslim Man Helps Guard Dharma
Bhakti Temple
BY :ASIA AHMED
JANUARY 22, 2023
Jakarta. Respecting others’ spiritual beliefs is key
to maintaining peace in a multireligious nation like Indonesia, and the Dharma
Bhakti Temple in Jakarta’s Chinatown Glodok becomes a testament to the
country’s interfaith tolerance.
Meet Idrus Samalegu, one of the security guards at the
Dharma Bhakti Temple. Idrus was on duty when the Jakarta Globe came to visit
the temple on Tuesday.
At the time, it was just less than a week before the
Chinese New Year, locally known as Imlek, so the temple was having a spring
clean. Some worshippers visited the temple to pray and make offerings. As a
guard, Idrus made sure that the worshippers could pray in peace.
Idrus’ adaptability to secure the place of worship for
many has put him in the spotlight. He is well-versed in the practices of those
of the Buddhist faith, and also understands their devotion. But what came as a
surprise was that Idrus, who has been guarding the temple for seven years, is a
Muslim.
“We are all human, therefore, regardless of religion,
you should accept one another's beliefs,” Idrus told the Globe on Tuesday.
“We are all blessed by God. What makes people
different from one another is their hearts and minds,” Idrus said.
Despite having a different religious belief, Idrus was
delighted to see individuals return to normalcy and celebrate the important
occasion.
Worshiping in temples is one of the many important
traditions during the Chinese New Year.
It is believed that doing so brings good fortune for
the entire year. The Covid-19 pandemic had taken a significant toll on the
proceedings since there had been major restrictions in previous years. Idrus
said that last year the worshippers had to take turns praying at the altar on
the second floor.
Idrus said the temple had also geared up to welcome
the crowds of worshippers for this Imlek, which would fall on Jan. 22.
According to Idrus, the temple had already done most of its deep cleaning over
the weekend. They were polishing the rest of the statues by the time when the
Globe dropped by the temple.
Over the past years of being the temple guard, Idrus
has seen many visitors from all sorts of different backgrounds and
nationalities.
“Many foreign tourists visit the historic Dharma
Bhakti Temple,” Idrus said while adding that Former Jakarta Governor Anies
Baswedan also came to the temple during the 2019 Imlek celebrations.
Source: Jakarta Globe
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https://jakartaglobe.id/lifestyle/interfaith-tolerance-muslim-man-helps-guard-dharma-bhakti-temple
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Summon Swedish ambassador over Quran burning, govt
told
January 23, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin has
urged the government to summon the Swedish ambassador over the burning of the
Quran at a demonstration led by a far-right politician in Stockholm.
Hamzah said the opposition MPs are in solidarity with
the government to defend the sanctity of Islam and stand against any form of
Islamophobia, extremism, radicalism, hate and violence.
“Thus, it is important for Putrajaya to summon the
Swedish ambassador to officially express Malaysia’s objection and
disappointment over the incident and demand immediate action against the
perpetrators,” he said in a statement.
Hamzah said the opposition MPs want the government to
be more proactive on the international stage in opposing Islamophobia and
xenophobic acts, as well as speaking up against policies that incite violence.
“This blatant hate crime should not be allowed or
tolerated under the guise of freedom of speech. Sweden must take action to
punish all those involved as this is not the first incident orchestrated by
Rasmus Paludan and Stram Kurs,” he said, referring to the Swedish-Danish
politician and the far-right party he leads in the Scandinavian nation.
Last night, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia
strongly condemns the burning of the Quran at a demonstration led by Paludan in
Stockholm.
He called for immediate action by Swedish authorities
against Paludan to check what he called an alarming rise of Islamophobia in the
country.
Earlier today, foreign minister Zambry Abdul Kadir
said Malaysia will continue to work closely with fellow members of the
international community to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and
hatred against Islam, including Islamophobic sentiments and extremism.
“Bigotry, racism and vile desecration of such holy
scripture, regardless of religion, is unacceptable and should be condemned.
“Malaysia reiterates that freedom of expression cannot
be equated with freedom to insult. It goes against the universal principle of
respect for religions,” he said in a statement issued by Wisma Putra on the
incident.
Paludan was reported to have burned the holy book at a
demonstration held in front of the Turkish embassy in the Swedish capital on
Saturday.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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National character main foundation to deter
radicalism: VP Amin
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin
highlighted the importance of national character building as it is the main
foundation to save Indonesia's younger generation from the threats of
radicalism.
"The national character is the primary foundation
and essential filter to deter radicalism and other ideologies that are in
opposition to Pancasila," he said in his speech that he delivered
virtually at the Shalahuddin Al-Ayyubi Islamic Academy's undergraduate
graduation ceremony here Sunday.
Amin urged universities in Indonesia, including
Shalahuddin Al-Ayyubi Islamic Academy, to instill the national character in
their students to make them part of the country's advanced future generation.
Enhancing the national character is inevitable amid
the rapid flows of information and values of foreign cultures as nurturing
nationalism and patriotism among members of younger generation is not a task
that will get completed in a day, he said.
"The character development, particularly the
national character, needs a long process and time, and it must be nurtured and
developed continuously," Amin said.
He emphasised the importance of proper religious
education, including knowledge, behaviour, and faith aspects. These all must be
instilled in concurrence with tolerance, respect for differences, and national
unity values.
Amin also highlighted that the Islamic higher
educational institutions play an important role in developing a democratic
Indonesian character.
He pointed out that many Indonesian Muslim figures who
have become the spokespersons for peaceful, friendly, and civilised Islamic
values at international level are educated at Islamic educational institutions.
Amin expressed hope that the Islamic educational
institutions, such as the Shalahuddin Al-Ayyubi Islamic Academy, continue
instilling noble values in their students at they will elevate Islamic values
and Indonesia's prestige to the global community in the future.
Source: Antara News
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https://en.antaranews.com/news/270318/national-character-main-foundation-to-deter-radicalism-vp-amin
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Africa
Libya urges Arabs to back UN efforts for holding
stalled elections
22.01.2023
TRIPOLI, Libya
Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Al-Mangoush on Sunday
called for Arab support to UN efforts for holding the country’s stalled
elections.
The call was made at the opening of a meeting of Arab
foreign ministers in the Libyan capital Tripoli. UN envoy Abdoulaye Bathily
took part in the meeting.
“Libya insists on practicing its full rights in the
Arab League,” Al-Mangoush said, rejecting what she called “politicization of
the work rules” in the pan-Arab league.
The Libyan diplomat called on the Arab League to
support efforts aimed at activating the role of the UN mission in Libya “to
create a favorable atmosphere for holding the elections and ending the
transitional periods peacefully.”
Sunday’s meeting was attended by a number of Arab
countries, including Algeria, Tunisia and Qatar. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates and Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit were
not present.
Last week, Libya’s Parliament Speaker Aguila Saleh
said the country’s stalled elections will be held before November after an
agreement with the Tripoli-based High Council of State.
Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011 when
longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Ennahda leader calls for restoring democracy in
Tunisia
Adel Al Thabiti
22.01.2023
TUNIS, Tunisia
Leader of Tunisia’s Ennahda movement, Rached
Ghannouchi, has called for restoring democracy in the country, rejecting any
foreign interference in the nation’s affairs.
In an interview with the private Zitouna TV channel,
Ghannouchi termed the positions of the European Union, the US and Canada on
Tunisia’s democratic transition as “positive”.
“We do not wait for foreign armies to support
democracy in Tunisia,” Ghannouchi, a former parliament speaker, said.
“Tunisians are the ones who brought democracy and they are the ones who will
restore it,” he added.
“Tunisia still needs reconciliation. Tunisians must
recognize each other,” Ghannouchi said.
Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political
crisis that aggravated the country's economy since 2021, when President Kais
Saied ousted the government and dissolved parliament.
Since then, Saied held a referendum to draft a new
constitution last July and parliamentary elections last December.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/ennahda-leader-calls-for-restoring-democracy-in-tunisia/2794390
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Arab states boycott regional meet in divided Libya’s
capital
22 January ,2023
Arab states boycotted a meeting hosted by Libya’s
unity government on Sunday, with just five of the Arab League’s 22 members
sending their top diplomats and even the bloc’s secretary general staying away.
The snub underlines Arab divisions over the
Tripoli-based government, whose legitimacy is contested by a rival
administration in the war-torn country’s east.
Regional heavyweights Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the
United Arab Emirates were not represented at all at the gathering -- a
preparatory session ahead of a foreign ministers’ meeting in Cairo.
Four members sent lower-ranking ministers or
ambassadors while Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit was also absent.
Najla al-Mangoush, foreign minister in the
Tripoli-based administration, condemned what she called “attempts by certain
sides to crush Libyans’ desire to transform Arab solidarity into a reality.”
Libya, which holds the rotating presidency of the
organization, is “determined to play its role in the Arab League (and) rejects
any attempt to politicize the League’s founding documents,” she said.
Libya fell into a decade of violence following the
2011 overthrow of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed rebellion.
The resulting power grab gave rise to myriad
home-grown militias and prompted interventions by Arab powers as well as
Turkey, Russia, and Western states.
Since March last year, an administration in Libya’s
east backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar -- who has been close to Russia
and Egypt -- has challenged the government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid
Dbeibah, arguing it has outlived its mandate.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Libya’s House of Representatives proposes forming
single government
Gulsen Topcu
23.01.2023
TRIPOLI, Libya
The Speaker of Libya’s House of Representatives said
Sunday that they submitted a proposal to the United Nations Support Mission in
Libya (UNSMIL) on forming a new, single government instead of opting for a dual
government system.
"There is still an opportunity to form a new government.
A proposal has been submitted to the UN mission on the mechanism for forming a
new government," the House of Representatives cited Aguila Saleh as saying
on its official Facebook page.
Saleh stressed that elections that are planned to take
place in the country should be held under the umbrella of a single government.
No statements have been issued so far by the Libyan
High Council of State or the UN mission on Saleh's remarks.
Last week, Saleh said the country’s stalled elections
would be held before November after an agreement with the Tripoli-based high
council.
Oil-rich Libya has remained in turmoil since 2011,
when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Security forces end siege at government office in
Somali capital
Mohammed Dhaysane
23.01.2023
MOGADISHU, Somalia
Somali security forces ended a siege by members of the
al-Shabaab terrorist organization Sunday at the Banadir Regional Administration
headquarters in the capital Mogadishu.
The attack by al-Shabaab, which left five people dead,
began with a suicide bombing before the terrorists stormed the headquarters and
exchanged fire with security guards.
Somalia’s Information Ministry issued a statement
after the siege ended, saying security forces shot dead all six terrorist
attackers and managed to rescue regional officials after a multifaceted
operation was conducted.
The ministry said five civilians were killed and four
others wounded in the attack.
The attackers came on foot disguised as government
troops, the ministry said in a statement.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and
said it killed 34 people, including officials from the Mogadishu municipality
and federal government as well as senior security officials.
It marked the first deadly complex attack carried out
by the terrorist group in Mogadishu this year.
In late November last year, Al-Shabaab attacked the
busy Villa Rays Hotel near Somalia’s presidential palace.
Security forces ended the attack after a more than
20-hour operation that killed five terrorists.
Eight civilians were killed in the attack.
The group has intensified its attacks, mainly
targeting security personnel and their bases since the national army, backed by
residents, started its offensive against them.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war”
on all fronts against the terrorists, and since his announcement, the army has
scored significant victories against them.
Recently, the army liberated the strategic seaside
town of Harardhere, which had been under the control of the terrorist group for
more than a decade.
Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with
al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS being among the main threats.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Casualties feared as bombings, gunfire rock Somali capital
Mohammed Dhaysane
22.01.2023
MOGADISHU, Somalia
Bombings followed by gunfire in Somalia's capital
targeted the Banadir Regional Administration headquarters on Sunday, with
multiple casualties feared, an official said.
Abdifatah Ilmi, a security official in Mogadishu, told
Anadolu that authorities suspected the attack involved three heavy explosions
before armed men stormed the heavily fortified municipality headquarters.
"It's very early to say how many people have been
killed or wounded but there are casualties and the attack in ongoing,"
Elmi said.
Nimco Ahmed Bashir, an eyewitness and street vendor
who also told Anadolu that she saw several wounded people.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/casualties-feared-as-bombings-gunfire-rock-somali-capital/2794208
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North America
US military captures three Islamic State members during Syrian helicopter raid
Jan 23, 2023
The US military forces have said they have captured
two Islamic State (IS) members in east Syria during a helicopter and ground
raid.
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said the
terrorists were arrested a day earlier and were identified as logisticians,
facilitators, and associates of the jihadist group, reported Wion.
The raid happened on Saturday and one civilian
received "minor injuries" during the attack. He was treated at a
nearby medical facility before being released back to his family, Col. Joe
Buccino, a Central Command spokesperson, was quoted as saying by Reuters.
CENTCOM hinted at the presence of "partner
forces" - language which in the past has been used to refer to the Syrian
Democratic Forces, the Syrian Kurdish armed group that helped the US and its
allies defeat Islamic State.
An international coalition led by Washington is
combating IS in Syria.
IS remnants in Syria largely withdrew into desert
hideouts in the country's east after the jihadists lost their last pockets of
land in March 2019 following a military attack supported by the alliance.
Since then, they have continued to carry out strikes
in Iraq while using these concealed places to ambush forces headed by the Kurds
and troops of the Syrian government.
Source: India Today
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Daesh member ‘Jihadi Jack’ to be repatriated to Canada
January 22, 2023
LONDON: Canada’s government has announced it will
repatriate the infamous British-born Daesh member known as “Jihadi Jack,” along
with 22 other people being held in Daesh camps in Syria.
The 28-year-old Muslim convert, Jack Letts, held dual
British and Canadian citizenship before the UK Home Office stripped him of his
citizenship in 2019 after he declared himself an “enemy of Britain.”
He traveled to Syria to join the terror group as a
teenager.
After Letts was captured in 2017 by Kurdish forces, he
lost his British citizenship and legally became the responsibility of the
Canadian government, who accused the UK of taking “unilateral action to offload
their responsibilities.”
Letts argued he should be allowed to return to the UK,
insisting he had “no intention” of killing Britons.
Alongside Letts, 22 other Canadian citizens — six
women, 13 infants, and three men — will be repatriated after a successful
challenge by their families against the Canadian government.
According to its ruling, the Canadian federal court
said preventing the prisoners from entering Canada would violate their
constitutional rights, citing “conditions of the prison and the fact that the
men have not been charged and brought to trial,” the Telegraph reported.
Letts’ parents were reported to be “overjoyed” at the
news, with his mother Sally adding: “The federal government has been ordered to
go to the region to bring back the men, and the judge has said this has to
happen ‘as soon as possible.’”
She continued: “(Judge Henry Brown) referred to the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, international humanitarian law, and
the Magna Carta in his judgment, so this case will have global implications for
the cases of all the other detainees, particularly the men.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2236921/world
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US military’s Central Command says two ISIS members
captured in Syria
23 January ,2023
American forces have captured two ISIS members during
an air and ground assault in eastern Syria, the US military’s Central Command
said in a statement released on Sunday.
The raid happened on Saturday, according to Col. Joe
Buccino, a Central Command spokesperson, adding that one civilian received
“minor injuries” during the attack and was treated at a nearby medical facility
before being released back to his family.
Few other details of the raid were disclosed. Central
Command alluded to the presence of “partner forces” - language which in the
past has been used to refer to the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Syrian Kurdish
armed group that helped the US and its allies defeat ISIS.
Source: Al Arabiya
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