'If Namaz On Road Wrong, Ban All Festival Celebrations': Owaisi Points At 'Double Standard'
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 May 2026
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
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· 'If namaz on road wrong, ban all festival celebrations': Owaisi points at 'double standard'
· UN chief’s report accuses Israeli forces of rape, sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees
· Madinah road network ready as first post-Hajj pilgrims arrive
· Nato and EU condemn Russia after drone hits Romanian residential block
· No deal announced after Trump meeting to make 'final determination' on Iran
· ‘Terrorism Has Drastically Reduced In Nigeria’ – Defence Minister, Musa
· Anwar slams western double standards over Gaza and Lebanon
· Pakistan raises Afghanistan concerns with U.S.
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India
· Haridwar school teacher held for alleged Pakistan-linked money transfer racket
· NIA raids 12 locations across four states over Pakistan-linked terror conspiracy
· Harsh Mander: ‘Pushback’ at gunpoint – the Hindutva-BJP project of manufacturing statelessness
· Viral video shows Hindu family threatened over Muslim son-in-law
· Pooja Bhatt opens up on Mahesh Bhatt converting to Islam to marry Soni Razdan: 'He’d never part ways with my mother'
· ‘Representation has hit all-time low’: Karnataka Muslim body demands 1 Rajya Sabha seat in state
· 'Benchmark operation': Army chief Dwivedi says Op Sindoor defined India's response to provocation
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Mideast
· Iran preparing ‘grand’ funeral for slain supreme leader: state TV
· How a mental health program in Syria’s Homs is helping former detainees rebuild their lives
· Syria deploys disaster relief as floods displace thousands
· Germany alarmed by Israel’s plans for more Gaza territory
· Hamas calls Netanyahu’s plan to expand control in Gaza a dangerous escalation
· Israeli forces push further into Lebanon as delegations meet in US
· Destitute from war, a mother in Gaza made a fateful choice and gave her young daughters in marriage
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Arab World
· Secretary-general of MWL receives speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly
· 6,348 volunteers from Sports Ministry serve pilgrims
· Saudi interior minister receives Jordanian counterpart
· Saudi Arabia launches guest of honor pavilion at Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair
· Deputy governor of Makkah region hands over kiswa to gatekeeper
· Civil Defense Maintains Intensive Field Safety Operations at Grand Mosque
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Europe
· Mosque in Netherlands attacked, complaint filed
· New Doncaster Reform UK leader stands by 'I do not accept Islam' posts
· Chief Minister of Punjab Province of Islamic Republic of Pakistan sends congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev
· Evening briefing: ‘Muslims not welcome’ sign at children’s park, woman stands over Donaldson abuse claims and Lidl to open its first ever pub
· EU hails Hungary's 'wind of change' and unlocks €16.4bn for new PM Magyar
· EU and NATO pushing Romania toward war with Russia – MEP
· Macron should ‘get moving’ on Ukraine diplomacy – Lukashenko
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North America
· Religious leaders, educators call for reinstatement of Muslim Fort Worth ISD principal
· US judge orders Trump's name be removed from Kennedy Center
· Muslim community celebrates Eid al-Adha in West Hartford
· CAIR, CAIR-SFBA Condemn Appointment of Racist Venture Capitalist Shaun Maguire to Pentagon Board
· CAIR Calls on FBI to Join Probe of Armed Suspect Chased from Site of Tennessee Mosque
· CAIR-MN, CAIR LDF File Federal Lawsuit Against DHS, ICE, for Illegal Targeting and Search of Twin Cities Organizer Advocating for ICE Divestment
· Former US attorney general Pam Bondi defends her handling of Epstein files in congressional probe
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Africa
· We Are Victims – Miyetti Allah Fires Back At US Over Report On Fulani Militants
· Kwara gov, others mourn popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abdulqodir Kamalud-deen
· Burkina Faso junta shuts major mosque after arrests of protesters
· Madagascar’s top court dismisses lawmaker’s bid to oust military ruler
· ‘South-West Forests Now Bandits’ Infiltration Routes’
· MASSOB/IPOB Directive For Civil War Remembrance Service Is Illegal – Nigerian Army
· ‘My Defence Minister Will Be A Drone’ – Sowore
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Southeast Asia
· Chief minister orders tighter monitoring as Penang moves to keep projects on track
· US praises Malaysia, ASEAN for burden-sharing in regional peace efforts
· US Defence Secretary Hegseth praises Malaysia, Asean for taking proactive steps to reduce tensions and support diplomacy
· Fahmi urges Malaysians to embrace Kaamatan and Gawai
· Unity minister calls for wiser digital culture in Wesak Day message
· Malaysia backs regional push for stronger military cooperation, joint drills at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
· Anwar hails Tabung Haji after fifth straight Labbaitom Award win for excellence in pilgrim services
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South Asia
· Mujahid Urges Non-Interference in Afghanistan at Moscow Forum
· Tarique pays tribute to Ziaur Rahman on 45th death anniversary
· Eid screening of ‘Bonolota Express’ cancelled in Brahmanbaria
· PM unhappy over uncleared Eid waste
· State minister retracts comments on Dhaka University after backlash
· Afghanistan’s Ambassador Participates in Turkmenistan’s Official Eid al-Adha Ceremony
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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'If namaz on road wrong, ban all festival celebrations': Owaisi points at 'double standard'
May 30, 2026
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi
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NEW DELHI: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said that if offering namaz on roads is considered wrong, then restrictions should apply equally to religious activities of all faiths, citing Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion and the right to freely practise and profess one's faith.
Addressing an Eid Milap event, Owaisi argued that public objections to namaz amounted to a double standard and questioned why similar concerns were not raised over religious processions and gatherings organised by other communities.
"Remember Article 25. If offering prayers on the road is wrong, then it is wrong for every religion's festival to come out onto the road. If you say meat shops should be closed during someone's festival, then close liquor shops for the 30 days of Ramadan. Close liquor shops for 30 days," Owaisi said.
Alleging a double standard, Owaisi said people have no objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches but object to Azaan and Namaz. He also questioned restrictions imposed during Hindu festivals on the sale of eggs, meat and chicken, asking 'what kind of law is this?'
"Your hatred is solely for Muslims. And your hatred clearly shows that you want to suppress the followers of this religion and marginalise them. You want to make them second-class citizens," he said.
The AIMIM president alleged that issues relating to azaan and namaz were deliberately raised whenever major Muslim festivals such as Ramzan or Bakrid approached.
"Problems with the Azaan, problems with Namaz. After all, what has happened to you people?" he asked.
The remarks come amid an ongoing political debate over prayers in public spaces and recent directives by authorities in several states aimed at ensuring that religious gatherings do not disrupt traffic or public movement.
Recently, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said namaz should be offered in a regulated manner and, if required, could be conducted in multiple shifts to avoid inconvenience to the public. He said authorities would first seek compliance through persuasion before taking further steps to enforce public order norms.
Suvendu Adhikari led West Bengal government decided not to allow the traditional Eid congregation on Kolkata's Red Road and shifted the gathering to Brigade Parade Grounds to prevent prayers from spilling onto public roads.
Continuing his criticism, Owaisi drew comparisons with religious yatras and processions, saying roads are frequently occupied during such events without attracting similar objections.
On namaz being offered on roads, he said that it happens only for Friday prayers or Eid and not every day. "In India, festivals of every religion take place on the road, don't they? You don't see those; you go blind to them," he said.
Source: indiatimes.com
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UN chief’s report accuses Israeli forces of rape, sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees
May 29, 2026
Israeli soldiers lock a gate at Sde Teiman detention facility, where a rare attempt to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of the 2024 rape of a Palestinian man failed. (Reuters/File Photo)
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NEW YORK: A newly released UN report has accused Israeli military, prison, and security personnel of committing widespread sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, including rape, gang rape, torture targeting genitals, forced nudity, and threats of sexual assault.
Presenting the Secretary-General’s 17th annual report on conflict-related sexual violence on Friday, Pramila Patten, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, said Israeli forces were listed in the document based on what the UN described as credible evidence of persistent patterns of rape and other forms of sexual abuse against Palestinians in detention and during military operations.
Patten said the allegations involved the Israel Defense Forces, along with the Israel Prison Service, including the Keter initial response force, and the police counter-terrorism unit Yamam. She added that Israeli authorities had already been warned in the previous year’s report over concerns about abuse and restrictions preventing UN investigators from accessing detainees and detention facilities.
“Since last year’s notice, both the patterns of sexual violence and the denial of access have persisted,” Patten said.
According to the report, the UN verified 31 cases involving Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank. The victims included 14 men, seven women, nine boys, and one girl.
Patten said the violations occurred “primarily in detention settings, but also at checkpoints and during military operations.”
Because of severe restrictions on access, many cases could only be verified after detainees were released, she said.
Of the 31 verified cases, 13 occurred in 2025, while 18 dated back to 2023 and 2024, but were only verified later due to access limitations.
Patten described the verified abuses in graphic detail.
“These violations consisted of rape, including rape with objects, gang rape, attempted rape, physical violence to the genitals, instances of targeted shooting of the genitals, touching of breasts and genitals, strip and cavity searches conducted without apparent security justification, forced nudity, and threats of rape and gang rape,” she said.
Rape and gang rape were reportedly perpetrated against nine victims, while four victims suffered repeated rape on multiple occasions.
Patten said the abuses occurred across 12 sites, including military camps, Israeli prison service facilities, and one police station.
She said that detainees were explicitly threatened by Israeli personnel not to report abuses to the media or human rights organizations.
“These violations occurred in a climate of total impunity,” she said.
Patten devoted a substantial portion of her briefing to reporters in New York to describing exchanges between the UN and Israeli authorities over the past year.
She said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres formally communicated preventive measures to Israel in a letter dated Aug. 11, 2025, stressing that implementation of those measures, along with ending abuses and allowing UN access, would be considered in any future listing decision.
According to Patten, Israel’s permanent representative rejected both the notice of potential listing and the contents of the report in a reply sent the following day.
Patten said she later wrote to the Israeli mission on Nov. 24, 2025, offering technical assistance to help implement preventive measures.
“I did not receive a response to my letter,” she said.
She said that there was some engagement regarding a possible second visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, but no meaningful cooperation followed.
After Israel received the draft country section of the report in March 2026, the government submitted a response rejecting any “patterns of sexual violence against Palestinians.”
Patten said Israel instead provided documentation outlining existing laws, detention procedures, personnel training, and internal regulations governing the military, prison service, police, and security agencies.
However, she said the submission did not include evidence of “fully fledged investigation, prosecution, or conviction for sexual violence cases.”
Patten specifically referenced the controversial Sde Teiman detention facility case, which had drawn international attention after allegations of severe abuse against Palestinian detainees.
“With regard to the emblematic Sde Teiman case, not only was sexual violence not in the indictment, but the charges were even dropped altogether by the military advocate general,” she said.
Patten recalled that the case had sparked demonstrations by some Israeli ministers and supporters protesting the arrest of soldiers accused in the incident.
“These demonstrations included attacks on the Sde Teiman camp and on those investigating the case,” she said.
Patten also criticized Israel’s continued refusal to grant UN human rights monitors access to detention facilities.
“The government of Israel maintains that it will not provide access on account of what it alleges to be institutional bias in UN bodies and mechanisms,” she said.
She added that Israel had confirmed the International Committee of the Red Cross had also been denied access to detention facilities since Oct. 7, 2023, citing security concerns.
Beyond Israel, Patten also warned that rape, torture, and sexual violence in war zones reached “extreme brutality” levels in 2025, as the UN documented nearly 10,000 verified cases across 21 conflict-affected countries.
Patten said the international debate surrounding the report had become overly focused on which actors were formally listed in the annex, obscuring the suffering of victims around the world.
“I woke up with a WhatsApp message from a survivor whom I had met in Port Sudan,” Patten told journalists at UN headquarters. She described the survivor as a 25-year-old international relations graduate who had been dragged from a bus and gang-raped by four RSF soldiers in Sudan.
“The report is not just about two countries,” Patten said, referring to Israel and Russia. “My focus, and the focus of the report, is on women, girls, men, and boys whose bodies, minds, and futures have been shattered by unacceptable violence.”
The report covers conflicts ranging from Sudan and South Sudan to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine, Libya, Yemen, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.
According to the report, the UN documented 9,788 verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence in 2025, more than double the number recorded the previous year.
Patten emphasized that the figure reflected only verified cases and represented “an indication of a much broader pattern of violations that remain largely unseen and underreported.”
Victims ranged in age from one to 70. Women and girls remained the overwhelming majority of victims, though the report also documented widespread sexual violence against men and boys, particularly in detention settings.
The report described rape, gang rape, sexual slavery, forced marriage, abduction, trafficking, genital mutilation, forced nudity, cavity searches, and torture involving sexual violence.
Patten said many victims were killed after rape, while others died by suicide.
Patten said non-state armed groups remained the principal perpetrators in countries including Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria.
The UN also documented sexual violence used as torture and interrogation methods against detainees in Libya, Myanmar, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Ukraine, Russia, and Yemen.
Patten concluded her remarks with an appeal for international attention to remain focused on victims rather than geopolitical controversy.
“These violations are neither isolated nor confined to a handful of contexts,” she said.
“They are global in scale, devastating in impact, and demand a response centered not on political posturing, selective outrage, or preconceived narratives, but on the rights, needs, and dignity of victims and survivors.”
She urged journalists not to lose sight of civilians living “in the shadow of war” from Sudan to Haiti to Myanmar.
“Their plight, their rights, should remain at the center of this conversation,” she said.
Source: arabnews.com
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Madinah road network ready as first post-Hajj pilgrims arrive
May 30, 2026
Madinah welcomed the first post-Hajj arrivals on Friday after pilgrims completed the rites of Hajj in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. (SPA photo)
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MADINAH: Saudi Arabia has completed extensive preparations across the Madinah region’s road network as the first groups of pilgrims arrived from Makkah following the completion of this year’s Hajj, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Madinah welcomed the first post-Hajj arrivals on Friday after pilgrims completed the rites of Hajj in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. Authorities said a comprehensive package of field, transport and organizational services had been activated to facilitate their arrival and movement across the city.
Although a visit to Madinah is not part of the formal Hajj pilgrimage, the city remains one of the most important destinations for Muslims, who travel there to pray at the Prophet’s Mosque and visit historic Islamic sites associated with the life of Prophet Muhammad. The annual movement of pilgrims from Makkah to Madinah after Hajj is among the Kingdom’s largest recurring travel operations.
The Roads General Authority said it had finalized a comprehensive operational plan to ensure the safe and smooth movement of pilgrims into the region, carrying out a broad program of maintenance and safety upgrades ahead of the seasonal influx.
The authority reported that more than 906,000 square meters of asphalt pavement were assessed, while 4,000 meters of metal and concrete barriers were installed and 3,300 meters of fencing underwent maintenance. Additional work included repairs along more than 400 kilometers of roads, the installation of 145 directional and warning signs, and the application of 435,000 linear meters of road markings to improve safety and traffic flow.
More than 20 advanced technologies have been deployed to monitor road conditions and support field operations, while the authority has activated its 938 call center to receive reports and provide assistance around the clock. A network of 300 field inspectors has also been deployed across the Kingdom to oversee road operations and respond to incidents in real time.
Hajj authorities and other government agencies in Madinah have meanwhile heightened readiness to receive large numbers of pilgrims during the post-Hajj season. Working in coordination with security forces, field teams continue operations at temporary reception centers to organize and direct arriving buses, while immigration facilities process air and sea travelers and dedicated reception centers handle pilgrims arriving by land within a round-the-clock logistical framework, SPA reported.
The preparations come as Saudi authorities manage one of the world’s largest annual logistical undertakings. More than 60 government entities coordinated services during the 2026 Hajj season under the supervision of the Supreme Hajj Committee.
According to official statistics, 1,707,301 pilgrims performed Hajj this year, up 2.04 percent from 2025. Of the total, 1,546,655 arrived from outside the Kingdom, including 1,485,729 who traveled by air, while 160,646 were citizens or residents of Saudi Arabia.
Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said earlier that more than 173,000 flights carrying pilgrims arrived from 366 destinations ahead of the pilgrimage. Thousands of train journeys and bus trips were also operated to move worshippers between Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites.
Saudi authorities expanded digital services through the Nusuk platform, enhanced healthcare capacity and upgraded electricity, water and transport infrastructure as part of broader efforts to improve the pilgrim experience under Vision 2030.
The road and reception preparations in Madinah are designed to support the final stage of many pilgrims’ journeys, ensuring safe and efficient travel as worshippers continue their visits to the Kingdom’s holy places following the completion of Hajj.
Source: arabnews.com
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Nato and EU condemn Russia after drone hits Romanian residential block
30 May 2026
Mircea Barbu
Romanian police were seen at the site of the explosion on Friday morning
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A Russian drone hit a block of flats in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people, Romanian officials say.
Friday's incident in the eastern town of Galați, near the border with Ukraine, was condemned by Romania's fellow members of Nato and the EU. Ukraine said it proved again that Russia posed "a real threat" to Europe.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan said the drone was likely hit by Ukrainian air defences over Kyiv's territory, altering its trajectory. Russian President Vladimir Putin later questioned whether the drone was Russian.
Drones fired by Russia have strayed into Romania a number of times during the four-year war with Ukraine, but it is the first time Romanians have been hurt.
Romania's emergency situations authority said the drone's entire explosive payload detonated and caused a fire on the 10th floor of the residential building.
Two people with abrasions required medical treatment and were taken to the Galați County Emergency Clinical Hospital. About 70 people were evacuated as the fire was put out.
Romania's defence ministry said two F-16 fighter jets were scrambled after the drones were detected. Brig Gen Gheorghe Maxim said the army had only four minutes from when the drone was detected to the moment of impact.
The ministry added in a later update that it appeared the "entire load" of the Geran 2 drone - also known as a Shahed 136 - had exploded on impact.
Gen Maxim said Romanian forces were under significant constraints, as they could not fire munitions that violated Ukrainian airspace. "Ukraine is at war, but Romania is at peace. We cannot launch a projectile into Ukrainian airspace," he said.
Romania's military has sought to reassure the public that it was not an attack on the country but rather "a conflict at our border, with consequences for the local population".
Speaking during a visit to Galați later on Friday, President Dan said the drone was likely hit while over Ukraine, apparently by Ukraine's air defences.
"There was a group of 43 drones coming from the east. Some were shot down over Ukraine, and one was hit above the [Ukrainian] city of Reni, which altered its trajectory."
Dan also said his administration would expel the Russian consul in the Black Sea port of Constanța and shut down the consulate. Moscow said it "won't take long" to respond.
President Dan also convened an emergency meeting of Romania's Supreme Defence Council, describing the Russian drone strike as "the most serious incident to have affected Romanian territory since the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine".
The country's foreign ministry said Bucharest had "requested measures to accelerate the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to Romania" from Nato.
The alliance's secretary general, Mark Rutte, said he had spoken to President Dan and told him the alliance "stands ready to defend every inch of allied territory".
"We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones," Rutte added.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X: "Russia's war of aggression has crossed yet another line".
"As we continue strengthening our security and deterrence, especially on our Eastern border, we will keep increasing the pressure on Russia," she added.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said the incident "proved once again that Russian aggression poses a real threat to the Black Sea region".
He urged other countries to strengthen support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia "to restore peace and security in the region".
In a post on social media on Friday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had expressed support for Romania during a phone call with President Dan.
"We will be in constant communication with Romania and will continue to work together to protect life from all potential Russian threats," Zelensky added.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the drone hit was a "serious violation" of Nato airspace, and added that the UK stood "shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, with Romania, and with all our Nato allies in the face of continued Russian aggression".
Other European politicians also condemned the incident, including the French foreign minister, the US Ambassador to Nato and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
At a news briefing later on Friday, President Putin said he had only just heard of the incident, suggesting the drone wreckage should be handed over to Russia for an "objective investigation".
He also recalled recent cases of Ukrainian drones straying into a number of EU countries.
Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and several Nato countries have witnessed drone incursions since then.
Poland blamed Russia for a drone strike on a field in the village of Osiny 130km (80 miles) south-east of Warsaw last August, and then shot down two suspected Russian drones over its territory the following month.
At the time, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had involved Article 4 of the Nato Treaty, which requires members of the alliance to hold urgent consultations.
For Romania and its Nato allies, the border areas near the River Danube - including Galați - are extremely difficult to defend when Russian drones attack the Ukrainian ports of Reni and Izmail.
Romania's defence ministry says that since the start of the war in Ukraine, drone fragments have been found on Romanian territory on 47 separate occasions, 12 of them this year alone.
Last month, fragments of a Russian drone landed on the outskirts of Galați, after a drone was detected across the Ukrainian border near the town of Reni. Nato fighter jets were authorised to target drones at the time but could not fire on one that had been tracked by radar as it did not breach Romanian airspace.
Nato's secretary general said on Friday the Galati incident "showed yet again that the implications of [Russia's] illegal war of aggression don't stop at the border".
In recent months, Nato member states in the Baltics have also faced a series of incidents involving long-range Ukrainian drones that Kyiv says went off course after being jammed by Russian signals.
Source: bbc.com
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No deal announced after Trump meeting to make 'final determination' on Iran
May 30, 2026
Aoife Walsh
US President Donald Trump had a meeting with top aides on Friday to make a "final determination" about a framework for extending the ceasefire with Iran, but it concluded without clarity on the next steps.
He said Iran must agree to never have a nuclear weapon or bomb, that the Strait of Hormuz be reopened for "unrestricted shipping traffic, in both directions", and that any mines in the waterway are "destroyed".
The meeting was held in the White House's Situation Room, used for dealing with major crises. Iran earlier said it was not negotiating on its nuclear programme - which it insists is wholly for civilian purposes.
On Thursday, the two countries had agreed a framework of a deal - known as a memorandum of understanding - pending the approval of Trump and Iran's leadership, according to US officials.
The deal would reportedly extend the ceasefire for 60 days and launch talks on the future of Iran's nuclear programme.
"President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his red lines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon," a White House official told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on 8 April, Trump repeatedly has suggested that US and Iran are close to a deal and negotiations are progressing, but so far there have been no substantive results.
In a social media post earlier on Friday, Trump said he was prepared to lift the US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, allowing ships caught in the waterway to "start the process of 'heading home!'"
He also insisted that Iran allow the US to remove and destroy its enriched uranium.
"No money will be exchanged, until further notice," he said. "Other items, of far less importance, have been agreed to."
Later, a White House official confirmed to the BBC that the meeting in the Situation Room had concluded. The official provided no further details.
Iran's Fars news agency cited informed sources as saying that Trump's latest comments were a "mixture of truth and lies".
There was no provision to destroy nuclear materials in the memorandum of understanding, the agency reported.
Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told state TV it was "focused on ending the war, and there are no negotiations on the nuclear issue".
The US has long demanded that Iran stop producing highly enriched uranium and dispose of its existing stockpile, which in theory could be used to create nuclear weapons.
Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and denies it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The possibility of the US being able to "recommence" strikes in Iran was floated by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
Speaking at a security summit in Singapore, he said "our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, because of how we balance exquisite and more plentiful munitions," and added: "so we're in a very good place".
The US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on 28 February. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf, and effectively closed the strait, which has sent global oil prices soaring. In normal times about 20% of the world's energy supplies gets shipped through the strait.
On Thursday, US Vice-President JD Vance said negotiators were "going back and forth on a couple of language points", including the "question of enrichment".
"We're not there yet, but we're very close and we're going to keep on working at it," he said.
Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said earlier on Friday that it has "no trust in guarantees or words", only actions.
"No action will be taken before the other side acts," he said in a social media post. "The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war the day after."
Both Iran and the US have accused each other of violating the ceasefire in recent days.
On Thursday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted a US air base in Kuwait that was "the source" of earlier strikes on Bandar Abbas, a strategic Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said the attack on Kuwait was an "egregious ceasefire violation".
Source: bbc.com
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‘Terrorism Has Drastically Reduced In Nigeria’ – Defence Minister, Musa
May 29, 2026
The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has claimed that the level of terrorism has drastically reduced across Nigeria, giving the country’s security efforts a 65 to 70 per cent score.
Naija News reports that Musa made this remark on Friday during an interview on Arise Television, stating that no nation is entirely free from crime.
Musa suggested that some criminal activities could be politically motivated and aimed at portraying the government as weak or making the country appear ungovernable.
The defence minister attributed many of the security challenges to the breakdown of family values and poor social orientation, stressing that many individuals involved in kidnapping and other crimes were seeking quick ways to make money rather than embracing hard work.
Must further emphasise that despite the challenges, the armed forces and other security agencies were working tirelessly to address insecurity across the country.
He said: “Yes, I’ll give ourselves 65 to 70 percent score. No nation is totally free from crime and criminality, but the level of terrorism across the country has actually drastically reduced.
“Now we have acts of terrorism, and terrorism, like I said, its a social vice, a failure of family values. We have seen fathers kidnapping children, children kidnapping each other, and brothers kidnapping sisters.
“It tells you that there’s something wrong with the family, and we need to also look inward to see how we can now develop those aspects again, like the issue of education. People need to understand that to make money, work very hard, don’t look for shortcuts.
“Most of these people taking part in those kidnappings and all these things are looking for shortcuts.
“And again, you can’t rule out politics, because most of these people they are kidnapping are people that don’t have anything to offer, and you’re asking for one billion naira, knowing that the individual you are kidnapping cannot offer, so what are you doing? Who are you expecting to pay that money?
“And that’s to tell you that there are some times you can look at it as acts of sabotage to make the government look weak, or to make the country look ungovernable, or whatever.
“However, the armed forces and security forces are working tirelessly to address those issues. I can tell you, Nigerians working with us, and I want to appreciate Nigerians. The level of support we are getting is a lot better than it used to be in the past, and we’re making more inroads.”
Source: naijanews.com
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Anwar slams western double standards over Gaza and Lebanon
29 May 2026
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim criticises western hypocrisy over Gaza and Lebanon violence, urging Muslim unity and defending democratic principles.
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has criticised what he described as hypocrisy and double standards among segments of the international community, particularly in the West, over their failure to uphold democratic principles and justice in the face of ongoing violence by the Zionist regime in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
He said the democratic values and rhetoric often championed by European countries and the United States appear to have “disappeared” when it comes to the oppression of Palestinians and Lebanese civilians.
“I find the international community puzzling. If we expect Europe and the United States to uphold the spirit of democracy and justice, that spirit has completely faded.
“This is because when the people of Palestine in Gaza and southern Lebanon are oppressed, it clearly has no impact on them,” he told reporters after Friday prayers at Masjid Saidina Hamzah today.
The Prime Minister said he had contacted several world leaders, including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, to express Malaysia’s firm position.
Anwar said the engagements aimed to strengthen unity among Muslim-majority countries to help end the ongoing violence and hostilities.
“That is what I conveyed. Malaysia will continue to defend the principles of freedom and speak the truth, whether for oppressed Muslims or other human beings.
“Our voice will remain firm and clear because so far there is still no sign of a resolution to the sustained attacks on Iran, southern Lebanon and Gaza,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also noted that the global supply crisis caused by geopolitical uncertainty is affecting regional economies, including Malaysia.
He said that although Malaysia continues to record strong economic growth and remains stable, it is still impacted by global volatility.
He therefore urged political leaders to exercise wisdom and restraint in governance and to focus fully on safeguarding the welfare of the people.
“Politics should not be driven by sentiment. It must be calm and guided by wisdom, focused on defending the people’s welfare, not descending into chaos as seen in some Western countries,” he added.
Source: thesun.my
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Pakistan raises Afghanistan concerns with U.S.
By Fidel Rahmati
May 30, 2026
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar discussed security threats originating from Afghanistan territory during talks with senior U.S. officials in Washington.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, Dar raised concerns over what Islamabad described as the use of Afghanistan soil by militant organisations to carry out attacks inside Pakistan. The two sides also discussed strengthening cooperation on counterterrorism, security, trade and investment.
The ministry said both countries agreed to advance bilateral engagement through high-level contacts and cooperation aimed at promoting regional peace, security and economic development. The United States has not yet issued a separate statement on the meeting.
Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban administration in Afghanistan of failing to prevent militants, including members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, from using Afghanistan territory to organise and launch attacks. Kabul has consistently rejected the allegations, insisting that Afghanistan territory is not being used against any neighbouring country.
The discussions took place amid heightened regional security concerns and growing diplomatic activity involving South Asia and the Middle East. Washington has recently intensified consultations with regional partners on security issues, including counterterrorism cooperation and stability in Afghanistan following continued cross-border violence.
The meeting also comes as U.S. officials continue negotiations with Iran over a possible extension of the current ceasefire. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said this week that Washington remains prepared to resume military strikes against Iran if diplomacy fails, while President Donald Trump has said he is reviewing a final proposal related to a potential agreement with Tehran.
Relations between Pakistan and the Taliban government have deteriorated significantly over the past two years due to security disputes. Islamabad has carried out airstrikes and military operations targeting suspected militant positions near the border, while clashes between Pakistani forces and Taliban fighters have periodically erupted along key crossing points.
The security situation has become one of the most contentious issues in relations between Kabul and Islamabad. Pakistani officials argue that attacks by the TTP have increased despite repeated requests for action, while Taliban authorities maintain that Pakistan’s security challenges are an internal matter and should not be blamed on Afghanistan.
Regional powers, including China, have encouraged dialogue between the two sides amid concerns that continued tensions could further destabilise border regions and undermine broader economic and connectivity projects across South and Central Asia.
Source: khaama
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-raises-afghanistan-concerns-with-u-s/
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India
Haridwar school teacher held for alleged Pakistan-linked money transfer racket
Narendra Sethi
29 May 2026
DEHRADUN: A private school teacher in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar has been arrested for her alleged involvement in a cross-border financial racket linked to Pakistan, police said on Friday.
The accused, identified as Sonam, was taken into custody following a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and Haridwar police. Investigators suspect she acted as a conduit for transferring illicit funds at the behest of handlers based in Pakistan.
Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar said the arrest followed intelligence inputs gathered during the interrogation of a suspect arrested earlier in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir.
“During the joint interrogation, the accused confessed that she had transferred approximately Rs 20 lakh into various bank accounts,” Bhullar said during a press briefing. “In return for these transactions, she received a commission of Rs 2 lakh.”
According to police, the investigation has uncovered a sophisticated network used to channel funds across multiple accounts.
Police said Sonam came into contact with a man identified as Rahul Khan, whose arrest in Kathua led investigators to her. During questioning, it was allegedly revealed that Sonam was introduced to a person named Umar through a friend and was later connected to Umar’s cousin, Haseen.
“These handlers provided her with multiple SIM cards, ATM cards and bank passbooks through courier parcels,” Bhullar said. “She would receive cash in these accounts and then distribute the money into 20 to 25 other accounts, likely to obscure the trail.”
The joint operation was carried out on Thursday, when Jammu and Kashmir Police, assisted by local police, raided Sonam’s residence in the Kaliyar police station area.
Police said several incriminating materials, including bank passbooks and ATM cards, were seized during the raid.
Investigators are now examining the financial trail and scrutinising the bank accounts that allegedly received the suspicious transfers.
“We are currently investigating the backgrounds of the holders of these accounts,” the SSP said. “We are digging into the details of her friends and relatives to map out the entire network.”
Officials suspect the racket could be part of a larger network, and investigators are tracing the origins of the seized communication devices to identify other possible operatives in India.
Police said further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses.
“We are analyzing the digital footprint and transaction history,” an official associated with the probe said. “This is a complex web, and we are determined to dismantle the entire module.”
Sonam remains in police custody and is being interrogated to determine the ultimate destination and intended use of the funds, police added.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/May/29/haridwar-school-teacher-held-for-alleged-pakistan-linked-money-transfer-racket
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NIA raids 12 locations across four states over Pakistan-linked terror conspiracy
29 May 2026
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday detained several persons after conducting coordinated raids at 12 locations across four states in connection with an alleged Pakistan-linked terror conspiracy involving cross border arms and narcotics smuggling and drone delivered consignments across the border.
Sources said the raids were carried out in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar as part of an ongoing probe into an alleged cross border terror network and a conspiracy to carry out blasts in multiple Indian cities.
The raids targeted individuals suspected of acting as local supporters and facilitators for the terror module.
“Names of several suspects have emerged in connection with the case and we have detained several persons who are being interrogated. The raids were carried out on premises linked to individuals suspected of facilitating logistics, shelter, communication channels and movement of illegal consignments across the border,” said an agency official.
According to the official, the probe centred around the alleged smuggling of a large cache of arms, ammunition and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) through drone drops routed across the Indo Pakistan border.
“A probe has revealed that the consignments were meant to carry out planned terror strikes targeting Punjab, Delhi and other parts of the country. The coordinated raids were aimed at dismantling emerging cross border terror supply chains, including drones used for the covert movement of weapons and explosive materials into India,” the official said.
Sources said drones flown from across the border had become a major source of narcotics and ammunition for operatives allegedly linked to Pakistan based terrorist groups.
Over the past few years, the BSF has seized several consignments of arms, ammunition and narcotics allegedly airdropped by drones operated from across the border.
Last month, the Union Home Ministry directed the NIA to register a case to probe the alleged role of Pakistan based terror operative Jasvir Chaudhary, his Indian associate Shubham Kumar and other unidentified individuals.
The NIA official said “credible information” had been received that, on Chaudhary’s directions, his Indian associates had obtained a large consignment of arms, ammunition and IEDs allegedly dropped via drones across the India Pakistan border with the intention of carrying out blasts in Punjab, Delhi and other parts of the country.
According to an analysis of data on drones intercepted by the BSF, nearly 80 per cent of the UAVs that entered from Pakistan’s Punjab province over the past four and a half years had landed in Amritsar.
Authorities have asked the public to report any suspicious drone activity or possible smuggling. The agency is also examining possible foreign funding links. The investigation is ongoing and further raids and arrests are expected as agencies continue efforts to identify those involved in the network.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/india/2026/May/29/nia-raids-12-locations-across-four-states-over-pakistan-linked-terror-conspiracy
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Harsh Mander: ‘Pushback’ at gunpoint – the Hindutva-BJP project of manufacturing statelessness
Harsh Mander
May 30, 2026
If you are a working-class Muslim in India today and speak Bengali, you are likely to be living in mortal fear of the state stripping you of your citizenship overnight, throwing you into a detention centre or pushing you across the international border to neighbouring Bangladesh.
And this, when India is home to around 200 million Muslims; and when Bengali is the most widely spoken language in India after Hindi.
Anwar Ali, a Bengali migrant worker in Mumbai laments that “ if you speak Bengali, wear a lungi, or cook fish and meat, you’re harassed… Now, speaking Bengali makes you look like a criminal”. His contractor has even advised him over the phone: “Speaking Bengali is dangerous. Learn Hindi, stop wearing lungis.” Lungis are chequered pieces of cloth that Muslim Bengali men often wear below their waists. Ali can change his attire. However, he asks piercingly, “How can I change my mother tongue?”
In May 2025, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry wrote to the Indian government demanding that it follows established repatriation mechanisms. It describes “push-ins” – what we describe in India as “pushbacks” – to be “unacceptable”. It affirmed that Bangladesh would “only accept individuals confirmed as Bangladeshi citizens and repatriated through proper channels.”
Again, more recently, the Bangladesh army has warned against what it describes as India's “push-in’ deportation practices. Brigadier General Md Nazim-ud-Daula, Director of the Military Operations Directorate for the Bangladesh Army, described the forced return of undocumented persons by Indian authorities as “unacceptable,” and said the army was prepared to intervene if instructed by the government.
He said that all repatriations should take place “through proper channels”. “Bangladesh does not engage in ‘push-ins’ like India but believes in resolving issues through diplomacy,” he declared. This has been formally raised by Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has formally raised the matter with India, according to the Bangladesh general.
The policy of “pushback” is an extra-judicial process of forcefully pushing people the state alleges to be illegal immigrants across international borders at gunpoint. It is a staggering sleight of hand targeting primarily people of Muslim identity. To strip a person of citizenship rights is to deny them access even to most fundamental rights guaranteed to citizens in the Constitution. Without these rights, a person cannot vote, cannot access welfare schemes like subsidised rations, housing and pensions. A person is effectively rendered “stateless”. And a destiny of incarceration in detention centres and forceful “pushbacks” by armed soldiers into a land with which the person has no links looms large.
Until the Bharatiya Janata Party victory in the midsummer election in West Bengal, “push-backs” were conducted across the borders with Bangladesh in Assam and Tripura, both with BJP governments. Of the 4,096-km border of India by Bangladesh, 2,217 km, or more than half of the full length fell in West Bengal, which was not available so far for “push-back” operations. But now with the triumphalist installation of a BJP government in West Bengal, most stretches of the border of India with Bangladesh now resound with threats of “push-backs”.
It is baleful that alleged “infiltration” from Bangladesh was central to the BJP election campaign. It was a theme that Union Home Minister Amit Shah continuously returned to, claiming shrilly that “infiltrators” were stealing the jobs, rations and security of the Bengali people. And tellingly, one of the first announcements by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari after the elections was to declare that the time had come to deport “infiltrators”.
He speaks of his government’s touch approach of “detect, delete, deport”. District magistrates have been asked to establish adequate infrastructure for “holding centres” for illegal immigrants and foreigners. These are intended, state officials explain, for those illegal immigrants who do not qualify for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 – namely only Muslims
The government also announced that those who had been struck off electoral rolls because they could not produce documents that satisfied the election commission would be denied access even to subsidised rations.
Legalising ‘pushbacks’
You might say that any sovereign nation operates well within international law by expelling illegal aliens residing in its territory. Indeed if we accept the framework of the modern nation-state there can be little objection if people are established to be foreigners who are illegally living in the country and then they are legally deported to the nation to which they belong, always following due process and in consultation with the nation to which the illegal immigrant belongs.
In the context of Myanmar, because the Rohingya face grave threats to their life and liberty if handed over to the Myanmar military government, the international principle on non-refoulement restrains any forceful return of persons even if they are illegally residing in India.
What would a lawful process of deportation from India to Bangladesh entail? It would require the Government of India to give details to the embassy or high commission of the country to which Indian authorities claim that the undocumented person belongs. Only if the embassy or high commission verifies the nationality of the person, the person is legally deported to her or his home nation.
However, “pushbacks” in India do none of this. These are done without judicial due process and without engaging in any way the country into which a person is pushed.
Let us contrast this with the large numbers of undocumented “illegal” immigrants sent to India by the Trump administration in the United States of America in his second term. The Trump administration does not simply fly these people into India. It acts while communicating the details of these persons to the Indian embassy. What we must understand is that the people who the American authorities are sending back to India (with or without shackles) are indisputably Indian citizens. There is no contestation by both governments and by the person that the undocumented person is Indian.
This is entirely different from the processes of “pushback” under way in India. Here it is only the Indian authorities, often without due process, who allege that a person is a Bangladeshi citizen. This is firstly contested by the person who is being “pushed back”. And the Bangladesh government is not informed nor consulted, nor is it requested to verify that the person is in fact a Bangladeshi citizen.
For persons who India claims are Bangladeshis illegally residing in India, lawful processes of deportation are rarely resorted to. Instead, the overwhelming majority of persons who have been forcefully “pushed” across the border are persons whom the Indian state dubs to be “illegal”, most often by flawed and truncated processes.
The details of these persons are not communicated to the Bangladesh High Commission, nor are the Bangladeshi authorities given the opportunity to confirm that these persons resident in India are actually Bangladeshi citizens. This brazenly contravenes international law, and indeed India’s constitutional guarantees of the fundamental right to life, liberty and due process that extend also to non-citizens.
A law passed by Parliament in 2025 attempts to give a legal veneer to the extra-judicial practice of “pushback” or forced expulsion of persons judged by the state to be aliens. This is the Immigration and Foreigners Act of 2025, which has received presidential assent and is therefore the law of the land. According to this law, if the state suspects a person to be a foreigner who is living in India illegally, it will first detain the person in a “holding centre” (codeword for a detention centre). Local police and administrative officials will conduct a summary enquiry within 30 days of this detention. If the person is unable to prove her Indian nationality within this time, the person can be removed forcefully from the country.
Scroll rightly describes this as a “procedurally flawed, opaque and onerous legal process that reflects the fraught terrain of Indian citizenship and belonging”. Since the law makes no mention of consulting with the authorities of the nation to which the person is alleged to belong, this in effect legalises the practice of pushback.
First, the starting point for the operation of the law is suspicion on the part of the police or the law enforcement agencies that a person is a Bangladeshi national who has crossed into India illegally. The basis for such suspicion is not specified in the law. It therefore leaves the door wide open for the exercise of this power by local state officials or senior government functionaries based on prejudices of class, religion, language and ethnicity. Impoverished working class Bengali-speaking Muslims are unsurprisingly most imperilled by this law.
Second, this law reverses the burden of proof. This means that the state is not required to prove that the person that it has identified to be “suspicious” is in fact an illegal alien. Instead all that is required for the executive to adjudge a person to be an illegal immigrant – and, armed with this conclusion, to push her across the international border – is simply for the person to be unable in the prescribed time of 30 days to muster the necessary documents to prove her citizenship.
Given the reality of the lower-end bureaucracy dealing with unlettered, impoverished and powerless persons, it is highly unlikely that the “suspected” illegal resident would be able to gather in this small window the necessary documentation to establish that they are Indian citizens.
Third, until now there was at least some semblance of a judicial process before the executive could conclude that a person was an illegal alien. The enquiry now under the 2025 law is entirely conducted by state officials. No appeal mechanism has been specified in the law, meaning that a summary and opaque executive decision becomes final and binding.
The “pushback” policy has become an alternative process now dressed up as law, with “little oversight and safeguards, which risks creating stateless individuals while placing the burden on marginalised groups to prove Indian citizenship”.
Cruelty of pushbacks
Even before the 2025 law that gave “pushbacks” a faux legal veneer, these had become commonplace. Muslim migrants, usually Bengali speaking, were rounded up from around the country, thrown into “holding centres”; they were sometimes flown to BJP-ruled states of Tripura and Assam and pushed across the international border to Bangladesh.
However, the implementation of the 2025 laws, the BJP victories in West Bengal and Assam, and the ideological biases of the state establishment have made life even more perilous for people of the targeted identities. If you are Muslim, Bengali and working-class and live or work in BJP-ruled states, there is a high chance that the system would treat you as a suspected infiltrator.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha informed the state assembly in 2025 that 3,518 illegal immigrants were detained in the state over the past three years, of whom 2,739 were pushed back to “their” countries. Saha said that in 2022, 982 illegal entrants were caught, followed by 1,072 in 2023, 1,007 in 2024, and 412 till August 2025. Among them were Bangladeshis, Rohingyas, and a few nationals from Nigeria and France. Push-back operations saw 911 sent back in 2022, 657 in 2023, 690 in 2024, and 481 till August 2025.
The signs are ominous. The language is itself telling. Undocumented Hindus, Tibetans and Sri Lankan Tamils are routinely described as “refugees”. Muslims who are unable to produce documents of citizenship and the Rohingya are called “infiltrators”, indicating not simply that they are undocumented but that they are security threats.
Even the prime minister alludes to the dangers that they pose – in his 2025 Independence Day address – to the nation from the Red Fort. He announces a high-powered demography mission to deal with the threat. “No country can hand itself over to infiltrators”, he thunders, “how then can we allow India to do so?”
Detention centres are now called “holding centres”. Many have come up in major migration hubs like Assam, New Delhi, Gujarat, Goa, Tamil Nadu and most recently in Mumbai. People detained in these speak of them as frightening places of detention without even the protections of ordinary jails, even though those detained in them are not criminals. I could not access official data on the numbers of detention centres for “illegal immigrants” across India.
Parichay, a legal aid clinic in the Global Jindal University, reports that RTI applications for these details to the Union home ministry receive the response that this information is not currently being maintained. In 2020 Parichay reported “illegal immigrants” in Punjab being held in the Amritsar Central Jail, in Rajasthan in Alwar jail and in Bihar in a military camp.
In national crisis points like the aftermath of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir in March 2025, along with Rohingya refugees, Muslim, Bengali and working-class migrants are rounded up in large numbers from working class settlements and slums. It is as though their Muslim identity and Bengali tongue make them somehow complicit in the terror crimes. They are held in holding centres and some among them are flown to the international borders and “pushed” across at gunpoint.
In Assam, the BJP chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, boasted as a badge of honour that his government had “pushed back” 330 alleged illegal immigrants into Bangladesh over barely a month after the Pahalgam attack. “It is not possible for them to return”, he claimed, describing migration from Bangladesh and Pakistan to be a security threat and a threat to the language and culture of Assam. “I am an Assamese first and only then a chief minister”, he declared. In the future, he said, the state would also expel people without involving Foreigners Tribunals and even if their name was in the National Register of Citizens. In another move that was openly partisan, he declared an amnesty for all non-Muslims whose cases were pending before the Foreigners' Tribunals.
Human Rights Watch reports that in mid‑2025, hundreds of ethnic Bengali‑speaking Muslims were expelled from India into Bangladesh without due process, after authorities labelled them ‘illegal immigrants.’” Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, “The authorities’ claims that they are managing irregular immigration are unconvincing given their disregard for due process rights, domestic guarantees, and international human rights standards.” She was categorical that “India’s ruling BJP is fueling discrimination by arbitrarily expelling Bengali Muslims from the country, including Indian citizens.”
The Indian government has not made any official data on the number of people expelled, but Border Guard Bangladesh has reported that India expelled more than 1,500 Muslim men, women, and children to Bangladesh just between May 7 and June 15, including about 100 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. The expulsions continued since then. These expulsions involve, sometimes, border guards allegedly threatening and beating the detainees to force them to cross into Bangladesh without adequately verifying their citizenship claims.
We see a recurring pattern of massive police crackdowns and detentions of Bengali-speaking migrant workers in BJP-ruled states on suspicion that they are Bangladeshi. Such reports came from Assam, Gujarat, Odisha, Maharashtra, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh through 1925.
“The Indian government is putting thousands of vulnerable people at risk in apparent pursuit of unauthorised immigrants, but their actions reflect broader discriminatory policies against Muslims,” Pearson said. “The government is undercutting India’s long history of providing refuge to the persecuted as it tries to generate political support.”
In Odisha, for instance, 400 Bengali migrant workers were detained by the police on the suspicion that they were Bangladeshi. The police seized their phones to check for calls to Bangladesh. They turned down identity cards like voter IDs and Aadhar cards as proof of their Indian citizenship. Instead, they asked them to call home and request their relatives to send birth and school certificates.
The migrants have “worked outside Bengal for years — something like this has never happened before”. The migrants report being desperately worried because they have few options for work and survival except migration which has become so fraught. The father of one of the arrested Bengali workers asked that, “when the released migrants come back, what will be their livelihood? They have to run families. Where will they go to work next?”
In Ahmedabad, directly after the Pahalgam terror attack, during the months of April and May 2025, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation demolished more than 7,000 homes. Most of these were of Muslim workers, labourers, and long-term residents who say they have lived in the city and in that location for decades. The authorities alleged that many in the settlement were “Bangladeshi infiltrators”, a suspicion that typically they did not feel called upon to justify.
There were widespread crackdowns in the slum shanty and over 6,500 people were detained ostensibly for citizenship verification. Through the hot summer and monsoon, thousands among them were rendered homeless. One of the residents, Rafi, said, “We had about 500 to 1,000 houses here. We lived here for 40 years. My mother came here after marriage, and the government never asked us for papers”. He added, “They should have regularised our homes instead of bulldozing them without warning. I have lived here all my life. My parents helped build this community. Suddenly, they just broke everything without proper notice. They said they are removing ‘Bangladeshis’ and illegal settlers. But what about the rest of us?”
In Maharashtra again, the authorities rounded up several internal migrants from West Bengal, and pushed an uncounted number of them across the border. Nazimuddin Sheikh was one of them. A 34 year-old migrant mason who had worked in Mumbai for five years suddenly found his home raided by the police. The police confiscated his mobile phone, tore up his identity documents and then flew him in a BSF plane along with over 100 others to the BJP-ruled Tripura state, which borders Bangladesh. “The [BSF] did not listen to us when we told them we are Indian,” he said. “If we spoke too much, they beat us. They hit me with sticks on my back and hands. They were beating us and telling us to say we are Bangladeshi.”
With eight others, he was then pushed into Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the residents of a border village allowed him to call his relatives. Taking pity about their predicament, the villagers then took him to a local outpost of Border Guard Bangladesh, where the border guards handed him back to Indian officials.
A 1950 Assam law
The extra-judicial project of pushing people the state alleges to be foreigners across the international border to Bangladesh without due process, often called “pushback”, was implemented avidly first in Assam and then increasingly in other BJP-ruled states. To give this even greater muscle, the chief minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has weaponised a Partition-era law, and before this, parliament in mid-2025 has passed a statute that further powers “pushback”.
The 1950 law that has been exhumed and the new federal law that has been promulgated give a legal facade to a process that is essentially unjust, inhumane and an attack on the intentionality and morality of the constitution. An elaborate “legal” infrastructure of “holding centres”, foreigners’ tribunals, “pushbacks” and mass targeted evictions – often specifically targeting Bengali-speaking Muslim settlers and migrants – worryingly appears to be building blocks of a baleful project for manufacturing statelessness and eventually ethnic cleansing.
In the post-Partition turmoil of massive movements of populations across the new border, parliament legislated in 1950 a law that provided for summary investigations into citizenship and expulsions. But back then, the operation of this law was short-lived, because Jawaharlal Nehru quickly stopped its operation due to the dangers inherent in it of amenability for its misuse to deny Muslims Indian citizenship.
Amidst the turmoil and anxieties of Partition, the Indian government led by Nehru passed the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act 1950. To allay fears of Assam being swamped by massive migrations from East Pakistan, the law empowered the central government to expel “a person or a class of persons” who were “ordinarily resident outside India and have come into Assam” if it believed that their stay was “detrimental to the interests of the general public of India”.
There were two significant features of this Partition-era law. The first was to authorise the official assessment of a person’s citizenship through summary executive action rather than by any judicial process. The second was the exception the law made to not expel refugees fleeing Pakistan on account of “civil disturbances or fear of such disturbances”.
Historian Binayak Dutta observes that the law created “a legal foundation for differentiation between non-Muslim and Muslim migrants on the ground”. In effect, in 1950 what the law did was to give protection to Hindu migrants and to exclude Muslims from these protections. It is both these features of the 1950 law that the Assam chief minister 76 years later chose to weaponise when he exhumed the law.
However, the operation of this law back in 1950 was very brief. Nehru directed Assam chief minister Gopinath Bordoloi to stop deportations under the act after he signed with Pakistan Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan a pact in April 1950 to protect the interests of minorities in their countries.
The law then remained in abeyance for over 75 years until Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma decided to resurrect it. Without going to the legislature, the Sarma government simply issued a “standard operations procedure” under the 1950 law laying down that anyone suspected of being an illegal migrant would be required to prove they are Indian citizens within 10 days. If the evidence that the person presents is found to be “not sufficient/satisfactory”, the district commissioner “will record his opinion in writing identifying the person to be an illegal immigrant”, and order their expulsion within 24 hours. This, without referring them, as they did in the past, to the Foreigners’ Tribunals and central deportation rules.
For impoverished and poorly lettered Assamese Muslims of Bengali origin, the impact of the resurrection of the 1950 law and the “special operations procedure” issued by the state government has been immediate and calamitous. Research scholar Angshuman Choudhury believes that the new system will create “an incentive-based pathway for district commissioners to showcase their administrative performance by identifying as many ‘foreigners’ as possible”. He rightly predicted that “Bengali Muslim minorities will bear the full force of this bureaucratic regime of disenfranchisement.” “In Assam, when the government does not find foreigners, it makes them,” advocate Zaman said. Another lawyer said this procedure “turns the executive into the judge, jury, executioner”.
The traumatic National Register of Citizens was implemented in over six years. Now the time that a person is given to prove her citizenship is just 10 days. It would take much longer for a person even to apply for official documents. Second, with all their flaws, at least their applications were heard by the quasi-judicial Foreigners’ Tribunals.
According to a report by the National Law School of India University and Queen Mary University of London, led by Mohsin Alam Bhat, who teaches law at Queen Mary University, the foreigners’ tribunal system was untenable and fundamentally illegal, with little regard for due process and principles of natural justice. Admitting to all its flaws, the system at least allowed some kind of process, and importantly appeals to higher courts. Now all those routes have been slammed shut.
As Article 14 observes, “By allowing bureaucrats who have no judicial training or any experience in the specialized field of citizenship determination to dabble in it freely, the government is formalising a thoroughly discretionary, opaque and arbitrary regime of large-scale disenfranchisement”. After the summary 10-day investigation, when officials conclude that a person is a “foreigner”, it directs the person to remove himself or herself from the territory of India. What this means in practice is to consent to “pushback” into a country that is not your own, in which often you have no one who is your own.
Even more worryingly, this new norm of citizenship being determined by officials rather than by any judicial process is being replicated in other BJP-ruled states where BJP state governments are directing district authorities to identify and expel suspected illegals without relying on any judicial or quasi-judicial process.
Human Rights Watch found in Assam that several people whose appeals were pending in tribunals or courts were also detained and expelled to Bangladesh. It writes of a 51-year-old daily wage worker living in Barpeta district whose appeal was pending in the Supreme Court against an ex parte judgement in 2014 that had declared him an irregular immigrant. Still, the authorities detained him, and two days later, Border Security Force forcibly pushed him into Bangladesh after midnight and.
He said: “I walked into Bangladesh like a dead body. I thought they [the BSF] would kill me because they were holding guns and no one from my family would know.” There were five other men like him. In Bangladesh, after walking many hours, villagers directed them to a river island where they managed to cross back into India.
Khairul Islam, 51, a former schoolteacher from Assam, said the border officials tied his hands, gagged him, and forced him into Bangladesh, along with 14 others. “The BSF officer beat me when I refused to cross the border into Bangladesh and fired rubber bullets four times in the air,” he said. He smuggled his way back two weeks later.
They did not even inform the families of persons who were pushed across the border. The wife of Khairul Islam only discovered that her husband was in Bangladesh when a journalist showed her a video of her husband that had been taken by a Bangladeshi journalist.
A 69-year-old Maleka Khatun, who could not walk without assistance and had weak eyesight, was pushed alone into Bangladesh around 3 am. Her son found out when his mother called from a phone villagers lent her in a Bangladeshi village days later. She had spent six years in a detention centre and been released on bail in 2024. “I have no idea how to bring her back,” her son lamented.
Making bewatan
Hindutva, the ideology of the ruling BJP, never conceded the right of Muslims and Christians to live in India as equal citizens. It regards the adherents of these religions as persons of suspect loyalty, traitors to the Hindu nation. In the 100 years since the formation of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and from even before this, Hindutva ideologues have made clear that they seek for them to be expelled or at least reduced to second-class citizenship.
The BJP-led government of Narendra Modi since 2014 has implemented key segments of the ideological project of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. These include the building of a grand temple at the site of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, the annulment of the special constitutional status of what was India’s only Muslim-majority state, Jammu and Kashmir, and the promulgation in many states of a Uniform Civil Code.
In open or covert concert with Hindutva activists, the ruling regime has subjected Indian Muslims to a battery of hate crimes and often even genocidal hate speech; targeted bulldozers’ on Muslim abodes; attacked Muslim livelihoods, their worship and cultural symbols; and mounted calls for the demolition of a growing list of historical mosques to build Hindu temples over their ruins.
Each of these has ravaged the access to equal citizenship and rights of Indian Muslim citizens. However, for the BJP-RSS establishment, this was not enough. The second and third terms of the leadership of Narendra Modi have seen a series of official actions that have directly rendered the citizenship of Indian Muslims fraught and precarious.
These began with the unapologetically partisan implementation of the National Register of Citizens in Assam and the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019, which for the first time gave reduced rights to access Indian citizenship based on religious identity. And now you have the religious and language profiling of migrants, combined with the forcing at gunpoint of individuals alleged to be “foreigners” into Bangladesh. If you are a Bengali-speaking Muslim then this jeopardy of statelessness looms even more threateningly. This larger Hindutva project of manufacturing statelessness is what senior commentator Samar Halarnkar describes aptly as a “moral genocide”.
During the nationwide protests against the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, Muslim women often poignantly spoke to me of their fears of being rendered – using an Urdu word – bewatan. This literally means persons without a country.
The BJP-led national government and BJP state governments are weaponising law and executive authority to threaten Indians of Muslim identity by stripping them of their rights as Indian citizens. West Bengal has now joined this BJP project of manufacturing statelessness of millions.
Indeed, to render them bewatan.
Source: scroll.in
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Viral video shows Hindu family threatened over Muslim son-in-law
May 30, 2026
Kolkata: A viral video showing a group of men claiming to be BJP workers allegedly threatening a Hindu family in Narayanpur's Beraberi Ghoshpara area over their Muslim son-in-law has triggered a political controversy and sharp reactions on social media.
The nearly three-minute video, which went viral on Friday, shows the men confronting an elderly Hindu resident in the courtyard of his house and demanding that his daughter and Muslim son-in-law leave the locality, allegedly claiming that their presence was "destroying the culture" of the Hindu neighbourhood. The men are also heard asking the family to ensure that the son-in-law "change his religion" if he wishes to continue staying there.
The incident was reported from an area under Narayanpur police station in Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation's ward no. 2. Police said no formal complaint had been lodged till late Friday, but senior officers of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said legal action would be taken if a complaint was filed.
According to local residents, the elderly couple's younger daughter married a Muslim man nearly 10 years ago and has been living with him at her parental home since then. Neighbours said there had been no known dispute involving the family over the years.
In the viral video, one of the men is heard asking the elderly resident whether "namaz" was being offered inside the house. Another asks whether the daughter had "changed religion", before saying that "a Muslim family cannot stay in a Hindu locality" and alleging that "complaints" were coming from locals.
When the elderly man asks what were the complaints, one of the visitors allegedly replies: "What if cows are slaughtered here? There is a temple nearby."
The elderly resident is heard repeatedly saying that the family had been living there for a decade. His wife also says there is nobody else to look after the aged couple. One of the men then allegedly tells them that the son-in-law should convert his religion, adding: "Sanatan Dharma is the greatest religion. These things can no longer be tolerated. Our chief minister is also saying this. This is called love jihad."
The men are also heard asking the Muslim son-in-law to meet them at a local party office.
The incident triggered widespread criticism online, with many condemning the alleged intimidation of an interfaith couple and their family.
State BJP chief spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said he was unaware of the incident and claimed no complaint had reached the party. "The family should approach the administration and inform the police about what exactly happened," he said.
The family at the centre of the controversy remained largely silent amid mounting attention and reportedly avoided speaking publicly out of fear.
"The woman was married 10 years ago. They even have a nine-year-old son. There has been no problem ever. But suddenly on the day of Eid, some men came in and started asking questions. The man leading the questions and threats who claimed to be a BJP worker is also a distant relative of the same family," said a neighbour of the threatened family.
Source: indiatimes.com
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Pooja Bhatt opens up on Mahesh Bhatt converting to Islam to marry Soni Razdan: 'He’d never part ways with my mother'
May 29, 2026
Pooja Bhatt has often spoken candidly about her unconventional family dynamics and the bond she shares with every member of her blended family. As the eldest daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Kiran Bhatt, Pooja grew up alongside brother Rahul Bhatt before Mahesh later married actor Soni Razdan, with whom he has daughters Shaheen Bhatt and Alia Bhatt.
Pooja reflected on her father’s decision to leave his marriage with her mother once he realised the relationship had changed. She explained that she respects his honesty rather than living a double life for appearances.
“Would I rather have a father who acknowledges he’s human, that there’s been a shift in his affection, who moves out of the house to stand by the woman he’s met? Or would I prefer a father who stays under the same roof as my mother for society’s sake, has 200 affairs outside, but there’s an air of normalcy and conspiracy of silence maintained by everybody?” asked Pooja during a chat with Vickey Lalwani.
Speaking about the phase when Mahesh Bhatt fell in love with late actor Parveen Babi during the late 1970s, Pooja said, “Because they are mard, so they can do it. That never happened at my home. They both thought the relationship was over.” She also recalled how her parents briefly tried to reconcile after “the tragedy played out with Parveen”, referring to the actor’s struggles with mental health, but eventually realised the marriage could not be revived.
Pooja also opened up about a memorable conversation she once shared with Soni Razdan during the filming of Love Affair, a project inspired by the 1959 Nanavati murder case. Though the film was never completed, Pooja remembered Soni confessing under the stars in Ooty that she carried guilt over her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt.
“So, I told her from my heart, ‘Soni, you couldn’t have broken up a relationship that was together. There’s no space for anybody in a relationship that’s solid. Something was lacking, so somebody else could come and find that space,'” recalled Pooja.
Reflecting on how relationships evolve over time, she added, “When I look at my parents today, the nature of love has changed. But they’re one unit. When people ask me, ‘What about love?’, so I say if love can be like that, when two people can be there for each other morally through thick and thin… Even if the world is on one side, and you’re wrong but you can still stand by my side nonetheless.”
Pooja also maintained that she does not believe there are “villains” in her family’s story. “She forgave him years ago otherwise they wouldn’t have reached where they are. Who’s the villain? Is Soni the villain? Is Parveen Babi the villain? Is Mahesh Bhatt the villain? Is Kiran the villain, or Lorraine Bright rather?” she said, referring to her mother’s maiden name, before adding, “Is life the villain? Or circumstances? Is being wretchedly human the villain?”
Recalling the early days of Mahesh Bhatt’s relationship with Soni Razdan, Pooja shared that Soni was already a regular presence at their home while working on Saaransh in 1984. She revealed that her father eventually decided to openly acknowledge the relationship instead of hiding it.
“When the relationship bloomed, my father decided to give it a name, and not keep it hidden. That’s when one night, he woke me up and told me he’s involved with Soni and he’d be setting up a new home with her, and that shouldn’t make me feel abandoned as a child because he’d never abandon me,” said Pooja.
She also addressed Mahesh Bhatt’s decision to convert to Islam before marrying Soni in 1986, which allowed him to avoid divorcing Kiran Bhatt. “He’d never part ways with my mother. I know one thing about my father that once he holds your hands, whoever you are, he doesn’t let go. That’s applicable to the women in his life, people he’s worked with, and people whom he’s groomed and launched. He’s there. He’s reliable,” she said.
At the same time, Pooja admitted that the separation deeply affected her mother. “Relationships don’t end well. I did see my mother’s pain that it’s happening again,” she confessed. However, she praised Kiran Bhatt for maintaining dignity throughout the situation and never allowing the children to be caught in the middle.
“They’ve always maintained a decorum and grace with each other. They never pitted the children against each other. In fact, there have been times I’ve fought my mother and my father has taken her side. He’s told me, ‘Listen, please don’t ever think where my priorities lie’ (laughs). So, they’ve always been very solid when it came to me. My father moved out, but that’s truly a matter of geography,” she shared.
Pooja also revealed that her relationship with Soni Razdan has grown much stronger over the years and that she shares a close bond with sisters Shaheen and Alia Bhatt, whom she considers her extended family.
“When Shaheen was born, the first person my father called was my mother. And I’ll never forget the moment when my mother came to me and said, ‘Hey, you have a sister now.’ So, it just naturally became what’s become now,” Pooja concluded.
Source: indiatimes.com
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‘Representation has hit all-time low’: Karnataka Muslim body demands 1 Rajya Sabha seat in state
May 29, 2026
The Karnataka Federation of State Muslim Organisations has flagged the lack of political representation for Muslims, calling for at least one candidate from the community to be nominated in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections in the state.
This comes after the recent Federation report on the election promises made by the Congress Government in the Karnataka Assembly 2023 elections, which raised concerns about insufficient representation.
“Today, there is not a single Muslim Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka. The number of Lok Sabha tickets given by Congress to Muslims has drastically dropped to just one. Representation in the Rajya Sabha is also limited to just one member. Consequently, the representation of the state’s Muslim community in Parliament has hit an all-time low,” the Federation said in a statement on May 26.
The body estimated that the Congress could comfortably win three Rajya Sabha seats out of the four seats up for election on June 18. The statement noted that overall Muslim representation across the board remained very low compared to the population, in contrast with the support given to the Government in 2023.
As previously reported by The Indian Express, the Federation’s report had stated that, “underrepresentation becomes even more significant given the already reduced Muslim representation in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, where ticket allocation has remained disproportionately low despite the community’s electoral contribution.”
It had also flagged disproportionately low Muslim representation at the MLC level.
These demands come amid the potential dissatisfaction amongst a section of Karnataka’s Muslim electorate.
This was seen in a rebellion among some Muslim Congress leaders, culminating in the suspension of MLC Abdul Jabbar and the removal of MLC Naseer Ahmed from the post of the chief minister’s political secretary, which also stripped him of Cabinet rank.
While the Congress still managed to eke out a victory in the bypoll for Davanagere South, where Muslims constitute a third of the electorate, the apparent dissatisfaction with the ruling party’s decision not to field a candidate from the community had slashed the margin of victory from 27,900 to 5,700.
Source: indianexpress.com
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'Benchmark operation': Army chief Dwivedi says Op Sindoor defined India's response to provocation
30 May 2026
Describing Operation Sindoor as a benchmark military operation, Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday said it showcased national will, expressed with precision and resolve, defining India's response to provocation.
Reviewing the passing-out parade of the 150th course at NDA, Khadakwasla, General Dwivedi said the world cadets were stepping into "does not pause for introductions" and threats today "do not always arrive in uniform or on a declared front".
"From contested grey zones to high-velocity hybrid warfare, today's security environment demands that those who serve must think sharply as they act," he said while addressing the parade.
"Operation Sindoor demonstrated that and set the benchmark when national will was expressed with precision and resolve, defining how Bharat responds to provocation.
That standard now belongs to you to uphold," the Army Chief said.
He said that the integrated response seen in Operation Sindoor, India's military exercise against terror infrastructure in Pakistan in May 2025, was built on the kind of jointness the NDA instils from day one.
"As our defence services deepen their integrated structures, remember, irrespective of the uniform we wear next, you will serve shoulder to shoulder again - both men and women," he said.
Calling the occasion "a poignant and a particularly personal moment", General Dwivedi recalled passing out from the same quarterdeck over 42 years ago.
"Today, as I stand before you at the far end of a life in uniform, preparing to doff mine as you prepare to don yours, I can tell you with certainty: what you begin here endures forever," he said.
He complimented the parade commander and cadets for an "impressive standard of drill" and extended special compliments to Cheetah Squadron for winning the banner.
He also acknowledged 24 cadets from 12 friendly foreign countries passing out with the course, saying, "You came from different soils, but you leave shaped by the same ground and the same values.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Mideast
Iran preparing ‘grand’ funeral for slain supreme leader: state TV
May 29, 2026
TEHRAN: Iranian authorities are laying the groundwork for a “grand” funeral for slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, official media reported Friday, following a lengthy postponement due to the Islamic republic’s war with the United States and Israel.
Though the timing was still uncertain, “a special headquarters has been formed to prepare for the funeral ceremony, and various agencies are currently planning and making arrangements,” state TV reported, citing Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of the Tehran Coordination Council for Islamic Propaganda.
Khamenei, who led the Islamic republic for more than three decades, was killed in the first wave of US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on February 28.
His son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei was also wounded in the attacks and has not been seen in public since assuming office.
An event paying tribute to the elder Khamenei was organized in April, but a state funeral that was initially announced could not be held because of the war.
State TV, citing Mahmoudi, said “different organizations are working to provide the necessary conditions so that, once officially announced, a ‘grand’ ceremony can be held,” adding “widespread attendance” was expected.
Though a ceasefire has largely held since coming into effect in April, a deal to definitively end the conflict has proven elusive.
Source: arabnews.com
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How a mental health program in Syria’s Homs is helping former detainees rebuild their lives
ANAN TELLO
May 29, 2026
LONDON: Some walked out of Syria’s Sednayah prison unable to remember their own names. After years inside what rights groups described as a “human slaughterhouse,” survivors of the country’s most notorious prison emerged in late 2024 unsure whether their families were alive or whether their homes were still standing.
As Syria struggles to piece itself back together, so too do its survivors. But the country keeps uncovering new wounds.
On May 19, Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons received a report that human remains had been discovered in the Ish Al-Warwar neighborhood in the Barzeh district of rural Damascus, state news agency SANA reported.
The Barzeh Media Office said the remains of between 15 and 20 bodies were found near Tishreen Military Hospital, buried irregularly beneath rocks — another grim chapter in a reckoning with no clear end.
That reckoning began in earnest on Dec. 8, 2024, when longtime ruler Bashar Assad fled Damascus as a rebel offensive swept into the Syrian capital, triggering the mass release of more than 20,000 prisoners — among them survivors of Sednayah.
But the suffering did not end when the prison gates were thrown open. Many of those released were political prisoners who continue to grapple with devastating physical and psychological scars and face a critical shortage of support.
As Syria navigates a fragile transition, a largely invisible crisis is taking hold beneath the surface. Years of systematic violence against civilians have left deep psychological wounds. Among those suffering most are survivors of political detention and torture.
A July 2025 World Health Organization report noted that one in 10 people in Syria are living with a mild to moderate mental health condition, while one in 30 are probably suffering from more severe conditions that can have a crippling effect on daily life.
Yet Syria’s mental health system is severely under-resourced.
Before the civil war broke out in March 2011, the country had about 100 psychiatrists for a population of 21.9 million, according to a July 2025 study published in the journal Conflict and Health. During the 14-year conflict, that figure fell to fewer than 75 psychiatrists nationwide.
For those released from detention, freedom has rarely meant relief. Many return home to find family members have been killed, their houses destroyed, spouses unwilling to reconcile, or children who have grown up barely remembering them.
They also face profound challenges reintegrating into society, finding employment and reconnecting with loved ones. Rates of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are high.
In Homs, one of the governorates hardest hit by the fighting and still plagued by sporadic violence, the US-based medical nonprofit MedGlobal established the Homs Recovery Center to provide special support for detention and torture survivors.
“A lot of released detainees did not know where to go — some couldn’t remember where their families were, others were in very poor health,” Dr. Hala Kseibi, MedGlobal’s Homs area coordinator, told Arab News.
Working from a database compiled through the Homs National Hospital and the Association of Former Detainees in Damascus, MedGlobal estimates that about 800 former detainees are living in Homs.
“There was an initiative at the Homs National Hospital to receive these individuals and assess their physical and mental health,” Kseibi said. “The psychologists and social workers were shocked by how bad the situation was. It was worse than they had imagined.”
That shock prompted action. One Homs-based mental health professional approached Dr. Zaher Sahloul, MedGlobal’s president, who connected with Dr. Ahmed Radwan, attending psychiatrist and medical director at the Gateway Foundation in Illinois, and Dr. Stephen Weine, professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois College of Medicine.
Radwan, originally from Homs, brought clinical expertise and an intimate knowledge of the city’s culture and community. Weine contributed decades of experience developing mental health programs in conflict zones.
“Together, they began developing the program,” Kseibi said. “They met with the young volunteers at the Homs National Hospital and formed a team of social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists.”
The profile of who they serve reflects the scale of what the Assad years took from ordinary Syrians.
According to a February report by MedGlobal, the typical participant is a married man in his late 30s to early 40s, although a small percentage are women. About 82 percent are married and one in 10 are now separated from their spouses.
Most, or about 86 percent, have only an elementary-level education, and 58 percent are currently unemployed. Many also lack identification documents, complicating access to work and basic services.
The program takes a step-module approach. Each participant begins with a full psychosocial assessment covering mental health, chronic illness and torture history. Based on that evaluation, they are referred either to group therapy, a psychiatrist, or both.
“Group therapy is a seven-session program,” Kseibi said. “The goal is for participants to support one another. Peer support is incredibly important, more so than medication.”
After completing group therapy, about 80 percent of participants show improvement and require no further intervention, according to Kseibi. The remaining 20 percent are referred for psychiatric care.
“The structure is not one-size-fits-all,” Kseibi said. “It’s tailored. Some go through group therapy first, then the psychiatrist. Others go to the psychiatrist first, then group therapy. Some do both simultaneously.
“For example, if someone isn’t comfortable sharing in the group setting, we make sure the program adapts to each person’s needs.”
The depth of what participants have survived makes that flexibility essential. On average, they spent 5.5 years in detention. During that time, many endured torture, severe beatings, malnutrition, chronic illness and untreated conditions including tuberculosis.
The focus on therapy over pills shapes MedGlobal’s approach.
“We believe in medication, of course,” Kseibi said. “But we believe even more strongly that it shouldn’t be the primary focus. Medication suppresses the problems and the pain without resolving the root cause.”
The program’s biggest obstacle has not been funding or infrastructure, but human resources.
“Mental health as a field suffers from a weak workforce,” Kseibi said. “Even most graduates come out without real practical experience, and a large percentage of mental health practitioners default to medication.”
To close that gap, volunteer psychiatrists from the US run a twice-weekly educational program for the Homs team, covering specific topics and case discussions.
Team members also collaborate with the University of Illinois Chicago and will receive certificates from the university after two years. Staff completed four months of training before the program launched and before meeting any detainees.
“This isn’t a one-off training — it’s an ongoing commitment,” Kseibi said. “We’re building the team while simultaneously serving the released detainees.”
In Syria, stigma around mental health has long kept people from seeking care. But in Homs, MedGlobal found an unexpected opening.
During the war, WHO-led Mental Health Gap Action workshops gradually shifted community attitudes toward accepting mental health support. Former detainees, Kseibi said, largely see themselves not as patients but as survivors of something historic.
The program’s outreach strategy reinforces that framing deliberately — never leading with clinical language.
“When we reach out, we don’t mention mental health,” Kseibi said. “We say something like: ‘We got your number from such-and-such organization, and they told us you’re a former detainee.’
“When the person says yes, we ask: ‘We’ve noticed that many former detainees experience constant anger, stress, and difficulty sleeping — are you dealing with any of that?’ And they say: ‘Actually, yes — how did you know? I’ve been like this at home.’
“When we address their problem instead of framing them as psychiatric patients, they immediately feel understood, so they come, and they stay.”
The dropout rate is low, and when people do leave, it is rarely because of discomfort or stigma. Finances are the more common barrier.
“Participants say: ‘If I come to you, I will lose a day of work, and I can’t afford that,’” Kseibi said. “Transportation is another issue, as a large portion of our beneficiaries are from rural Homs, not the city, and getting there, especially in winter, is difficult.
“MedGlobal addresses this with a transportation stipend of about $5 per visit, and medications are provided free of charge.”
But for every person MedGlobal reaches in Homs, hundreds more across Syria remain without support. The offensive that unlocked Sednayah did not end the nation’s suffering. Sporadic violence and displacement continue to generate new trauma, even as older wounds go untreated.
Syria’s interim government faces a reconstruction challenge that extends far beyond roads and buildings. A small mental health workforce gutted over 14 years of war must be rebuilt at the precise moment when demand is highest.
Source: arabnews.com
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Syria deploys disaster relief as floods displace thousands
May 29, 2026
DEIR EZZOR: The Syrian Arab Republic’s government has continued its emergency operations in Deir Ezzor after surging water levels along the Euphrates River affected about 2,400 families.
The crisis prompted widespread evacuations, urgent shelter preparations, and a sweeping humanitarian relief effort.
President Ahmad Al-Sharaa arrived in the province on Friday to oversee the expanding response. He was joined by a ministerial delegation to assess ground conditions and look at the immediate resource needs of affected communities.
Finance Minister Mohamed Yisr Barnieh has confirmed that the government is actively coordinating across multiple state agencies to secure vital funding and logistical support for ongoing relief efforts.
Local authorities are working round the clock in close coordination with the Civil Defense and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to evacuate residents from vulnerable riverbanks and establish temporary shelters.
As precautionary measures, the General Electricity Company preemptively disconnected power lines in the Huwaylat Saqr area as water approached critical electrical infrastructure, while the Ministry of Economy and Industry dispatched 1,050 tonnes of flour to ensure local bakeries could continue uninterrupted production.
The acute phase of the crisis has since passed, and Emergency and Disaster Management Minister Raed Al-Saleh has confirmed that water levels along the Euphrates have returned to normal with no new flooding recorded in the region.
The Energy Ministry earlier said it was monitoring the situation on the Euphrates “in light of the significant and unprecedented increase in water flows from the Turkish side.”
Government water authorities in the provinces of Deir Ezzor, Raqqa and Aleppo had reportedly announced a state of emergency and were taking precautionary measures.
Syria’s Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Marwan Al-Halabi announced the postponement of practical examinations at Al-Furat University in Deir Ezzor following the rising water levels and amid concerns over the safety of students and academic staff.
The practical exams had been scheduled to take place after the Eid holiday.
Al-Halabi said practical sessions planned for the coming period would also be postponed, and a new date was dependent on developments.
The minister said a contingency plan had been prepared for faculties and institutes affiliated with Al-Furat University to ensure the continuity of education while safeguarding students and employees.
Al-Halabi added that the university’s volunteer teams had been asked to participate in relief efforts, in coordination with the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, and the administration of Al-Furat University, to support communities affected by flooding.
Local authorities have issued warnings to residents in vulnerable areas and stepped up emergency preparedness efforts amid fears that rising waters could threaten homes, farmland and infrastructure along the river.
Source: arabnews.com
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Germany alarmed by Israel’s plans for more Gaza territory
May 29, 2026
GAZA: The German government is concerned about Israeli plans to take more of Gaza, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday, adding that Germany opposes a permanent division of the Palestinian territory.
Palestinians view Israel’s widening Gaza buffer zone as a part of a strategy to permanently displace them, pointing to remarks from senior ministers, including defense chief Israel Katz, saying they want to encourage “voluntary migration” from Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had directed Israel’s military to take more of Gaza, initially by seizing 70 percent of the Palestinian territory, where the population is already penned into a tiny strip of land along the coast.
Netanyahu’s directive comes as Israel escalates its attacks in Gaza, which it says target senior Hamas leaders who were involved in the 2023 attacks. On Tuesday, Israel killed Hamas’ armed wing chief, 10 days after killing his predecessor.
Gaza health officials say an additional strike on Wednesday night that Israel said targeted two Hamas leaders had killed at least 10 people, including five children, and wounded 18 others.
Three Palestinians were killed, and others were injured on Friday afternoon in an Israeli airstrike east of Gaza City.
Medical sources said that they were killed after an Israeli drone targeted a gathering of civilians at Al-Shawa Square in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 percent of the tiny coastal Strip, bombarded to ruins by Israel’s two-year military assault that followed the 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Under an October US-brokered truce that has failed to halt Israeli attacks or secure Hamas’ disarmament, Israeli troops were meant to withdraw to a “Yellow Line” demarcating the extent of their control. Marked on military maps, that line put Israel in control of some 53 percent of Gaza, with Hamas ruling the rest.
Reuters has reported that Israel has unilaterally moved the concrete blocks marking the Yellow Line on the ground deeper into Hamas-controlled territory.
Maps issued by the military in March showed an even larger restricted area that analysts say cordons off around 64 percent of Gaza’s territory.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said in public remarks that the military controls more than 60 percent of Gaza.
Speaking to a conference in a settlement in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli leader said even more of Gaza would be taken.
“We were at 50, we moved to 60. My directive is to move to — let’s go step by step,” Netanyahu said on Thursday.
“First of all, seventy. Let’s start with that. We’re pressing Hamas from all sides. We’ll deal with the remnants.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Hamas calls Netanyahu’s plan to expand control in Gaza a dangerous escalation
May 29, 2026
GAZA/CAIRO: Hamas said on Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration that his country would expand its area of control in Gaza was a dangerous escalation, as residents of the Palestinian territory also voiced alarm at the plan.
Under a ceasefire deal in October Israel’s military was to remain in control of 53 percent of Gaza, but Netanyahu said on Friday that it would expand that area to an initial 70 percent, without laying out details or a timeline.
The Palestinian militant group, which triggered two years of devastating warfare in Gaza with its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, described his comments as a plan for ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of Palestinians.
MAJOR DISPUTES POSTPONED
“Any attempt to impose a new reality of occupation in Gaza is null and illegitimate,” said Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, adding that Netanyahu’s statement “represents a dangerous escalation.”
More than eight months into the ceasefire, and with global attention fixed on the war in Iran, Gaza’s underlying conflict remains stubbornly unresolved with continued Israeli attacks, little aid reaching civilians and the risk of major new violence. Israel has already expanded its area of control in Gaza from the 53 percent lying behind a “yellow line” mapped into the ceasefire deal up to around 64 percent, with an area it has designated as restricted in maps shared with aid groups.
Any further reduction in space available to the more than 2 million Gaza residents who are mostly crammed into tents in the tiny Palestinian territory risks worsening already dire conditions there.
“Where do we go? To the sea? There is no space,” said Mohammed Al-Shagra, 72, in Khan Younis. Last year’s deal brokered by US President Donald Trump established a Board of Peace to oversee a phased ceasefire, and was ratified by the United Nations Security Council. However, many of the toughest areas of dispute including the disarmament of Hamas, a full Israeli withdrawal and the make-up of a Gaza government were postponed to later in the process. The Board of Peace negotiators have been talking to both sides on the disarmament issue.
Israel and Hamas have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce. Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed more than 900 Palestinians since the start of the truce while Palestinian militant attacks have killed four Israeli soldiers.
Israel’s military and the prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for additional information and comment on Netanyahu’s statement. A spokesperson for the Board of Peace said it would not have a comment on Netanyahu’s statement. The foreign ministries of permanent UN Security Council members Britain and France did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A German foreign ministry spokesperson said Germany was concerned about Israeli plans to take more of Gaza and opposed a permanent division of the Palestinian territory.
RISK OF FURTHER VIOLENCE
Facing elections this year and under pressure for Israel’s failure to secure its strategic goals in wars in Iran and Lebanon, Netanyahu may be seeking to bolster his standing with voters.
“He’s determined to look tough in front of the electorate and he’s blamed by his opponents for having fought this seven-front war, but having won none of the wars,” said Max Rodenbeck, Israel-Palestine Project Director at International Crisis Group.
“Unless there’s some sort of pushback from the Trump administration it really does risk a return to something very bloody,” he added, pointing to other ways in which Israel has been ramping up pressure on Hamas including continued aid restrictions on Gaza and strikes targeting Hamas figures. For people inside Gaza, where nearly all the population had to flee their homes during the war and with most still living in temporary tents or shelters, the prospect of increased Israeli military pressure is alarming. “We see no ceasefire or anything and they keep advancing beyond the yellow line. For how long will the world stay silent?” said Mohammed Al-Jundi, a displaced man in Gaza City. In Israel, a return to tougher military pressure is seen by security hawks as the only way to force Hamas to disarm and achieve a longer-term agreement.
“It looks as if we are taking a step toward another collision. But I believe this time it will be much shorter and maybe would open the path toward a new future,” said Kobi Michael, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former official in the country’s strategic affairs ministry.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israeli forces push further into Lebanon as delegations meet in US
May 29, 2026
BEIRUT: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday his country’s forces had pushed deeper into Lebanon, even as military delegations from both countries held landmark security talks in Washington.
Israel kept up its heavy bombardment of south Lebanon, with President Joseph Aoun emphasizing in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “the need to exert all efforts to reach a ceasefire.”
A truce to halt the fighting between Israel and Tehran-backed Hezbollah officially took effect on April 17, but has never been observed, with Iran insisting that Lebanon be included in any agreement with the United States to end the wider war that engulfed the region in February.
Both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the April ceasefire and justify their attacks by the other’s alleged breaches.
Netanyahu announced Friday that Israeli forces had advanced beyond a river that runs around 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Lebanon-Israel frontier.
“Our forces have crossed the Litani, they have moved up to the commanding terrain,” he said in a video released by his office, adding Israel was “hitting Hezbollah head on.”
Israel and Lebanon began direct talks in April, with a fourth round expected next week in Washington following Friday’s meeting at the Pentagon, running parallel to efforts by the US to strike a deal with Iran to end the regional war and blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s second-in-command, called the discussions “productive” in a post on X and said the military talks would inform the State Department-led diplomatic process.
No end to fighting
Fighting raged despite the talks with Israeli strikes in the southern city of Tyre killing 11 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, which called the bombardment a “flagrant violation of humanitarian law.”
Hezbollah said it had launched attacks targeting soldiers, barracks and a military camp in northern Israel on Friday and Israel’s military in the early hours of Saturday morning confirmed it had intercepted several projectiles from Lebanon, with one hitting near the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.
Hezbollah also said its forces attacked Israeli troops trying to advance near the medieval Beaufort fortress, also known as Qalaat Al-Chakif, a site Israel’s forces had used as a base during their two-decade occupation of southern Lebanon ending in 2000.
US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Rubio had “commended President Aoun’s courage and vision in pursuing direct negotiations with Israel” despite Hezbollah’s opposition, adding the group was “entirely responsible for the ongoing fighting.”
Lebanon was drawn into the regional war when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in early March in retaliation for the death of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes.
Hezbollah strongly opposes talks with US representatives and has refused to disarm.
Lebanon’s military delegation to Friday’s talks included six officers, headed by the army’s director of operations, Georges Rizkallah.
On the Israeli side, Brig. Gen. Amichai Levin, head of the strategic division of the army’s planning directorate, visited Washington for the talks, an Israeli military spokesman said.
A Lebanese military source earlier told AFP the country’s delegation would “emphasize the need for a ceasefire, and will present the army’s plan for a state weapons monopoly and the extension of state authority across the country.”
Wave of displacement
On Friday, the Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli airstrikes on more than 20 locations in the south, before and after its military issued evacuation warnings for eight towns, sparking a huge wave of displacement
Hundreds of people have fled to the usually touristy old city of Tyre, which has not been included in recent Israeli army evacuation orders issued for swathes of the rest of the city and surrounding areas.
This week, Israel’s military also declared all areas south of the Zahrani River — an area that includes Tyre — as “combat zones” and told residents to evacuate.
With shelters full, displaced residents were sleeping in cars or tents, an AFP correspondent said.
“The situation is very difficult. Tyre is a peaceful, touristic city. We never imagined going through this,” said Karam Amin, 43, whose family of seven have been sleeping in his clothing shop.
“I sorted out a shower ... and we put mattresses on the floor,” he said.
Lebanon’s health ministry said on Friday Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,355 people since March 2 — an increase of 31 compared to Thursday when Israeli carried out the first airstrike near Beirut in weeks.
Source: arabnews.com
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Destitute from war, a mother in Gaza made a fateful choice and gave her young daughters in marriage
May 29, 2026
DEIR AL BALAH: Majda was destitute. Her husband and eldest son had been killed by Israeli airstrikes. Living in a ragged tent in Gaza with rats and the stench of sewage, she couldn’t support her children and feared her daughters would be harassed going to the communal latrine in a camp with hundreds of strangers.
So she made a decision she now deeply regrets. She married off her 13- and 14-year-old daughters to men who promised safety and support.
“I thought I was protecting them,” she said. “Fear was slaughtering me.”
The devastation that Israel’s campaign has wreaked in Gaza has helped fuel an increase in marriages of young girls, according to experts and official data. With almost the entire population driven from their homes, most living in squalid camps and dependent on aid, some parents have sought some financial stability for their teen daughters by giving them away in marriage.
For the girls, it meant a loss of their childhood and future — and, often, dangerous pregnancies.
For Majda’s daughters, it meant horrific physical abuse.
Child marriage was declining before the war
Before the war, child marriage had been slowly declining in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. In 2022, the last tally released by the bureau, 17.8 percent of marriages involved a girl under the age of 18, down from more than 22 percent in 2015.
The minimum legal age for marriage in Gaza is 17, with some exceptions allowed; the UN and most humanitarian groups categorize marriages of girls under 18 as early marriage.
That trend appears to have reversed.
After an Associated Press request, the Supreme Shariah Court in Gaza, where marriages are registered, gathered data from court employees. According to its figures, 20.6 percent of the 35,474 marriages recorded in 2024 and 2025 involved a girl under 18, including 627 marriages of girls under 15.
The real rate could be much higher because many marriages went unregistered during the chaos of the war, said Amal Siyam, director of the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza. The number of marriage contracts recorded by the court dropped 35 percent in 2024, the first full year after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack triggered the war.
The AP spoke to six girls in Gaza who got married between 13 and 16 and their parents, all on condition they not be identified by their full names because of the deep sensitivity of the issue. The AP does not identify rape victims. Majda agreed to be identified by only her first name.
All of the parents said that if not for the war, they would have never resorted to marrying off their daughters so young.
One mother is paralyzed by grief
After her husband and son were killed in separate strikes in April 2024, Majda descended into severe depression.
She begged the doctors for sedatives, which kept her asleep for days at a time. She couldn’t care for her girls in their patched-up tent by the sea, battered by wind, cold and rain in the winter. Charity kitchens, on which they depended for food, were scarce and irregular.
“I was entirely shaken from the inside,” Majda said.
Two brothers in their 20s, from a family that had been their neighbors in Gaza City before they were all forced to flee, asked to marry her daughters.
Majda, who got married at 14, didn’t want a similar fate for her girls. But her father joined the brothers’ family in insisting it was the only way. They promised, Majda said, that they could sign the marriage contracts but wait until after the war to bring the girls to live with their husbands.
“I was not in my right mind. I am still not in my right mind,” Majda said. “I don’t know how I agreed to this.”
Majda’s eldest daughter, who was 14 at the time, didn’t want to accept. “I felt lost,” the daughter said. “I thought if I got married, someone would be financially responsible for me … I truly regretted it.”
Marriage is seen as a way to ease the family burden
Most of the girls who spoke to the AP said they were not coerced by their parents to marry. But they felt a duty to ease the burden on their families.
By marrying, they were counted with their husbands as a separate family to receive aid from relief groups, rather than being under their parents’ allotment. Several girls also said that since schools largely shut down during the war, they saw no hope of continuing their education.
One girl said she and her parents and seven brothers and sisters were displaced more than 25 times during the war. Her father had been totally against early marriage and wanted her to enroll in university. But the family was so desperate that he agreed to a suitor.
She said she agreed as well. She was 16.
“I couldn’t forgive myself for taking a share of the little food my family had,” she said. She also worried that she and her siblings would be left without support if her parents were killed in an airstrike. Now 17, she was five months pregnant when she spoke to the AP.
Another girl also cited her family’s multiple displacements, each draining the little money they had. When they were sheltering at a hospital in Khan Younis, a 25-year-old man staying there asked to marry her. Then 17, she said she agreed.
“Marriage felt like the only sense of normalcy I could restore to my life,” she said.
The law in Gaza allows exceptions to the minimum age of 17 with parental consent and authorization by a judge. The Supreme Shariah Court has rules for court officials not to approve exceptions below the age of 14 years and seven months.
But parents sometimes enter informal agreements without officially registering the marriage. Two mothers who spoke to the AP did so, one of them after an official refused because her daughter was 14.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Authority in 2019 set the minimum age at 18, and early marriages have plunged since to around 5 percent, according to official statistics.
Siyam said that at times of widespread displacement in conflicts with Israel, some Palestinians have seen marriage as a way to bring stability for their daughters. “Wars and conflicts lead to a return to more conservative traditions,” she said.
Younger girls who marry are more vulnerable to rape and violence, including abuse from in-laws as they load household chores on them, Siyam said. Because divorce rates in early marriages are high, “the girl ends up returning home with one or two children.”
Some girls were abused and fled
Majda said the in-laws broke their promise and soon demanded her elder daughter be brought to her 23-year-old husband, who was living in his family’s tents in Deir Al-Balah.
For the first 10 days, the girl screamed whenever her husband approached her. “I kept screaming and he hit me,” the elder daughter said.
Eventually, his mother “tied up my hands above my head,” the daughter said. The husband then raped her.
After that, he repeatedly threatened to bring his mother to tie her up if she screamed, she said. She recounted repeated instances of rape and said on one occasion, she had to be taken to the hospital with bleeding.
A few months later, the family came to take her 13-year-old sister to join her 21-year-old husband. She “kept screaming that she did not want to get married,” Majda recalled.
The younger sister told the AP that she too was tied up by her mother-in-law and raped by her husband. She said she had two miscarriages, both after her husband kicked her while she was pregnant.
Majda’s elder daughter gave birth to a son. Months later, in November, she fled, carrying her son for 15 kilometers (9 miles) to her mother’s tent.
Not long after that, the younger sister also fled back to Majda. They then discovered that she was pregnant.
The girls experienced high-risk pregnancies
The maternity ward of Awda Hospital in central Gaza saw an increase in the rate of teenage pregnancies during the war, said the ward’s head, Yasser Shaaban. Many suffered severe health complications from getting pregnant so young, he said.
On top of that, the vast majority were malnourished, as Israeli restrictions on aid drove Gaza’s population to the brink of famine at times.
Four of the girls who spoke to the AP had given birth, and all described dangerous pregnancies or births. Three had at least one miscarriage.
One of them almost died during childbirth from severe bleeding, her mother said. She was 16 and severely malnourished at the time.
“I was unconscious for many days (after birth), and I couldn’t hold my daughter for a while,” the girl said.
Another painful choice
Back with their mother, Majda’s daughters were terrified at any talk of going back to their husbands. Speaking to the AP in April, her youngest said returning would be akin to “death.”
Majda said her younger daughter had always been a talkative, playful girl. But since her marriage, “she does not talk to anyone, not to her husband and not to me,” she said.
The girls had returned to school, but the elder said she felt excluded and ashamed because she was the only student who was married with a baby. She described herself as a child mothering a child.
“I am tired,” she said. “I want to die.”
Majda was coming under heavy pressure from her father and her in-laws, who said she couldn’t afford to care for her daughters, the grandson and the baby on the way.
Women can divorce their husbands in Gaza, but the process is expensive and complicated. Divorce also carries stigma, mainly for women, and would make it difficult for the girls to ever remarry.
The in-laws assured Majda that her daughters would be treated well.
Feeling she had no choice, she relented. The girls returned to their husbands, now in Gaza City, in early May. Majda hasn’t been able to contact her daughters since then.
“They did not want to return,” she said. “They were crying.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Secretary-general of MWL receives speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly
May 29, 2026
MAKKAH: Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, has received Ahmad Muzani, the speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly, and his accompanying delegation in Makkah.
The delegation included religious leaders from the Indonesian Ulema Council, the Nahdlatul Ulama organization, Muhammadiyah, and members of parliament.
The parties addressed several issues of mutual concern, with a particular focus on advancing joint Islamic efforts. Discussions also highlighted the role entrusted to the MWL in serving this Islamic mission, and recognized its achievements around the world.
Source: arabnews.com
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6,348 volunteers from Sports Ministry serve pilgrims
May 29, 2026
MINA: The Saudi Ministry of Sports continued its volunteer initiatives during the current Hajj season, with the participation of 6,348 male and female volunteers in organizational and service activities across various sites dedicated to serving pilgrims.
The initiative aims to promote a culture of volunteerism and strengthen community engagement.
The volunteers delivered more than 160 diverse services through 78 opportunities, benefiting over 247,000 individuals.
Their efforts were supervised by 14 field coordinators, while the total number of volunteer hours exceeded 31,000.
As part of its social responsibility initiatives during this year’s Hajj season, the ministry also enabled 40 athletes with disabilities and special needs to perform Hajj.
This initiative reflects the Saudi government’s commitment to enhancing community impact and reinforcing the values of care, inclusion, and support for all segments of society.
These efforts are an extension of the ministry’s role in supporting volunteer and community initiatives, while contributing to providing an exceptional experience for pilgrims during the Hajj season.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi interior minister receives Jordanian counterpart
May 29, 2026
MAKKAH: Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif held talks with his Jordanian counterpart Mazen Al-Faraya in Makkah.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed security cooperation between their respective ministries and reviewed several topics of mutual interest.
Al-Faraya praised the capabilities and integrated services provided by the Kingdom to serve pilgrims.
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Saudi Arabia launches guest of honor pavilion at Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair
May 29, 2026
KUALA LUMPUR: Saudi Arabia on Friday inaugurated its pavilion as guest of honor at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair 2026, showcasing the Kingdom’s literature, heritage and cultural traditions through a broad program of events and exhibitions.
The fair, which runs until June 7 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur, features Saudi participation led by the Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission under the Ministry of Culture.
The Kingdom’s pavilion includes panel discussions, poetry evenings and live performances featuring Saudi writers, intellectuals and artists, alongside exhibitions dedicated to manuscripts, traditional crafts, fashion, music and film.
Visitors can also explore replicas of archaeological artifacts from Saudi Arabia and experience a traditional Saudi majlis, which is included on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Abdullatif Al-Wasel, the commission’s CEO, said Saudi Arabia’s selection as guest of honor at one of Asia’s leading cultural events reflected the strong cultural ties between the Kingdom and Malaysia.
He added that the participation offers an opportunity to introduce Malaysian and Asian audiences to the diversity of Saudi culture and creativity.
The Saudi delegation includes representatives from several cultural institutions and government entities participating under the Ministry of Culture umbrella.
Saudi Arabia has expanded its international cultural outreach in recent years as part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reforms, with increased participation in global book fairs, exhibitions and artistic events.
Source: arabnews.com
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Deputy governor of Makkah region hands over kiswa to gatekeeper
May 29, 2026
MAKKAH: Acting on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, deputy governor of the Makkah Region and deputy chairman of the Permanent Committee for Hajj and Umrah, delivered the kiswa of the Kabaa to the gatekeeper of the holy site on Friday.
The handover was signed off by Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, who is also the chairman of the board of the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, and the deputy chief gatekeeper Abdul Malik bin Taha Al-Shaibi.
The Kaaba will be adorned with its new kiswa on Muharram 1, the start of the new Islamic year, after the authority finished weaving this year’s new covering — made of natural silk dyed black — at the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Kiswa of the Holy Kaaba.
The kiswa stands 14 meters tall, with a belt 95 centimeters wide and 47 meters long sweeping across its upper third, and is composed of 16 panels set within Islamic ornamentation.
The handover ceremony is a testament to the care the Saudi leadership devotes to the Holy Kaaba, and to its attention to every stage of producing and replacing the kiswa to the highest standards of precision and craftsmanship.
Source: arabnews.com
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Civil Defense Maintains Intensive Field Safety Operations at Grand Mosque
May 29, 2026
The Civil Defense is continuing its field operations across the Grand Mosque and its surrounding courtyards to enhance preventative safety measures, protect visitors, and deliver vital humanitarian services to pilgrims and worshippers.
Deployed teams are managing routine civil defense duties while maintaining a high state of readiness to respond immediately to emergencies, ensuring a rapid deployment framework that upholds maximum public safety during the final stages of the Hajj season.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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Europe
Mosque in Netherlands attacked, complaint filed
Abdullah Asiran
30 May 2026
A group of people attacked a mosque in Rotterdam overnight, the Islamic Foundation Netherlands (ISN) said Friday.
The Mevlana mosque was vandalized by six unidentified perpetrators at around 2240GMT, the ISN said in a statement.
A mosaic wall of the mosque was vandalized while the perpetrators threw beer bottles at the building and urinated against the facade.
The statement said mosque officials repeatedly called the police, but officers arrived only after the attackers had left the area.
It underlined that worshippers feel increasingly threatened due to the rising number of attacks targeting Muslims and mosques, noting that police officers who arrived at the scene did not consider the incident constituted "a threat requiring direct intervention."
The statement said it was difficult to understand the police assessment and stressed the importance of ensuring the safety of worshippers and protecting their right to practice their faith without fear under all circumstances.
It also noted that, in addition to the attack, the delay in police response had caused serious concern.
The ISN added that it filed an official criminal complaint regarding the attack and requested that the incident be treated as a priority investigation.
Source: aa.com.tr
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New Doncaster Reform UK leader stands by 'I do not accept Islam' posts
Rahmah Ghazali
30 May 2026
The newly appointed leader of Reform UK in Doncaster has insisted he stands by everything he has shared online.
Councillor Howard Rimmer was elected to lead the City of Doncaster Council's Reform UK group at the party's AGM on May 18, 2026, taking over from his Roman Ridge ward colleague, Cllr Craig Ward.
However, shortly after Cllr Rimmer's appointment, a wave of online criticism emerged surrounding controversial posts on his public Facebook profile, which contain phrases including "I do not accept Islam" and "I do not accept multiculturalism", as well as claims that mass immigration "legal or illegal" is the "greatest surrender our country will ever endure".
When pressed directly on the content of these posts, Cllr Rimmer stood his ground, saying: "I'm a Reformer and they are well known ideas that Reform carry... being immigration, illegal immigration."
He added: "I haven't put anything wrong. If I've posted anything, I believe it."
Further posts on the Roman Ridge councillor's page include supportive comments about Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist whom Nigel Farage MP has repeatedly stated is "not welcome" within Reform UK.
Mr Farage previously walked away from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) citing its growing association with Mr Robinson as a key factor in his departure.
Cllr Rimmer's Facebook profile additionally featured shared content suggesting the UK is "importing low IQ people" and making reference to "the Great Replacement", a conspiracy theory alleging that elites are attempting to replace the populations of western nations with immigrants.
Source: examinerlive.co.uk
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Chief Minister of Punjab Province of Islamic Republic of Pakistan sends congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev
29 May 2026
The Chief Minister of the Punjab Province of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Maryam Nawaz Sharif has sent a congratulatory letter to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on the occasion of Independence Day.
According to AzerNEWS, the letter reads:
"His Excellency Mr. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Your Excellency,
On the occasion of your country’s national holiday – May 28 - Independence Day, it gives me immense pleasure to extend my heartfelt felicitations to Your Excellency and the Government and the brotherly people of the Republic of Azerbaijan on this most auspicious national occasion commemorates the founding of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, a defining moment in the history of the world and a proud affirmation of the Azerbaijani nation's enduring commitment to sovereignty, national dignity, and enlightenment.
Paying respects at the final resting places of His Excellency Heydar Aliyev, the inimitable national leader of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the noble martyrs at the Alley of the Martyrs in Baku reminded me of the courage, sacrifice, and indomitable will of the people of the Republic of Azerbaijan. While the legacy of national dignity and statesmanship associated with your father, His Excellency Heydar Aliyev, continues to command great reverence far beyond the borders of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Azerbaijan continues today to advance with remarkable distinction, stability, and confidence under the visionary leadership of Your Excellency, earning the admiration and respect of nations across the world.
I also wish to avail myself of this opportunity to express my profound gratitude to Your Excellency for the exceptional warmth, sincerity, and generosity extended to me and my delegation not only during our meeting with Your Excellency, but also throughout all our engagements in Baku. The sentiments of friendship and brotherhood expressed by Your Excellency and the brotherly people of the Republic of Azerbaijan towards us and the people of Punjab have left an indelible impression upon our hearts, which we shall always remember with respect and affection.
The bond between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, its province of Punjab, and the Republic of Azerbaijan is governed by shared convictions, mutual trust, and unwavering support for each other through moments of both trial and triumph. It is my earnest belief that this bond shall continue to grow stronger in the years ahead and that the fraternal association between the people of Punjab and the brotherly people of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall deepen further through enhanced cooperation, partnership, and engagement.
Please accept, Excellency, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration and my sincere wishes for the continued peace, progress, and prosperity of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Source: azernews.az
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Evening briefing: ‘Muslims not welcome’ sign at children’s park, woman stands over Donaldson abuse claims and Lidl to open its first ever pub
By Kathryn McKenna
May 29, 2026
‘Muslims not welcome’ sign put up at children’s playpark
A “racist” display claiming ‘Muslims are not welcome’ has been put up at a children’s playpark in Co Tyrone.
Police said they are treating the offensive display in the loyalist village of Moygashel, near Dungannon, as a “hate incident”.
The large sign has been fixed to the fence of a play area owned by Mid Ulster District Council.
It includes an image of a group of white people and children playing in a bright and colourful playpark.
Inside the courtroom: First week of Donaldson trial draws to a close after further tense cross-examination of Complainant A
A cloudier start in Newry signalled the beginning of the end of the mini-heatwave, as day four of the Jeffrey Donaldson trial got underway behind the beige walls of the town’s imposing courthouse.
Although the former DUP leader and erstwhile Lagan Valley MP had earlier stepped out of his car into a comfortable temperature outside the building, conditions in Court Number 1 itself were distinctly cooler than the intense heat of the trial’s opening days.
The trial continues as one woman who alleges she was sexually abused byJeffrey Donaldson when she was a child insisted “facts are facts” when challenged by the former DUP leader’s barrister over her claims.
Tattle Life couple get new route to appeal against losing £300,000 damages award
A Co Antrim couple who sued over abusive comments on gossip website Tattle Life have obtained a new route to appeal against losing their award of £300,000 in damages.
Senior judges in Belfast granted leave for entrepreneurs Neil and Donna Sands to challenge a ruling that their compensation is to be set aside.
A temporary delay was also imposed on lifting an order freezing £1.8m in worldwide assets belonging to the controversial website’s founder, Sebastian Bond.
Chloe Mitchell murder trial delayed due to outstanding medical reports
The trial of a man accused of murdering Chloe Mitchell is not ready to proceed due to outstanding medical examinations and reports, a court heard on Friday.
Brandon John Rainey (30), formerly of James Street, Ballymena, denies murdering Ms Mitchell and preventing the lawful and decent burial of her remains.
He was due to stand trial in March this year but Rainey’s previous legal team walked away from the case last stating that they had been “professionally compromised’’ and said the defendant had told them that he no longer wished them to represent him.
Questions asked over independence of expert witness at Noah Donohoe inquest
Questions have been asked around the impartiality of an independent expert witness in an inquest into the death of Belfast school boy Noah Donohoe.
Engineer and hydrologist Jeremy Benn returned to the probe at Belfast Coroner’s Court on Friday to give evidence around a culvert where the 14-year-old is believed to have entered the storm drain tunnel and where he was later found dead.
The inquest, which is being heard with a jury, is now in its 17th week.
Business
The Middle Ale: Lidl to open its first ever pub at Co Down store next month
Lidl has confirmed it will open its first ever pub next month.
Six years after The Irish News first revealed details of the retailer’s pub plans, The Middle Ale is preparing to serve punters within weeks.
The discount chain is investing £500,000 in the drinks venture, creating eight new jobs.
Sport
‘Hell to pay’ if games against Israel go ahead warns Ireland fans group but Hallgrimsson wants to toe Uefa line
The prospect of the Israel national anthem being played in Dublin, with the Israeli flying at the Aviva and Israeli fans singing in the stands is abhorrent to many Irish people and looks increasingly improbable.
With the bloody conflict against Palestine, which has seen thousands killed and the Gaza Strip reduced to rubble since Hamas attacked Israel, now in its third year and hostilities spreading to Lebanon, Ireland are due to play the Middle East nation ‘away’ (Belgium is understood to be a possible venue) on September 27 and in Dublin on October 4.
During Thursday night’s game against Qatar a section of Ireland supporters disrupted the action by throwing tennis balls onto the pitch.
Source: irishnews.com
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EU hails Hungary's 'wind of change' and unlocks €16.4bn for new PM Magyar
30 May 2026
Paul Kirby
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told Hungary's new prime minister that billions of euros in EU funding are to be unlocked subject to his government pushing through a raft of "long-overdue reforms".
The decision is a significant boost for Péter Magyar, who has been in office for less than three weeks after a landslide election victory over Viktor Orbán.
He described his EU deal as a "historic breakthrough", while von der Leyen said "we can already feel a strong wind of change across Hungary".
The Commission president said a total of €16.4bn (£14.2bn) would be released to Budapest. Magyar hopes the cash will help kickstart Hungary's flagging economy.
The funding was frozen by the EU because of democratic backsliding and corruption allegations under Orbán's Fidesz-led government. Magyar had made unlocking the billions a key platform for his two-year-old Tisza party in the run-up to last month's elections.
Von der Leyen praised his team for rebuilding trust with the EU, which she said gave confidence for the next steps to come. "We will take no shortcuts, we will address all issues," she insisted.
The bulk of the money - €10bn - comes from a Covid-19 recovery fund that Magyar's team has been in a race to unlock before an August deadline. The Commission had made the sum conditional on a series of "super-milestones" including anti-corruption and rule-of-law reforms.
Von der Leyen said there were already "strong signals that Hungary is turning the page".
Among them, she said Hungary was joining the European Public Prosecutor's Office, revising laws on public procurement and targeting so-called public interest trusts. Under Orbán public institutions such as hospitals and universities were turned into trusts run by government loyalists.
A further €6.4bn is being unlocked from EU cohesion funds aimed at bolstering the 27-member bloc's economic and social infrastructure.
Magyar said talks with the EU had begun only a few weeks ago and already an agreement had been reached that was "really, really important for the Hungarian people". He said the EU funding amounted to 13% of the total Hungarian budget.
Even two days ago there was no certainty that a deal could be struck.
Magyar has prioritised improving relations with the EU, while his predecessor accused him ahead of the 12 April election of being a puppet of both Brussels and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.
The money unlocked by the Commission would finance the health, transport and education sectors, Magyar explained.
He said €1.5bn would go towards developing Hungary's electricity grid, with a focus on solar panels and wind farms, while another €2bn would be spent on new intercity trains.
Accusing Viktor Orbán of lying to the Hungarian people constantly about why EU funds had been locked, he said the real reason was that "corruption was at an incredible rate in Hungary".
Magyar said he had long argued that EU funds would begin to flow if Hungary accepted anti-corruption measures and rules against cronyism. "These steps and just a few weeks were enough to conclude a political agreement about these incredibly important funds," he said.
Orbán stepped down as an MP last month, pledging to rebuild his party, and his future as Fidesz party chairman will be decided in June at a party congress.
His route back to power appears to have been cut off. Last week, Magyar's Tisza party submitted an amendment to the Hungarian constitution so that a prime minister could serve a maximum of eight years. That would bar Orbán from any chance of a return to the top.
Tisza won a two-thirds majority in last month's election, which gives the party the authority to reform the constitution.
Meanwhile, Hungarian students are to be allowed to take part again in the Erasmus exchange programme with other EU countries, the Commission president has said.
In December 2022, the EU suspended funding for more than 20 Hungarian universities because Budapest had turned them into public interest trusts under political control.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8plenyk6no
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EU and NATO pushing Romania toward war with Russia – MEP
30 May, 2026
The leaders of the EU and NATO are using the recent drone incident in Romania to push the country closer to war with Russia, Diana Sosoaca, a Romanian member of the European Parliament and former senator, has told RT.
Romania blamed Russia after a drone crashed into an apartment block in the city of Galati near the Ukrainian border on Friday, injuring two people.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Romania to share data about the incident for an “objective investigation,” while Russia’s ambassador to Bucharest, Vladimir Lipaev, told RT that there is no proof the drone came from Russia.
“We ask for an international investigation,” Sosoaca, the leader of the opposition SOS Romania party, said. “There are only assumptions” fueled by anti-Russian fearmongering, she added.
Sosoaca went on to say that the EU and NATO are seeking to “push Romania to attack Russia,” while critics of escalation are being labeled as spies for Moscow.
Sosoaca added that the Romanian government will use the incident as a pretext for increased defense spending. She pointed to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who vowed on Friday to accelerate efforts to acquire anti-drone equipment through the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program.
These measures are unpopular with ordinary Romanians, who “don’t want to be at war with Russia,” Sosoaca said.
Putin said during a trip to Kazakhstan on Friday that Russia has no intention of attacking NATO but would “raze to the ground” any country that attacks it. The president also criticized Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys, who recently suggested that the US-led bloc should be prepared to “break into” Kaliningrad Region, a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea.
Several suspected Ukrainian drones have crashed in the Baltic states in recent months, prompting Moscow to warn NATO members against allowing Ukraine to use their territory to launch strikes against Russia.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/640752-eu-nato-pushing-romania-war-russia/
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Macron should ‘get moving’ on Ukraine diplomacy – Lukashenko
29 May, 2026
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has urged his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to take the lead in promoting dialogue between the EU and Russia, saying the Ukraine conflict should be resolved through direct talks rather than further escalation.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, Lukashenko revealed details of a phone call with Macron on May 24, saying he proposed a meeting in Minsk involving himself, the French president, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to Lukashenko, Macron did not rule out such a meeting but said he would first need to consult with his European allies. The Belarusian leader said he responded by urging Macron to take the initiative, describing him as one of Europe's most experienced statesmen.
“You’re the veteran among Europe’s leaders. Today, you are the key player and the driving force in Europe,” Lukashenko recalled telling Macron. “You should call Putin, come, sit down, and talk man to man.”
EU officials have for months complained that US-Russian negotiations on the Ukraine conflict have left the Europeans sidelined. However, the 27-member bloc has still failed to agree on who could speak for its interests in possible direct negotiations with Moscow, which Brussels cut off after the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
On Thursday, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas claimed that Russia was setting a “trap” for the EU by encouraging member states to decide who should represent the bloc in direct talks with Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said Moscow never rejected direct contact with Western leaders and “they can just call President Putin.”
According to Lukashenko, Macron had also expressed concerns about Belarus potentially being drawn deeper into the Ukraine conflict.
The Belarusian leader dismissed such speculation, stating: “I am not planning to enter any war. Why would I?”
Lukashenko also rejected claims that recent joint nuclear drills conducted by Moscow and Minsk signaled preparations for a wider escalation.
The drill in Belarus was focused on concealed deployment, long-distance maneuvers and training the troops’ ability to prepare for launches from unscheduled locations, according to the sides.
Russia stationed nuclear weapons in Belarus in 2023, following repeated requests from Minsk. It also deployed its nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic missile system there last year. The Belarusian leadership cited aggressive Western policies as the reason for the deployment.
According to Lukashenko, Minsk would consider using nuclear weapons only in the event of an attack on the country.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/640753-lukashenko-macron-eu-peace/
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North America
Religious leaders, educators call for reinstatement of Muslim Fort Worth ISD principal
May 29, 2026
Religious leaders, community activists and teachers called on Fort Worth ISD to reinstate a Muslim educator reassigned from her newly appointed role as principal after the announcement of her hire drew online backlash.
FWISD announced Shayma Alzubi as Western Hills High School’s new principal in late May, but reassigned her from the role after screenshots of Alzubi’s social media that were circulated online indicated her support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Palestinians and immigrants.
Alzubi, an assistant principal at Southwest High School, now faces an investigation after the district determined the posts may not align with the district’s social media policy and expectations for staff, Louis Kushner, chief of staff, said in a May 26 statement.
“Our district leaders, educators and staff will not inject personal political perspectives into classrooms,” Kushner wrote.
Inside the Islamic Unity Center in southeast Fort Worth Thursday afternoon, faith leaders, educators and activists voiced their opposition of the district’s handling of Alzubi’s reassignment and described the move as the result of an “anti-Muslim witch hunt.”
“This was not reassignment. This was intimidation,” said Fadya Salem, a Palestinian organizer.
“By removing her appointment, Fort Worth ISD sent a message to families like us that organized online hate can decide who is allowed to lead our schools.”
At Thursday’s news conference nearly a dozen speakers called for an end to the investigation on Alzubi, demanded her reinstatement as principal and asked for an apology “for all the baseless statements issued against her,” said Noor Wadi, an attorney and an organizer with the Faith Power Alliance.
FWISD’s announcement of Alzubi’s appointment — which is no longer on the district’s Facebook page — included a photo of the Fort Worth educator who wears an Islamic head scarf called a hijab.
Mustafaa Carroll, executive director of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he wasn’t surprised that the announcement sparked backlash online.
The political opposition to American Muslims reminds Carroll of what Black Americans faced in the Civil Rights Movement, he said.
“I wish I could say this happened in a vacuum, but it didn’t. It didn’t happen in a vacuum. In recent months, Texas Muslims have been targeted by a vicious campaign of hate by some political leaders in the state,” Carroll said.
Carroll said the national Muslim advocacy group received 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints nationwide last year, marking the highest number of reports the organization has received since its first report in 1996.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim advocacy group, as a foreign terrorist organization last year. CAIR is currently suing Abbott over the designation, calling it unconstitutional and defamatory.
FWISD is complying with a state law prohibiting teachers from discussing a widely debated and currently controversial issue of public policy or social affairs and is ensuring all issues will be explored without bias, Kushner wrote in a statement.
Brandon Hall, a Republican member of the State Board of Education who represents Fort Worth, said in a statement that he believes the district made the correct decision to open an investigation and reassign Alzubi.
“I believe the investigation will show a history of extreme public posts defending Sharia law, and using ‘Free Palestine’ rhetoric that is often connected to calls for violence against Jewish people,” Hall wrote. “She should not be in a position of school leadership or employed by the District at all if that is the conclusion of this investigation.”
Deb Armintor, who represents the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, said Alzubi’s posts were on her private social media account. Alzubi exercised her First Amendment right as a private citizen, Armintor said.
FWISD previously investigated a substitute teacher in January 2025 who, according to district officials, posted requests on social media asking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport students from North Side High School.
In 2019, the district fired a teacher after she tweeted anti-immigrant sentiments to the president. The courts upheld her firing after the Texas Education Agency directed the district to give the teacher her job back.
The Report asked Kushner for clarity on Fort Worth ISD’s social media policy, which posts of Alzubi’s conflict with the district’s expectations and the status of her employment.
Kushner, the chief of staff, said in a statement that details could not be provided due to it being an open investigation.
The Report reached out to Alzubi but did not hear back by time of publication.
Personnel decisions must be based on professional merit, not on a person’s faith, race or personal belief, said Kristin Klade, a Lutheran pastor and a FWISD parent leading the group Families Organized and Resisting Takeover, or FORT.
“I pray that every Muslim girl can look up to Miss Alzubi with joy, without any fear that they will lose opportunities or be discriminated against because of their expression of faith and because of who they are,” Klade said.
Alzubi has worked in the district since 2013.
Ale Checka, a teacher at Southwest High and educator of 18 years, said at the news conference that she didn’t know anything about Alzubi's faith or her politics.
Alzubi was the person Checka called for help when students brought a duckling into her classroom, she said. Alzubi was someone who would speak to a disruptive student in a way that didn’t make them feel diminished or discouraged but ready to learn, she said.
“We so desperately need people like Miss Alzubi in the school, and God bless everybody here, but I don't care what you put on social media six years ago, unless and until it is affecting the students in my school,” Checka said. “ I do not want to hear what they believe in their free time. It is none of my business.”
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Source: keranews.org
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.keranews.org/education/2026-05-29/religious-leaders-educators-call-for-reinstatement-of-muslim-fort-worth-isd-principal
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US judge orders Trump's name be removed from Kennedy Center
May 30, 2026
Nardine Saad
A US judge has ordered the removal of President Donald Trump's name from the title of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The Washington DC venue cannot be renamed without congressional approval, the judge ruled on Friday, also blocking the centre's temporary closure during upcoming proposed renovations.
Trump's name must be taken off the institution's title, its façade - and any other physical or digital signage - and official materials within 14 days, according to the order.
A spokesperson for the centre said they would appeal the name-change order. Trump posted on social media that he will "be working with Congress to transfer this failing Institution back to them".
"Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into 'NEVER NEVER LAND'," he wrote on Truth Social.
Trump last year announced the addition of his name to the institution, among other rebranding measures across the nation's capital.
In February 2025, he replaced several trustees on the centre's board and appointed himself as a trustee before being voted in as the arts centre's chairman.
In December, the board decided to rename the institution and new lettering bearing Trump's full name was affixed to the centre's front portico the next day.
The changes, including the re-naming, were followed by cancellations by artists booked at the venue and falling ticket sales.
In February, Trump announced a two-year closure of the venue for extensive renovations that begin 4 July 2026 - "in honour of the 250th Anniversary of our Country".
Board member Joyce Beatty, an Ohio congresswoman and Democrat, and other ex-trustees challenged Trump's changes, alleging in a lawsuit that they were stripped of their right to vote on board matters.
The plaintiffs later amended the lawsuit to also challenge plans to close the venue for repairs.
"Today's ruling rightly affirms that this administration's efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law," Beatty said in a statement to the BBC.
"The Kennedy Center is an institution that belongs to the American people, not to Donald Trump. He has desecrated this sacred memorial for his own vanity. I am proud to have fought for the rule of law and to protect this sacred institution."
In a statement to the BBC's US partner, CBS News, on Friday, spokesperson for the Kennedy Center Roma Daravi said: "We are confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board's will to recognize President Trump's historic contributions to our nation's cultural center,
Daravi said they will also review the judge's decision on the renovations closure.
"[T]hough the reality remains - the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges," Daravi said.
"With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy."
The full title of the venue was to be The Donald J Trump and John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
Under the District Judge Christopher Cooper's order, the name will revert to the John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, as it was christened when it first opened in 1971 in memory of the US president who was assassinated in 1963.
"The Kennedy Center's organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board's unilateral say-so," Cooper, an Obama-era appointee, wrote in a 94-page opinion.
"Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czr2je8lkvro
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Muslim community celebrates Eid al-Adha in West Hartford
May 30, 2026
WEST HARTFORD, CT. (WFSB) - The Muslim community welcomed everyone to celebrate Eid al-Adha Friday night as hundreds gathered at Blue Back Square for one of the two most important holidays in Islam.
The celebration comes as many in the Muslim community watch the conflict in the Middle East with deep concern.
Amir Miam came from Berlin for a glimpse back at his childhood.
“A lot of us used to live in countries where they had big celebrations. So for us to have this and to replicate what we used to have and to come together with all different ethnicities on one road all together here united to celebrate and have a good time, it’s a big deal for me,” he said.
The festivities brought art to the streets, giving everyone the chance to show off their creations.
“We are celebrating Eid. It’s a special day and these are all handcrafted. Different people have different abilities so everyone has their own handcrafted things to make,” said Mona Majid.
West Hartford police officers added extra security for the event.
“Our goal is to build connections and build a better understanding between cultures,” said Humaira Salehi, the event organizer.
“I really like this kind of thing where you can see a lot of local diversity, things to try out, and I wish we did more like this for more events,”said Zain Lokhandwalla.
Source: wfsb.com
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https://www.wfsb.com/2026/05/30/muslim-community-celebrates-eid-al-adha-west-hartford/
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CAIR, CAIR-SFBA Condemn Appointment of Racist Venture Capitalist Shaun Maguire to Pentagon Board
May 29, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its San Franciso Bay Area office (CAIR-SFBA) today condemned the appointment of venture capitalist Shaun Maguire to the Pentagon’s Science, Technology and Innovation Board (STIB) despite his record of racism and anti-Muslim extremism.
In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-SFBA said:
“Someone with a history of racist and bigoted remarks has no place advising the Pentagon. Appointing Shaun Maguire to a Defense Department advisory board sends a disturbing message to every American who supports human rights and the First Amendment. The U.S. military, which includes thousands of Muslim service members, should reject anti-Muslim hate, not reward those who promote it with positions of influence and authority.”
Last year, CAIR condemned false allegations by Maguire and others who smeared and endangered an innocent Muslim student and anti-genocide activist at Brown University by raising suspicion that he was responsible for the deadly shooting on campus.
CAIR previously called for the firing of Maguire over racist, anti-Muslim remarks posted on social media. In a tweet about then-mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, Maguire said Mamdani “comes from a culture that lies about everything. It’s literally a virtue to lie if it advances his Islamist agenda.” Maguire later doubled down on his remarks and responded to public criticism by writing to one individual critical of his remarks, “You may not know this…but I’ve been watching you.”
BACKGROUNDER:
In July 2025, more than 1,100 leaders in the tech industry sent an open letter to Sequoia Capital calling for “immediate and decisive action” over Maguire’s “…post on X on July 4, 2025, along with a documented pattern of anti-Muslim rhetoric over the past two years, [that] has caused significant harm to the global tech community.”
Sequoia Capital’s chief operating officer quit after the company supported Maguire’s anti-Muslim bigotry.
Maguire’s documented pattern of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism through his social media platforms resulted in CAIR identifying him as an anti-Muslim extremist in July 2025.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Do you like reading CAIR press releases and taking part in our action alerts? You can help contribute to CAIR’s work of defending civil rights and empowering American Muslims across the country by making a one-time contribution or becoming a monthly donor. Supporters like you make CAIR’s advocacy work possible and defeating Islamophobia an achievable goal. Click here to donate to CAIR.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-cair-sfba-condemn-appointment-of-racist-venture-capitalist-shaun-maguire-to-pentagon-board/
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CAIR Calls on FBI to Join Probe of Armed Suspect Chased from Site of Tennessee Mosque
May 29, 2026
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on federal law enforcement authorities to join an investigation into an armed suspect reportedly chased from the site of a mosque in Memphis, Tennessee.
According to reports, witnesses said a white man carrying a rifle was seen near the Masjid At-Taqwa mosque before community members confronted and chased him away. Police later released a description of the suspect as the investigation continues.
In a statement, Washington, D.C, based CAIR said:
“Given the current climate of escalating anti-Muslim hate and violence, federal authorities should join the investigation into this alarming incident and determine whether bias played a role. Muslim communities nationwide are increasingly concerned about threats targeting mosques and worshipers, and every credible threat must be treated with the utmost seriousness.”
CAIR said the incident comes amid a continuing rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and threats targeting Muslim communities and houses of worship nationwide.
The civil rights organization noted that its latest civil rights report documented 8,683 anti-Muslim bias complaints in 2025 – the highest number ever recorded by the organization since it began publishing civil rights reports in 1996.
Earlier this week, national Muslim leaders with the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) held a news conference today at the annual Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) conference taking place in Baltimore, Maryland, to address what political leaders must to do to confront anti-Muslim hate and protect houses of worship in the wake of last week’s deadly terror attack on a mosque in San Diego.
At the news conference, the Muslim leaders expressed solidarity with Islamic Center of San Diego and the families of the three martyrs, said politicians must confront rampant anti-Muslim hate and urged mosques and Islamic schools to take steps to improve security.
WATCH THE NEWS CONFERENCE.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-calls-on-fbi-to-join-probe-of-armed-suspect-chased-from-site-of-tennessee-mosque/
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CAIR-MN, CAIR LDF File Federal Lawsuit Against DHS, ICE, for Illegal Targeting and Search of Twin Cities Organizer Advocating for ICE Divestment
May 29, 2026
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, along with the CAIR Legal Defense Fund (CAIR LDF), today announced the filing of a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Twin Cities labor organizer and ICE divestment advocate Janette Zahia Corcelius.
The lawsuit alleges that border agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) violated the First and Fourth Amendments when they unlawfully seized Corcelius’ property and searched her cell phone at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on April 30, 2026. Agents had no lawful basis for their actions—they were targeting Corcelius for her speech.
“Across the country, we are seeing the Trump administration warp the federal government to attack its political opponents and undermine our constitutional rights,” said CAIR LDF attorney John Fossum. “Janette is taking this battle to court because we know that every one of these unlawful actions, every encounter and overreach, must be confronted and rejected.”
“American Muslims are being targeted for the healthy criticism of their government—the most democratic action a citizen can take,” said CAIR-MN Civil Rights Director Alec Shaw. “We stand with Minnesotans and we stand with Ms. Corcelius today.”
BACKGROUND:
After the killings of two U.S. citizens and the inhumane kidnapping and mass deportation of countless Minneapolis residents, the Minneapolis City Council passed a veto-proof resolution calling for European financial institutions to “divest from all major DHS and ICE contractors, including Palantir, Geo Group, CoreCivic, and CACI International.” The City Council’s resolution joined several others, including resolutions from local Minnesota unions, the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (“DSA”), the Indigenous Protector Movement, and the Many Shields Society.
Weeks later, in April 2026, Twin Cities resident and Muslim and Arab American labor organizer Janette Zahia Corcelius traveled abroad to Europe, where she boosted the Minneapolis divestment resolutions and campaigned for European institutions to divest from DHS and ICE. She traveled to several countries and collected political literature along the way.
When Corcelius re-entered the United States at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on April 30, federal customs agents stopped her. Customs agents searched her luggage twice and seized her cell phone. They seized all of the political literature in her possession, after spending several minutes pouring over every page and pamphlet. The agents offered no explanation for the seizures and no timeline for the return of her property. Corcelius now has reason to believe that customs agents conducted an advanced search of her cell phone.
The evidence indicates that Corcelius’ experience was not “random.” She was targeted by her government for lawful advocating for divestment, and for the viewpoints on display in the political literature she had in her possession. She is suing Secretary Mullin and DHS officials for violating her First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights.
ZOOMING OUT: Weaponization of the “National Security” Apparatus
For years, CAIR attorneys have represented Muslim Americans and many others who have been targeted for invasive searches, interrogations, detentions, delays, and other indignities at U.S. airports and ports of entry. But Corcelius’ case represents a new and disturbing chapter in the weaponization of the federal government under the pretext of “national security.” Starting in September 2025, the White House issued several executive orders and directives that exploit the federal government’s national security infrastructure to go after President Trump’s new worst enemy—regular Americans of all backgrounds who oppose fascism.
The most sweeping of these directives is National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (or “NSPM-7”). NSPM-7 directs federal law enforcement, including border security agents, to treat anyone who expresses “opposition to fascism” as a possible terrorist. According to the Trump Administration, an “anti-fascist” may be someone who says something “anti-American” or “anti-Christianity.” Americans with views the Trump Administration considers “extreme” on migration, race, and gender are suspected terrorists, as is anyone who disagrees with the government on “family, religion, and morality.” The categories are intentionally vague. Any American is a possible target.
READ: Brennan Center: Trump’s Orders Targeting Anti-Fascism Aim to Criminalize OppositionEven when broadly targeting its critics, the Trump Administration singles out the Muslim community. In the United States Counterterrorism Strategy 2026, issued by the White House this month and authored by notorious Islamophobe Sebastian Gorka, the Trump Administration makes the bizarre proclamation that a “Red-Green” alliance between “the far-left and Islamists” has emerged as a new threat to the nation. This rhetoric is slanderous—it also reveals how the Trump Administration’s targeting of political opponents neatly fits into a national security dragnet that violates the rights of everyday Americans, including Janette Zahia Corcelius.
DHS claims the authority to search the electronic devices of American citizens on a claim that agents claim to have a “national security concern.” But federal courts have repeatedly found these seizures are unconstitutional. Government agents should be able to explain real and immediate suspicion of a border-related crime. Because the customs agents have no reasonably basis to suspect Corcelius of any crime, and never even tried to explain why they were stopping and searching her, the search violated Corcelius’ Fourth Amendment rights.
The seizure of her political literature also suggests that DHS irrationally decided Corcelius was “suspicious,” or even a threat to national security, because of her advocacy for divestment and the political literature in her possession. The Trump Administration’s new national security initiative, most notably NSPM-7, has empowered customs agents to draw those conclusions and retaliate against individuals who dare to disagree with the government. Corcelius was exercising her free speech rights to call for divestment from DHS and ICE when she was detained, and her property was seized, by the same government agency she was criticizing. According, DHS violated her First Amendment rights by weaponizing the customs checkpoint process to punish her for speaking out.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/breaking-cair-mn-cair-ldf-file-federal-lawsuit-against-dhs-ice-for-illegal-targeting-and-search-of-twin-cities-organizer-advocating-for-ice-divestment/
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Former US attorney general Pam Bondi defends her handling of Epstein files in congressional probe
May 30, 2026
Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu
Former US Attorney General Pam Bondi has defended her handling of the release of documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Bondi, who in April was removed from her post as America's top law enforcement officer by US President Donald Trump, testified behind closed doors on Friday in Washington DC.
"We demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to transparency in the Department's search for, collection, and review of the Epstein files, producing nearly 3 million pages of material," she said in opening remarks to the US House Oversight Committee.
Bondi was formally summoned by the panel in March, just before Trump announced her ouster as his administration's top prosecutor.
As attorney general, Bondi was tasked with implementing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, legislation signed into law by Trump that mandated the US Department of Justice publicly release unclassified records.
But Bondi and the US Justice Department have been widely criticised, with accusations that documents were withheld and files were published that made victims of Epstein's crimes publicly identifiable.
"I am proud of the Department's record and commitment to transparency under my leadership," she said. "This was an enormously complicated and labor-intensive process. To the best of my knowledge, the Department produced everything required under the Epstein Files Transparency Act."
The committee's Republican chairman, James Comer, wrote in a subpoena letter that they are investigating the "possible mismanagement" of the Epstein investigation and compliance with the act.
Ahead of today's meeting, Comer told reporters that successive governments had failed Epstein's victims and that Bondi will be pressed about her handling of the release of the documents.
"We're going to try to determine whether or not there could be more documents legally turned over," Comer said. "I want every document. I don't want anything held back, and I think the majority of the committee's the same way."
But three hours into the congressional interview, Democrats emerged accusing Bondi of being evasive in her answers, deferring responsibility to her former deputy, and said government lawyers stepped in to prevent her from answering questions.
"She said she would not speak or respond to any questions that had anything to do with President Trump," said Robert Garcia, the committee's leading Democrat.
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told the BBC the process was a cover-up and Republicans on the committee set the interview up with voluntary transcription and no video tape.
"She was simply not wanting to answer questions or wanting to not take any responsibility for how poorly she handled the entire situation," Subramanyam said. "I believe a lot of it was because the president himself told her not to, but she refused to answer any questions about her conversations with the president or anyone else in the administration."
Maria Farmer, an Epstein survivor, was also critical of Bondi's appearance.
"At every turn, Bondi has ignored and disregarded the will of Epstein survivors who have waited for justice for decades and even now, as a private citizen, she refuses responsibility for her missteps and failures," she said in a statement.
Bondi rebuffed accusations that during questioning she shifted blame to her former deputy, Todd Blanche, now the acting attorney general.
"NOT TRUE," she posted online. "I praised Acting AG Blanche's management of this Herculean task. I said his ethics are beyond reproach and that he is an incredible Attorney General."
Bondi's summons came weeks after Nancy Mace, a Republican lawmaker, accused the justice department of a "cover-up" and introduced a motion to subpoena Bondi.
The Trump administration has faced enormous bipartisan pressure to release all documents related to the probe of the sex-trafficking financier and faced criticism over its handling of the files, including the failure to redact the names of Epstein's victims. Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial in 2019.
In February 2025, Bondi declared during a Fox News interview that she had a list of Epstein's high-profile clients "sitting on my desk right now", only to have the justice department walk back the statement that July when it said there was no "client list" and that Bondi had meant the overall case file was on her desk.
During her tenure as the country's top law enforcement official, Bondi also came under fire from Democrats for weaponising the justice department after Trump called on her to more aggressively investigate his political adversaries.
She was replaced on an interim basis by Blanche, formerly Trump's personal lawyer.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Bondi, 60, had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She told the BBC's US media partner CBS News that she is undergoing treatment, which included surgery a few weeks ago.
Bondi is set to join the White House's new advisory council on AI, the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
When she left the Department of Justice at the beginning of April, she said she was excited to be entering a role in the private sector. Bondi's inclusion on the president's council is the first news of her work beyond the department.
The congressional committee has previously interviewed former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, the current Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and the convicted Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. Philanthropist Bill Gates is set to make an appearance in the coming weeks, Comer said.
Source: bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czj2ldllgwgo
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Africa
We Are Victims – Miyetti Allah Fires Back At US Over Report On Fulani Militants
May 30, 2026
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has dismissed reports linking it to armed militants and bandits across the country.
Naija News earlier reported that the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom had claimed that about 30,000 armed Fulani militants operate in different parts of Nigeria in groups ranging from 10 to 1,000 members, and described them as major drivers of religious freedom violations.
However, in a statement on Friday, MACBAN National President, Baba Ngelzarma, asserted that the community should not be collectively blamed for criminal activity.
He said the figure does not reflect the Fulani population in Nigeria and warned against profiling an entire ethnic group based on the activities of criminal elements.
Ngelzarma insisted that the 30,000 militants and bandits cited in the report “do not, and will never, represent the 14.5 million peaceful Fulani citizens of this country.”
According to him, rather than being linked to violence, many Fulani pastoralists are themselves victims of insecurity, including cattle rustling, kidnappings and retaliatory attacks.
“As MACBAN has posited in several reports and statements, law-abiding pastoralists are themselves primary victims of these criminal syndicates, routinely suffering from cattle rustling, mass abductions, and retaliatory violence,” the statement read.
The group stressed that it would not protect or excuse anyone involved in criminal acts, adding that it remains committed to supporting security agencies in tackling insecurity across the country
“MACBAN will not shield, make excuses for, or tolerate any individual or group engaging in violent criminality,” it stated.
MACBAN also said it had directed its state and zonal chapters to strengthen intelligence-sharing with security agencies and traditional rulers to help track and flush out criminals hiding in rural and border communities.
“We are actively directing our zonal and state branches to formalise and deepen closed-door intelligence-sharing channels with federal security forces and local traditional rulers.
“We pledge our full cooperation to help law enforcement detect, isolate, and flush out criminal elements using our forests and borderlands as cover,” the association added.
The association condemned terrorism, banditry and killings across the country, regardless of who is responsible, and urged Nigerians to avoid ethnic profiling in addressing insecurity.
It warned that generalising criminal activities to an entire ethnic group could worsen tensions and undermine national security efforts.
MACBAN also called on the government and development partners to support reforms in the livestock sector, especially ranching, as a long-term solution to conflicts linked to open grazing
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/05/30/miyetti-allah-us-report-fulani-militants/
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Kwara gov, others mourn popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abdulqodir Kamalud-deen
May 29, 2026
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has mourned the death of the Khalifatul Adabiyyah Worldwide, Sheikh Abdulqodir Kamalud-deen, describing the late Islamic cleric as a symbol of patience, wisdom and exemplary leadership.
The governor, in a condolence statement issued on Friday by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Moshood Agboola, extended sympathies to the Ansarul Islam family worldwide over the passing of the revered scholar.
AbdulRazaq said the late Sheikh Abdulqodir lived a life devoted to Islam, service to humanity and the unity of Muslims.
“He was a man of immense grace, exemplary patience, and love for members of the Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria and Muslims as a whole.
“He was a leader who won hearts with his great qualities. He relived the patience, wisdom, and depth of the legendary Alhaji Agba.
“His death has left a big void which will be difficult to fill, but we trust that Allaah, in His mercy, will not forsake the Ansarul Islam and the larger community after him.
“I ask Allaah to grant him forgiveness, light up and widen his grave, and admit him to al-jannah Firdaus,” AbdulRazaq said.
Earlier, the Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria Home and Abroad described the deceased as a devoted Islamic leader whose teachings and contributions greatly impacted the Muslim community and society at large.
In a statement issued by the spokesperson of its Ilorin branch, Alhaji Gesua Abdulyekini, the society said the late cleric dedicated his life to the propagation of Islam and moral guidance.
“The late Sheikh Abdulqodir Kamalud-deen was a devoted Islamic leader whose teachings and contributions had a profound impact on the Muslim community and society at large,” the statement read.
The family of the deceased announced that the burial ceremony for the late Sheikh was held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at Alhaji Agba House in the Okekere area of Ilorin.
The cleric, who was the eldest surviving son of the late Sheikh Muhammad Kamalud-deen Al-Adaby, reportedly died in the early hours of Friday in Ilorin.
His death was also confirmed in Facebook posts by prominent Ilorin-based Islamic scholar, Shaykh Abdul Fatah Aribidesi, and several followers of the Adabiyyah movement.
Reacting to the development, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, described the cleric’s death as a colossal loss to the Ilorin Emirate and humanity.
In a condolence message issued through his spokesman, Dr. Abdulazeez Arowona, the monarch said the death of the Khalifatul Adabiyyah Worldwide was painful and heartbreaking.
“The incident is a colossal loss to the people of Ilorin Emirate and humanity in general,” the Emir said.
The monarch also condoled with the family of Alhaji Alabi Jagunmo, father of the National President of the Ilorin Emirate Youth Development Association, Alhaji Uthman Jagunmo.
“Both deaths are painful blows to the Ilorin Emirate. I submit totally to the will of Almighty Allah.”
“May Allah, in His infinite mercy, grant the duo of Khalifatul Adabiyyah and the Jagunmo of Ilorin absolute comfort in their graves, forgive their shortcomings, accept their good deeds, and admit them into Al-Jannah Firdaus,” the Emir said.
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Saliu Mustapha, also expressed sorrow over the cleric’s passing.
In a condolence message quoted by Legit on Friday, Mustapha described the late Islamic scholar’s death as a monumental loss to the Ilorin Emirate, the Muslim Ummah and humanity at large.
“His passing is a monumental loss to the Ilorin Emirate, the Muslim Ummah, and humanity at large,” the senator said.
The lawmaker added that Sheikh Abdulqodir devoted his life to Islamic scholarship, spiritual guidance and community service.
The late Sheikh Abdulqodir Kamalud-deen was widely respected for sustaining the spiritual and intellectual legacy of the Adabiyyah movement founded by his father, Sheikh Muhammad Kamalud-deen Al-Adaby, the first Grand Mufti of Ilorin, who died in 2005 at about 98 years of age.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/kwara-gov-others-mourn-popular-islamic-cleric-sheikh-abdulqodir-kamalud-deen/
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Burkina Faso junta shuts major mosque after arrests of protesters
May 30, 2026
Burkina Faso’s military junta has closed the capital’s main Sunni mosque after nearly 100 supporters of a detained preacher were arrested following protests, deepening concerns over growing repression under the country’s military rulers.
Burkina Faso’s military authorities have ordered the closure of the main Sunni mosque in the capital, Ouagadougou, following protests sparked by the arrest of influential preacher Mohamad Ishaq Kindo.
The closure was announced through a decree issued by the regional governor, citing risks of “public disorder” after worshippers gathered at the mosque demanding the imam’s release.
Security forces dispersed the demonstrations, and residents reported arrests following clashes and police chases through the city.
Nearly 100 supporters detained
A security source said nearly 100 supporters of the imam had been detained in recent days and transferred to a camp for what authorities described as “civic and citizenship training”.
Kindo was arrested on Tuesday after criticising a proposed law aimed at regulating religious freedoms in the predominantly Muslim West African nation.
The demonstrations marked a rare public challenge to Burkina Faso’s military rulers, who have tightened restrictions on dissent since Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power in a 2022 coup.
Crackdown on criticism intensifies
Under Traore’s leadership, critics, activists and civil society figures have increasingly faced arrests, suspensions and intimidation.
Authorities have also been accused of forcibly conscripting detainees into military operations against jihadist groups that control large parts of the country.
Earlier this week, the junta suspended the country’s largest student union for three months and arrested its leader on accusations of “advocating terrorism”.
The union had criticised the government’s repression and what it called the junta’s failure to restore security despite repeated promises to defeat insurgent groups.
Violence continues despite military pledges
Burkina Faso remains one of the countries hardest hit by jihadist violence in the Sahel region, with attacks continuing to kill thousands every year and displace millions.
When he took power four years ago, Traore pledged to defeat the armed groups within three months. However, insecurity has persisted across much of the country, while the junta has increasingly targeted dissenting voices at home.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2026/05/29/burkina-faso-junta-shuts-major-mosque-after-arrests-of-protesters/
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Madagascar’s top court dismisses lawmaker’s bid to oust military ruler
May 30, 2026
Madagascar's top court on Thursday dismissed a bid by an opposition lawmaker to oust the country's military ruler.
Prominent MP, Antoine Rajerison, had asked the High Constitutional Court to remove army Colonel Michael Randrianirina, who has led the country since last October.
Rajerison accused him of treason for what he called "serious and repeated violations of the constitution", including in making appointments.
But the court said the request was "inadmissible" because it did not meet the constitutional requirements for removing a head of state.
Randrianirina came to power after his predecessor Andry Rajoelina fled the country as youth-led protests over lack of water and energy escalated.
Initial hopes among young people of positive change have since faded.
In March, the military leader dissolved the government, dismissing the prime minister and the entire cabinet.
Rights groups say the authorities have arrested demonstrators and used heavy-handed tactics.
In recent weeks, young Madagascans have mounted scattered protests over what they describe as the slow pace of reforms.
A transition roadmap has promised a new constitution and a presidential election by the end of 2027.
Madagascar has endured repeated political upheavals and is the latest former French colony in Africa to come under military rule since 2020, following coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
It is one of the world's poorest countries, despite being the biggest vanilla producer and having a wealth of biodiversity.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2026/05/29/madagascars-top-court-dismisses-lawmakers-bid-to-oust-military-ruler/
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‘South-West Forests Now Bandits’ Infiltration Routes’
May 30, 2026
Forests and porous border corridors stretching across Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Ekiti states have become major infiltration routes for bandits and kidnappers entering the South-West, findings have revealed.
Naija News reports that credible sources who spoke with Punch, including hunters, operatives of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and local residents, said armed groups fleeing military operations in the North were exploiting weak surveillance in forest reserves and boundary communities.
They said the criminals use the routes to launch attacks, abduct residents and escape undetected.
Findings showed that the Old Oyo National Park linking Oyo and Kwara states, as well as forests connecting Osun and Ekiti through Imesi-Ile, had become major security threats in the region.
Security operatives said many suspected bandits had been dislodged from some of the areas, but the vast forest belts remained difficult to police.
They lamented that forests used for farming, hunting and other economic activities had become safe routes for criminal groups involved in kidnapping, cattle rustling and other violent crimes.
The development comes amid rising cases of kidnappings and attacks in Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states.
On May 15, bandits attacked three schools in Esinele, Yamota and Alawusa in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Teachers were killed, while 47 pupils and teachers were abducted during the attack.
The incident heightened fears over the growing activities of armed groups in rural communities across the South-West.
The attackers reportedly escaped through the Old Oyo National Park.
Local sources alleged that the forest corridor had become a major route for criminal groups operating in the region.
Findings showed that the Old Oyo National Park covers about 2,512 square kilometres, or 251,200 hectares.
The park is about 160 kilometres from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Forests around Oriire, Ogbomoso, Kishi and adjoining communities were said to form part of a larger vegetation corridor stretching across Oyo, Kwara, Osun and parts of northern Nigeria.
Security sources said the corridor provides multiple escape routes for armed groups.
‘Criminals Exploiting Forests’
Security operatives, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the criminals were taking advantage of dense, contiguous forests from Kainji National Park in Niger State to the Old Oyo National Park axis and the Gbugbu/Babanla forest in Kwara State.
They said the routes were being used to launch attacks and move abducted victims between locations.
The Defence Headquarters recently linked the Oyo school abduction to terrorists of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad group.
The military said the attackers had been displaced from other parts of the country by intensified military operations.
“The recent incidence of kidnapping in Oyo State was clearly perpetrated by terrorists of the JAS group that have been dislodged from other parts of the country due to high-intensity operations being conducted all over,” the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja said.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/05/30/south-west-forests-bandits-infiltration-routes/
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MASSOB/IPOB Directive For Civil War Remembrance Service Is Illegal – Nigerian Army
May 29, 2026
By Oladipo Abiola
The Nigerian Army has declared illegal the directive issued by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), ordering churches in the South-East and parts of the South-South to hold memorial services in honour of civil war victims.
Naija News reports that the Army, in a statement issued on Friday by the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, clarified that there are already established national occasions legally recognised by the federal government to honour fallen heroes.
The Nigerian Army noted that MASSOB and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) only want to use the event to create chaos.
The Army warned that any individual or group that attempts to disrupt the peace of society will face due sanctions.
It added that the Army empathises deeply with families who lost loved ones during the civil war and acknowledges the sacrifices made to keep Nigeria united, but the directive issued by MASSOB is illegal, provocative, and must be disregarded by all Nigerians.
The Army also urged members of the public to go about their lawful activities, stating that the Nigerian Armed Forces, in collaboration with other security agencies, remain committed to safeguarding lives, property, and ensuring peace across the South-East.
“The attention of Headquarters Operation UDO KA has been drawn to an illegal directive issued by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), directing churches in the South-East and parts of the South-South to hold memorial services in honour of civil war victims.
“Headquarters Operation UDO KA empathises deeply with families who lost loved ones during the civil war and acknowledge the sacrifices made to keep Nigeria united. The memories of those who paid the ultimate price remain indelible in our national consciousness. However, it is important to emphasise that there are already established national occasions legally recognised by the Federal Government to honour our fallen heroes. These include the Armed Forces Remembrance Day, the Nigerian Army Day Celebration, and Nigeria’s Independence Day. These solemn occasions provide lawful platforms for reflection, unity, and remembrance.
“Operation UDO KA remembers with compassion the sacrifices of the fallen heroes which can never be forgotten. However, true honour, lies in unity, peace, and lawful remembrance, not in illegal directives by some irredentists aimed at sowing division and causing panic in the region.
“The directive by MASSOB is therefore illegal, provocative, and must be disregarded by all. Any gathering or activity outside the framework of lawful national commemorations is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The Nigerian Army is aware that sympathisers of MASSOB, IPOB resolved to issue this illegal order to create chaos. Clerics, Innocent citizens and youths are therefore strongly advised to stay away from such plans, which are designed to destabilise the peace enjoyed in the entire Southeast.
“Operation UDO KA wishes to reassure the general public, including churches, that they should go about their services and businesses without fear of intimidation. Any individual or group that disrupts public peace or religious activities will face the full weight of the law.
“The Nigerian Armed Forces, in collaboration with other security agencies, remain committed to safeguarding lives, property, and ensuring peace across the South-East,” the statement read.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/05/29/massob-ipob-civil-war-victims-army/
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‘My Defence Minister Will Be A Drone’ – Sowore
May 29, 2026
The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has said he would deploy technology, including drones, to tackle insecurity if elected President in 2027.
Naija News reports that Sowore said his administration would establish a central control centre to track terrorists and criminal networks in real time.
He spoke on Thursday night during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time.
The AAC presidential candidate said Nigeria must confront insecurity with coordinated operations, modern equipment and strong intelligence.
“Short-term, we must tackle insecurity head-on by pursuing and neutralising bandits through coordinated operations, backed by modern equipment, technology, and strong intelligence,” Sowore said.
He added that the country needed honest and accountable security leaders who would focus on protecting citizens.
“We need honest, accountable security leaders focused on real protection, not politics or distractions, and a military and police force capable of proper strategy, not misuse of power or trivial arrests,” he said.
‘My Defence Minister Will Be A Drone’
Sowore said technology would play a major role in his security strategy.
He stated, “A central control system will be established to track threats in real time and respond swiftly to dismantle criminal networks and secure the country.
“If I become the president of Nigeria tomorrow, my Minister of Defence would be a drone, that’s how much I believe in technology.
“That drone will fly everywhere, I’m just going to have a control centre where people sit down to track terrorists and liquidate them.”
The activist said insecurity could not be solved by military action alone. According to him, the government must also build a society where people have access to jobs and education.
“But ultimately, you must create a society where people can find jobs, go to school, and not be willing tool,” he added.
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2026/05/29/defence-minister-drone-sowore/
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Southeast Asia
Chief minister orders tighter monitoring as Penang moves to keep projects on track
30 May 2026
BALIK PULAU, May 30 — All members of the State Executive Council, along with state government departments and agencies, including local authorities (PBT), have been instructed to enhance monitoring of development projects across Penang to ensure they remain on track.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the matter must be given due attention to ensure that each planned project is completed within the stipulated timeframe for the benefit of the people.
“I will instruct the state government, all exco members and government agencies, including the local councils, to enhance monitoring of project implementation and expedite the commencement of projects that have yet to start.
“For projects currently being implemented, close monitoring must be carried out to ensure that works are completed according to schedule,” he told a press conference after a walkabout at Pasar Pagi Balik Pulau here in conjunction with the Jelajah Ketua Menteri Programme, which was also attended by Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Steven Sim.
Chow said various factors could hinder project progress and result in delays if not addressed promptly.
According to him, the timely completion of development projects would not only address the problems faced by the people, but also enhance the state’s competitiveness and strengthen Penang’s resilience in facing challenges such as climate change.
Chow hoped each exco member would lead departments under their respective portfolios more proactively to ensure that the state government’s development projects are implemented as planned.
“The people will not remain silent in raising issues related to delayed or ‘sick’ projects. So, in the second half of our term, we will focus on monitoring and ensuring that implementation is carried out according to schedule to maintain the state government’s encouraging performance,” he said.
Chow, meanwhile, explained that project delays are usually caused by various technical issues, including weaknesses in the initial study stage, which result in certain problems not being identified comprehensively prior to implementation.
“However, it is not a serious concern. Most importantly, we want to ensure that people can see the progress achieved,” he said. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/05/30/chief-minister-orders-tighter-monitoring-as-penang-moves-to-keep-projects-on-track/221908
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US praises Malaysia, ASEAN for burden-sharing in regional peace efforts
30 May 2026
The US hails Malaysia’s rapid deployment of an ASEAN observer team to the Thailand-Cambodia border as a key contribution to regional stability and burden-sharing.
SINGAPORE: The United States (US) has hailed Malaysia’s leadership in rapidly deploying an ASEAN observer team to the Thailand-Cambodia border, describing the mission as a significant contribution to regional peace and burden-sharing efforts in Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth commended Malaysia and the regional bloc for taking proactive steps to reduce tensions and support diplomacy, saying the deployment reflected the region’s growing commitment to maintaining security through collective action.
“Nations in the region are stepping forward to preserve peace, reduce tensions, and support diplomacy with credible capability.
“I commend Malaysia and ASEAN for their efforts in support of President Donald Trump’s historic peace deal,” he said during his address on “United States’ Strategy for Peace in the Indo-Pacific ” on Saturday.
In October 2025, Thailand and Cambodia signed a peace agreement known as the “KL Peace Accord” on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The accord, signed by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his capacity as ASEAN Chair and Trump.
Meanwhile, Hegseth said the US has observed its partners, particularly in Southeast Asia, stepping up efforts to strengthen regional defence capabilities.
He noted that Singapore has consistently punched above its weight by investing heavily in its military and serving as a vital hub for US logistics activities and rotational deployments.
Indonesia is also making significant strides in modernising its armed forces and expanding the scale of military exercises with the US, thereby strengthening interoperability and reinforcing regional stability, he said.
“Thailand continues to deepen military cooperation with the US to enhance interoperability and develop necessary readiness.
“We are also seeing the same seriousness of purpose from Vietnam,” he added.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/us-praises-malaysia-asean-for-burden-sharing-in-regional-peace-efforts/
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US Defence Secretary Hegseth praises Malaysia, Asean for taking proactive steps to reduce tensions and support diplomacy
30 May 2026
SINGAPORE, May 30 — The United States (US) has hailed Malaysia’s leadership in rapidly deploying an Aseanobserver team to the Thailand-Cambodia border, describing the mission as a significant contribution to regional peace and burden-sharing efforts in Southeast Asia.
Speaking at the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth commended Malaysia and the regional bloc for taking proactive steps to reduce tensions and support diplomacy, saying the deployment reflected the region’s growing commitment to maintaining security through collective action.
“Nations in the region are stepping forward to preserve peace, reduce tensions, and support diplomacy with credible capability.
“I commend Malaysia and Asean for their efforts in support of President Donald Trump’s historic peace deal,” he said during his address on “United States’ Strategy for Peace in the Indo-Pacific “ on Saturday.
In October 2025, Thailand and Cambodia signed a peace agreement known as the “KL Peace Accord” on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
The accord, signed by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, was witnessed by Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in his capacity as Asean Chair and Trump.
Meanwhile, Hegseth said the US has observed its partners, particularly in Southeast Asia, stepping up efforts to strengthen regional defence capabilities.
He noted that Singapore has consistently punched above its weight by investing heavily in its military and serving as a vital hub for US logistics activities and rotational deployments.
Indonesia is also making significant strides in modernising its armed forces and expanding the scale of military exercises with the US, thereby strengthening interoperability and reinforcing regional stability, he said.
“Thailand continues to deepen military cooperation with the US to enhance interoperability and develop necessary readiness.
“We are also seeing the same seriousness of purpose from Vietnam,” he added. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2026/05/30/us-defence-secretary-hegseth-praises-malaysia-asean-for-taking-proactive-steps-to-reduce-tensions-and-support-diplomacy/221901
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Fahmi urges Malaysians to embrace Kaamatan and Gawai
30 May 2026
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil calls on Malaysians to strengthen bonds of kinship through the Kaamatan Festival and Gawai Day in the spirit of Malaysia MADANI.
KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has called on Malaysians to continue preserving heritage, celebrating cultural diversity and strengthening bonds of kinship in the spirit of Malaysia MADANI.
In a Facebook post in conjunction with the Kaamatan Festival and Gawai Day, he expressed hope that the celebrations would strengthen the spirit of family and unity, while bringing joy, blessings and gratitude among the people.
“Kotobian Tadau Tagazo Do Kaamatan. Gayu Guru Gerai Nyamai. Happy Kaamatan Festival and Gawai Day to all those celebrating,” he said.
The Kaamatan Festival, also known as the Harvest Festival, is celebrated by the Kadazan-Dusun, Murut and Rungus communities in Sabah today and tomorrow, while Gawai Day is observed on June 1 and 2 by the Dayak community in Sarawak.
Both celebrations are held as a sign of thanksgiving following the end of the harvest season.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/news/malaysia-news/fahmi-urges-malaysians-to-embrace-kaamatan-and-gawai/
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Unity minister calls for wiser digital culture in Wesak Day message
30 May 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang has called on Malaysians to uphold human values, strengthen unity and progress towards a more ethical, well-mannered and wise digital society.
In his Wesak Day greetings to Buddhists nationwide, he said the theme of this year’s national-level celebration, “Mendepani Era Digital, Memupuk Kebijaksanaan Bersama”, carries a deeply significant message for all Malaysians.
“In today’s digital world, unity is tested not only in the real world but also on social media. (While) a single post can unite society, a slander can destroy national harmony,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Aaron said the digital era poses challenges, including the spread of hatred, fake news, extremism and a culture of judging others without factual basis.
In this regard, he stressed that Madani values such as respect, compassion and social sustainability must be reflected in daily life, including in the use of social media.
“What we write, share and comment on reflects the maturity of our society. Every citizen has a responsibility to be an agent of unity, not one who spreads hatred.
“Malaysians need to be a mature digital society, to think before sharing, verify before believing and respect even when views differ,” he said.
Aaron said the Madani Government believes interfaith dialogue is a key foundation in strengthening national unity as it provides the best platform to build understanding, bridge gaps and foster respect among communities of different races and religions.
According to him, Malaysia was built on the strength of embracing and celebrating diversity, which forms the pillar of the nation’s harmony and stability.
Wesak Day, which will be celebrated tomorrow, is the most important holy day for Buddhists, commemorating the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Malaysia backs regional push for stronger military cooperation, joint drills at Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore
30 May 2026
SINGAPORE, May 30— Asean defence ministers today agreed to step up joint military training and exercises, particularly in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
During a breakfast meeting held on the sidelines of the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, the ministers also reaffirmed the importance of Asean centrality and the bloc’s role in promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity.
According to Singapore’s Defence Ministry (Mindef), the ministers exchanged views on expanding cooperation through initiatives such as Indonesia’s Exercise Trident Resolve, scheduled for September 2026 and involving Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) countries, as well as enhanced information-sharing through platforms such as the Republic of Singapore Navy’s Information Fusion Centre.
“The ministers agreed to redouble efforts to cooperate through the ADMM and the ADMM-Plus,” the ministry said in a statement.
The meeting was co-hosted by Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing and Philippines Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro Jr, and attended by defence leaders and representatives from Asean member states. Among those attending was Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The ministers further reaffirmed the importance of upholding international law and norms, particularly the right of transit passage under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
They also stressed the need to keep international airways and waterways open, secure and safe for the free flow of trade and supplies, including through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, Mindef said. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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Anwar hails Tabung Haji after fifth straight Labbaitom Award win for excellence in pilgrim services
30 May 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has congratulated Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) on its achievement in receiving the Labbaitom Award from the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj and Umrah for the fifth consecutive time.
In a Facebook post today, he said the achievement recognises Malaysia’s excellence in the management and welfare of Haj pilgrims.
“This success reflects the commitment, professionalism and dedication of all TH personnel and Haj officers, who consistently strive to provide the best services in managing Malaysian pilgrims,” he said.
He also congratulated Amal by Malaysia Airlines, which received the Misk Al-Khitam Award in recognition of its excellence in managing arrival procedures for pilgrims during the 1447H Haj season.
“This recognition demonstrates the capability and efficiency of Malaysian institutions and companies at the international level. May this achievement serve as a catalyst to further enhance service quality and bring honour to the country in serving the guests of Allah SWT,” he said.
The Labbaitom Award is an annual recognition presented by the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj and Umrah to Haj operators worldwide who demonstrate outstanding performance in Haj management. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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South Asia
Mujahid Urges Non-Interference in Afghanistan at Moscow Forum
29 May 2026
Addressing the forum, the Minister of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan stated that the Islamic Emirate exercises full sovereignty over Afghanistan’s territory and emphasized that no interference should take place in the country’s internal affairs.
Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid said that strengthening Afghanistan’s defense capabilities would contribute positively to improving the security situation across the region.
Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Minister of Defense of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said: “We seek a professional defense system that not only ensures Afghanistan’s security but also plays a positive role in regional stability. Through this forum, we once again emphasize a proven reality: those who, based on miscalculations and arrogance, have sought to harm our people have failed to achieve their malicious objectives.”
Speaking at the forum, Russia’s Security Council Secretary also declared that the era of a unipolar world led by the West is coming to an end and stressed the rejection of what he described as the West’s imposed policies.
Sergei Shoigu said: “The unipolar world is collapsing. Countries in the Global South and East have long realized that the unprecedented rise in global tensions is the result of Western countries’ relentless efforts to expand their external influence and gain control over the resources of other nations. This is what is now known as neo-colonialism.”
On the sidelines of the forum, Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister and Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid held talks on the regional security situation and prospects for bilateral military cooperation.
Political analyst Jannat Fahim Chakari said: “Closer relations with Russia offer many advantages for Afghanistan, provided that we remain mindful of the sensitivities surrounding such rapprochement and make effective use of this opportunity.”
During his official visit to Russia, Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid also visited the Embassy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Moscow, where he praised the embassy’s activities and representation.
He further stressed the importance of providing standardized, effective, and timely consular and administrative services to Afghan citizens.
Source: tolonews.com
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Tarique pays tribute to Ziaur Rahman on 45th death anniversary
30 May 2026
Prime Minister and BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has paid tribute to his father, former president and the party founder Ziaur Rahman, on the 45th anniversary of his death.
Tarique reached Zia's grave in Sher-e-Bangla around 11:00am today, placing a wreath first in his capacity as prime minister and later as chairman of the BNP, along with party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee members Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed and AZM Zahid Hossain.
Cabinet members, advisers and senior BNP leaders were also present.
Among them were Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Abdus Salam, Masum Ahmed Talukder, Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain Bakul, Khairul Kabir Khokon, Habibur Rashid Habib, Aminul Haque, SM Jahangir, Rafiqul Alam Majnu, Shirin Sultana, Sultana Ahmed, Helen Jerin Khan, and Arifa Sultana Ruma.
Following a brief period of silence at the grave, Tarique and party leaders attended a prayer gathering organised by the Jatiyatabadi Olama Dal.
After the tribute ceremony, Tarique took part in a previously announced campaign to distribute food and clothing to low-income families in Dhaka. He launched the programme at Rajdhani High School on Manik Mia Avenue and is expected to attend similar events at 16 locations across the capital throughout the day.
The initiatives also include the distribution of relief materials and free medical services.
The BNP is observing Ziaur Rahman's death anniversary with programmes across the country.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Eid screening of ‘Bonolota Express’ cancelled in Brahmanbaria
30 May 2026
A scheduled screening of the popular Bangla film “Bonolota Express” in Brahmanbaria has been cancelled following the withdrawal of venue permission and a "lack of administrative support", said the organisers.
The screening was scheduled to be held at Annada Government High School in the town at 3:00pm today as part of the Eid-ul-Azha celebrations. However, organisers announced late last night that it would no longer take place.
In a Facebook statement posted around 11:30pm, Brahmanbaria Film Society said it had initially obtained permission to use classrooms at the school for the screening. The group claimed that the permission was later withdrawn and that administrative non-cooperation also contributed to the cancellation.
The organisers said a new venue and date for the screening would be announced later.
Towza Khandakar, a member of the organisation, said they had received approval from film director Tanim Noor on May 25 to screen the movie. He also claimed that they had received preliminary consent from the head teacher of Annada Government High School.
According to him, members of the Qawmi Chhatra Oikya Parishad later launched a social media campaign demanding that the screening be stopped, which ultimately led to the current situation.
“After the Facebook posts began circulating, the school authorities withdrew permission citing the situation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Hafeez Nasrullah Moaz, a leader of the Brahmanbaria district unit of Qawmi Chhatra Oikya Parishad, shared a Facebook post featuring a red cross over the promotional card for the screening.
In the post, he wrote: “Brahmanbaria is a city of Islamic scholars. At one time, Allama Fakhre Bangal (R) had succeeded in stopping cinema screenings in this town. But sadly, it is now seen that certain vested groups are once again attempting to revive cinema culture in the town. On behalf of the general students and conscious citizens, we strongly demand that such activities be stopped immediately. We urge the administration to take effective measures so that the religious and social environment of Brahmanbaria remains intact.”
Brahmanbaria Hefazat-e-Islam General Secretary Maulana Ali Azam said he had heard about the issue and would comment after speaking with the students involved.
Meanwhile, acting head teacher of Annada Government High School Mosammat Sabina Yasmin denied giving permission for the screening. She said some former students had approached her regarding the matter, but no approval had been granted.
“There is no question of allowing film screenings at an educational institution,” she said.
Despite the cancellation, Mohaiminul Azbin, an adviser to Brahmanbaria Film Society, said the organisers were still trying to find a way to hold the screening through discussions with relevant parties.
Source: thedailystar.net
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PM unhappy over uncleared Eid waste
30 May 2026
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday expressed dissatisfaction after seeing sacrificial animal waste left uncleared in several areas in Dhaka during a surprise inspection while driving around the capital.
The PM found animal waste and old garbage on roads in Hatirpool, Elephant Road, Green Road, Farmgate and Karwan Bazar, and ordered action against two regional executive officers of the two city corporations for negligence of duty.
Under Tarique Rahman’s instruction, two regional executive officers of Dhaka North and South city corporations were withdrawn from their respective posts and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration with immediate effect.
The PM also ordered departmental action against them.
“The prime minister went out to see different development projects in the capital and the management of sacrificial animal waste. He expressed dissatisfaction as waste had not been removed in some places,” State Minister for LGRD Mir Shahe Alam told the media.
The withdrawn officials are Kazi Saleh Mustanzir, regional executive officer of Zone-1 of Dhaka South City Corporation, and Sadekur Rahman, regional executive officer of Zone-5 of Dhaka North City Corporation.
Without informing anyone in advance, the prime minister himself drove through different parts of Dhaka for nearly four hours to inspect the animal waste cleaning situation.
State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Abdus Salam, and BNP National Executive Committee Special Secretary Muhammad Belayet Hossain Mridha accompanied the PM in his vehicle, according to the Prime Minister’s Press Wing.
Meanwhile, Tarique has directed two city corporations to remove garbage, clean drainage points, and take necessary measures to prevent dengue within the next 48 hours.
If the instructions are not implemented within the deadline, the chief executive officers, chief waste management officers, and chief health officers of the two city corporations will be withdrawn from their posts and face disciplinary action.
Source: thedailystar.net
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State minister retracts comments on Dhaka University after backlash
30 May 2026
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj has withdrawn his recent remarks questioning the quality of education and research at Dhaka University following widespread criticism from teachers, students, and BNP-affiliated organisations.
In a Facebook post from his verified account, the state minister said the comments were made during an informal discussion on a podcast and were not intended as a research-based, institutional, or policy statement.
“The discussion in the podcast was completely informal and spontaneous. It was not a research-based, institutional, or policy discussion,” he wrote, adding that a formal discussion would have required more structured and specific language.
Acknowledging the controversy surrounding his remarks, Bobby said he was fully withdrawing the statement.
“As a part of my statement created some misunderstanding, many people were unhappy, and many of my loved ones and well-wishers were hurt, I am completely withdrawing the statement,” he said.
The controversy stemmed from an Eid-special podcast appearance with his wife, Barrister Rashna Imam, in which he described Dhaka University as a “coaching centre” and argued that most universities in Bangladesh function primarily as teaching institutions rather than as research-oriented universities.
When Dhaka University was founded, the idea was that it would eventually transform into a proper university. Unfortunately, that transformation never happened. Today, North South University and BRAC University conduct far more research than Dhaka University, despite Dhaka University receiving state subsidies,” he said.
He also alleged plagiarism in some research publications at the university.
“Dhaka University hardly conducts research. Even the few papers published are completely plagiarised. Some were published in the university’s own journals instead of reputable foreign journals. There have been instances where people were promoted even after plagiarism was detected,” he claimed.
The remarks drew sharp criticism from Dhaka University's pro-BNP teachers' platform Shada Dol (white panel), which described the comments as “deeply shameful” and demanded their withdrawal.
Professor Kamrul Hassan Mamun also criticised the statement, saying the minister had failed to assess university standards objectively and had exaggerated the role of private universities.
“It is deeply unfortunate that a state minister responsible for education lacks the ability to properly assess university standards. Since he worked at North South University, he has exaggerated its importance. Through this statement, he has demonstrated a severe inability to evaluate Bangladesh’s higher education landscape honestly and objectively,” he added.
Leaders of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal at Dhaka University also expressed resentment, arguing that such remarks were divisive and undermined an institution that played a significant role in Bangladesh’s history.
Nahiduzzaman Shipon, general secretary of the Dhaka University unit JCD, wrote in a Facebook post that such divisive comments from a state minister responsible for education contradict the ideals of building an inclusive society.
“The education sector is the most important sector for bringing positive and sustainable social change. A state minister making divisive statements regarding educational institutions is clearly contradictory to the ideals of Bangladeshi nationalism and stands against the prime minister’s vision of building a united country,” he wrote.
Following the criticism, Bobby withdrew his comments and sought to clarify that they were made in an informal context rather than as an official assessment of the country's higher education sector.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Afghanistan’s Ambassador Participates in Turkmenistan’s Official Eid al-Adha Ceremony
29 May 2026
According to a statement issued by the Afghan Embassy in Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, National Leader of Turkmenistan, delivered a speech during the event, highlighting regional stability, economic cooperation, and the importance of positive engagement among neighboring countries.
During the ceremony, an inspection was carried out of the progress of construction of the Arkadag Grand Mosque, during which Afghan marble was highly appreciated.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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