‘Does Law Permit Public Flogging?’ Gujarat High Court Asks Cops For Beating Up Five Muslim Men In 2022
New Age
Islam News Bureau
05 July 20123
A Muslim man
being beaten up allegedly by a policeman in Gujarat's Kheda district. |
Screenshot/Twitter via Hindutva Watch
------
India
• All India Muslim Personal Law Board To
Meet Virtually Today, Discuss Uniform Civil Code
• Muslim Groups In Kerala To Put Up
Legal, Political Fight Against Uniform Civil Code
• Muslim organisations not enthused by
CPM’s invite for UCC seminar
--------
South Asia
• Muslim Brotherhood Fighting Moderate
Islamic Institutes In China
• Over 150 Afghans Died By Natural
Disasters in Recent Months
• SCO Summit Calls For Democratic,
Neutral and Inclusive Govt in Afghanistan
• Pakistan PM Calls on International
Community to ‘Meaningfully Engage’ with Afghanistan
--------
North America
• Farage affair: When Muslims have their
bank accounts closed, nobody cares
• Human Rights Abuses continue at
Guantanamo Bay
• US, NATO 'complicit' in aiding
Ukrainian 'terror attacks' on Moscow, Russia hints
• Public confidence in US, UK govts
lowest among G7 states: Poll
• Second US mass shooting in two days
kills 4 in Philadelphia
--------
Europe
• We Are Concerned By Attempts To Equate
Islam With Violence And Terror -Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev
• US wants EU Commission Chief to head
NATO – Telegraph
• The dystopian European Media Freedom
Act is a Trojan horse
--------
Pakistan
• National Accountability Bureau Grills
Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi In Graft Cases
• SC Moved Against 29 Civilians'
Military Trials During PTI Regime
• Govt announces countrywide protests on
July 7 against desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
• Two SC judges agree with Justice Isa
over need for deciding fate of SC law first
• Pakistan assails Israel for raids,
airstrikes on Jenin
• PTI leader Asad Qaiser ‘evades arrest’
at Peshawar High Court
• SCO Summit: ‘Use of terrorism for
diplomatic point scoring must be avoided,’ Pakistan tells India
• IHC declares session court's verdict
on Toshakhana case 'null and void'
--------
Mideast
• Israeli Military Says Terrorists Hid
Explosives, Weapons at Jenin Mosque
• Quran Burning Raises Concerns For Sweden’s
NATO Bid: Turkish FM
• Israeli Forces Reveal Weapons Caches
Hidden Under Palestinian Mosque After Raid
• British Army admits soldier was victim
of anti-Islamic discrimination
• Islamic-Christian Committee in Support
of Jerusalem and its Sanctuaries: Israeli aggression on Jenin is a war crime
• Muslims body in US shocked over FBI’s
secret surveillance since 9/11 attacks
--------
Africa
• Cooperation Between Fatwa House,
Ministry Of Youth To Promote Islamic Identity In Libya
• Muslims, Christians must live in peace
• Osogbo Eid praying ground clash
regrettable, says Muslim group
• Countries with highest, lowest Muslims
population revealed
• Police Arrest Three Suspects Over
Abduction Of Chief Imam In Ondo
--------
Arab World
• Saudi Arabia Committed To Helping UN
Efforts Toward Water, Food Security
• Saudi Culture Ministry Extends
Scholarship Deadline Until August 2023
• Saudi Arabia Continues To Clear Land
Mines, Rehabilitate Yemeni People
• 681 Volunteers Provide Various
Services to Visitors of Prophet's Mosque
• Resources, Al-Durra Area Exclusively
Owned By Saudi Arabia And Kuwait
• Revisiting Saudi Arabia’s
transformative international scholarship program
• King Salman, Crown Prince congratulate
Biden on US Independence Day
• Saudi passports chief oversees
pilgrims departure at Jeddah port
--------
Southeast Asia
• Expert: China-Malaysia Exchanges To
Promote Global Peace And Harmony
• Ventes Avenues launches operations in
Malaysia
• Malaysia to Hold 6 State Polls Next
Month in Test for Anwar
• Muhyiddin says Dr Mahathir
provisionally in Perikatan’s corner for six state polls
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/flogging-gujarat-muslim/d/130143
-----
‘Does Law Permit Public Flogging?’
Gujarat High CourtAsks Cops For Beating Up Five Muslim Men In 2022
A Muslim man
being beaten up allegedly by a policeman in Gujarat's Kheda district. |
Screenshot/Twitter via Hindutva Watch
------
05th July 2023
AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat High Court has asked the state
police “if there is any statute that allows for the public flogging of guilty
persons.”
On July 3, the court was considering a
case involving five Muslim males who were publicly beaten up by police in the
Kheda district of Gujarat, last October.
During the case’s hearing, a Gujarat
High Court bench asked public prosecutor Mitesh Amin to state unequivocally
whether the state government recognised the fact that the incident occurred.
The court asked the public prosecutor, “We made it clear at the last hearing
that we will not decide this case based on emotion. We merely want you to say
whether or not the flogging incident occurred.”
The bench asked, “You can either argue
that this was your officer’s responsibility and that if they hadn’t done it,
the situation would have deteriorated to a worse extent. You have the option of
claiming that the incident did not occur at all and that the evidence on record
should not be considered.”
The public prosecutor, however, said
that the Muslim petitioners had pleaded falsely in the case. He alleged that
the Muslims had plotted to scare Hindus in the area.
The public prosecutor argued, “Earlier,
some incidents took place in that area even during the Holi festival, and that
this place has been sensitive and sensitivity has flared up there on several
occasions. As part of their plot, they threw stones to disrupt the Hindu
festivals.”
He further said that the timing of the
altercation, the incarceration of the Muslims, and the time specified in the
petition were all off.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/jul/05/does-law-permit-public-flogging-gujarat-hc-asks-cops-forbeating-up-five-muslim-men-in2022-2591594.html
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RSS Not Anti-Muslim Or Anti-Christian
But Works With Positive Thoughts To Bring Hindus Together: Bhagwat
Illustration by Neera Majumdar |
ThePrint
------
By Saurabha Kulshreshtha
Jul 05, 2023
Mumbai: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS) is not an anti-Muslim or anti-Christian organisation but works with
positive thoughts to bring Hindus together, said Mohan Bhagwat, RSS chief, on
Tuesday.
He was speaking at the release of
Marathi translation of biography of RSS veteran late Laxmanrao Inamdar alias
‘Vakilsaheb’ titled “Setubandh”. It was jointly written by prime minister
Narendra Modi and Rajabhau Nene about 39 years back in Gujarati. Ram Naik,
former governor of Uttar Pradesh, was present on the occasion.
Citing discussions about the RSS
reaching out to Muslims, Bhagwat said that as an organisation, the RSS is not
anti-Muslim. “Though RSS is a Hindu organisation, our ideology is not
anti-Muslim or anti-Christian. In certain circumstances, it is but natural that
there will be a reaction to a situation,” said Bhagwat.
He also emphasised that the RSS does not
work on reactionary ideology but on positive thoughts. “We do not follow
reactionary ideology but work on positive thoughts of bringing Hindu’s together
as a Hindu organisation,” said Bhagwat.
Bhagwat added that the RSS does not
consider anyone stranger or outsider. Bhagwat also said that the RSS believes
in the “show must go on” even if someone leaves or retires the sangh.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/rss-not-anti-muslim-or-anti-christian-bhagwat-101688498632786.html
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China Rejects Islamophobia: “No One
Should Be Allowed To Use 'Freedom Of Speech' As An Excuse To Stoke Conflict”
Photo: aa.com
-----
04.07.2023
Rejecting Islamophobia, China on Tuesday
opposed any manifestation of anti-Islam actions.
“No one should be allowed to use
'freedom of speech' as an excuse to stoke conflict and pit one civilization
against another,” Mao Ning, spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry, told
reporters in Beijing.
She was responding to a recent
Quran-burning incident in Sweden, according to a statement by the Chinese
Foreign Ministry.
The spokeswoman said China consistently
advocates for mutual respect, inclusivity, and the exchange of knowledge among
civilizations, and "firmly condemns extremist actions that target diverse
religious beliefs, and incite clashes between civilizations."
Referring to Chinese President Xi
Jinping's proposal for Global Civilization Initiative, Mao said: "China
will partner with the international community to champion the Global
Civilization Initiative, fostering dialogue and exchanges between
civilizations, and safeguarding the world's cultural diversity."
A 37-year-old man of Iraqi origin,
Salwan Momika, publicly burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of Stockholm
Mosque in Sweden last Wednesday while under police protection.
This act was deliberately timed to
coincide with Eid al-Adha, a significant Islamic religious festival observed by
Muslims worldwide.
The incident has sparked widespread
condemnation from across the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan,
Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco, and
Mauritania.
In a separate incident back in January,
a far-right politician also burned a copy of the holy book outside the Turkish
Embassy in Sweden.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation
called for collective measures by Muslim nations to prevent such incidents in
the future.
Source: aa.com.tr
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/china-rejects-islamophobia-opposes-anti-islam-actions/2936870
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US: New Mexico Mosque Vandalised, Beer
Thrown On Quran; Muslims Ask To Investigate It As A Hate Crime
Muslims
worship during Friday prayers at the Islamic Center of New Mexico on 12 August
2022 in Albuquerque, New Mexico (AFP)
-----
4 July 2023
A mosque in New Mexico was vandalised
numerous times and Muslims are asking for the police to investigate it as a
hate crime.
Last week, vandals broke into Portales
Islamic Center and allegedly ripped copies of the Quran and poured beer on its
pages. They also allegedly stabbed holes in the walls, destroyed furniture,
left rubbish and placed a framed painting of Jesus Christ on top of a pile of
rubble.
A few days later on 23 June, vandals
entered the mosque again and damaged the building's air conditioning unit,
something leadership says could cost up to $40,000, KRQE News reported.
In another incident at the mosque, KKK
was painted on the wall, a reference to the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist
group.
The Portales Islamic Centre has a small
congregation of around 20 people that mainly serves local university students.
The police chief of Portales issued a
statement saying that these incidents were unlikely to be categorised as hate
crimes.
"Our investigators are continuing
to investigate this incident regardless of if it is or is not a hate
crime," Christopher Williams told KRQE. He added that if a hate crime was
determined, New Mexico guidelines stipulate that there would be a sentencing enhancement
and not a separate criminal charge.
"At this time the damage is
extremely similar to that on other vacant buildings in the area, which leads us
to believe that this is more than likely not a hate crime... possible leads are
being followed up on and the area is being monitored by officers."
But the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (Cair), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
organisation, believes these incidents are hate crimes and is urging
authorities to investigate them as such.
"We condemn these attacks on a
house of worship and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in
Portales. Based on the actions of the vandals, we call on law enforcement
authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for these crimes," a
statement by Cair said.
"Due to the repeated targeting of
this mosque, we urge local police to step up their patrols in the area."
These incidents come three months after
fires at two Minneapolis mosques within two consecutive days.
In May, a man was arrested in connection
with the two arson fires, as well as the targeting of Congresswoman Ilhan
Omar's office.
Source: middleeasteye.net
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-new-mexico-mosque-vandalised-beer-thrown-unto-quran
--------
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani Urges
Swedish Parliament To Dispel Misconceptions About Islam
Swedish
parliament appealed to dismiss misconceptions about Islam
-----
July 04, 2023
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has
written a letter to Swedish Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen regarding the
recent incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in the Scandinavian nation.
In the letter, the Senate chairman urged
the Riksdag — the Swedish parliament — to highlight the importance of
interfaith harmony and dispel misconceptions about Islam.
“It is incumbent upon us, as
representatives of our people, to guide and educate our people, fostering an
environment that encourages tolerance, respect, and empathy among different
faiths, religions and communities,” the Senate chairman said in the letter on
Tuesday.
Highlighting the importance of
interfaith harmony for regional and global stability, Sanjrani said: “If you
[Swedish speaker] deem fit, I can travel to the Kingdom of Sweden to address
the Riksdag and dispel any misconceptions about Islam.”
“I believe that in such a modem era
where we are all interconnected in this global village, there should be no more
room or excuse for abuse and desecration of holy personalities, scriptures and
religious sentiments of any community,” he added.
He appreciated the Swedish government
for “making it unequivocally clear that such actions are not reflective of
Swedish state policies and are rightly condemned as Islamophobic”.
“However, we seem to be far from our
goals of ensuring world peace, tolerance and interfaith harmony. I represent a
nation deeply committed to these principles, and I strongly believe that there
is much that we as parliamentarians and world leaders can do to prevent such
actions which can disturb world peace,” he added.
Sanjrani said a person is not considered
a Muslim until they believe in all the preceding prophets of the existing
Abrahamic religions and their holy books.
“This is the respect and stature of
other religions in Islam, yet frequent Islamophobic incidents prevail and are
often swept under the rug in the guise of freedom of expression,” he added.
He further said that the disrespect
towards Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Holy Quran inflict immeasurable pain
upon Muslims.
“It is crucial that this reality is
understood and acknowledged, and steps are taken to prevent such acts from
occurring through our national and global efforts.”
The recent desecration of the Holy
Quran, like other similar incidents in the past, is rooted in a lack of
understanding, and misconceptions about religion that must be dispelled. “It is
incumbent upon all of us to educate ourselves and others, promoting
understanding, tolerance, and interfaith harmony.”
The development came after the latest
incident of the Holy Quran's desecration in Sweden when a man set a copy of the
sacred book ablaze outside a mosque in the country's capital city on the eve of
Eid ul Adha.
Salwan Momika, 37, who fled from Iraq to
Sweden several years ago, stomped on the holy book and set several pages alight
as Muslims around the world began marking the Eid ul Adha holiday and as the
annual Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia was drawing to a close.
Source: geo.tv
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https://www.geo.tv/latest/497171-senate-chairman-urges-swedish-parliament-to-dispel-misconceptions-about-islam
--------
India
All India Muslim Personal Law Board to
meet virtually today, discuss Uniform Civil Code
Jul 05, 2023
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 5
(ANI): The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board
(/topic/the-all-india-muslim-personal-law-board) (AIMPLB (/topic/aimplb)) has
convened an online meeting (/topic/meeting) of its members on Wednesday to
discuss the draft made over the issue of the Uniform Civil Code
(/topic/uniform-civil-code) (UCC
(/topic/ucc)).
The meeting (/topic/meeting) is
scheduled at 10 AM on Wednesday and all members will be attending the meeting
(/topic/meeting).
The Secretary of the Law Commission of
India had earlier asked AIMPLB (/topic/aimplb) to submit a proper response
soliciting views and ideas from the public at large regarding UCC (/topic/ucc).
Responding to this, the Secretary
General of AIMPLB (/topic/aimplb) said that the issue was examined earlier and
the commission's predecessor reached a conclusion that UCC (/topic/ucc) is
'neither necessary nor desirable'.
They also sought six months time to
prepare an appropriate response by religious organizations individuals and
public-spirited persons.
Previously, the AIMPLB (/topic/aimplb)
had passed a resolution at its executive meeting (/topic/meeting) saying that
the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code (/topic/uniform-civil-code) (UCC
(/topic/ucc)) was not possible as it would be an 'unnecessary' Act.
It added that the Places of Worship Act
1991, should be "maintained and well-implemented" and religious
conversion was a matter of "Freedom of religion".
A meeting (/topic/meeting) of the
Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice was
convened on Monday to hear the views of the Department of Legal Affairs,
Legislative Department and the Law Commission of India on the June 14 notice
issued by the Law Commission, inviting views of stakeholders on the Uniform
Civil Code
(/topic/uniform-civil-code).
Opposition MPs further said in the
meeting (/topic/meeting) that it is necessary to keep in mind that the UCC
(/topic/ucc) is not just about one family law, but about the matters related to
every religion, caste and community of the society, so all sections of the
society must be kept in mind.
The concept of a Uniform Civil Code
(/topic/uniform-civil-code) (UCC
(/topic/ucc)) has been a topic of
discussion for the past four years, and it has once again come into focus
following Prime Minister Narendra Modi push for the uniform law.
PM Modi (/topic/pm-modi) said that the
country cannot run on two laws and that Uniform Civil Code
(/topic/uniform-civil-code) was part of the Constitution.
"Today people are being instigated
in the name of UCC (/topic/ucc). How can the country run on two (laws)? The
Constitution also talks of equal rights...Supreme Court has also asked to
implement UCC (/topic/ucc).
These (Opposition) people are playing
vote bank politics," PM Modi (/topic/pm-modi) had said while addressing
booth level workers in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal. (ANI)
Source: aninews.in
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/politics/all-india-muslim-personal-law-board-to-meet-virtually-today-discuss-uniform-civil-code20230705101847/
--------
Muslim groups in Kerala to put up legal,
political fight against Uniform Civil Code
July 5, 2023
Representatives of major Muslim
Organisations in Kerala decided to “fight” the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) legally
and politically. The organisations, led by Indian Union Muslim League (IUML),
opined that if UCC is implemented, it will affect not just Muslims but others
as well.
“UCC is not an issue of Muslims, it is
of all people. We will unite all people against it and fight legally and
politically,” said Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) state president
PanakkadSayyid Sadiq Ali ShihabThangal who attended the Tuesday’s meeting.
Senior IUML leader and MLA PK Kunhalikutty alleged that UCC is being used as a
tool to divide people on communal lines.
Besides IUML the meeting was attended by
two factions of the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, factions of the Kerala
Nadvathul Mujahideen, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Muslim Education Society, and the
Muslim Service Society.
On Wednesday, the Congress in Kerala is
holding a meeting and is expected to discuss the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee meeting will be attended by all MLAs, MPs,
district presidents and top office-bearers.
Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala
Assembly, VD Satheesan had on Sunday alleged that BJP is bringing the UCC to
divide people and said that there is no need for UCC at present.
“The Law Commission appointed by the
central government itself has made it very clear that there is no need for a
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) at present. So we are also taking the same stand that
there is no need for UCC at this point in time. BJP is bringing this matter to
make a split among the people,” Satheesan told ANI here in Thiruvananthapuram.
The ruling party in Kerala, CPI(M), has
also criticised the Prime Minister’s pitching for the UCC in the country. On
Friday, CPI(M) leader and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the
Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is on the “electoral agenda” of the BJP.
“Triggering debates around Uniform Civil
Code is an electoral ploy by Sangh Parivar to press their majoritarian agenda
for deepening communal divide. Let’s oppose any attempts to undermine India’s
pluralism and support reforms through democratic discussions within
communities,” Kerala CM tweeted.
Kerala CM’s stand drew a sharp reaction
from the BJP Kerala president K Surendran when he said, “CPI(M) has become a
Muslim party. The latest example of this is PinarayiVijayan’s stand against the
uniform civil code.”
He further alleged that the goal of the
Chief Minister of Kerala is to polarise Muslims.
“PinarayiVijayan’s goal is the
polarisation of Muslims. No Muslim parent will accept a triple talaq. Likewise,
no Muslim parent will accept discrimination against girls in property rights,”
said the Kerala BJP state president.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Standing
Committee for Law and Justice meeting was held on Monday to discuss the issue
of the Uniform Civil Code.
Earlier, in an exclusive interview with
ANI, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal said that the uniform
code is “the need of the hour that a law should be made by uniting and
including all the people of the country and the Supreme Court has also endorsed
many of its verdicts”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent
strong endorsement of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) brought it back to the
spotlight. PM Modi said that the country cannot run on two laws and that
Uniform Civil Code was part of the Constitution.
“Today people are being instigated in
the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The Constitution also
talks of equal rights…Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These
(Opposition) people are playing vote bank politics,” PM Modi had said.
Source: thestatesman.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/muslim-groups-in-kerala-to-put-up-legal-political-fight-against-uniform-civil-code-1503197034.html
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Muslim organisations not enthused by
CPM’s invite for UCC seminar
05th July 2023
KOZHIKODE: IUML’s national general secretary, P K
Kunhalikutty, has stated that the party will decide on their participation in
the seminar on Uniform Civil Code (UCC) organised by the CPM only after
receiving information about who else is invited to the programme.
Briefing reporters after the meeting of
the Muslim Co-ordination Committee here on Tuesday, Kunhalikutty said it is not
clear who all will be invited to the seminar.
“The issue should not be used to create
division in the society. We should not fall prey to the trap and it is not good
if someone organises a seminar to exploit the situation,” he said. It may be
recalled that CPM state secretary M V Govindan has said that it will invite
IUML and other Muslim organisations for a seminar to be held in Kozhikode on
the UCC issue.
In addition, IUML state president
Panakkad Syed Sadiq Ali ShihabThangal
emphasised that the issue of the UCC should be confronted through legal and
political means, rather than on the
streets.
“The UCC is not solely an issue
affecting Muslims, it needs to be addressed collectively. All political parties
should join forces to oppose it. We must prevent communal polarisation on this
matter,” Thangal said.
During the meeting, a core committee was
established to organise seminars across the country aimed at raising awareness
about the UCC.
The programme intends to invite all
political parties and religious organisations to participate. Kunhalikutty expressed
that there is no need to wait for the bill to be presented in Parliament before
organising these seminars, as there are already indications from the Prime
Minister’s speech on the issue.
He added, “Let us observe how various
political parties position themselves when the issue is raised in Parliament.
The IUML will remain highly vigilant within the House.” He reiterated that the
IUML has consistently emphasised that the UCC is a national issue.
The meeting was attended by MP E T
Muhammad Basheer, representatives of Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama, the
Sunni faction led by Kanthapuram A P AboobackerMusaliyar, Dakshina Kerala
Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen, KNM-Markazudawa,
Jama’at-e-Islami, Muslim Education Society, Muslim Service Society, Wisdom
Islamic Organisation, Tablig Jama’at, and
Jama’at-e-Islami.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2023/jul/05/muslim-organisations-not-enthused-by-cpms-invite-for-ucc-seminar-2591489.html
--------
South Asia
Muslim Brotherhood fighting moderate
Islamic institutes in China
July 5, 2023
Perhaps it was a painful and shocking
surprise in the first place for the members of the banned terrorist Muslim
Brotherhood group in Egypt and the region and its entanglements around the
world, by declaring myself for the first time globally that I was the closest
Egyptian and Arab academic to the Chinese, with whom I fought the extremist
terrorist expiatory thought and ideology of the banned terrorist group, and
participated with them in Research and
intellectual groups to study everything related to the extremist ideology of
terrorists from the banned Brotherhood.
And the biggest surprise, which I announced today and for the first time
globally in the face of the members of the banned terrorist group, remains the official
Chinese follow-up of all those proofs, pictures, documents and e-mails that I
received as threatening messages from the banned Brotherhood and its members,
given that my closeness to the Chinese was enough to give them the opportunity
to practice systematic psychological, moral, and even real violence against me.
I was handing over all those pictures, threats, messages and e-mails sent by
Takfiri terrorists from the banned Muslim Brotherhood to the Chinese
authorities and to the centers and experts of political Islam in China, to
study the violence of the banned terrorist Brotherhood in confronting me and
the Chinese.
Hence, the biggest and funny surprise for me
and the Chinese remains in the world in the face of the members of the
terrorist Muslim Brotherhood, which will shake today the American intelligence
Agency “CIA” and the Israeli Mossad, as they are among the most supportive of
the banned Brotherhood terrorism on the land of Egypt, the region, China, and
even the whole world, is that the promotion of the Brotherhood Banned that I belong to them, whether through
published articles or otherwise, to keep me away from the path of the Chinese.
It was a really funny thing for the Chinese authorities, who have followed up
with me for several years all the documents, proofs, emails, and pictures that
prove threats from the banned Brotherhood in confronting me and the Chinese, so
it was funny and funny for me. To us for
the formation of research and intellectual groups consisting of the largest and
most important experts and professors of Chinese political Islam and
psychologists who are mainly specialized in studying the file of political
Islam and the psychology of extremist terrorists, And we conducted a daily
study examining all aspects of the terrorist threats that have come to me on a
daily and accurate basis over the course of several years by the banned
terrorist Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt, the region and China. Hence, what
I will be surprised by the CIA, the Israeli Mossad, and the Guidance Office of
the banned terrorist group, is that the Chinese authorities keep full copies of
all your threats to me and study them step by step psychologically,
politically, and psychologically, and train me on a precise and complete
understanding of dealing with the psychology and terrorism of terrorist
extremists belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood.
banned terrorist. Therefore, all
attempts by members of the banned Brotherhood to send messages to the Chinese
that I belong to them have become the subject of great ridicule and laughter on
our part, given that the official Chinese side kept all aspects of messages,
names, and threats that were received from you on a daily basis, and all your
calls to me, and even a large and huge archive was made before The Chinese, to get to know the Muslim Brotherhood’s
terrorism in confronting me and the Chinese, and to make sure that it is a
terrorist group that breathes lies in the face of those who differ with it
politically and ideologically like me, and as happened with me specifically,
due to my closeness to the Chinese since my first university years and how I
was a real target for my destruction by terrorist extremists from The terrorist Brotherhood group several years
ago, which China and its authorities documented with me on a daily, continuous,
accurate and complete basis many years ago, with the Chinese authorities
keeping all the names of those involved in confronting me and the Chinese and
making a large archive that includes all aspects of their threats to study them
psychologically, politically and psychologically, and even my careful and
complete training on how to deal with
these terrorists. So the Chinese and I
laughed hard at the naivety of these expiatory terrorists from the banned
Muslim Brotherhood when they sent to the Chinese that I was a terrorist like
them and they published articles against me that I belong to the Brotherhood
like them. As the surprise, which they
did not expect for a moment, is that the Chinese authorities kept a complete archive
that includes their names and all the threats they sent me, and even all those
terrorist games and operations of intimidation and intimidation that they used
in confronting me on a daily basis, even in the streets, coupled with the exact
names declared and known to the Chinese authorities in the face of expiatory terrorists are the Muslim
Brotherhood, and they are fundamentally far from any Islam.
Hence, today I officially and
internationally announce my deep gratitude, myself and the Chinese, to these
terrorists belonging to the banned terrorist group, the Brotherhood, for giving
us the greatest opportunity to defeat them, disperse them, and fight them
globally with all the names, pictures, documents, e-mails, and the proven
psychological, psychological, and even military intimidation operations that I
was exposed to and exposed to in their confrontation, which I was exposed to
from He accepted a handful of terrorists
belonging to the outlawed terrorist group Muslim Brotherhood with the help of
the CIA and the Israeli Mossad. And we –
me and the Chinese – feel extremely happy and overjoyed to announce our victory
over them, that is, over these terrorists for their bad manners with us and
with the communist leaders in Beijing.
It has also become necessary to announce
the extent to which political Islam think tanks and experts in China benefit
from and study the psychology of the terrorism and violence of the banned
Brotherhood group, and the extent of their randomness in dealing with the
Chinese and Chinese affairs experts around the world like me, knowing that
China has the third largest number of research and study centers in the world,
with a number It reached 507
intellectual and research centers, according to the latest reports and analyzes
of global think tanks and research centers, for the classification of research
and study centers at the global level, which was issued on January 31, 2019 in
the Chinese capital, Beijing.
And based on what I provided to the
Chinese of accurate daily documented information about all the acts of
terrorism, bullying, intimidation and intimidation that terrorists from the
banned Brotherhood group subjected me to because of my closeness and my
analyzes of China, the Chinese think tanks and political Islam experts in China
were interested in studying all those files that I provided them with,
linking This was linked to the terrorism
of the banned terrorist group of the Muslim Brotherhood, and linked this also
to the significant increase in the frequency and number of violent incidents in
China after 2009, caused by terrorists from the banned terrorist group of the
Muslim Brotherhood on the land of Xinjiang led by the strict international
organization of the banned terrorist group after the Chinese fully understood
the extremist terrorist ideology of the terrorists. From the banned Brotherhood, many of which
turned out to be attacks by Uighurs belonging to the banned Brotherhood, and
the attacks of “terrorist militants from the banned Brotherhood” were analyzed
by the Chinese, and it became clear that they were planned and implemented by
organizations known for their pro-banned Brotherhood orientations
pro-independence terrorist group, such as the East Turkestan Islamic Movement
“ETIM”, which the Chinese authorities describe as a separatist terrorist group
similar to the banned Brotherhood on Chinese lands.
Where it became clear to China the
extent to which the banned terrorist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, is linked
to many groups linked to religious networks operating underground on Chinese
soil. With the assurances and documents
of the Chinese government that those pro-independence organizations in the
Chinese Xinjiang region, which are mainly supported by the banned terrorist
Brotherhood, are the masterminds behind the violent attacks, the evidence also
showed that these incidents appear to be spontaneous by advocates and followers
of secret terrorist Islamic groups belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood. banned terrorist, Where the Chinese
authorities found a “radical” videotape of a member of the banned Brotherhood,
in which he promotes jihad against the rule of the majority of Han Chinese, and
it became clear that there is a direct relationship between those attacks on
Chinese soil and organizations classified as “terrorist” such as the Muslim
Brotherhood. This indicates to the
Chinese authorities that what is described as Islamic extremism may exert a
certain influence at the grassroots level of the Uyghur Muslim community in the
Chinese Muslim region of Xinjiang, and that the matter has a close relationship
with foreign “terrorist organizations”, such as: (the banned terrorist Muslim
Brotherhood in Egypt and the region).
And China – the Islamic State or al-Qaeda – or organizations loyal to
independence movements, such as: the East Turkestan Islamic Movement), which
seeks through the outlawed Brotherhood’s Guidance Office to communicate with
Uighur militants to carry out a series of terrorist attacks.
It has also been shown by conclusive
evidence to the Chinese the extent to which the international terrorist
organization of the Muslim Brotherhood is fighting moderate Islamic thought for
all Chinese Islamic institutes, on top of which comes (the Chinese Institute of
Islamic Sciences), as it is the first Islamic institute established in New
China, as it became clear to the Chinese think tanks of political Islam and
political Islam experts. The Chinese are
the extent of the hostility of the Guidance Office of the banned Brotherhood to
all Islamic institutes across China to combat the extremist ideology of
political terror groups, on top of which is the banned terrorist Muslim
Brotherhood, as these terrorists of the banned Brotherhood intend to fight the
moderate Islamic religious thought of all these Islamic associations Local institutions throughout China, which
were established and supervised by the central government in Beijing, which has
established nearly (nine Islamic institutes) since the eighties until now, in
the main Chinese regions, the most prominent of which are: (The Institute of
Islamic Sciences in Beijing, the capital, the Institute of Sciences Institute of Islamic Sciences in Xinjiang
Uygur Autonomous Region, Institute of Islamic Sciences in Lanzhou City in
northwestern China, Institute of Islamic Sciences in Zhengzhou City in central
China, Institute of Islamic Sciences in Kunming City in southwestern China),
and other Islamic institutes that play a major role in preparing imams Mosques and clerics, and make great
contributions to spreading the Chinese moderate thought of Islam represented by
the love of the homeland and Islam and adherence to the good traditions
inherited from the Muslims and scholars of China. However, the banned Brotherhood attempted to
clash with such moderate Chinese local Islamic associations in order to impose
an extremist terrorist Brotherhood agenda in confronting them to prevent the
spread of any moderate, moderate Islamic thought in Xinjiang and among Uyghur
Muslims.
In this way, we understand the clear
state of clash between the extremist terrorists of the banned Brotherhood and
the Chinese authorities, and the resort of these expiatory though and violence
in the face of those who disagree with them from those close to the official
circles of China like me, which I have been and still suffer from constantly from
being subjected on a daily systematic and violent basis to the terror of
individuals affiliated with Militants terrorists belonging to the banned
Brotherhood in Egypt and the region. Therefore, it has become the duty of the
Chinese, indeed, to reveal all these facts to the Egyptian public opinion and
the entire international community to stop the terrorism of the banned Muslim
Brotherhood terrorist group.
Source: moderndiplomacy.eu
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Over 150 Afghans Died By Natural
Disasters in Recent Months
July 5, 2023
Afghanistan’s State Minister for
Disaster Management has announced that at least 151 people died and more than
200 others injured in different parts of the country due to natural disasters
in the past three months.
ShafiullahRahimi, the spokesperson o the
State Ministry for Disaster Management on Tuesday shared the latest figures
with the local media.
As a result of natural disasters in the
past months, 151 people were killed, 255 others were injured, and 2,162
residential houses were destroyed in different parts of Afghanistan, according
to Rahimi.
Afghanistan is one of the countries
seriously affected by climate change and is least prepared to counter the
threats caused by climate change.
Besides the dire economic situation and
humanitarian crisis, the people of Afghanistan are currently plagued with,
climate change and lack of responsible institutions are other major challenges
adversely affecting the ordinary people’s lives.
According to the latest statistic
released by the Taliban’s State Ministry for Disaster Management, over 3,299
livestock have died and more than 15,000 acres of agricultural land were also
destroyed during the last three months.
Equipped with the least equipment and
facilities, the Taliban authorities can’t do much to help people affected by
the latest natural disasters including flash floods and heavy rains in
diffident parts of the country.
Source: khaama.com
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SCO Summit Calls For Democratic, Neutral
and Inclusive Govt in Afghanistan
July 4, 2023
“The Member States believe that one of
the most important factors of preservation and strengthening of safety and
stability within SCO region is the early settlement of the situation in
Afghanistan. They advocate building Afghanistan as an independent, neutral,
united, democratic and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and drugs,” the
statement said.
The summit also emphasized the
importance of creating an inclusive administration with the participation of
all political, religious, and ethnic groups.
“The Member States consider it essential
to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of
representatives of all ethnic, religious and political groups in Afghan
society,” the document added.
The declaration also emphasized the
international community’s need to support Afghan refugees’ safe and long-term
return to their country.
“Stressing the importance of long-term
hospitality and effective assistance provided to the Afghan refugees by
regional and neighbouring countries of Afghanistan, the Member States consider
important the active efforts of the international community to facilitate their
dignified, safe and sustainable return to their homeland,” the document read.
The statement also said, “In view of the
evolving humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the Member States supported
continued efforts to assist the Afghan people.”
Meanwhile, the prime minister of
Pakistan, Shahbaz Sharif, urged the international community to ‘meaningfully
engage’ with Afghanistan to move forward.
He also said that the Taliban must
ensure that Afghanistan soil is not used for terrorism.
“Similarly, the interim Afghan
government must also take concrete measures to ensure its soil is not used for
terrorism by any entity. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan will not only bring
economic dividends to the Afghan people. However, it will also unlock the true
economic potential of the SCO region as well as contribute to global peace,
security, and progress. The SCO Afghanistan contact group is important in
providing a platform for practical cooperation,” Sharif said.
On the other hand, the Indian Prime
Minister said that Afghan territory should not be used against neighbouring
countries, and he forced the member states to strive for Afghanistan’s welfare
and provide the country with humanitarian aid.
Source: khaama.com
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--------
Pakistan PM Calls on International
Community to ‘Meaningfully Engage’ with Afghanistan
July 4, 2023
He claimed that the international
community is at a standstill with Afghanistan and that Kabul has not received
the crucial support to avert a humanitarian crisis.
Shehbaz Sharif remarked that the Taliban
must take steps to guarantee that their territory is not utilized for terrorism
while speaking virtually at the 23rd Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State.
Premier Narendra Modi presided over the
SCO Council of Heads of State meeting. Meanwhile, the leaders of regional
countries include Russian President Vladimir Putin, China President Xi Jinping,
and other leaders.
“The achievement of lasting peace and
security in the region is a common concern and a responsibility of all
honourable SCO leaders. Stability in Afghanistan is critical for achieving this
common objective. The international community currently finds itself at a
standstill with Afghanistan,” Sharif said.
“The cascade of unmet expectations has
meant that critical support needed by Afghanistan to ward off a grave
humanitarian crisis, prevent an economic meltdown, and combat terrorism has
been withheld. This policy needs an urgent reset. The international community
should meaningfully engage with the interim Afghan government to take the next
steps,” he added.
According to Sharif, a peaceful and
stable Afghanistan will benefit that country’s people, unleash the SCO region’s
full economic potential, and advance global peace, security, and growth. He
also added that the SCO Afghanistan contact group is crucial in creating a
framework for practical cooperation.
“Similarly, the interim Afghan
government must also take concrete measures to ensure its soil is not used for
terrorism by any entity. A peaceful and stable Afghanistan will not only bring
economic dividends to the Afghan people. However, it will also unlock the true
economic potential of the SCO region as well as contribute to global peace,
security, and progress. The SCO Afghanistan contact group is important in
providing a platform for practical cooperation,” Sharif said.
In the meantime, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said Afghan land should not be used to upend the country’s
neighbourhoods. Additionally, he forced the member countries to strive for
Afghanistan’s welfare and provide the country with humanitarian aid.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-pm-calls-on-international-community-to-meaningfully-engage-with-afghanistan/
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North America
Farage affair: When Muslims have their
bank accounts closed, nobody cares
5 July 2023
Every major British media outlet has
reported the revelation from British politician Nigel Farage that his bank
accounts are to be closed without notice or explanation.
The Times, Financial Times, Guardian,
Telegraph, Independent. Mail, Express, Evening Standard, Spectator and others
have awarded Farage ample space. He's compared modern Britain to communist
China - and claimed that without a bank account: "I won’t be able to exist
or function".
This is more than empty hyperbole.
In the modern world, a bank account
matters as much as electricity or running water. Without one you cannot travel
overseas, you feel like a criminal and normal life becomes impossible.
I know this because, over the last
decade, I have spoken at great length to dozens of people who have had their
bank accounts removed without explanation - the same fate as Farage.
One lost his job, another saw his life’s
work, a charity, wiped away. Yet another, a proud man, broke down in tears as
he described the humiliation inflicted upon him and his family.
An attack of the vapours
I have written up many of these stories
in Middle East Eye. Not one of them has been followed up in the British media,
or taken up as a cause by politicians.
No prizes for guessing why not. The
individuals concerned, though mainly British citizens, were Muslims.
Four years ago, I reported how the World
Uyghur Congress, which raises awareness about the terrible plight of Chinese
Muslims, was having bank transfers blocked. Completely ignored in British
media, I rang up journalistic colleagues urging them to follow the story.
Not interested, even though the World
Uyghur Congress was blacklisted on the basis of Chinese disinformation that it
was a terror group.
I revealed how Interpal, one of the
leading British charities focusing on providing relief and development aid to
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, was prohibited from raising
money.
I described how Anas Altikriti, chief
executive of the Cordoba Foundation, had lost his bank account, along with
members of his family, with no reason given. Ditto the Finsbury Park Mosque,
stripped of its account after being falsely listed as a terrorist organisation.
I also exposed how the Palestinian
Solidarity Campaign received letters - out of the blue - from their bankers closing down their
accounts, and giving no reason or right of appeal. When I wrote about the
problem in The Daily Telegraph a decade ago, the newspaper suppressed my
report.
This week, it gave ample space to
Farage's supposed banking trails.
Sinister authoritarianism
I raised the subject personally with
George Osborne when he was chancellor of the Exchequer.
I went into the Treasury to meet his
junior Harriet Baldwin, the minister responsible, and explained the plight of
Muslims deprived of a bank account. I also briefed her successor John Glen who
turned out to be a timewaster.
Contrast the Westminster reaction when a
Muslim loses her or his account - total lack of any interest, let alone
concern, but when Farage supposedly loses his, Fleet Street has an attack of
the vapours.
Columnists like Richard Littlejohn,
Dominic Lawson and Rod Liddle rally to his defence and politicians jump to
attention.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt
responded almost at once, promising prompt action. Culture Secretary Liz Frazer
and Security Minister Tom Tugendhat followed suit.
According to the Daily Mail, a Treasury
source stated yesterday that "it is absolutely a concern. No one should
have their account denied on the grounds of freedom of expression. We expect to
take action on this issue within weeks."
Canary in the mine
I can’t help comparing the alacrity with
which the government has gone into battle on behalf of Farage to its total
indifference to the fate of British Muslims and others over many years.
This shows two things: first and
foremost, the structural Islamophobia which has long poisoned British media and
politics. When Muslims have their bank accounts closed, nobody cares. When the
same thing allegedly happens to Nigel Farage it’s close to a national scandal.
But there’s a deeper point. Ever since
Tony Blair joined George Bush’s so-called “war on terror”, British Muslims have
been the testing ground for sinister authoritarianism.
As I demonstrated in my book, The Fate of
Abraham, politically engaged Muslims were the first to suffer from cancel
culture, having been systematically excluded from British life for many years.
Nobody protested.
They were the first to suffer from
financial attack in the shape of bank account closures. Nobody protested.
Muslims are, in short, the canary in the coal mine.
Now, it may be happening to Farage, the
ultimate symbol of white English middle-class smug complacency.
Let’s not forget that when British
Muslims first lost their bank accounts a decade ago, neither Farage nor any
other British mainstream politician lifted a finger in their defence.
Today, when the same thing threatens
them, it's suddenly a national scandal, a threat to free speech, an act of
political persecution and Britain is compared to communist China.
Welcome to the world of British Muslims.
The views expressed in this article
belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of
Middle East Eye.
Source: middleeasteye.net
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--------
Human Rights Abuses continue at
Guantanamo Bay
Tuesday, 04 July 2023
The first UN investigator allowed inside the
notorious US prison at Guantanamo Bay said the 30 remaining detainees in the
facility are facing ongoing, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, breaches
international law.
UN Special Rapporteur,
FionnualaNíAoláin, issued a report on the facility and told reporters in New
York that significant improvements have been made at Guantanamo since torture
at the prison was exposed but stressed that the 30 men who remain are living
with their past experiences.
I observed that after two decades of
custody, the suffering of those detained is profound, and it's ongoing.
Every single detainee I met with lives
with the unrelenting harms that follow from systematic practices of rendition,
torture and arbitrary detention.
UN Special Rapporteur, FionnualaNíAoláin
The UN inspector reserved some of her
harshest criticism for the fact that 19 of the 30 detainees have never been
charged with any crime, a number of whom have been held in the military camp
for two decades.
She said their situation was a matter of
profound concern.
The problem was compounded by the post
911 CIA torture program, which has become a roadblock for some of the detainees
going to trial.
The UN inspector said the continued
internment of some of the men stems from the unwillingness of the authorities
to face the consequences of the torture and other ill treatment to which the
detainees were subjected, not from any ongoing threat they are believed to
pose.
The UN inspector said that the use of
torture had also been a betrayal of the rights of victims and called for an
apology and guarantees that the abuses would not happen again.
She also said the detainees past
experiences of torture live with them in the present, without any obvious end
in sight, since they have not received any adequate torture rehabilitation to
date.
The remaining 30 detainees still face
harsh treatment, including constant surveillance, forced removal from their
cells, and, the unjust use of restraints.
Monday marked the UN International Day
in Support of Victims of Torture.
The US State Department issued a
statement declaring that the US reaffirms its condemnation of torture wherever
and whenever it occurs. And it stands in solidarity with victims and survivors
of torture around the world.
The statement comes as the Biden
administration is seeking the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
for his role in exposing US war crimes.
Assange has been held in London's
Belmarsh Prison without having been charged since April 2019.
Professor Nils Melzer, Former Special Rapporteur
on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (2016
- 2022), has determined that Assange's treatment amounts to prolonged
psychological torture.
The US government gave its response to
the UN report in a one page letter from the ambassador to the Human Rights
Council, Michelle Taylor.
It said that the US believed that all UN
member states should be willing to open themselves to the scrutiny of outside
observers.
Taylor added that the US was confident
that the conditions of confinement at Guantanamo Bay are humane and reflect the
United States respect for, and protection of, human rights for all who are
within our custody.
In May the Guardian published a series
of detailed drawings and writings by Abu Zubaydah, which gives the most
comprehensive account yet seen of the torture to which he and other detainees
were subjected by the CIA.
Zubaydah is known as a forever prisoner.
He is being held at Guantanamo having never been charged and with no prospect
of release.
Many of the individuals who were
tortured under the CIA program have endured severe ongoing psychological and
physical damage and trauma as a result.
The Guantanamo Bay Prison was set up in
2002 by US President George W. Bush, and held about 800 inmates at its peak before
the numbers started to shrink.
President Joe Biden had promised to
close the facility, but has yet to present a plan to do so.
Human Rights Advocates are increasingly
frustrated with Biden for failing to deliver on his pledge to close the prison,
leaving inmates languishing in the notorious offshore detention center with no
end in sight.
The case of America's hypocritical
actions in the field of human rights is something that has attracted the
attention not only of international critics, but also of American experts.
America's blatant crimes against
humanity, including the wars in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and the brutal
torture in Abu Ghraib, Bagram and Guantanamo Bay prisons are not hidden from
anyone.
And, of course, the United States has
the most inhumane human rights record with its full support of Israel.
Source: presstv.ir
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US, NATO 'complicit' in aiding Ukrainian
'terror attacks' on Moscow, Russia hints
Wednesday, 05 July 2023
Russia's Foreign Ministry has suggested
that the US and its NATO allies have aided Ukraine in launching recent drone
attacks on Moscow, insisting that the UAV raids would not have been possible
without such help.
“Such attacks would not have been
possible without the help of the United States and its NATO allies to the Kiev
regime, who continue to pump it with weapons, including drones, train drone
operators, and provide intelligence necessary to commit such crimes, including
images from the surface Earth obtained with the help of civilian and military
satellites,” the Russian Foreign Ministry declared in a statement on Tuesday.
“All this makes Washington and its
satellites complicit in preparing and carrying out terror attacks that are
being prepared and carried out on Western money and with Western weapons,” the
ministry further insisted.
The statement was issued after Russian emergency services announced
earlier in the day that five drones were shot downed in and around Moscow, but
caused no casualties or damage. The incident, however, led to the temporarily
disruption of flight operations at the Vnukovo international airport.
Elaborating on the circumstances of the
Ukrainian drone raid, the ministry was quoted in a TASS report as adding,
“According to the incoming information, this time, they targeted civilian
infrastructure facilities, including a major international airport. These plans
were thwarted thanks to precise operation of Russian air defense and electronic
warfare systems. Four drones were downed, one lost control and crashed. No
injuries or damage were caused.”
'Act of Terrorism'
Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry
spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the attack on the Vnukovo airport as an
“act of terrorism,” blaming Kiev for attacking civilian areas.
“The Kiev regime's attempt to attack an
area where civilian infrastructure is located, including the airport, which
incidentally also receives foreign flights, is yet another act of terrorism,”
Zakharova underlined.
“The international community should
realize that the United States, Britain, France - permanent members of the UN
Security Council - are financing a terrorist regime,” she further noted.
Back in May, two drone attacks targeted
the Kremlin, both of which were shot down by the Russian military and caused no
damage.
Ukraine almost never publicly claims
responsibility for attacks inside Russia or newly annexed Russian regions. It
has increased drone attacks, targeting energy facilities in recent weeks.
The attacks gained momentum last month
when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his military has begun the
offensive against Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, however,
said formerly that Kiev was suffering massive losses in its offensive against
his country.
Source: presstv.ir
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Public confidence in US, UK govts lowest
among G7 states: Poll
Tuesday, 04 July 2023
A new survey has found that people in
the United States and the United Kingdom have the lowest levels of confidence
in their governments among the G7 group of industrialized nations.
According to the poll, conducted and
released Monday by the Washington, DC-based Gallup analytics and advisory
company, only 31 percent of adult participants in the US responded yes when
asked if they had confidence in their government in 2022, compared to 69
percent who answered no.
The US was followed closely by the UK in
the survey, with just 33 percent of British adults expressing confidence in
their government and 64 percent believing otherwise.
The citizen confidence levels in the US
and the UK administrations have declined sharply over the past years.
In the same Gallup research conducted in
2006, the United States and Britain topped the list with 56 and 49 percent of
adults expressing faith in their governments, respectively.
However, the remaining G7 members –
Germany, Japan, Italy, France and Canada – saw their government confidence
levels improve between 2006 and 2022.
Germany and Canada were top on the 2022
list, with 61 and 51 percent saying they have confidence in their governments,
respectively.
Domestic confidence in the US government
has seen several lows in recent years, including 31 percent in 2018 under
former President Donald Trump, as well as 30 percent in 2016 and 29 percent in
2013 both under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.
In 2020, 46 percent of US adults
expressed faith in their government, but after President Joe Biden took office,
the figure slipped to 40 percent in 2021 and again to 31 percent in 2022,
according to Gallup.
Similarly, public confidence in the
British government dropped dramatically from 61 percent in 2021 to 38 percent
in 2022.
Source: presstv.ir
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--------
Second US mass shooting in two days
kills 4 in Philadelphia
Tuesday, 04 July 2023
At least four people have been killed
and four more wounded in the second mass shooting in as many days in the major
northeastern city of Philadelphia amid the epidemic gun violence across the US.
Two children -- aged 2 and 13 -- were
among those injured in the mass shooting in the State of Pennsylvania's most
populous city on Monday night, according to local police authorities.
Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw
identified the victims as "all males," adding that the four people
killed were aged 59, 22, and 20, and that one of the deceased victims remained
unidentified but believed to be between 16- and 21-year-old.
Speaking at a press briefing at the
scene, Outlaw further explained that Philadelphia police officers responded
shortly before 8:30 p.m. to reports of gunfire and that shots continued to ring
out as the police arrived at the scene.
He added that a 40-year-old male suspect
was eventually taken into custody without incident a short time later while
wearing a bulletproof vest and armed with an “AR-style” rifle as well as a
handgun.
The suspect was also carrying additional
magazines of ammunition and a police scanner at the time of his arrest, Outlaw
noted.
While preliminary reports pointed to a
total of eight shooting victims, Philadelphia Police authorities put the final
count at six, without elaborating on the reason for the discrepancy.
The two injured children were reported
to be in stable condition, according to Outlaw, who added that police were
still looking into the motives of the shooting.
In a statement posted on Twitter late
Monday night, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney wrote, “Horrified by the reports of
a shooting in Southwest Philadelphia. My heart is with the loved ones and
families of everyone involved, and I send my prayers to the victims.”
“My sincere thanks to @PhillyPolice for
their brave response and successful apprehension of a suspect. This devasting
[sic] violence must stop." Kenney added.
The shooting came just a day after
another mass shooting in the relatively close city of Baltimore -- 100 miles
away -- that killed at least two people and wounding dozens, about half of them
children, at an apartment block.
Based on data compiled from the Gun
Violence Archive, there have been 26 instances of mass homicides in the United
States so far this year.
According to the Gun Violence Archive,
the United States holds the No. 1 ranking for civilian firearm ownership, with
120.5 firearms owned per 100 individuals.
Source: presstv.ir
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Europe
We Are Concerned By Attempts To Equate
Islam With Violence And Terror -Azerbaijan President IlhamAliyev
5 July 2023
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 5. Promotion of intercultural
and interreligious dialogue should be high on our agenda, said President of
Azerbaijan IlhamAliyev as he addressed the Ministerial Meeting of the
Non-Aligned Movement Coordinating Bureau in Baku.
“We are concerned by rising Islamophobia
and xenophobia as well as attempts to equate Islam with violence and terror.
Burning and desecration of the Holy Quran in Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden and
justifying it under the guise of the freedom of expression is totally
irresponsible and inadmissible and must be condemned,” the President noted.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 5. France even
bans the Corsican language and does not accept the concept of ethnic minorities
and at the same time tries to present itself as a defender of Armenian minority
in Azerbaijan. This is nothing but hypocrisy and double standards, said
President IlhamAliyev as he addressed the Ministerial Meeting of the
Non-Aligned Movement Coordinating Bureau in Baku.
“Instead of trying to lecture others,
French authorities should combat such alarming tendencies in their own
country,” the head of state underlined.
Source: en.trend.az
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/politics/3769074.html
--------
US wants EU Commission Chief to head NATO
– Telegraph
5 Jul, 2023
US President Joe Biden’s preferred
choice for the next secretary general of NATO is European Commission President
Ursula von der Leyen, according to The Telegraph newspaper.
Biden and von der Leyen have built “a
strong bond” in the past few years over issues such as China, Ukraine and
climate change, the British outlet reported on Tuesday, citing NATO officials.
According to one of the paper’s sources,
the White House appreciated that the European Commission president recently preferred
to “rely on Washington for intelligence” instead of trusting European agencies,
which had failed to properly evaluate Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.
The report also suggested that von der
Leyen would likely be able to get the backing of France’s Emmanuel Macron,
another key player in NATO, due to her fluency in the French language.
On Tuesday, NATO’s incumbent Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that his tenure, which was due to finish in
late September, had been prolonged for another year. The Norwegian has headed
the US-led military bloc since 2014, with his term having been extended four
times.
The announcement came after NATO members
again failed to agree on a replacement for Stoltenberg. According to media
reports, the candidacy of British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace was blocked
last month by the US and France, who reportedly want an official from the EU to
get the job.
The Daily Mail reported earlier this
week that Biden was opposed to Wallace, likely because he served as a British
soldier in Northern Ireland during the period of sectarian violence known as
‘The Troubles’. The US leader “wears his southern Irish roots on his sleeve”
and “he’s hardly particularly pro-British either,” sources told the paper.
Von der Leyen had previously said that,
despite being honored to find herself among the possible candidates, she wasn’t
particularly interested in the NATO role. However, according to The Telegraph,
the US doubts that she would be able to continue leading the European Commission
after next year’s European Parliament elections.
“It brings the NATO job into the
discussions over Europe’s other top jobs,” one of the sources said.
The Telegraph pointed out that one of
the hurdles for von der Leyen becoming secretary general of the military bloc
could be her “poor handling” of the German Defense Ministry, which she headed
between 2013 and 2019. The paper recalled a report from 2015, which claimed
that German soldiers had had to replace heavy machine guns with broomsticks
during NATO drills in order to hide their lack of equipment.
Source: rt.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.rt.com/news/579222-biden-leyen-nato-us/
--------
The dystopian European Media Freedom Act
is a Trojan horse
4 Jul, 2023
How on earth did media freedom in the EU
survive up to this point without the big-brained Brussels bureaucrats
protecting it?
Does the average media consumer ever ask
themselves, “Am I more or less informed now that the establishment claims to be
working to actively protect me?” The list of websites that require a VPN
pointed at a country outside of the European Union has never been so long.
So pardon my skepticism over the notion
that the same folks responsible for this information crackdown are positioning
themselves as protectors of the free press, and persist unabated in multiplying
their efforts.
EU officials are on the verge of
approving a new “European Media Freedom Act,” promoted as a new law to protect
journalists, their freedom, and press pluralism. However, any thinking person might start by
asking how exactly that squares with the bloc’s top-down censorship of voices
published on platforms that counter their establishment narratives, like RT for
instance. They cite the Ukraine conflict as justification, but they were
looking for an excuse long beforehand. Rather than leave it to individual
national media regulators to do their job, and cite any specific offenses or
evidence, these big fans of free press and democracy at the EU just blocked
them unilaterally.
So, these same folks are now in the
process of fine-tuning a law designed to “promote internal safeguards on
editorial independence and media ownership transparency” – which the EU has
never been too interested in fostering when it comes to the NGOs and press
outlets it supports.
They also plan to introduce measures
that include the protection of journalists from spyware. But in even bringing
spyware up, there’s now a risk of official codification of its use by
governments against journalists in some instances – something which has, until
now, been frowned upon. Once again, as with “anti-Russian” sanctions and
cutting off its own cheap Russian energy supply, the EU has found a way to
really stick it to itself and is on the verge of achieving precisely the
opposite of its stated intentions.
Governments like France are now
reportedly requesting specific, codified exemptions to the state use of
surveillance software targeting journalists in cases where they might be
dealing with sources or evidence involving “national security” offenses or
other heavy crimes that risk bringing down governments like… music piracy.
Right – because “national security” has never been abused as a pretext for
Western authorities to protect their own interests from dissent. And we’re
talking here about suspected crimes, so is a mere hunch enough to tap a
journalist’s phone?
The exemption request should also raise
eyebrows about what these governments are already doing under the guise of
national security to the point where clearly they believe they’re on the verge
of losing something.
Various French journalists, for example,
have taken issue in the past with being spied on by French intelligence or
police. And to make it even easier, a French parliamentary commission even
voted recently to allow remote activation and geolocation of a target’s tech
devices. Revelations about the use of Israeli Pegasus spyware by governments
such as Morocco's, to target French journalists, raises other potential
problems. For example, what power would the EU even have over foreign countries
if, say, an EU member state decided to outsource surveillance to a non-bloc
country – let alone ever know which state gave the order to do so?
Including any exemptions whatsoever to
spyware use by EU member states not only defeats the whole stated purpose of
the legislation, but also greatly reduces the chances that sources will talk to
or trust the press. It effectively turns every journalist into an inadvertent
direct pipeline of information to the authorities – which they may have been
before, but now this new law confirms it, serving as a Vegas-style billboard
for that fact.
Who in their right mind is going to call
out wrongdoing by powerful state actors when a murky pretext can theoretically
be evoked by the same state to neutralize the whistleblower and their story
before it can do any damage to the establishment? This seems to be yet another
case of the EU proposing a media-related law under the pretext of protecting
information and speech, while in reality the big beneficiary is the status quo.
It wouldn’t be the first time either.
Back in 2018, the EU decided to address the public demand for media control
with a revised audiovisual media services directive. The main thrust was to
reel in the digital online Wild West, bringing it under control of audiovisual
regulation. Seemed innocent enough, right? Brussels apparently took the
collective public shrug as a sign of encouragement. Since then, several other
measures have been introduced, all suggestive of the protectionist role that
the EU has routinely attempted to convey to Europeans in an attempt to justify
its own existence.
The Digital Services Act is supposed to
“ensure a safe and accountable online environment,” according to EU literature.
When Twitter owner Elon Musk pulled the platform from the currently voluntary
compliance with moderation and content control measures, EU Internal Market
Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” Which
totally doesn’t sound controlling, or the opposite of the kind of freedom that
the EU constantly purports to defend.
According to EU code, tech platforms
like Twitter are connected with “fact-checkers, civil society, and third-party
organizations with specific expertise on disinformation.” In other words, avid
gatekeepers of the establishment narrative. And on August 25th, adherence will
no longer be voluntary.
The EU should consider getting out of
the control freak business if it truly wants to help the European free press.
Maybe then, journalists here in Europe trying our best to fully inform our
audiences against information barriers created by Brussels won’t have to
redirect our internet connections to places like Vietnam, Mexico, Turkey, or
Brazil in order to access information and sources that the EU doesn’t like.
Source: rt.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.rt.com/news/579200-eu-media-freedom-act/
--------
Pakistan
National Accountability Bureau Grills
Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi In Graft Cases
July 05, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability
Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday questioned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, who appeared before the anti-graft
watchdog at its Rawalpindi office for the investigations of Toshakhana case and
£190 million settlement case, The News reported.
Sources said that some documents had
also been presented before the combined investigation teams (CIT) of both
cases.
They said that the PTI chief, who remains
entangled in several cases, including the graft cases related to the state gift
depository and multi-million pounds settlement with UK's National Crime Agency
(NCA), was questioned about the gifts he retained and sold.
While the former first lady was asked
about the matters of Al-Qadir University and land acquisition.
Pakistan consul general in Dubai
recalled
Meanwhile, the authorities called back
Pakistan Consul General in Dubai Hassan Afzal Khan for the investigations in
the Toshakhana case against the former prime minister.
Hassan, who is the former chief of
protocol and director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has reported
back to the department.
It may be noted that the chief of
protocol receives the list of different matters related to the foreign visits
of the prime ministers, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This list includes the details of the
gifts received by the premier and members of his delegation.
Given that, Hassan is the first official
who has complete knowledge of the gifts received by the then prime minister and
his associates from foreign governments, and can play an important role in the
probe of the Toshakhana case
Source: geo.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.geo.tv/latest/497234-nab-grills-imran-khan-bushra-bibi-in-graft-cases
--------
SC moved against 29 civilians' military
trials during PTI regime
uly 05, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) was
moved against the conviction of nearly 30 civilians by military courts during
the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, The News
reported.
The apex is already dealing with a set
of petitions seeking the nullification of the orders of trying civilians under
army laws in the wake of May 9 protests, and the PTI chief is one of the
petitioners.
Now, Lieutenant Colonel (retd)
Inam-ul-Rehim, making the former premier a respondent, filed the petition under
Article 184(3) of the Constitution and requested the apex court to overturn the
trial, conviction and sentences awarded to the said civilians.
He maintained that the trial of 29
civilians under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, in conjunction with the Official
Secrets Act, 1923, was in violation of articles 4, 9, 10, 10-A, 25, and 175 of
the Constitution of Pakistan. These trials were null and void from the
beginning and had no legal effect, he argued.
The petitioner has also urged the SC to
hold the former prime minister, former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed
Bajwa and former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director general Lt Gen
(retd) Faiz Hameed responsible for the abduction and illegal detention of 29
civilians, and initiate criminal proceedings against them for the alleged abuse
of their powers, misuse of authority, and misuse of state machinery.
“Criminal proceedings should be
initiated against these respondents for the abduction, illegal detention, and
conviction of the 29 civilians without due process of law and in violation of
the fundamental rights and constitutional guarantees for every citizen under
the Constitution," the petition read.
Besides the former PM, army chief and
former ISI chief, the respondents of the case include the Federation of
Pakistan through the secretary of the Ministry of Defence, judge advocate
general (JAG) of the army, advocate general branch, and the registrars of the
Lahore High Court, Peshawar High Court, Sindh High Court, Balochistan High
Court, Quetta, and Islamabad High Court.
Similarly, the petitioner requested the
apex court to direct JAG, who is the custodian of records of all court-martials
conducted under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, to present the complete record of
trials of all civilians conducted under the military law, in conjunction with
the Official Secrets Act, 1923, for the fair and just disposal of the present
petition.
Furthermore, the petitioner appealed to
the apex court to direct the registrars of all high courts to provide the
complete record of cases of all civilians tried under the Pakistan Army Act,
1952, in conjunction with the Official Secrets Act, 1923, pending before their
respective high courts.
The petitioner argued that the trial of
civilians under the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, was a result of the
unconstitutional decision of the federal government headed by Khan, the chief
executive of the country, and was facilitated by senior army officials.
Source: geo.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.geo.tv/latest/497240-sc-moved-against-29-civilians-military-trials-in-imran-khan-regime
--------
Govt announces countrywide protests on
July 7 against desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
July 04, 2023
The federal government has announced
holding nationwide protests on Friday (July 7) against the recent incident of
desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
The despicable act of the public burning
of a copy of the holy book in Stockholm on the occasion of Eid ul Adha sparked
worldwide protests and outrage. A man set a copy of the sacred book ablaze
outside a mosque in the Swedish capital.
Presiding over a meeting in Islamabad,
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday decided to stage countrywide protests
over the incident and appealed to all the political parties and the nation to
partake in the rallies.
“Speaking with one voice, the whole
nation will give a message to the evil minds,” said the premier. He maintained
that the nation will observe the “Youm-e-Taqaddus Quran” on Friday.
In addition to this, the premier decided
to convene a joint session of parliament to devise a national strategy over the
Sweden incident.
“The sentiments and feelings of the
nation should be fully expressed through the forum of parliament,” the PM
added. The joint session will unanimously pass a resolution against the recent
incident of desecration of the holy book in Sweden, the premier added.
Earlier today, amid worldwide protests
and outrage over the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden, the United
Nations Human Rights Council announced to hold its urgent session to address
Islamophobia and religious hatred after Pakistan’s request.
Addressing a press briefing, a
spokesperson for the Geneva-based UN Council said that the session will discuss
the rising religious hatred in the world.
The Geneva-based UN Human Rights
Council, which is meeting in session until July 14, will change its agenda to
stage an urgent debate, following a request from Pakistan.
"The UN Human Rights Council will
hold an urgent debate to ´discuss the alarming rise in premeditated and public
acts of religious hatred, as manifested by the current desecration of the Holy
Quran in some European and other countries´," council spokesman Pascal Sim
told reporters, citing the wording of the request.
'Despicable act'
Last week, Pakistan strongly condemned
the "despicable act" of the public burning of a copy of the Holy
Quran.
"Such wilful incitement to
discrimination, hatred and violence cannot be justified under the pretext of
freedom of expression and protest," a statement issued by the Foreign
Office in condemnation of the abhorrent incident read.
The FO stated that international law
binds all the states to prevent and prohibit any advocacy of "religious
hatred" that leads to incitement of violence.
"The recurrence of such
Islamophobic incidents during the last few months in the West calls into
serious question the legal framework which permits such hate-driven
actions."
The FO, on Pakistan's behalf, reiterated
that the right to freedom of expression and opinion does not provide a license
to stoke hatred and sabotage inter-faith harmony.
It said that the concerns regarding the
matter were being raised with the government of Sweden.
It also urged the international
community and the national governments to undertake credible and concrete
measures to prevent the rising incidents of xenophobia, Islamophobia and
anti-Muslim hatred.
Source: geo.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.geo.tv/latest/497170-govt-announces-countrywide-protests-on-july-7-against-desecration-of-holy-quran-in-sweden
--------
Two SC judges agree with Justice Isa
over need for deciding fate of SC law first
July 05, 2023
KARACHI: Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah
has said that until the constitutionality of the Supreme Court (Practice and
Procedure) Act 2023 is decided, all matters falling under the Supreme Court's
original jurisdiction should be heard by a full court bench of the SC.
In detailed notes released Tuesday
night, originally written on June 22, SC Justices Sardar Tariq Masood and Syed
Mansoor Ali Shah have agreed with Justice Qazi Faez Isa's reasoning regarding
refusal to sit in the larger nine-member bench constituted to hear the
petitions on military court trials of civilians.
The bench was later trimmed down to
seven members.
These notes add to a detailed note
written on June 22 by Senior Puisne Judge Justice Isa, who had explained why he
had refused to be part of the larger nine-member bench constituted to hear the
petitions regarding military court trials of civilians and why the Supreme
Court Practice and Procedure Bill, 2023 had to be resolved before he could be
part of SC benches.
This note was removed from the apex
court website shortly after having been uploaded.
The notes by Justices Masood and Shah
are clear in their estimation that the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure)
Act 2023 has to be decided before such benches are formed.
Justice Masood said that he agreed with
what Justice Isa had written in his note, revealing that he was also not
consulted by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial before being made part of the
nine-member bench.
He added that "surprisingly,"
the petitions were fixed just a day after the petitioner of "Constitution
Petition No 25 of 2023" and his counsel had met the chief justice.
Justice Masood wrote that he was waiting
for the decision regarding the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act 2023
and had "expected that they would be decided soon".
As had also been pointed out by Justice
Isa in his note, Justice Masood too writes about Section 3 of the Supreme Court
(Practice and Procedure) Act which stipulates that "any matter invoking
exercise of original jurisdiction under clause 3 of Article 184 of the
constitution shall be first placed before the committee constituted under
section 2 for examination if the committee is of the view that a question of
public importance with reference to enforcement of any of the fundamental
rights conferred by Chapter 1 of Part II of the constitution is involved it
shall constitute a bench comprising not less than three judges of the Supreme
Court of Pakistan which may also include the member of the committee for
adjudication of the matter."
He said that the current issue
(petitions regarding military trials of civilians) "was not referred to
the committee, of which I am member."
According to Justice Masood, he was
reluctant to sit on a bench till the final decision regarding the Supreme Court
(Practice and Procedure) had been given, but since he was heading a bench in
which about 30-35 criminal cases used to be fixed daily of people who were in
jail, he "kept on dealing the said criminal work" and also requested
the chief justice for early disposal of the Supreme Court (Practice and
Procedure) Act 2023 petitions.
Importantly — and much like Justice Isa
— Justice Masood too says that he has "not recused [himself] from the
bench," which is why there is "no question to sign the purported
order in which it has been mentioned that new bench will be constituted whereas
my point of view was that these petitions be heard after the decision of the
said petitions which have been filed against the [Supreme Court (Practice and
Procedure) Act 2023]."
Adding his note to the document, Justice
Shah says he is sitting on the bench "with a reservation" that
"in the recent past there has been a consistent pattern and reluctance of
not constituting the full court bench" and instead opting for special
benches of some judges in cases of what he calls "immense public
importance that have far-reaching impact on the political, social and economic
life of the people of Pakistan and their fundamental rights".
This, Justice Shah said, has
"severely undermined the authority of the court and the legitimacy of its
judgments." Referring to the current case — the military court trial of
civilians — he says that "the constitutional significance of the matter
involved in the present case and its potential ramifications, call for the
highest level of judicial scrutiny".
Making a case for a full bench hearing,
he wrote, "collective deliberations and diverse insights by all the judges
in cases of public importance helps the court arrive at a sound judgment and
reinforces public confidence and trust in this court."
Once again, the Supreme Court (Practice
and Procedure) is mentioned, Justice Shah reinforcing the point that until the
court "decides the constitutionality of the Supreme Court (Practice and
Procedure) Act 2023, Section 3 of which prescribes the procedure for invoking
the original jurisdiction of this Court under Article 184(3) of the
constitution, all such matters under this jurisdiction must be heard by the
full court bench of this court."
Justice Shah says that he had requested
Chief Justice Bandial to consider constituting the full court bench but that
the CJP had not done so.
Source: geo.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.geo.tv/latest/497232-sc-law-limiting-cjps-powers-two-sc-judges-agree-with-justice-isa-over-need-for-deciding-fate-of-law-first
--------
Pakistan assails Israel for raids,
airstrikes on Jenin
July 04, 2023
Pakistan has rebuked Israel for carrying
out raids and airstrikes in Jenin city of occupied Palestinian territory which
left at least 10 people dead and dozens injured.
“Pakistan condemns, in the strongest
possible terms, the raids and airstrikes carried out by the Israeli occupation
forces since yesterday in Jenin in the occupied Palestinian territory of the
West Bank, which killed 10 Palestinians and injured some 50 others,” the
Foreign Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
The FO said the latest episode of
violence against the occupied people of Palestine by the “occupying power must
end immediately”.
Islamabad called upon the international
community to play its role “in bringing these brutal and illegal actions by the
Israeli occupation forces to a halt and to ensure the protection of the human
rights of the Palestinian people”.
Pakistan reaffirmed its strong and
unwavering support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people for the
full realisation of their rights and freedoms — including the right to
self-determination.
“We also renew our call for a viable,
independent and contiguous Palestinian State, with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds
Al-Sharif as its capital, in accordance with the relevant United Nations and
OIC resolutions,” the statement added.
The Jenin raid, launched early Monday
under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government,
employed hundreds of troops as well as drone strikes and army bulldozers that
ripped up streets and crushed cars.
"In the last five years, this is
the worst raid," said QasemBenighader, a nurse at a local hospital morgue.
Netanyahu said Israeli forces were
"destroying command centres and seizing considerable weaponry" in the
crowded Jenin camp.
The Palestinian foreign ministry
labelled the escalation "open war against the people of Jenin".
Source: geo.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.geo.tv/latest/497183-pakistan-assails-israel-for-raids-airstrikes-on-jenin
--------
PTI leader Asad Qaiser ‘evades arrest’
at Peshawar High Court
July 04, 2023
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader
Asad Qaiser has claimed that the police attempted to arrest him from the
Peshawar High Court (PHC) despite being “granted bail” in all cases registered
against him following May 9 mayhem.
“Police failed to arrest me,” he said in
a statement on Tuesday.
Qaiser, who served as National Assembly
speaker during the previous PTI-led government, said party leader Wazir Abdul
Karim Khan had been taken into custody.
The close aide of PTI Chairman Imran
Khan said he has been appearing before the court for hearings in all “illegal”
cases.
“I have been granted bail in all cases
registered against me,” he said, adding that the police attempted to arrest him
when he came for court hearings.
A day earlier, the Islamabad High Court
(IHC) granted interim bail to Qaiser until July 13 in a case related to May 9
violent protests.
The riots were triggered almost across
the country after the PTI chief’s arrest in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust
case on May 9 which led to the deaths of at least eight people and injured
several others, prompting the authorities to arrest thousands of PTI workers.
During the protests, the miscreants
attacked the civil and military installations including — Corps Commander's
House (Jinnah House) in Lahore Cantt and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in
Rawalpindi.
The military called May 9 "Black
Day" and has decided to try the protesters under the Army Act, with Chief
of Army Staff General Asim Munir saying that the legal process in this regard
has already begun.
A case was registered against the former
NA speaker over the May 9 violent protests at Islamabad’s Sangjani Police
Station.
On June 21, the PHC granted transit bail
to Qaiser until July 3 in the case.
Source: geo.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.geo.tv/latest/497142-pti-leader-asad-qaiser-evades-arrest-at-peshawar-high-court
--------
SCO Summit: ‘Use of terrorism for
diplomatic point scoring must be avoided,’ Pakistan tells India
July 04, 2023
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Tuesday
advised India against using terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring, saying
terror activities remain a serious obstacle to peace in the region.
The prime minister's statement came
during his address to the 23rd meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State
(CHS), being virtually hosted by India under the chair of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
The premier, during the address, noted
that SCO members have a shared interest in ensuring peace and stability in the
region, a precondition for economic development anywhere in the world.
"The hydra-headed monster of
terrorism and extremism, whether committed by individuals, societies, or
states, must be fought with full vigour and conviction," the premier said.
"Any temptation to use [terrorism]
for diplomatic point-scoring must be avoided under all circumstances.
Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, including state terrorism, must
be condemned in clear and unambiguous terms."
PM Shehbaz noted that there could be no
justification for killing innocent people, regardless of the cause or pretext.
"Similarly, religious minorities
should never be demonised in the pursuit of domestic, political agendas,"
he said.
PM Shehbaz noted that Pakistan had made
numerous sacrifices to combat terrorism, adding that the menace of militancy
plagues the region and is a major obstacle to achieving peace.
"SCO countries must take concerted
and immediate actions [...] against terrorism, extremism, and separatism,"
the prime minister said, noting that it was the responsibility of all member
states.
'CPEC game changer for region'
The premier began by thanking India for
its stewardship of the regional body this year.
PM Shehbaz said that Pakistan holds a
unique geographical status in central Asia.
Shedding light on the importance of the
multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the prime
minister said that the partnership between the two nations can be a "game
changer" for the entire region.
He told the members of the meeting that
special economic zones are being developed in Pakistan under the CPEC.
Terrorism and Afghanistan
In his address, the premier also
highlighted the lingering issue of Afghanistan.
"International community finds
itself in a standstill on Afghanistan," the PM said, urging the
stakeholders to continue their support to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the
war-torn country.
He said that the "critical
support" needed by Afghanistan had been withheld and the matter needed
review.
He also urged the interim government in
Afghanistan led by the Taliban, to take concrete measures to show its soil is
not used for "militant activity".
SCO should join hands to fight
terrorism: Modi
Earlier, Indian PM Modi said in his
address that the SCO should join hands to fight terrorism and not hesitate to
condemn countries that support terror.
Modi also urged leaders of the Eurasian
political and security grouping to work for the welfare of Afghanistan and
provide humanitarian aid to Kabul.
Afghan soil, Modi told the virtual
summit of SCO leaders, should not be allowed to be used to destabilise its
neighbourhood.
Russia, China and Pakistan are among the
other countries attending the meeting.
Source: geo.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.geo.tv/latest/497053-pm-shehbaz-sharif-addreses-modi-chaired-sco-summit
--------
IHC declares session court's verdict on
Toshakhana case 'null and void'
July 04, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court
(IHC) on Tuesday annulled the decision of the trial court which had rejected
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan's petition seeking to have
the Toshkhana case declared inadmissible.
Chief Justice Amir Farooq of the IHC
pronounced the verdict on the PTI chief's petition, which was reserved on June
23.
Announcing the short order, the judge
returned the matter to the trial court, ordering that the PTI's counsel
arguments be heard again and reconsidered.
"The trial court should decide on
the PTI chairman's plea in the Toshakhana case in 7 days," the IHC ruled.
Khan was indicted in the Toshakhana case
on May 10 by Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar, who rejected objections
about the admissibility of the case.
The PTI chief then approached the IHC,
which had stayed criminal proceedings on the case till June 8.
Following the resumption of the hearing
in June, Justice Aamer on June 23 reserved his verdict on the petition, saying
that he would look into the matter after Eid ul Adha.
In his petition, the PTI chair objected
to filing a complaint after a specified period.
His lawyer, Khawaja Haris, maintained
that a complaint could only be filed within four months of submitting the
return.
In a written order issued by the court,
the judge wrote that the trial court's decision had left important legal issues
unresolved.
It would be appropriate for the trial
court to decide on the application after hearing the arguments again, the judge
added in his order.
The order further maintained that it was
evident from the parties' arguments that the court gave its decision without
going into details.
It is important to know the answers to 8
different questions, including the jurisdiction of the case, the IHC top judge
wrote, adding that
the petition was rejected with little
reasoning, and important legal questions and issues were left unresolved.
However, a day earlier, the PTI chief
submitted a petition to the court, seeking Justice Aamer's recusal from the
case.
In the petition, the former prime
minister — who was removed from power via a no-confidence motion in April last
year — sought the transfer of the two Toshakhana cases to another bench in the
interest of a “fair and impartial” trial.
The petition has also named the district
election commission as the respondent.
During a talk with media personnel
outside the IHC, the PTI chief's lawyer, Gohar Khan, termed the verdict a
"victory".
"An appeal was filed against the
decision of the session judge in the Toshakhana case," he said, adding
that the wrong person filed the complaint.
"We were trying in courts for a
year. Today, PTI has won," he said.
What is the Toshakhana case?
under the rules governing
"Toshakhana" — a Persian word meaning "treasure house" —
government officials can keep gifts if they have a low worth, while they must
pay a dramatically reduced fee to the government for extravagant items.
The Toshakhana has been under a
microscope ever since the emergence of the allegations that the PTI chief
purchased the gifts he received as prime minister at throwaway rates and sold
them off in the open market for staggering profits.
The 70-year-old
cricketer-turned-politician was accused of misusing his 2018 to 2022
premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession that were received during
visits abroad and worth more than Rs140 million ($635,000).
The gifts included watches given by a
royal family, according to government officials, who previously alleged that
Khan's aides sold them in Dubai.
The gifts included seven wristwatches,
six made by watchmaker Rolex, and the most expensive, a "Master Graff
limited edition" valued at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000).
The election commission's order had said
Imran stood disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.
Following the order, the election
watchdog moved the Islamabad sessions court and sought criminal proceedings
against him — and the PTI chief has missed several hearings.
Source: geo.tv
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Mideast
Israeli Military Says Terrorists Hid
Explosives, Weapons at Jenin Mosque
Tuesday, 04 July 2023
Israel Defence Forces are claiming
terrorists used a mosque in the West Bank city of Jenin to store ammunition and
weapons and as a base of operations.
“Yesterday, we operated to extract armed
gunmen, who were using a mosque as a cover for terrorist operations,” the IDF
tweeted Tuesday. “Today, soldiers completed the mission by confiscating the
hundreds of different weapons and ammunition, and eliminating the underground
pits and shafts used by the terrorists underneath the Mosque.”
In a tweet Monday, the IDF identified
building as the al-Nasr Mosque, although other reports said it was the
al-Ansari Mosque.
“Holy places, such as the al-Nasr
Mosque, should not be used as a front for terrorism,” the IDF tweeted. “Packed
with loads of ammunition, and two underground pits containing explosive
devices, this is just one example of how terrorists abuse the citizens of
Jenin. We will continue operating until the terrorists of Jenin are no longer a
threat on the stability of the area.”
On Sunday night, the IDF launched its
largest operation in Jenin since the second intifada in July 2000, with a
series of more than 10 airstrikes and moving troops into the northern West Bank
Palestinian city.
The Times of Israel, which was among the
media outlets that reported the mosque was named al-Ansari, said Israeli forces
gained control of the mosque on Monday afternoon, following a shootout with
Palestinian gunmen in the area. The IDF said it carried out a drone strike
against the armed Palestinians outside the mosque and then managed to break in.
On the ground floor, troops found two
tunnel openings that the IDF said were connected. Explosives, weapons, and
other military equipment were found inside.
“All of this excavation work in the
mosque has turned it into a fortified site,” said Lt. Col. “Mem,” the commander
of the IDF’s elite Egoz unit, who can only be identified by his rank and
initial of his first name in Hebrew.
The Times of Israel also reported the
Israeli military began to withdraw troops Tuesday night from the area, although
clashes with Palestinian militants continued.
Source: newsmax.com
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https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/israel-defense-forces/2023/07/04/id/1125943/
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Quran burning raises concerns for
Sweden’s NATO bid: Turkish FM
ANKARA, July 4 (Xinhua) — Sweden’s
failure to prevent provocations, including the recent burning of a Quran, raises
concerns about Sweden’s NATO bid, Turkish Foreign Minister HakanFidan said
Tuesday.
“Sweden’s security system is unable to
stop provocations. This does not give more strength, but more problems for NATO
in terms of strategy and security at a time when Sweden’s membership in NATO is
being discussed,” he said.
However, Fidan said Ankara would still
approve Sweden’s NATO membership if Stockholm “completes its homework”,
referring to the fight against terrorist groups.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO
last year but faced objections from Türkiye on the grounds that the two
countries harbor members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the
Gulen movement.
Türkiye eventually lifted its objection
to Finland earlier this year after the Nordic country took “concrete steps”
against such groups, and the country went on to become NATO’s 31st member in
April. But Ankara maintains its veto against Sweden.
The military alliance will hold a summit
in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12, where NATO wants to complete Sweden’s
admission process.
Source: nord.news
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--------
Israeli forces reveal weapons caches
hidden under Palestinian mosque after raid
July 4, 2023
Israeli forces revealed images of
weapons caches found in secret underground rooms beneath a mosque in the
Palestinian militant stronghold of Jenin on Tuesday.
Israeli officials say troops acted on
"precise" intelligence from the Israeli Security Agency and used
"advanced technological tools to investigate the terrorist infrastructure
embedded inside" the mosque. Footage shows Israeli troops sorting through
stashes of explosives and weapons.
"Places of worship should never be
used as a front for terrorist activity. This is an example of the cynical
exploitation of innocent civilians by Palestinian terrorist groups operating in
the Jenin Camp." IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said in a statement.
The IDF's search of the mosque came at
the tail end of a large Monday operation targeting the militant stronghold.
Some 2,000 Israeli troops were deployed as part of the operation.
Palestinian officials say at least eight
people were killed and 50 were wounded in the attack, which was larger than any
operation Israel has carried out this year.
Jenin has been a hotbed of Palestinian
terrorist activity for months, with Iranian-backed militants using it as a base
to carry out attacks within Israel.
There have been several skirmishes in
and around the city throughout 2023, with Israeli forces carrying out
operations targeting specific individuals and strongholds.
In late June, Israeli troops demolished
the home of a Palestinian who was suspected of killing an Israeli soldier last
year.
The house belonged to Kamal Jouri, one
of two Palestinians suspected of killing Staff Sgt.Ido Baruch in a drive-by
shooting in the northern West Bank in October. He and a second suspect were arrested
by the military in February, and the army demolished the second suspect's home
earlier this month. A Palestinian militant group called the Den of Lions
claimed responsibility for the attack.
Source: foxnews.com
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British Army admits soldier was victim
of anti-Islamic discrimination
Jul 04, 2023
A Muslim solider was the victim of anti-Islamic
discrimination, including being mocked for attending prayers and given pork to
eat during Ramadan, the British Army has admitted.
Former private EbrimaBayo, 39, was also
denied hot food served to fellow soldiers when he broke his fast and said he
was mocked by colleagues when he went to Friday prayers, as well as being
singled out for extra security checks.
The father of three recalled that on the
first day of Ramadan in 2017 the only food left in the canteen for him and a
Muslim colleague were bacon and sausage sandwiches, despite army chefs knowing
that, as Muslims, they didn’t eat pork, The Guardian reported.
Mr Bayo, described as an "excellent
soldier", was serving with the Royal Logistic Corps in Cyprus at the time.
At returning from patrols after the
canteen shut after 6pm, soldiers were normally served a hot meal, except him
and his Muslim colleague, who were given cold food.
The discrimination led to his eventual
decision to leave the army, despite having wanted to serve since he was young,
inspired by the service of his grandfather during the Second World War.
Mr Bayo complained to the Ministry of
Defence, but it was only in March – after a court ruled his case would be heard
at a full employment tribunal – that it apologised and awarded him
compensation.
Both the way he was treated and the
delay in handling his complaint left him with the view the army is
“institutionally racist”.
Mr Bayo is originally from Gambia, a
Commonwealth nation from which the British army recruits.
After joining the army in 2004, he
served full-time for six years, then spent time as a reservist before
re-joining to serve full-time in Cyprus.
The British Army has now apologised
"for the anti-Islamic bias, both conscious and unconscious within the
unit” as well as the “culturally insensitive attitude on the part of the chain
of command”.
It added that Mr Bayo was an “excellent”
soldier and that he had received an undisclosed sum in compensation.
The Ministry of Defence has been
approached for comment.
Source: thenationalnews.com
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https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2023/07/04/british-army-admits-soldier-was-victim-of-anti-islamic-discrimination/
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Islamic-Christian Committee in Support
of Jerusalem and its Sanctuaries: Israeli aggression on Jenin is a war crime
4 July، 2023
Occupied Jerusalem, SANA- The
Islamic-Christian Committee in Support of Jerusalem and its Sanctuaries
stressed that the Israeli occupation’s aggression on Jenin and its Camp in the
West Bank is a flagrant “war crime” against the Palestinian people.
In a statement quoted by News Agency
WAFA, the Committee said that the Israeli occupation is attempting through
these crimes to employ its brute force to dedicate its arrogance in a way that
target the will of the resistance, but its attempt is doomed to failure.
The Committee called upon the
international community to shoulder its responsibilities and to seriously and
effectively move to stop the aggression and provide international protection to
the Palestinian people.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of
Jerusalem, in turn, called upon the international community to stop the Israeli
attack on Jenin city and its Camp, and to find just settlement to the
Palestinian cause based upon the international legitimacy resolutions.
The Patriarchate pointed out that the
just solution of the Palestinian cause is not only a humanitarian necessity,
but it is a basic and ethical need, warning that the Israeli continued
aggression will lead for more tension in the region.
Source: sana.sy
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https://sana.sy/en/?p=312330
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Muslims body in US shocked over FBI’s
secret surveillance since 9/11 attacks
04.07.2023
The largest Muslim civil rights and
advocacy organization in the US has expressed shock at the recent disclosure of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)’s secret surveillance and listing of
Muslims in the country since the 9/11 attacks.
Gadeir Abbas, a senior lawyer at the
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told Anadolu
that the FBI monitoring report shows that Muslims have been listed and followed
for years, from former President George Bush's administration to the current Joe
Biden government, referring to the 2019 version of the FBI's watch list made
public by a Swiss hacker on June 13.
"We've known for many years that
Muslims are being watched," Abbas said, "but seeing this list
firsthand is truly shocking."
"The US has been continuously
spying on the Muslim community through electronic tracking and individuals
placed in Islamic communities," according to Abbas.
He noted that "Muslims in the US
lived peacefully until 9/11, but after that, they were continuously viewed as
threats and subjected to surveillance, which continued during the presidencies
of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden, as security and
intelligence agencies maintained secret lists.
"They knew Muslims were being
profiled, but they couldn't hold the government legally accountable until the
report came out."
- Muslims still face mistrust
There are approximately 2,500 mosques in
the US, Abbas said, claiming that Muslims are monitored there and thousands of
people are recruited for intelligence activities.
Abbas pointed out in the report titled
"Twenty Years Is Too Much, Call to Stop the FBI's Watch List"
prepared by CAIR that only the names "Muhammad" and "Ali"
were mentioned more than 350,000 times in the FBI database with different
pronunciations.
The FBI's filing practices have an
impact on Muslims' daily lives because the reports are shared with over 60
countries, private companies, hospitals, and universities, resulting in
restrictions for Muslims considered "potential terrorists" in various
contexts.
According to Abbas, "the method
used against Muslims is no different from a 'witch hunt,' and there is no
guarantee that this will not be done to others in the future."
He added that "the US will
eventually target another group as a threat, leading to the use of secret
lists. Therefore, it is critical for everyone to condemn and oppose anti-Muslim
sentiment."
Noting that there is no legal basis for
profiling Muslims, Abbas stressed that "as the FBI has given the authority
to carry out the filings, there are no legal constraints on the filings,
allowing agents to list individuals for any reason."
Blaming the government's lack of
control, he said that it is the reason behind the access to this confidential
list containing millions of Muslim names.
People on the watch list face a range of
challenges, including travel restrictions, immigration issues, encounters with
the FBI, instances of police violence, difficulties obtaining permits and
licenses, professional consequences, and limited access to government
buildings.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/muslims-body-in-us-shocked-over-fbi-s-secret-surveillance-since-9-11-attacks/2936843
--------
Arab World
Saudi Arabia committed to helping UN
efforts toward water, food security
July 04, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister
of Environment, Water and Agriculture Mansour Al-Mushaiti has renewed the
Kingdom’s support for UN efforts in achieving global food and water security,
and addressing hunger and poverty globally.
He was speaking at the 43rd session of
the Food and Agriculture Organization Conference, which is taking place in Rome
and being held to discuss relevant issues in the light of the challenges posed
by water scarcity.
It is also focusing on water management,
with the aim of achieving food security and comprehensive support for flexible
and efficient food production.
Al-Mushaiti said that the Agricultural
Development Fund had implemented lending policies aimed at bolstering modern
technologies. These policies entailed providing loans that exceeded 70 percent
of the capital cost for agricultural projects.
He added that the lending rate had
experienced significant growth, surging from SR500 million ($133 million) in
2015 to SR7 billion in 2022.
Additionally, Al-Mushaiti noted that the
agricultural sector in the Kingdom had experienced a surge in investments. This
progress was evident in its record-breaking contribution of SR100 billion to
the economy in 2022, marking the highest-ever recorded contribution by the
sector.
He said that the Kingdom had achieved
commendable levels of self-sufficiency in numerous agricultural crops,
particularly those that relied on modern technology. This had facilitated an
integrated approach to water management, resulting in a significant reduction
in water consumption for agricultural purposes, decreasing from 86 percent to
less than 70 percent.
Al-Mushaiti held a meeting with Dr.
Alvaro Lario, the president of the International Fund for Agricultural
Development, on the sidelines of the conference.
The parties discussed avenues for
cooperation and strategies to enhance it, aligning with the objectives outlined
in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.
Al-Mushaiti added that the Kingdom
placed significant importance on the various elements of agricultural and food
systems. He highlighted collaborating with regional and international civil
organizations and institutions to promote research.
Such cooperation is considered crucial
for overcoming challenges and attaining goals set by the Kingdom.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2332426/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Culture Ministry extends
scholarship deadline until August 2023
July 04, 2023
RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Culture
announced today the extension of the application period for Saudi Art History
scholarships until Aug. 9, 2023.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, the
scholarship supports the development of Saudi arts and the factors influencing
them: the critical, philosophical and cultural visions that shape creativity in
the Kingdom.
The scholarship was launched in May 2022
and has covered several research fields in the history of arts in the Kingdom,
including visual arts of all kinds, the performing arts, music and cinema,
targeting researchers interested in the history of these various fields
According to the press release, as well
as supporting research, the scholarship monitors schools and artistic trends to
contribute to the growth of the creative, cultural and artistic sector in the
Kingdom.
The ministry stated that it will provide
half of the grant amount after acceptance of an applicants’ first draft, with
the remaining amount awarded after the full research is submitted and approved,
with a statement of acceptance of publication submitted to the ministry.
In addition to filling research gaps
with specialized researchers to provide information on the development of the
arts in Saudi Arabia, scholarship falls in line with the goals of the National
Strategy for Culture emanating from Saudi Vision 2030.
Those wishing to participate can apply
through the following link https://engage.moc.gov.sa/saudi- art-history-grants.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2332441/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia continues to clear land
mines, rehabilitate Yemeni people
July 04, 2023
RIYADH: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief continues
to provide humanitarian aid to nations across the globe including Yemen, with
the Masam project and the prosthetic limb program in the war-torn country
providing much-needed support for those injured by explosions.
Recently, the project’s teams dismantled
605 devices planted by the Iran-backed Houthis in the fourth week of June. It
includes 125 anti-tank mines and 480 unexploded ordnance.
Masam is one of several initiatives
undertaken by Saudi Arabia on the orders of King Salman to help the Yemeni people,
clearing routes for humanitarian aid to reach the country’s citizens.
In June, the project managed to
dismantle a total of 4,899 mines, contributing to a cumulative count of 405,818
cleared mines since the program’s inception in 2018.
These mines, planted indiscriminately by
the Houthis across Yemen, have posed a significant threat to the lives of
innocent individuals, including children, women, and the elderly.
Osama Al-Gosaibi, Masam project
director, said: “This achievement is the result of five years of relentless
effort in the fight against mines. It is a remarkable and promising number that
the team takes great pride in. The project’s remarkable success was achieved
under challenging conditions of disarmament and in a country that is unfamiliar
with handling mines.”
Al-Gosaibi added: “The Kingdom is
consistently loyal to its commitments and determined to advocate for humanity
in various parts of the globe. Its commendable endeavors in Yemen, such as the
Masam project to remove landmines, are a shining example of its humanitarian
efforts.”
The demining operations took place in
Marib, Aden, Jouf, Shabwa, Taiz, Hodeidah, Lahij, Sanaa, Al-Bayda, Al-Dhale,
and Saada. More than 1.2 million mines have been planted by the Houthis,
claiming the lives of hundreds of civilians.
The project trains local engineers and
provides them with modern equipment. It also offers support to Yemenis injured
by the devices. Last month, the project’s contract was extended for another
year at a cost of $33.29 million.
Saudi Arabia, through KSrelief and the
Masam project, remains dedicated to clearing mines from Yemeni territory,
thereby playing a crucial role in ensuring the safety and well-being of Yemeni
citizens.
Meanwhile, KSrelief’s prosthetics center
in Yemen has provided help to hundreds of people. The project offers physical
therapy and other services to assist those who have lost limbs to reintegrate
into society.
The rehabilitation center in the Seiyun
district of Hadramout governorate provided 1,135 services to 291 beneficiaries
in one month, including the manufacture, fitting, delivery and maintenance of
prosthetic limbs for 75 patients.
Other treatments, including physical
therapy and consultation sessions, were also provided for 216 patients.
Yemen is among the top beneficiaries of
KSrelief assistance. The center has implemented 814 projects in Yemen worth
over $4.2 billion.
Its programs include food security,
health, humanitarian and emergency relief, water and hygiene, sanitation,
shelter, protection, camp coordination, nutrition, education, multi cluster,
early recovery, Logistics and telecommunications.
Worldwide, KSrelief has implemented
2,402 projects worth more than $6.2 billion across 92 countries. The
initiatives have been carried out in cooperation with 175 local, regional and
international partners since the inception of the center in May 2015.
Source: arabnews.com
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681 Volunteers Provide Various Services
to Visitors of Prophet's Mosque
04 Jul, 2023
The General Administration of Volunteer
Work at the Agency of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet’s
Mosque said that 681 volunteers have spent 20,000 volunteering hours during the
current month of Dhu al-Hijjah servicing more than 600,000 pilgrims and
visitors to the Prophet's Mosque.
Among the services the volunteers, who
came from seven government agencies, carried out were guidance, crowd
management, distribution of meals, transporting patients to hospitals,
assisting the elderly, and ambulance services.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/31c8ffc0131a43e5be64fe35e12a4eb5
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Resources, Al-Durra area exclusively
owned by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
July 04, 2023
RIYADH: Natural resources and the
Al-Durra gas field in the maritime “Divided Area” are exclusively owned by
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Saudi Press Agency said on Tuesday, citing a foreign
ministry source.
The Kingdom also renewed call for Iran
to start negotiations with Riyadh and Kuwait to demarcate eastern border of the
area, SPA added.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kuwait rejected Iran’s
“claims” over the Al-Durra gas field, stressing that it owned exclusive rights
to its natural resources along with Saudi Arabia, KUNA reported.
Like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait also called on
Iran to begin negotiations over the demarcation of its maritime borders after
Tehran said it was ready to begin drilling in the field.
“We categorically and totally reject
Iran’s planned activities around the premises of the Durra offshore gas field,”
Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Al-Barrak was quoted as saying by KUNA.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2332561/saudi-arabia
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Revisiting Saudi Arabia’s transformative
international scholarship program
July 04, 2023
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s decades-old
international scholarship program has been one of the pillars of the country’s
transformation in training and education.
The Saudi government began offering
students the opportunity to study abroad for the first time in 1927, when King
Abdulaziz provided backing for their education in Egypt.
The first group graduated in 1935,
specializing in Islamic law, medicine, mechanics and agriculture.
They studied at Al-Azhar University, King
Fouad I University, which was renamed Cairo University in 1952, and Victoria
College, which has been renamed the University of Alexandria.
In 1936, the government began to send
students to Europe, and in 1952, the first group graduated from American
universities.
Egypt remained the main destination for
students during the reign of King Abdulaziz.
The 1970s was a time of significant
social and cultural development in the Kingdom and marked by an increase in the
number of students on scholarships abroad.
According to a report by the Institute
of International Education in New York, there were about 10,440 Saudi students
studying in the US during the reign of King Khaled. There was a significant
rise in numbers under King Fahd.
According to Dr. Amal Shuqair, the
deputy minister for scholarships at the Ministry of Education, when the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Scholarship Program was launched by King
Abdullah in 2005, “there was a qualitative shift in scholarship linked to a
long-term strategy that (took into account) promising Saudi projects.”
In March 2022, Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Salman revamped the program for students to gain quality higher education in
preparation for the Kingdom’s next phase of development.
The current Saudi scholarship program
has four main tracks. The Pioneer track seeks to send Saudis to the top 30
universities worldwide across all subjects. The Research and Development track
aims to grant scholarships to the top 200 universities worldwide in various
priority fields.
The Provider track allows students to
study at 200 of the world’s top universities and institutions so that they can
fill jobs that are in high demand. The Promising track aims to educate, train,
and enhance the capabilities of Saudis in various sectors and fields.
According to Shuqair, by 2030 the
program “aims to send 70,000 male and female students to more than 251 cities
in 15 countries that have strong relations with the Kingdom, and are
scientifically and economically advanced in several fields.”
Despite the changes made to the program
over the years, the mission remains the same — to educate all Saudis.
The Kingdom’s efforts has resulted in a
total of 14 Saudi universities listed in the QS World University Rankings by
Subject in 2022, compared to nine in 2019. King Abdulaziz University holds the
top spot for the 2023 QS Arab Region University Rankings.
Shuqair said that the program would
always remain important as “an indispensable qualitative addition, regardless
of the level of education in a country.”
Shuqair added that “new enriching
experiences, keeping pace with science and exchanging experiences with other
minds, is what scholarship provides for students.”
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2332511/saudi-arabia
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King Salman, Crown Prince congratulate
Biden on US Independence Day
July 04, 2023
RIYADH: King Salman sent on Tuesday a
cable to US President Joe Biden to mark July 4, his country’s Independence Day.
The king expressed his sincere
congratulations and best wishes for continued good health and happiness for the
president and further progress and prosperity for the government and people of
the US, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The King “praised relations between the
two friendly countries and the development they are witnessing in all fields,”
the report added.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman also
sent a cable of congratulations to Biden, which also extended his good wishes
and hopes for further progress and prosperity for the US.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi passports chief oversees pilgrims
departure at Jeddah port
July 04, 2023
JEDDAH: The Director General of
Passports Lt. Gen. Sulaiman Al-Yahya recently inspected the progress of pilgrim
departures through Jeddah Islamic Port.
Al-Yahya said the General Directorate of
Passports harnessed all its human and technical resources to expedite the
completion of all procedures allowing pilgrims to leave through their exit
point of choice.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2332531/saudi-arabia
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Southeast Asia
Expert: China-Malaysia exchanges to
promote global peace and harmony
05-Jul-2023
Through the deepening exchanges and
mutual learning between the two countries, China and Malaysia can work together
to make the world's diverse civilizations coexist harmoniously, said Peter
Chang, deputy director of the Institute of China Studies at the University of
Malaya, at the International Conference on China and the World held on July 5.
Source: news.cgtn.com
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https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-07-05/Expert-China-Malaysia-exchanges-to-promote-global-peace-and-harmony-1lbZm9bZK6I/index.html
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Ventes Avenues launches operations in
Malaysia
Jul 5, 2023
Ventes Avenues, a mobile AdTech company,
has expanded operations in Malaysia.
The company specializes in Mobile
Performance, Branding, Technology, Audience Solutions and Influencer Marketing.
“We are delighted to announce that
Ventes has spread its wings into the Malaysian market. With a solid foundation
in Singapore market, Ventes successfully established a strong foothold in the
Indonesian market in December 2019. Continuing its journey of growth and
expansion, we embarked on operations in Vietnam in 2022, further expanding our
reach and influence. Ventes has been actively stepping into the Southeast Asian
market, and this latest move into Malaysia is a testament to our commitment to
expanding and serving brands in the region.”
“As we set forth on our venture in the
Malaysian market, we are thrilled to kick-start with a range of offerings that cater
to the needs of mobile marketing. Starting with our robust audience solutions
inhouse DSP, Apptomizer and Attrimob, our propriety performance-based platform
that prioritizes return on investment. We aim to assist brands in optimizing
their App Performance and Retargeting strategies, recognizing the significance
of every user for app marketers. Our Technology Solution will help Footfall
Measurement for store visit attribution, which empowers advertisers to
understand the success of their campaigns. Furthermore, our strategic
partnerships with Direct OEMs, and Exclusive and Premium Publishers provide
valuable opportunities for brands to maximize their reach with robust
appographic and interest-based targeting.”
NilouferDundh, Founder & CEO, Ventes
Avenues commented, "I am thrilled to witness our entry into the vibrant
and dynamic South East Asian market. This expansion to Malaysia represents a
significant milestone in our journey. We are committed to delivering
exceptional value to brands in this region, building upon our solid foundation
in Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. With our eyes set on growth and our
determination unwavering, we are excited to embark on this new chapter, forging
meaningful connections, providing comprehensive and tailored solutions to
brands, leveraging our expertise in mobile advertising to drive growth, enhance
brand visibility, and deliver measurable results in an ever-evolving digital
landscape.”
Source: exchange4media.com
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https://www.exchange4media.com/people-movement-news/ventes-avenues-launches-operations-in-malaysia-128393.html
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Malaysia to Hold 6 State Polls Next
Month in Test for Anwar
ByKok Leong Chan and AnisahShukry
July 5, 2023
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
will face his biggest popularity test on Aug. 12, when nearly half of the
country’s states head to the polls to vote for regional governments.
Some 9.8 million voters will be eligible
to choose between Anwar’s multiracial unity government and the Malay-majority
federal opposition pact in six of the nation’s 13 states. Nominations for the
polls will be on July 29, Election Commission Chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said
at a briefing in Putrajaya Wednesday, allowing for a two-week campaign period.
The local polls are shaping up to become
Anwar’s first referendum among voters since he rose to power in last November’s
divisive general election. Anwar became prime minister after scoring the
support of longtime rival parties, ending a near-week-long hung parliament.
Setbacks at the state elections could prompt his newfound allies to reassess
their support, potentially jeopardizing his efforts to slash subsidies and the
fiscal deficit.
Read more: Malaysia’s Anwar Faces Key
Test as First State Polls Loom
The coming polls will also be seen as a
barometer for the enduring popularity of the conservative Pan Malaysian Islamic
Party, or PAS, according to Wong Chin Huat, a professor of political science at
Sunway University. PAS won the most parliamentary seats in the Muslim majority
country in last year’s general election, causing gaming- and alcohol-related
stocks to slump in the immediate aftermath.
PAS Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan
Man on Tuesday described their efforts as ensuring an “Islamic victory”. The
party controlled three of the six states up for contest, including Terengganu,
where it enacted laws punishing Muslim women for out-of-wedlock pregnancies and
donning men’s clothing. The other two are Kelantan and Kedah.
Anwar’s alliance governed Selangor,
Malaysia’s richest state; Penang, the nation’s top exporter and electronics
hub; and Negeri Sembilan on the southwest coast. Anwar told reporters Tuesday
that the unity government was confident of defending those states.
“With the current developments and some
studies, our three states are very strong and we will now focus on two more
states,” he said.
Source: bloomberg.com
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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-07-05/malaysia-to-hold-elections-to-six-state-on-aug-12-poll-panel
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Muhyiddin says Dr Mahathir provisionally
in Perikatan’s corner for six state polls
By R. Loheswar
Wednesday, 05 Jul 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad has agreed in principle to support PerikatanNasional (PN) for the six
state elections in August, coalition chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said
today.
The former PM said he met with his
immediate predecessor in a “respectful and cordial” meeting yesterday, during
which they came to the agreement.
“We spoke at length about the position
and future of the Malays without going into specifics about the Malay
Proclamation.
“In principle we have agreed to
strengthen the unity of Malays and to increase support for PN for the upcoming
state elections in six states,” Muhyiddin said in a Facebook post.
Twice former prime minister Dr Mahathir
has claimed the Malays “lost everything” after he resigned following the
collapse of the PakatanHarapan (PH) government in February 2020, which was
partly engineered by PartiPribumiBersatu Malaysia that he and Muhyiddin
co-founded.
Muhyddin was also the PM replacing Dr
Mahathir, who was then expelled from Bersatu shortly after.
Dr Mahathir began pushing his “Malay
Proclamation” earlier this year, after losing his deposit during the 15th
general election, and has sought to hold a gathering to rally the community
into realising the issues they are facing.
He has accused Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim’s administration of bias against the Malays by discouraging talks about
race and religion and sought to contest.
In April, Dr Mahathir began making
overtures towards Islamist party PAS, a partner to Bersatu in the PN coalition,
before saying last month that he would be willing to work with Muhyiddin if
they could find common ground after their previous falling out.
Source: malaymail.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/07/05/muhyiddin-says-dr-mahathir-provisionally-in-perikatans-corner-for-six-state-polls/77998
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/flogging-gujarat-muslim/d/130143