'Quran in one hand, atom bomb in other': Islamist leader's 'jihadi' advice to eradicate poverty in Pakistan
New
Age Islam News Bureau
03
February 2023
Islamist
leader Saad Rizvi
--------
•
MP govt renames Bhopal's Islam Nagar village as 'Jagdishpur' with immediate
effect
•
Afghanistan: 110 graduate from Taliban's jihadist school in Balkh province,
says report
•
Johor Islamic council issues fatwa prohibiting Muslims from participating in rituals
of other faiths
•
Top cleric warns of Al Khalifa regime's plan to 'Judaize Bahrain'
•
Iran Lambastes Demolition of Palestinians' Houses as Example of Western-Style
Human Rights
•
Sharia court dissolves Ganduje
daughter’s 16-year-old marriage
•
Norway bans planned anti-Islam protest outside Turkish embassy over fears of
Quran book burning
•
Biden meets Jordan’s King Abdullah, affirms support of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa
mosque
Pakistan
•
Another Ahmadi Mosque Attacked in Karachi, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Members Suspected
•
'State Tied Our Hands, Thrown Us to Beasts': Pakistan Police Feel 'Abandoned'
After Mosque Blast
•
‘It’s never too late’: PM Shehbaz calls for national unity to become ‘one wall’
against terrorism
•
Terror surge provides govt opportunity to negotiate with arch-rivals
•
2 terrorists killed during exchange of fire in North Waziristan: ISPR
•
TTP can’t be eliminated without Kabul’s support, says Fawad
•
China assures Pakistan to support in counter terrorism
•
Pakistan urges Afghan govt to take ‘concrete steps’ against TTP
•
Former PTI MP faces sedition charge over criticism of military’s approach to
TTP
--------
India
•
India’s Haj quota at around 1.75 lakh this year
•
Govt tutor linked to 3 Jammu and Kashmir blasts held, police find ‘perfume bomb’
•
No proposal to restore Maulana Azad National Fellowship for minority students:
Irani
•
Siddique Kappan walks free after two years and four months
--------
South
Asia
•
Taliban reacts to India's budget 2023. Here is what their leadership says
•
NIA receives terror threat letter on 'orders' of Taliban leader Sirajuddin
Haqqani; Mumbai and other cities on alert
•
Taliban ‘beat and detain’ Afghan educator who spoke out on women’s school ban
•
“Don’t blame others for your own failures…” Taliban to Pakistan on Peshawar
mosque blast
•
UN Says Its Aid Agencies Will Not Quit Afghanistan Despite Taliban Restrictions
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
No place for violence in the name of Islam, says Mufti after 18-year-old
detained under ISA
•
Johor Muslims can’t observe Thaipusam processions, take part in Pongal
celebrations
•
Bank, travel agency launch shariah-compliant umrah financing package
•
Johor Ruler to attend Thaipusam celebrations in Skudai
•
Unity govt needs wake-up call on reforms, says Syed Saddiq
•
Indonesia’s largest Islamic group draws government officials eyeing political
positions
--------
Arab
World
•
Emirati astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi grapples with Ramadan fast while in orbit
•
France to host international meeting on crisis-hit Lebanon on Feb. 6
•
UN experts slam slow progress in Lebanese activist murder probe
•
TotalEnergies pulls staff from Iraq in wrangling over projects: Sources
•
Targeting Iran, US tightens Iraq’s dollar flow to counter money laundering
•
Father of murdered Saudi student says US woman preyed on his son’s kindness
•
Iraq’s new leaders must keep fighting corruption: UN envoy
--------
Mideast
•
Israeli warplanes strike Gaza overnight
•
Iran Dismisses IAEA Report on Undeclared Change at Fordow Nuclear Facility
•
Turkey summons nine western envoys over security warnings
•
Iran: Preliminary Investigations Show Israel Responsible for Drone Attack on
Military Facility
•
Israel arrests American over Jerusalem church vandalism
•
Iran Categorically Rejects French Claims of Smuggling Arms to Yemen
•
Israel to Chad: Need to curb Iran, Hezbollah clout in Sahel region
•
Iranian FM Describes Sanctions as Terrorist Tool
•
Israel’s finance minister confiscates Palestinian money to compensate Israeli
victims of attacks
•
Iran’s IRGC chief vows punishment after desecration of Quran in Europe
•
Israel’s foreign minister arrives in Khartoum to discuss Sudan normalization
•
Iran blames cyberattack for internet disruption: Report
•
Israel’s attorney general says Netanyahu cannot be involved in legal overhaul
--------
Africa
•
Islamic group, JNI, wants security operatives punished over Nasarawa killings
•
Sudan, Israel agree to move forward with ‘normalization’: Sudan foreign
ministry
•
Tunisians struggle with prices and shortages as economy worsens
•
Moroccan court rules to extradite Saudi man despite fears of torture, unfair
trial
--------
Europe
•
Vienna court convicts alleged accomplices in 2020 Islamic State shooting
•
Muslim org buys UK synagogue it calls 'place of worship of non-believers'
•
Anti-Muslim extremist Rasmus Paludan engaged in sex chats with minors
•
European Muslims decry Quran burning in Sweden, Netherlands
•
UK Home Office orders Afghan refugees to uproot families and leave London
within a week
•
Religion-based substitute meals in schools not against secular principles, says
French court
--------
North
America
•
In now annual tradition, US urges Israel to keep friction in check ahead of
Ramadan
•
Monica Lewinsky took Bill Clinton’s eye off bin Laden, leading to 9/11: ex-aide
•
Muslim congresswoman, Israel critic Ilhan Omar, removed from House committee
•
Pakistani Gitmo prisoner transferred to Belize
•
UN General Assembly President visits China, does not raise Uyghur repression
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
'Quran
in one hand, atom bomb in other': Islamist leader's 'jihadi' advice to
eradicate poverty in Pakistan
Sandeep
Sharma
February
02, 2023
Islamist
leader Saad Rizvi
------
Islamabad:
Instead of begging for aid in front of the entire world, the Shehbaz Sharif-led
Pakistani government should go to nations with a nuclear bomb and demand money,
said Islamist leader Saad Rizvi, who heads the previously banned
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party.
Highlighting
the issue of burning of Quran in Sweden and Netherlands, Saad Rizvi said that
the Pakistani government gave a weak response, failed to teach them a lesson.
“They
are sending the prime minister (Shehbaz Sharif), his entire cabinet and chief
of army staff to other countries to beg for economic aid… I ask why are they
doing this? They said the Pakistani economy is in danger… Instead, I advise
them to take Quran in one hand and the atom bomb suitcase in the other, and
take the cabinet to Sweden, and say that we have come for the security of
Quran. If this entire universe does not fall under your feet, then you can
change my name,” Rizvi said in a viral video.
Through
his speech, he said that there was no need for the government to hold
discussions with nations and Pakistan could coerce them through threats.
Rizvi’s
rally was held in Lahore and according to a report by The Associated Press, at
least 12,000 people attended it.
Tehreek-e-Labbaik
Pakistan was previously banned in Pakistan, but in 2021, party members forced
former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan to free their leader from Kot
Lakhpat Jail in Lahore and remove his name from the Fourth Schedule, a list of
terrorist suspects listed under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.
The
Controversy
Last
month, a protest erupted in Stockholm against Turkey and Sweden’s bid to join
NATO, including the burning of a copy of the Quran. Rasmus Paludan, the leader
of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, had previously burned a copy
of the Quran in front of Turkey’s embassy in Stockholm, Sweden.
Afte
the Stockholm incident, Edwin Wagensfeld, the leader of the extremist
anti-Islam group Pegida in the Netherlands, tore up pages and burned another
copy of the Holy Quran in Den Haag.
Several
countries around the world responded strongly to the incidents.
Pakistan
Economic Crisis
Amid
ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan, a high-level delegation led by the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Mission Chief Nathan Porter on Tuesday met
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and other officials as part of the
opening session of 10-day long talks for the completion of the much-delayed
programme review for a bailout package.
Pakistan
signed a USD 6 billion IMF programme during Imran Khan’s government in 2019,
which was increased to USD 7 billion last year. The programme’s ninth review is
currently pending with talks being held between IMF officials and the
government for the release of USD 1.18 billion.
But
the IMF suspended disbursements in November last year due to Pakistan’s failure
to make more progress on fiscal consolidation amidst the political turmoil in
the country.
Source:Firstpost
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--------
MP
govt renames Bhopal's Islam Nagar village as 'Jagdishpur' with immediate effect
Feb
2, 2023
Madhya
Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan (File Photo)
--------
The
Madhya Pradesh government announced that Islam Nagar village, situated in the
Bhopal district, has been renamed as Jagdishpur. On Wednesday, the MP
administration, in an official release, declared the changes and mentioned the
change in the name with immediate effect.
In
the press note, the state government said the decision was conveyed by the
central government's ministry of home affairs. Also, it stated that the home
ministry had issued the renaming on September 15, 2022.
Previously,
in February 2021, the CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government had renamed
Hoshangabad as Narmadapuram and Nasrullahganj was renamed as Bhairunda.
Source:IndiaToday
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--------
Afghanistan:
110 graduate from Taliban's jihadist school in Balkh province, says report
Feb
02, 2023
Representative
image. Each jihadist school will have 10 teachers and 8 staff members.
Photograph:(AFP)
-----------
A
total of 110 students graduated from the Taliban's jihadist school in the Balkh
province of Afghanistan, a report by Afghanistan International said on Tuesday
(January 31) citing the Bakhtar News Agency. The report said as per public
statements made by the Taliban's education minister, the Islamic Emirate will
establish three to 10 such schools in each district of Afghanistan.
An
order attributed to the Taliban's Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada divulged
more details about the formation and expenses of the jihadist schools. The
order said that each school will have 10 teachers and eight staff members,
adding 500-1,000 students will be trained each semester. A salary scale of
15,000 to 25,000 Afghanis has been approved for the staff members. The
students, meanwhile, 150 Afghanis per day.
The
Afghanistan International report also said that the jihadist schools' salaries
are not comparable to public school teachers’ salaries, adding that a public
school teacher, with an undergraduate degree, receives only 9,000 Afghani as
salary.
In
August this year, the Taliban will mark two years of being the ruling
administration in Afghanistan. In recent times, the Islamic Emirate has faced
global condemnation over the restrictions imposed on females- the latest being
a ban on university education and prohibiting Non-Governmental Organisations
(NGOs) from working with Afghan women.
On
Wednesday (February 1), the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken
announced new visa restrictions against the Taliban in response to the bans.
"I am taking action today to impose additional visa restrictions on
certain current or former Taliban members, members of non-state security groups,
and other individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in,
repressing women and girls in Afghanistan," Blinken said in a statement,
news agency AFP reported.
And
on Tuesday, Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations (UN) said that
following his recent discussions with the Taliban, they would create a set of
written guidelines to allow aid groups to operate with female staff in more
areas with certainty in coming weeks.
Addressing
a press conference, Griffiths said, "We were told that guidelines are
being developed by the Taliban authorities, which would allegedly provide the
role of functioning of women in humanitarian operations," news agency
Reuters reported.
"Let's
see if these guidelines do come through. Let's see if they are beneficial.
Let's see what space there is for the essential and central role of women in
our humanitarian operations. Everybody has opinions as to whether it's going to
work or not. Our view is that the message has clearly been delivered. Women are
central, essential workers in the humanitarian sector in addition to having
rights, and we need to see them back to work," he added.
Source:WIONews
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--------
Johor
Islamic council issues fatwa prohibiting Muslims from participating in rituals
of other faiths
02
Feb 2023
Muslims
perform Friday prayer at Penang State Mosque, Jalan Masjid Negeri April 1,
2022. — Bernama pic
----------
JOHOR
BARU, Feb 2 — The Johor Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ) today issued a fatwa
prohibiting Muslims from attending and participating in religious rituals of
other faiths in the state.
State
Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman, Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid, said that
the Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has consented to
the fatwa, which came into effect today.
He
said the ulama (religious scholars) from the four schools of Islamic thought,
namely Shafie, Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali, have agreed that Muslims are
prohibited from attending and participating in religious rituals of other
faiths.
“These
non-Islamic religious rituals include in houses of worship, as well as other
places.
However,
according to a number of scholars, Muslims are allowed to fulfil invitations to
a ceremony in conjunction with a celebration of other faiths without a
religious ritual ceremony, which is permissible, he told reporters at the
Iskandar Islamic Centre, here, today.
Mohd
Fared said that this fatwa is hoped to be able to provide a better
understanding among Muslims in Johor, and at the same time, guidelines were
also issued on non-Muslim festivals which Muslims can attend.
“Among
other things, the ceremony is not accompanied by rituals including religious
symbols, or singing religious songs which are against the Islamic faith,” he
said.
Thus,
Mohd Fared said that MAINJ will meet with religious leaders and management of
non-Muslim houses of worship, to explain and clarify the guidelines.
“This
ban is not meant to disturb the harmony between races, but simply to give
advice and guidance, so that community leaders are careful in promoting
togetherness without violating certain boundaries,” he said, adding that
individuals who violate the guidelines can be prosecuted in accordance with
Section 9 of the Johor Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment 1997. — Bernama
Source:MalayMail
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Top
cleric warns of Al Khalifa regime's plan to 'Judaize Bahrain'
02
February 2023
Bahrain’s
most prominent cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim (Photo by ABNA)
----------
Bahrain's
most prominent cleric has blasted some Arab states over normalization of
diplomatic ties with Israel, saying that the process runs contrary to the
fundamental principles of the Palestinian cause, and poses serious threats to
the security, resources and sanctities of the Muslim world.
Sheikh
Isa Qassim described struggle against the trend as “decisive,” saying, “If the
news about transformation of Bahrain into a base for Zionists in the Persian
Gulf region turns out to be true or any effort is made in this regard, the
engineers of such a plot will face a determined and serious resistance as
Bahraini people, thanks to their religious beliefs, will not allow these goals
and objectives to materialize.”
He
added, “Bahraini authorities mistakenly think they would be able to maintain
grip on power if they continue to tread the path of normalization, and imprison
activists and popular figures. That is why resistance against such an approach
is essential and mandatory.”
“The
perseverance of national campaigners and Bahraini expatriates will set up a
major and formidable barrier to the Manama regime’s treacherous policy,” Sheikh
Qassim pointed out.
The
senior Bahraini Shia cleric went on to denounce the Al Khalifah regime’s
attempts to Judaize Bahrain, stating, “State officials are hell-bent on
advancing the bids; but popular resistance is building up day by day to thwart
the Judaization plans. This is a matter of identity and religion, which cannot
be compromised, procrastinated or overlooked.”
“The
Palestinian issue will always remain the primary goal of Arabs and the entire
Muslim world. Normalization is a destructive trend and runs contrary to the
goals and ideals of Palestine. Unconditional and popular support for
Palestinian resistance groups will therefore foster the spirit of
steadfastness, and foil the sinister plots of those pushing for normalization
with Israel and their masters,” Sheikh Qassim said.
Bahrainis
have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the normalization of ties with
the Israeli regime by holding demonstrations.
Bahrain’s
main opposition group al-Wefaq has also repeatedly condemned the normalization
move made by the al-Khalifah dynasty.
Bahrain
and the United Arab Emirates signed US-brokered normalization agreements with
Israel in an event in Washington in September 2020.
Sudan
and Morocco followed suit later in the year and inked similar US-brokered
normalization deals with the occupying regime.
The
move sparked widespread condemnations from the Palestinians as well as nations
and human rights advocates across the globe, especially within the Muslim
world.
Palestinians
slammed the deals as a treacherous “stab in the back” and a betrayal of their
cause against the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Palestinians are seeking an independent state in the occupied West Bank and the
Gaza Strip with East al-Quds as its capital.
Source:PressTV
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--------
Iran
Lambastes Demolition of Palestinians' Houses as Example of Western-Style Human
Rights
2023-February-2
"It
is a bitter humor that the Palestinians as the owners of their land have to ask
the occupiers for a construction permit," Kana'ani said in a post on his
Twitter account on Thursday.
“What
a bitter humor; The original owners of the land - Palestinians - have to ask
the occupier for a construction permit! The occupier does not give it, because
it considers it a disturbance to the development of Zionist settlements!! So
they destroy!!!" the diplomat added.
"A
view of Western Human Rights!” the spokesperson wrote.
On
Wednesday, Israeli soldiers razed two houses in Beit Jala and Al-Walaja,
Northwest of Bethlehem, claiming that the properties were not licensed.
According
to reports, hundreds of Palestinian-owned structures were demolished last year,
displacing thousands of Palestinians, including children. Israeli forces have
also demolished hundreds of facilities providing various services for more Palestinians,
including children and women.
The
demolition of Palestinian homes across the occupied territories has increased
since an extreme far-right administration led by Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu took office. Netanyahu’s hardline government has put West Bank
settlement expansion at the top of its list of priorities.
Tehran
says the history of the apartheid regime is full of assassinations, massacre,
torture and killing of Palestinian kids, and described Tel Aviv regime's
atrocities and massacre of Palestinian women and children as indicative of the
destitute of Zionists.
Iranian
officials say the Tel Aviv regime has been struggling for more than 70 years to
exit its identity crisis which has been mixed with genocide, plunder, forced
displacement and scores of other inhumane moves.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Sharia
court dissolves Ganduje daughter’s 16-year-old marriage
February
2, 2023
By
Wale Odunsi
An
Upper Shari’a Court in Kano State on Thursday dissolved the marriage between
AsiyaGanduje and Inuwa Uba.
Asiya
is a daughter of Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
The
Judge, Malam Abdullahi Haliru said the marriage was ended through Khul’i
(divorce by Islamic means).
The
judge ordered the plaintiff to return N50,000 the respondent paid as dowry 16
years ago.
Halliru
ruled that the conditions Inuwa earlier raised “should be based on Islamic
Sunnah on Khul’i”.
“Khul’i
is strictly based on returning the dowry given to a woman.
“The
condition should not affect her in any way, especially in giving out her
wealth”, he stressed.
Asiya,
through her counsel, Ibrahim Aliyu-Nassarawa had insisted on returning the
bride price in exchange for divorce.
In
her application, the petitioner informed the court that she was tired of her
union with Inuwa.
Asiya
said “every woman living under strange conditions” has a right under Islamic
law to seek for her marriage to be dissolved.
Earlier,
Inuwa’s lawyer, Umar I. Umar stated that the issue was beyond the payment of
N50,000 dowry.
“The
respondent has four kids with the plaintiff, but all efforts to reconcile them
proved abortive,” Umar said.
In
his conditions, Inuwa asked Asiya to return his credentials, house
certificates, cars and relinquish her rights in their joint rice company.
Source:
DailyPost Nigeria
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://dailypost.ng/2023/02/02/sharia-court-dissolves-ganduje-daughters-16-year-old-marriage/
--------
Norway
bans planned anti-Islam protest outside Turkish embassy over fears of Quran
book burning
February
02, 2023
The
Norwegian government has banned an anti-Islam demonstration due to take place
on Friday outside the Turkish embassy in Oslo citing security concerns, it has
emerged.
The
Norwegian police, who canceled the event on advice from the Norwegian foreign
ministry, revealed authorities were concerned that protesters planned to burn a
copy of the Quran, imitating an event that took place in Sweden last month and
enraged the Islamic world.
“The
police emphasize that burning the Quran is a legal political statement in
Norway, but this event can’t go ahead due to security concerns,” Oslo Police
Inspector Martin Strand told local media.
The
far-right Stop the Islamization of Norway (SIAN) organization confirmed to
Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang on Thursday that its supporters planned to
burn the Quran at the protest outside the Turkish embassy.
“I
applied to hold a political demonstration on Friday in front of the Turkish
embassy. I do this in the context of Turkey’s intolerance of Western values of
freedom. We cannot let Erdoğan rule with the authorities in Western countries,
the organization’s leader Lars Thorsen told the newspaper.
Following
its knowledge of the planned demonstration, Turkey summoned the Norwegian
ambassador in Ankara to express the government’s outrage the event had been
given the green light by Norwegian authorities.
Norway’s
foreign ministry subsequently demanded the demonstration be called off,
revealing Ankara had warned it was a “provocative act.”
In
a statement, Norway’s foreign ministry revealed the country’s ambassador to
Turkey had “pointed out that freedom of expression is enshrined in the
constitution in Norway, and that the Norwegian authorities neither support nor
stand behind the announced demonstration.” However, the decision to ban the
demonstration appears to have been taken nonetheless.
A
similar demonstration was allowed to take place outside the Turkish embassy in
Sweden last month when Danish fringe politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of
the Islamic holy book. Ankara was so incensed that the protest had been allowed
to take place that it canceled planned talks with the Swedish government over
Sweden’s ambitions to join NATO.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan consequently said his government may end up
approving Finland’s membership application, but wouldn’t ratify Sweden joining
the alliance until it started to crack down on anti-Turkey protests in the
country and extradited asylum seekers Ankara deems to be terrorists.
Source:RMX
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Biden
meets Jordan’s King Abdullah, affirms support of Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque
03
February ,2023
President
Joe Biden on Thursday underlined his support for the legal “status quo” of
Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound in a meeting at the White House with
Jordanian King Abdullah II.
Biden,
the King and Crown Prince Hussein had a private lunch in which the US president
“reaffirmed the close, enduring nature of the friendship between the United
States and Jordan,” the White House said. They also both spoke with Iraq’s
prime minister by phone.
Referring
to growing tensions around the al-Aqsa mosque -- located on a site venerated
both by Muslims and Jews inside Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem -- Biden
reaffirmed “the critical need to preserve the historic status quo.”
Biden
also recognized Jordan’s “crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places
in Jerusalem,” the White House said in a statement.
On
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Biden reiterated the US position of “strong
support for a two-state solution,” also thanking King Abdullah “for his close
partnership and the role he and Jordan play as a force for stability in the
Middle East.”
While
with the King, Biden spoke by phone with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia
al-Sudani “to reaffirm US commitment to Iraq,” the White House said.
Biden
hailed Sudani’s “efforts to strengthen Iraq’s sovereignty and independence,”
the statement said, adding Biden expressed support for the country’s “economic
agenda and plans to ensure that Iraq’s economy is delivering for the Iraqi
people.”
Biden
and Sudani stressed their commitment to keeping ISIS from being able to
“threaten the Iraqi people or regional and international security.”
King
Abdullah was invited to join the call, the White House said, and he “stressed
Jordan’s support for Iraq, including through joint strategic infrastructure
projects.”
Al-Aqsa
mosque is the third-holiest place in Islam and the most sacred site to Jews,
who refer to the compound as the Temple Mount.
Under
a longstanding status quo, non-Muslims can visit the site at specific times but
are not allowed to pray there.
In
recent years, a growing number of Jews, most of them Israeli nationalists, have
covertly prayed at the compound, angering Palestinians. In January, the
national security minister in Israel’s new far-right government made his own
visit to the site, sparking a torrent of international condemnation.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Pakistan
Another
Ahmadi Mosque Attacked in Karachi, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Members Suspected
By:
Manoj Gupta
FEBRUARY
03, 2023
Suspected
members of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik outfit in Pakistan allegedly
vandalised and destroyed the Ahmadi Mosque in Karachi.
According
to local reports, unidentified men broke the minarets of the Ahmadi Masjid in
Sadar, Karachi and escaped. Some people wearing helmets reportedly came with a
ladder and escaped after causing damage to the mosque structure.
This
is the second such incident in a month after minarets of the Ahmadi Jamaat
Khata on Jamshed Road were demolished. In the last three months, this is the
fifth Ahmadi mosque to be attacked.
Local
sources said the attackers in the latest incident were from the TLP.
WHAT
IS TEHRIK-E-LABAIK?
ACCORDING
TO A REUTERS REPORT, TEHRIK-E-LABBAIK (MOVEMENT OF THE PROPHET’S FOLLOWERS) IS
AN EXTREMIST SUNNI ISLAMIST GROUP WHOSE MAIN FOCUS IS PROTECTING PAKISTAN’S
DRACONIAN BLASPHEMY LAWS AND PUNISHING BLASPHEMERS.
THE
MOVEMENT WAS BORN IN 2015 OUT OF A PROTEST CAMPAIGN TO SEEK THE RELEASE OF
MUMTAZ QADRI, A POLICE GUARD WHO ASSASSINATED PUNJAB GOVERNOR SALMAN TASEER IN
2011 OVER HIS CALLS TO REFORM BLASPHEMY LEGISLATION. QADRI WAS LATER EXECUTED.
THE
GROUP FOUNDED A POLITICAL PARTY AT QADRI’S FUNERAL IN 2016 ATTENDED BY TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
Source:
News18
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'State
Tied Our Hands, Thrown Us to Beasts': Pakistan Police Feel 'Abandoned' After
Mosque Blast
FEBRUARY
03, 2023
Pakistan
police officers say they have been “thrown to the beasts" in their battle
against rising militancy after a blast at a city headquarters killed dozens of
their colleagues.
A
suicide bomber wearing a police uniform infiltrated the heavily guarded
compound in Peshawar on Monday and blew himself up during afternoon prayers at
a mosque, in the deadliest attack Pakistan has seen for several years.
“We
are in a state of shock, every other day our colleagues are dying, how long
will we have to suffer?" one police officer told AFP on condition of
anonymity.
“If
the protectors are not safe, then who is safe in this country?"
Authorities
say the blast, which also killed a civilian, was carried out in revenge for
police operations against relentless assaults by Islamist groups in the region,
which borders Afghanistan.
“We
are at the frontline of this war, we are protecting the schools, offices, and
public places but today we feel abandoned," a junior officer said.
“The
state has tied our hands and thrown us to the beasts."
Bickering
politicians who are months away from contesting a general election have traded
blame for the deteriorating security situation, with the country also weighed
down by a severe economic crisis.
Source:
News18
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‘It’s
never too late’: PM Shehbaz calls for national unity to become ‘one wall’
against terrorism
February
3, 2023
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for national unity against terrorism
“or else history will not forgive us”, as he addressed the Apex Committee meeting
in Peshawar that was convened after a deadly terrorist attack in the city’s
Police Lines Area claimed the lives of 101 people, mostly policemen.
His
remarks come as Pakistan has been hit by a wave of terrorism, mostly in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, but also in Balochistan and the Punjab town of Mianwali, which
borders KP. A terror attack also reached as far as the peripheries of
Islamabad.
January
was the deadliest month since 2018, in which 134 people lost their lives — a
139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks
across the country.
As
he began his speech, he called for unity across the political spectrum and
expressed frustration at the criticism levelled against the federal government
from opposition parties in the wake of terrorism.
“Over
80 people who were praying at the mosque were subjected to martyrdom
barbarically,” he said. “We are here to express sympathies with their families
and this is the purpose of the meeting.
“This
[act of] terrorism managed to breach the security check post and reach the
mosque. We should not feel hesitant in admitting the facts.”
He
said it was being asked how terrorism — which had been eradicated a few years
ago — let this happen. However, he hit back at the “conspiracy theories” that
spread in the wake of the attack.
“In
the wake of this incident, undue criticism was seen on social media. This is
certainly condemnable. The occurrence of the incident due to security lapses
will be probed. But saying this was a drone attack and similar related
accusations were uncalled for in this tragic time.”
He
said he was certain that the entire Pakistani nation was thinking about how the
menace would be tackled in future. “What measures will be taken to stop this
terror wave? It is the need of the hour that provinces and the Centre along
with the leaderships of political parties take ownership and shun their
differences, be they political or related to any religious reasons.
“We
should unite and tackle this.”
He
said this was the “moment which makes or breaks a nation”. He vowed the country
would “collectively” overcome this challenge. “All resources will be mobilised.
This meeting reaffirms our aim to sit together until this menace is
eradicated.”
The
prime minister said in the past years, operations Zarb-i-Azb and RaddulFasaad
“broke the back of terrorism” and sacrifices were rendered in its wake. “Our
friends and foes give testimony to this,” he added.
“Eradicating
terrorism which had spread across four provinces was not easy. Many people lost
their lives confronting terror. Our police and armed forces gave huge
sacrifices. Our citizens were on the frontline.”
He
said history would always remember the martyrs and their sacrifices. “And such
sacrifices cannot be forgotten.”
However,
he called for avoiding “criticism for the sake of criticism”. “We have to talk
about [taking] responsibility.”
He
said following terrorist acts in Bannu, Nowshera and Peshawar, the Centre was
at the receiving end of criticism for “not supporting us” and “there is a
dearth of resources”.
PM
Shehbaz said: “I want to tell you that Rs417 billion were given [to Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa since 2010] and I want to give credit to the then federal
government of the PPP and leadership of the four provinces that they achieved
the NFC award.”
He
said Rs417bn were given to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in these 13 years “but where did
this money go”.
“We
had formed CTD [in Punjab] for Rs2.5bn and similar forces should have been
formed here. We built Safe City for Rs14bn. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had Rs417bn,
they should have built safe city centres and satellite forensic labs. Nobody
would have questioned them.”
He
vowed that despite the economic challenges to the country, his government was
with the province. “The terms that we have to meet with the IMF are beyond imagination.
Despite all these problems, the Centre is with you. We will strengthen CTD to
the best of our abilities; we are here to serve you.”
He
again returned to questioning how the Rs417bn was spent and said if “one-fourth
of the amount was spent on the purpose (counter-terrorism) then people would be
sleeping soundly”.
He
said: “If only this would have happened, but it did not. We now have to move.
Terrorists have no religion, they attack humanity. And there could nothing
worse than this.”
He
again called for unity. “We have to avoid differences and become one wall
[against terrorism]. The political leadership has to take ownership. All
constitutional institutions have to unite people and if we don’t do this, our
purpose won’t be fulfilled.”
He
said he also invited religious leaders yesterday for the meeting and the All
Parties Conference (APC) on Feb 7. “I asked all of them despite differences —
if there are any. If we do not act now, history will not forgive us.”
“Those
who spread cruelty inside Pakistan; you are taking steps to settle them [here],
but to improve the country’s fate, you are not ready to shake hands with your
own people. But these double standards will not work.”
Without
naming the PTI, the prime minister lamented that militants were “brought here
to be settled” but they were not willing to work together for the country’s
future.
“According
to my information, terrorists have not occupied any area. They do not have an
inch in their control. They roam about here and there. But there is no place in
their possession. If this is the instance, this is welcoming. But who brought
them here? This is the question that the nation is looking for the answer to.”
Earlier,
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said the prime minister would chair an
important meeting of the Apex Committee in Peshawar today.
Television
footage showed the Prime Minister and other stakeholders taking their seats at
the Governor House in Peshawar.
The
committee, which was formed in 2015 for each province following the Army Public
School attack to oversee the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP)
against terrorism, will meet at the Governor House and comprise all
stakeholders, including law enforcement and intelligence officials.
In
a tweet, the minister said that the meeting will discuss anti-terrorism
measures.
All
stakeholders, police, rangers and senior officers of sensitive institutions are
participating in the meeting.
Meanwhile,
PTI Chairman Imran Khan reiterated his disapproval of the incumbent government
and held it responsible for the spread of terrorism.
He
accused the government of “destroying the economy, democracy and the rule of
law.”
“And
when I look at terrorism being allowed to spread under my nose, I wonder how
Shehbaz Sharif can be so shameless!” the ex-PM tweeted.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif had on Thursday convened a multi-party conference (MPC)
to discuss “important challenges” being faced by Pakistan.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Terror
surge provides govt opportunity to negotiate with arch-rivals
Amir
Wasim
February
3, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
In a move that is being seen as a significant development amid rising political
temperatures in the country, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday convened
a multi-party conference (MPC) to discuss “important challenges” being faced by
Pakistan.
According
to an announcement by Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, the MPC will be
held in Islamabad on Feb 7, for which an invitation has also been extended to
PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan.
The
invitation to the PTI was formally delivered to party leaders Pervez Khattak
and AsadQaiser by former speaker and federal minister, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
The
minister has also asked the PTI to nominate two representatives who would
attend a meeting of the provincial apex committee, to be held in Peshawar today
(Friday).
Multi-party
conference scheduled for Feb 7; PTI representatives also invited to today’s
apex committee meeting in Peshawar
The
committee, which was formed in 2015 following the Army Public School attack to
oversee the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) against terrorism,
will meet at the Governor House and comprise all stakeholders, including law
enforcement and intelligence officials.
According
to the official announcement, the situation developing in the wake of the Jan
30 attack on Peshawar’s Police Lines and the upgradation of police and
Counter-Terrorism Department’s capabilities would come under discussion in the
apex committee meeting.
However,
there was no official word from the PTI on the invitation, which comes three
days after the deadly suicide attack that claimed the lives of over 100, mostly
policemen, in Peshawar.
The
MPC also comes as the country faces one of the worst economic crises in its
history, in addition to the serious security threats stemming from a resurgence
in the activities of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Moreover,
there has been a demand from a number of political parties to call a joint
sitting of the parliament on the issue and seek a briefing from the military
leadership.
Since
the Peshawar blast, a war of words is going in between the leaders of the
ruling coalition and the PTI, blaming each other for the recent rise in
terrorism.
Parties
in the ruling coalition blame the recent wave of terror on the ‘wrong policy’
of the previous PTI government to engage militants and allow them to resettle
in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
During
a recent session of the National Assembly, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had referred to in-camera briefings given to
parliamentarians by the then-military leadership during the PTI’s tenure, after
the Taliban takeover of Kabul, terming the decision to resettle TTP militants
“faulty”.
The
defence minister had claimed that the briefings had remained “inconclusive” and
they were only informed about the already taken decisions which were never
endorsed by the parliament.
At
the time, Rana Sanallah had informed the assembly that the previous regime had
told them that there were some 8,000 militants, along with 25,000 of their
family members, including children, who should be given an opportunity to
surrender before the law.
“Maybe
this policy was developed with good intentions, but the decision proved to be
wrong,” the interior minister said, adding that the nation was suffering today
because of this policy.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
2
terrorists killed during exchange of fire in North Waziristan: ISPR
Naveed
Siddiqui
February
3, 2023
Two
terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire between terrorists and
security forces in the Esham area of the North Waziristan district, according
to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on
Thursday.
Following
the “intense exchange of fire”, weapons and ammunition were also recovered from
the killed terrorists, the ISPR added.
It
further said the terrorists had remained “actively involved in terrorist
activities against security forces”.
The
ISPR added: “The incident re-vindicates [the] Pakistan Army’s resolve to have
zero tolerance for terrorism in Pakistan and reaffirms its determination to
take on any and all entities that resort to violence.”
The
exchange of fire comes after a surge in terrorist activities in the country,
especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since the outlawed
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government.
On
Monday, a devastating suicide blast took place in the Peshawar Police Line area
that resulted in 101 people killed and around 59 injured, according to official
numbers until now.
On
January 18, security forces gunned down at least four terrorists during an
Intelligence-Based Operation (IBO) in Balochistan’sHoshab.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
TTP
can’t be eliminated without Kabul’s support, says Fawad
Ikram
Junaidi
February
3, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan could not be eliminated without the backing of Afghanistan
government.
He
said the issue of terrorism cannot be solved without stable diplomatic ties
with the government in Afghanistan. He made these remarks while
addressing a press conference alongside other PTI leaders, including
Hammad Azhar, Shahbaz Gill and Ali Nawaz Awan.
“Only
using [military] force would further complicate the issue,” he said, adding
that terrorists carry out attacks in Pakistan and then escape to Afghanistan.
He
also claimed there was no terrorism during his party’s government from 2018 to
2022 because former prime minister Imran Khan believed in non-military solution
to the Afghanistan issue.
Mr
Chaudhry, who serves as PTI vice president, said at a time when the country was
grieving the victims of Peshawar blast, the government was busy taking revenge
from the opposition. He referred to the case made against former PTI MNA
Shandana Gulzar and the arrests of ex-interior minister Sheikh Rashid and
journalist Imran Riaz Khan.
Mr
Chaudhry said the PTI government had succeeded in curbing terrorism effectively
and no major terrorist attack took place.
This
was despite the fact that the region was passing through a major transitional period
as the US troops were withdrawing from Afghanistan, added Mr Chaudhry.
He
added that ex-PM Khan knew the leadership of Afghanistan and was cognisant to
the fact that war was not the solution. “So, he launched an initiative which
was widely welcomed and peace was restored in the country.”
“We
brought the country back to tourism from terrorism within nine months,” he
added.
Article
6
Commenting
on the polls to be held for Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, Mr
Chaudhry warned the caretaker setups in the two provinces to refrain from
delaying tactics.
He
said the two governors must hold polls within three months. He warned the
Punjab and KP governors of action under Article 6 on the Constitution if polls
were delayed.
He
said if elections were not held within 90 days, there would be no government
and martial law would be enforced automatically.
MrAzhar
said the IMF team was currently in Pakistan and ceding to the lender’s demand
would result in hyperinflation.
“The
country needs stability at this time because political stability is directly
proportional to the economic stability,” said MrAzhar, who briefly served as
the finance minster during the previous government.
Talking
about the return of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, Mr Gill stated she returned to
dent the PTI but instead cracks have emerged within her own party.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735043/ttp-cant-be-eliminated-without-kabuls-support-says-fawad
--------
China
assures Pakistan to support in counter terrorism
February
2, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
China’s top leadership has assured its unwavering support to Pakistan in
countering terrorism, promoting national action plan, ensuring security of its
people and stability of the country.
The
assurance was given by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang in a
condolence message addressed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in which they
condemned the terrorist attack in a mosque in Peshawar, according to a Radio
Pakistan’s report.
Both
leaders expressed condolences on behalf of Chinese government and people to the
families of those martyred in the incident and conveyed best wishes for speedy
recovery of the injured.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/02/02/china-assures-pakistan-to-support-in-counter-terrorism/
--------
Pakistan
urges Afghan govt to take ‘concrete steps’ against TTP
February
2, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan expects sincere cooperation from the Afghan interim government to
address the challenge of terrorism and hopes that Afghanistan will live up its
commitments made with the international community and Pakistan in this regard.
This
was stated by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, while replying
to a question during her weekly news briefing here in Islamabad on Thursday.
She
said terrorism is a common threat to both Pakistan and Afghanistan and we must
take a strong stand against such entities that use violence against innocent
citizens and law enforcement agencies.
The
Spokesperson expressed Pakistan’s resolve to root out the evil of terrorism and
safeguard the security of every citizen. She said we do not believe in
accusations or finger pointing.
However,
we would reiterate our expectations that no country should allow its territory
to be used for perpetrating terrorism against Pakistan, she said, adding that
it is time that the commitments made to the world are fulfilled with sincerity
and in good faith actions.
Responding
to another question, the Spokesperson said Pakistan has a foreign policy that
prioritizes developing good relations with all countries.
She
said we have constructive dialogue with all countries, including Russian
Federation, the United States, the European Union, and our neighbors. She said
bilateral relations with Russia, including economic cooperation, will further
deepen in the future.
Mumtaz
Zahra Baloch informed that Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani
Khar will undertake a two-day visit to Sri Lanka from tomorrow (Friday).
The
Spokesperson said the Minister of State will participate in the 75th
Independence Day of Sri Lanka as a Guest of Honour. In addition to attending
the Independence Day events, she will call on the Sri Lankan leadership and
hold a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka.
She
said Pakistan and Sri Lanka have historic ties that have grown steadily in all
aspects of bilateral cooperation. We also have worked closely in multilateral
forums including SAARC, she added.
She
said the visit of the Minister of State would contribute to enhanced
understanding between the two countries and signal Pakistan’s support for Sri
Lanka in a difficult time.
‘Look
for reasons instead of blaming Afghanistan’
Meanwhile,
Afghanistan’s Taliban-appointed foreign minister asked Pakistan to look for the
reasons behind militant violence in their country instead of blaming
Afghanistan.
The
comments from Amir Khan Muttaqi came days after Pakistan said the attackers who
orchestrated Monday’s suicide bombing that killed 101 people in Peshawar staged
the attack on Afghan soil.
During
a ceremony to inaugurate a drug addiction treatment centre in the capital of
Kabul on Wednesday, Muttaqi asked Islamabad to launch a serious investigation
into Monday’s mosque bombing in Peshawar.
He
insisted that Afghanistan was not a centre for terrorism, saying if that was
the case then attacks would have also taken place in other countries.
“If
anyone says that Afghanistan is the centre for terrorism, they also say that
terrorism has no border,” Muttaqi said. “If terrorism had emanated from
Afghanistan, it would have also impacted China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan,
Turkmenistan or Iran.”
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Former
PTI MP faces sedition charge over criticism of military’s approach to TTP
February
2, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Shandana Gulzar Khan, a former Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MP, has been
booked for sedition in a case filed over her criticism of the military made
during a political chat show.
The
first information report (FIR) was registered on January 31 at a women’s police
station in Islamabad and Khan has been charged under sections 153-A, 505 and
124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The
FIR claims Khan attempted to incite violence and create disharmony in the
country through her comments on the TV channel.
This
makes Khan the third opposition lawmaker to face sedition charges after Azam
Khan Swati and Fawad Chaudhry, both of whom are currently out on bail.
Khan,
who holds a law postgraduate degree from the University of Cambridge, was
elected to the National Assembly in the 2018 general elections, securing a
reserved seat for women from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Throughout the four-year term,
she held the positions of deputy minister and parliamentary secretary for the
Ministry of Commerce.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
India’s
Haj quota at around 1.75 lakh this year
AMBIKA
PANDIT
Feb
2, 2023
NEW
DELHI: Around 1.75 lakh pilgrims will be able to go for Haj to Saudi Arabia as
per the quota assigned to India by Saudi Arabia this year. The application
process for Haj is yet to be opened through the dedicated online portal by the
ministry of minority affairs. The first batch for Haj normally leaves in May or
June depending on the schedule notified and shared along with the guidelines by
authorities in Saudi Arabia.
Last
year after a two year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Indian Muslim
pilgrims were able to go for Haj. However, a limited quota of around 79,000 was
assigned by Saudi Arabia amid the pandemic related precautionary restrictions.
The authorities in Saudi Arabia had issued Covid-19 related guidelines for
pilgrims to follow.
In
a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, minister for minority affairs
Smriti Irani informed Parliament that the ministry has had a number of
interactive sessions on Haj management with the stakeholders including Haj
Committees of the states and Union Territories (UTs) wherein requests for
restoration of Haj quota were received.
“The
issue was addressed under the annual bilateral agreement with the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia (KSA) for Haj 2023 and inspite of challenges of Covid-19, the
original Haj quota of the country 1,75,025 has been restored for Haj 2023,” the
minister said in her reply.
She
further stated that the quota earmarked for Haj Committee of India (HCoI) under
the annual bilateral agreement is meant for pilgrims from various states and
Union Territories for Haj 2023. “The increase in Haj quota has now enabled the
government to send more pilgrims from states/UTs for Haj,” she added.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Govt
tutor linked to 3 Jammu and Kashmir blasts held, police find ‘perfume bomb’
Feb
3, 2023
SRINAGAR/JAMMU:
J&K police claimed Thursday to have arrested government teacher Arif Ahmad,
suspected to be a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative, for three bombings in the Jammu
division over the past year.
The
three bombings include two synchronised explosions of “perfume bombs” in the
busy industrial area in Jammu city on January 21 that woundedninepeople.
Investigators picked up the scent of “perfume bombs”— IEDs rigged into aerosol
cans of room freshener and dronedropped from the Pakistan side of the
border—following the arrest of the suspected Lashkar operative who they said
had planted the explosives in two parked vehicles. DGP Dilbag Singh said when
Arif was prodded, investigators found he had a role i n Jammu blast and Katra
bus bombing that killed four passengers.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
No
proposal to restore Maulana Azad National Fellowship for minority students:
Irani
Feb
2, 2023
NEW
DELHI: There is no proposal to restore or re-instate the Maulana Azad National
Fellowship (MANF) scheme and pre-matric scholarships for the minority community
students from Classes 1 to 8, minister for minority affairs Smriti Irani
informed Parliament on Thursday.
The
ministry had put out public notices on its website later last year announcing
the discontinuation of MANF and the pre-matric scholarship for Classes 1 to 8,
pitching it as a revamp aimed at preventing overlaps with other schemes. The
move has evoked resentment from the minority community members with many
questioning the long-term implications of the decision.
In
a written response in Lok Sabha, the minister said, “The coverage under the
pre-matric scholarship scheme has been revised from 2022-23 and made applicable
for Classes IX and X as the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009 provides for
free and compulsory elementary education (Classes I to VIII) to each and every
child. This modification has also been done to harmonise the scheme with
identical scholarship schemes implemented by other ministries,” she said.
She
stated that it has been observed that the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF)
scheme of UGC and CSIR is open for students of all categories. Besides,
students from minority communities are also covered under national fellowship
schemes for Scheduled Castes and OBCs implemented by the ministry of social
justice and empowerment and national fellowship schemes for Scheduled Tribes
implemented by the ministry of tribal affairs. “As the Maulana Azad National
Fellowship (MANF) Scheme overlaps with various fellowship schemes for higher
education, the government has decided to discontinue the MANF Scheme from
2022-23,” she said.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Siddique
Kappan walks free after two years and four months
Piyush
Srivastava | Lucknow
03.02.23
Malayalam
journalist Siddique Kappan, who has become a symbol of government crackdown on
dissent, was at last freed on Thursday after 28 months in Uttar Pradesh jails,
following the completion of all bail formalities.
An
upbeat Kappan, who walked out of a Lucknow prison with a thumbs-up sign, said
he remembered the beatings and the shabby treatment but also learnt two
important things during his long incarceration.
He
learnt to speak decent Hindi. And he learnt the value of freedom.
“I
realise that I didn’t know till October 5, 2020 (when he was arrested) what
freedom meant. Now I know,” the Delhi-based Keralite reporter told this newspaper.
Kappan,
43, has been finally set free five months after the Supreme Court granted him
bail in a terror-and-sedition case and six weeks after Allahabad High Court
gave the relief in a money-laundering case.
He
spoke to The Telegraph outside a Lucknow hotel before flying to Delhi — where
he has to stay the next six weeks as part of his bail conditions — with wife
Raihanath, young son Muzammil and his lawyer, Mohamed Dhanish K.S. of Kerala.
“I
am out of jail after 28 months and am feeling happy. I thank the media for
supporting me. False cases have been filed against me. I was never associated
with the PFI (Popular Front of India, a radical outfit),” he said.
Kappan
had been arrested in Mathura while travelling from Delhi to Hathras in Uttar
Pradesh to cover the gang rape and murder of a Dalit teen, and booked on
sedition, terrorism and other charges on the ground of planning to foment
violence and unrest.
His
three companions — co-passengers and students Atiq-ur-Rahman and Mohammad Alam,
and cab driver Masood Ahmad — were arrested in the same case. They were all
accused of being members of the PFI, which wasn’t banned at the time but was
later proscribed in September 2022.
Later,
the Enforcement Directorate booked Kappan for alleged money-laundering.
Kappan
told this newspaper that he had taken the two students along with him because
they knew Hindi and he didn’t.
“I
didn’t know Hindi at all at the time and would have been unable to communicate
with the Dalit girl’s parents. That was the reason I had accompanied two
students of Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi who knew Hindi very well,” he
said.
He
added with a smile: “I learnt Hindi in prison while interacting with other
inmates.”
‘Torture’
“I
still fail to understand what this government wants from me. They took me to
Manth police station after intercepting me on my way to Hathras. First, the
police forced me to admit that I was a Maoist sympathiser. They kept asking me
this and slapped me continuously for about five minutes whenever I said ‘no’ to
their question. They hit me on the knees and the soles of my feet,” Kappan
said.
“After
a few hours, members of the anti-terrorist squad arrived. They asked me to
admit that I was an Islamic terrorist. Whenever I said ‘no’, they slapped me on
both cheeks for about five minutes before repeating the question.
“The
special task force entered the scene after a month, when I was in Mathura
district jail. They started saying that I was a member of the Popular Front of
India”.
Covid
Kappan
said he fell unconscious in Mathura jail, and eventually tested positive for
Covid on April 12, 2021.
“I
was admitted to the Medical College, Mathura, where they kept me in metal
handcuffs for seven days, allowing me to use the washroom only once during my
stay. I urinated in plastic bottles,” he said.
“I
was shifted to AIIMS, Delhi, on April 28 on the orders of the Supreme Court,
where the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) had filed a writ
petition.”
Kappan,
secretary of the KUWJ’s Delhi unit at the time of his arrest, was kept in
Mathura jail for over a year before being shifted to a prison in Lucknow in
December 2021 because of his deteriorating health.
“I
am diabetic but didn’t get proper treatment in Lucknow. There, we were treated
by doctors and compounders who are themselves inmates, arrested for some or
other crime. They treated the patients only half-heartedly,” he said.
“Despite
my repeated requests for something to read in Malayalam or English, the jail
authorities kept providing me with Hindi books.”
Kappan
cannot read Hindi even now, he has only learnt to speak the language.
A
senior state police officer, who didn’t want to be named, said: “There are
definitely problems in our jails but nobody should expect everything to be
ideal around them in prison.”
Release
The
Supreme Court had granted Kappan bail in September 2022, asking the state
government during hearing of the bail plea: “Every person has a right to
freedom of expression. He is trying to show that (Hathras) victim needs justice
and raising a common voice. Will this be a crime in the eyes of law?”
But
Kappan had to remain in jail because of the money-laundering case, in which he
eventually got bail on December 23 from the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High
Court.
The
special court hearing the money-laundering case then asked Kappan to furnish
two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each. After this was done on January 9, the court
ordered verification of the identities of the persons who had stood surety.
This was completed on Wednesday.
Rajendra
Singh, jailer at the Lucknow prison, said: “We received his release order from
the court on Wednesday and released him after legal formalities at 9.15am on
Thursday.”
Kappan
and the other three were booked for sedition (IPC 124A), promoting enmity
between groups (153A) and outraging religious feelings (295A), and under
provisions of the anti-terror Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the
Information Technology Act.
While
cab driver Masood has secured bail, the two students are still in jail.
Asked
about his jailed companions, Kappan agreed that he had been “luckier” than
them, adding that this was perhaps because he was a journalist and had the
support of many citizens and organisations.
‘Two
pens’
PTI
reported that to a question about what recoveries the police had made from him,
Kappan told the media: “Nothing... I had only a laptop and mobile.”
Asked
about reports that some objectionable materials too had been found on him, he
said: “Two pens and a notepad.”
During
his jail stay, his mother died. Kappan had earlier been allowed to travel to
Kerala and meet her when her health deteriorated.
“The
Supreme Court granted bail in the UAPA case and his innocence was revealed…. We
have experienced a lot of pain and suffering. But I am happy that justice,
though belated, has been served,” wife Raihanath said.
Source:
TelegraphIndia
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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South
Asia
Taliban
reacts to India's budget 2023. Here is what their leadership says
Feb
3, 2023
Kabul:
The Taliban on Thursday welcomed India's Union Budget 2023-2024, and said the
aid announcement by India for Afghanistan would help to improve ties and trust
between the two nations, Khaama Press reported.
The
Taliban's remarks came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed a USD
25 million development aid package for Afghanistan in the Union Budget.
Sitharaman
started her Budget speech at 11 AM on Wednesday, the last full Budget of the
Modi government in its second term. Like the previous two Union Budgets, the
Budget 2023-24 is also presented in paperless form.
India
has pledged Rs 200 crore in development aid to Afghanistan. This is India's
second year of support after the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan. The
initial announcement was made in the budget last year, according to Khaama
Press.
Welcoming
India's budget, Suhail Shaheen, former Negotiations Team Member for the Taliban
said, "We appreciate India's support for Afghanistan's development. It will
help to improve ties and trust between the two nations."
When
the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August 2021, relations between Afghanistan
and India were strained, and most initiatives supported by India came to a
halt.
Regarding
this, Shaheen said, "There were various projects in Afghanistan which
India was funding. If India resumes work on these projects, it will boost
relations between the two countries and eliminate distrust," Khaama Press
reported.
India's
budget for 2023-2024 holds much significance as the country is scheduled to
have the next Lok Sabha election in April-May 2024.
The
budget session of the Parliament began on Tuesday with President's address,
subsequently tabling the Economic Survey for 2022-23. The formal exercise to
prepare the annual Budget for the next financial year (2023-24) commenced on
October 10.
Source:TimesNowNews
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NIA
receives terror threat letter on 'orders' of Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani;
Mumbai and other cities on alert
Feb
3, 2023
Mumbai:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has received a terror threat letter on
its email. Taking note of the threat letter, Mumbai and other cities have been
put on alert.
The
threat mail was received on the email ID of NIA, after which different cities
of the country have been alerted.
The
premier terror probe agency informed the Mumbai Police about the terror threat
letter.
Sources
said that the e-mailer introduced himself as a Taliban and claimed that this
was going to happen on the orders of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the main leader of the
Taliban organisation.
After
this email, along with other agencies, the Mumbai Police also got involved in
the investigation.
Notably,
a report published in Khaama Press stated that the Taliban welcomed India's
Union Budget 2023-4, saying that the aid announcement for Afghanistan would
help to improve ties and trust between the two nations.
The
government has proposed a USD 25 million development aid package for
Afghanistan in the Union Budget that was presented by Union Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman.
Source:TimesNowNews
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Taliban
‘beat and detain’ Afghan educator who spoke out on women’s school ban
03
February ,2023
Afghanistan’s
Taliban authorities have “beaten and detained” an academic who voiced outrage
on live television against their ban on women’s university education, his aide
said Friday.
Veteran
journalism lecturer Ismail Mashal caused a storm by tearing his degree
certificates to shreds on TV in December, protesting the edict ending women’s
higher education.
In
recent days, domestic channels showed Mashal carting books around Kabul and
offering them to passers-by.
“Mashal
was mercilessly beaten and taken away in a very disrespectful manner by members
of the Islamic Emirate,” Mashal’s aide Farid Ahmad Fazli told AFP, referring to
the Taliban government.
A
Taliban official confirmed the detention.
“Teacher
Mashal had indulged in provocative actions against the system for some time,”
tweeted Abdul Haq Hammad, director at the Ministry of Information and Culture.
“The
security agencies took him for investigation.”
Mashal
-- a lecturer for more than a decade at three Kabul universities -- was
detained on Thursday despite having “committed no crime”, Fazli said.
“He
was giving free books to sisters (women) and men,” he added. “He is still in
detention and we don’t know where he is being held.”
Footage
of Mashal destroying his certificates on private channel TOLOnews went viral on
social media.
In
deeply conservative and patriarchal Afghanistan it is rare to see a man protest
in support of women but Mashal, who ran a co-educational institute, said he
would stand up for women’s rights.
“As
a man and as a teacher, I was unable to do anything else for them, and I felt
that my certificates had become useless. So, I tore them,” he told AFP at the
time.
“I’m
raising my voice. I’m standing with my sisters... My protest will continue even
if it costs my life.”
A
small group of male students also held a brief walkout protesting the ban.
The
Taliban promised a softer regime when they returned to power in August 2021 but
they have instead imposed harsh restrictions on women -- effectively squeezing
them out of public life.
In
December, the authorities ordered all aid groups to stop their women employees
coming to work. They have since granted an exemption to the health sector,
allowing females to return to employment there.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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“Don’t
blame others for your own failures…” Taliban to Pakistan on Peshawar mosque
blast
3
February, 2023
Kabul,
Afghanistan: The Taliban on Wednesday slammed the Pakistan Government for
blaming Afghanistan for the Peshawar mosque blast.
The
Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqi called on Pakistan to investigate
the Peshawar attack rather than blame neighbouring Afghanistan for terror
carnage. “Don’t blame others for your own failures,” said the Taliban.
On
January 30, a suicide bombing at a mosque in the Peshawar Police Lines area
claimed the lives of at least 101 people, mostly police officials.
Muttaqi
called on Pakistan to investigate the Peshawar attack instead of blaming Kabul
and said that Afghanistan is not a safe haven for terrorists.
“If
Afghanistan was the centre of terrorism, it would have gone into China, Central
Asia & Iran,” he said.
Muttaqi
told a gathering in the capital, Kabul, that Pakistani officials should find a
solution to their security challenges locally and desist from “sowing the seeds
of enmity” between the two countries.
Pakistani
authorities were quick to blame the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, also called
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), for what they said was a suicide bomb attack
and suggested the violence emanated from Afghanistan, reported Voice of
America.
Muttaqi
echoed suspicions and questions being raised by critics in Pakistan in the wake
of the large-scale destruction caused by the blast and said, “Our region is
used to wars and bomb blasts. But we have not seen in the past 20 years a lone
suicide bomber blowing up roofs of mosques and killing hundreds of people.”
The
TTP, designated a global terrorist group by the United States, has long been
conducting deadly terrorist attacks in Pakistan and its leadership allegedly
directs the violence from Afghan sanctuaries. But the Pakistani Taliban has
formally denied involvement in the Peshawar mosque bombing, reported VOA.
Moazzam
Jah Ansari, the provincial police chief, told reporters Tuesday that a suicide
bomber had entered the mosque as a guest, using up to 12 kilograms of explosive
material earlier brought to the site in bits and pieces.
A
spate of recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, mostly claimed by the TTP, has
strained relations between the two countries.
Pakistan
is weighing its options to deal with the resurgence of terrorism with a focus
on how to ensure that the Afghan interim government fulfills its promises,
people familiar with the development have said.
It
is evident from background discussions with the relevant quarters that Pakistan
is increasingly frustrated over the lack of cooperation from the Afghan Taliban
in tackling the growing threat posed by the banned TTP.
Meanwhile,
the desperate police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been brought to the point where
they are protesting for their rights.
“This
is an example of a complete loss of trust in the State. They have been dying
needlessly in the Establishment’s double games, and there is no one to put an
end to this,” tweeted Mohsin Dawar, Member National Assembly, NA-48, North
Waziristan.
In
an unusual protest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police in front of Peshawar Press Club
chanted slogans, “We know all the unknown persons.”
Videos
shared on social media show groups of police officers raising slogans against
rising terrorism.
Source:
ThePrint
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UN
Says Its Aid Agencies Will Not Quit Afghanistan Despite Taliban Restrictions
Akmal
Dawi
February
02, 2023
WASHINGTON
—
The
United Nations says its humanitarians will not leave Afghanistan and will
continue delivering lifesaving aid despite Taliban restrictions on Afghan
women’s work for nongovernmental organizations.
“The
humanitarian community does not go on strike,” Martin Griffiths, a top U.N.
official for humanitarian affairs, told representatives of member states on
Wednesday.
The
announcement comes as some international aid agencies have suspended their
operations in Afghanistan to protest a December 24, 2022, order by the de facto
Taliban government banning local women from working for NGOs.
The
Taliban say the restrictions on women’s work and education are temporary until
they figure out how this can be done within religious confines.
The
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an intergovernmental body of 48 majority
Muslim countries, and many Muslim scholars have condemned the Taliban’s
restrictions on women as inherently against Islamic values.
Griffiths,
who traveled to Afghanistan last week urging Taliban officials to reverse the
ban, said some immediate exceptions have been offered for women to work in the
health and education sectors.
“Where
exceptions exist, we will work,” he added. "This year, the U.N. has
appealed for $4.6 billion in humanitarian response to the crisis in
Afghanistan.
The
funding, if provided by donors, will be used to assist 28 million Afghans, 6
million of whom are close to famine, Griffiths said.
Last
year, donors met nearly 60% of the $4.4 billion the U.N. requested for the
Afghanistan appeal.
Despite
the U.N.’s readiness to continue operating in the country, it is unclear how
donors will respond to providing funding to a country under a system that
women’s rights groups have called gender apartheid.
Donors’
dilemma
The
United States, European countries and other donors have refused to recognize
the Taliban government. They have imposed sanctions and have warned that there
would be costs for the group’s misogynistic policies.
Over
the past 18 months, the United States has given about $2 billion in humanitarian
assistance to U.N. agencies and other relief organizations to feed and assist
millions of Afghans who have been pushed to extreme poverty.
“The
Taliban regime’s institutionalized abuse of women raises the important question
for policymakers of whether the United States can continue providing aid to
Afghanistan without benefiting or propping up the Taliban,” the U.S. Special
Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in a report on Thursday.
Taliban
authorities extract revenue from aid money to Afghanistan in the form of tax,
license fees and administrative expenses, SIGAR said.
Germany,
another major humanitarian donor to Afghanistan, has voiced concerns about
whether aid can be delivered without violating humanitarian principles.
“It
is clear to us that if women cannot continue to work and cannot participate in
the implementation of humanitarian aid, then very fundamental humanitarian
principles are being violated, principles that must be adhered to in the
allocation of humanitarian aid,” German Foreign Ministry spokesperson Andrea
Sasse told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday.
“The
measures by the Taliban violate all of these principles. As the federal
government, we are discussing how to respond to this behavior on the part of
the Taliban,” Sasse said.
Sweden,
which gave roughly $32 million in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan in
2022, may provide a similar amount this year but a decision will be made in
March.
“We
still hope that the edict will be rescinded, since it presents a serious
obstacle to the delivery of principled humanitarian aid,” Rebecca Hedlund, a
spokesperson for Swedish representation at the U.N., told VOA.
The
State Department did not respond to written questions about whether Washington
is considering reducing or ending humanitarian aid to a Taliban-controlled
Afghanistan.
Condemning
the Taliban’s ban on women, the United States this week announced additional
visa restrictions on unnamed Taliban officials and members of their families.
“We
continue to coordinate closely with allies and partners around the world on an
approach that makes clear to the Taliban that their actions will carry
significant costs and close the path to improved relations with the
international community,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement
on Wednesday.
Source:VOANews
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Southeast
Asia
No
place for violence in the name of Islam, says Mufti after 18-year-old detained
under ISA
Jean
Iau
FEB
2, 2023
SINGAPORE
– There is no place for violence and aggression in the name of Islam, said
Singapore’s top Muslim leader in the wake of the detention of an 18-year-old
student radicalised by extremist teachings.
In
an Instagram post from his office, Mufti NazirudinMohd Nasir called Muhammad
Irfan Danyal Mohamad Nor a “misguided young Muslim who channelled his religious
fervour wrongly and dangerously through the online exploitations of extremist
ideologues and groups”.
Irfan
was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in December 2022 after he
planned to stab and kill non-Muslims in dark alleys, carry out a mass-casualty
attack at the Amoy Quee Camp by recruiting a suicide car bomber, and construct
a C4 explosive to bomb the Keramat Habib Noh grave site at Haji Muhammad Salleh
Mosque in Tanjong Pagar.
The
Mufti said on Thursday: “There is no place for violence and aggression, not in
the name of our faith and our beloved Prophet’s teachings.
“The
world must also change its course in order to preserve harmony and mutual
respect so that our young and future generations are witnesses to the
protection of lives, faiths and beliefs, and places of worship.”
He
called for more to be done to guide and convince young people that the Islamic
faith calls for goodness and kindness.
Experts
The Straits Times spoke to said that while anyone can fall victim to
radicalisation, extremist groups target young people because of their
susceptibility.
“This
is because their relative emotional immaturity and tendency to think in binary,
black-and-white terms, and to be excited by some wider political or ideological
cause, render them relatively susceptible to extremist manipulation, especially
within closed ideological echo chambers online,” said S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies (RSIS) dean Kumar Ramakrishna.
Dr
Jolene Jerard, executive director of public safety and management consultancy
firm Centinel, said that while there has been an uptick in youth being
radicalised, recruitment is aimed at all age ranges to allow terrorist groups
to find like-minded individuals.
She
added that the easy access to information on the Internet, coupled with the
prevalent use of digital devices, increases vulnerability to online
radicalisation if one is not cautious or discerning enough to know the danger
of obtaining information solely from online sources.
Dr
Jerard, who is also an adjunct senior fellow at RSIS, agreed with Mr Shanmugam,
who on Wednesday emphasised that tackling the matter of youth becoming
radicalised is a community issue.
However,
she argued that having discussions on the risks of the digital world could be
more important. She said: “There is a need to build and reinforce safe and
constructive environments for dialogues while maintaining constant and open
communication with youth.”
For
those who have been radicalised, Professor Ramakrishna said reintegration
occurs by extricating the radicalised individuals from their extremist echo
chambers and giving them religious counselling, support groups and chances to
resume their education.
Source:StraitsTimes
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Johor
Muslims can’t observe Thaipusam processions, take part in Pongal celebrations
Dineskumar
Ragu
February
3, 2023
PETALING
JAYA: Muslims in Johor are barred from observing Thaipusam processions and
taking part in Pongal celebrations under a new fatwa issued by the Johor
Islamic Religious Council (MAINJ), state mufti Yahya Ahmad said.
He
explained that these celebrations are defined as religious rituals under the
fatwa as they are “exclusive” to Hindus.
“If
these rituals take place in a house of worship, then they are included in the
fatwa,” he told FMT.
“But
for functions done outside a house of worship for non-ritual purposes such as
open houses and dinner events, they are allowed as long as they follow the guidelines
issued by MAINJ.”
On
attending the funerals of non-Muslims, the state mufti said Islam has “zero
issues” with that. “However, what is not allowed is participation in religious
rituals for the dead,” he said.
Yahya
said the fatwa was issued by the religious authority to clarify to Muslims what
is permissible and forbidden in Islam
However,
he said the fatwa does not touch on non-Muslim rituals that do not involve any
form of idol worshipping.
“In
Islam, we call rituals ‘ibadah’, while in religions other than Islam, rituals
mean the act of worshipping gods. This fatwa does not concern rituals that do
not involve worshipping,” he said.
Yesterday,
MAINJ issued the fatwa which prohibits Muslims from attending and taking part
in religious rituals of other faiths in the state.
State
Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Fared Khalid said Sultan Ibrahim
Sultan Iskandar had consented to the fatwa, effective immediately, Bernama
reported.
He
said the ulama from the four schools of Islamic thought – Shafie, Hanafi,
Maliki and Hanbali – had agreed that Muslims were prohibited from attending and
taking part in the religious rituals of other faiths.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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Bank,
travel agency launch shariah-compliant umrah financing package
February
3, 2023
PETALING
JAYA: Muslims planning to go on a pilgrimage can now finance their trip in line
with Islamic principles.
AmBank
Group and Emraz Travel & Tours SdnBhd have jointly launched a financing
package that is shariah-compliant for the purpose of travelling to Mecca and
Medina to perform the umrah.
The
new product was unveiled at Menara AmBank in Kuala Lumpur today.
The
package offers an AmBank Credit Card-i customer a waiver of the management fee
on his first application for the QuickCash Instalment plan for loans of up to
RM15,000. The package must be purchased through Emraz.
Thereafter,
the customer can apply for an AmBank Islamic personal financing facility of up
to RM250,000 with flexible tenures of up to 10 years.
AmBank
Group CEO Sulaiman Tahir expressed hope that the new financing solution could
assist its Muslim customers who are looking for flexibility and a customised umrah
experience.
“We
are committed to be innovative so we can offer relevant and up-to-date
shariah-compliant financial products and services to meet the needs of our
customers,” he said in a statement released to the media today.
AmBank
Islamic CEO EqhwanMokhzanee said the package was an attractive option for its
Muslim customers who wish to visit Mecca and Medina to perform the umrah.
Emraz
CEO and director ZulkarnainEndut said the specialised and customisable package
would help to moderate the increase in cost of umrah packages.
“This
will open up more opportunities for our customers to perform the umrah with
flexible financing options,” he said.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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Johor
Ruler to attend Thaipusam celebrations in Skudai
By
MOHD FARHAAN SHAH
03
Feb 2023
JOHOR
BARU: Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim IbniAlmarhum Sultan Iskandar will attend the
state-level Thaipusam celebrations at Arulmigu Sri Balasubramaniar temple in
Skudai here.
It
is learnt that this would be His Majesty's first visit to the temple to witness
the Thaipusam celebrations, which will be held this Sunday (Feb 5).
This
would also be the first time in three years following the Covid-19 pandemic
that Sultan Ibrahim will attend Thaipusam celebrations.
The
last time His Majesty attended the celebrations was in 2019 at
ArulmiguThendayuthapani temple in Wadi Hana here.
Sri
Balasubramaniar temple chairman Datuk S. Balakrishnan confirmed Sultan
Ibrahim’s attendance at the Thaipusam celebrations.
"His
Majesty will be coming to the temple to witness the celebrations at 11am this
Sunday. Other state leaders will also be joining Sultan Ibrahim including
MentriBesar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
"About
10,000 devotees will be present during the celebrations, which will be held in
a grand manner following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions," he said
when contacted on Friday (Feb 3).
On
Thursday (Feb 2), state Islamic religious affairs committee chairman Mohd Fared
Mohd Khalid said Muslims in Johor were allowed to attend celebrations held by
people of other faiths, but should not take part in their religious rituals.
Citing
open houses, weddings and funerals as examples, he said Muslims were permitted
to attend such events if they were invited.
This
was based on the opinions of a number of Muslim scholars who stated that the
law of accepting invitations to non-Muslim celebrations, such as open houses,
was both necessary and permissible.
"In
this context, organisers of non-Muslim celebrations should be sensitive and
ensure the sensitivity of Muslims is respected in line with Islam’s position as
the federal religion and the official religion of Johor," he said at a
press conference pertaining to the fatwa.
He
said the Johor Ruler had consented to the fatwa, which forbids Muslims in the
state from taking part in the rituals of other faiths.
"Under
the fatwa, Muslims have been banned and prohibited from participating in
non-Islamic celebration rituals, which include those performed in religious
houses of worship or other places.
Source:TheStar
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Unity
govt needs wake-up call on reforms, says Syed Saddiq
K.
Parkaran
February
3, 2023
PETALING
JAYA: Pakatan Harapan and its allies in the unity government need a “wake-up”
call to understand that good governance, which is being closely watched by all
Malaysians, will be key in how voters decide in the coming state elections,
says Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
As
a slew of reforms were promised in the last general election (GE15) by the
parties and coalitions in the unity government, he said, serious efforts were
needed to put them in place to show the government is serious about making the
changes.
“Let’s
not forget that those who actually voted us to power are those who believe in
these ideals. If you can’t even deliver, and backtrack on many basic things, I
think you will lose support especially when you try to pander too much,” the
Muar MP told FMT.
The
PH-held states of Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan, and PAS-run Kelantan,
Terengganu and Kedah are due to hold their elections after June.
Syed
Saddiq said the unity government could still do it as there are a few months
more before the state elections are held, but warned that it could not afford
to drag the implementation.
“I
think that in the end, people look back to good governance and competence, so
that’s the priority. As long as you show that, you can get support.
“I’m
not discounting the fact that race and religion play a pivotal role in shaping
politics in Malaysia, but I wouldn’t see it as the strongest force. I think we
have to give a little bit more credit to our electorate,” he said.
Syed
Saddiq disagreed that the so-called “green wave” in GE15 was mainly caused by
tahfiz-schooled youths as there was more to it. For example, he said, the state
election in Johor last March saw BN winning with a two-thirds majority.
He
said the tide would not have seen such a huge change just eight months later in
GE15 if that was the factor.
“The
reason why there is a rise in right wing conservatism is because there is no
coherent alternative. Everyone is trying to outdo one another on the spectrum
to the right. There’ll be a lot more coming.
“At
the same time, people take moderate, multiracial voters very lightly,” he said.
Asked
what should be done to convince Malay-Muslim youths to vote for a multicultural
Malaysia, Syed Saddiq said there is no escape from providing good governance to
show that in the end, a united and prosperous Malaysia lies in competent
leadership.
He
said policy and decision-making processes must be driven by data and science,
which was seldom done in the past.
“For
example, after decades of so-called financial assistance, a quarter of
Bumiputeras and Sabahans still live below the poverty line. Why is it the case?
Why are there still privileges given to the elite Malays while in reality,
there are many other Chinese and Indian underprivileged students and families
who are suffering without proper assistance?
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
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Indonesia’s
largest Islamic group draws government officials eyeing political positions
WahyudiSoeriaatmadja
JAKARTA
- Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Muslim organisation in Indonesia, as well
as the world, celebrates its 100th anniversary with several familiar faces in
the government taking on high-profile roles in the group.
They
include Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir and Deputy Minister
for Maritime and Investment Affairs Jodi Mahardi.
Founded
by Indonesia’s well-respected cleric Hasyim Asy’ari, NU has become a powerful
political force with an estimated membership of 45 million. The organisation –
or its members – could become a swing factor that may decide who would be
Indonesia’s next president.
NU’s
stronghold is East Java, which is home to 40 million Indonesians, making it the
second-most populous province after West Java. None of Indonesia’s top three
most-touted presidential hopefuls has a strong supporter base in East Java.
Central
Java Governor GanjarPranowo from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) is currently the most popular, followed by former Jakarta
governor AniesBaswedan – who does not belong to any political party but has the
backing of three parties – and Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto from Gerindra
party.
If
any of them can find a running mate who is an NU figure, the person could have
a significant electoral gain in 2024.
For
example, incumbent Vice-President Ma’ruf Amin, who is a senior member of NU,
played an important role in courting votes in the re-election of President Joko
Widodo in 2019.
Politicians
and government officials who aspire to enter politics have been making moves
towards NU to garner support.
Mr
Erick is among the vice-presidential hopefuls and wants to pair up with
MrGanjar or Mr Prabowo, who are both from President Widodo’s camp. MrAnies is
considered the President’s political foe.
Mr
Erick served as head of the NU steering committee for an event in Jakarta on
Tuesday night to mark NU’s anniversary on Feb 7. He was recently made an
honorary member of NU’s youth wing organisationBanser, while Deputy Minister
Jodi is head of the international affairs department.
“He
(Mr Erick) has an entrepreneur background and lacks ties to a social
organisation. He clearly needs to associate himself with NU,” political analyst
Djayadi Hanan told The Straits Times.
“NU
has always had a huge following. About 50 per cent of adult Indonesians
practise NU’s culture and way of life, while about 25 per cent are members of
NU.”
In
2014, then NU general chairman Said Aqil Siradj, faced with growing criticism
over NU’s links to political parties, admitted that members were split between
those supporting Mr Widodo, a presidential candidate at the time, and those
backing his closest rival Prabowo. However, he stressed that the organisation
was greater than political parties.
Dr
Said Aqil later conceded that he had supported Mr Prabowo, who lost to Mr
Widodo in the polls. His comment raised eyebrows as it was uncommon for the
head of NU to endorse a presidential candidate.
Dr
A’anSuryana, visiting fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, told The
Straits Times that the current NU elites have shown much more restraint,
pointing out that if there is any move by an NU executive to support a
political hopeful, he will do so quietly, and the action does not represent NU
as an institution.
“NU’s
current leadership tends to stay out of politics. It is the opposite of the
previous one, which was more articulate and had no qualms engaging in practical
politics,” said Dr A’an.
NU
was founded in 1926 and its 100th year would fall on Feb 7, 2023, according to
the Islamic lunar calendar. The NU event on Tuesday was attended by former
president Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also chairman of the ruling PDI-P, and
scores of ministers. The highlight was the presentation of high achievement
awards, including posthumous awards to Mr Sukarno, the country’s first
president, and Mr Abdurrahman Wahid, the fourth president.
The
main event on Feb 7 will be held in Sidoarjo, East Java, said NU general
chairman Yahya CholilStaquf, adding that guests will include Islamic clerics
from overseas.
What
is Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
-
About 25 per cent of Indonesia’s Muslim adult population – or about 45 million
people – say they are members of NU, while 50 per cent of the Muslim population
practise NU’s culture such as tahlilan (prayer gathering) and nyekar (regular
visits to ancestors’ graveyards).
-
NU’s leadership comprises one general chairman, four deputy general chairmen,
and a panel of 27 chairmen. It also has 12 treasurers, one secretary-general
and 20 deputy secretary-generals.
-
NU, as an institution, does not engage in politics, but its members have been
known to support different political figures and parties.
Source:StraitsTimes
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--------
Arab
World
Emirati
astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi grapples with Ramadan fast while in orbit
02
February ,2023
The
second Emirati to journey into space, martial arts enthusiast Sultan al-Neyadi,
weighed up Thursday fasting in Ramadan while in orbit – and promised to pack
his jiu-jitsu suit for the ride.
Al-Neyadi,
41, dubbed the “Sultan of Space” by his alma mater, will blast off on February
26 for the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
During
his six months in orbit – a record time for any Arab astronaut – al-Neyadi said
he would like to observe the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims typically fast
from dawn to sunset.
But
space travel presents unique challenges.
“The
ISS travels quickly... meaning it orbits around the Earth in 90 minutes,” he
told reporters in Dubai.
“On
average, there are 16 sunrises and sunsets daily... When do you (start and)
break your fast?”
Al-Neyadi
said he could fast according to GMT time, which is used on the ISS, if
circumstances allow.
Fasting
is not compulsory for certain groups of people, including those who are
travelling or unwell.
“I
will prepare for the month of Ramadan with the intention to fast,” al-Neyadi
said.
He
will become the second man from the United Arab Emirates to go to space, after
Hazzaa al-Mansoori’s eight-day mission in 2019.
During
the voyage, al-Neyadi will study the impacts of microgravity on the human body
in preparation for future missions to the Moon and Mars, he said.
Six
months “may seem like a long time, but I don’t mind because the schedule is
packed.”
It
has already been a long journey for al-Neyadi, who served 20 years in the UAE
military.
He
also studied electronics and communications engineering in Britain, and then
completed a PhD in data leakage prevention technology at Griffith University in
Australia.
The
UAE is a newcomer to the world of space exploration but quickly making its
mark.
It
sent an unmanned spacecraft to Mars in 2021, in the Arab world’s first
interplanetary mission, and last year a rover to the Moon.
Al-Neyadi
said he was “happy” to embark on the mission and would take along “pictures of
my family, maybe some toys that belong to my children.”
“I
will also take my jiu-jitsu uniform because of my love for the sport,” he
added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
France
to host international meeting on crisis-hit Lebanon on Feb. 6
02
February ,2023
France
will host an international meeting on Monday on how to end months of political
deadlock in cash-strapped Lebanon, the foreign ministry said.
The
Paris gathering is to be attended by representatives from France, the United
States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, foreign ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire
Legendre said Thursday.
Lebanon
is being run by a caretaker government and is also without a president as
lawmakers have repeatedly failed to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose
mandate expired at the end of October.
The
political impasse has hampered efforts to lift the Mediterranean country out of
its worst-ever financial crisis.
The
currency has lost more than 95 percent of its market value to the dollar since
2019, and more than 80 percent of the population lives in poverty, according to
the United Nations.
French
Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, “has expressed her very serious concern on
Lebanon’s political deadlock,” Legendre said. Colonna was visiting Saudi Arabia
on Thursday.
France
and regional partners including Saudi Arabia have been discussing means “to
encourage the Lebanese political class to assume its responsibilities and
foster a way out of the crisis,” Legendre added.
“This
approach will be the subject of a follow-up meeting with the French, US, Saudi,
Qatari and Egyptian administrations on Monday to continue coordinating with our
partners and find ways to move forward.”
It
was not immediately clear if any Lebanese representatives had been invited.
No
meeting at ministerial level has been planned for now, Legendre said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
UN
experts slam slow progress in Lebanese activist murder probe
02
February ,2023
UN
rights experts voiced deep concern Thursday at the slow pace of an
investigation into the killing of Lebanese intellectual Lokman Slim two years
ago, demanding that Beirut ensure accountability.
“It
is incumbent on the Lebanese authorities to fully investigate and bring to
justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” the four independent experts
said.
“Failing
to carry out a prompt and effective investigation may in itself constitute a
violation of the right to life.”
A
secular activist from a Shia family, 58-year-old Slim was found dead in his car
on February 4, 2021, a day after his family reported him missing.
His
bullet-riddled body was found in southern Lebanon -- a stronghold of the
Iran-backed Hezbollah movement of which he was heavily critical.
In
their statement, the UN special rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions, the
independence of judges and lawyers, the right to freedom of opinion and
expression and the situation of human rights defenders voiced outrage that no
one responsible for his assassination had been identified.
“Shedding
light on the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Lokman Slim and
bringing those responsible to justice is also part of the State’s obligation to
protect freedom of opinion and expression,” said the experts, who are appointed
by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the world
body.
“A
culture of impunity not only emboldens the killers of Mr. Slim, it will also
have a chilling effect on civil society as it sends a chilling message to other
activists to self-censor,” they said.
The
experts stressed that investigations into unlawful killings must be “independent,
impartial, prompt, thorough, effective, credible and transparent.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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TotalEnergies
pulls staff from Iraq in wrangling over projects: Sources
02
February ,2023
French
oil major TotalEnergies is pulling its foreign staff from Iraq as it struggles
to resolve challenges with Baghdad over a $27 billion cluster of major energy
projects, three sources told Reuters.
Foreign
staff have left the country while TotalEnergies has asked local employees to
work from home, according to one of the sources. The news was first reported by
Iraq Oil Report.
TotalEnergies
declined to comment, while Iraq’s oil ministry did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
It
is unclear if the withdrawal is simply a negotiating tactic, member of Iraqi
parliament Mustafa Jabbar Sanad wrote in a twitter post on Jan. 30.
Iraq’s
demand for a 40 percent share in the project is a key sticking point for the
long-delayed deal, while TotalEnergies wants a majority stake, three sources
said.
The
disagreement caused a meeting last week between Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed
al-Sudani, who took office last October, and TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne
to turn sour, one of the sources said.
Baghdad
cannot cancel the previous government’s decision to demand 40 percent, two
sources said, as this would be seen as giving away Iraq’s rights.
ExxonMobil,
Shell and BP have all sought to scale back their operations in Iraq in recent
years, contributing to a stagnation in Iraq’s oil production.
TotalEnergies
rekindled hopes for the sector in 2021 when it signed a deal with Baghdad to
build four oil, gas and renewables projects with an initial investment of $10
billion in southern Iraq over 25 years.
Iraq’s
oil production capacity has grown to around 5 million bpd from 3 million bpd in
recent years. Yet at one time there had been hopes of rivalling top producer
Saudi Arabia with its output of 12 million bpd, or more than a tenth of global
demand.
The
deal with TotalEnergies has stalled, however, amid disputes between Iraqi
politicians over its terms, which have not been made public, sources familiar
with the situation told Reuters early last year.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Targeting
Iran, US tightens Iraq’s dollar flow to counter money laundering
02
February ,2023
For
months, the United States has restricted Iraq’s access to its own dollars,
trying to stamp out what Iraqi officials describe as rampant money laundering
that benefits Iran and Syria.
Iraq
is now feeling the crunch, with a drop in the value of its currency and public
anger blowing back against the prime minister.
The
exchange rate for the Iraqi dinar has jumped to around 1,680 to the dollar at
street exchanges, compared to the official rate of 1,460 dinars to the dollar.
The
devaluation has already sparked protests.
If
it persists, analysts said, it could challenge the mandate of the government formed
in October after a yearlong political stalemate.
The
dinar’s deterioration comes even though Iraq’s foreign currency reserves are at
an all-time high of around $100 billion, pumped up by spiking global oil prices
that have brought increasing revenues to the petroleum-rich nation.
But
accessing that money is a different story.
Since
the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Iraq’s foreign currency reserves have been
housed at the United States’ Federal Reserve, giving the Americans significant
control over Iraq’s supply of dollars. The Central Bank of Iraq requests
dollars from the Fed and then sells them to commercial banks and exchange
houses at the official exchange rate through a mechanism known as the “dollar
auction.”
In
the past, daily sales through the auction often exceeded $200 million per day.
Ostensibly,
the vast majority of the dollars sold in the auction are meant to go to
purchases of goods imported by Iraqi companies, but the system has long been
porous and easily abused, multiple Iraqi banking and political officials told
The Associated Press.
US
officials confirmed to the AP that they suspected the system was used for money
laundering but declined to comment in detail on the allegations or the new
restrictions.
For
years, large quantities of dollars were transferred out of the country to
Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Lebanon through “gray market
trading, using fake invoices for overpriced items,” a financial adviser to the
Iraqi prime minister said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The
inflated invoices were used to launder dollars, with most of them sent to Iran
and Syria, which are under US sanctions, leading to complaints from American
officials, he said.
In
other cases, the currency is smuggled across land borders under the protection
of armed groups that take a cut of the cash, said Tamkeen Abd Sarhan
al-Hasnawi, chairman of the board of Mosul Bank and first deputy of the Iraq
Private Banks League. He estimated that as much as 80 percent of the dollars
sold through the auction went to neighboring countries.
“Syria,
Turkey, and Iran used to benefit from the dollar auction in Iraq,” he said.
A
member of one of Iraq’s Iran-backed militias, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject, said the
majority of Iraqi banks are owned indirectly by politicians and political
parties that have also used the dollar auction to their benefit.
Late
last year, the Fed began imposing stricter measures.
Among
other steps, at the request of the US, the Central Bank of Iraq started using
an electronic system for transfers that required entering detailed information
on the intended end-recipient of the requested dollars. One hundred Central
Bank employees were trained by the Fed to implement the new system, the prime
minister’s financial adviser said.
“This
system started rejecting transfers and invoices that used to be approved by the
central bank,” he said. “Around 80 percent of transactions were being
rejected.”
The
amount of dollars sold daily in the auction plummeted to $69.6 million on
January 31, from $257.8 million six months earlier, according to Central Bank
records. Far fewer of the dollars are going toward buying imports as well, down
to around 34 percent from 90 percent.
Even
when transactions are approved, it takes banks up to 15 days to get the funds
rather than two or three days, Hasnawi said.
Unable
to get dollars at the official price through banks, he said, traders turned to
the black market to buy dollars, causing the price to rise.
In
November, the Central Bank of Iraq added four new banks to the list of those
banned from dealing in dollars. Two US officials confirmed that the Fed
requested the four banks be blocked because of suspected money laundering. They
spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on
the case.
A
spokesperson for the New York Fed declined to discuss the specific measures
taken with regards to Iraq. But the Fed said in a statement that it enforces “a
robust compliance regime” for the accounts it holds.
The
statement said that this regime “evolves over time in response to new
information, which we gather in the regular course of monitoring transactions
and events that may impact an account and in communication with other relevant
US government agencies.”
The
system of keeping Iraq’s oil revenues at the Fed was originally imposed by UN
Security Council resolutions after the 2003 ouster of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein by
the US-led invasion. Later, Iraq chose to maintain the system to protect its
revenues against potential lawsuits, particularly in connection to Iraq’s 1990s
invasion of Kuwait.
The
new US restrictions come at a time of increased tensions between the US and Iran.
Negotiations over a nuclear deal are floundering. Washington has imposed new
sanctions and condemned Iran for cracking down on protesters and providing
drones for Russia to use in Ukraine.
Also,
in Iraq, allegations came to light in October that over $2.5 billion in Iraqi
government revenue was embezzled by a network of businesses and officials from
the country’s tax authority.
The
case “brought (US) attention to the scale of corruption in Iraq” and how the
corruption can benefit Iran and other parties hostile to the US, said Harith
Hasan, head of the Iraq unit at the Emirates Research Center, an Abu
Dhabi-based think tank.
The
new Iraqi prime minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who came to power via a
coalition of Iranian-backed parties, does not have a strong relationship with
the US that could have enabled him to soften the implementation of the new
financial measures, Hasan said.
Al-Sudani
has downplayed the current devaluation as “a temporary issue of trading and
speculation.”
He
replaced the Central Bank governor and instituted measures intended to ensure a
supply of dollars at the official rate.
Al-Hasnawi
said the government’s recent measures will not stop the financial bleeding. If
the current situation persists, he said, “within one year, most banks will
declare bankruptcy” and there is likely to be mass civil unrest.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Father
of murdered Saudi student says US woman preyed on his son’s kindness
03
February ,2023
The
father of a Saudi student who was murdered in the US said the killer repeatedly
tried to take advantage of his son’s kindness in an attempt to get him to give
her money.
In
a heinous crime that has shook the Kingdom, Al-Walid al-Gharibi – a 25-year-old
studying in the US on a scholarship – was found dead in the bathtub in Nicole
Marie Rodgers’ bathroom with multiple stab wounds on January 21 in the state of
Philadelphia.
In
an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya, Abdullah al-Gharibi said that Rodgers
had been trying to get closer to his son in the months leading up to her crime.
He
denied rumors that his son had put up an advert online offering his furniture
up for sale.
The
woman – who lived in the same building as his son – had repeatedly tried to
start conversations with the young man, his father said, adding that al-Gharibi
would often stay in his room to avoid her.
His
son had also told friends that Rodgers was making him uncomfortable, and he
thought she was only trying to get close to him for financial gain, the father
said.
In
one instance, the woman had knocked on al-Gharibi’s door and asked him to help
her get back into her bedroom because she had locked herself out, according to
the father.
On
the day of the murder, Rodgers had approached al-Gharibi for help to carry some
of her belongings to her car. When the young man went up to the third floor
where her room was located, the woman allegedly stabbed him in the neck and
pushed him into the bathroom before continuing to strike him with a knife
multiple times, his father said.
According
to al-Gharibi’s father, Rodgers then went down to his son’s room where she
proceeded to steal his mobile phones, laptops, expensive shoes, and his wallet
before making her escape.
Records
show that al-Gharibi’s credit card was used in a nearby town after his death,
the father said.
Another
resident who was in the adjoining bedroom heard the attack and immediately
called the building’s owner who arrived at the scene about 15 minutes later,
the father said.
Upon
discovering al-Gharibi’s body, the building’s owner called the authorities and
tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late.
The
father received an email from the Philadelphia police four hours later urging
him to contact the murder department.
After
speaking to the police, he told Al Arabiya that he immediately booked a flight
to the US from the Kingdom.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Iraq’s
new leaders must keep fighting corruption: UN envoy
February
03, 2023
UNITED
NATIONS: The UN special envoy for Iraq urged the country’s new government
Thursday to keep fighting corruption and move quickly on much-needed economic,
fiscal and financial reforms.
Jeanine
Hennis-Plasschaert told the UN Security Council many other areas also need
immediate government attention, among them ensuring human rights, resolving
issues with the Kurdistan Regional Government, improving public services,
addressing environmental challenges, and continuing to return Iraqis from camps
and prisons in northeast Syria.
“The
hope is that the confirmation of Iraq’s new government will provide an
opportunity to structurally address the many pressing issues facing the country
and its people,” she said. “The urgency is for Iraq’s political class to seize
the brief window of opportunity it is awarded, and to finally lift the country
out of recurring cycles of instability and fragility.”
A
more than year-long political stalemate punctuated by outbreaks of street
violence ended in late October with the confirmation by Iraq’s Council of
Representatives of a new government and Cabinet led by Prime Minister Mohammed
Shia Al-Sudani.
Hennis-Plasschaert
said that during its first three months, Al-Sudani’s government has shown a
commitment to tackle endemic corruption, poor public services and high
unemployment.
Turning
to the fight against corruption, she pointed to a number of important steps
taken by the government, including trying to recover stolen funds and
investigating allegations of graft.
“That
said, I can only encourage the Iraqi government to persevere, as those who
stand to lose will undoubtedly seek to hinder these efforts,” she said. “But if
Iraq is to build a system that serves the need of society instead of serving a
closed community of collusion, then ensuring accountability across the spectrum
is absolutely essential.”
The
UN special representative said “systemic change” is vital to address corruption
and improve services that directly affect people’s lives.
As
for economic, fiscal and financial reforms, Hennis-Plasschaert expressed
concern at the increase in the exchange rate on the parallel market “adding to
the pressure on everyday Iraqi women and men.”
“On
the short term, it is obviously essential that the federal budget is passed
expeditiously,” she said. “A further delay will only result in worsening the
situation due to the well-known spending constraints.”
Despite
high unemployment, Hennis-Plasschaert cautioned against any “further bloating”
of Iraq’s “already extremely inflated public sector.”
She
cautioned the government against relying totally on the country’s oil, which is
vulnerable to price shocks, and urged it to focus on diversifying the economy,
including by developing an employment-generating private sector.
Hennis-Plasschaert
said the government also needs to swiftly implement the Sinjar Agreement
brokered by the UN in October 2020 between Baghdad and the Kurdish-run regional
government to jointly manage the Sinjar region. It is home to Iraq’s Yazidi
religious minority, and the agreement aims to restore the state’s hold over the
patchwork of militia groups and competing authorities in the area after the
defeat of Islamic State extremists.
When
IS fighters swept into northern Iraq in 2014 the militants massacred thousands
of Yazidi men and enslaved an estimated 7,000 women, including Nadia Murad, who
won the Nobel Peace Prize for her campaign to end sexual violence as a weapon
of war. She returned to her home village in Sinjar this week with actress and
activist Angelina Jolie to meet survivors of IS brutality and see progress in
redeveloping the region.
US
deputy ambassador Richard Mill called on the government to improve its respect
for human rights and commit to implementing the Sinjar Agreement in close
consultation with the Yazidi community.
He
said the United States supports the prime minister’s efforts to root out
corruption and improve public services, particularly providing electricity, and
encourages development of the private sector and job growth, “with a focus on
increasing women’s participation in the workforce.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2244016/middle-east
--------
Mideast
Israeli
warplanes strike Gaza overnight
February
3, 2023
GAZA:
Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza on Thursday in response to Palestinian rocket
fire, days after the United States called for calm, but there was no immediate
sign of a wider escalation in violence following days of tension.
With
no reports of serious casualties, the exchange followed a familiar pattern that
signalled neither side was seeking a wider conflict.
Separately,
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel, which collects taxes on
behalf of the Palestinian Authority (PA), would use 100 million shekels ($29
million) from PA funds to compensate victims of Palestinian attacks. There was
no immediate comment from the PA.
The
military said its air strikes targeted rocket and weapons production sites used
by Hamas, the group that controls the blockaded strip, in response to
Wednesday’s rocket launch.
Hamas
calls attack ‘continuation of cycle of aggression against Palestinian people’
No
Palestinian groups claimed Wednesday’s rocket fire.
Powerful
explosions shook buildings and lit up the night sky over Gaza as sirens sounded
in Israeli towns and villages around the strip warning of incoming rocket fire
before dawn on Thursday.
Hamas
spokesman Hazem Qassem called the Israeli strikes “a continuation of the cycle
of aggression against the Palestinian people”. He accused Israel of “opening
the door to escalation on the ground”.
The
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said it had fired some
of the rockets in response to the air strikes and the “systematic aggression”
against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
The
exchange of fire underlined the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians
after a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people near a synagogue on the
outskirts of Jerusalem and an Israeli raid in the West Bank killed 10
Palestinians, including eight fighters.
Spate
of attacks
Last
year was the deadliest in more than a decade in the West Bank, with violence
steadily escalating following a spate of lethal Palestinian attacks in Israel,
which drew stepped-up Israeli raids against gunmen.
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on both sides to ease tensions on
wrapping up a visit to the region on Tuesday, in which he reaffirmed
Washington’s support for a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict.
Top
US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, and US special representative
for Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr, remained behind to continue de-escalation
talks between the sides and were due to meet Palestinian officials on Thursday.
In
Gaza, activists rallied in support of women prisoners held by Israel after
far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees prisons,
said he would push ahead with plans to toughen conditions for Palestinian
prisoners.
Ben-Gvir
has vowed a crackdown on “benefits and indulgences” offered to Palestinian
prisoners and ordered amenities including prisoner-operated bread ovens in
some prisons to be curtailed.
Hamas
official Mushir Al-Masri, who attended the rally, said the latest Ben-Gvir
decisions “added fuel to the fire”.
“The
issue of prisoners has always been on the agenda of the Palestinian resistance,
and the screams by female prisoners inside the jails of the Zionist enemy risk
a tough confrontation in which the Palestinian resistance will not stand
handcuffed,” said Masri.
Separately,
an official from the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad said a delegation from the
group’s political office, led by the faction’s chief-in-exile Ziyad al-Nakhala,
would visit Cairo on Friday for talks that would also include the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The
official, who asked not to be named, said the visit was scheduled before the
latest violence but he said the current escalation in Gaza and the West Bank
would inevitably be discussed.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735063/israeli-warplanes-strike-gaza-overnight
--------
Iran
Dismisses IAEA Report on Undeclared Change at Fordow Nuclear Facility
2023-February-2
Kamalvandi
on Wednesday rejected a report by the UN nuclear watchdog that claims Tehran
made an undeclared change to uranium enriching equipment at the Fordow facility
in the Central province of Qom.
"The
report of the International Atomic Energy Agency was based on a mistake by an
inspector of the oversight body who mistakenly flagged the issue," he
stated.
The
spokesperson added that the matter has already been resolved after previous
inspectors came to the site and Iranian officials explained to them about the
issue.
"The
inspector who had previously reported about it also realized his mistake,"
the AEOI official said.
The
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami has also responded to the IAEA's report, saying it
was issued based on a false inadvertent report submitted by one of the nuclear
agency's inspectors.
"The
previous inspectors attended the place (Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant) and after
the explanations given to them, the mentioned inspector realized his mistake
and after their coordination with the agency's secretariat, the issue was practically
resolved," Eslami stated.
He
expressed regret for the international organization's actions, adding the
ongoing process and inspection of nuclear facilities of no country is
immediately covered by the media.
Earlier,
the IAEA announced in a report that its inspectors found a modification to an
interconnection between two clusters of centrifuges that was substantially
different than what Iran had declared to the agency. Director General Rafael
Grossi has also noted that the change was “inconsistent with Iran’s
obligations” under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and undermines
the IAEA’s ability to “implement effective safeguards measures” at the Fordow
site.
Back
in November, the AEOI said that Tehran has began enriching uranium to 60% purity
at Fordow nuclear site in a tit-for-tat move against a resolution adopted by
the IAEA Board of Governors against Iran.
The
AEOI added production of 60% enriched uranium had started for the first time in
Fordwo nuclear site, as the country is already enriching uranium to up to 60%
purity elsewhere.
The
atomic agency noted that a new generation of IR-6 centrifuges had replaced
older machines in Fordwo to enable a massive ramp-up in output.
Iran
has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and allowed it to visit the
country’s nuclear sites, but calls the nuclear agency's approach unconstructive
and destructive. But Tehran has asked the IAEA to avoid politicizing the issue
and focus on technical aspects in line with the organization’s mandate.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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--------
Turkey
summons nine western envoys over security warnings
02
February ,2023
Turkey
on Thursday summoned the ambassadors and top envoys of nine countries to
condemn the mass closure of European consulates in Istanbul due to security
concerns.
The
United States and several European powers have advised citizens not to attend
mass events and avoid tourist hotspots in central Istanbul because of a
heightened terror threat.
At
least seven European countries have closed their Istanbul consulates to the
general public as a precaution.
The
US consulate remains open because it is not in the city center and less
vulnerable to a terror attack.
The
security warnings came during a spike in diplomatic tensions linked to Turkey’s
refusal to let Sweden and Finland join the US-led NATO defense bloc.
These
have been exacerbated by protests at which an anti-Islamic extremist burnt
copies of the Koran in Stockholm and Copenhagen last month.
Turkish
officials have voiced growing frustration with the Western security alerts.
Ankara
issued a travel warning for the United States and Europe in seeming retaliation
last weekend.
A
Turkish diplomatic source said the nine ambassadors and senior representatives
were summoned to discuss their decision to close the consulates without
specifying the countries.
The
source disclosed no other immediate details.
Interior
Minister Suleyman Soylu on Thursday condemned the Western closures as an
attempt to meddle in Turkey’s May 14 presidential and parliament election
campaign.
“They
are waging psychological war against Turkey,” Soylu told NTV television. “They
are trying to destabilize Turkey.”
The
chief spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party accused the
West of making “irresponsible statements”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran:
Preliminary Investigations Show Israel Responsible for Drone Attack on Military
Facility
2023-February-2
Iravani
wrote in a letter to the Secretary-General and Rotating Chairperson of the
Security Council, saying, "Initial probe suggests that the Israeli regime
was responsible for this attempted act of aggression."
"Furthermore,
in a recent interview with CNN on January 31, 2023, the Prime Minister of the
Israeli regime, Benjamin Netanyahu, admitted Israel’s involvement in acts of
sabotage and terrorism in Iran," he continued.
The
Iranian diplomat underlined that the Israeli regime has openly admitted its
involvement in these reprehensible crimes, noting, "Hence, it must be held
accountable for all criminal and terrorist acts committed against Iran and face
the consequences without exception."
"In
light of the destructive consequences of the Israeli regime’s persistent
malicious activities in the region, particularly its threat to use force
against Iran’s critical infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities, the
United Nations Security Council must fulfill its responsibility under the
Charter and condemn Israel's warmongering statements and acts of terrorism,
including state terrorism, which pose a serious threat to regional and
international peace and security. The Security Council must also demand that
the Israeli regime comply with international law and cease its dangerous plans
and malicious activities in the region," the letter read.
"Iran
reserves its legitimate and inherent right, in accordance with international
law and the United Nations Charter, to defend its national security and respond
resolutely to any threats or wrongful actions by the Israeli regime, wherever
and whenever deemed necessary," Iravani underscored.
The
Iranian Defense Ministry on Sunday announced that the country's air defense
units had thwarted a drone raid on a military workshop in Isfahan. Tehran
confirmed that the unsuccessful attack did not cause any loss of life and only
led to minor damage to the roof of a workshop.
Several
news outlets reported that Israel had launched the strike. There was initial
speculation in the Arab media that the explosions in Isfahan were the result of
a US Air Force operation. But, Pentagon Spokesperson Patrick Ryder has stated
that no American forces were involved in the strike, but declined to comment
further.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
arrests American over Jerusalem church vandalism
02
February ,2023
Israeli
police said officers arrested an American man on Thursday over vandalizing a
church along a major pilgrimage route in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The
suspect was detained after a wooden statue of Jesus was pulled down and damaged
in the Church of the Condemnation, where Christians believe Jesus was flogged
and sentenced to death.
“The
suspect arrested is an American tourist in his forties, who vandalized and
broke a statue in the church,” said a statement from police, adding that the
man’s mental health was being assessed.
A
spokeswoman for the United States embassy in Jerusalem did not comment on the
incident when contacted by AFP.
Majid
al-Rishq, the gatekeeper who detained the accused, described him as Jewish man
armed with a hammer.
“He
started hitting the statue of Christ in the Church of the Condemnation... I was
able to grab him and pull him off it, but he knocked the statue off and broke
it,” Rishq told AFP.
“I
grabbed him and then the priests came and called the police,” he added.
The
wooden statue was brought from Spain to Jerusalem in 1912, said Eugenio
Alliata, director of the SBF Archaeological Museum, which collects artefacts
from the Holy Land.
The
Old City lies in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and is home to sites sacred to
Christians, Jews and Muslims.
The
Church of the Condemnation stands on Via Dolorosa, which Christians believe
marks the path taken by Jesus before his crucifixion in the sacred city.
Pilgrims
from around the world walk from the Church of the Condemnation, stopping to
pray and sing along the cobbled street before reaching Jesus’s crucifixion and
burial site at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Israel’s
police force said it takes “damage to religious institutions and sites very
seriously,” following a series of attacks targeting the Christian community.
Two
Jews were arrested over an attack on Saturday against a group of Armenian
Christians in the Old City, a police spokeswoman told AFP.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Categorically Rejects French Claims of Smuggling Arms to Yemen
2023-February-2
French
official claimed on Thursday the country's naval forces in January seized
thousands of assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank missiles in the Gulf of
Oman coming from Iran and heading to Yemen.
Rejecting
the claimed raised by Paris, Kana'ani stated on Thursday such allegations are
raised with political motives with the purpose of misinforming public opinion
in the world.
"The
countries which are helping the coalition of aggressors against Yemen under
military dealings or by providing intelligence assistance and have a role in
the inhumane blockade on the Yemeni people are in no position to raise
accusations against other nations,” the diplomat added.
The
spokesperson advised France and other countries that aid the Saudi-led
coalition "to immediately stop their opportunistic and self-interested
policies", instead of "giving misinformation and abdicating
responsibility" for the war that has been imposed on Yemen.
Tehran
has repeatedly rejected allegations about sending weapons to Yemeni forces.
“Medicine
and medical goods are sent to Yemenis with difficulty; then how could military
equipment go through and sent to them,” an Iranian foreign ministry
spokesperson had asked.
The
spokesman noted that the Yemeni nation has made astonishing progress in the
military field and manufacturing weapons and military equipment after facing
the Saudi-led aggression.
Saudi
Arabia launched a devastating war on Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with
its Arab allies and with arms and logistics support from the US, the UK and
other Western states.
The
objective was to reinstall the Riyadh-friendly regime of Abd Rabbuh Mansur
Hadi, and crush the Ansarullah resistance movement, which has been running
state affairs in the absence of a functional government in Yemen.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
to Chad: Need to curb Iran, Hezbollah clout in Sahel region
02
February ,2023
Chadian
President Mahamat Deby, in Israel to open an embassy near Tel Aviv Thursday,
heard his hosts’ concern about what they described as the clout of their
arch-foes Iran and Hezbollah in Africa’s Sahel region.
Israel
only confirmed Deby’s visit on Wednesday, a day after he arrived. The trip
included a rare stop at the Mossad intelligence headquarters - a sign that
bilateral ties re-established five years ago have national security importance.
Chad’s
embassy is in Ramat Gan, a town abutting Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
“This
is a great day, an historic day for Chad and for Israel, too,” Deby said in a
videotape of the inauguration.
“I
offer a prayer to God that, with the formal opening of our embassy here,
relations between our countries will bring value to both peoples, yours and
ours.”
Standing
beside the Chadian president, Netanyahu said: “We are strengthening our
friendship, and our common interest in pursuing peace, security and
prosperity.”
Meeting
Deby earlier, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “raised the importance of
narrowing the influence of Iran and Hezbollah in the Sahel region, as a key to
ensuring stability, and thwarting the export of terrorism,” Gallant’s office
said.
There
was no immediate comment from the government in Chad or Tehran. In Beirut,
Hezbollah’s media office declined comment.
The
existence or level of Iranian influence in the Sahel has been disputed.
Morocco
cut ties with Iran in 2018, accusing it of working through Hezbollah to train
and arm the Polisario Front group, which is waging an armed independence
struggle for the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Rabat has also warned of
Iranian incursion in the Sahel using Algeria as a gateway.
Algeria
and the Polisario have denied this and analysts say they have seen no evidence
of such Iranian activity.
Muslim-majority
Chad has not publicly spoken of any significant presence by Iran or Hezbollah,
a Tehran-backed Lebanese political party with a powerful militia, in the Sahel,
parts of which are contending with Sunni “Islamist” insurgencies.
In
2018, Chad’s then-president Idriss Deby visited Israel, reversing decades of
diplomatic distance over its policies toward the Palestinians, whose statehood
struggle continues. At the time, Idriss Deby cited a joint fight against terrorism.
Having
returned to power last month, Netanyahu has vowed to expand the circle of Arab
or Muslim countries that recognize Israel - even as he contends with a
deepening and violent stalemate with the Palestinians.
There
was no immediate comment on the Chadian embassy opening from Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas’ administration. Abbas’ rival Palestinian Islamist
group Hamas, which spurns coexistence with Israel, condemned Chad’s move.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
FM Describes Sanctions as Terrorist Tool
2023-February-2
Amir
Abdollahian hailed enhanced ties with Nicaragua during a joint meeting with his
Nicaraguan counterpart Denis Moncada in Managua on Wednesday.
“Iran
is serious in looking at Latin America within the framework of its foreign
policy doctrine. We are witnessing the expansion of relations between Iran and
Nicaragua,” he said.
The
top diplomat also expressed his satisfaction with the cooperation between the
two countries in the energy sector, saying both capitals agree to hold joint
economic commission regularly.
“Our
ambassadors are actively following up relations and I am happy that the
positions of both countries regarding international issues are on the right
track,” the minister continued.
He
added that the two countries have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation
and political consultations mechanism.
The
Iranian foreign minister also stated that Tehran strives for political
independence for a multilateral world order.
Referring
to US-led sanctions against independent countries, Amir-Abdollahian noted sanctions
are a “terrorist threat” that imperial powers use as leverage.
For
his part, the Nicaraguan foreign minister said the cooperation document is the
first agreement signed with Iran in 2023, noting that 14 such documents were
inked last year in line with the interests of both nations.
He
also voiced confidence that bilateral relations will be reinforced through
joint work and cooperation, highlighting the need to boost cooperation with
Iran as a friendly and brotherly country to achieve peace and secure the rights
of the two nations.
Amir
Abdollahian traveled to Nicaragua on Wednesday, after making a visit to
Mauritania. He is also expected to visit Venezuela as his second destination in
Latin America.
Iranian
officials have noted that the US has been defeated in the maximum pressure
policy against Tehran, underscoring that sanctions have all failed to hamper
the progress of the country.
In
quitting the 2015 nuclear deal, former President Donald Trump restored
sanctions on Iran as part of what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign
against the country. Those sanctions are being enforced to this day by the Joe
Biden administration, even though it has repeatedly acknowledged that the
policy has been a mistake and a failure.
Tehran
says it will not be able to trust Washington as long as President Biden
continues the wrong policy of maximum pressure and sanctions practiced by Trump
against Iran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011113000132/Iranian-FM-Describes-Sancins-as-Terrris-Tl
--------
Israel’s
finance minister confiscates Palestinian money to compensate Israeli victims of
attacks
MOHAMMED
NAJIB
February
02, 2023
RAMALLAH:
Israel, which collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, would use
100 million shekels ($29 million) from PA funds to compensate victims of
Palestinian attacks, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said.
The
amount to be deducted is double the amount normally confiscated monthly — $14.7
million — in the first such move since Smotrich took office.
Smotrich
signed off orders, claiming these funds would normally be transferred by the PA
to the families of prisoners and those carrying out attacks against the
occupation.
This
is not the first time that Israeli authorities have confiscated Palestinian tax
revenues as “compensation” to the families of Israelis killed and injured in
Palestinian operations.
On
Jan. 8, Smotrich ordered the seizure of $40.5 million from the PA’s funds as
part of the sanctions he decided to impose on the Palestinians.
The
sums deducted by Israel between 2011 and 2021 under this clause reached $11
billion.
In
2022 alone, the total unilateral Israeli deductions from Palestinian tax
revenues amounted to $450 million.
A
senior PA economic official, who preferred anonymity, told Arab News that the
Israeli decision to double the deductions would exacerbate the financial crisis
the PA has been suffering from for over a year.
“This
is a deliberate attempt to weaken and undermine the Palestinian Authority,” he
said.
“Considering
the rise in prices and the increase in financial obligations for public sector
employees, the additional deductions will make the PA unable to even pay 80
percent of the monthly salary to its employees, which will weaken the security
establishment and push people to support violence against Israel,” he added.
The
authority, he said, had exceeded the limit allowed to borrow from the
Palestinian banks, and it was concerned that if it continued to borrow, it
would cause a shock to the Palestinian banking sector.
Ahmed
Majdalani, Palestinian social development minister, told Arab News that the
additional Israeli cuts would impact the private sector as well as the
Palestinian government’s ability to pay salaries and provide welfare for
impoverished Palestinian families.
“Israel
is pushing the PA to the brink of inability to fulfill its obligations, which
aggravates the Palestinian situation and weakens PA institutions, including the
security services,” he said.
Meanwhile,
Israeli forces have arrested 27 Palestinians from the West Bank, most of them
from Ramallah, transferred five Jerusalemites to administrative detention for
three to six months, and demolished two houses in Duma village, south of
Nablus, in the northern West Bank.
Suleiman
Dawabsha, the head of the Duma village council, told Arab News that large
forces from the Israeli army, accompanied by a military bulldozer, stormed the
eastern area of the village and demolished the homes.
At
the same time, the houses of 15 more people were threatened with demolition.
In
a separate incident, an Israeli settler attacked a child from Hawara, south of
Nablus, with pepper spray.
The
settler stopped Suleiman Al-Mukhtar’s vehicle on the main street in the town
and shot pepper spray through the car window at the face of his 14-year-old
son, Faisal.
The
Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission said the month of January saw 150
attacks carried out by settlers against Palestinians, including an attempt to
establish six new settlement outposts. It added that 72 attacks were carried
out in Nablus.
Meanwhile,
160 Palestinian and American human rights and humanitarian organizations have
called on the US Congress to stop funding the “massacres” committed by the
Israeli government against the Palestinian people.
They
stressed the need for Congress to take immediate political measures to stop arming
Israel by ending its military funding.
Amnesty
International has called on Israeli authorities to dismantle the “apartheid”
system, which is upheld by “unlawful killings” that constitute “crimes against
humanity.”
It
also condemned other grave and ongoing violations committed by Israeli
authorities, such as administrative detention and forcible transfer of
detainees.
In
its statement, the organization said Israeli authorities controlled virtually
every aspect of the lives of Palestinians, “subjecting them to oppression and
unfair discrimination daily through the fragmentation of regions and legal
segregation.”
People
in the occupied Palestinian territories are isolated in enclaves, with those
living in the Gaza Strip cut off from the rest of the world by Israel’s illegal
blockade, which has caused a humanitarian crisis, a form of collective
punishment, Amnesty said.
Elsewhere,
Hamas condemned the opening of the Chadian Embassy in Israel on Thursday,
calling on Chad to review its decision, which contradicts the position of the
country’s people, who have historically supported Palestine.
Separately,
the Islamic-Christian Organization for the Support of Jerusalem and Sanctities
denounced an attack by settlers on a church in the Old City of Jerusalem.
It
described the vandalism of the church as “a dangerous transgression by the
settlers toward everything that is not Jewish in Jerusalem.”
The
Israeli police said the culprit was an American tourist in his 40s who has been
arrested.
Press
reports said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during his visit, pressured
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accept a security plan formulated by US
Security Coordinator Gen. Michael Wenzel to restore the authority’s control
over the cities of Nablus and Jenin, which have become centers of unrest.
The
plan includes training a special Palestinian force to confront militants in the
occupied West Bank.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243821/middle-east
--------
Iran’s
IRGC chief vows punishment after desecration of Quran in Europe
02
February ,2023
The
head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened punishment
on Thursday for those behind the desecration of Islam’s holy book, the Quran,
in Europe.
“Today,
we are the guardians of Islam and the Quran … We say to those who burned the
Quran, this fire will catch your bodies and turn them into corpses,” state news
agency IRNA quoted Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami as saying.
“Live
in secret from today and have nightmares every night, Muslims will not leave
you even if decades pass,” added Salami.
Last
month, a far-right activist from Denmark burned a copy of the Quran outside the
Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Days later, a Dutch leader of the far-right
Pegida movement tore pages from a Quran near the Dutch parliament.
Salami
referenced the attack against novelist Salman Rushdie in August, saying that
those who desecrated the Quran should expect a similar fate.
The
IRGC commander made the same reference last month last month regarding the
staff of French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo for publishing cartoons of
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei deemed “insulting” by Tehran.
Rushdie
was stabbed on August 12 as he prepared to speak at an event in western New
York. He had long faced death threats for his fourth novel, “The Satanic
Verses,” published in 1988.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel’s
foreign minister arrives in Khartoum to discuss Sudan normalization
02
February ,2023
Israeli
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen was in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Thursday to
discuss the normalization of ties between the two countries, two Sudanese
government sources said.
The
trip was part of an exchange of visits between Sudan and Israel and involved
discussions on reaching and signing a normalization deal as well as military
and security issues, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sudan
agreed to take steps to normalize ties with Israel in a 2020 deal brokered by
former US President Donald Trump’s administration, alongside normalization
agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco
known as the “Abraham Accords.”
In
January 2021, Sudan said that its justice minister at the time,
NasredeenAbdulbari, had signed on to the Abraham Accords during a visit by US
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
There
was no immediate comment from Israeli officials, but Cohen’s office said he
would in the evening convene a news conference “upon his return from an
historic state visit”. It did not elaborate.
As
intelligence minister in 2021, Cohen made a ground-breaking visit to Sudan.
Sudan’s
military, which has been in charge of the country since an October 2021 coup
but says it intends to hand over power to a civilian government, is seen as
having led the move towards establishing relations with Israel.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
blames cyberattack for internet disruption: Report
02
February ,2023
A
nationwide drop in Iranian internet traffic last week was caused by a
cyberattack, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.
Investigations
are ongoing into the origin of the January 25 attack, which disrupted networks
for ten minutes, ISNA reported, citing Communications Minister EisaZarepour.
Iran
has restricted internet access since September as part of its crackdown on
nationwide anti-government protests sparked by the death in police custody of
MahsaAmini, a 22-year-old woman who died shortly after her arrest by Tehran’s
morality police for allegedly not complying with the Islamic Republic’s strict
hijab rules.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel’s
attorney general says Netanyahu cannot be involved in legal overhaul
02
February ,2023
Israel’s
attorney general has told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he must avoid being
involved in an overhaul to the country’s judicial system proposed by his
government, saying in a letter made public Thursday that he risks a conflict of
interest in his ongoing corruption trial.
Netanyahu’s
new far-right government has made changing the legal system a centerpiece of
its legislative agenda and despite mounting public criticism, has charged ahead
with steps to weaken the Supreme Court and grant politicians less judicial
oversight in their policymaking.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Netanyahu
is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of
scandals involving influential media moguls and wealthy associates. He denies
wrongdoing.
“You
must avoid as part of your role as prime minister involvement in initiatives
related to the legal system,” Attorney General GaliBaharav-Miara wrote to
Netanyahu in the letter, which was sent Wednesday. She said that meant
Netanyahu could also not direct others to advance the plan.
The
letter included an opinion by Baharav-Miara’s deputy, saying the overhaul would
“benefit the prime minister in terms of the administration of his trial.” It
said the changes would allow the governing coalition to more easily advance
legislation that could assist Netanyahu.
Amir
Fuchs, a senior researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem think
tank, said Baharav-Miara’s position won’t affect the plan’s progress. He said
the attorney general’s position is binding, meaning Netanyahu won’t be able to
deal with the legal changes, and neither will any of his political appointees
on his behalf. But ministers in his government should be able to, he said.
The
judicial overhaul was launched by the country’s justice minister, a close
confidante of Netanyahu’s, and the Israeli leader has touted it as the right
step for the country.
Asked
about moves to alter the judiciary by a leader on trial in an interview with
CNN this week, Netanyahu said “none of the reforms that we’re talking
about…have anything to do with my trial.”
Baharav-Miara’s
stance is only likely to deepen a rift in Israel over the power of the
judiciary, which has roiled the country since the government took power later
last year.
The
plan would allow a simple majority of the country’s 120-seat parliament to
overturn Supreme Court decisions that deem laws unconstitutional. It would also
allow government ministers to ignore the advice of legal counselors and also
make the position less independent.
Critics
say the plan upends Israel’s system of checks and balances and strips
minorities of the ultimate protector of their rights, the Supreme Court. They
say it grants politicians too much power and would be destructive to Israel’s
democratic fundamentals. The plan has faced widespread opposition, from top
legal officials to economists and the country’s robust tech sector to tens of
thousands of ordinary Israelis who have come out to protest the move.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Islamic
group, JNI, wants security operatives punished over Nasarawa killings
By
SaxoneAkhaine, Kaduna
03
February 2023
Apex
Muslim body in the North, Jama’atuNasril Islam (JNI), has called on the Federal
Government to punish officers of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and other
security operatives allegedly involved in the recent shelling of innocent
citizens in Doma, Nasarawa State.
It
also urged the government to investigate the incident to avert recurrence.
In
a statement issued by Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, yesterday,
JNI said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria should pay compensation to the
bereaved families, for equity, justice and foreclosing of any possibility of
vengeance or reprisal.”
It
said government should “prosecute officials that are found wanting in the
discharge of their assignments, to serve as deterrent to other nonchalant
officials.”
JNI
said: “This massacre calls for serious introspection, especially as the 2023
general election is fast approaching. For how long would we continue to wait in
vain? How long shall we continue to condemn acts of terrorism without any concerted
efforts at ending them? For how long would we continue to suffer hopelessness
and despair, such as what we just witnessed in Doma?
“JNI
is perplexed and very much concerned over the grisly incident in Doma and its
environs. This dastardly act was carried out despite several concerted efforts
at peaceful co-existence between the Tiv and Fulani, as well as other sedentary
farmers in the area.
“Clearly,
there seems to be premeditated sabotage from some quarters. Government should,
therefore, thoroughly interrogate the events that culminated to the most
unfortunate bloodletting in Doma.”
According
to the group, “some sources claimed helicopters bombed the victims, while
others said it was a horrific sporadic and coordinated attack from different
angles on the victims; a very heart-rending and mind-boggling situation. But
for how long shall innocent defenceless Nigerians continue to suffer cruel
termination of their lives and utter destruction of their property?”
Source:
Guardian Nigeria
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sudan,
Israel agree to move forward with ‘normalization’: Sudan foreign ministry
02
February ,2023
Sudan
and Israel on Thursday agreed to move forward with “normalization,” the
Sudanese foreign ministry said during a visit to Khartoum by Israel’s top
diplomat.
“It
has been agreed to move forward towards the normalization of relations between
the two countries,” the Sudanese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tunisians
struggle with prices and shortages as economy worsens
02
February ,2023
Tunisian
street cleaner Lassad Mejri says life has grown so tough for his family because
of the country’s dire economy that they prepare just one meal a day, but as
government finances falter, there may be worse to come.
Like
many Tunisians Mejri, 57, and his wife Elgeya had already been struggling to
cope with basic living costs before recent years brought the COVID-19 pandemic,
rising global inflation and a crisis in state finances.
“People
are no longer happy and cannot even laugh. Everything is difficult. If you
laugh now, you feel bad,” said Mejri, who lives in the town of Tebourba, 30km
(18 miles) west of the capital Tunis.
Mejri,
his wife, and their son used to eat three meals a day. Now, Elgeya only
prepares a midday meal and they only eat in the evening if there are leftovers.
Mejri
spends his working days sweeping streets and pavements in Tebourba, pushing a
wheeled plastic bin along with him, to earn 400 dinars ($100) a month.
“Everything
has become very expensive this year, we can no longer buy anything,” he said.
Tunisia
has been pushing for years for an international bailout to help it stave off
bankruptcy, but the country’s political turmoil and disputes over economic
reforms have thwarted those efforts.
Last
week, ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Tunisian sovereign debt, saying there
was a likelihood of a default.
Shortages
of some subsidised food and medicine already point to the government’s economic
problems, and a default would likely make things much worse by raising the cost
of borrowing and undermining the dinar, which would worsen inflation.
Mejri
needs medicine for a medical condition, but said he was no longer able to find
it in Tunisia.
“It’s
not a shortage. This medicine is not here anymore,” he said. He said he managed
to obtain some from a woman who had imported it specially from France for her
own mother.
Shortages
have been seen across the country, with supermarkets and local shops out of
some products or having to ration basic goods such as sugar, milk, butter and
cooking oil.
Even
without those shortages, a 10 percent inflation rate - which economists say may
be 20 percent for food items - means many Tunisians are buying less anyway.
At
a Tunis market, vegetable seller Tawfik Mselmi, 53, said he was ashamed to be
demanding such high prices, but was making no profit.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Moroccan
court rules to extradite Saudi man despite fears of torture, unfair trial
03
February 2023
A
Moroccan court has ruled to extradite a Saudi Arabian Shia Muslim man from a
family of activists to the Arab kingdom notwithstanding fears that he could
face custodial torture and unfair trial there.
Hassan
al-Rabea, held in a prison near Rabat since January 14, was arrested at the
behest of Saudi authorities at Marrakech Airport as the 26-year-old was leaving
the Moroccan capital for Ankara.
The
Rabat Court of Cassation “unfortunately responded favorably to the request for
the extradition of Hassan al-Rabea,” his lawyer Mohamed Sebbar was quoted as
saying by AFP on Thursday. “No appeal is possible.”
The
decision will be sent to the Moroccan justice minister, followed by the prime
minister, who is likely to sign a decree ordering his extradition.
Rabea’s
brother Ahmed, based in Canada, said there was “no proof” against his sibling
and accused Riyadh of “buying” a favorable ruling in the Moroccan courts.
“Hassan
will be handed over to a criminal country that will cut off his head,” he said.
The
Saudi regime accused Hassan in a November arrest warrant of “leaving Saudi
Arabia illegally with the help of a terrorist". Riyadh frequently accuses
anti-government activists of links to “terrorism".
Ahmed
said Saudi authorities were targeting his brother in order to exert pressure to
find their third brother, Munir, who is an activist.
Last
year, Saudi Arabia sentenced their older brother Ali to death for allegedly
helping Munir escape the country, according to MENA Rights Group, a
Geneva-based legal advocacy organization.
Rabea
faced “well-founded risks of torture… should he be extradited to his country of
origin,” it stated.
The
rights group said it had asked the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to
intervene, citing a possible violation of the principle of non-refoulment by
Morocco.
Rabie
will likely be subjected to "enforced disappearance, torture, and
arbitrary sentences that may lead to his death" in Saudi Arabia, the
European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) warned after the
extradition decision.
The
Rabea family comes from Shia-populated eastern Saudi Arabia, where frequent
protests have taken place since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, including
violent clashes between protesters and security forces there in 2017.
Protesters
have demanded reforms, freedom of expression, the release of political
prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination.
Since
Mohammed bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and de facto leader in
2017, the kingdom has arrested a number of activists, journalists, and academics
perceived as political opponents, showing zero tolerance for dissent even in
the face of global outcry.
Many
Islamic scholars have been arrested and executed, women’s rights campaigners
have been put behind bars and tortured, and freedom of expression and
association have been denied to people, especially minority Shias, during this
period.
According
to a new report by Reprieve and the European Saudi Organization for Human
Rights (ESOHR), the rate of executions in the kingdom since King Salman and his
son Mohammed bin Salman came to power in 2015 has almost doubled annually.
The
report, released Tuesday, reveals that the six bloodiest years of executions in
Saudi Arabia’s recent history (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022) have all
occurred under the leadership of Mohammed bin Salman as the country’s crown
prince and de facto ruler and his father.
Chad
opens the first embassy in Israel
In
a separate development on Thursday, Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno
opened his country's first embassy in Israel, four years after the two sides
restored diplomatic ties, in a move seen as Tel Aviv’s attempt to continue the
charade of normalization in the region.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in 2020 that he had discussed "the
possibility of opening an embassy” in al-Quds with a Chadian delegation.
In
January 2019, Netanyahu and Chad's former president IdrissDéby, the father of
the current leader, announced the renewal of diplomatic relations between the
countries at a ceremony in N'Djamena, the capital of Chad.
The
elder Deby, who ruled the Muslim-majority nation for more than three decades,
was killed in 2021 on the battlefield in a fight against rebels. His son
replaced him as president at the head of a military junta.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Europe
Vienna
court convicts alleged accomplices in 2020 Islamic State shooting
February
2, 2023
An
Austrian court has convicted four men of terrorist offenses and participation
in murder over their alleged links to a sympathizer of the Islamic State group
who carried out a deadly shooting in Vienna in 2020.
Two
of the men were sentenced to life in prison by the Vienna state court on
Wednesday night and the others to 20 and 19 years, respectively, the Austria
Press Agency reported.
Another
two defendants were acquitted of the main charges, but were convicted of
membership in IS and spreading the group's propaganda. They were given
partially suspended two-year sentences.
Four
people were killed in the attack on Nov. 2, 2020, and the gunman also died.
More than 20 other people, including a police officer, were wounded. Assailant
KujtimFejzulai, a dual national of Austria and North Macedonia, had a previous
conviction for trying to join IS in Syria.
Source:
FoxNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/vienna-court-convicts-alleged-accomplices-2020-islamic-state-shooting
--------
Muslim
org buys UK synagogue it calls 'place of worship of non-believers'
Feb
2, 2023
The
Islamic organization that is purchasing the Wembley United Synagogue property
has apologized for a fundraising flyer that described the synagogue as “a place
of worship of non-believers.”
The
fundraising initiative from Dawat-e-Islami, an international Sunni Muslim
organization based in Pakistan, caused an outcry on social media, including on
the “Friends of Wembley Shul” Facebook group, for the offensive description of
the synagogue, the UK Jewish News reported.
Dawat-e-Islami
apologized to the synagogue on Wednesday in an email to Wembley Synagogue chair
Charles Vitez.
Wembley
United Synagogue held a farewell event attended by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
in December marking the closing of the synagogue’s current location after 60
years.
The
congregation put the property up for sale and is moving into a smaller venue
due to dwindling numbers, with London's Jewish community today mainly living in
other neighborhoods.
Dawat-e-Islami’s
Hasan Ali Safdar wrote in the email: “The wording on the leaflet stated the
building is ‘a former place of worship of non-believers’, which was referring
to non-believers of Islam i.e. any other religion. The wording was never
intended to cause any offence.
“We
have removed this text from the campaign immediately and apologize profusely
for any offence it may have caused… We will not distribute the old leaflets and
will only use the amended material.”
According
to the report, the sale of the 14,500 square foot former synagogue to the
Muslim group, which has been active in the UK since 1995, is nearly completed.
The
United Synagogue’s chief operating officer, David Collins, told the news outlet
that the deal was made with “robust due diligence processes.”
Source:
Israel NationalNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366873
--------
Anti-Muslim
extremist Rasmus Paludan engaged in sex chats with minors
Audio
recordings from the racist politician’s online conversations reveal he spoke to
minors about disturbing and graphic sexual scenarios, such as a teacher sexually
abusing a boy in front of his class.
Swedish-Danish
politician Rasmus Paludan had sexually explicit conversations with minors on
the internet despite being aware that they were underage.
The
racist convict, notorious for anti-Muslim extremism and conducting "Quran
burning tours", engaged in inappropriate and sexually explicit chats with
underage boys on the social media platform Discord.
Audio
recordings taken from the bigoted and racist politician’s online conversations
reveal he spoke to underage boys about disturbing and graphic sexual scenarios,
such as a teacher sexually abusing a boy in front of his classmate.
“He
cried as he had never cried before at a first violation of his sphincter by the
hard plastic tool,” Paludan told his young audience.
In
one example, the users even tell Paludan their ages, which range from 13 to 17,
in a group chat. When asked how old he was, the politician said he was 39.
While
the age of consent in Sweden is 15, Paludan knowingly and continuously had
sexually explicit conversations with 14 and 13-year-olds.
Another
example of a conversation that demonstrates his shocking behaviour, took place
on August 11, 2021, between him and other Discord users, including a minor
(let’s call him User #1 to maintain his anonymity).
Paludan
again engages in a perverted conversation, explaining to the users that User #1
engaged in sexual activity with "a boy" behind a Netto grocery store.
In
response to Paludan's explicit story, another user asks User #1, "Well,
but do you work in a Netto, or what? How old are you?"
To
which User #1 responds, "I don't work in Netto, I am 14 years old."
Inappropriate
chats with minors
Despite
being aware of his underage audience, Paludan also told one of the users on
August 14, 2021, that he was “naked” when he walked around the kitchen.
In
addition, Paludan spoke about Islam to the young boys in an attempt to
“educate” or “explain” to them why he doesn't “like that religion”.
He
began using Discord after his YouTube account was removed in February 2020. He
faced no legal action for the inappropriate chats but has been charged with a
total of 14 offences in the past, such as racism, defamation and violation of
traffic rules.
Criminal
background
His
criminal background also reveals he was sentenced to 2-3 months in prison and
not allowed to drive for a period of time or work as a lawyer for three years.
Recently,
the anti-Muslim extremist burned a copy of the Quran outside the premises of the
Turkish embassy in Sweden.
Despite
international condemnation, Paludan swears he will burn the holy book every
Friday until Sweden is included in the NATO alliance.
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, abandoning decades of
military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia's military action against
Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022.
But
Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing
the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups, including
the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), the group behind the
July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye.
Last
June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a NATO summit
to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their
eventual membership in the alliance.
In
the memorandum, Sweden and Finland agreed not to provide support to the
PKK/YPG/PYD and FETO, to prevent all activities of the terror groups, the
extradition of terror suspects, to introduce new legislation to punish
terrorist crimes, and not to implement national arms embargoes among the three
countries.
However,
Sweden has only adopted cosmetic steps to contain PKK, which is accused of
raising funds in Europe to finance its terror campaign in Türkiye, in which
more than 40,000 people have been killed.
On
January 11, a pro-PKK group organised anti-Turkish rally and hanged an effigy
likened to the image of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Stockholm.
Source:TRTWorld
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
European
Muslims decry Quran burning in Sweden, Netherlands
FEB
02, 2023
The
European Muslim Forum (EMF) has denounced the recent incidents in Europe
involving the burning of Islam’s holy book, the Quran – acts that have drawn
global condemnations from Türkiye and the broader Muslim world for the past
week.
“Some
elements in Europe intend to create a second battlefield in the continent,”
said Abdul-Wakhed Niyazov, the head of EMF, while addressing a press conference
in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul on Wednesday.
"European
Muslims are voicing their presence and their role in Europe is growing. These
provocations are trying to diminish their role in Europe," Niyazov told
reporters.
He
praised President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for being “the most vocal” in condemning
the desecration of the holy book and said: “We hope other countries would also
react. Most did condemn these acts but they were not effective."
"If
the Muslim world had reacted and supported Türkiye, then this issue would have
been resolved quickly," he added.
Arguing
that the European system is behind such incidents but not the people who
undertake them, Niyazov held the Swedish, Danish and Dutch governments
responsible for the demonstrations.
"In
many European countries, anti-Semitism is regarded as a crime but Islamophobia
comes under 'freedom of speech.' This is a double standard," he said,
noting that "change is a must."
"We
are against the burning of any religious book. I cannot imagine a Muslim
conducting such an act. We, as Muslims, are always going to be against such
acts of desecration," he emphasized.
For
the past three weeks, the Muslim world has been outraged at the desecration of
its holy book in western Europe, with Türkiye calling Paludan an
"Islam-hating charlatan" and strongly condemned the permission and
protection given by authorities for the provocative act which it said,
"clearly constitutes a hate crime."
After
torching a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Jan.
21, with both police protection and permission from the Swedish authorities,
Swedish-Danish extremist Rasmus Paludan repeated his provocation a week later
in front of a mosque in Denmark.
He
announced he would burn a copy of the holy book every Friday until Sweden is
included in the NATO alliance. Sweden’s bid for NATO membership is facing a
dead end as ties strain over Stockholm’s failure to curb anti-Türkiye
propaganda by far-right politicians and supporters of terrorist organizations
like the PKK and the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ).
Not
two days following Paludan, another far-right radical Edwin Wagensveld, the
leader of the Islamophobic group Pegida, tore out and burned pages of the Quran
in the Dutch capital.
Source:DailySabah
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UK
Home Office orders Afghan refugees to uproot families and leave London within a
week
February
02, 2023
LONDON:
The UK Home Office has notified hundreds of Afghan refugees who have been
living in London for 18 months that they must move 200 miles north to West
Yorkshire within a week, the Guardian reported on Thursday.
They
are among 9,000 Afghans who are living in temporary accommodation across the UK
after fleeing the Taliban. They left their home country as part of Operation
Pitting, which was launched in August 2021 to get British nationals and Afghans
who had worked and fought alongside UK forces out of the country after the
Taliban seized control.
“We
will never forget the brave sacrifice made by Afghans who chose to work with us
at great risk to themselves,” former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said at the
time.
Now,
the Home Office has told 40 families, including 150 children, who have been
living in a hotel in Kensington for over a year that they must move to another
hotel in Wetherby, near Leeds.
Some
of the refugees, including a former general and translators who assisted
British Army troops, told the Guardian that they are refusing to move because
their children, who have already experienced great trauma, would now be forced
to go through the upheaval of changing schools in the middle of the academic
year.
Others
have found jobs in London and are worried about giving them up and having to
find work in a new location.
Most
the Afghans living in the hotel have decided to protest against the relocation
plan, one of the refugees told the Guardian.
Hamidullah
Khan, a former parliamentary adviser in Kabul who came to the UK with his wife
and three sons, said the government has broken a series of promises it made to
refugees that it would assist them in finding permanent housing.
“We
asked the Home Office, ‘Why do you want to force us out?’ and they say: ‘This
hotel is expensive. The Leeds hotel is cheaper.’ But we didn’t choose this
hotel or this area to live in, the Home Office did,” Khan said.
“Now
we have been here, not out of choice, for 18 months. Our children are going to
local schools and, in the middle of the school year, they ask us to leave.”
In
Wetherby, meanwhile, some residents said they oppose the decision to move
Afghan refugees into a local hotel. One person told the Leeds Live website that
the government was acting in an “underhand and secretive” manner.
Under
the UK’s Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act, the Home Office is obliged
to “safeguard and promote the welfare of children when it makes any immigration
decision.”
A
Home Office spokesperson told the Guardian that the refugees were told months
ago that they would have to move north.
“While
hotels do not provide a long-term solution, they do offer safe, secure and
clean accommodation,” the spokesperson said. “We will continue to bring down
the number of people in bridging hotels, moving people into more sustainable
accommodation as quickly as possible.
“Occasionally,
families may be moved from a hotel scheduled for closure to another hotel. In
these instances, families are given appropriate notice of a move and are
supported by their local authority. We are proud this country has provided
homes for more than 7,500 Afghan evacuees but there is a shortage of local
housing accommodation for all.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2243876/world
--------
Religion-based
substitute meals in schools not against secular principles, says French court
Nur
AsenaErturk
02.02.2023
A
French court has ruled that pork substitute meals in schools are not against
secular principles, local media reported Thursday.
In
June 2018, the municipal assembly of Beaucaire town prohibited pork substitute
meals in schools, saying that it is against secular principles of the French
nation.
Muslim
and Jewish communities contested the decision, and human rights associations
filed a complaint.
The
Nimes administrative court blocked the decision of the far-right municipality
in February 2021.
Beaucaire
Mayor Julien Sanchez appealed the court's decision, which was rejected.
The
municipality can now go to a higher court, the Council of State, but a previous
ruling sets a similar precedent.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
In
now annual tradition, US urges Israel to keep friction in check ahead of
Ramadan
By
JACOB MAGID
For
the second straight year, the Biden administration has circled the Muslim holy
month of Ramadan as a potential accelerant for another eruption in violence
between Israelis and Palestinians.
Senior
US officials used their visits to Jerusalem over the last two weeks to urge
Israel to take preemptive steps in the coming weeks in order to ensure that the
sensitive period does not feature more bloodshed, two US and Israeli officials
told The Times of Israel on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The
holy month is slated to begin around March 22.
Talks
on efforts to defuse tensions are still in their early stages and there were no
specific requests made of Israel by White House National Security Adviser Jake
Sullivan, who visited last week, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was
in town this week, the Israeli official said.
However,
the top Biden aides made clear that the issue is a matter of concern for the US
and they asked their Israeli counterparts how they plan to address the matter.
The
US official said that a particular emphasis was placed during Sullivan and
Blinken’s meetings on them confirming that Israel will ensure adherence to the
status quo at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, which sees an uptick in Palestinian
visitors during Ramadan.
“There’s
reason to assume that the violence this year will be worse, given that the new
Israeli government is more emboldened to act punitively, but Prime Minister
Netanyahu is also keen on keeping things calm so that he can focus on Iran and
Saudi normalization and that will impact his calculus,” said a former US
official familiar with the matter.
The
Israeli official said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in both meetings
assured the Biden administration that he would not allow violations of the
unwritten policy, under which Muslims are permitted to pray at the Temple Mount
while non-Muslims can only visit during limited windows.
But
according to the Israeli official, the US did not ask Netanyahu to block National
Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from paying a repeat visit to the flashpoint
compound. His tour of the site last month sparked a whirlwind of condemnations
from across the globe.
US
Special Envoy for the Palestinians and US Assistant Secretary of State for Near
Eastern Affairs Hady Amr stayed behind after Blinken left on Tuesday for talks
with Israeli and Palestinian officials in an effort to come away with a series
of steps that can be implemented in the coming weeks to deescalate tensions,
the US official said.
The
former official, who previously served in a Democratic administration, said
that the US “will have to aim low in terms of what it can accomplish.”
The
source explained that the Palestinian Authority has “a list of ten unilateral
steps” it opposes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, much of which
Netanyahu’s government is unlikely to halt.
The
list includes settlement construction, outpost legalization, Israel Defense
Forces raids into PA-controlled Area A of the West Bank and violations to the
status quo at the Temple Mount.
While
the PA urged the US to coax a commitment from Israel to cease such actions, the
former US official said such “public guarantees” from Netanyahu’s new hardline
government would be “highly unlikely.”
Biden
officials held similar conversations with their Israeli and Palestinian
counterparts in the months leading up to Ramadan last year. At the time,
officials were worried that the confluence of Ramadan, Passover and Easter over
the same period could ratchet up religious friction.
Then
too, the US urged Israel to take preemptive steps to maintain calm before and
during Ramadan, such as freezing evictions and home demolitions along with
easing police presence in and around the Old City.
At
the time, Israel was led by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair
Lapid, whose moderate unity government took pains to align with Washington.
A
year earlier, tensions loosely linked to Ramadan snowballed until the outbreak
of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and rampant street violence in mixed
Jewish-Arab cities.
The
lead-up to Ramadan 2022 still saw significant bloodshed, including March terror
attacks in Beersheba, Hadera and BneiBrak in which 11 Israelis and foreign
nationals were killed. Four more civilians were killed in shooting attacks in
Tel Aviv and the Ariel settlement toward the beginning and end of the holy
month.
Four
more people were killed in a stabbing attack in Elad days after Ramadan,
including one person who succumbed to wounds on Wednesday. That attack had
coincided with Israel’s Independence Day.
Source:
TimesOfIsrael
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Monica
Lewinsky took Bill Clinton’s eye off bin Laden, leading to 9/11: ex-aide
By
Carl Campanile
February
2, 2023
Inveterate
White House dog Bill Clinton was so busy wagging his own tail — that he lost
track of the biggest threat the US has ever seen, a new book claims.
Veteran
campaign pollster Doug Schoen writes in his new memoir that then-President
Clinton and his team-were so distracted by the Monica Lewinsky scandal they
lost track of al Qaeda terror mastermind Osama bin Laden — allowing him to
later orchestrate the 9/11 terrorist attacks that slaughtered nearly 3,000
Americans.
Schoen,
who was a White House adviser and senior campaign aide to Clinton during his
1996 re-election bid, lays out the stunning claim of letting bin Laden slip
away in his forthcoming “POWER: THE 50 TRUTHS, The Definitive Insider’s Guide,”
published by Regan Arts, through Simon & Schuster.
During
his 50 years in politics, Schoen has represented American leaders on both sides
of the political aisle, from Clinton to a pre-presidential Donald Trump, as
well as world leaders including three Israeli prime ministers and Italian Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi and New York City Mayors Mike Bloomberg and Ed Koch.
He
calls Clinton the “Elvis Presley of American Politics” and “the most accomplished political
operative I have ever met,” a master of policy and a natural schmoozer on the
stump.
But
Schoen was baffled and disturbed by Clinton’s lack of discipline that led him
to have sex with White House intern Lewinsky, derailing his second term,
triggering House impeachment and forever tarnishing his reputation —
particularly diminishing his stature during the #MeToo era.
“I
watched this unraveling happen close up, in painful slow motion, from inside
the White House …. I watched the White House surreptitiously mount a whispering
campaign to discredit Lewinsky,” said Schoen.
“There
was also, I believe, a serious impact on national security. On Aug. 20, 1998,
Clinton ordered cruise missile strikes against al Qaeda in Sudan and
Afghanistan in retaliation for the bombing of the US embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania. The strikes, named Operation Infinite Reach, missed Osama bin Laden,”
Schoen writes.
“Beset
by the Lewinsky affair, the Clinton Administration lost focus and leverage to
pursue him aggressively and bin Laden struck again on 9/11,” he writes.
He
also writes that the Lewinsky scandal and Clinton’s other sexual misdeeds may
have cost Hillary Rodham Clinton the presidency to Donald Trump in 2016.
Trump
and his campaign were able to neutralize attacks on his own alleged sexual
misbehavior, including his recorded “grab ’em by the p–sy” comments,” by
pointing to Bill Clinton’s philandering as he faced off against his wife,
Democratic nominee Hillary.
“By
the time of her presidential bid, after several sexual scandals, he hung like a
millstone around her neck. When she lost, I’m told by people close to them,
Hillary and Bill
were
for a time not even on speaking terms. She seemed to blame him for
her
narrow loss,” Schoen said.
“What
Bill considered innocent dalliances ended up hurting not just himself
but
also Hillary. Harming your wife also counts as self-harm.”
He
said Clinton “never understood the fundamental problem” and always “insisted
that passive receipt of oral pleasure was not sex — a concept that someone who
is not a former law professor like him might struggle to comprehend.”
“To
this day,” Schoen writes, “he appears befuddled by the Monica fuss. When she
co-produced a TV miniseries about the saga in 2021, the fact that he was unable
to offer her the apology she is owed left me disappointed and saddened.”
He
said Bill Clinton has lost his once “broad popularity” during the #MeToo
movement that has zero tolerance of sexual harassment and mistreatment of
women.
“Sometimes,
Clinton can no longer even appear in public without sparking angry protests,”
Schoen said.
“This
is profoundly sad to me because his enormous contributions to politics and
policy often go unremarked and unacknowledged. Having heard him speak a number
of times privately, I feel it is a profound loss to America that Bill Clinton
no longer has the public voice that he used to.”
Clinton
had no immediate comment through the Clinton Foundation or his presidential
office.
Source:
New York Post
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
congresswoman, Israel critic Ilhan Omar, removed from House committee
Adam
Lucente
February
2, 2023
Muslim
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., was removed from the House Foreign Affairs
Committee on Thursday.
House
Resolution 76 narrowly passed with 218 yay votes to 211 nays. The resolution
was introduced on Tuesday by Congressman Max Miller, R-Ohio. The vote was split
down party lines, with Republicans voting for the resolution and Democrats
voting against it.
Why
it matters: Omar was elected to Congress in 2018. Her tenure on the influential
committee began in 2019 and was marked by controversy throughout due to her
statements on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2019, she tweeted “It’s all
about the Benjamins, baby” in reference to the American-Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC).
Jewish
groups accused Omar of invoking anti-semitic tropes on Jewish money and
domination in the tweet. Omar subsequently apologized. On Tuesday, she said she
had not been aware of the stereotype at the time.
Miller
mentioned the tweet in the resolution.
In
2021, Omar seemingly compared Israel and the United States to Hamas and the
Taliban when speaking to Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a House
Foreign Affairs Committee meeting.
“We
have seen unthinkable atrocities committed by the US, Hamas, Israel,
Afghanistan and the Taliban,” she said.
Some
of Omar’s colleagues criticized the remarks, accusing her of equating the
United States and Israel to terrorists.
Not
everyone is against Omar. Some of Omar’s colleagues have said she receives
disproportionate criticism for her remarks. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
(D-N.Y.) tweeted in 2021 that Omar is subject to “constant vilification.”
Omar
also has support from pro-Palestine organizations such as those affiliated with
the anti-Israel boycott “BDS” movement.
Rep.
Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, expressed support for Omar staying on the committee in the days
leading up to her removal.
“She’s
been very active and brings a lot of thought to the committee,” Meeks told CBS
on Wednesday.
In
a statement following her removal on Thursday, Meeks called Omar an “invaluable
asset” to the committee and accused Republicans of exacting “revenge on their
political opponents.”
Many
Republicans rejoiced as Omar was voted off the committee.
Omar
faced a pro-Israel primary challenger in 2022, but she won re-election that
year and again in 2022.
Know
more: Omar was born in Somalia and immigrated to the United States when she was
a pre-teen. She and Rep. Rashida Tlaib became the first Muslim women to serve
in Congress in 2019.
Source:AlMonitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistani
Gitmo prisoner transferred to Belize
Anwar
Iqbal
February
3, 2023
WASHINGTON:
The Biden administration on Thursday transferred a detainee from its Guantanamo
Bay prison facility in Cuba to Belize and is preparing to transfer at least two
more in the coming weeks. All three are Pakistani citizens.
Majid
Khan left Guantanamo early Thursday and arrived in Belize several hours later.
He is the first detainee to be resettled by the Biden administration and one of
the few to be sent to a location in the Western Hemisphere.
The
other two expected to be released soon are Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani and
Mohammad Ahmad Ghulam Rabbani.
“I
have been given a second chance in life and I intend to make the most of it,”
said Khan in a statement issued through his legal team. “I promise all of you,
especially the people of Belize, that I will be a productive, law-abiding
member of society.”
The
only known legal US resident at Guantanamo, Khan was born in Saudi Arabia. He
was granted asylum in the US in 1998, while attending high school near
Baltimore but remained a Pakistani citizen.
He
returned to Pakistan in 2002 and, according to a US Defence Department detainee
assessment, joined Al Qaeda and became a direct subordinate to Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed (KSM), Al Qaeda’s senior operational planner and the principal
architect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Khan
was arrested in Karachi in March 2003 and taken to a CIA black site where he
was subjected to sleep deprivation, an ice water bath, and forced rectal
feeding and rehydration. The chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee,
Dianne Feinstein, called the treatment torture. In September 2006,
then-President George W. Bush announced that Khan was one of 14 “high value
detainees” being transferred from CIA detention facilities to Guantanamo Bay to
face the military tribunal system.
In
2012, Khan pled guilty to terrorism-related charges and was sentenced to 10
years detention. That sentence ended March 1, 2022. Khan still has family in
the US, but US federal law does not allow Guantanamo detainees to be resettled
in the country.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735053/pakistani-gitmo-prisoner-transferred-to-belize
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UN
General Assembly President visits China, does not raise Uyghur repression
Betul
Yuruk
02.02.2023
UNITED
NATIONS
UN
General Assembly President Csaba Korosi is on a four-day trip to China and
human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in
the Xinjiang region have not come up in discussions with the Chinese
authorities, his spokesperson said Wednesday.
Korösi
started his trip Feb. 1 to meet senior government officials and scientists
working on sustainable development and water management projects.
“President
Csaba Kőrösi met today in Beijing with State Councilor Wang Yi,” Paulina Kubiak
told reporters at UN headquarters in New York. ''The President thanked China
for its leadership role in the United Nations and its efforts to support people
and the planet.''
Other
topics discussed were Security Council reform, the war in Ukraine and its
global economic implications and multilateralism, said Kubiak.
But
human rights violations against ethnic Uyghurs were not raised in meetings.
Asked
by Anadolu why the president did not raise human rights violations, she said:
“The issue of human rights was not discussed. It was not an issue that he raised.”
“The
trip to China is an official visit, and it's really aimed at sustainable
development at water issues.” she added.
A
UN report found last year that mass detention in the Xinjiang region from 2017
to 2019 was marked by credible documentation of torture, sexual violence, and
forced labor, as well as forced abortions and sterilizations.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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