A Rare Buddha Statue Destroyed on Local Muslim Cleric’s Order in Pakistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
22
Jul 2020
• Ban on
Qaradawi Urged by French Commission into Islamist Radicalisation
• Coronavirus
Punishment by God, Will Disappear If Muslims Offer Namaz: Samajwadi Party MP
• Mecca
Authorities Lift Lower Part of Kaaba’s Kiswa Cover Ahead of Hajj
• Makkah Grand
Mosque to Remain Closed During Eid Al-Adha To Stop Virus Spread
• Afghan Girl,
Qamar Gul, Kills Two Taliban Fighters,Wounds Several More After Parents
Murdered
• Trump Likens
US Cities with Pro-Justice Rallies to Afghan Towns
• Amnesty
Slams ‘Barbaric’ Caning Sentences Given to Rohingya Muslims By Malaysia
--------
Pakistan
• A Rare Buddha
Statue Destroyed on Local Muslim Cleric’s Order in Pakistan
• After
Finding Life-Size Buddha Statue, Pak Begins Archaeological Investigations To
Find More • Traces Of Gandhara Civilization
• Pakistani
Journalist Home Safe After Abduction That Lasted 12 Hours
• Journalist
released after outcry over abduction
• Military top
brass reaffirms resolve to thwart threats to national security
--------
Europe
• Ban on
Qaradawi Urged by French Commission into Islamist Radicalisation
• France Slams
‘Unacceptable’ Chinese Imprisonment of Uighurs
• Daughter of
Beheaded Aid Worker Says Shamima Begum A ‘Ticking Time Bomb’
• UN urges
Azerbaijan, Armenia to avoid ‘disastrous’ full conflict
• Pompeo and
Johnson discuss China, Iran and Middle East peace process
• Trial Begins
in Germany Over Synagogue Attack on Yom Kippur
--------
India
• Coronavirus
Punishment by God, Will Disappear If Muslims Offer Namaz: Samajwadi Party MP
• Muslim MLAs
of Maharashtra Likely to Meet Pawar Over Restrictions on Eid-Ul Adha
Celebrations
• ‘Risk of
locust swarms migrating to Indo-Pakistan border from Somalia’: UN agency
• J&K:
Militant hideout busted in Rajouri; huge cache of arms, Pika gun, seized
--------
Arab World
• Mecca
Authorities Lift Lower Part of Kaaba’s Kiswa Cover Ahead of Hajj
• Makkah Grand
Mosque to Remain Closed During Eid Al-Adha To Stop Virus Spread
• Slain Iraqi
al-Hashemi’s papers expose PMU criminal activities in Basra, Salahuddin
• Missing
Saudi Arabian man found dead in desert, died while praying
• Egypt army
kills 18 terrorists in North Sinai
• Qatar's
Hezbollah funding exposed by whistle-blower contractor
• Egypt's Sisi
wins parliamentary approval for possible Libya intervention
--------
South Asia
• Afghan Girl,
Qamar Gul, Kills Two Taliban Fighters,Wounds Several More After Parents
Murdered
• 25 Taliban
Fighters, Including Pakistani Nationals Killed By Security Forces In Kandahar
• Suspected
Taliban Attacks Kill Over A Dozen Afghan Security Personnel
• Pakistani
National ID cards recovered from militants killed in Kandahar operations
• Taliban
suicide attack kills eight Afghan troops, wounds nine
--------
North America
• Trump Likens
US Cities with Pro-Justice Rallies to Afghan Towns
• Biden
Pledges to End Trump’s ‘Muslim Ban’ On First Day In Office
• President
Trump threatens defense bill veto over Confederate names, Afghan policy
• US’s Pompeo
repeats widely-disregarded appeal for arms embargo on Iran
• US 'maximum
pressure' against Iran failed: Washington Post
• Judge allows
lawsuit challenging US terror watchlist to proceed
--------
Southeast Asia
• Amnesty
Slams ‘Barbaric’ Caning Sentences Given to Rohingya Muslims By Malaysia
-----
Mideast
• Erdogan: Turkey
Will Remain in Syria 'Until the People Are Free'
• Dozens of
anti-government protesters arrested in Jerusalem
• Spokesman:
Iraqi PM’s Visit to Iran Aimed at Broadening Economic Ties, Anti-Terrorism
Cooperation
• FM Zarif:
Extension of Iran-Russia Long-Term Treaty on Agenda
• Iraqi MP: No
Request from Baghdad by Tehran to Mediate for Ties with US, S. Arabia
• Iran says
explosion near military site due to accident, ruling out Israel involvement
• Israel
probes Palestinian Jerusalem governor over 'terrorism'
--------
Africa
• Trial of
Sudan’s Ousted President Omar Al-Bashir For 1989 Coup Postponed
• Jordan to
allow tourists from low-risk countries to visit in groups
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/a-rare-buddha-statue-destroyed/d/122439
--------
A Rare Buddha
Statue Destroyed On Local Muslim Cleric’s Order In Pakistan
By Sana
Sikander
21st July 2020
Islamabad:
Four persons have been arrested in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province
for vandalising a rare statue of Gautam Buddha discovered during excavation at
an agriculture farm, police said on Saturday.
The statue
that was discovered in tehsil Takhtbai of Mardan district was destroyed on the
orders of a local Maulvi (prayer leader), local residents said.
Four suspects
have been arrested and an FIR under the antiquity act has been filed, police
said.
The arrests
were made after a video showing people damaging the statue with hammers went
viral on social media.
Director of
Archaeology Department Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Abdul Samad Khan expressed anguish
over the incident and assured that proper action would be taken against the
culprits involved in damaging the rare statue.
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa’s old name is Ghandhara and the region is a highly revered place
for the followers of Buddhism.
In 2017, two
rare and ancient Buddha statues were unearthed at an archeological site in
Bhamala in Hariput district. The largest ever statue found at the site depicts
the death of Buddha and the second statue was a Buddha with a double halo.
The statue
depicting the death scenario was the oldest of its kind in the world. It was
also verified by the American laboratory which identified it as older than
third century BC.
Peshawar
Museum is also known for displaying one of the world’s largest collection of
architectural pieces on Buddha.
A couple of
years ago, the museum’s tallest statue of Buddha in schist stone was
transported to Switzerland for display there for 100 days at an international
exhibition.
https://www.siasat.com/buddha-statue-destroyed-on-muslim-clerics-order-in-pakistan-1926973/
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Ban on
Qaradawi urged by French commission into Islamist radicalisation
Damien McElroy
July 21, 2020
Yusuf Al
Qaradawi is a leading Muslim Brotherhood figurehead based in Qatar. Reuters
-----
A French
commission of inquiry has called for the leading Muslim Brotherhood ideologue
Yusuf Al Qaradawi and his supporters to be barred from France, as it puts
forward recommendations to reduce the group's influence.
The 44
recommendations in the report on Islamist radicalisation, presented to the
French Senate, addressed the Muslim Brotherhood's strategy of infiltration to
control organisations, societies and even state-funded institutions such as
schools.
The
second-largest faith in France was not the focus of the report. It said it
insisted on making a distinction from the ideology of "l'islamisme"
as its central challenge.
"Islamist
radicalisation is driven in particular by a political project, 'Islamism',
supported by states, groups or individuals," it said.
The growth of
the Muslim Brotherhood, which was believed to control about 150 French mosques
and hundreds of other institutions, posed a particular threat.
It said the
group drew support from Qatar and Turkey as it expanded its activities.
The
recommendation under the headline "Know, Track and Avoid the Activities of
Radical Islam" related to Al Qaradawi in Doha.
"To fight
against the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, there should be a review by
the minister of the interior of the possibility of pronouncing an
administrative ban on territory against Yusuf Al Qaradawi and the ideologists
of this movement," it said.
The ban would
severely limit the activities of those deemed to be working with Al Qaradawi
and allow restrictions against the publication of his writings.
One of the
scores of expert witnesses, the author Emmanuel Razavi, said the action would
have to go wider than the Muslim Brotherhood leadership to address the
community groups that had fallen under its control.
“I am not a
legislator but we must start by closing the 600 associations under the 1901 law
linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in France, which form the other end of the
terrorist chain," Mr Razavi said.
French
President Emmanuel Macron has said a major policy initiative is in the works to
ensure that France is not divided between communities, where some segments of
society become closed off from the mainstream.
While the
Muslim Brotherhood exploits feelings of victimisation and inequality, it also
seeks to recruit elite followers who can exert powerful influence over
state-backed bodies.
"Everywhere,
we have to look at who is doing what in this country, to make sure to stop this
organisation at the grass roots," said Jacqueline Eustache-Brinio, a
centre-right senator who was rapporteur for the inquiry.
"For the
municipal authorities, we have seen the entryism of a certain number of
activists who came there to bring voices on behalf of a community and we must
fight against that.”
The inquiry
indicated that the establishment of the Muslim council Conseil Francais du
CulteMusulman had been a mistake as it provided a platform for brotherhood
influence at a national and departmental level.
In particular
the collective campaign on Islamophobia by the council promoted the
Brotherhood.
"Under
the guise of Islamophobia, political Islam has been able to prosper by the
make-belief that it could be non-violent," witness Mohammed Sifaoui told
the inquiry.
Sounding an
alarm call for France's young, the report said the state needed to respond to
the situation in schools, sports clubs and youth groups.
"France
is fortunate to be able to rely on 1.5 million associations, mobilising between
16 and 20 million volunteers," it said. "In many ways, they are
irreplaceable, especially in the youth field."
It said the
misconception that sports associations were a bulwark against radicalisation
should be demolished.
"Until
recently, the issue of radicalisation and community and religious separatism
was not a big factor in the sporting world either for the state, federations or
even professional and associative clubs," the report said.
"The
commission of inquiry notes that despite the progress made in terms of training
to fight radicalisation and religious separatism, it remains insufficient
facing players involved in sports."
The report
also expressed concern over the rising number of children engaged in schooling
at home, outside the regulated national curriculum, which rose by 20 per cent
in the 2018-2019 school year – even before the pandemic hit.
It said there
was growing mistrust in the state shown by parents and some wanted to detach
their children from the national system.
The French
Education Minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, warned the seeds of future danger
could be sown in the trend.
“The 2010s saw
a sharp increase in the number of requests to open schools outside the
system," Mr Blanquer said.
"We must
remain very vigilant about the quality of education and the risks of Islamist
radicalisation or sectarian drift."
https://www.thenational.ae/world/ban-on-qaradawi-urged-by-french-commission-into-islamist-radicalisation-1.1052633
--------
Coronavirus
Punishment by God, Will Disappear If Muslims Offer Namaz: Samajwadi Party MP
By Arnima Gaur
21 July 2020
COVID-19 will
disappear if muslims allowed to offer namaz in mosques, says MP Shafiqur Rahman
-----
The saga of
Indian politicians and their strange cures for fighting Covid-19 continues.
The novel
coronavirus will disappear if Muslims are allowed to offer Namaz at mosques,
said Shafiqur Rahman, Samajwadi Party MP on Monday.
Bakra Eid
festival is on August 12 and Rahman demanded that markets should be opened for
this festival. He represents the Sambhal constituency in UP. He also said that
coronavirus is a punishment from God for people’s sins.
The MP also
said that markets should be opened in the first week of August so that people
can buy animals. He said that he wants markets to open on the occasion of Bakra
Eid so that they can easily purchase animals for the purpose of sacrificing
them during the festival. Mosques and eidgahs should be opened for people so
that they can offer prayers to end coronavirus.
In UP, strict
lockdown has been implemented on weekends by the Yogi Adityanath-led government
due to the rising coronavirus cases in the state.
There is no
cure for the Coronavirus yet.
In India,
public gatherings are still prohibited, particularly in religious places where
social distancing cannot be maintained.
Awanish
Awasthi, Additional Chief Secretary (Home and Information) said that the
markets and offices will remain closed on weekends.
Many
politicians have come up with strange treatments to fight the novel
Coronavirus. Rahman is not the only one.
Dilip Ghosh,
West Bengal BJP President, and Lok Sabha MP, also recommended a solution for
the virus a few days ago. He said that to fight the virus, people should drink
cow urine.
https://www.newsx.com/national/coronavirus-punishment-by-god-will-disappear-if-muslims-offer-namaz-mp-shafiqur-rahman.html
--------
Mecca
Authorities Lift Lower Part of Kaaba’s Kiswa Cover Ahead of Hajj
22 July 2020
The process of
lifting the lower part of the kiswa covering was done during the first minutes
of the Dhu al-Hajjah month marked on Wednesday. (Supplied)
-----
Mecca
authorities have lifted the lower part of the Kaaba’s Kiswa covering as the
Muslim world marks the new Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, ahead of the annual
Hajj pilgrimage being held this year in a limited capacity due to the
coronavirus pandemic.
The process of
lifting the lower part of the kiswa covering was done during the first minutes
of the Dhu al-Hajjah month marked on Wednesday. The process is usually done
days ahead of the Hajj before pilgrims make their way to the Holy sites to
begin their pilgrimage.
Visit our
dedicated coronavirus site here for all the latest updates.
More than
fifty men from the King Abdul Aziz Complex for the Kaaba were accompanied by
the General President for the Holy Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Dr. Abdul
Rahman Al-Sudais, on Wednesday to change the lower part of the covering of the
Kaaba.
Every year,
the gatekeepers of the Kaaba carry a delicate and precise task to change the
silky black cloth embroidered with gold draped that makes up the Kiswa over the
holy structure.
The process of
changing the Kiswa will take place on the second day of Hajj under the
supervision of the President of the Holy Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Sheikh
Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The Kiswa is
made from about 670 kilograms of raw silk dyed black, 120 kilograms of gold
thread, and 100 kilograms of silver thread. Quranic verses are sewn onto the
black cloth with gold-plated threads.
Authorities in
Mecca have set several health and safety guidelines in preparation for the
upcoming Hajj pilgrimage being held in a limited capacity this year given the
coronavirus pandemic, according to Al Arabiya sources.
Saudi Arabia
will allow limited Hajj pilgrimage this year due to the continued risk of the
COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Authorities confirmed they have limited the
number of pilgrims on this year’s Hajj to 10,000 in line with safety concerns
over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2020/07/22/Coronavirus-Mecca-authorities-lift-lower-part-of-Kaaba-s-kiswa-cover-ahead-of-Hajj.html
--------
Makkah Grand
Mosque to remain closed during Eid Al-Adha to stop virus spread
July 22, 2020
JEDDAH/MAKKAH:
The safety of pilgrims had been the top priority in preparing for this year’s
Hajj, Saudi security officials said on Tuesday.
Announcing the
completion of the first stage of planning for the annual religious gathering,
the commander of the forces responsible for security at the Grand Mosque in
Makkah stressed that protecting worshippers was paramount.
“We have
mainly focused on the health aspect this year for its extreme importance in the
current unique situation (the coronavirus disease pandemic). The remaining
stages will be implemented in the coming days,” said Maj. Gen. Muhammad
Al-Ahmadi.
He pointed out
that new arrangements had been put in place to control pilgrims’ entry and exit
to the Grand Mosque to ensure social distancing and effective precautionary
measures against COVID-19.
Defined
pathways for the performance of walking rituals around the Kaaba and between
the hills of Safa and Marwah had been established, and entrance to the Grand
Mosque area would only be allowed to those with official permission.
Due to the
virus outbreak, the Grand Mosque will be closed to worshippers for Arafa day
and Eid Al-Adha. “The decision to suspend prayers in the Grand Mosque including
its outdoor arenas will continue. We invite people of Makkah to break their
fast on the day of Arafat in their homes,” added Al-Ahmadi.
The command
and control center in Makkah located in Mina and Muzdalifah will be fully
operational. Entrances to Makkah city would be controlled by different security
forces for 24 hours to prevent people without a permit gaining access.
The General
Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques said that more than 80 years
of experience in crowd and crisis management had been behind the Kingdom’s move
to restrict the number of worshippers performing this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.
During a
virtual meeting to review the Saudi operational plan for the Hajj season,
president of the general presidency, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, said that the
Arafat sermon will be translated into 10 languages, including Chinese and
Russian, in addition to an English interpretation on the Holy Qur’an channel
and French on the Prophet’s Sunnah channel.
He added that
the operational plan adopted for Hajj had focused on the enforcement of
precautionary and preventive measures to safeguard the health of pilgrims.
Special
arrangements have also been made for the delivery of the Kaaba’s Kiswa (cover)
on Wednesday by Makkah Gov. Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, in line with measures to
stop the spread of COVID-19, Al-Sudais said.
Meanwhile, on
Tuesday, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Saleh Benten visited the
pilgrims’ reception headquarters at the Four Points hotel in Makkah, where he
was briefed on preparations to receive and accommodate them from the fourth to
the eighth day of the month of Dhu Al-Hijjah.
He then toured
the pilgrims’ camp in Arafat and reviewed procedures for their movement to the
Mount of Mercy (Jabal Al-Rahmah). Benten also checked services for pilgrims at
Muzdalifah, including preparations for the provision of meals in three 40-foot
vehicles.
In addition,
the minister went to Mina and viewed one of the towers designated for housing pilgrims, where he inspected
facilities and room services.
At the end of
the visit, he watched a presentation on the special procedures put in place to
transfer pilgrims from their residences to the Jamarat Bridge outside of
Makkah.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1708256/saudi-arabia
--------
Afghan Girl,
Qamar Gul, Kills Two Taliban Fighters, Wounds Several More After Parents
Murdered
22 Jul, 2020
GHAZNI: An
Afghan girl shot dead two Taliban fighters and wounded several more after they
dragged her parents from their home and killed them for supporting the
government, officials said.
The incident
happened last week when insurgents stormed the home of Qamar Gul, a teenager
from a village in the central province of Ghor.
The fighters
were looking for her father, the village chief, local police head
HabiburahmanMalekzada told AFP.
Her father was
a government supporter, which is why the Taliban fighters went to his house and
dragged him out, Malekzada said.
When his wife
resisted, the Taliban fighters killed the couple outside their home, Malekzada
said.
Revenge of the
daughter leaves several other militants wounded
“Qamar Gul,
who was inside the house, took an AK-47 gun the family had and first shot dead
the two Taliban fighters who killed her parents, and then injured a few
others,” he said.
Gul is aged
between 14 and 16, according to different officials. It is common for many
Afghans to not know their precise age.
Several other
Taliban fighters later came to attack her house, but some villagers and
pro-government militiamen expelled them after a gunfight.
Afghan
security forces have now taken Gul and her younger brother to a safer place,
said Mohamed Aref Aber, spokesman to the provincial governor.
Since the
incident, social media networks have been flooded with praise for Gul’s
“heroic” act.
A photograph
of Gul, wearing a headscarf and holding a machinegun across her lap has gone
viral in the past few days.
“Hats off to
her courage! Well done,” wrote NajibaRahmi on Facebook.
“Power of an
Afghan girl,” wrote another Facebook user Fazila Alizada.
“We know
parents are irreplaceable, but your revenge will give you relative peace,” said
Mohamed Saleh in his post on Facebook.
The Taliban
regularly kill villagers who they suspect of being informers for the government
or security forces.
In recent
months, the militants have also stepped up their attacks against security
forces despite agreeing to peace talks with Kabul.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1570419/afghan-girl-kills-two-taliban-fighters-after-they-murdered-her-parents
--------
Trump likens
US cities with pro-justice rallies to Afghan towns
T21 July 2020
US President
Donald Trump has described the situation in American cities where pro-justice
rallies were held "worse than Afghanistan".
"This is
worse than Afghanistan, by far. This is worse than anything anyone's ever
seen," Trump said at the Oval office on Monday.
Pro-justice
rallies -- some of which have turned violent -- triggered by the Minneapolis
police killing of George Floyd have been held on a daily basis in US cities
including New York, Chicago,
Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore and Portland.
Trump said he
planned to send additional law enforcement personnel to some major US cities to
clamp down on the anti-racism anti-police-brutality pro-justice protesters he
described as hateful "anarchists".
"These
are anarchists. These are not protesters...."Well, I'm going to do
something; that I can tell you because we're not going to let New York and
Chicago and Philadelphia and Detroit and Baltimore, and all of these, Oakland
is a mess, we're not going to let this happen in our country," Trump said.
Trump lauded a
federal crackdown on anti-racism protests including use of unmarked cars and
unidentified officers in camouflage in Portland, Oregon, saying he would
replicate the "fantastic" tactics used there to suppress other
pro-justice protests in other major cities.
"In
Portland, they've done a fantastic job. They've been there three days and
they've really done a fantastic job in a very short period of time, no problem.
They grab them. A lot of people in jail," he said.
Trump referred
to the pro-justice protesters as "these people", saying local
politicians were afraid of them.
"[T]he
governor and the mayor and the senators out there, they're afraid of these
people," Trump claimed.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/21/630120/US-Trump-Afghanistan-Pro-justice-Protests
--------
Amnesty slams
‘barbaric’ caning sentences given to Rohingya Muslims by Malaysia
Tuesday, 21
July 2020
Amnesty
International has called on Malaysia to withdraw the caning sentences recently
handed down to a group of persecuted Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, saying the
“barbaric” practice “amounts to torture.”
Last month,
Malaysia’s local media said that a court on Langkawi Island had sentenced a
group of Rohingya refugees to seven months in jail and caning for arriving in
the country by boat without a valid permit.
In a statement
on Tuesday, Amnesty confirmed that a boat carrying 202 Rohingya had made it to
shore in northwest Malaysia in April, but at least 20 men from that group had
now been sentenced to jail terms and caning.
Rachel
Chhoa-Howard, a Malaysia researcher at Amnesty, urged Kuala Lumpur not to cane
the refugees.
“Caning is a
barbaric practice that amounts to torture, inhuman, and degrading treatment,
and Malaysia must abolish the use of such a punishment,” she said. “These
Rohingya have escaped Myanmar, but traded one nightmare for another.”
She said the
caning would not deter Rohingya refugees from fleeing to Malaysia.
The UK-based
rights group has called on the Malaysian government to release all other
Rohingya refugees who were convicted of alleged immigration offenses, saying
the convictions violated international law.
Malaysia has
long been a common destination for Rohingya refugees seeking a better life
after escaping a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar and, more recently, refugee
camps in Bangladesh. But Malaysia has also recently been turning away boats and
detaining hundreds of Rohingya, saying it cannot take in more refugees because
its economy is struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the
start of 2020, up to 1,400 Rohingya people have been stranded in boats in the
Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal after fleeing persecution in Myanmar and
refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Myanmar, the
Rohingyas’ native homeland, is already under international pressure after the
bloody military crackdown in 2017 sent around 750,000 civilians fleeing into
Bangladesh and prompted the filing of genocide charges at the United Nations
(UN) top court.
In a recent
submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch (HRW)
said that Myanmar’s government had failed to abide by its international obligations
to account for the army’s atrocities against minorities, particularly the
Rohingya Muslims in the state of Rakhine.
Thousands of
Rohingya Muslims still remain in Myanmar under apartheid-like conditions,
confined to camps and villages and denied access to healthcare and education.
The Rohingya
are denied citizenship in Myanmar and considered illegal immigrants, despite
their ancestral roots dating back centuries.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/21/630114/Amnesty-Rohingya-Malaysia-caning-sentences
--------
Pakistan
After finding
life-size Buddha statue, Pak begins archaeological investigations to find more
traces of Gandhara civilization
Jul 21, 2020
AMRITSAR:
Hoping to find more remains of Gandhara civilization, the Pakistan government
has ordered archaeological excavation of the site where three labourers and a
building contractor had smashed a nearly 1700-year-old life size statue of
Budha dubbing it Hindu and unislamic idol.
While talking
to TOI over phone from Peshawar on Tuesday Abdul Samad , director general,
archaeology and museum , Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan, said
“Today we inspected the site, cordoned off the area and began archaeological
investigations in hope to retrieve more historic remains of Gandhara
civilization”.
On July 18,
three laborers and a contractor, who were digging the foundation of a boundary
wall of a mango orchard in Kamran Khan village near Mardan city, had discovered
a six and half feet Buddha statue. All four of them smashed the Budha statue
with a sledgehammer. The video of labourers smashing the statue, went viral on
social media following which the archaeology department of KP swung into action
and arrested all four of them.
“Apparently,
there are no signs of any remains on the surface so we will be digging four to
five feet deep using trial trenching method,” said Samad.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/after-finding-life-size-buddha-statue-pak-begins-archaeological-investigations-to-find-more-traces-of-gandhara-civilization/articleshow/77089007.cms
--------
Pakistani
Journalist Home Safe After Abduction That Lasted 12 Hours
July 22, 2020
A prominent
Pakistani journalist known for his criticism of the military has returned home
after being kidnapped in Islamabad one day before he was scheduled to appear in
court over a tweet critical of Pakistan's judges and military.
Matiullah Jan,
who was found safe 12 hours after being abducted on July 21, told Pakistan's
private TV channel Geo News he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown location
after being shoved into the assailants' car.
He said he was
then driven around the city before being released in Fateh Jang, about 45
kilometers outside the capital. A close friend and fellow journalist, Azaz
Syed, published a photo of Jan after his release.
Jan, a
freelancer who has worked for local and international news outlets, was due to
appear in the Supreme Court this week after the court took notice of the
alleged contemptuous tweet, the newspaper Dawn reported.
Khawaja Asif,
a former foreign minister and senior leader in the opposition Pakistan Muslim
League (PML-N), held a news conference to condemn Jan's disappearance.
Jan "has
talked about media and journalism," Asif said, noting the court hearing on
July 22. "To take him into custody now is an attempt to silence him and
his journalism," Asif said, according to Dawn.
He said the
PML-N would support people who are targeted after speaking against the
government, adding that the manner in which journalists have been silenced in
Pakistan "does not happen in civilized societies."
Jan was
abducted by several unidentified men after they intercepted his car, his
colleague Asad Toor said. Footage from surveillance cameras showed men dragging
a driver out of a vehicle and pushing him into another car before driving away.
"There
were more than five people -- some in civilian clothes, others in black
uniforms -- who forcibly picked up my husband," Jan's wife, KaneezSughra,
told AFP. She said her husband had been followed by unknown men in recent
weeks.
Information
Minister Shibli Faraz also confirmed the journalist's abduction, according to
Dawn.
Leading
politicians, activists, and journalists had called for the journalist's release
on Twitter, with the hashtag #BringBackMatiullah trending in the country.
Jan, who has
worked as a print and broadcast journalist for the past three decades, has been
intimidated, harassed, and attacked in the past, his friend Azaz Syed said.
He was fired
by Pakistan's Waqt TV station, allegedly under pressure from the military,
which has been a frequent target of his criticism.
A spokesperson
for the military declined to comment on Jan’s case.
Pakistan’s
military plays an outsized role in the domestic and foreign affairs of the
South Asian country of around 220 million and critical reporting of the
institution is not tolerated.
Journalists
and bloggers inside Pakistan have complained of intimidation tactics including
kidnappings, beatings, and even killings if they cross a red line in their
reporting on the military.
Several
Pakistani journalists were briefly detained in recent months, allegedly by the
military's spy agency, in what is thought to be an attempt to silence criticism
of the powerful military.
The military
has denied the accusations.
https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-journalist-abduction/30740593.html
--------
Journalist
released after outcry over abduction
Kalbe Ali |
Malik Asad
22 Jul, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was released in the late hours of Tuesday after
a widespread outcry over his abduction by nearly half a dozen plainclothes and
uniformed men from outside a government school in broad daylight in the federal
capital.
The ‘forced
abduction’, which was caught on CCTV cameras, not only enraged journalist
community and rights organisations but also triggered serious security concerns
among legal fraternity, political parties and diplomatic circles.
The journalist
had already been in the limelight due to the contempt proceeding against him in
the Supreme Court for his alleged ‘contemptuous’ tweet regarding Justice Isa
case decision.
CCTV footage
of the abduction shows that it was around 11.10am when men in uniform and
plainclothes forcibly removed Mr Jan from his car and thrashed him in front of
Government Girls School, situated in Islamabad’s sector G-6/1-3, where his
spouse works as teacher. It can be seen in the footage, which later went viral
on social media, that the journalist was being manhandled and dragged towards
their vehicles when he threw his mobile phone into the school while a uniformed
man immediately collected it from a woman at the school. The journalist was
then whisked away to an undisclosed location.
His brother,
Shahid Akbar Abbasi, later lodged an FIR against the unidentified persons under
Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code and also filed a habeas corpus petition
through Barrister Jahangir Khan Jadoon before the Islamabad High Court. In his
petition, Mr Abbasi said his brother, who was a known critic of government and
establishment, was forcibly picked up by unknown persons in broad daylight.
While “keeping
in view the gravity of the matter and its implication in the context of
constitutionally guaranteed rights of the citizen”, IHC Chief Justice Athar
Minallah entertained the petition and directed the interior secretary, chief
commissioner and inspector general of Islamabad to trace the ‘missing’
journalist by Wednesday or face music.
“In case
brother of the petitioner namely Matiullah Jan is not traced then the
aforementioned public functionaries shall appear in person at 10am on July 22,
2020 in order to explain why person responsible for letting such an alleged
incident to happen in the capital of Pakistan may not be ordered to be
proceeded against,” warned Justice Minallah, while directing the registrar
office to send the copies of the court order to the chief commissioner,
inspector general of Islamabad and interior secretary.
The Supreme
Court is also scheduled to take up the case related to the alleged contemptuous
tweet of the senior journalist on Wednesday (today). About his ‘enforced
disappearance’, the Press Association of the Supreme Court also wrote a letter
to Chief Justice of Pakistan.
Widespread
reaction
Political
parties, lawyers, journalists groups, human rights organisations and diplomats
expressed their concern over the incident and safety of journalists in the
country.
Also read:
Pakistan ranks 145 on press freedom index
Justice Qazi
Faez Isa along with his wife went to Mr Jan’s house to offer their support and
express concern over his abduction. They met his two brothers and a sister in
law, who then took them to another brother’s house where his wife and children
were staying.
While Pakistan
Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari demanded that the government
ensure his safe return soon. The matter was also taken up in the National
Assembly where opposition parties and the journalists covering the NA
proceedings staged a walkout from the house. Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri sent
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs to woo the reporters, but he failed
to do so as the reporters announced that they would continue to boycott the
session till the time the government did not disclose Mr Jan’s whereabouts and
identify those responsible for it.
Showing
helplessness, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan
asked the deputy speaker to seek a response from Minister for Interior Brig
(retd) Ejaz Shah over the incident.
Senator
Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, the chairman of Senate Standing Committee on Human
Rights, called an emergency meeting of the committee on Wednesday (today) to
discuss the matter.
At the outset
of the NA sitting, PPP’s Syed Naveed Qamar drew the attention of the house
towards the “abduction” of Matiullah Jan amid “shame, shame” slogans.
Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition Shahbaz
Sharif warned that if anything happened to Mr Jan, the prime minister and the
present government would be held responsible.
JUI-F chief
Maulana Fazalur Rehman said Mr Jan had been abducted not by a non-state actor.
He was a well-known senior journalist and no FIR had been registered against
him. “Every dictator thinks that whatever he has done is in the interest of the
state,” the Maulana added.
Former Senate
chairman Mian Raza Rabbani strongly condemned the kidnapping. He said this was
a crude attempt to curb the constitutional right of democratic descent. He
termed it an attack on the freedom of the press. He said these tactics were
pursued in fascism.
Pakistan Bar
Council, the apex forum of the lawyers, said that Mr Jan was being punished for
his constant vocal stance on different important national issues which is never
liked by the government and its agencies.
Demanding the
authorities concerned for immediate release of Mr Jan, the PBC said that his
abduction was a blatant attack on the right and freedom of expression as
guaranteed by the Constitution.
Vienna-based
International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media
executives and leading journalists for press freedom, expressed outrage over
the apparent kidnapping of Mr Jan.
“We fear that
Matiullah Jan’s life is in danger, and immediate steps must be taken to locate
him and ensure his release from his apparent kidnappers,” IPI Deputy Director
Scott Griffen said. “Given the history of violence against journalists in
Pakistan, the authorities cannot delay in seeking to protect Jan’s safety.”
Diplomats
In her tweet,
Canada’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Wendy Gilmour stated: “Very worrying
development: the role of the media in a democracy is crucial, and must be
protected. I trust that @Matiullahjan919 will be soon safely reunited with his
family.”
Also, German
Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck tweeted: “Concerned to hear the news
about the disappearance of @Matiullahjan919 today. Developments underline once
again how dangerous the situation of journalists in #Pakistan is. Journalists’
safety is key for media freedom.”
The Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) demanded that the federal government take
immediate measures for the release of Mr Jan. The HRCP also endorsed the
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) demand that the federal government
take immediate measures for his release.
PFUJ President
Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi expressed serious concern
over his disappearance from Islamabad. The PFUJ said: “This has become a norm
in the country to suppress voices of dissent for controlling media, imposing
censorship and denying freedom of speech and expression in the country.”
The Karachi
Union of Journalists KUJ, Awami Workers Party, Sindh Bar Council (SBC) and many
other civil society organisations also condemned the abduction.
SBC vice
chairman Haider Imam Rizvi stated the abduction of the journalist, a day before
his appearance before the Supreme Court to justify his twitter comments given
in relation to the Justice Isa case, was clearly meant to send a message to the
media in general and court reporters in particular. He called upon the prime
minister to ensure the safe return of abducted journalist and also asked the
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed to take suo motu notice of this matter.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1570416/journalist-released-after-outcry-over-abduction
--------
Military top
brass reaffirms resolve to thwart threats to national security
22 Jul, 2020
RAWALPINDI:
The Pakistan Army’s top brass on Tuesday reiterated its resolve to thwart any
threat to Pakistan’s security.
According to a
statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the resolve
was expressed during a Corps Commanders Conference presided over by Army Chief
General Qamar JavedBajwa at the GHQ.
The ISPR said
that the meeting reviewed “operational readiness and evolving threat spectrum
in context of external and internal security of the country”.
During the
meeting, the army chief complimented the efforts put in by all formations to
maintain a high-level of combat readiness, “particularly in the wake of [the]
evolving regional security situation”, the statement said.
Taking special
note of the continuing atrocities in occupied Kashmir as the illegal actions of
August 5, 2019 complete one year next month, the forum also paid tribute
Kashmiris for their “legitimate struggle for freedom”, the military’s media
affairs wing said.
The army chief
also lauded the efforts “in aid of [the] civil administration in the fight
against Covid-19 and locusts”, it said. The forum also appreciated the efforts
of doctors, healthcare workers and paramedics, and stressed the need for
exercising maximum care during EidulAzha and Muharram to maintain the gains
achieved in countering the pandemic, the statement said.
The army chief
expressed complete satisfaction with the overall operational readiness of the
Pakistan Army, it concluded.
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2020/07/21/military-top-brass-reaffirms-resolve-to-thwart-threats-to-national-security/
--------
Europe
France slams
‘unacceptable’ Chinese imprisonment of Uighurs
July 21, 2020
PARIS: Paris
on Tuesday said the imprisonment of ethnic and religious minorities in China’s
western Xinjiang region is “unacceptable” and demanded that Beijing let
independent human rights observers visit the area.
Rights groups
and experts estimate that more than one million ethnic Uighurs and other
Turkic-speaking minorities have been rounded up into a network of internment
camps.
“France is
closely following all the testimonies relayed by the press and through human
rights organizations,” Foreign Affairs minister Jean-Yves le Drian told
parliament.
“According to
information that we read or have, there are imprisonment camps for Uighurs,
mass detentions, disappearances, forced labor, forced sterilizations, the
destruction of Uighur heritage,” Le Drian said.
“All these
actions are unacceptable. We condemn them firmly,” added Le Drian, prompting
applause in parliament.
He said France
wanted China to allow access to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
His comments
come as tensions between the West and China are rising over a new draconian
security law in Hong Kong and mounting opposition to the use of products made
by Chinese telecom giant Huawei.
Earlier this
month, the US slapped sanctions on senior Chinese officials, demanding an end
to the “horrific” abuse of Uighurs, and on Monday blacklisted 11 Chinese firms
for alleged complicity in the repression.
On Sunday,
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab accused Beijing of “gross, egregious
human rights abuses.”
Beijing denies
any wrongdoing, saying Uighurs are attending vocational training centers, and
has imposed retaliatory sanctions on three US senators.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1708046/world
--------
Daughter of
beheaded aid worker says Shamima Begum a ‘ticking time bomb’
July 21, 2020
LONDON: The
daughter of a British aid worker murdered by Daesh in Syria has warned that
Shamima Begum is a “ticking time bomb” and that allowing her to return to the
UK risks public safety.
Bethany
Haines, 23, is the daughter of David Haines, who was working at a refugee camp
near the Turkish border in Syria when he was abducted in 2013.
He was held by
a group of British Daesh members dubbed “The Beatles” for their English
accents, before being beheaded on camera in 2014. Footage of Haines’ execution
featured prominently in Daesh propaganda.
His daughter
has warned of the security risks of allowing former Daesh bride Shamima Begum,
who travelled to Syria when she was 15, to return to the country.
She said:
“From what I gather, Begum still has a strong hatred of the UK. She’s a ticking
time bomb.
“This decision
is against public safety and they don’t consider the impact of their
decisions.”
Begum, now 20,
was stripped of her British citizenship in 2019 on national security grounds. A
British court recently ruled that she should be allowed to return to the UK to
appeal the decision to remove her citizenship.
The British
government has vowed to fight to keep Begum from returning to the country.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has instructed civil servants to come up with
proposals to restrict government financial assistance for legal counsel to
terrorists who bring challenges in the civil courts, such as under immigration
or citizenship law.
A Ministry of
Justice source said: “Why should someone who is considered a national security
risk have their legal bills picked up by the taxpayer?”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1708041/world
--------
UN urges
Azerbaijan, Armenia to avoid ‘disastrous’ full conflict
21 July 2020
United Nations
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to
exercise “maximum restraint” in order to avoid a full conflict that would be
“disastrous,” days after a recent flare-up of tensions between the two former
Soviet republics.
“The
secretary-general is following with deep concern the current tensions between
Azerbaijan and Armenia. He calls for maximum restraint, as a full conflict
between these two countries would be disastrous,” UN spokesman Stephane
Dujarric said on Monday.
Azerbaijan has
been engaged in a dispute with Armenia over Karabakh — a territory which broke
away from Azerbaijan in a bloody war in the 1990s. Some 30,000 people were
killed in the conflict, which ended with a fragile truce in 1994. In 2016,
scores were killed in four days of renewed fighting.
Earlier this
month, new clashes some 300 kilometers from the mountainous region left at
least eleven Azeri soldiers and a civilian and four Armenian troops dead.
Armenia’s
Foreign Minister ZohrabMnatsakanyan blamed Azerbaijan for the latest clashes.
Speaking in an
interview with FRANCE 24 that was published on Monday, Mnatsakanyan said his
country was committed to enforcing a ceasefire and monitoring mechanism to
avoid further clashes.
He insisted
that war was not a solution, calling on the international community to help
broker a peaceful solution.
Pope Francis
calls for peaceful resolution
On Sunday,
Pope Francis also called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
“I am
following with concern the recovery in recent days of armed tensions in the
Caucasus region, between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the Pope said.
“I hope that,
with the commitment of the international community and through dialog and the
goodwill of the parties, a lasting peaceful solution can be reached, which has
at heart the good of those beloved populations,” he added.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/21/630086/Azerbaijan-Armenia-UN-disastrous-conflict
--------
Pompeo and
Johnson discuss China, Iran and Middle East peace process
July 21, 2020
LONDON: US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
discussed China’s actions in Hong Kong and its treatment of Muslims in
Xinjiang, according to a British summary of the discussion.
“They spoke
about shared global security and foreign policy issues, including China’s
actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, the situation in Iran and the Middle East
Peace Process,” Downing Street said.
“The Prime
Minister and Secretary of State also underlined their commitment to negotiate a
strong UK-US Free Trade Agreement that benefits the economies of both
countries.”
Johnson and
Pompeo underscored the importance of the US-led Five Eyes intelligence
alliance. Johnson also raised the death of 19-year-old Briton Harry Dunn who
was killed in a road collision with a US diplomat’s wife.
“The Prime
Minister reiterated the need for justice to be done for Harry Dunn and his
family,” Downing Street said. “He said there was a strong feeling among the people
of the UK that justice must be delivered.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1707961/world
--------
Trial Begins
in Germany Over Synagogue Attack on Yom Kippur
By Melissa
Eddy
July 21, 2020
BERLIN — A
young German man charged with killing two people last fall after his plan to
blast his way into a synagogue filled with Jews observing Yom Kippur failed,
told a court on Tuesday that he was inspired by the white supremacist who had
killed 51 worshipers at two mosques in New Zealand earlier last year.
Stephan Balliet,
28, is charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of a 40-year-old woman,
who spoke up as Mr. Balliet planted explosives around the entrance to the
synagogue in the eastern city of Halle, and a 20-year-old man he thought was a
Muslim. He is also charged with 68 counts of attempted murder and other crimes
for the attack last Oct. 9. If convicted of murder, Mr. Balliet faces life in
prison.
The attack
raised alarm that even Germany, a country that prides itself on its culture of
humility and atonement for the crimes of the Nazis, is not immune to the
international influence of far-right extremism and white supremacy that has
incited rampages from New Zealand, to Pittsburgh. In 2019, crimes against Jews
in Germany reached their highest level since the country started tracking them
in 2001.
Mr. Balliet
was flown to the courtroom in Magdeburg hours before the trial opened. He wore
a protective vest and jeans, and his hands and feet were in handcuffs and
shackles similar to those of defendants who’ve faced terrorism charges. The
trial had been moved from a smaller court in Naumburg to accommodate all of the
participants and the news media.
Dressed all in
black, his face largely expressionless, Mr. Balliet at first gave only curt
responses when the presiding judge, Ursula Mertens, pressed him for details
about his past, his family and his personal life, German media reported.
“That’s not important,” he responded again and again.
What was
important to him was the year 2015, when Germany welcomed more than one million
refugees. He said that was when he decided to turn his back on a society he
described as “infiltrated” by Muslims and Black people, whom he used a racist
slur to describe, eliciting a rebuke from Judge Mertens.
“I will not
accept the verbal abuse of people in this courtroom and have the authority to
remove you,” she told him. “I will not tolerate further crimes in the courtroom
by you slandering people.”
The racist
slurs and derogatory language Mr. Balliet repeatedly sought to use echoed the
hateful rants denouncing feminists and immigrants heard on a video he made of
his attack using a camera mounted on a helmet. He broadcast his remarks live to
an online chat platform. In the 35-minute video, which Mr. Balliet said was
inspired by the New Zealand massacres that were also livestreamed by the
perpetrator, he declared, “The root of all these problems is the Jew.”
Kai Lohse, a
federal prosecutor, confirmed that Mr. Balliet blamed Jews for the problems he
identified in German society. “He described Jews as rats that had to be lured
out of the synagogue” to be killed, Mr. Lohse told the court. Prosecutors have
found no indication the attacker was part of a larger network beyond the
virtual world where he drew inspiration.
Mr. Balliet
largely confessed, in the courtroom and earlier to prosecutors, to the charges
against him, including the two counts of murder. His only remorse, he said, was
that both people he killed were white.
The death of
the woman, identified only as Jana L., in keeping with German privacy laws, was
“not planned or wanted,” he said, but when she made a remark that upset him, he
had no choice but to shoot her. “If I hadn’t done that, everyone would have
laughed at me,” he said, explaining that because he was livestreaming the
attack, those watching would have realized that “a stupid comment is enough to
stop someone from the Right.”
His intent,
though, had been to empty his weapons inside the synagogue, he said. When he
was thwarted by its heavy oak doors, he headed for a kebab shop and opened
fire. “Someone was standing in the door and I shot him,” he told the court,
adding that he had thought the man he killed, identified only as Kevin S., was
“Middle Eastern.”
Dozens of the
52 people who had gathered for services in Halle’s Humboldt Street Synagogue
last year on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, were among
those who packed the courtroom on Tuesday.
In a statement
released by their lawyer before the trial began, they expressed hope that the
proceedings would draw attention to the role the internet plays in fueling
far-right hatred and the links between anti-Semitism and other forms of hatred.
“The
perpetrator chose his targets on the basis of a white, racist ideology that
fuses anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, homophobia, sexism and xenophobia
with conspiracy theories,” they said. “His radicalization took place in online
communities that strengthened and promoted these beliefs.”
In June last
year, a conservative politician who supported refugees, Walter Lübcke, was
fatally shot just outside his home in western Germany, in the country’s first
far-right political assassination since the Nazi era. Security forces then
revealed that Mr. Lübcke was one of many people on a neo-Nazi hit list.
Interior
Minister Horst Seehofer has since declared far-right extremism the “biggest
security threat facing Germany,” and promised a beefed-up security response.
However, minority rights activists and opposition leaders accuse the
authorities of being too quick to write off individuals like Mr. Balliet as
lone actors with no connection to the societies in which they live.
“He did not
simply radicalize out of nowhere,” CemOzdimir, a lawmaker for the opposition
Greens, told n-tv television on Tuesday, adding that most extremists are men
who are marked by misogyny, as well as hatred of Jews and Muslims.
“It is
important that the whole of society stands up,” he said, “and says we want to
chase this hate back into hell, where it came from.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/world/europe/germany-synagogue-attack-trial.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
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India
Muslim MLAs of
Maharashtra Likely to Meet Pawar Over Restrictions On Eid-Ul Adha Celebrations
by Iram
Siddique
July 22, 2020
A delegation
of Muslim MLAs and community leaders is planning to reach out to NCP president
Sharad Pawar to seek relaxations to celebrate Eid-ul Adha or Bakri Eid on
August 1 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The
delegation, to be led by Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi, is set
to request Pawar to intervene to ensure the state government reviews its recent
guidelines that have prohibited the sale of animals, for the purpose of
sacrifice, in open markets across Maharashtra. He has sought time to meet Pawar
on Wednesday.
This comes
after the Uddhav Thackeray government, in guidelines issued last week, made it
clear that instead of sale of animals at Deonar mandi, Muslims will have to buy
animals either online or over the phone. The state has not committed itself to
providing any help in facilitating the setting up of these online markets.
Describing the
guidelines as “impractical” and “ambiguous”, Shaikh said: “If one Ganpati
mandal can be allowed (to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi) per ward, I am just
asking for one mandi in the whole of the city.” “If a person has to transport a
goat from Bhiwandi to Mumbai city in his individual capacity, in the absence of
clear guidelines, how will he do it? The government should clarify this,” Rais
said.
Muslim leaders
have turned to Pawar, who has been a vocal proponent of allowing the resumption
of normal life and lifting the stringent lockdown regulations in the state.
AIMIM MP
Imtiaz Jaleel also slammed the state government’s guidelines for the upcoming
festival and demanded that temporary markets to be set up for the occasion.
Last week, state Home Minister Anit Deshmukh had urged Muslims to hold a
symbolic sacrifice of animals and to offer namaz at homes instead of mosques.
Jalil said the government should explain what it means by “symbolic’
sacrifice”.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/muslim-mlas-likely-to-meet-pawar-over-restrictions-on-eid-ul-adha-celebrations-6517367/
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‘Risk of
locust swarms migrating to Indo-Pakistan border from Somalia’: UN agency
Jul 22, 2020
There remains
a risk that a limited number of locust swarms could migrate from northeast
Somalia to the Indo-Pakistan border area during the remainder of this month,
the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations said on Tuesday.
In its last
situation update, the FAO said that in Somalia, ground and aerial control
operations are underway against immature swarms on the northern plateau between
Hargeisa and Garowe. The swarms are moving eastwards across the north and they
could continue to migrate across the Indian Ocean to reach the summer breeding
areas along both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border.
“Control
operations are in progress against hopper groups and bands in the Nagarparkar
area of southeast Sindh near the Indian border in Pakistan. Groups of adults
are maturing in Tharparkar and Cholistan deserts where laying is expected in
areas that have already received monsoon rains. This will cause a further
increase in locust numbers as hatching and hopper band formation occur in the
coming weeks,” the FAO said.
On the
situation in India, the organisation said that adult groups and swarms are
maturing throughout Rajasthan where laying is underway in many areas. So far, a
few hopper groups and bands have formed but substantial hatching is expected in
the coming weeks. There have been no recent reports of additional locusts in
the northern states as most of the adult groups and swarms have returned to
Rajasthan as expected.
“We have an
eye on FAO’s updates and ground situations. Every effort is being made to
control locusts. So far, the state government and the organisation together
have controlled locusts in about three and a half lakh hectare area,” said KL
Gurjar, Deputy Director of Locust Warning Organization (LWO).
The World
Meteorological Organisation (WMO) had recently said that locust attacks are
posing a serious threat to food security in parts of East Africa, India and
Pakistan as a result of changing climate conditions that can be linked to human
activity.
The
specialised agency of the United Nations said extreme weather events and
climatic changes such as increases in temperature and rainfall over desert
areas, and the strong winds associated with tropical cyclones, provide a new
environment for pest breeding, development and migration.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/risk-of-locust-swarms-migrating-to-indo-pakistan-border-from-somalia-un-agency/story-mAx2d5KNSWNAGdZRn6uUGI.html
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J&K:
Militant hideout busted in Rajouri; huge cache of arms, Pika gun, seized
July 22, 2020
In a joint
operation in the bordering Rajouri district, the Jammu Kashmir Police and the
Indian Army busted a militant hideout and seized huge quantity of arms and
ammunition, including a Pika gun.
A cordon and
search operation was launched jointly by the two teams in Manysl area of
Thanamandi following information during late hours of Tuesday. Rajouri SSP
Chandan Kohli said “the entire area was kept under cordon and in the wee hours
of Wednesday morning. Searches were launched during which a militant hideout
under a portion of dense bushes was busted.”
The seizures
included one Pike Rifle, a Chinese pistol, one local Pistol, besides an AK
magazine, two pistol magazines, 168 Pika rounds, 47 AK rounds, four pistol
rounds, two UBGL grenades, one Binocular, eight Ammunition belts, one Antenna
and a tape recorder.
“The area is
still under searches and SDPO Thanamandi Sajjad Khan along with SHO Fareed
Ahmed and officers of army’s Rashtriya Rifles are monitoring the operation,”
the SSP said.
“The
pro-active approach of forces and close synergy with all the sister agencies is
playing it’s role and the nefarious designs of anti social elements are being
foiled.” he added.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-and-kashmir-rajouri-militant-hideout-arms-ammunition-seized-6517811/
--------
Arab World
Slain Iraqi
al-Hashemi’s papers expose PMU criminal activities in Basra, Salahuddin
22 July 2020
One of the
latest unpublished papers of slain Iraqi researcher Hisham al-Hashemi exposed
the criminal activities committed by the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Unit
(PMU) militias in Iraq’s provinces of Basra and Salahuddin, according to an Al
Hadath investigation.
Al Hadath
reporter Roula al-Khateeb obtained several documents from an unnamed source
looking into the latest unpublished works of al-Hashemi prior to his
assassination earlier this month.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The al-Hashemi
papers exposed how the PMU’s control of checkpoints alongside Iraqi security
forces across Baghdad has been used to extort money from Sunni citizens,
corrupt activities like oil smuggling in the province of Ninevah and the latest
allegation of looting from citizens and shop owners in the provinces of Basra
and Salahuddin.
“Today, the
focus is on Iraq’s main oil provinces of Salahuddin and Basra. The bottom line
of these studies by al-Hashemi showed that Iraq’s oil resources are not only
being exploited and benefited by Iraqi state militias only but is rather being
controlled by the entire Iranian axis,” al-Khateeb reported.
“The Iraqis
are bring trained both ideologically and militarily in Iran. This is killing
the Iraqis. They are preventing them from returning to their areas. They are
taking their wealth, money, and oil. They are forcing politicking of changing
the Iraqi identity and demography,” al-Khateeb added in her report.
“Iran and the
Lebanese Hezbollah militia, in addition to the Iraqi state militias, are
gripping and ruling the people of Iraq with both iron and fire ... in clearer
words, they are occupying Iraq,” al-Khateeb said during an appearance into her
investigation.
Al-Hashemi,
who publicly supported the popular protests that broke out in Baghdad in
October, was assassinated on July 6 when three gunmen fired dozens of bullets
at him outside his home in east Baghdad.
Research from
the late al-Hashemi unveiled the links of corrupt activities by finding the
Iran-backed PMU’s “Economic Committee” made up of 50 people divided into two
places, in the Hamra district of Tikrit and on the Baiji refinery, both cities
under the Salahuddin province.
“They took
over the tenders in the municipalities of Tikrit and Baiji. They took over the
squares, garages, and empty lands belonging to the municipality, as well as
agricultural areas, towards the Gezira and al-Daiyum regions, as well as homes
belonging to Ba’ath party leaders and ISIS in the Qadisiyah and
al-Zuhurneighborhoods,” al-Khateeb said in regards to her investigation looking
at al-Hashemi’s unpublished research.
In Baiji
refineries and gravel quarries, the PMU umbrella militia group was found to
impose their control on gravel and sand quarries, including the bays of sand
that are in the outer roads, by forcing commissions of their sale of building
materials. They are also found to have been charging a half-profit royalty on
all bidders for tenders of the Baiji refinery.
The Badr
militia, a faction within the PMUs, also took control of the Alas and Ajil
field and have been charging for commissions of sale to Kurdish merchants.
Al-Asaib
militia’s Mohammed al-Baldawi also took control of several major projects,
including a sewage project which cost 50 billion Iraqi dinars to implement.
The PMUs were
also found to have charged returnees of lands taken by ISIS. Specifically, the
al-Asaib militia took control of the AlbuFadous village in Yathrib, Salahuddin,
and have been imposing fees on the families intending to return to their lands.
The militia group has been charging each family 500,000 Iraqi dinars to take
back their homes that were looted and destroyed.
“There has
also been evidence of the PMU militias dismantling and then reselling
refineries in the provinces. Specifically, the militias dismantled the Baiji
and Seneia refineries, as well as a fertilizer factory, using large trucks to
transport materials to Baghdad. After the liberation of the areas, Asaib and
Badr militias resold them to the Salahuddin governorate at exorbitant prices,”
al-Khateeb reported.
The PMU militias
also looted and stole from homes and shops in the city of Tikrit and al-Dur and
transported them to Baghdad and other provinces, with evidence of trucks and
transport vehicles seen transferring the looted devices, equipment, furniture,
and cash money for several days.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/07/22/Slain-Iraqi-al-Hashemi-s-papers-expose-PMU-criminal-activities-in-Basra-Salahuddin.html
--------
Missing Saudi
Arabian man found dead in desert, died while praying
22 July 2020
A Saudi Arabian
man who was missing for three days has been found in the middle of a desert in
Riyadh province while he was in the “sujood” or prostration praying position,
prompting hundreds of social media users to pray for him online.
Videos of a
rescue team finding the man and his car – which was stocked with sticks which
may indicate that he was gathering wood for his family – went viral on social
media platforms.
Dhuwaihi
Hamoud al-Ajaleen had gone missing from his home on Thursday in Riyadh’s Wadi
al-Dawasir, according to local media reports.
The
40-year-old was found three days later in the middle of the desert after police
launched an intensive search for him.
Rescue teams
drove through the desert before finding al-Ajaleen a few meters away from his
car, local media said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2020/07/22/Missing-Saudi-Arabian-man-found-dead-in-desert-while-praying.html
--------
Egypt army
kills 18 terrorists in North Sinai
22 July 2020
The Egyptian
army has fended off a militant attack on a post in Egypt’s North Sinai
Province, killing 18 militants.
The army
announced on Tuesday that it killed the terrorists as its forces thwarted a
major terrorist attack on a military outpost in the Bir al-Abed area of the
province.
The army said
two soldiers were killed and four others were wounded by the terrorists in the
attack.
One of the
attackers was wearing an explosive belt.
The army also
destroyed four vehicles, three of them laden with explosives, while chasing the
militants in a farm and some uninhabited buildings.
Since the
ouster of democratically-elected president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013, hundreds
of police and soldiers have been killed in attacks by militants.
The Velayat
Sinai group, which is affiliated with Daesh, has claimed responsibility for
most of those attacks.
In recent
years, the Egyptian armed forces have been making efforts to eradicate the
militants holed up in hideouts in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.
In February
2018, the Egyptian army launched a full-scale counterterrorism operation after
a terrorist attack on a mosque in North Sinai claimed the lives of more than
300 people.
Since then,
over 840 suspected militants have been killed in the region, according to army
figures. More than 60 government forces have also died.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/22/630161/Egypt-Sinai-militant-attack-
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Qatar's
Hezbollah funding exposed by whistle-blower contractor
Damien McElroy
July 20, 2020
A
whistle-blower has claimed that he earned tens of thousands of euros from Qatar
for hiding a dossier that documented the country's support for Hezbollah.
German press
have reported that the security consultant was offered a total payment of
€750,000 (Dh3.1 million) to suppress the information he had gathered about
Qatar's illicit support for terrorism.
The man,
identified only as Jason, said he spent several months in negotiations in 2019
with a Qatari emissary in Europe.
A German
business executive who was reported to have witnessed some of the meetings said
information had been passed to the Qataris that provided
"transparency" in the "fight against certain critical,
anti-Israeli networks".
Six meetings
took place between the consultant and the Qataris before the talks broke down.
Jason reportedly believed that he could receive a payment of €10m from Qatar to
buy the evidence he had compiled.
He said the
information offered Qatar an opportunity to purge "shady people in their
own ranks", including a top-ranked general in Doha.
In a familiar
pattern tracked to Qatar's funding for the Muslim Brotherhood, the money to
Hezbollah was funnelled through the country's charity sector. Outfits like
Qatar Charity have bankrolled a variety of groups politically active throughout
Europe.
As a political
and military entity, Hezbollah has been proscribed around Europe with Germany
and Britain becoming the latest countries to add the group to their banned
list.
Under an
outline deal considered by both the consultant and the Qatari representative,
the man would have taken monthly payments to maintain a line of communication
with the Qatari general, by whom he was also being paid, to build up more
information on his activities.
Jason also
reportedly had first-hand information on arms deals by Qatar with Eastern
European armament factories that would have caused the country further
embarrassment.
"[Jason]
came across some embarrassing information while based in Doha," he said.
"There was an alleged arms deal with war material from Eastern Europe that
was supposed to be handled by a company in Qatar. And there were alleged money
flows from several rich Qataris to exiled Lebanese people that involved money
flows from Doha to Hezbollah."
In the first
half of 2019 the leak of the dossier in the German press would have been highly
embarrassing for Qatar as it pressed forward with its construction programme
for hosting the 2022 World Cup.
With Hezbollah
on official terror lists in the US and Europe, the country's diplomatic
standing would have been compromised, according to Jason's account of his
conversations with the Qatari envoys.
Qatar spends
tens of millions of euros in Europe to support institutes and organisations
that have drawn concerns over the risk of radicalisation.
Doha maintains
friendly ties with Hezbollah's patron Iran, which in turn has suffered a blow
after European security agencies exposed Tehran's intelligence network run by
its embassies in Germany, Belgium and France.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/qatar-s-hezbollah-funding-exposed-by-whistle-blower-contractor-1.1051985?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
--------
Egypt's Sisi
wins parliamentary approval for possible Libya intervention
JULY 20, 2020
Mahmoud
Mourad, Nadine Awadalla
CAIRO
(Reuters) - Egypt’s parliament gave President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi the green
light for possible military intervention in Libya by approving the deployment
of armed forces abroad to fight “terrorist groups” and “militias”.
A sharp
military escalation in Libya, where fighters led by eastern commander Khalifa
Haftar have been battling the forces of the internationally recognised
government, could risk igniting a direct conflict among the foreign powers that
have poured in weapons and fighters in violation of an arms embargo.
Sisi warned
last week that Egypt would not stand idle if there was a threat to national
security in Egypt and its western neighbour, Libya.
Egypt,
alongside the United Arab Emirates and Russia, backs Haftar, who abandoned an
offensive on the capital last month after Turkey stepped up support for
Tripoli.
Egypt has
flown air strikes on suspected militants in Libya since the toppling of Muammar
Gaddafi in 2011 plunged the oil producer into chaos.
It has also
supported Haftar, an ex-Gaddafi general, since 2014 when he assembled a force
in eastern Libya, according to U.N. reports. But sending ground-combat troops
would be a major escalation.
The
eastern-based Libyan parliament allied to Haftar asked Cairo this month to
intervene militarily to counter Turkey, and its president welcomed Egypt’s move
on Monday, a spokesman said.
The Egyptian
parliament said on the vote supported by all present MPs that troops would be
defending national security on the “strategic western front against the work of
armed criminal militias and foreign terrorist elements.”
It did not
give details, a time frame or name Libya directly. It also did not mention
Turkey.
Egyptian state
TV later ran banners on the screen saying: “Egypt and Libya, one people, one
fate.”
The last time
Egypt sent ground troops abroad for combat was in 1991 in Kuwait as part of a
U.S.-led coalition to drive out Iraqi troops.
SISI SPEAKS TO
TRUMP
Shortly before
the vote, Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone.
“The two
leaders affirmed the need for immediate de-escalation in Libya, including
through a ceasefire and progress on economic and political negotiations,” the
White House said in a statement.
Trump also
told French President Emmanuel Macron by phone that the conflict “has been
exacerbated by the presence of foreign forces and arms,” the White House said.
U.N. spokesman
Stephane Dujarric told reporters: “There is no military solution to the current
crisis in Libya and there must be an immediate ceasefire.”
Egypt is
concerned about instability in Libya and Turkey’s support for Tripoli forces.
The Tripoli
government’s forces have moved closer to the central city of Sirte, which they
hope to recapture from Haftar’s Libyan National Army and is the gateway to oil-
exporting ports held by the LNA. Sisi has declared the Sirte front line a red
line for Egypt.
Egyptian
officials often refer to armed groups in Tripoli and western Libya as
“militias” and see Haftar as leading a “counter-terrorism force.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-egypt/egypt-parliament-approves-sending-troops-west-to-fight-criminal-militias-idUSKCN24L29P?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
--------
South Asia
25 Taliban
fighters, including Pakistani nationals killed by security forces in Kandahar
Jul 21, 2020
KANDAHAR: Over
25 Taliban fighters, including 12 Pakistani citizens, were killed in an
airstrike by NATO Rescue Support in the Takht-e-Pol town of Kandahar province
of Afghanistan on Monday night.
Jamal
Barakzai, a spokesperson for the Kandahar Police Command, said that the Taliban
fighters who were targeted had been planning to launch an attack on Afghan
security forces outposts in the Thoro area of the district.
Several bodies
were left behind after the strike and documents showed that many of them were
Pakistani citizens.
Police chief
of Kandahar, General Tadeen Khan Achakzai also tweeted pictures and documents
of Pakistani citizens who were killed while fighting along with the Afghan
Taliban.
According to
Kandahar police five more Taliban were also killed and two wounded in
counterattacks by security forces in the Arghistan district while seven Taliban
were killed and four injured when attacks were repelled in the Taghray area of
Maruf district of Kandahar.
The Taliban
have not yet commented on any of the incidents. NATO has also not commented on
the airstrike.
According to
the Afghan media, last week, the Taliban had accused the US forces of violating
the Doha Agreement for "launching several drone strikes in non-combat
zones" in the provinces of Helmand, Ghazni and Zabul.
In the past,
Allied forces have insisted that they are committed to defending the Afghan
security forces in case of Taliban attacks and airstrikes are only carried out
in those instances.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/25-taliban-including-pakistani-nationals-killed-by-security-forces-in-kandahar/articleshow/77085822.cms
--------
Suspected
Taliban Attacks Kill Over A Dozen Afghan Security Personnel
July 20, 2020
Over a dozen
Afghan security personnel have been killed in suspected Taliban attacks.
The Defense
Ministry said a suicide truck bomber struck an army convoy in the central
province of Maidan Wardak on July 20, killing at least eight Afghan soldiers.
The ministry
said another nine soldiers were wounded in the attack in Sayed Abad district.
No group immediately
claimed responsibility for the assault, although similar attacks in the past
have been blamed on the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) extremist group.
Hours earlier,
an Afghan official said at least eight government security personnel were
killed in a Taliban attack in the country's north.
Esmatullah
Moradi, the spokesman for the governor of Kunduz Province, said Taliban
militants stormed two security checkpoints in the early hours of July 20.
Moradi said
five police officers and three government soldiers were killed in the
hours-long clashes.
The Taliban
has not commented on the attacks.
The attacks
came as the Taliban intensify operations across the country, particularly in
the country's north, where Afghan forces are more exposed.
Last week,
Taliban fighters stormed the offices of country's main intelligence agency in
the northern province of Samangan, killing 11 security personnel and wounding
dozens of others, mostly civilians.
The Taliban
continues to stage regular attacks across Afghanistan despite signing an
initial peace deal with the United States in February.
That agreement
was intended to pave the way for direct talks between the militants and the
Afghan government over a permanent cease-fire and a future power-sharing deal.
Those talks
were supposed to begin in March, but the process has stalled over the
implementation of a major prisoner release.
The peace deal
calls for Kabul to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for the Taliban
releasing 1,000 government captives.
So far, the
government has freed more than 4,200 and the Taliban have let go around 800
prisoners.
https://www.rferl.org/a/eight-afghan-soldiers-killed-in-suspected-taliban-attacks/30737915.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
--------
Pakistani National
ID cards recovered from militants killed in Kandahar operations
22 Jul 2020
The Afghan
National Defense and Security Forces recovered Pakistani National Identity
Cards from the slain militants who were killed during the operations in
southern Kandahar province.
Gen. Tadin
Khan Achakzai, the Police Chief of Kandahar, said the security forces killed 5
militants in Maroof and 9 other militants in Arghistan districts.
He also added
that the security forces recovered National Identity Cards of Pakistan from the
slain militants.
Meanwhile, the
Afghan Military in the South said the security forces carried out airstrikes in
TakhtaPul district of Kandahar, killing at least 25 Taliban militants.
The Taliban
group has not commented regarding the incidents so far.
https://www.khaama.com/pakistani-national-id-cards-recovered-from-militants-killed-in-kandahar-operations08974/
--------
Taliban
suicide attack kills eight Afghan troops, wounds nine
JULY 21, 2020
KABUL
(Reuters) - A suicide car bomber in central Afghanistan targeted a convoy of
Afghan army troops, killing eight soldiers, the defence ministry said, while
Taliban Islamist militants claimed responsibility for the attack amid a
nationwide escalation of violence.
Clashes have
grown in recent weeks between Afghan government forces and Taliban insurgents
after the government failed to free hundreds of jailed Taliban as part of a
prisoner swap agreed by the warring sides.
In a
statement, the defence ministry said a car bomber targeted army troops in
Monday’s incident in the district of Sayed Abad in Wardak province, killing
eight soldiers and wounding nine more.
The Taliban,
claiming responsibility, said dozens of Afghan special forces were killed in
their latest deadly assault on government forces, who have suffered many
casualties in the recent fighting.
A pact signed
by the United States and Taliban in Doha in February laid out plans for a
withdrawal of foreign forces from the war-torn country in exchange for security
guarantees from the militants.
But negotiations
between the Afghan government and the Taliban for a peace settlement to end the
18-year-old war have been delayed over the release of nearly 600 Taliban
prisoners Kabul says were involved in major attacks.
As part of the
Doha deal, the Afghan government has released more than 4,000 Taliban prisoners
and the militant group has freed hundreds of government troops.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-afghanistan-attacks/taliban-suicide-attack-kills-eight-afghan-troops-wounds-nine-idUKKCN24M0T5?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
--------
North America
Biden pledges
to end Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ on first day in office
Joyce Karam
July 20, 2020
Democratic US
presidential nominee Joe Biden pledged on Monday to end the Trump administration’s
“Muslim ban” and include voices from the community in his administration if he
wins on November 3.
Mr Biden was
speaking to the activist group Emgage Action, in the first address by a US
presidential nominee to a Muslim-American organisation.
He told an
online audience of about 700 participants that he would end US President Donald
Trump's “Muslim ban” on the first day of his administration.
Mr Trump
announced the travel ban as a candidate in December 2015 and partly enforced it
in an executive order in January, 2017.
The order bans
nationals of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen from entering the US.
It also covers
travellers from North Korea and some government officials from Venezuela.
“If I become
president, I will end the Muslim ban on day one. Day one,” Mr Biden said.
“I want to
earn your vote, I want to work in partnership with you ... to make sure your
voices are included in our nation.”
He tried to
draw a sharp contrast with Mr Trump on issues relevant to the Muslim-American
community, such as rejecting Islamophobia and accepting a Palestinian state.
"I'll
continue to champion the rights of Palestinians and Israelis to have a state of
their own, as I have for decades," Mr Biden said. "Each of them, a
state of their own."
Calling Mr
Trump “a poison”, he asked Muslim-American voters to help him defeat the
president in November.
He said the
Muslim community was integral to US success in fighting the pandemic, advancing
social justices, serving in US military and helping the community.
“I will be a
president that recognises and honours your contribution,” Mr Biden said.
He quoted a
hadith, from the collection of sayings and deeds of the Prophet Mohammed, in
advocating activism.
“Whoever among
you sees a wrong, then he should change it with his hand; if he is not able to,
with his tongue; if he is not able to, with his heart.”
Mr Biden was
taking part in Emgage’s Million Muslim Votes Summit, aimed at galvanising
different Muslim-American organisations to register one million votes before
November.
There are an
estimated 2.15 million adult Muslims in the US, the Pew Research Centre says.
Many have
significant numbers in swing states that could determine the outcome of
election, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Fewer than
80,000 votes in these states swung the election to Mr Trump against Hillary
Clinton in 2016.
“Muslim-American
communities are organising like never before, to maximise our voter turnout and
to ensure that our voices are represented,” Wael Al Zayat, chief executive of
Emgage Action, said before the event.
In a recent
study, the Institute for Social Policy Understanding found that 73 per cent of
eligible Muslims were registered to vote in 2019, up from 60 per cent in 2016.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/the-americas/biden-pledges-to-end-trump-s-muslim-ban-on-first-day-in-office-1.1052119
--------
President
Trump threatens defense bill veto over Confederate names, Afghan policy
22 July 2020
President
Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to veto this year’s National Defense
Authorization Act, objecting to plans to strip Confederate names from military
bases, limit spending on Afghanistan and other provisions he sees as curbing
his authority.
The sweeping
$740 billion NDAA sets policy for the Department of Defense. It has passed for
59 straight years, one of the few major pieces of legislation seen as
“must-pass” because it governs everything from pay raises for the troops to how
many aircraft should be purchased or how best to compete with rivals like
Russia and China.
The
Republican-led Senate and Democratic-led House of Representatives are debating
amendments to the NDAA this week. The two chambers will each pass a version of
the bill and then come up with a compromise version, which - if it passes -
would be sent to Trump to sign or veto later this year.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
A spokesman
for the Pentagon said he expected Congress and the White House would work out
their differences. “They understand the importance of the NDAA, and we’re
confident... the NDAA will be signed and implemented on time so that we can
have a budget for our forces,” he said.
Trump had
already vowed to veto the NDAA over a provision requiring the military to
rename bases named for Confederate military leaders, who fought against US
forces during the Civil War.
The names of
those bases, and statues honoring men who owned slaves or fought on the
pro-slavery side, have been targeted in anti-racism protests across the United
States - and the world - since George Floyd was killed by police in Minneapolis
in May.
The Senate on
Tuesday defeated an NDAA amendment that would have blocked the Pentagon from
transferring to local police military-grade equipment that has been used
against demonstrators.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/07/22/President-Trump-threatens-defense-bill-veto-over-Confederate-names-Afghan-policy.html
--------
US’s Pompeo
repeats widely-disregarded appeal for arms embargo on Iran
21 July 2020
US Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo has repeated a widely-disregarded call for the extension
of an arms embargo on Iran that is due to expire in a matter of months under an
international deal with Tehran, even though a US attempt at the United Nations
(UN) to have that embargo extended is most likely to fail.
At a joint
press conference with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in London on
Tuesday, Pompeo said the two had discussed the “importance” of extending the
arms embargo, which is due to expire in October.
The
administration of US President Donald Trump has been attempting what it has
called a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran since 2018, when Washington
pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.
The embargo, a
remnant of the Western dispute with Iran over its nuclear program, is due to be
lifted in October under the deal, which brought the dispute in its original
form to an end in 2015. The United States, whose unilateral withdrawal from the
Iran deal faced strong backlash from much of the international community, has
been attempting to have the embargo extended. It has submitted a draft
resolution to that effect to the UN Security Council, but has faced strong
opposition from Russia and China and ambivalence from its own European allies.
To circumvent
possible vetoes by Russia and China, the US plans to make the bizarre case that
it legally remains a “participant state” to the nuclear deal and can thus
invoke a mechanism in it to snap UN sanctions on Iran back into place.
In late June,
Pompeo faced a sharp reprimand from world powers, including its allies, over
that argument.
Iran has made
it clear that the US is no more a party to the deal. So have Russia, China, and
the EU.
The nuclear
agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),
was reached between Iran and what was then called the P5+1 group of countries —
namely the US, Britain, France, Russia, China, and Germany.
Trump had long
attacked the deal — which he saw as a legacy of former US President Barack
Obama — before he withdrew America from it in 2018.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/21/630135/US-Iran-arms-embargo-Pompeo-London
--------
US 'maximum
pressure' against Iran failed: Washington Post
21 July 2020
The Trump
administration's “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran has failed to achieve
any of the US objectives, according to The Washington Post.
The Washington
Post editorial published on Tuesday states that Washington unleashed its
so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran in 2018, when it left the 2015
multilateral nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Following US
withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, Washington targeted Tehran with its
“toughest ever” economic sanctions.
However, the
administration's “maximum pressure” campaign not only failed in its objectives,
including renegotiation of the Iran nuclear deal, prevention of Tehran's
growing influence in the Middle East, as well as "regime change"; but
also, unintentionally strengthened China's bilateral relation with Tehran.
The article
stresses that the Trump’s administration's policy resulted "in a powerful
new blow to US interests, in the form of an Iranian partnership with China that
could rescue Iran’s economy while giving Beijing a powerful new place in the
region."
According to
the Post article, "Trump’s confrontational approach to China in recent
months, including his refusal to continue work on a comprehensive trade deal,
has given Mr. Xi [Jinping] little incentive to cooperate with Washington’s
geopolitical priorities. On the contrary, the Chinese leadership likely
perceives a moment of critical US weakness as Mr. Trump flounders amid a health
and economic crisis and is moving to take advantage. It is expanding its
presence in the South China Sea; it is crushing Hong Kong’s autonomy. Allying
itself with the foremost US adversary in the Middle East opens yet another
front."
The Post
article concluded that the hostile US policy towards China, exacerbated by the
hostilities of Washington's trade war on the Chinese nation, was pushing
Beijing to shield US adversaries from Trump's “maximum pressure” campaign.
In addition,
China would gain more by "demonstrating US impotence" as Iran becomes
immune to the US "pressure campaign".
"Trump is
mistaken if he believes 'maximum pressure' is getting him closer to a deal with
Iran. The policy is not leading to Iran’s capitulation or collapse, but
entrenching US-Iran hostilities and keeping the United States perennially at
the cusp of war in the Middle East," according to another article
published in the Foreign Policy.
The leading US
foreign policy magazine advised "Trump to ditch maximum pressure and
rebuild the trust necessary for successful negotiations,"
"International
relations and the real estate market are not similar," it pointed out to
the former realtor.
"Bullying
and bluster do not win deals; mutual respect and 'win-win. compromise do,"
it concluded.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/21/630133/US-Iran-China-Maximum-Pressure-Economic-Sanctions
--------
Judge allows
lawsuit challenging US terror watchlist to proceed
21 Jul 2020
A United
States federal judge in Maryland is allowing dozens of Muslim plaintiffs to
move ahead with a lawsuit against Attorney General William Barr and other
federal officials challenging the constitutionality of the government's
watchlist of people identified as "known or suspected terrorists".
Government
lawyers had asked US District Judge Paula Xinis in Greenbelt to toss out the
lawsuit. But in a 65-page ruling issued on Monday, she allowed it to proceed.
It was not a
total victory for the plaintiffs, though: The judge did toss out some parts of
the case, including claims that the watchlist interfered with First Amendment
rights to free assembly, as well as a claim that the watchlist is used to
unfairly pressure Muslims into becoming FBI informants.
Gadeir Abbas,
a lawyer for the Council on American-Islamic Relations who is representing the
plaintiffs, said Monday's ruling is the broadest legal challenge to the
watchlist that has made it this far in the legal process and "is the
latest sign that the era of the federal government's extrajudicial targeting of
innocent Muslims will not go on forever".
A judge in
Alexandria, Virginia ruled in favour of Muslim plaintiffs last year in a
similar challenge that was focused a little more narrowly, but that case has
been held up on the question of what kind of remedy should be crafted.
The watchlist,
also known as the Terrorist Screening Database, is maintained by the FBI and
shared with a variety of federal agencies. Customs officers have access to the
list to check people coming into the country at border crossings, and aviation
officials use the database to help form the no-fly list, which is a much
smaller subset of the broader watchlist.
The watchlist
has grown significantly over the years. As of 2017, approximately 1.16 million
people were included on it, according to government documents. The vast
majority are foreigners, but according to the government, there were roughly
4,600 US citizens and lawful permanent residents on the watchlist as of 2017.
The lawsuit
alleges that Muslims are placed on the list without good reason and without a
reasonable opportunity to clear their names. Placement on the watchlist has
resulted in travel and business difficulties for those who say they were placed
on the list improperly.
The FBI
declined to comment on Monday, citing the ongoing litigation. In court papers.
government lawyers argued for dismissal on numerous grounds and defended the
administration of the watchlist.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/judge-lawsuit-challenging-terror-watchlist-proceed-200720203517486.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
What does the
first-ever terrorism charge against MS-13 member really mean?
Last week, the
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its very first terrorist charge
against a member of the notorious Mara Salvatrucha gang, better known as MS-13.
After unsealing the indictment in Virginia against Melgar Diaz, Attorney
General William Barr depicted him as the individual who "would green light
assassinations" at the gang's behest in the United States.
And analysts anticipate
that the move will have a significant impact on America's ability to go after
other gang members.
"The
terrorism approach will open up and afford greater intelligence and
investigative tools. Utilization of Patriot Act type laws and regulations will
afford a more comprehensive U.S..S. and international approach to disruption
and dismantlement of the organized crime aspects to each gang," Robert
Clark, a former FBI gang specialist, told Fox News. "The terrorism laws
and applications will afford greater intelligence gathering and investigative
capacity as well as unilateral prosecution abilities."
Diaz himself
moved to Virginia from El Salvador in 2003, and quickly joined the GLS – a
clique of MS-13. A decade later, according to court documents, he was deported
to his homeland but returned illegally six months later. In 2016, he was once
again deported to El Salvador, where he has since resided and pulled strings
and collected finances for the gang's operatives – referred to as cliques –
across at least 13 states and Washington D.C. in the United States. He is
currently in custody in his home country, charged with conspiracy to commit
murder charges and drug trafficking.
Furthermore,
prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for another MS-13 leader – Alexi
Saenz – in Long Island, New York. He was charged in seven slayings, including
the murders of two teenagers. Grand juries in Nevada and New York also
announced last week that new charges had been slapped on almost two dozen MS-13
members for a variety of violations, including murder, kidnapping, drug dealing
and racketeering.
The takedown
of MS-13 has been a vocal goal of President Trump, dating back to his 2016
campaign. He upped the ante in a press conference last week, telling reporters
that his administration believes "monsters who murder children should be
put to death," and vowing that they would "not rest before bringing
every member of the gang to justice." The recent crackdown on the infamous
Central American gang is credited to the Department of Homeland Security and
the DOJ's Joint Task Force Vulcan, an initiative launched last August with the
goal of "disrupting, dismantling, and ultimately, destroying MS-13."
But there are
still many challenges ahead.
"Building
federal murder conspiracy cases against transnational organized criminal
organizations usually takes years. Finding witnesses to testify against MS-13
is particularly difficult because of their savagery," explained James
Jeffrey Higgins, a retired Supervisory Special Agent with the DEA and author of
"The Narco-Terrorist." "If terrorism-related charges were
included in the indictment, it would give the Feds authority to charge violent
crimes as well as additional sentencing guidelines."
Members of the
El Salvadorian community in the U.S. are often victims of the gang, Higgins
underscored, and "cooperating with authorities can put targets on
witnesses and endanger members of their families who live in El Salvador, a
country which has been destabilized by MS-13."
Despite the
new push, the infamous street gang has long been on the radar of U.S. law
enforcement. The Obama administration sanctioned MS-13, with the Treasury
Department designating it "a transnational criminal organization,"
the first-ever for a street gang.
"The
evolving complex threats posed by transnational crime groups like MS-13 must
face the power of the United States," asserted Derek Maltz, a former
special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special
Operations Division in New York. "Terrorist investigations, like this
MS-13 case, will provide enhanced resources and should also, in reality, get
the proper focus on the threats by the agencies. DOJ will use the expertise in
the different agencies to put forth a way more effective attack on MS-13. These
are acts of terrorism, and MS-13 should be dealt with accordingly."
The gang was
established in the impoverished, marginalized neighborhoods of Los Angeles,
California, in the 1980s by those who fled the civil war wracking El Salvador.
It escalated
into one of the most savage criminal enterprises on the planet as it spread to
almost every state via an array of "cliques" or cells. Each clique is
described as having its own echelons and rank status. InSight Crime, which
specializes in investigating and analyzing organized crime, defines an MS-13
"Homeboy" as a fully initiated member who has completed a
"jumping-in" ceremony. Such a commemoration involves a beating test,
"where the prospective MS-13 member must survive a group of existing gang
members beating him for 13 seconds." Once jumped in, according to InSight
Crime, "MS-13 members are expected to participate in the gang's criminal
activities, and certain "homeboys" also operate as
"Palabreros" or "shot callers," making the ultimate
decisions affecting the clique."
Meanwhile,
leaders of these cliques – designated to specific areas – are referred to as
"corredores," meaning "those who have the word."
"Primera palabra" is typically the first-in-command of a clique, and
"segunda palabra," is the second-in-line. Some of the very top and
trusted top-brass are issued authority to manage cliques from a distance.
In the 1990s,
as the gang's bloody reign grew, more potent authorities began expelling
members from the United States back to Central America. However, a 2008
Congressional Research Service inquiry into the group found that it only
continued to grow stronger.
"They
have become even more organized and since the violence in El Salvador and other
countries such as Guatemala and Honduras as well as other regions, as well as
the continuing leadership inside the prisons and protected because they are
among their peers, their abilities to organize have become more
proficient," Clark explained. "Also, with continuing deportation,
they have received freshly trained and experienced soldiers, along with the
continuing advanced use of social media
to recruit and communicate has likened to any terrorist network."
MS-13 is
already a terror group designated by El Salvador, yet not the U.S. However, 18
U.S. Code § 2331 – which
covers a broad scope of "international terrorism" – does give U.S. authorities some latitude in the
application.
"The law
gives the U.S. extraterritorial jurisdiction, and at the fullest application I
can see new coordination between DOJ and elements within the intelligence
community and DOD to target and prosecute MS-13 members abroad, which will help
law enforcement more easily interdict them in the U.S..," observed Andrew
Lewis, a former Defense Department staffer and the president of a private
intelligence firm, the Ulysses Group.
And they are
reported to be growing not only in scope but in tactics and logistical
capabilities. Police in Honduras said last month that MS-13 had "wired
several Honduran neighborhoods with surveillance cameras," which were
connected to a router and thus enabled members to view activity streams on
their phones, computers, and other devices.
"Though
this is not the first time authorities have discovered a video system
controlled by the MS13, its routine use in several poor neighborhoods in San
Pedro Sula is striking," InSight Crime surmised. "For the gang to
have placed cameras in marginal neighborhoods shows that the system enhanced
gang surveillance in some way beyond the usual modus operandi of positioning
young members as watchmen."
While
membership figures vary, the U.S. Southern Command has estimated that there are
some 70,000 members in the Northern Triangle alone. Most of the recruitment
efforts target young teens, with some born in the U.S. or second-generation
members.
Yet David
Pyrooz, associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder
contended that while MS-13 "has always been an outlier when it comes to
gang violence," given their extensive use of "machetes,
dismemberment, targeting, and other extremes (which has) made them a trophy in
criminal justice," they are "a drop in the bucket of U.S..S. gang
violence."
"I don't
mean to discount their violence. But they are responsible for a small fraction,
no more than 2 percent, of gang-related homicides, and an even smaller fraction
of all homicides, in the United States," he added. "The problem with
gang crackdowns is that they are temporary solutions to much bigger fundamental
issues. If anything, copycat gangs that take on MS-13 symbology will emerge
because the gang is perceived as the biggest and baddest, not unlike how street
gangs adopt the names of organized crime and terrorist groups."
https://www.foxnews.com/us/first-ever-terrorism-charge-against-ms-13-mean?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
--------
Mideast
Erdogan:
Turkey will remain in Syria 'until the people are free'
July 21, 2020
Turkey's
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkish forces, which have
carried out several incursions into northern Syria since 2016, would remain in
the country until Syrians could live in freedom and safety.
"Nowadays
they are holding an election, a so-called election," Mr Erdogan said of a
parliamentary election on Sunday in Syria's government-controlled regions, after
nearly a decade of civil war.
"Until
the Syrian people are free, peaceful and safe, we will remain in this
country," he said in Ankara.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/erdogan-turkey-will-remain-in-syria-until-the-people-are-free-1.1052603
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Dozens of
anti-government protesters arrested in Jerusalem
July 22, 2020
DUBAI: Israeli
police have arrested dozens of anti-government protesters during a mass
demonstration against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, national daily, The
Jerusalem Post reported.
Thirty-four
people, among around 2,000 protesters, were held by police accused of public
order offences and assaulting police officers.
The protest
took place outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, amid
growing public dismay over the worsening
coronavirus crisis and alleged corruption.
The police
earlier approved the protests, and announced they were blocking some roads to
give way to the demonstrators.
The protest
remained largely peaceful, according to the report, with a few disturbances
throughout the evening.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1708341/middle-east
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Spokesman:
Iraqi PM’s Visit to Iran Aimed at Broadening Economic Ties, Anti-Terrorism
Cooperation
Jul 21, 2020
“Mr.
al-Kadhimi’s visit is aimed at strengthening relations between Iran and Iraq
and we have a strategic background too. Annihilation of the ISIL terrorists,
obviation of environmental threats and foreign currency exchanges are among the
important bilateral issues,” Rabiyee told reporters in Tehran.
He dismissed
al-Khazimi’s mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia or Iran and the US for
resumption of ties, saying that “we welcome all proposals” but do not accept
any mediation for relations with Washington.
Rabiyee also
said that Iran will certainly legally pursue the US assassination of former
IRGC Quds Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and punishment of
the culprits behind it in talks with the Iraqi side.
Al-Kadhimi
arrived in Tehran on Tuesday. The Iraqi prime minister is to meet with top
Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah
Seyed Ali Khamenei.
Chairman of
Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce Yahya Al-e Es’haq said on Tuesday that the
two countries are seeking to attain $20 billion worth of bilateral trade
exchanges.
He pointed to
the visit of al-Kadhimi to Iran today, and said, “The visit of Iraqi prime
minister to Iran will play a very constructive and important role in developing
and strengthening trade ties between the two neighboring countries.”
During the
Iraqi prime minister’s visit to Iran, planning to reach the horizon of $20
billion bilateral trade between Iran and Iraq will also be discussed, Al-e
Es’haq added.
He further
noted that economic issues will include a major part of the Iraqi prime
minister’s visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Iraq’s debt to
Iran on importing electricity and energy will be the other important issues
that will be discussed between Iranian and Iraqi officials, he said, adding,
“agreements have already been made on the repayment of Iraq’s about $3 billion
debt to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is gradually being implemented, and
during this trip, its payment system will be examined clearly.”
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990431000848
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FM Zarif:
Extension of Iran-Russia Long-Term Treaty on Agenda
Jul 21, 2020
“Extension of
the agreement is on our agenda and if the Russian friends are ready to have
another long-term deal, we can study it but extension of this agreement is
certainly on our agenda,” Zarif told reporters upon arrival in Moscow on
Tuesday.
Iran and
Russia prepared a treaty in March 2001 as a roadmap for 10 years of bilateral
relations and principles of cooperation between the two countries. The treaty
is extended every five years automatically if not faced with opposition of both
sides.
“Bilateral
ties, the region and the nuclear deal are among issues to be discussed during
the trip,” he added, describing the two countries’ relations as strategic.
Zarif said
given the current conditions on the international scene, talks are needed to be
held between Iran and Russia and China as two friendly states of Tehran.
During his
visit to Moscow, Zarif is due to hold talks with high-ranking Russian
officials.
Deputy Foreign
Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi also accompanies Zarif in the
trip.
Earlier,
Iranian ambassador to Russia KazzemJalali had said that Zarif will deliver
President Rouhani’s message to President Putin during the visit to Moscow.
This is the
30th visit of Zarif to Moscow as the Iranian Foreign Minister and his third
visit to the country in the past six months. Zarif’s last official visit to
Moscow was in mid-June 2020.
According to
Jalali, the Iranian minister will also discuss JCPOA, regional developments,
and bilateral ties with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavorv.
Leaders of the
two countries, he continued, are determined to cement bilateral ties to
safeguard common interests and help to ensure regional security, said the
envoy.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990431000932
--------
Iraqi MP: No
Request from Baghdad by Tehran to Mediate for Ties with US, S. Arabia
Jul 21, 2020
“Tehran has
not made any official request to Baghdad for mediation between the country and
Saudi Arabia or the US,” al-Fa’ez told the Arabic-language service of Sputnik
news agency on Tuesday.
Yet, he said
Iraq itself has embarked on some initiatives to keep the region safe from
clashes, adding that conflicts between Tehran and Washington and Riyadh and
their negative impacts on Iraq were discussed during Zarif’s recent visit to
Baghdad.
Speaking to
reporters in a joint press conference after meeting his Iraqi counterpart Fo’ad
Hossein in Baghdad on Sunday, Zarif underlined the need for the establishment
of tranquility in the region, saying that Tehran is interested in having a
powerful and peaceful Iraq along its border.
“A powerful
Iraq full of peace and tranquility with constructive and good relations with
all its neighbors is equal to power, tranquility, stability and peace of
ourselves and we welcome Iraq’s effective role in the powerful and peaceful
Persian Gulf region,” Zarif said.
He added that
presidents of the two countries have agreed to increase their volume of trade
ties to $20bln during President Rouhani’s visit to Iraq, and said, “We are not
so much far from that goal and we will certainly adopt joint measures to this
end.”
“Iraq is one
of prioritized neighbors in our economic and trade relations,” Zarif said.
He also
referred to the US assassination of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and
al-Muhandis, in January, and said it was a big harm to the war on terrorism in
the region and Iran and Iraq will pursue the case in cooperation with each
other.
“It is highly
important to us to see that the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and
independence of our neighbors does not come under aggression by foreigners,”
Zarif stressed.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990431000725
--------
Iran says
explosion near military site due to accident, ruling out Israel involvement
21 July 2020
The explosion
that took place near a sensitive military site in the Iranian capital Tehran
last month was due to an accident, a government spokesman reiterated on
Tuesday, ruling out any Israeli involvement.
On June 25, an
explosion took place close to the Parchin military site east of Tehran. A
defence ministry spokesman later told state TV the explosion was caused by a
tank leak at a gas storage facility.
On July 2,
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation (AEOI) said an “accident” had taken place at
a construction site in the Natanz nuclear site in central Iran without causing
casualties.
Asked at a
press conference about the government’s investigations on the recent fires and
explosion in Iran, government spokesman Ali Rabei said the explosion at Parchin
was “natural and did not leave considerable damage. There was no sabotage.”
“But the
incident at Natanz has its own complexities, and experts still have come to a
final conclusion, which the Atomic Energy Organization will announce,” said
Rabei.
On July 3,
Iran said it determined the cause of the “accident” at Natanz but declined to
release details citing security reasons.
Some media
reports suggested that Israel may have been behind some of the recent incidents
in Iran, especially the incident at Natanz.
Three Iranian
officials who spoke to Reuters said they thought cyber sabotage had been
involved at Natanz, but offered no evidence. Two said Israel could have been
behind it.
Israel has not
claimed responsibility for any attacks in Iran.
“Since the
beginning of these incidents, some media outlets and media activists, who
mainly work with Mossad, have linked the Natanz incident to the Israeli regime
in a planned and coordinated effort to portray a powerful image of the Israeli
regime,” Rabei said.
Some Iran
watchers say the Iranian regime is refraining from admitting to an Israeli
involvement in order to “save face.”
Admitting to
an Israeli involvement will also require a response from Iran which the regime
likely does not have the capacity for, they say.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/21/Iran-says-explosion-near-military-site-due-to-accident-ruling-out-Israel-involvement.html
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Israel probes
Palestinian Jerusalem governor over 'terrorism'
July 20, 2020
Jerusalem
(AFP) - Israel is investigating the Palestinian governor of Jerusalem over
suspected terrorism, in the first such allegation against the often-arrested
leader, his lawyer said Monday.
Adnan Ghaith
has been arrested by Israeli security forces more than 10 times over the past
two years, but typically over the minor offence of engaging in
"illegal" political activities in the disputed city.
He has
generally been released within a day or two.
But Ghaith's
lawyer Mohammed Mahmoud told AFP that in addition to political offences the
governor was being probed over "planning an act of terrorism," and
not expected to be released soon.
Under Israeli
law, a broad range of offences fall under the terrorism umbrella, and the probe
does not necessarily mean Ghaith is suspected of plotting an act of violence.
It was the
first time Ghaith was the subject of a terrorism investigation and Israel's
powerful domestic security agency, the Shin Bet, was involved in the case,
Mahmoud said.
The Shin Bet
did not immediately respond to a query about the investigation.
Police
spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP that Ghaith had been arrested at his east
Jerusalem home on Sunday.
"He is
being questioned by security forces," Rosenfeld said.
Israel
occupied east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move
never recognised by the international community.
It considers
the entire city its capital, while the Palestinians see the eastern sector as
the capital of their future state.
Israel bans
all Palestinian Authority activities in the city.
As a result,
the PA has a minister for Jerusalem affairs and a Jerusalem governor located in
Al-Ram, just on the other side of an Israeli wall that separates the city and
the occupied West Bank.
Ghaith has
repeatedly been arrested for allegedly carrying out PA activities in east
Jerusalem, including for working to ensure Palestinians in the city had access
to essential services in the battle against coronavirus.
https://news.yahoo.com/israel-probes-palestinian-jerusalem-governor-over-terrorism-144536627.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1375383_
--------
Africa
Trial of
Sudan’s ousted President Omar al-Bashir for 1989 coup postponed
21 July 2020
The trial of
Sudan’s ousted President Omar al-Bashir and some of his former allies on
charges of leading a military coup that brought the autocrat to power in 1989
has been adjourned until August 11, the judge leading the case said on Tuesday.
State TV had
begun broadcasting the judge opening the trial without showing footage of
Bashir just an hour earlier.
Al-Bashir has
been jailed in Khartoum since he was toppled in April last year following mass
protests against his 30-year rule.
Other
defendants include former allies of Bashir such as military officers and extremists,
judicial sources said before the start of the trial.
A Sudanese
court handed Bashir a two-year sentence in December on corruption charges. He
also faces trials and investigations over the killing of protesters.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/21/Sudan-begins-trial-of-ousted-President-Omar-al-Bashir-for-1989-coup.html
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Jordan to
allow tourists from low-risk countries to visit in groups
July 22, 2020
DUBAI:
Tourists who are coming from low-risk countries will be allowed to enter Jordan
in groups, Managing Director of Jordan Tourism Board Abed Al Razzaq Arabiyat
said, reported by state news agency Petra.
People
traveling in groups will also be restricted by the schedule of their groups
within specified tourism areas.
Arabiyat said
the country was keen to revive its tourism industry, which has been severely
hit by the pandemic.
The government
has been discussing with airlines to attract tourists to the country, he added,
saying there will be an intensive marketing plan to be launched in eligible
countries.
Jordan earlier
announced it was gradually reopening its borders to tourists in August, but
only for those who are coming from “green countries,” a color-coding system
that determines countries’ coronavirus risk.
Jordan closed
its airports in mid-March as part of coronavirus protection measures, which
according to Minister of State and Media Affairs Amjad Adaileh, was an
“effective decision” as the “calm health situation and low case numbers” in the
Kingdom.
“Even at the
beginning of the pandemic, bringing back our sons and daughters was among the
government's priorities, but given that Jordan is at the lower-mild stage, it
is time to gradually bring back commercial flights,” the minister said,
The lower-mild
stage, also called the “blue stage”, is part of the government’s coronavirus
response plan that allows the reopening of airports with health and safety
measures.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1708286/middle-east
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/a-rare-buddha-statue-destroyed/d/122439