New
Age Islam News Bureau
05
January 2022
(Photo courtesy: The Art of Living)
------
•
Martyr Soleimani Fought For Islamic Ummah: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan
•
Mullah Baradar Calls Ex-Officials 'Corrupt', Says No Place for Them in the
Cabinet
•
US-Based Muslim Civil Liberties Organization Urges Tesla To Close Showroom In
Xinjiang
•
Gen. Soleimani’s Assassination Backfired On US, Israel: UK News Website
India
•
Bulli Bai App Case: Three Arrested, More Could Be Involved, Says Mumbai Police
Chief
•
Gurgaon 'Namaz' Row: Hindu Groups File FIR against Former MP, Mohammad Adeeb
Accusing Of Disrupting Communal Harmony
•
Hindu pilgrims visit Pakistan; Muslim delegation to leave for India in late
January
•
Jammu and Kashmir: Three JeM terrorists killed in encounter with security
forces in Pulwama
--------
Pakistan
•
Madina Masjid at Tariq Road: SC turns down request to stop demolition of mosque
•
Church Of Pakistan Condemns Religiously-Motivated Violence In India
•
Conference in Pakistan’s Karachi Seeks to Combat Islamophobia
•
UN praises Pakistan for carrying out registration of 1.4m Afghan refugees
•
Imran Khan’s party tried to conceal foreign funding from Election Commission:
report
•
Pakistan sends to Afghanistan technical team to install machinery
--------
South Asia
•
Thousands of Rohingya shops demolished, Bangladesh confirms
•
Taliban deny skirmish with Turkmenistan’s border guards
•
Recognition for Taliban behind Pakistan push for SAARC summit
•
Pak-Afghan border fencing issue will be addressed through 'diplomatic
channels': Taliban
--------
North America
•
US hoping to build on ‘modest progress’ made during Iran nuclear deal talks
•
Israel, in US visa talks, eyes easing access for Palestinian-American dual
nationals
--------
Europe
•
US, EU sternly warn Sudan’s military against appointing PM unilaterally
•
Turkish-origin politician in Sweden receives hate mail
•
Report: 10,000 UK War Veterans in Iraq Discharged Due To Mental Scars
•
Kazakhstan government resigns amid mass protests over fuel price hike
--------
Southeast Asia
•
Tolerance and Harmony between Religious Communities in Indonesia Extraordinary:
VP Ma'ruf Amin
•
Indonesian Forces Gun down Suspected Pro-IS Militant in Central Sulawesi
Mountains
•
Thailand's Muslim insurgents mark New Year with attacks
•
Tesla criticised for opening showroom in China’s Xinjiang region
•
Covid-19 quarantine: Malaysian Umrah pilgrims can opt for private or govt-run
centres, says minister
--------
Arab World
•
Around 125 Houthis Killed In Clashes near Yemen’s Marib
•
2 children killed in northwest Syrian violence since New Year
•
Lebanon PM will call cabinet meeting within days: Report
•
Rocket attack hits near base hosting US forces in Baghdad: Sources
•
Israel downed a Hezbollah drone from Lebanon: IDF
•
Drone attack on US forces foiled west of Iraq’s Baghdad
•
Arab Coalition strikes targets in Yemen’s Sana’a in response to Houthi drone
attacks
•
Arab Coalition warns of targeting Houthi-controlled ports after Emirati vessel
seized
--------
Mideast
•
Iran Asks Instagram, Facebook to End Censorship of General Soleimani
•
Leader’s Military Aide: IRGC Qods Force “Engine” of Resistance
•
FM: Israel’s Ill Wishes against Iranian Nation Never Come True
•
Envoy Underlines High Importance of Iranian President’s Visit to Russia
•
Palestinian prisoner ends hunger strike in deal with Israel
•
OIC calls for release of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner
•
Turkiye 'neutralizes' 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
--------
Africa
•
South African Corruption Inquiry Releases 'State Capture' Report Covering Zuma
Era
•
British Council confirms probe into racism allegations in its Kenya office
•
Sudan’s security forces fire tear gas to disperse latest round of protests
•
Somalia's international partners urge leaders to ensure credible elections
•
Thousands protest in Sudan after prime minister’s resignation
•
Libyan actors propose ‘sequenced’ elections
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/aimplb-surya-namaskar-sun-worship-yogic/d/126101
--------
AIMPLB
Asks Muslim Students Not To Participate In 'Surya Namaskar,' Calling it A Form
Of "Sun Worship," Though It Is Just A Beneficial Yogic Exercise
(Photo courtesy: The Art of Living)
------
Jan
4, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The All India Muslim Personal Law Board Tuesday asked Muslim students
not to participate in 'Surya Namaskar' exercise, claiming it is a form of
"sun worship" which is not allowed in their religion.
It
also demanded the government withdraw an order issued by the University Grants
Commission (UGC) in this regard.
On
December 29, the UGC had issued a notice requesting all higher educational
institutes to have their students perform the 'Surya Namaskar' exercise as part
of the celebrations of the country's 75th year of independence.
In
an official statement, the AIMPLB Tuesday said India is a secular country where
many religions are practised. "Sun worship is not allowed in Islam and
other minority religions. The government should withdraw the order while
respecting the secular values enshrined in the Constitution," it said.
If
the government wishes to organise any programme in schools it should organise
something related to patriotic music, it said.
The
statement said the government should instead focus on issues like unemployment,
price rise and its "failure" to protect the country's borders.
"Muslim
students are not allowed to participate in the programme," read the AIMPLB
statement.
Uttar
Pradesh BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh reacted to the statement, advising the
AIMPLB to desist from "politics" and alleging it appears the Board's
stand is aimed at benefiting the Congress in election.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Martyr
Soleimani fought for Islamic ummah: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan
Martyr Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani
----
January
5, 2022
Senior
leader of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan strongly condemning the US terrorist
operation to martyr the commander of Qods Force of Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps said General Qasem Soleimani was a fighter and defender of the rights of
Islamic nations.
Provincial
chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Muhammad Hussain Mehanti expressed these views during
a meeting with Secretary-General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic
Schools of Thought Hamid Shahriari at Jamaat-e-Islami head office in Karachi on
Tuesday.
Molavi
Nazir Ahmad Salami, Member of Iranian Assembly of Experts, Kamran Pezeshki,
Caretaker of Iran Culture Center, Asadullah Bhutto, the Secretary General of
the National Solidarity Council of Pakistan, and Saber Abu Maryam, Secretary
General of Palestine Foundation of Pakistan were also present.
The
head of the Jamaat-e-Islami Sindh referred to the common vision of Imam
Khomeini, the great founder of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, and Maulana
Abul-Ali Maududi, the founder of Jamaat-e-Islamic for the uplift of Islamic
nations and the defense of Muslims against injustice.
Muhammad
Hussain Mehanti emphasized the people of Pakistan, especially the
Jamaat-e-Islami, support Iran's struggle for the victory of the Islamic Revolution
and defend Iran's resistance against colonialism.
Referring
to the anniversary of the martyrdom of the glorious commander of Islam,
Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani, he condemned the terrorist acts of the
Americans and added General Soleimani fought for the rights of the Islamic
nations and the United States committed a crime by assassinating him and
violated international law.
Expressing
his devotion to the Supreme Leader and praising Iran’s support to the oppressed
nations of the region, including Palestine, the Pakistani politician stressed
US conspiracies against the Iranian nation and government are doomed to fail.
Welcoming
the recent talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he added we believe in the
important role of Tehran in helping to solve the problems of the Islamic world
and promoting interaction between Islamic states to resolve the ambiguities.
Welcoming
the idea of the Secretary General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic
Schools of Thought for unity of Islamic sects he added we are witnessing unrest
in some Islamic countries and to overcome this crisis we must promote joint
trade and close cooperation.
Secretary-General
of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought stressed the
importance of close interaction between Iran and Pakistan, especially bilateral
trade and economic cooperation for the welfare of the two countries, adding the
Islamic Republic of Iran is always determined to interact with neighbors.
Hamid
Shahriari emphasized the problems of the Islamic world, particularly Yemen and
said Yemen issue must be resolved through peaceful means, and Yemeni groups
must be allowed to solve their problems by themselves.
He
said Iran welcomes the improvement of relations with Saudi Arabia and is ready
to play a role in helping to resolve the problems of the Islamic world.
During
the meeting, Secretary-General of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic
Schools of Thought praised the efforts of the Palestine Foundation of Pakistan
(PLF) to highlight the problems of Palestinian people, the liberation of
Jerusalem and enlightenment in Pakistani society about the occupation and
atrocities of the illegitimate Zionist regime.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Mullah
Baradar Calls Ex-Officials 'Corrupt', Says No Place For Them In The Cabinet
Afghanistan's hardliner and Deputy Prime Minister
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar
-----
Jan
4, 2022
KABUL:
Afghanistan's hardliner and Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar,
in an interview with Radio-Television of Afghanistan (RTA) on Monday, said that
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will not include any of the ex-officials of
the previous republic government in its cabinet.
Baradar
accused the ex-officials of being "corrupt". He said that the
integrity of the Islamic State will be harmed if he includes even one of the
former officials, reported TOLOnews.
The
interviewer asked Baradar about his stand on the international demand that
Afghanistan should form an inclusive government. Responding to the question,
Baradar said that during the Doha talks the US had given the names of some
government officials to meet the same demand.
He
said, "These people cannot be with us in the government, because even if
they are five (even if only five people are included), they will harm our
government's standing and we don't want our government to be brought down by
such people,"
Baradar
claimed that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has fulfilled all the
conditions being put in front of them as a precondition to their recognition.
He said that as the conditions are fulfilled, the world should recognize them.
He
added, "The Islamic Emirate has fulfilled the requirements for recognition
and the world should have recognized it."
Speaking
on the current economic crisis which Afghanistan is grappling with, Baradar
said that if the world does not help Afghanistan, then the country will be
majorly impacted. He also emphasized that not only Afghanistan will be burdened
but neighbouring countries and the world will be put in a bad light.
When
asked about the girls' education and the reopening of the universities, Baradar
said that right to access education is everyone's right. But he cited the
country's economic crisis and moral issues as the reason for the universities
not to be opened.
"The
education sector needs a strong economy. When economic challenges are resolved,
we will provide educational facilities for all those who want to pursue their
studies," he said.
Baradar
also denied the allegations by the former president Ashraf Ghani that
he--Ghani-- would have been killed if he had not left Kabul.
Afghanistan's
acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, during his first public address
last year, accused Ghani of corruption and funds embezzlement, local media
reported.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
US-Based
Muslim Civil Liberties Organization Urges Tesla To Close Showroom In Xinjiang
Representative Image
----
5th
January 2022
Washington:
A major Muslim civil liberties organization in the United States has called on
Tesla motors CEO Elon Musk to close a recently-opened showroom in China’s
Xinjiang region, saying no American corporation should be doing business in a
region that is the focal point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious
and ethnic minority.
In
a statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that Tesla
must cease what amounts to economic support for genocide.
US-based
Tesla opened the showroom in Xinjiang’s capital Urumqi with an announcement on
the Chinese social media platform Weibo.
“No
American corporation should be doing business in a region that is the focal
point of a campaign of genocide targeting a religious and ethnic minority,”
said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “Elon Musk and Tesla
must close this new showroom and cease what amounts to economic support for
genocide.”
According
to media reports, Tesla has said it has begun operations in a showroom in
Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. This has drawn widespread criticism.
US
lawmakers accuse China of imprisoning as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs,
Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority groups in a system of
extrajudicial mass internment camps, where they are forced to produce textiles,
electronics, food products, shoes, tea, and handicrafts.
Beijing,
on the other hand, has repeatedly denied all accusations of being engaged in
abuses in Xinjiang.
Meanwhile,
the White House has urged private companies to oppose the human rights abuses
and genocide by China in Xinjiang.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Gen.
Soleimani’s Assassination Backfired on US, Israel: UK News Website
Palestinians attend a ceremony in Gaza to
commemorate the second anniversary of the US assassination in Iraq of top
Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani (portrait), on January 3, 2022. (Photo by
AFP)
----- ----
04
January 2022
The
US assassination of Iran’s top commander General Qassem Soleimani has backfired
on Washington and Tel Aviv as they have “failed abysmally” to achieve their
objective of pushing Tehran back, according to an article.
In
an article published on Monday, on the second anniversary of General
Soleimani’s assassination, the Middle East Eye cast doubts on the effect of the
assassination to alter the strategic landscape of the region in favor of the US
and Israel.
The
article opined that it is difficult to argue that Iran is more deterred than it
was before General Soleimani’s assassination.
Referring
to the Israeli manipulation behind former US president Donald Trump’s decision
to assassinate the top Iranian strategist, it added, “The then prime minister
of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, thought he was being clever in persuading Trump
to withdraw from the 2015 Iran deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA), in 2018, and apparently twisted his arm in doing the dirty work of
Soleimani’s elimination for Israel. However, it is becoming clear that neither
decision served Israel’s national interest, not to mention that of the US.”
It
further enumerated US policy failures in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon,
Yemen and Palestine, particularly as they relate to the assassination.
“The
US has humiliatingly withdrawn from Afghanistan, losing the game in Central
Asia, with potentially serious repercussions in Western Asia, too; the Iraqi
parliament has voted for the US’s complete withdrawal from the country; the
Syrian government maintains and consolidates its grip on the useful part of its
country, as once-hostile Arab leaders are now increasingly going back to
Damascus; and Hezbollah continues to hold sway over the Lebanese political
landscape,” the opinion piece claimed.
It
added: “Further, the Houthis (Ansarullah movement), no matter how heavily Saudi
Arabia is bombing Yemen, are close to winning the strategic city of Ma’rib, one
of the most important Saudi strongholds in the country. Hamas still holds Gaza
– last spring Israel, for the first time in its history, saw its Arab citizens
siding with the Palestinians protesting in the street of al-Quds, leaving the
chilling sensation of a possible civil war inside” the occupied territories.
On
January 3, 2020, the US military conducted an air operation under Trump’s order
targeting General Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport after his arrival.
The attack also killed the general’s companions, including Deputy Commander of
the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Iran
has called General Soleimani’s assassination “state terrorism” and vowed to put
an end to the US military’s presence in the region as the ultimate act of
revenge.
As
part of its retaliation, the Islamic Republic launched a volley of ballistic
missiles at the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq’s western province of Anbar and
another airbase in Erbil on January 8, 2020, as a result of which 110 US troops
were diagnosed with “traumatic brain injuries”.
The
Middle East Eye further said, “If the principals behind Soleimani’s killing bet
on Iran’s self-deterrence, they miscalculated, as the bombing of the US al-Asad
base in Iraq has proven – a far more damaging and accurate attack than it was
initially considered.”
“Any
serious professional involved in the shadowy world of intelligence and
asymmetric warfare in the Middle East will tell you that a person as important
as Soleimani should not have been eliminated. His intrinsic value in
maintaining a modicum of stability, and in avoiding dangerous miscalculations
and escalations, outweighed any benefits that could arise from his death.”
“Only
neophytes like Trump, or Israelis who had a short-term interest in conflict
generation like Netanyahu, could go that far; and, if the intent was to push
Iran back, they have failed abysmally,” the article added.
European
parliamentarian slams US ‘brutal crime’
Also
on Monday, Mick Wallace, an independent Irish Member of the European
Parliament, took to Twitter again to censure Washington’s “brutal crime” and
“total disrespect” for international law and the EU’s silence over the
assassination.
“The
murder of #Soleimani on this day 2 years ago was a brutal crime by the #US
Government which showed once again their total disrespect for International Law
and the #UN Charter,” he wrote.
“What
does it say about the #EU and Member State Governments who refused to condemn
this crime...?” he added.
Also,
speaking with the Press TV website days earlier, Wallace recalled his last
year’s visit to Iraq, where he met with ordinary people trying to build a
sustainable independent state, saying, “The name of General Soleimani was never
far from their lips.”
“He
was too young to die, but for the US imperialism, he was too effective, too
powerful, and too good to be allowed to live,” he remarked.
The
Irish politician added that nobody did more to defeat Daesh in Iraq than
General Soleimani, while the US and its allies were responsible for the rise of
terrorist groups.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/04/674033/Gen-Soleimani-assassination-backfired-US-Israel
--------
India
Bulli
Bai App Case: Three Arrested, More Could Be Involved, Says Mumbai Police Chief
Mumbai | 05.01.22
Three
people have been arrested in the Bulli Bai' app case, Mumbai Police
Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said here on Wednesday.
Two
of those nabbed are from Uttarakhand, Nagrale told reporters, adding some more
people could be involved in this matter.
Police
are investigating whether there was a conspiracy in the case, he said.
"The
probe in the case is on and anyone involved in the crime directly or indirectly
will be arrested and prosecuted, he said. As the investigation is of a
sensitive nature, we will not be able to share more details, he added.
As
the investigation is online, sharing details may hamper the probe, he said.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gurgaon
'Namaz' Row: Hindu Groups File FIR against Former MP, Mohammad Adeeb Accusing
Of Disrupting Communal Harmony
Our
Bureau, PTI | Gurgaon
|
05.01.22
Amid
the ongoing row over offering 'namaz' in the open, the police here have lodged
an FIR against former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb and others on a complaint
filed by local Hindu activists accusing them of disrupting communal harmony and
trying to grab land.
The
FIR has been lodged against Adeeb, Abdul Haseeb Kashmi and Mufti Mohammad Salim
Kashmi at Sector 40 police station under sections 153 (wantonly giving
provocation with intent to cause riot) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian
Penal Code, officials said.
When
contacted, Kuldeep Singh, Station House Officer of Sector 40 police station,
said the facts are being verified and action will be taken as per law.
In
December, Adeeb had moved the Supreme Court seeking contempt action against
Haryana director general of police and chief secretary for failing to comply
with the court's directions regarding measures to curb communal and violent
sentiments that result in hate crimes.
The
complainants, Dinesh Bharti, Himmat and Vikky Kumar, accused Adeeb of
disrupting communal harmony and trying to grab land, actions that could lead to
riots.
They
alleged that repeated attempts have been made to grab the land of locals.
Bharti
claimed that in Sector 40, a plot where the ancestors of one Mangtu Manihar
were laid to rest has been declared a graveyard and it is being demanded that a
mosque be constructed there.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hindu
pilgrims visit Pakistan; Muslim delegation to leave for India in late January
Jan
4, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
An international delegation of 200 Hindu pilgrims in Pakistan will depart on a
four-day religious tour to a recently restored century-old shrine in the
country’s north.
The
pilgrims from India and the UAE arrived on Saturday via Wagah border and Dubai.
They will visit the Samadhi of Hindu guru Shri Paramhans Dayal Ji Maharaj in
Teri village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
There
are 159 pilgrims from India. They were transported to Peshawar by air and to
the Teri Samadhi by road amidst tight security.
Last
year, a mob had set the Samadhi on fire. The Pakistan government has restored
the damage.
After
the incident, the Pakitan government arrested and fined several people,
including members of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) party, for
vandalizing the place of worship.
Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran Khan warned that anyone targeting the country’s non-Muslim
citizens would face stern consequences.
The
visiting pilgrims told reporters they appreciated the arrangements made for
them as well as the opportunity to pay their respects at the Samadhi. Many were
overwhelmed with emotions.
بھارتی ہندو یاتری واہگہ بارڈر کے ذریعے لاہور پہنچ گئے۔۔ہندو یاتری مذہبی رسومات کی ادائیگی کے لئے لاہور آئے ہیں۔… https://t.co/8iwEaUJo75
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial)
1641020376000
“We felt as if we have entered
jannat when we reached here,” Varona Malhotra, a pilgrim from New Delhi said.
The
visibly emotional visitor said that she felt fortunate to visit the Samadhi and
hoped that pilgrims from both India and Pakistan would be allowed to visit
their holy sites across the border.
“The hospitality extended to us
in Pakistan and especially in this province made us feel at home,” she said.
غیر ملکی سیاحوں کو پاکستانی حکومت اور عوام کی مکمل حمایت اور سر پرستی حاصل ہے۔ان دنوں بھارتی ہندو یاتری خیبر پختونخ… https://t.co/41D7M8jgcv
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial)
1641110594000
Another
pilgrim hoped that such visits between the two countries would continue in the
future.
“The primary purpose of Hindu
pilgrims, led by Shriman Mahatma Param Nityanand Ji, is to visit the Samadhi of
Shri Param Hans Ji Maharaj, Teri Temple,” said parliamentarian and
patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani.
Vankwani
said the Hindu Council is also arranging regular visits of Pakistani
delegations to Muslim shrines in India. The first such visit to Ajmer Sharif
Dargah in Rajasthan is scheduled for late January.
In
early December, Vankwani signed an agreement with Pakistan International
Airlines (PIA) to launch special charter flights from the UAE to facilitate
religious pilgrims.
Hindus
form the largest non-Muslim majority in Pakistan, accounting for 2 percent of
the population of the country which gained independence from British rule in
1947 when the subcontinent was partitioned into Muslim-majority Pakistan and
Hindu-majority India.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Jammu
and Kashmir: Three JeM terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in
Pulwama
Jan
5, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Three JeM terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces on
Wednesday in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said.
One
of the terrorists killed in the encounter is a Pakistani national, an official
said.
"Incriminating
materials, arms & ammunition including 2 M-4 carbines & 1 AK series
rifle has been recovered from them," IGP Kashmir said.
Earlier,
an encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in Pulwama.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Madina
Masjid at Tariq Road: SC turns down request to stop demolition of mosque
By
Sohail Khan
January
05, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the plea of Attorney General for
recalling its order to demolish the Madina Masjid at Tariq Road, Karachi.
A
three-member special bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar
Ahmed, adjourned the case for January 13 and sought a comprehensive report from
the Sindh government.
The
chief justice said that the order passed for removing encroachments from the
park would not be recalled adding that if they recalled their orders, then what
would be the purpose of the whole exercise.
Justice
Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, another member of the bench, observed that
constructing a mosque on encroached land is an un-Islamic step and Islam does
not allow such steps. The judge further said that religion was being used for
land grabbing.
The
Attorney General, however, requested the court to review its earlier decision
of December 28 pertaining to demolition of the mosque adding that due to the
court’s order, several questions were being raised.
The
chief justice, however, told the AGP that the Government of Sindh should give
an alternate piece of land for the construction of the mosque. We have seen
this park where encroachments have been made, the CJP said.
The
Attorney General said he knew that it was the duty of the state and provincial
government to allocate land for the construction of mosque but would request
the court to recall its order of razing the mosque.
The
AGP further submitted that religious tension was on the rise since the order
was passed for razing the mosque. “We can only order that the mosque may not be
demolished till the provision of new space for its construction," the CJP
told the AG. The Attorney General submitted that as the Sindh government was
not a party in the case, therefore, it would be appropriate that a
comprehensive reply was sought from the provincial government.
Source:
The News Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/922511-sc-turns-down-request-to-stop-mosque-razing
--------
Church
Of Pakistan Condemns Religiously-Motivated Violence In India
January
4, 2022
LAHORE:
The senior leadership of Church of Pakistan on Tuesday strongly condemned the
violence perpetrated by Hindu extremist elements on religious minorities in
India in the recent years, demanding the Narendra Modi-led government to stop
patronising such right-wing policies.
Addressing
a press conference at the Lahore Press Club, the Church of Pakistan leaders,
including President Bishop Dr Azad Marshall, Bishop of Multan Leo Roderick
Paul, Bishop of Sialkot Alwin Samuel, Bishop of Lahore Irfan Jameel, Bishop of
Karachi Fredrick John, Bishop Emeritus Manu Rumal Shah and Reverend Shahid
Meraj, urged the international community to take notice of the persecution of
Christians, Muslims and other religious minorities in India.
In
his address, Bishop Azad Marshall said the leadership of Church of Pakistan is
extremely concerned by the rise in attacks on Christians and other minorities
in India. “India takes pride in being the world’s largest democracy but its
brazen violations of religious freedom have laid bare its claims of being a
truly secular country,” said Bishop Marshall.
He
added that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom in its recent
report has highlighted that the BJP-led government in India is promoting Hindu
nationalist policies, resulting in systematic, ongoing, and egregious
violations of religious freedom, which negatively impact non-Hindu religious
communities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits and Adivasis.
“The
attacks on religious minorities, vandalism of minorities’ worship places,
enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 and persecution of Christians
under the guise of action against religious conversions should be the issues of
serious concern for the world,” he said, adding that the misuse of policies
such as the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Financial Contribution
(Regulation) Act has enabled the Indian government to silence or restrict
individuals and NGOs from reporting on and combatting religious persecution.
Bishop
Marshall also called for the protection of minorities in Pakistan, saying
effective legislation is needed to save underage minority girls from being
sexually exploited.
He
also announced that the church has established a helpline, where Christians can
report their issues and get legal assistance.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Conference
in Pakistan’s Karachi Seeks to Combat Islamophobia
January
04, 2022
An
Iranian delegation, headed by Hojat-ol-Islam Hamid Shahriari, secretary general
of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought (WFPIST),
attended the event as special guests.
It
was organized by the Iranian Culture House in Karachi.
In
his address as the keynote speaker, Hojat-ol-Islam Shahriari said the enemies
are frightened by Islamic unity.
He
said unity among Muslims is a Quranic commandment and based on the Sunnah of
the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
The
cleric also referred to the martyrdom anniversary of top Iranian commander Lt.
General Qassem Soleimani, saying the senior commander was committed to
strengthening unity in the Muslim world.
General
Soleimani spared no efforts to help the nations of Iraq and Syria who had been
suffering under the rule of the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group, he added.
Another
speaker, Pakistani politician Assadollah Bhutto, also paid tribute to Martyr
Soleimani and lauded his sacrifices in fighting terrorism.
He
also stressed the need for Muslims to unite against the US and its allies.
He
said the Americans have been humiliated by their defeats in the region and are
thus trying to hatch evil plots to foment discord among Muslims.
Source:
IQNA
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
praises Pakistan for carrying out registration of 1.4m Afghan refugees
Anwar
Iqbal
January
5, 2022
UNITED
NATIONS: Pakistan has successfully completed its first ever smartcard
registration of Afghan refugees, a UN agency reported on Tuesday.
In
another report, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) urged the international community
to scale up its support to Iran, which received about half a million Afghan
refugees in 2021.
The
UNHCR report noted that this week Pakistan completed its first ever drive to
verify data of around 1.4 million on-the-move refugees. Those registered
include more than 200,000 children under five.
“UNHCR
commends Pakistan for its country-wide campaign to verify and update the data
and to issue smart identity cards” to the refugees, the UN report added.
Also,
this week the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi completed a
three-day visit to Iran, noting that like Pakistan, Iran was also sheltering
hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees.
“Iran
has been a generous host of refugees for decades, despite their precarious
economic situation made worse by the pandemic,” he said in a statement issued
after the visit. “As the situation in Afghanistan remains fragile, we need to
ensure those fleeing to Iran can get the protection and assistance they need,”
he added.
The
UN report noted that Pakistan completed its first large-scale verification of
Afghan refugees on Dec 31. The data of 1.25 million Afghan refugees were also
updated during the campaign, officially known as the documentation renewal and
information verification exercise (DRIVE).
More
than 700,000 new smart identity cards have also been issued to date. The
remaining cards will be printed and distributed in early 2022.
The
cards will be valid until 30 June 2023 and contain biometric data that are
technologically compatible with systems used in Pakistan for authentication.
The new smart identity cards would give the refugees faster and safer access to
health and education facilities and to banking services.
DRIVE
would also enable Afghan refugees to flag any specific protection needs or
vulnerabilities. UNHCR hopes the data would also be useful to support those who
decide to go home.
The
UNHCR report pointed out that the DRIVE program was part of a wider effort to
assist and protect Afghan refugees, including through the support platform for
the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR).
In
the second report, the UNHCR chief urged Iran to recognise the protection needs
and risks faced on return to Afghanistan.
Mr
Grandi traveled to Zahedan, the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan province,
where he met Afghan families, including infants and elderly people, who fled to
Iran from Nimrooz some four months ago.
“Afghan
refugees spoke of their pain and desperation at having to leave their homes
behind,” he said. University-aged women conveyed to the High Commissioner their
anguish at having had to abandon their studies and not knowing what their
future will hold.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan’s party tried to conceal foreign funding from Election Commission: report
JANUARY
05, 2022
Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party has under-reported
an amount of PKR 312 million over a four-year period, between FY 2009-10 and FY
2012-13
Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party grossly
under-reported funds received from foreign nationals, firms, and also concealed
its bank accounts, a media report said on January 5, quoting a damning report
compiled by the Election Commission.
The
ruling party has under-reported an amount of PKR 312 million over a four-year
period, between FY 2009-10 and FY 2012-13.
The
year-wise details reveal that an amount in excess of PKR 145 million was
under-reported in FY 2012-13 alone, the Dawn newspaper reported.
“A
perusal of the chartered accountant’s opinion on the accounts of the party for
this period does not indicate any deviation from the reporting principles and
standards,” it quoted the report compiled by the Scrutiny Committee of the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as saying.
According
to the data provided to the committee by the State Bank of Pakistan, the PTI
had 26 bank accounts.
Between
2008 to 2013, the party had disclosed funds to the tune of PKR 1.33 billion to
the ECP, whereas a report by the SBP, the central bank of Pakistan, shows the
actual amount to be PKR 1.64 billion, the committee’s report said.
The
party also failed to disclose details of three banks in documentation provided
to the ECP, it said.
The
report stated that around 1,414 companies in Pakistan, 47 foreign companies and
119 potential companies provided funds to Mr. Khan’s PTI.
It
had also received $2.3448 million as funds from the U.S., but the committee
couldn’t access the party’s U.S. bank accounts, the report said.
Of
those to have contributed these funds include 4,755 Pakistanis, 41
non-Pakistanis and 230 foreign companies.
Besides
the U.S., Mr. Khan’s party also received funds from Dubai, U.K., Europe,
Denmark, Japan, Canada and Australia, the report said.
A
private bank provided details to the SBP regarding $2.2 million funds being
received by the party from Dubai.
But
the committee could not get details into these transactions, the report said.
The
committee also sent the party a detailed questionnaire on the funding received
from the U.S. and other foreign countries, but received no clear response, it
added.
In
a post-Cabinet meet on January 4, Federal Minister for Information and
Broadcasting Fawad Chaudry termed the Scrutiny Committee’s report as
‘inaccurate’ and demanded an inquiry into the accounts of Opposition political
parties like the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party.
“The report [of the ECP scrutiny committee] does not point towards foreign
funding [...] it has been decided that there is no case of foreign funding,” he
said.
According
to the Dawn newspaper, the report was tabled as the ECP resumed hearing of the
foreign funding case against the ruling party on January 4 after nine months.
The
last hearing took place on April 6, 2021, following which the ECP had directed
the dissident founding member of the party, Akbar S. Babar, to employ two
auditors for the perusal of the documents submitted by the ruling party.
Source:
The Hindu
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
sends to Afghanistan technical team to install machinery
05
Jan 2022
Pakistan
has sent a team of engineers and technical personnel to the Afghan capital
Kabul, Nangarhar, and Logar provinces to get the construction process of
hospitals completed and install machinery, Pakistan’s Dawn Newspaper reported.
The
team is comprised of four engineers and technicians and is said to install
medical equipment worth 2 million Pakistani rupees in these hospitals.
The
report reads that installation of the machinery for completion of the
construction of the hospitals is part of the five billion Pakistani rupees
pledged by Pakistani PM for addressing Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.
The
machinery is supposed to be installed in Jinnah hospital based in Kabul, in
Nishtar hospital based in eastern Nangarhar province, and in Logari hospital
based in Logar province.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-sends-to-afghanistan-technical-team-to-install-machinery-476457/
--------
South Asia
Thousands
of Rohingya shops demolished, Bangladesh confirms
Jan
4, 2022
COX'S
BAZAR: Bangladesh authorities have bulldozed more than 3,000 Rohingya-run shops
since last month, a government official confirmed Tuesday, as struggling
refugee families voiced their dismay at the demolitions.
About
850,000 members of the stateless Muslim minority are packed into overcrowded
displacement camps in Bangladesh, most having fled neighbouring Myanmar after a
2017 military clampdown that prompted an international genocide investigation.
Bangladesh
has been praised for taking in the refugees but rights groups have criticised
restrictions placed on the refugees, most recently a drive to knock down
makeshift shops that serve their communities.
The
country's deputy refugee commissioner Shamsud Douza told AFP that "more
than 3,000 illegal shops" had been demolished.
"The
number of Rohingya is increasing. And they need shelters. We are already building
sheds on the premises," he said, adding that relief groups were ensuring
the refugees were still getting daily necessities.
But
Khin Maung, a Rohingya community leader and rights activist, told AFP the
demolitions had already hurt tens of thousands of refugees in the camps.
"Rohingya
families are large and the amount of food ration given to them is decreasing.
Many families used to rely on the income from the shops," he said.
Salim
Ullah, whose grocery shop was torn down, said he would now struggle to feed his
family of eight.
"That
shop was my last hope. How do I run a family now? There is no way out except to
die. I am helpless," he said.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
deny skirmish with Turkmenistan’s border guards
04
Jan 2022
Foreign
ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan denied armed engagement between
the Taliban and Turkmenistan border guards in northern Jawzjan province.
Spokesperson
of the ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi in a series of twitter posts said that
rumors about skirmishes between the two countries’ border police are untrue.
“There
is no issue between Afghanistan and our neighbor nations Turkmenistan and we
want positive relations with all countries.” Reads a Twitter post.
Balkhi
in the Tweet said that the IEA is seeking positive relations with all countries
including Turkmenistan through diplomatic means.
In
the meantime, the spokesperson said that recent conflict between Afghan and
Pakistani border guards in different provinces is an issue that needs to be
negotiated upon.
He
added that diplomatic means for resolving the issue with Pakistan will soon be
undertaken.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-deny-skirmish-with-turkmenistans-border-guards-868767/
--------
Recognition
for Taliban behind Pakistan push for SAARC summit
Jan
04, 2022
Pakistan’s
rediscovered enthusiasm for holding a SAARC summit in Islamabad is likely aimed
at shoehorning the Taliban as the representative of Afghanistan.
Reacting
to Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s desire for a SAARC summit
and advising India to attend it virtually if its leadership did not want to
visit Pakistan, sources here pointed out that even before such an interaction
is considered, the eight-member grouping would need to reach a consensus on who
will represent Afghanistan.
With
the Taliban not yet recognised by a single country, it is unlikely that any of
the other SAARC members, barring Pakistan, will be comfortable with sharing the
round table with the insurgent group’s representatives, they added.
Pakistan
has been pushing the Taliban leadership’s claim at various fora but the
international community will prefer to be guided by the deliberations at the
United Nations. Last month, the UN Credentials Committee had failed to reach
unanimity on giving representation to the Taliban and Myanmar’s military
regime. The committee chief and Sweden's Permanent Representative Anna Karin
Enestrom said after the closed-door meeting that it was decided "to defer
its decision of the credentials" and no other meeting has been scheduled
in the near future.
Pakistan
had sought the ouster of the Ghani-regime representative Ghulam Isaczai and his
replacement by the Taliban’s Suhail Shaheen.
Source:
Tribune India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pak-Afghan
border fencing issue will be addressed through 'diplomatic channels': Taliban
Tahir
Khan
January
4, 2022
The
Taliban government in Afghanistan said on Tuesday that issues related to the
fencing of Pak-Afghan border would be addressed through diplomatic channels,
echoing an earlier statement by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Qureshi,
during a press conference in Islamabad on Monday, had acknowledged that there
were "some complications" pertaining to the fencing of Pak-Afghan
border but added that the matter was being discussed with the Afghan Taliban
government as he blamed "certain miscreants" for blowing such
incidents out of proportion.
Taking
to Twitter, Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said:
"Recently, a few incidents have taken place along the Durand Line between
Afghanistan and Pakistan that have given rise to the need for the authorities
of the two sides to address the problem."
The
official said that the Taliban government, which believed in addressing
problems through "understanding, talks and good neighbourliness",
would address the issue through diplomatic channels.
Dawn.com
has also learnt that the Pakistani embassy in Kabul has sought an official
response from the Taliban government over the issue.
Over
the past few weeks, videos have surfaced on social media purportedly showing
Taliban fighters uprooting a portion of the fence along the Pak-Afghan border,
claiming that the fencing had been erected inside Afghan territory.
In
a more recent video being shared on Twitter, Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman
Enayatullah Khwarzmi was seen saying that Pakistan had no right to fence the
border and create a divide, adding that such a move was "inappropriate and
against the law".
Last
month, a video went viral on Twitter that showed Taliban soldiers seizing
spools of barbed wire, with a senior official asking Pakistani soldiers
stationed at security posts in the distance not to try to fence the border
again.
Fencing
amounts to dividing a nation: Taliban spokesman
Earlier,
Taliban spokesman and Afghanistan's acting information minister Zabihullah
Mujahid had issued a statement in an apparent contradiction of FM Qureshi's
comments, saying that there was no need for border fencing by Pakistan as the
issue of the Durand Line had not yet been resolved.
“The
issue of the Durand Line is still an unresolved one, while the construction of
fencing itself creates rifts between a nation spread across both sides of the
border. It amounts to dividing a nation,” Mujahid said in a recent interview
with a local YouTube channel in Kabul.
“As
this issue is still unresolved, there was no need for fencing at all,” he told
the Paktiawal Official channel.
Mujahid
said the people living on both sides of the border had connections with each
other and fencing was like creating a disconnect between them.
“The
Durand Line has divided one nation along both sides. We do not want it at all.
We want a rational and logical solution to the problem,” the Taliban spokesman maintained.
Like
the previous Afghan governments, the Taliban rulers also consider the border as
an artificial line, while Pakistan considers the border with Afghanistan as a
settled issue and a closed chapter.
The
Durand Line agreement was signed between Afghan King Abdul Rahman Khan and
British India's Foreign Secretary Sir Mortimer Durand in 1893. The Durand Line
constitutes part of the current border between Pakistan and Afghanistan and not
the entire mutual border.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
US
hoping to build on ‘modest progress’ made during Iran nuclear deal talks
05
January ,2022
The
US said on Tuesday that it was hoping to build on the “modest progress” that
was made last week during indirect talks with Iran on a nuclear deal.
But
Washington also warned, once again, that time was running out for a deal to be
reached.
“What
is clear is that if we do not soon reach an understanding on mutual returns to
compliance, Iran’s accelerating nuclear steps will increasingly diminish the
non-proliferation benefits of the JCPOA,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price
said in a phone briefing.
Pressed
about remaining time before the US quits waiting, Price said: “The clock will
run out when our experts here... come to the conclusion that the benefits [of a
return to the nuclear deal]… would be outweighed by the advancements that Iran
has made in its nuclear program.
The
talks resumed last week before being adjourned for the New Year holiday. They
once again picked up on Monday, Price said.
“There
was some modest progress in the talks last week,” Price said. “We hope to build
on that this week.”
Asked
about sanctions relief, Price said that the topic was “really at the heart of
the negotiations that are ongoing.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel,
in US visa talks, eyes easing access for Palestinian-American dual nationals
04
January ,2022
Israel
is prepared to permit Palestinian-American dual nationals to transit its
territory as part of an emerging US visa waiver deal for its citizens, a top
Israeli official said on Tuesday.
With
US-sponsored peacemaking long stalled and violence simmering in the occupied
West Bank and in Gaza, Israel strictly limits access by Palestinians -
including to the Tel Aviv and Eilat airports, both a few hours’ drive from the
territories.
Instead,
Palestinians coming in from abroad generally make more onerous trips through
Jordan and the Israeli-run West Bank boundary, or through Egypt’s Sinai desert,
which borders Gaza.
Giving
Palestinian-Americans domiciled in the territories an Israel-transit option “is
a demand by the Americans going back many years,” Israeli Interior Minister
Ayelet Shaked said.
“The
Shin Bet (Israeli security service) can handle it, and in the context of the
visa waivers - if that process does indeed happen - an American who also has
Palestinian citizenship will be able to enter Israel like any American,” she
told reporters.
The
deal could be concluded in February 2023, she added.
US
State Department spokesman Ned Price, discussing the visa waiver talks on Dec
28, said Washington would “continue to work with Israel toward fulfilling the
equal treatment of all Americans ... seeking to enter or transit through
Israel.”
Shaked
said her staff was also addressing US complaints that Arab-Americans are
subject to unusually intrusive questioning by Israeli airport security.
Among
proposals, she said, was for security agents to receive airline passenger lists
12 hours in advance, to enable more selective screening.
Another
condition for US visa waiver is reducing the current Israeli applicant refusal
rate to 3 percent, both sides say.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
US,
EU sternly warn Sudan’s military against appointing PM unilaterally
04
January ,2022
The
US and Europe warned Sudan’s military on Tuesday against any attempts to
appoint a new prime minister and cabinet without involving “civilian
stakeholders.”
“The
Troika and the European Union will not support a Prime Minister or government
appointed without the involvement of a broad range of civilian stakeholders,” a
statement from Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European
Union said.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
This
was one of the strongest statements from Western powers since Abdalla Hamdok
stepped down as Sudan’s prime minister over the weekend.
Despite
signing a deal with the military, which arrested him and forced the collapse of
his government, Hamdok said that he was “unable to combine all the components
of the transition to reach a unified vision.”
In
their statement Tuesday, the so-called Troika and the EU said Hamdok played a
major role in leading Sudan’s democratic and economic reforms. “His resignation
as Sudanese Prime Minister, two months after the military’s unconstitutional
seizure of power, reinforces the urgent need for all Sudanese leaders to
recommit to the country’s democratic transition and deliver on the Sudanese
people’s demands for freedom, peace, and justice,” the statement said.
The
statement also said the Western powers look forward to working with a
government and a transitional parliament, “which enjoy credibility with the
Sudanese people and can lead the country to free and fair elections as a
priority.”
They
added that this would necessary to facilitate any economic assistance to Sudan.
“In
the absence of progress, we would look to accelerate efforts to hold those
actors impeding the democratic process accountable,” they added, in a sign of
potential sanctions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish-origin
politician in Sweden receives hate mail
Atila
Altuntas
04.01.2022
STOCKHOLM
A
Swedish politician of Turkish origin has said that he received a racist hate
letter.
Mikail
Yuksel, chairman of the Nyans Party, told Anadolu Agency that the letter
contained pejorative remarks and read: "Go back to your country."
Underlining
that he had been the target of racists and opponents of Turkiye for a long
time, Yuksel said this was because his politics, "especially against
terrorist organizations and Islamophobia, bothers many people."
Noting
that he had received racist letters before, Yuksel said sending letters had
become normal for perpetrators, who "don't want me to do politics
here."
He
also pointed out that the letter includes racist comments insulting Turkiye's
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Muslim people.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-origin-politician-in-sweden-receives-hate-mail/2465299
--------
Report:
10,000 UK war veterans in Iraq discharged due to mental scars
02
January 2022
The
British army’s most senior clergyman has lamented his participation in the
military invasion of Iraq, saying mental scars from the war zone have left him
in “the valley of the shadow of death” for years even after returning from the
Arab country.
Clinton
Langston made the revelation in a report published by the Daily Mail on
Saturday as more than 10,000 British troops involved in the Iraq war have been
discharged due to mental health problems over the past 20 years.
Official
figures show that another 500 quit last year after being diagnosed with
post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other disorders.
“I
have remained, as have so many of our soldiers, in the valley of the shadow of
death – a place of utter desolation where our shadows yearn to feel and love
and live again but where our families find only the shell of who we were,”
Langston said.
The
senior clergyman said he became “sick with fear” after writing letters to his
wife and children that were to be opened in the event of his death during a
six-month deployment in 2004.
“I
returned home six months later. Both the immediate days after and the years
since have been dominated by my inability to dial my emotions back up,” he
underlined.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/02/673900/British-army-Clinton-Langston-Iraq-war-
--------
Kazakhstan
government resigns amid mass protests over fuel price hike
05
January 2022
Kazakh
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has accepted the government's resignation after
a wave of unprecedented protests that swept the oil-rich Central Asian country
over fuel price hikes.
"In
accordance with Article 70 of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I hereby resolve to
accept the resignation of the government of the Republic of Kazakhstan,"
Tokayev said in a presidential decree on Wednesday.
According
to the president's office, Alikhan Smailov was appointed as acting prime
minister.
The
announcement came hours after Tokayev declared a two-week state of emergency in
the country's biggest city, Almaty, as well as western Mangistau Province,
where protests over surging gas prices turned violent. Photos and videos that
surfaced online showed armored vehicles moving in the streets.
"Calls
to attack government and military offices are absolutely illegal," he said
in a video address, adding, "The government will not fall, but we want
mutual trust and dialog rather than conflict."
In
Almaty, Kazakhstan's financial capital, police fired tear gas and stun grenades
to disperse crowds of thousands of people who had gathered in the city's main
square on Tuesday, as protesters toppled, smashed, and set police cars alight.
Intense clashes went on between riot police and protesters for hours in nearby
areas.
Video
footage showed a large crowd of people rocking a police van onto its side,
vandalizing police cars, and setting several law enforcement vehicles on fire.
The
mass protests began in Mangistau on Sunday, following the government's decision
to lift price controls on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — a move that roughly
doubled gas prices within a matter of days — and engulfed other parts of the
country.
Tokayev
later ordered the acting cabinet members and provincial governors to restore
LPG price controls and broaden them to gasoline, diesel, and other
"socially important" consumer goods. He also ordered the government
to develop a personal bankruptcy law and consider freezing utilities' prices
and subsidizing rent payments for poor families.
The
president also claimed the situation was improving in protest-hit cities and
towns after the state of emergency was declared, which included a curfew,
movement restrictions, and a ban on mass gatherings.
Kazakhstan
is a major energy power, among the top exporters of oil globally and in the
leading 20 for gas. The country's government has subsidized liquefied petroleum
gas for years, but argued that price controls needed to be lifted as keeping
them in place was no longer sustainable.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Tolerance
and Harmony between Religious Communities in Indonesia Extraordinary: VP Ma'ruf
Amin
05
Jan 2022
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - The tolerance and harmony between religious communities in Indonesia
has received recognition and praise from various nations, Vice President Ma'ruf
Amin has said.
"They
see how we can build the integrity of the nation because there is an agreement
on Pancasila. So, they are amazed. We sometimes don't feel like we are in the
spotlight of various nations," he said here on Tuesday in a release issued
by the press, media, and information bureau of the Vice President Secretariat.
The
Vice President recalled meeting an Italian film producer who wanted to document
the interreligious harmony in Indonesia. The producer and the team visited
several areas, including Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Mount Bromo in East
Java, and the interior of Lebak in Banten to get to know about the life of the
local community, he said.
"I
was visited by a film producer from Italy. He wanted to see what Islam in
Indonesia looked like. He came to Banten to see Baduy, Borobudur, Bromo where
the Hindus are. They sleep soundly, surrounded by Muslims, and there is no
problem," he informed.
The
producer acknowledged that interreligious life in Indonesia put tolerance first
and foremost, as well as maintenance of harmony, Amin said.
"He
(the producer) said 'This is it, Islam in Indonesia, which is very tolerant'.
Then a film was produced, there was an Islamic boarding school, and I became an
advisor (for the film), it was distributed, screened in Rome, at the Vatican.
He said it was great," he added.
Amin
said he also received a representative of the Abu Dhabi-based Association of
Muslim Scholars, the Hukama Al Muslimin Council, who wanted to learn about
tolerance in Indonesia.
Source:
Antra News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://en.antaranews.com/news/207777/indonesias-interreligious-tolerance-extraordinary-vp
--------
Indonesian
Forces Gun Down Suspected Pro-IS Militant in Central Sulawesi Mountains
2022-01-04
Indonesian
security forces on Tuesday shot dead a suspected member of a pro-Islamic State
militant group who was accused of taking part in beheading locals in Central
Sulawesi province, officials said.
The
suspect, identified as Ahmad Gazali, was killed during a shootout at a village
in the mountains of Parigi Moutong regency, police said.
His
death brought the number of suspected members of the Eastern Indonesia
Mujahideen (MIT) down to three men, according to officials. He and the handful
of other holdovers were the target of a massive manhunt still under way in the
area known for its steep and rugged jungle terrain.
“After
checking with the list of most wanted persons, it is confirmed to be Ahmad
Gazali,” provincial police spokesman Didik Supranoto told reporters in Palu,
the provincial capital, referring to Ahmad’s body.
It
was taken to a hospital in Palu for an autopsy.
“If
no family claims the body, Gazali will be buried in a public cemetery in Palu,”
Didik said.
A
joint military and police task force confiscated a homemade bomb, a bottle
containing gunpowder, a machete and other evidence after the shootout, Didik
said.
Ahmad,
27, (alias Ahmad Panjang) joined MIT in 2016 and was involved in terror
attacks, including in May 2021 when MIT militants killed four farmers in
Kalemago, a village in Poso regency, according to Didik. One of the victims was
beheaded.
Ahmad
was linked to an attack in November 2020 where a victim was decapitated as
well.
A
resident of Luwu regency, Ahmad was born and raised in Palu, Didik said, adding
that the militant was skilled in making bombs and had mastered the terrain of
Poso, Parigi Moutong and Sigi regencies where police believe MIT has hideouts.
On
Monday, police said they had mapped the whereabouts of four remaining MIT
members in the mountains between Poso and Parigi Moutong. Police based this
information on tips from residents who reported seeing the suspects enter a
plantation to steal food.
Ahmad
Gazali was the first MIT suspect to be killed since Sept. 18, 2021, when police
and military members of the Madago Raya task force gunned down Ali Kalora,
MIT’s top commander at the time, and a follower identified as Jaka Ramadhan in
the jungles of Parigi Moutong. Their deaths reduced MIT’s membership to four,
with police vowing to capture the remnants “dead or alive.”
In
January 2016, the government launched Operation Tinombala, a joint
military-police task force, with a mission to capture or kill MIT militants.
The name changed to Madago Raya (Kindness), as part of a strategy that focused
on humanitarian and social activities, police said.
At
the time of the killings in September 2021, the task force had more than 1,300
members. With the arrival of the new year, authorities reduced that number to
400 and allowed it to operate for another three months, Inspector General Rudy
Sufahriadi, the Central Sulawesi police chief who leads the operation, told
BenarNews on Monday.
He
did not elaborate on how much money was allocated for the extension, saying it
came from the National Police budget.
‘Already
weak’
Lukman
Tahir, a terrorism analyst at the State Islamic Institute in Palu, said the
three remaining MIT fugitives were getting weaker and desperate, adding that
patrols should be intensified.
“They
are already weak. This is an opportunity for the task force to raise
operational tensions so that they can capture the three fugitives,” Lukman told
BenarNews.
Mohammad
Affandi, a terrorism researcher at the Ruang Empat Kali Empat, a think-tank in
Central Sulawesi, said the task force should not kill the three.
“Don’t
let all MIT members be shot dead. We need them to be arrested alive. We need to
bring the remaining members to the court and make them reveal all involved in
helping MIT,” Affandi told BenarNews.
Affandi
said authorities should capture sympathizers who supplied food, logistics and
weapons.
Source:
Benar News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/militant-killed-01042022144453.html
--------
Thailand's
Muslim insurgents mark new year with attacks
January
05, 2022
The
New Year has brought no let-up in terrorism in Thailand’s restive
Muslim-majority southernmost region with a series of bomb and gun attacks
targeted at security forces.
Suspected
Islamist insurgents attacked a military checkpoint in the province of
Narathiwat on Jan. 3, killing a ranger and wounding two others, according to
official sources.
During
a shootout that lasted around half an hour, armed men exchanged fire with
rangers at the checkpoint before retreating, officials said.
On
New Year’s Eve, meanwhile, six bombs set by suspected insurgents exploded in
the province of Yala, another of three violence-ridden provinces bordering
Malaysia.
The
bombs damaged power posts and a mobile phone signal tower, among other targets,
leading to a blackout in the area, but there were no reported injuries.
The
Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), a shadow separatist group whose name
translates as National Revolutionary Front, claimed responsibility for the
blasts.
The
group said on its website that its “warriors of a new generation” were making
their mark against the Thai state, whose rule over the predominantly Malay
provinces the insurgents have sought to end.
Despite
various peace-building initiatives aimed at local Muslims and heavy-handed
crackdowns on suspected militants, Thai security forces have been unable to
suppress militant cells that appear to operate with impunity at times since
hostilities erupted in 2004.
Representatives
of insurgent groups and Thai officials are scheduled to meet in Kuala Lumpur
this month for a new round of peace talks.
Whether
these talks will bear fruit remains in doubt as insurgent groups have so far
rebuffed offers of increased autonomy from Thai officials while insisting on
full independence for four Muslim-majority provinces in Thailand’s southernmost
region.
In
all, well over 7,000 people have died in hostilities since 2004 and tens of
thousands of people have been injured.
Complicating
matters for Thai security forces is that insurgent groups appear to operate
independently from one another with no clear organizational structure and are
manned by disgruntled local Muslim youths.
“The
insurgent movement is distinguished by its secrecy and reluctance to assert an
organizational identity. Insurgents tend to identify simply as juwae (fighters)
rather than as members of a particular militant group,” said Matthew Wheeler, a
senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, an organization that seeks
to prevent wars worldwide.
“It
remains a parochial nationalist insurgency — distinct from transnational
jihadist movements — in which Islam is foremost a marker of Malay cultural
identity.”
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/thailands-muslim-insurgents-mark-new-year-with-attacks/95591#
--------
Tesla
criticised for opening showroom in China’s Xinjiang region
January
4, 2022
SHANGHAI:
Tesla’s announcement that it has opened a showroom in Xinjiang has attracted
criticism from US rights and trade groups, making it the latest foreign firm
caught up in tensions related to the far-western Chinese region.
Xinjiang
has become a significant point of conflict between Western governments and
China in recent years, as UN experts and rights groups estimate more than a
million people, mainly Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities, have
been detained in camps there.
China
has rejected accusations of forced labour or any other abuses there, saying
that the camps provide vocational training and that companies should respect
its policies there.
The
US electric car maker announced the showroom’s opening in Xinjiang’s regional
capital, Urumqi, on its official Weibo account last Friday. “On the last day of
2021 we meet in Xinjiang,” it said in the post.
Today,
the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest US Muslim advocacy
organisation, criticised the move, saying that Tesla was “supporting genocide”.
The
US has labelled China’s treatment of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in
Xinjiang as genocide. The US and a few other countries plan a diplomatic
boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February over the issue.
“Elon
Musk must close Tesla’s Xinjiang showroom,” Council on American-Islamic
Relations said on its official Twitter account, referring to Tesla’s founder.
Similar
criticism came from a US trade group, the Alliance for American Manufacturing,
and US senator Marco Rubio.
Tesla
did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The carmaker operates a
factory in Shanghai and is ramping up production there amid surging sales in
China.
A
slew of foreign firms in recent months have been tripped up by tensions between
the West and China over Xinjiang, as they try to balance Western pressure with
China’s importance as a market and supply base.
In
July, Swedish fashion retailer H&M reported a 23% drop in local currency
sales in China for its March-May quarter after it was hit by a consumer boycott
in March for stating publicly that it did not source products from Xinjiang.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Covid-19
quarantine: Malaysian umrah pilgrims can opt for private or govt-run centres,
says minister
04
Jan 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 4 — Umrah pilgrims have the option of dealing directly with private
quarantine centres in hotels listed by the National Disaster Management Agency
(Nadma) or undergoing quarantine at government-run centres.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Tasks) Datuk Abd Latiff Ahmad in a
statement today said for quarantine placement at government-run centres, a
person under surveillance (PUS) and are tested negative for Covid-19 by the
Ministry of Health (MoH) will be placed in hotels or public training centres
depending on the availability of rooms on the day of arrival.
“For
this option, the quarantine cost will be borne by the government, including
meals and airport transfer,” he said.
He
said the statement was issued as the government was aware that many umrah
pilgrims were worried about the additional cost of undergoing quarantine.
The
minister said the quarantine period was set by the MoH and there were six
public training centres listed as quarantine centres for umrah pilgrims, namely
at the Higher Education Leadership Academy (AKEPT) and Institute Aminuddin Baki
in Nilai; Institut Latihan Islam Malaysia (ILIM), Institut Semarak Felda and
the Judicial and Training Institute (ILKAP) in Bangi; and the Police Training Centre
(Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur.
Other
than that, Dr Abd Latiff said 19 hotels in Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur and
Selangor were also listed as quarantine stations for umrah pilgrims.
The
hotels in Negri Sembilan are Klana Resort in Seremban, while the hotels in
Kuala Lumpur are Royal Hotel, Swiss Garden Hotel in Bukit Bintang, IBIS Kuala
Lumpur City Centre, Furama Hotel in Bukit Bintang, Mercure Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Shaw Parade, IBIS Style KL Fraser Business Park, AnCasa Hotel, Cosmo Hotel, KIP
Hotel and Arena Star Hotel.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Around
125 Houthis killed in clashes near Yemen’s Marib
04
January ,2022
About
125 members of the Iran-backed Houthi militia have been killed in fresh clashes
near the strategic Yemeni city of Marib, military and medical sources said
Tuesday, as the seven-year war witnesses a surge in violence.
The
clashes took place over the past 24 hours.
The
coalition has been fighting for nearly seven years in support of Yemen’s
government against the Houthis, in a conflict that has displaced millions and
created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.
As
hostilities escalate, the Houthis on Monday seized a United Arab
Emirates-flagged ship that the coalition said was carrying medical supplies.
In
September, the Houthis intensified their efforts to take Marib, a provincial
capital which is the government’s last northern stronghold.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
2
children killed in northwest Syrian violence since new year
Servet
Günerigök
04.01.2022
WASHINGTON
Two
children were killed and five injured in northwest Syria because of violence
that occurred in the first four days of the new year, UNICEF said Tuesday.
"Last
year, more than 70 per cent of grave violations against children in Syria were
recorded in the northwest," the international organization said in a
statement.
"Children
and services catering to them must never come under attack," it said.
"It has been 11 brutal years of war on the children of Syria. How much
longer can this go on?"
The
agency said earlier this week that a UNICEF-supported water station came under
attack in the Arshani village outside Idlib in northwestern Syria.
"The
attack put the station out of service cutting water supply for over 241,000
people, many of whom are internally displaced," it added.
Syria
has been ravaged by a civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad
regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon
PM will call cabinet meeting within days: Report
05
January,2022
Lebanon’s
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Wednesday he will call for a cabinet
meeting within days, Al Jadeed TV reported.
Mikati
spoke after a morning meeting with President Michel Aoun, the report said. The
Lebanese Cabinet has not met since Oct. 12 due to a dispute over the investigation
into the Beirut port blast.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rocket
attack hits near base hosting US forces in Baghdad: Sources
05
January ,2022
A
Katyusha rocket hit an Iraqi military base hosting U.S. forces near Baghdad’s
international airport on Wednesday, Iraqi security and military sources said.
An
Iraqi military statement said it found a rocket launcher with one rocket in
al-Jihad district in western Baghdad near the airport.
The
sources said that nobody was hurt in the incident.
U.S.
officials have warned in recent weeks they expected an uptick in attacks
against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, in part because of the second
anniversary of the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
While
there were no immediate claims of responsibility for recent attacks, Iraqi
militia groups aligned with Iran vowed to retaliate for killing Soleimani and
Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Wednesday’s
attack is the second one this week targeting the base near Baghdad’s
international airport after an attack by two drones was foiled on Monday.
Two
explosive-laden drones were also shot down on Tuesday by Iraq’s air defenses as
they approached the Ain al-Asad air base, which hosts U.S. forces, west of
Baghdad.
Soleimani
was killed on Jan. 3, 2020 in a drone strike near Baghdad airport ordered by
then-U.S. president Donald Trump.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
downed a Hezbollah drone from Lebanon: IDF
04
January ,2022
Israel
downed a drone launched by Lebanon’s Hezbollah group which crossed over into
Israel from Lebanon, the Israeli Defense Forces said on Tuesday.
“We
downed a Hezbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israel today. The drone
was monitored by our soldiers throughout the incident,” IDF said in a tweet.
“The
IDF will continue to operate against any attempt by terrorists to violate
Israeli sovereignty,” it added.
Israel
considers the Iran-backed Hezbollah an enemy and has long threatened it will
respond with extreme counterattacks in “the next war” against threats from
Lebanon and its main supporter Tehran.
Hezbollah
has long enjoyed financial and military support from Iran. Israeli defense
officials assess Iran spends nearly $1 billion annually on Hezbollah.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Drone
attack on US forces foiled west of Iraq’s Baghdad
04
January ,2022
Two
explosive-laden drones were shot down on Tuesday by Iraq’s air defenses as they
approached the Ain al-Asad air base, which hosts US forces, west of Baghdad, an
official of the US-led international military coalition said.
US
officials in recent weeks had warned that they expected an uptick in attacks
against US forces in Iraq and Syria, in part because of the second anniversary
of the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
A
similar attack was foiled on Monday, when Iraqi air defenses downed two drones
as they approached a base hosting US forces near Baghdad’s international
airport.
Separately,
another coalition official told Reuters that the coalition had carried out
strikes against an “imminent threat” after they saw several rocket launch sites
near the Green Village in Syria.
While
this official did not say which country in the coalition carried out the
strikes or who was responsible for the launch sites, Iranian-backed militia
forces have occasionally targeted US forces in both Iraq and Syria.
The
United States is leading the international military coalition fighting Islamic
State militants in Iraq and in Syria.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
Coalition strikes targets in Yemen’s Sana’a in response to Houthi drone attacks
05
January ,2022
The
Arab Coalition conducted air strikes on targets in Yemen’s capital Sana’a in
response to drone attacks launched by the Iran-backed Houthi militia towards
Saudi Arabia, state media reported early Wednesday.
This
development comes after the Coalition announced the interception and
destruction of a drone in Yemeni airspace, launched by the Iran-backed Houthi
militia towards Saudi Arabia's territory earlier in the day.
The
coalition stated that the drone was launched from the capital, Sana'a, with the
aim of targeting civilians.
Yemen’s
Houthis have launched dozens of cross-border aerial attacks on Saudi Arabia
during 2021. The Iran-backed militia targeted civilian areas and energy
facilities in the Kingdom with explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
Coalition warns of targeting Houthi-controlled ports after Emirati vessel
seized
04
January ,2022
The
Arab Coalition demanded on Tuesday Houthis immediately release the seized
Emirati vessel “Rawabi” with its full cargo, and if the Houthis don’t comply,
then any of the ports they use for launching maritime piracy and armed robbery
attacks will become legitimate military targets.
Spokesman
Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said the attack was a criminal act by the
Iran-backed Houthi militias, launched from Hodeidah port to intercept a
commercial ship in international waters, according to state news agency SPA.
He
added that “Rawabi” carried medical field equipment and supplies for the Saudi
field hospital on Socotra Island.
Maliki
warned the Houthis against violating maritime laws and described their actions
as “terrorist acts” which undermine the security of waterways and directly
threaten maritime navigation and global trade.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran
Asks Instagram, Facebook to End Censorship of General Soleimani
2022-January-4
Ministry
of Information and Communications Technology of Iran asked directors of Meta
and Instagram social media platforms to end censorship of written material as
well as photos related to General Soleimani.
The
call was made in a letter written to directors of Facebook and Instagram by the
Iranian ministry’s director general for legal affairs, Reza Fazel, who
condemned the measure taken by the two social media platforms and asked for an
explanation on their illegal policy toward their users.
The
letter was primarily sent to Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive officer of
Meta Platforms, Inc., which is the parent organization of Facebook and
Instagram, while copies of the letter were forwarded to Adam Mosseri, the head
of Instagram, and the current Chairwoman of the US Federal Communications
Commission Jessica Rosenworcel.
The
letter added that deletion and censorship of the photos and written material
related to General Soleimani, who is a well-known hero of the fight against
terrorism and eradicator of the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, “does not conform
to any international norm”.
January
3, 2022 marked the second anniversary of the cowardly assassination of General
Qassem Soleimani, who was even admired by the Western media for defeating the
ISIL and who was killed by extremist warmongers in the former US president
Donald Trump's administration while on an official diplomatic trip to Iraq, the
Iranian ministry said.
Following
this terrorist attack, the letter added, while many regional nations were
mourning the top commander's assassination, Instagram began to delete all
content related to General Soleimani heedless of international regulations in a
widespread online censorship, which was unprecedented in the history of social
networks.
Since
then, millions of Iranian and non-Iranian Instagram users have been banned from
sharing photos, texts and any information related to their beloved hero and
they have not been even given any explanation in this regard or any
instructions on ways to recover their account, it added.
The
letter further said Instagram executives are expected to respect millions of
users who adore this anti-terror hero and end this widespread censorship as
soon as possible.
Iran’s
human rights chief also reacted to social media censorship of photos and texts
related to General Soleimani, urging people all over the world to file
complaints or objections against this “anti-human rights act”.
Deputy
Head of Iran’s Judiciary for international affairs and secretary general of the
country's High Council for Human Rights Kazzem Qaribabadi also made the call in
a Monday tweet, saying, “Tens of millions of posts regarding this great
national hero have been deleted by Instagram under the pretext of its so-called
policy on violence.”
Slamming
Instagram’s anti-human rights policy, the Iranian official added, “After
physical assassination of Martyr Soleimani, a harbinger in fight against
terrorism, he was also virtually assassinated.”
Qaribabadi
also urged people of the world, especially Iranians, to file their complaints
and objections against Instagram's biased policy through UN Special Rapporteur
for Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan and the UN human rights chief,
Michelle Bachelet.
“I
encourage the people throughout the word, including my fellow Iranians, to
present their complaints or objections on this anti-human rights act to:
@IreneKhan, SR on the promotion and protection of freedom of opinion and
expression; @mbachelet, UNHCHR; and HRC President,” he wrote.
Former
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force Lieutenant
General Qassem Soleimani, his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the
second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU, and ten of their deputies were martyred by an
armed drone strike as their convoy left Baghdad International Airport on
January 3, 2020. The attack was ordered by then US President Donald Trump.
To
date, Iran’s chief civilian prosecutor has indicted tens of individuals in
connection with the assassination, among them former president Trump, the head
of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., and former US Secretaries
of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper.
The
file remains open to the further addition of individuals that Tehran determines
to have played a role in the killing.
Both
commanders were highly popular because of their key role in fighting against
the ISIL terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Back
in January 2020, two days after the assassination, the Iraqi parliament passed
a law requiring the Iraqi government to end the presence of the US-led foreign
forces in the Arab country.
Last
year, Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement on ending the presence of all
US combat troops in Iraq by the end of 2021.
The
US military declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq this month, but
resistance forces remain bent on expelling all American forces, including those
who have stayed in the country on the pretext of training Iraqi forces or playing
an advisory role.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Leader’s
Military Aide: IRGC Qods Force “Engine” of Resistance
2022-January-4
General
Rahim Safavi made the remarks in Tehran on Tuesday, addressing the
International Conference on Iran and Neighbors.
He
hailed the IRGC Quds Force as “the engine and operating agent of the
resistance”.
“In
fact, what has made the US angry with the Islamic Republic is the process of
generating power in Iran’s regional politics. This power has been created in
the first layer in West Asia with the wise and courageous leadership of the
Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the role of the Quds Force in the
battlefield under the command of the martyred general, Qassem Soleimani,”
General Rahim Safavi said.
“In
parallel with the advent of the new arrangement or order led by the Islamic
Republic in West Asia, based on the shared goal of countering American
hegemony, Latin American countries, including Venezuela, Cuba, and Peru, have
also strengthened their ties with the resistance front,” he added.
General
Rahim Safavi described the Muslim world as a future power that can compete with
current dominating Western and Eastern powers, saying Iran and the resistance
front are reshaping the geopolitics in the region.
He
added that the current century will witness the Muslim world as a new pole of
power with a cultural, civilizational, economic, and demographic nature that
would put up great resistance against Western and Eastern powers.
The
geopolitics of resistance means “changing the social, cultural (religious),
economic, and military structures and processes of the Islamic Ummah
(community) so as to gain freedom and independence and form the Islamic world’s
power in competition with the dominating powers of the West and East at various
national, regional, and global levels”, General Rahim Safavi said.
“The
flag-bearer of this new geopolitics is the Islamic Revolution forces, the
Islamic Awakening movements and the Resistance Front led by the Leader of the
Islamic Revolution and the late founder of the Islamic Republic (Imam
Khomeini),” he added.
General
Rahim Safavi also noted that following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the
resistance focused on the issue of Palestine and the Zionist regime’s
aggression and occupation, followed by the struggle against corrupt and
oppressive governments in Islamic countries.
He
also stressed Iran’s role in presenting and institutionalizing the concept of
resistance after the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s imposed war against
Iran in the 1980s.
The
commander further cited Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement, Palestinian
resistance groups, Iraq, and Syria as members of a new resistance bloc, saying,
“With the birth of the Ansarullah movement in Yemen, this bloc or axis is
having another official member today.”
Former
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force Lieutenant
General Qassem Soleimani, his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the
second-in-command of Iraq’s PMU, and ten of their deputies were martyred by an
armed drone strike as their convoy left Baghdad International Airport on
January 3, 2020. The attack was ordered by then US President Donald Trump.
To
date, Iran’s chief civilian prosecutor has indicted tens of individuals in
connection with the assassination, among them former president Trump, the head
of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., and former US Secretaries
of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper.
The
file remains open to the further addition of individuals that Tehran determines
to have played a role in the killing.
Both
commanders were highly popular because of their key role in fighting against
the ISIL terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Back
in January 2020, two days after the assassination, the Iraqi parliament passed
a law requiring the Iraqi government to end the presence of the US-led foreign
forces in the Arab country.
Last
year, Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement on ending the presence of all
US combat troops in Iraq by the end of 2021.
The
US military declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq this month, but
resistance forces remain bent on expelling all American forces, including those
who have stayed in the country on the pretext of training Iraqi forces or
playing an advisory role.
Since
the assassination, Iraqi resistance forces have ramped up pressure on the US
military to leave their country, targeting American bases and forces on
numerous occasions, at one point pushing the Americans to ask them to “just
leave us alone”.
Iran
and Iraq in a joint statement last month underlined their determination to
identify, prosecute and punish the culprits behind the assassination of General
Soleimani and al-Muhandis.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
FM:
Israel’s Ill Wishes against Iranian Nation Never Come True
2022-January-4
Amir
Abdollahian’s comments came in response to recent claims by Lapid that the
Zionist regime “could attack Iran if necessary without informing the Biden
administration”.
Lapid
claimed on Friday that “Israel has capabilities, some of which the world, and
even some experts in the field, cannot even imagine”.
In
response, Amir Abdollahian wrote on his twitter page that the senseless remarks
made by the “fake Israeli regime against the great Iranian nation” are a dream,
which will never come true.
“We
will defend the nation’s rights, interests and progress with power and wisdom,”
Iran’s foreign minister said.
“Zionism
has no place in the future world,” he underlined.
The
Israeli regime has never stopped advertising the threat of “military action”
against Iran and falsely accusing the Islamic Republic of seeking to acquire
non-conventional military capability.
Iranian
generals, for their part, have decisively warned the Tel Aviv regime on
multiple occasions against any adventurism against the country, pledging a
crushing response to any attack.
Last
Tuesday, Commander of Khatam ol-Anbia Headquarters Major General Gholam Ali
Rashid underlined Iran’s plan to stage several military drills, warning enemies
of his country’s crushing response to any aggression.
“A
sum of 25 massive army, IRGC andd joint drills have been scheduled for the current
year and so far 15 massive wargames have been staged by the Army and the
Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and of course, some of them will not be
publicized,” General Rashid said, addressing the Armed Forces’ commanders.
“We
want the enemy not to be after testing our will and power because it will not
be able to bear the costs of a massive and all-out confrontation. Therefore,
believing the Islamic Republic of Iran’s power will certainly have lower costs
for the enemy,” he added.
Chief
of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri said
last week that the IRGC’s recent Great Prophet 17 military drills were held in
response to the threats of the Israeli regime.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Envoy
Underlines High Importance of Iranian President’s Visit to Russia
2022-January-4
The
visit of President Rayeesi to Russia is a turning point in Tehran-Moscow
relations, Jalali said.
"The
President's visit to Moscow is doubly important given the developments in the
international arena, and especially the issues that exist in our region,"
he added.
President
Rayeesi is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Iranian
ambassador said, adding that the two presidents will discuss and exchange views
in various fields of international and regional issues and bilateral
cooperation.
Stating
that the expansion of relations with neighbors is one of the main principles of
the new government policy, Jalali said, "Russia, as our great and powerful
northern neighbor, is one of the countries that has a lot of potentials to
expand relations."
In
relevant remarks on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed
Khatibzadeh referred to the Iranian president's visit to Moscow in the coming
days, and said, "His visit will take place at the invitation of Mr. Putin
and will focus on economic, political and cultural cooperation."
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinian
prisoner ends hunger strike in deal with Israel
04
January ,2022
A
Palestinian prisoner who has been on hunger strike for over 140 days to protest
being imprisoned without charge agreed Tuesday to end his fast after reaching a
deal with Israel to be released next month, his lawyer said.
Hisham
Abu Hawash, a 40-year-old father of five and a member of the Islamic Jihad
militant group, is among several Palestinians who have gone on hunger strike to
protest being held under “administrative detention,” a controversial measure
Israel says is needed for security.
His
lawyer, Jawad Boulos, said he agreed to end the hunger strike after Israel
pledged to release him on Feb. 26. There was no immediate comment from Israeli
officials.
Palestinians
have protested across the occupied West Bank and Gaza in support of Abu Hawash
and Islamic Jihad had threatened military action against Israel if he died in
custody. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a bloc of 57 Muslim-majority
states headquartered in Saudi Arabia, issued a rare statement expressing “grave
concern” over his condition.
The
Prisoners’ Club, which represents former and current Palestinian prisoners,
hailed the strike as a victory. It said Abu Hawash had previously spent eight
years in Israeli prisons, more than half of it in administrative detention.
The
2.5 million Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank are subject to
Israeli military courts, while Jewish settlers living in the territory are
citizens subject to Israel’s civilian justice system. Israel captured the West
Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and the Palestinians want it to form the main part
of their future state.
Under
administrative detention, which is only rarely used against Jews, suspects can
be held for months or years without being charged or seeing the evidence
against them. Israel considers Islamic Jihad, which has killed scores of
Israelis, to be a terrorist group.
Israel
says administrative detention is needed to foil attacks and to detain dangerous
militants without revealing sensitive intelligence sources.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
OIC
calls for release of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner
Omar
Alothmani
04.01.2022
The
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Tuesday called for the release of
a Palestinian prisoner, who has been on a hunger strike for 141 days in protest
against his detention without trial by Israel.
Hisham
Abu Hawwash has staged an open-ended hunger strike to protest his arrest under
Israel’s policy of administrative detention, which allows Tel Aviv to detain
anyone for six months without charge or trial.
In
a statement, OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim Taha said he is "deeply
concerned about the critical health condition of Palestinian prisoner Hisham
Abu Hawwash, in protest of his administrative detention in Israeli occupation
prisons."
“The
organization stands by the Palestinian detainees in the prisons of the Israeli
occupation and works to convey their voice and their suffering to the whole
world,” he added.
The
OIC chief called on human rights groups and international organizations to
intervene to release the Palestinian detainee and “to put pressure on Israel,
the occupying power, to fulfill its obligations under international human
rights law, international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions regarding
the treatment of Palestinian prisoners."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkiye
'neutralizes' 3 YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria
Gözde
Bayar
05.01.2022
ANKARA
Turkish
forces have "neutralized" three YPG/PKK terrorists in northern Syria,
the National Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
The
terrorists were targeted when they opened fire and attempted to infiltrate the
areas of Turkiye's cross-border anti-terror offensives – Operation Peace Spring
and Euphrates Shield, the ministry said on Twitter.
Turkish
authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in
question surrendered or were killed or captured.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
South
African corruption inquiry releases 'state capture' report covering Zuma era
Hassan
Isilow
05.01.2022
South
African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday that the just released “State
Capture Inquiry” report will provide a foundation for greater transparency,
accountability and ethical conduct in the country.
Acting
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the chairman of the “State Capture” commission,
handed over the first volume of the report to Ramaphosa at the seat of
government in the capital Pretoria.
The
commission was probing allegations of widespread corruption during President
Jacob Zuma’s nearly a decade in office.
Zondo
heard testimony from hundreds of witnesses detailing their account of events in
how the state was captured by business and friends of Zuma– particularly the
influential Gupta family – who allegedly took control of most state operations
and finances.
“It’s
been a grueling four years of the commission, and in a few days’ time, on Jan.
9, we will complete four years since the announcement of the establishment of
the commission,” Zondo said at the handover of the first volume of the report,
which established that private interests played a major role in decision making
during Zuma’s tenure.
“We
have a collective responsibility to ensure that the findings and
recommendations of the commission not only mark a decisive break with the
corrupt practices of the past, but that they provide the foundation for greater
transparency, accountability and ethical conduct within all state institutions
and across society,” Ramaphosa said as he received the report.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
British
Council confirms probe into racism allegations in its Kenya office
Andrew
Wasike
04.01.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya
The
British Council in Kenya said on Tuesday that it is aware of allegations of
racism and discrimination in its office in Nairobi, Kenya.
In
a statement, the council said that it takes these allegations “very seriously.”
“We
operate in over 100 countries across the world and our values of equality,
diversity and inclusion are at the heart of everything we do,” the statement
said.
The
British Council noted that it had received a letter from an anonymous author in
July 2021 and the British Council responded by initiating an investigation.
“On
receiving the anonymous letter, we immediately initiated an investigation. This
investigation is ongoing, and we are keeping avenues of engagement open with
the author of the letter,” the statement said.
In
the letter, the anonymous source indicated: “The head of communications and
digital in the Kenya office who claimed they were forced out of their job and
replaced by a white person who did not go through a competitive process despite
having an exemplary record.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sudan’s
security forces fire tear gas to disperse latest round of protests
04
January ,2022
Security
forces fired tear gas to disperse large crowds demonstrating against military
rule and recent protester deaths across the Sudanese capital Khartoum and
neighboring cities on Tuesday, eyewitnesses told Reuters.
The
demonstrations, the 13th round of protests since a military coup on Oct. 25,
were called by a local “resistance committee” in Khartoum's twin city of
Omdurman in response to the killing of several protesters there on Thursday and
Sunday.
They
come two days after the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who had
served from 2019 until the coup and was reinstated on Nov. 21 in an agreement
with the military widely rejected by protesters.
Some
57 people have been killed in protests against military rule since October,
according to medics.
In
recent weeks, protesters have aimed for the presidential palace in Khartoum,
with crowds from Omdurman and Bahri, across the Nile from Khartoum, attempting
to cross bridges.
In
response, the military on Tuesday blocked several bridges and main roads.
Resistance committees organizing the protests directed them away from bridges.
In
Khartoum, a Reuters witness saw security forces, some armed with sticks and
guns, fighting running battles with scattered protesters in an area of open
ground as they approached the palace. They fired rounds of tear gas and stun
grenades, some of which protesters tried to throw back.
Protesters
in Omdurman said they faced heavy tear gas at two focal points for the rallies,
and that security forces chased protesters on vehicles and on foot past sunset.
One protester, who asked to remain anonymous due to ongoing arrests, said he
saw a home set on fire after a tear gas canister landed on it.
Images
shared on social media also showed protests in the cities of Port Sudan, El
Obeid and Nyala. Internet and phone connections were not cut, as they have been
on other protest days. Another protest is set for Thursday.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Somalia's
international partners urge leaders to ensure credible elections
Mohammed
Dhaysane
05.01.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Somalia’s
international partners called on the country's National Consultative Council
(NCC) Tuesday to ensure that elections are credible and completed soon.
The
move came hours after diplomats met with Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein
Roble and regional leaders in the capital Mogadishu.
"International
partners urge the NCC to ensure that elections are credible and completed soon
so Somalia can focus on other priority issues like security and
development," UN envoy to Somalia James Swan said on Twitter.
The
partners said they encouraged improvements in the execution of the electoral
process, including correcting deficiencies in procedural rules and ensuring
clear timelines for the rapid completion of credible elections.
A
conference between Somalia's leaders including Roble and regional leaders was
held in Mogadishu for a second day to find ways out of the current political
and election deadlock.
Roble
announced earlier Tuesday that his government is committed to concluding
parliamentary elections "as soon as possible."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Thousands
protest in Sudan after prime minister’s resignation
Mohammed
Amin
04.01.2022
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
Thousands
took to the streets in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and other cities on
Tuesday to demand full civilian rule.
Protesters
waved banners condemning the military and carried photos of demonstrators
killed in protests against the Oct. 25 military takeover, according to an
Anadolu Agency reporter.
Police
used tear gas canisters to disperse protesters, who attempted to reach the
presidential palace in Khartoum, according to eyewitnesses.
“Police
and security forces used intensive tear gas against us, but we will continue
protesting,” Sanaa Ali, a protester in Khartoum, said. “They will not succeed
in intimidating us.”
Tuesday’s
demonstrations came two days after the resignation of transitional Prime
Minister Abdalla Hamdok after two years in power.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libyan
actors propose ‘sequenced’ elections
Mohammad
Erteima
04.01.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Representatives
of a Libyan group on Tuesday proposed holding the country's elections on a
sequenced basis, starting with the parliamentary polls.
The
proposal was made during a meeting between Stephanie Williams, the UN
secretary-general’s special adviser on Libya, Raisedon Zenenga, the coordinator
for the UN Special Mission in Libyan (UNSMIL), and representatives of the
National Forces for Change.
Williams
tweeted that representatives of the National Forces for Change "presented
their proposal for a sequenced approach to the electoral process with the
holding of parliamentary elections first."
"We
reiterated the need to keep the electoral process moving forward and realize the
aspirations of the 2.8m Libyan citizens who registered to vote,” she added.
Libya’s
presidential elections were scheduled to take place on December 24 under a UN
roadmap, but the country’s elections commission proposed a 1-month delay,
citing inadequacies in electoral legislation and appeals related to candidates’
eligibility.
The
House of Representatives (parliament), for its part, proposed a six-month
postponement of the vote.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libyan-actors-propose-sequenced-elections/2465053
--------
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/aimplb-surya-namaskar-sun-worship-yogic/d/126101
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism