New Age Islam News Bureau
15 October 2022
Representational image of
an al-Qaeda militant | Commons
-----
• Al-Qaeda Says, Transgender Rights in Pakistan Are
‘Sign of Doomsday’
• Pakistan May Be ‘One of the Most Dangerous Nations
in the World’ As It Has “Nuclear Weapons without Any Cohesion”: Joe Biden
• French Education Minister to ‘Limit’ Muslim Clothing
Associated With Muslim Cultures
• Iran’s Security Forces Have Killed 224 People,
Including 29 Minors, During Mahsa Amini Protest: Rights group
Arab
World
• Amnesty Slams Lebanon ‘Voluntary Returns’ Of Syria
Refugees
• Saudi Crown Prince announces $400 million in
humanitarian aid for Ukraine
• Qatar interested in Eastern Mediterranean oil
exploration, says Lebanon
• Calls grow for answers about ‘troubling reports’
Biden admin pressured Saudi Arabia for oil cut delay
• Riyadh delegation thanks Yemen for good treatment of
Saudi prisoners
--------
Pakistan
• Former Balochistan High Court CJ Noor Meskanzai
Gunned Down Outside Mosque In Balochistan's Kharan: Police
• Terrorism will not be allowed to flourish again in
Pakistan, asserts PM Sharif
• A Decade after Malala Yousafzai Was Shot, the
Pakistani Taliban Is Returning To Her Native Swat Valley
• National Security Committee vows firm response to
resurging terrorism
• Three killed, six injured in Mastung bomb attack
• Pakistan says Saudi crown prince’s visit will
strengthen bilateral defence ties
--------
North
America
• Biden likely to halt US arms sales to Saudi Arabia
amid OPEC row: Senator
• White House: Saudis pushed OPEC+ nations into crude
oil production cut
--------
Europe
• Mosque in Germany's Cologne Broadcasts Call to
Prayer For 1st Time
• EU’s Borrell calls on Iran to stop repression of
protesters
• Iranians Burn Passports outside Embassy in Chile
Protesting Mahsa Amini’s Death
• Turkish defence chief reiterates importance of
dialogue with Greece
• Report: ‘Vague, inefficient’ Prevent program failing
to protect Britain from extremism
--------
Mideast
• Ayatollah Criticizes ‘British Shia’ As Protests
Continue
• Israeli forces kill two more Palestinians
• Iran Blasts France's Double-Standards over Riots,
Strikes
• Report Shows Academics in Canada Face Harassment,
Intimidation for Pro-Palestinian Speech
• Palestinian Groups Reach Reconciliation Deal to End
Years-Long Division
--------
India
• Gyanvapi Mosque Case: Varanasi Court Rejects Hindu
Devotees' Plea For Carbon Dating Of 'Shivling'
• Gyanvapi case: Muslim side moves Allahabad HC on
maintainability of plea
• Muslim Man Arrested Under Anti-Conversion Law in
Karnataka
--------
South
Asia
• Afghanistan Only Country Denying Girls Access to
Education: HRW
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Indonesian Muslims Gamble on Problematic Ties to Saudi
Government Vehicle
• Despite snubbing Umno for GE15, PAS says MN
continues
• Malaysia's PAS says its three state assemblies won't
be dissolved for elections
• PBS concedes to using GRS emblem though own logo
better known
--------
Africa
• Burkina Faso’s Coup Leader Appointed Transitional
President
• Tunisian coastguard recovers 11 bodies after migrant
boat went missing
• Spain broke law returning migrants to Morocco amid
deadly border crossing: Ombudsman
• Somalia marks 5th anniversary of deadliest terror
bombing in its history
• 10 civilians killed, 38 injured in Mali bus blast
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/qaeda-ghazwa-hind-tafriq/d/128188
--------
Al-Qaeda Magazine Ghazwa-e-Hind: 9/11 Should Be
Remembered As A “Day of Difference”, or “Yaum-e-Tafriq”
Representational image of
an al-Qaeda militant | Commons
-----
HEENA FATIMA
15 October, 2022
Ghazwa-e Hind also refers to the events of 9/11,
saying it should be remembered as a “day of difference”, or “Yaum-e-Tafriq”.
“Then, without talking too far, let’s go two decades
ago, when the world was divided into two parts after the 9/11 jihadist attacks
on the Pentagon, the military centre of America, and the Twin Towers, the
financial centre of America. (Then US President) George W Bush… declares a
crusade and says either you join us or be with terrorists,” the article said.
“Pakistan, which was made a bastion of Islam, has
become a toy in the hands of the establishment,” it added.
It further said that “the majority of the world stands
with the ruler of the time and the medal of the frontline ally is decorated on
the chest of (former Pakistan president) Pervez Musharraf and the Pakistan Army
under his leadership”.
In the article, al-Qaeda claimed that “generals,
colonels and other officers of the Pakistan Army sold their faith and country
for a few dollars”, and added that “during the war on Islam in Afghanistan,
they earned billions of dollars”.
The magazine further referred to events post India’s
Partition, saying “it has been further confirmed” that the “Mujahideen tribe
had supported Pakistan to capture Kashmir (Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir)”.
According to the al-Qaeda, “the tribals had acceded to
Pakistan under an agreement at the time of the creation of Pakistan and the
independent status of the tribes had been recognised by the founder of Pakistan
(Muhammad Ali Jinnah)”.
“The tribal people have been demanding the
implementation of Sharia law since the annexation of Pakistan until now and
when this rightful demand of the tribal people was not accepted, instead, the
tribal people were bombed and military operations were imposed,” the article
said.
“It should not be forgotten that in 1948, the same
tribal mujahideen fought the war against India on the front of Kashmir, and
today the area that is called Azad Jammu and Kashmir was liberated by these
inter-tribal mujahideen,” it said, adding “the (Pakistani) military and
civilian establishment of the time wanted to keep the Kashmir issue as an
‘issue’”.
Source: The Print
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Al-Qaeda
Says, Transgender Rights in Pakistan Are ‘Sign of Doomsday’
Heena
Fatima
15
October, 2022
New
Delhi: Legislation giving protection to transgender people in Pakistan is a
“sign of doomsday”, terrorist group al-Qaeda’s Urdu magazine Ghazwa-e-Hind has
observed in an article in its August-September issue, released online on
jihadist social media this week.
Four
women legislators responsible for drafting the law, the magazine said, “are
working directly on the satanic agenda”.
According
to the al-Qaeda, the transgender rights law is part of a “wider betrayal of
Islam by Pakistan’s leadership”.
“The
true book of Allah says sexual relations between men and men — that it was
first done by the doomed people of Sodom,” the magazine said. “Adultery will
spread…It is one of the signs of the Day of Judgement.”
Pakistan’s
National Assembly had in 2018 enacted The Transgender Persons (Protection of
Rights) Act to provide legal recognition to transgender persons and give them
fundamental rights. Critics of the law say it will promote homosexuality and
gay marriages, and contradicts Islamic teachings.
Islamist
political parties, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl), partner in the
ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance, have recently assailed the legislation.
Last month, the JUI-F moved a Federal Shariat Court, asking for the law to be
struck down.
However,
Pakistan’s law minister Azam Nazeer Tarar subsequently held a press conference
in which he took up criticism of the law, and said that “some friends” had
created a misconception that the legislation permitted homosexuality and was
contrary to Islamic injunctions.
‘Sold
for a few dollars’
Source: The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
May Be ‘One of the Most Dangerous Nations in the World’ As It Has “Nuclear
Weapons without Any Cohesion”: Joe Biden
US
President Joe Biden. (Reuters)
-----
October
15, 2022
United
States President Joe Biden said Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous
nations in the world” as the country has “nuclear weapons without any
cohesion”, it emerged on Saturday.
He
made the remarks while addressing a Democratic congressional campaign committee
reception on Thursday.
A
transcript of the address, published on the White House’s website, quoted Biden
as saying: “… And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in
the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion.”
The
US president’s remarks were made in the context of the changing geopolitical
situation globally.
He
said the world was changing rapidly and countries were rethinking their
alliances. “And the truth of the matter is — I genuinely believe this — that
the world is looking to us. Not a joke. Even our enemies are looking to us to
figure out how we figure this out, what we do.”
There
was a lot at stake, Biden said, emphasising that the US had the capacity to
lead the world to a place it had never been before.
“Did
any of you ever think you’d have a Russian leader, since the Cuban Missile
Crisis, threatening the use of tactical nuclear weapons that would — could only
kill three, four thousand people and be limited to make a point?
“Did
anybody think we’d be in a situation where China is trying to figure out its
role relative to Russia and relative to India and relative to Pakistan?”
Talking
about his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the US president termed him as a man
who knew what he wanted but had an “enormous” array of problems.
“How
do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia?
And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world:
Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” Biden said.
Dawn.com
has reached out to the Foreign Office for comment.
Earlier
this week, it emerged that Pakistan, once a key US ally, was not even mentioned
in the US National Security Strategy 2022, which identified China as “America’s
most consequential geopolitical challenge”.
The
48-page document does mention terrorism and other geo-strategic threats in the
South and Central Asian region, but unlike the recent past, it does not name
Pakistan as an ally needed to tackle those threats. Pakistan was also absent
from the 2021 strategy paper.
In
Washington, the omission is seen as reflecting a mutual desire to build a
separate US relationship with Pakistan. Islamabad has long complained that the
United States views Pakistan only as a tool to counter threats from Afghanistan
and other nations.
In
recent statements, both US and Pakistani officials emphasised the need to
de-link Pakistan from both Afghanistan and India and give it the separate
identity it deserves as a nuclear state of more than 220 million people.
US
State Department Spokesperson Ned Price had said on Tuesday that the country
“value[s] our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan”, adding that there were
a number of areas where interests aligned.
Reactions
At
a press conference later in the day, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastagir
rejected Biden’s statement, calling it “baseless”.
“International
agencies have, not once but several times, verified Pakistan’s atomic deterrent
and said that our command and control system is secure. It has all the
protection that is required,” he said.
Meanwhile,
leaders of the PTI, which has long claimed that the US was behind a
regime-change operation against their ousted government, seized on Biden’s
remarks.
Former
human rights minister Shireen Mazari demanded an apology from the US president
for his “nasty remarks”.
“A
nuclear US is a threat to the world because you have no control over your
nukes. B52 bomber takes off with six live nukes in 2007 and no one knows for
hours,” she tweeted.
Mazari
went on to allege that the US was an “irresponsible superpower with nukes”.
“Your proclivity to interfere globally with regime change agendas alongside
militarising the oceans. Custodial torture in Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, Bagram.
Even your own people are not safe with gunmen going on killing sprees. Have
some shame, Biden.”
In
another tweet, the PTI leader also called out the Pakistan Army and “imported
government” for choosing to stay silent on “Biden’s tirade”.
PTI
general Secretary Asad Umar said that countries in glass houses should think
before throwing stones at others.
“Nuclear
country without cohesion? Is Biden referring to the US? After all his party is
going after Donald Trump for trying to subvert the constitution and steal the
last presidential election,” he tweeted.
Meanwhile,
ex-minister Fawad Chaudhry demanded that Biden should immediately retract his
statement, asserting that Pakistan’s leadership may be weak but its people were
not.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
French
Education Minister to ‘Limit’ Muslim Clothing Associated With Muslim Cultures
A
woman wearing a niqab walks near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Photograph: Gonzalo
Fuentes/Reuters
-----
October
14, 2022
LONDON:
A French government minister has pledged to confront an increase in clothing
associated with Muslim cultures in French schools, which, he says, is counter
to French values of secularism.
Pap
Ndiaye, the minister of education, described the phenomenon as a “wave”
encouraged by online religious influencers.
France
banned religious symbols and clothing in schools in a bid to prevent Muslim girls
from wearing veils 18 years ago.
However,
Ndiaye said influencers, especially on TikTok, were encouraging young girls to
flout the ban by turning up to school wearing abayas, incidences of which
increased by 40 percent in 2021.
“We
are going to do what is necessary to limit the harmful influence of these
Islamist agitators. The Republic is stronger than TikTok,” Ndiaye said.
France
is home to a large immigrant community and around 6 million Muslims, many of
whom resent the country’s attitude toward religious dress as a product of its
foundational secularism.
This
week, clashes broke out between pupils and police at a school in a Paris suburb
for the second time, after the head teacher banned abayas.
Ministers
have also suggested that online Islamists are targeting boys too, encouraging
them to wear garments such as thawbs.
Teachers,
though, have voiced confusion as to whether or not thawbs and abayas constitute
religious dress or whether they should be considered cultural items, leading to
questions over whether they should be banned.
Didier
Georges, a member of the head teachers’ union, told The Times: “We’d like a
clear rule that we don’t have to interpret.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2181111/world
--------
Iran’s
Security Forces Have Killed 224 People, Including 29 Minors, During Mahsa Amini
Protest: Rights group
A
scene from protests in Tehran in October
------
14
October, 2022
Iran’s
security forces have killed 224 people, including 29 minors, in anti-government
protests that erupted last month following the death of Mahsa Amini in police
custody, a rights group said on Friday.
Since
the beginning of the protests mid-September, security forces have killed 224
people, and 29 of them were under the age of 18, the Human Rights Activists
News Agency (HRANA), a news site run by a collective of Iranian human rights
advocates, said.
There
have been 24 fatalities among security forces, according to HRANA.
The
rights group estimated the number of people arrested during the protests to be
nearly 6,000.
Protests
have been held in 112 cities across Iran, according to the report.
Protests
erupted across Iran mid-September after Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish
woman, died in police custody.
The
protests have quickly escalated and turned political with demonstrations taking
place country-wide. Protesters have been chanting against Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei and calling for the downfall of the regime.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Amnesty slams Lebanon ‘voluntary returns’ of Syria refugees
14 October,
2022
Amnesty
International urged the Lebanese authorities on Friday to reconsider their
“voluntary returns” policy for Syrian refugees, saying it puts them at “risk of
suffering from heinous abuse.”
It
comes just days after Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced that the general
security agency would begin sending refugees back to Syria “in batches” starting
next week, the London-based human rights group said.
“The
Lebanese authorities are scaling up the so-called voluntary returns... when it
is well established that Syrian refugees in Lebanon are not in a position to
take a free and informed decision about their return,” Amnesty’s acting deputy
director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Semaan, said.
“In
enthusiastically facilitating these returns, the Lebanese authorities are
knowingly putting Syrian refugees at risk of suffering from heinous abuse and
persecution upon their return to Syria.”
Lebanon
hosts more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees who have fled more than a decade of
war back home, marking the world’s highest proportion of refugees per capita in
one country.
This
is not the first time Beirut has sought to return Syrian refugees.
In
June, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon was ready to expel Syrian
refugees living in the country if the international community does not work to
repatriate them.
Lebanon
has been grappling with its worst ever economic crisis that has seen the
Lebanese pound shed some 95 percent of its value against the dollar on the
black market.
Nine
out of 10 Syrians in Lebanon are living in poverty, while poverty levels for
Lebanese have also risen to cover more than 80 percent of the population.
Since
2017, Lebanese authorities have organized “voluntary repatriation” programs
that have seen the return of some 400,000 Syrians, according to a list of names
submitted to Damascus for approval.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Crown Prince announces $400 million in humanitarian aid for Ukraine
15 October,
2022
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has announced $400 million in
humanitarian aid for Ukraine, the official SPA news agency reported Saturday.
It
followed a phone call between the Crown Prince and President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy on Friday where the Crown Prince emphasized “the Kingdom's position
of supporting everything that will contribute to de-escalation, and the
Kingdom's readiness to continue the efforts of mediation,” SPA reported.
The
humanitarian aid package for Ukraine will contribute to alleviating the
suffering of Ukrainian citizens in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Zelenskyy
congratulated the Crown Prince on being named the Kingdom’s prime minister last
month and also thanked him for Riyadh’s vote at the UN General Assembly,
condemning Russia’s purported annexation.
“Spoke
to Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. Thanked for supporting
Ukraine’s territorial integrity, resolution at the UN General Assembly,”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a tweet.
The
Crown Prince stressed that the Kingdom's vote for the resolution emanates from
its commitment to the deep rooted principles in the UN charter and
international law, and its commitment to the respect of state sovereignty and
the principles of good neighborliness, and resolving conflicts by peaceful
means, SPA said.
Abdulaziz
Alwasil, the Saudi representative to the UN, said the vote cast by the Kingdom
was in line with its position of “upholding the principles enshrined in the
Charter of the United Nations.”
The
Ukrainian president said the two leaders agreed to work for the release of
Ukrainian prisoners of war held by Russian forces.
The
Saudi Crown Prince played a central role in mediation efforts last month that
successfully resulted in the release of 10 prisoners of war (POWs), including
two Americans.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Qatar
interested in Eastern Mediterranean oil exploration, says Lebanon
Wassim
Seif El-Din
14.10.2022
BEIRUT
Qatar
is interested in joining French firm TotalEnergies and Italy’s Eni in exploring
for oil in two areas in Lebanese waters, the Lebanese energy minister said on
Friday.
Qatar
wants to join the consortium to explore for oil in blocks 4 and 9 in the
Eastern Mediterranean, Walid Fayad said after a meeting with Prime Minister
Najib Mikati.
Doha
expressed its interest through a letter from Qatari Oil Minister Saad Sherida
al-Kaabi, according to Fayad.
Given
Qatar’s capacity, its participation in oil and gas exploration in Lebanon is
significant, the Lebanese minister added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Calls
grow for answers about ‘troubling reports’ Biden admin pressured Saudi Arabia
for oil cut delay
October
15, 2022
RIYADH:
A congressman has called for US President Joe Biden’s administration to be
investigated for reportedly pressuring Saudi officials to delay an OPEC+
production cut to give Democrats an electoral advantage ahead of November
elections.
Representative
Tom Tiffany called on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, to convene a
hearing to determine if such calls took place and “what specific requests were
made regarding Saudi and OPEC+ production by Biden administration officials”.
The
Saudi foreign ministry on Wednesday said: “The Kingdom clarified through its
continuous consultation with the US Administration that all economic analyses
indicate that postponing the OPEC+ decision for a month, according to what has
been suggested, would have had negative economic consequences.”
Member
of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies cut
oil supply by 2 million barrels a day on Oct. 6.
Biden
officials and Democrats attacked the decision as politically motivated, which
OPEC+ and Saudi officials have rejected as baseless, saying the cuts were
warranted to ensure that demand and supply were balanced and market volatility
reduced.
The
Wisconsin Republican tweeted on Friday: “This is a very serious allegation. One
that, if true, may very well constitute an illegal solicitation of a foreign in-kind
contribution by the White House on behalf of Democrats’ midterm campaign
efforts.”
The
congressman is also requesting that the White House release all call
transcripts between the Biden administration and Saudi officials related to oil
production within the last 30 days.
He
also demanded the identification of “any Biden administration official who may
have asked any Saudi government official to delay any oil production cut until
November or later.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2181281/saudi-arabia
--------
Riyadh
delegation thanks Yemen for good treatment of Saudi prisoners
14
October 2022
The
head of a Saudi team visiting Yemen’s capital as part of a prisoners swap
agreement has thanked the Sana’a government’s authorities for their good
treatment of Saudi inmates captured during the Riyadh-led war against Yemen.
“I
thank you – on my own behalf and on behalf of my colleagues for the good
treatment of our prisoners, and for the kind reception and hospitality. This is
not surprising from you, as you are the people of generosity,” Salem al-Harbi
said after reviewing the conditions of the Saudi prisoners in Sana’a on
Thursday.
“And
your colleagues who arrived in the kingdom are our brothers and their place is
above the head,” he added, referring to a team from Yemen’s National Committee
for Prisoners’ Affairs that had earlier headed to Riyadh to check the
conditions of the Yemeni war prisoners in Saudi jails.
For
his part, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, head of the National Committee for Prisoners’
Affairs in the Sana’a government, said the purpose of the Saudi delegation’s
visit was to see the conditions of their prisoners in the Yemini capital and
also to match and verify their names in order to prepare for an exchange
process in the near future under a UN-brokered agreement that was signed last
March.
“Our
technical team was tasked with validating the names and condition of our
prisoners ahead of a possible exchange deal,” Murtada said, expressing hope
that mutual visits by the Saudi and Yemini delegations would be a gateway to
reach a comprehensive solution to the humanitarian issue.
Yemen’s
National Salvation Government announced on March 27 that a prisoner exchange
deal was agreed upon between the warring parties under which 1,400 prisoners
from the Yemeni army and popular committees would be released in return for 823
from the other side, including 16 Saudis and three Sudanese.
Yemini
and Saudi media reported on Thursday that the delegations had been dispatched
to each other’s capitals to discuss the prisoner exchange portfolio.
A
delegation representing Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement also visited
Riyadh and toured the prisons that are holding Yemeni fighters.
Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — the closest allies of the US in the
region after the Israeli regime — have been spearheading the war on Yemen since
March 2015.
The
invasion has been seeking to change Yemen’s ruling structure in favor of the
impoverished country’s former Riyadh- and Washington-friendly rulers and crush
the popular Ansarullah resistance movement. The Saudi-led coalition has failed
to meet any of its objectives.
The
war, which has been enjoying unstinting arms, logistical, and political support
on the part of the United States, has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis and
turned the entire country into the scene of the world’s worst humanitarian
crisis.
Yemeni
defense forces, who feature the country’s army and its allied Popular
Committees, have, however, vowed not to lay down their arms until the country’s
complete liberation from the scourge of the aggression.
Yemen
urges war coalition to respond to its demands
Separately
on Thursday, Mahdi al-Mashat, who heads Yemen’s Supreme Political Council,
called on the Saudi-led coalition to urgently respond to the country’s fair
demands “which will have a positive impact on the path towards peace and an end
to the war.”
Speaking
on the 59th anniversary of the October 14 revolution against British
colonialism, Mashat said, “The day of October 14 represents one of the most
important and immortal national days in the history of Yemeni people, and
everyone who knows what freedom and independence means.”
The
senior Yemeni official advised all those who dream of dividing and fragmenting
the country to abandon these hateful dreams, saying, “Yemen will not be stable
except as one and united, and the interests of the region require maintaining
it unified.”
“Whoever
deludes the owners of small projects to cutting Yemen into pieces is in fact
practicing a form of fraud and deception against them, and he is a criminal
against his country,” Mashat added.
Mashat
also called on all Yemenis to continue adhering to the “independent Yemen
project,” which is led by Sana’a and in which all its national forces are
unique, without any competitor or rival.
A
temporary United Nations-mediated ceasefire took effect between the warring
sides in April and has been renewed twice ever since.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Former
Balochistan High Court CJ Noor Meskanzai Gunned Down Outside Mosque In
Balochistan's Kharan: Police
Ghalib
Nihad
October
14, 2022
Former
Balochistan High Court chief justice Muhammad Noor Meskanzai was fatally shot
outside a mosque in Balochistan's Kharan area, a police official said on
Friday.
Kharan
Superintendent of Police Asif Halim told Dawn.com that unidentified assailants
opened fire at him outside the mosque, which left Maskanzai gravely injured.
He
was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Balochistan
Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo expressed grief over the demise of the
"brave and fearless judge".
He
added that his services were "unforgettable" and stressed that the
"cowardly attacks of the enemies of peace cannot intimidate the
nation".
Quetta
Bar Association announces boycott of courts
Meanwhile,
Quetta Bar Association President Ajmal Khan Kakar condemned the incident and
announced a boycott of the courts along with mourning for three days.
In
a statement, he strongly condemned the killing of Muskanzai and said every
citizen was deeply saddened by the martyrdom of the former judge.
"We
strongly condemn this incident and demand that the killers must immediately be
arrest and brought to book."
He
said the ex-judge worked with dignity and fairness throughout his life while
the void created by his martyrdom will never be filled.
A
profile of Meskanzai on the Balochistan High Court Justice's website said he
was born on the 1st of September 1956, at Kunri, District Kharan.
Justice
Meskanzai started his legal practice in September 1981, at Quetta.
He
was appointed as assistant advocate general Balochistan and worked on the seat
from June to December, 1998. He was elected as Vice Chairman of the Balochistan
Bar Council from the 24th of March 2005 to 24thof March, 2006.
Meskanzai
was elevated as additional judge of the High Court of Balochistan on the 7th of
September 2009, and confirmed as a judge of the High Court on 11th of May,
2011.
Justice
Meskanzai took oath as chief justice of the High Court of Balochistan on
December 26, 2014.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Terrorism
will not be allowed to flourish again in Pakistan, asserts PM Sharif
Oct
14, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed on Friday that terrorism won't be
allowed to flourish again in the country, as he chaired a meeting attended by
the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and other heads of
intelligence agencies.
Friday's
high-profile meeting, also saw the participation of defence minister Khawaja
Asif, interior minister Rana Sanaullah, and foreign affairs minister Bilawal
Bhutto Zardari, according to Dunya News TV report.
The
situation in the Swat Valley and the issues related to negotiations with the
banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were discussed in the meeting,
following which the officials from the security agencies presented their
recommendations to Sharif, the report said.
Security
issues related to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the western borders were
also reviewed in the meeting, it said.
Earlier,
Prime Minister Sharif and Gen. Bajwa held a separate one-on-one meeting and
discussed matters pertaining to national and internal security, it said.
Following
this meeting Sharif asserted that terrorism will not be allowed to flourish
again and peace would be restored in the country, as the sacrifices of security
personnel cannot be forgotten, it added.
Sharif's
assurance notwithstanding, the Swat valley has become one of the most volatile
regions in the country.
Thousands
rallied in the Swat Valley earlier this week after a local school bus driver
was shot down by an unknown miscreant.
In
September, five people - including an influential anti-Taliban tribal leader -
were killed in a bomb blast in Kot Katai village in the region.
The
Swat valley has been a TTP stronghold till a decade ago.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
A
Decade After Malala Yousafzai Was Shot, The Pakistani Taliban Is Returning To
Her Native Swat Valley
October
14, 2022
By
Daud Khattak
Ten
years ago this month, Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, then 15, was shot
in the head on her school bus by the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant
group.
The
attack on Yousafzai, who had become a target for her campaign for girls’
education, sent shock waves across the predominately Muslim country and provoked
international outrage.
Two
years later, a major Pakistani military offensive drove the TTP militants from
their strongholds in northwestern Pakistan and across the border to
Afghanistan, where the TTP leadership took refuge.
But
a decade on from the TTP’s brutal attack on Yousafzai, who survived after
months of treatment at home and abroad, history appears to be repeating itself.
In
recent months, hundreds of fighters belonging to the TTP, also known as the
Pakistani Taliban, have been returning to the northwestern province of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, including in Yousafzai’s native Swat Valley. The militants have
been accused of carrying out targeted killings and extorting locals.
In
an attack strikingly similar to the one that wounded Yousafzai, gunmen opened
fire on a school bus on October 10, killing the driver and injuring two
students. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, although many locals
suspected the TTP.
The
attack triggered some of the largest protests in years in Swat. In Mingora,
Swat’s biggest city, thousands of residents marched through the streets on
October 11 to protest growing insecurity and demand that the authorities
protect them from the militants.
Yousafzai,
who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, returned to Pakistan this week for only the
second time since 2012 to meet families affected by the recent mass flooding in
the country. But due to security issues, she is unable to visit Swat. Yousafzai
and her family reside in Britain.
'We
Don't Want The Return Of The Taliban'
The
reappearance of the TTP in northwestern Pakistan has angered and terrified
locals. The extremist group once controlled pockets of territory in the Pashtun
tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.
During
its brutal rule, the militants imposed their extremist version of Islam on the
local population, severely curbing freedoms and rights, including those of
women. Targeted killings, bomb attacks, extortion, and harassment dominated
daily life in some parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The
Pakistani military campaigns that pushed out the TTP across the border to
Afghanistan by 2014 took a heavy toll on locals, killing thousands of
civilians, uprooting millions, and causing widescale destruction.
Ali
Rahman and his family were forced to flee their home in Mingora, Yousafzai’s
hometown, which came under the control of the TTP. The family left their shop,
the source of their livelihood, and Rahman was forced to drop his studies. His
family, like many others from the region, became internal refugees and lived in
poverty for years.
In
Swat, the TTP closed girls’ schools, severely restricted the movement of women,
and forced men to grow beards and attend prayers.
“Now,
we've restarted our business and my 10-member family is dependent on this
shop,” said Rahman. “We don't want insecurity here because we fear being
displaced again. That would destroy our business and life."
Those
fears are widespread in the region.
"We
don't want the return of the Taliban here again,” said Yasmeen Gul, a resident
of the town of Matta in the Swat Valley. “I fear that I will lose my job and we
will be displaced again.”
“It
will also affect the education of my children, just like it affected every
sphere of our lives before,” added the 28-year-old. “It is the government's
responsibility to ensure peace in the area."
Ending
The TTP’s Insurgency
The
return of TTP fighters to the region comes amid stalled peace talks between the
militant group and the Pakistan military that began late last year.
The
secret negotiations have been brokered by the Afghan Taliban, which has close
ideological and organizational ties with the TTP. The Afghan militant group,
which seized power in Kabul in August 2021, is also a longtime ally of
Islamabad.
A
peace deal appeared to be in sight after the extremist group declared an
indefinite cease-fire in June. But the mysterious killings of several TTP
commanders, suspected TTP attacks in Pakistan, and Islamabad’s targeting of TTP
sanctuaries in Afghanistan in recent months have cast doubts on the peace
process.
During
the summer, the Pakistani media revealed the terms of the proposed peace deal.
Reports indicated that Islamabad had agreed to release hundreds of detained and
convicted TTP members. Additionally, it agreed to withdraw a large portion of
the tens of thousands of Pakistani troops stationed in northwestern Pakistan.
Islamabad also agreed to implement Islamic Shari'a law in parts of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa.
Reports
said the two sides had yet to agree on retracting democratic reforms in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa and whether thousands of TTP militants could return with their arms
and keep their organization intact.
Despite
no formal peace deal, hundreds of armed TTP fighters have returned to Pakistan.
Experts have said that the militant group is gauging the public’s reaction to
their possible return to the region.
The
public has reacted with scores of protests and sit-ins in recent months. The
demonstrators have also directed their anger at the authorities for turning a
blind eye to the return of the militants. In August, the military's media wing
said the TTP presence in Pakistan was "grossly exaggerated and
misleading."
But
locals disagree.
"The
government has closed its eyes while the threat is standing right in front of
them,” said Ali Sher, a lawyer residing in Swat.
Sher
said locals, who had previously borne the brunt of the TTP's brutality, were
determined to prevent history from repeating itself.
Source: Gandhara
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
National
Security Committee vows firm response to resurging terrorism
Syed
Irfan Raza | Baqir Sajjad Syed
October
15, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday vowed to respond firmly to
resurgent terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and agreed on a plan for revitalising
the counterterrorism apparatus.
The
meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by ministers,
services chiefs, and heads of intelligence agencies, was convened in the
backdrop of large-scale protests in Swat against growing insecurity in the
scenic valley. It was, therefore, a first acknowledgment of sorts at the
highest level of the deteriorating situation.
The
NSC’s resolve coincided with defence minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks who,
separately, said that recent talks with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) had remained inconclusive and “bore no concrete outcomes”, but added that
armed forces were fully capable of containing any threat to national security.
The
protests in Swat had been triggered by the killing of a school van driver in
Mingora on Monday. The incident coincided with the tenth anniversary of the
attack on Malala Yousafzai.
“The
[NSC] meeting made it clear that the blood of every citizen of Pakistan is very
precious and the law will deal strictly with anyone involved in shedding it,”
the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The
participants of the meeting said that state institutions and people were united
for the protection of life and property of citizens; safeguarding geographical
integrity of the country; and upholding the rule of law. Attainment of these
goals, they asserted, would be “ensured at every cost”.
It
may be recalled that the federal cabinet too, at its last meeting, expressed
concern over the situation and worried that it could reverse the gains made
against militancy through a series of counterterrorism operations.
Prime
Minister Sharif, a source said, wanted that a comprehensive plan to be put in
place to fix the problem.
Nobel
laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was here this week to express solidarity with
flood victims, also put her weight behind the protests.
“I
add my voice to thousands of people protesting for peace in Swat. Monday’s
attack on a school bus full of children is a frightening reminder that our
people must not be forced back into lives of fear and terrorism,” she tweeted.
Among
the various steps agreed by the NSC for dealing with the situation, the return
of the Nawaz Sharif-Gen Raheel Sharif era apex committee was agreed.
“The
meeting decided to form the Apex Committee at the central level, which will be
chaired by the prime minister,” the PMO said.
The
participants decided to give the National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) a
central role in the new counterterrorism strategy, instead of putting the armed
forces in the lead.
Nacta,
it was said, will work with the provincial Counter-Terrorism Departments
(CTDs).
It
was agreed that the counterterrorism infrastructure at the federal and
provincial levels would be strengthened and law enforcement agencies would be
equipped with modern technology and capacity building of its personnel would be
undertaken.
Nacta
would also be given a role in the security of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,
the PMO said.
Member
National Assembly Mohsin Dawar, leader of Awami National Party Mian Iftikhar
Hussain also participated in the meeting.
The
PTI government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, however, was not represented in the
meeting.
Khawaja
Asif, who belongs to the PML-N, vowed that PTI governments in Punjab, Azad
Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan would soon be removed as the ruling
Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance was already working on it.
Asif
assails PTI
Also
on Friday, while addressing the Arab News Pakistan Annual Conference 2022,
Khawaja Asif blamed the PTI-led KP government for re-emergence of terrorists.
“It
is very heartening to see public coming to streets on their own for their
rights. I feel confident that the situation [in Swat] will be controlled.
However, the recent revival of few terrorists is an expected spillover from
Afghanistan,” he said.
“The
situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is under control and would be tackled amicably
in case of any untoward situation.”
He
asked the KP government to take cognisance of the situation, adding that
federal government would support it in any case.
“We
will remove [these governments the way] as we ousted PTI’s government in the
Centre,” he disclosed.
The
minister in response to a question said the change of command in the armed
forces was a matter of sanctity, which should be kept sacred.
KP
‘explanation’ for militants’ presence
On
the other hand, a senior official from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, in an
informal discussion with reporters on Thursday night, said that not all attacks
could be linked to the outlawed TTP, as they had informed the government during
the talks that they will claim the responsibility for the attacks they will
carry out.
Explaining
the role of various branches and splinter groups, he said that many such groups
operating in the region were hostile to the TTP, adding that the recent attack
on a school van in Swat did not appear to be the work of the banned
organisation.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Three
killed, six injured in Mastung bomb attack
Saleem
Shahid
October
15, 2022
QUETTA:
Three people were killed and six others injured in a bomb attack targeting two
vehicles in the mountainous area of Qabu in Mastung district on Friday.
Levies
officials said the vehicles were carrying the people who were returning after
burying a man killed by unknown armed men in the Dasht area. A tribal elder,
Mir Shahnawaz Bangulzai, was also in one of the vehicles, but he escaped unhurt
in the attack.
Sources
said an improvised explosive device (IED) planted at a roadside went off when
the vehicles were passing through the area. Three people died on the spot. The
bodies and the injured were taken to Mastung district hospital.
“An
IED was planted at the roadside to target the convoy of the tribal elder and
the people travelling with him,” a senior Levies official said, adding that the
IED was detonated by remote control.
“We
have received three bodies and six injured,” an official at the Mastung
district hospital said, adding that the condition of three of the injured is
serious.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715124/three-killed-six-injured-in-mastung-bomb-attack
--------
Pakistan
says Saudi crown prince’s visit will strengthen bilateral defence ties
October
14, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan wants to strengthen and “add value” to its defense ties with Saudi
Arabia during next month’s visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, its
defense minister said.
Khawaja
Muhammad Asif said Pakistan “immensely” valued its relationship with the
Kingdom, and described the forthcoming trip as “very important.”
“His
royal highness’s visit will strengthen this relationship further and will add
value to this relationship, in both the field of defense and in the field of
investment,” he said at this year’s Arab News Pakistan Annual Workshop in
Islamabad.
“It
has a pivotal role in our foreign policy. They are our brothers and they have helped
us in very difficult times over the decades.”
Pakistan’s
Interior Minister, Rana Sanaullah, said in September that his government was
“waiting with love and affection for the day.”
It
will be the crown prince’s second official trip to Pakistan. During the first
in 2019, the two countries signed investment deals worth $21 billion, including
for an oil refinery and agriculture projects.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2181151/world
--------
North
America
Biden
likely to halt US arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid OPEC row: Senator
Michael
Gabriel Hernandez
14.10.2022
WASHINGTON
US President
Joe Biden is likely to tap the brakes on any new arms sales to Saudi Arabia
amid an ongoing row with the Kingdom over oil production cuts, a key senator
said on Friday.
"I
think you’ll see both the administration and the Senate take action, and one of
the most likely actions is to stop any future arms sales," Sen. Chris
Coons, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Appropriations Committees,
told CNN during a televised interview.
The
comments come as the Biden administration and congressional Democrats continue
to escalate their war of words with Riyadh after Saudi Arabia backed a 2
million barrel per day production cut.
Biden
has said his administration would undertake a review of the bilateral
relationship, as his senior officials have warned they are examining which
consequences to impose.
The
White House charged on Thursday that not only did Saudi officials lend their
support to the measure, but worked behind the scenes as OPEC+'s chair to
pressure other member states to vote in favor of the proposal.
The
decision to reduce oil production has spiked oil prices and is tantamount to
"moral and military support" for Russia's ongoing war against
Ukraine, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby maintained.
"The
country that benefits the most from this 2 million barrel cut is Russia because
it does come down to supply and demand, and Russia obviously wants to keep the
supply down so that demand drives the price up," he said. "We've
been, I think, very candid and very clear about our concerns over this
short-sighted regrettable decision."
Oil
has remained a major lifeline for the Kremlin as it presses its invasion of
Ukraine in defiance of economic and diplomatic pressure from the US and its
allies.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
White
House: Saudis pushed OPEC+ nations into crude oil production cut
14
October 2022
The
White House has asserted that Saudi Arabia pushed member states of the oil
cartel Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies,
including Russia, into a recent crude production cut.
More
than one OPEC member disagreed with Saudi Arabia’s push to cut production and
felt coerced into the vote, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby
told reporters on Thursday.
He
said he was not going to identify the members to let them speak for themselves.
Kirby
said earlier in the day that the US had presented Saudi Arabia with an analysis
showing there was no market basis to lower oil production before the OPEC+
decision to cut output.
The
OPEC+ grouping agreed last week to cut output by an amount equal to about 2
percent of global supply, curbing production in a tight market and raising the
possibility of higher gasoline prices as Washington seeks to limit Russia’s
energy revenues after its military campaign against Ukraine.
Saudi
Arabia has insisted that decisions by OPEC+ were taken “purely on economic
considerations” and its economic advice had been to resist calls to delay the
production cut.
“The
Saudi foreign ministry can try to spin or deflect, but the facts are simple,”
Kirby stated, noting that cutting output would “increase Russian revenues and
blunt the effectiveness of sanctions” against Moscow.
Kirby
said Washington’s analysis also showed the cut could have waited until the next
OPEC meeting, after the early November midterm elections that will determine
the makeup of the next Congress. History suggests the midterms could spell
trouble for Democrats as the party in power.
Chairman
of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez called on
Monday for a “freeze” on cooperation with Saudi Arabia after OPEC+ cuts.
“The
United States must immediately freeze all aspects of our cooperation with Saudi
Arabia, including any arms sales and security cooperation beyond what is
absolutely necessary to defend US personnel and interests,” Menendez said in a
statement.
“I
will not green-light any cooperation with Riyadh until the Kingdom reassesses
its position with respect to the war in Ukraine. Enough is enough,” Menendez
said.
The
White House said it was “disappointed” in the OPEC+ decision and called it
“shortsighted.”
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Mosque
in Germany's Cologne broadcasts call to prayer for 1st time
OCT
14, 2022
Amosque
in Germany's Cologne broadcast the Muslim call to prayer (adhan) for the first
time on Friday.
"This
a sign that Muslims are at home here," Abdurrahman Atasoy, the secretary
general of the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) told
reporters, and thanked the city administration.
Cologne
is one of Germany’s biggest cities, and home to more than 120,000 Muslims,
nearly 12% of the city’s entire population.
As
part of a pilot project, the city administration allowed the Cologne Central
Mosque to broadcast the call to Friday Prayers over loudspeakers, but on
condition that the volume will not exceed 60 decibels.
Cologne’s
Mayor Henriette Reker has been a strong supporter of the idea, but she has been
heavily criticized by far-right parties.
"Cologne
is a city of religious diversity and freedoms. Allowing muezzin’s call to
prayer for me is a sign of respect,” she said earlier.
Germany’s
Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but broadcasting calls to prayers
from mosques have been contentious in some municipalities, due to different
legislative frameworks.
Far-right
politicians have long rejected proposals allowing mosques to broadcast the
Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers, claiming that this would be another
sign of the "Islamization of Germany.”
Source:
Daily Sabah
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
EU’s
Borrell calls on Iran to stop repression of protesters
14
October, 2022
The
European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell on Friday urged Iran to stop the
repression of protesters and to release those that have been detained in recent
weeks.
“Ispoke
with @Amirabdolahian to convey again EU’s clear and united position: people in
Iran have the right to peaceful protest and to defend fundamental rights,"
Borrell said in a tweet, referring to Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein
Amirabdollahian.
“Violent
repression must stop immediately. Protesters must be released. Internet access
and accountability are needed.”
Protests
over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman who died in
the custody of the morality police, have spread across Iran for the last four
weeks.
Iranian
officials have blamed the unrest on the country’s foreign enemies, particularly
the United States.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranians
Burn Passports outside Embassy in Chile Protesting Mahsa Amini’s Death
15
October, 2022
A
handful of protesters gathered outside the Iranian embassy compound in Santiago
on Friday to add their voice to protests over the death of Mahsa Amini’s, the
22-year-old woman who died while in the custody of Iran’s morality police.
The
group burned their Iranian passports.
Fetamah
Ramezanpoor, an Iranian woman living in Chile said she would not return to the
country while the current regime was in power.
“I
burnt my Iranian passport because it has no value, and I don’t want it until
this regime in Iran ends, neither this passport nor this nationality,” she
said.
The
demonstrators also marked the exterior walls of the compound with their palms
painted blood red as well as play acting they are dead wearing the photograph
of Amini.
Thousands
of Iranians have taken to the streets over the last weeks in protests over the
death of Amini, who had been detained by the morality police in the capital,
Tehran, for allegedly wearing her mandatory Islamic headscarf too loosely.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
defence chief reiterates importance of dialogue with Greece
Sarp
Ozer, Omer Tugrul Cam
14.10.2022
BRUSSELS
The
Turkish defense chief on Thursday reiterated the importance of dialogue with
Greece, without the intervention of third parties.
Commenting
on his meeting with Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, Hulusi
Akar said: "I told my counterpart it is important to hold such meetings
more often and increase bilateral dialogue.”
Speaking
to Turkish reporters in Brussels after a NATO defense ministers meeting, he
said Türkiye believes problems between Ankara and Athens, two NATO allies, can
be solved through international law, peaceful means and dialogue.
Akar
said it is essential to resolve problems, without the intervention of third
parties.
Mechanisms
of mutual dialogue are already there, he said, adding that they hope to host a
Greek delegation in Ankara for the fourth round of meetings on
confidence-building measures.
Akar
said Ankara desires a peaceful, stable and prosperous region, and to see the
richness of the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean be fairly shared by the
countries concerned.
He
urged that third parties, including the EU, should develop an unbiased
perspective on Turkish-Greek relations to contribute to the resolution of
existing problems.
Asked
about Washington’s recent decision to lift the decades-old arms embargo on the
Greek Cypriot administration, the Turkish minister said the US should pursue a
balanced and unbiased policy towards the Cyprus issue.
Also
making remarks on Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership bids, Akar said
Türkiye’s concerns on combatting terrorism should be taken seriously.
We
expect these two countries to take concrete steps in line with Ankara’s
expectations, he stressed.
On
the ongoing process of the F-16 sale to Türkiye, Akar said the transaction
would strengthen regional and global peace and stability.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Report:
‘Vague, inefficient’ Prevent program failing to protect Britain from extremism
October
14, 2022
LONDON:
Britain’s counter-extremism strategy, Prevent, has caused thousands of people
to be unnecessarily referred over ungrounded fears of terrorism by teachers and
health professionals, a report has claimed.
Published
by the Counter Extremism Group think tank, the report found that Prevent’s
vague classification of people “vulnerable to extremism” meant that only
one-tenth of referrals had been escalated to the Channel program, where
individuals most at risk of extremism are dealt with directly.
The
report was published before the internal Home Office review of the Prevent
program due at the end of the year, The Times reported.
The
Prevent program has faced significant criticism over its apparent targeting of
British Muslim communities.
Islamist
extremists accounted for only 22 percent of referrals to the Prevent program
last year, despite Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5, labeling
Islamist extremism as the greatest threat to British national security.
“Vulnerability
indicators” used by Prevent are “vague and lack clear connections to violent
radicalization,” the report claims.
Indicators
include “people with mental health issues or learning disabilities,” religious
converts who are “less well-informed about their faith” and “young offenders
and people vulnerable to offending.”
The
report said: “This suggests that Prevent is casting a very wide net, and may
not be working as efficiently as it can.
“Referring
so many cases which are possibly unrelated to extremism in any serious way
risks further damaging the image of Prevent and strengthening claims that it is
a policy which securitizes the state’s relationship with its citizens.”
More
than half of referrals to Prevent concerned people with a “mixed, unstable or
unclear ideology.”
However,
the program has also faced criticism over its failure to stop terrorism, with
several high-profile terrorists carrying out attacks despite being known to
Prevent.
Last
year, Conservative MP David Amess was killed by Ali Harbi Ali, who had been
referred to the program seven years earlier by a schoolteacher.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2181041/world
--------
Mideast
Ayatollah
criticizes ‘British Shia’ as protests continue
Adam
Lucente
October
14, 2022
The
Supreme Leader of Iran lashed out today at Iranians living in the United
Kingdom.
“I
once referred to the British Shia. Some falsely said what we mean by British
Shia is the Shia living in England. No, we mean the people who follow the
British in creating discord, the conflict-inciting Shia,” said Ayatollah Ali
Khameini on Twitter.
Khameini
added that such individuals are “like Wahhabis & Takfiris who serve the
enemy in this way.”
Wahhabism
is a Sunni fundamentalist form of Islam that predominates in Iran’s
geopolitical foe Saudi Arabia. Takfiri is an Arabic-language term that refers
to apostasy in Islam. Iran often calls the Islamic State and other Sunni groups
takfiris.
What
it means: Tens of thousands of Iranians and people of Iranian heritage live in
the UK. Many are Shiite Muslims, though there are also communities of Jewish,
Christian and irreligious Iranian Britons.
Some
members of the UK’s Iranian community have demonstrated recently in solidarity
with the ongoing anti-government protests in Iran. The BBC’s Persian language
service and the London-based Iran International have also covered the protests
extensively, leading the Islamic Republic to accuse them of “hostile reporting.”
One
Iran analyst said the ayatollah’s tweet is a reference to these
Persian-language British media outlets.
“Khamenei
and Iranian officials have seized on the UK being home to a number of Iranian
diaspora networks — BBC Persian, Iran International, and Manoto — as
responsible for foreign engineering of the protests,” Jason Brodsky, the policy
director of United Against a Nuclear Iran, told Al-Monitor. “It’s a way for the
establishment to deflect responsibility.”
Why
it matters: Widespread protests and riots began last month in Iran in response
to the death of Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, who was allegedly beaten to death by
religious police over her hijab. Some of the protesters have gone so far as to
call for the downfall of the Islamic Republic. Khameini and other Islamic
Republic officials have remained defiant so far, accusing “enemies” of being
behind the protests.
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/10/ayatollah-criticizes-british-shia-protests-continue
--------
Israeli
forces kill two more Palestinians
October
15, 2022
JENIN:
Israeli forces killed two Palestinians during an operation in the city of Jenin
on Friday, Palestinian officials said, as months of clashes in the occupied
West Bank continued.
An
Israeli military statement said troops came under heavy fire during the
operation, in which an armed operative of the militant Hamas group and two
other people were arrested. It said troops returned fire and “hits were
identified”.
The
Jenin Brigade, an umbrella group of different armed factions, said one of its
members had been killed.
Atta
Abu Rumeileh, a leader for the Fatah group in Jenin, told Reuters that the
other man killed was a health official and Fatah member who participated in the
fighting.
More
than 100 Palestinians have been killed in clashes since the beginning of the
year, most since March when the Israeli army launched a crackdown in the West
Bank following a series of attacks by Palestinian militants in Israel.
Nabil
Abu Rudeineh, the Palestinian president’s spokesperson, said Israel had
“crossed all red lines” and the Palestinian Authority would not allow the
situation to continue.
The
cities of Jenin and Nablus, both home to sprawling refugee camps, have been at
the centre of violence. But there have been incidents in other parts of the
West Bank and East Jerusalem, with two Israeli soldiers killed this week.
Roads
into Nablus were closed during the week with heavy security checks and on
Friday the military said troops carried out an operation in the city and
arrested two people suspected of firing on them.
Both
the Israeli military and Palestinian officials say groups of young armed men in
Nablus and Jenin, often only loosely associated with established political
movements, have been at the forefront of clashes.
There
have also been repeated clashes between Israeli settlers in the West Bank and
Palestinians.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1715111/israeli-forces-kill-two-more-palestinians
--------
Iran
Blasts France's Double-Standards over Riots, Strikes
2022-October-14
Kana'ani
underlined on Friday that the energy sector strikes in France and the French
government's intervening in energy workers’ strike, deserve media coverage.
According
to the media, energy sector workers in France, including oil refinery workers,
who have been striking over the past week, intensified actions over the
weekend, further disrupting fuel supplies.
The
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the constitution of the Islamic
Republic of Iran recognizes the right to peaceful protests, adding that it is
surprising that the president and officials of the French government condemn
the actions of Iran's security forces in dealing with the violent rioters, but
they threaten French workers over their strikes.
Prime
Minister Elisabeth Borne has ordered local prefects to ensure employees
striking at Esso-Exxon Mobil oil refineries resume petrol supply to service
stations around the country.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010722000419/Iran-Blass-France's-Dble-Sandards-ver-Ris-Srikes
--------
Report
Shows Academics in Canada Face Harassment, Intimidation for Pro-Palestinian
Speech
2022-October-14
"When
it comes to Palestinian human rights, too often academic freedom and freedom of
expression are undermined," the report states, adding, "and with them
the possibility of finding just solutions to intractable problems," The
Middle East Eye reported.
The
report, "Unveiling the Chilly Climate - The Suppression of Speech on
Palestine in Canada", is thought to be the first detailed examination of
the experiences of faculty and students who criticise Israel's policies toward
Palestine.
It
examined Palestinians who are actively attempting to change these policies by
both their support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement,
and their opposition to the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
"There
is a connection to be made here between these attacks and efforts by pro-Israel
advocacy groups to market the IHRA, a document that has come under vigorous
attack by defenders of academic freedom and Palestinian human rights," the
report states.
"While
its proponents argue that this definition will not threaten freedom of
expression or inhibit criticism of Israeli policies, the findings of this
report demonstrate that these basic rights are already under threat and could
be further imperilled if the IHRA were to be widely adopted," it added.
The
report includes 77 testimonies which describe both the overarching effects of
the crackdown and the personal impacts it has on students, faculty and
activists. While the report is mostly focused on Canada, it also touches on the
experiences of European academics, artists and students who are publicly
pro-Palestinian.
Eight
interviewees reported their submissions to academic journals and book
publishers were met with negative reviews which cited the author's critical
stance on Israeli human rights violations.
A number
of interviewees felt the academic environment in Canada was particularly
unwelcoming to those working in the area of Palestine studies.
According
to the report, there were several attempts to prevent access to event venues
and the attempted cancellation of public events on Palestine, as well as the
targeting and doxxing of activists including the 125 Canadian academics and
activists on the "Canary Mission" website.
This
initiative, which operates anonymously, blasts students and faculty who
criticise Israel with accusations of antisemitism and supporting terrorism.
Canary Mission attempts to use its reach to suppress pro-Palestine activism.
Student
activists also reported threats of violence, which contained racial and sexual
slurs. Many students have been subjected to warnings and disciplinary measures
by university administrators.
In
2009, several universities banned a poster advertising Israel Apartheid Week.
The poster depicts a helicopter labelled "Israel" shooting a missile
at a toddler holding a teddy bear, labelled "Gaza".
In
2016, elementary school teacher Nadia Shoufani was suspended from her teaching
job after speaking at an Al Quds Day rally. It was alleged that Shoufani had
"glorified" terrorism. In 2017 Shoufani was cleared of any wrongdoing
by the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Federation.
In
2021, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center called for the disciplining of the
University of Toronto professor, Chandni Desai, for sponsoring an event about
Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani.
They
wrote, "It is shocking and totally unacceptable that a professor at a
Canadian university would participate in an event that honours and venerates an
individual [Kanafani] complicit in the mass murder of civilians."
In
the IJV report, those who were surveyed reported violations of their academic
freedom, from political intention to hiring decisions.
They
also reported pressure to self-censor when it came to writing or speaking about
Palestine. Many reported facing harassment by pro-Israel advocacy groups and
media outlets.
When
it came to academics, they reported encountering Islamophobia and
anti-Palestinian racism from colleagues and students. Many reported suffering
from the emotional stress of working in a hostile environment as they were not
yet tenured.
"The
Research Report constitutes a deeply disturbing indictment of the multiple
sources responsible for the depth and breadth of a wholesale attack on freedom
of speech," said Anthony Lerman, a senior fellow at the Bruno Kreisky
Forum for International Dialogue in Vienna.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestinian
Groups Reach Reconciliation Deal to End Years-Long Division
2022-October-14
The
agreement came on Thursday under an Algerian-brokered initiative for
reconciliation among 14 groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah,
presstv reported.
Mustafa
Barghouti, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative
political party, said the Palestinian groups agreed to sign the Algerian Declaration
and inaugurate a united Palestinian National Council after two days of round
table talks under the auspices of the Algerian government.
"After
long discussions, it was agreed on a statement that will be issued as the
Algerian document for national reconciliation," Barghouti said.
"It
was agreed to elect the Palestinian National Council at home and abroad, using
a proportional representation system with the participation of all Palestinian
factions, within a maximum period of one year from the date of signing the
declaration," he added.
The
declaration, Barghouti said, also ensured that the factions could hold general
presidential and legislative elections in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,
including the occupied Al-Quds, within a maximum period of one year from the
date of signing the declaration.
Media
reports said the declaration would include "unifying Palestinian national
institutions, mobilizing the available energies and resources to implement
reconstruction projects, and supporting the infrastructure and social for the
Palestinian people in a way that protects their steadfastness in the face of
the Israeli occupation".
An
Algerian-Arab working group was said to have been tasked with supervising and
following up on the implementation of the terms of the agreement in cooperation
with Palestinian officials.
Algeria’s
presidency said in a statement that the declaration would serve as a solid
ground for achieving the national unity between all the Palestinian factions.
Ismail
Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas,
welcomed the agreement and said the talks had a positive atmosphere, expressing
his deep appreciation for the initiative Algeria launched to heal the rift
between Palestinians.
“We
are satisfied with Algeria’s meetings and the positive atmosphere that
dominated the talks between us,” Haniyeh said on Thursday.
Haniyeh
lauded the Algerian team that supervised the dialog between the Palestinian
factions for its patience and keenness on not imposing any vision from any side
on the talks.
Since
January, Algeria has launched several initiatives to mediate a Palestinian
national reconciliation, hosting dozens of key political leaders from the
different factions to agree on a common goal.
The
Palestinian leadership has been divided between Fatah and Hamas since 2006,
when the latter scored a landslide victory in parliamentary elections in the
Gaza Strip. Hamas has ever since been running the coastal enclave, while Fatah
has been based in the autonomous parts the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Gyanvapi
Mosque Case: Varanasi Court Rejects Hindu Devotees' Plea for Carbon Dating Of
'Shivling'
14
OCT 2022
The
Varanasi District Court on Friday rejected a petition of Hindu devotees seeking
carbon dating of 'Shivling' allegedly found inside Gyanvapi Mosque.
The
Court ruled that the plea for 'scientific investigation' cannot be allowed
since the Supreme Court has ordered the sealing of the place where the
'Shivling' was found, according to legal news website Lawbeat.
An
object found inside the Gyanvapi Mosque during its court-mandated videography
survey was claimed to be a 'Shivling' by the Hindu petitioners. Four of the
five Hindu petioners in the case had filed a petition seeking carbon dating of
this object. Carbon dating is a scientific process used commonly in archaeology
to understand the age of an object.
Arguments
on the plea were completed on Tuesday. The Gyanvapi Mosque committee had
opposed the plea for carbon dating. The fifth Hindu petitioner had not
participated in the plea for carbon dating over fears that the process would
damage the 'Shivling'.
The
Hindu petitioners seeking carbon dating have said they would go to higher
courts to pursue their cause.
"We
will move to Supreme Court against this order and challenge it there. I cannot
announce the date as of now, but we will soon challenge this order in Supreme
Court," said Advocate Vishnu Jain, appearing for the petitioners.
Gyanvapi
case, carbon dating plea explained
Five
Hindu women have filed a petition seeking rights for daily prayers before the
idols on the outer walls of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. During the initial
hearing of the case, a Varanasi court —from where the case was later
transferred to District Court— ordered videography survey of the mosque
compound.
During
the survey, it was claimed that a 'Shivling' was found close to the
"wazookhana" —a small reservoir used by Muslims to perform ritual ablutions
before offering namaz— in the mosque premises. It is this 'Shivling' whose
carbon dating was sought by four of the five original petitions. It was opposed
by the mosque committee.
One
of the five petitioners has not joined the plea for carbon dating out of
concerns that such a process might damage the 'Shivling'. Thhe advocate for
petioners had said there would be no damage to the structure during carbon
dating.
What
has Gyanvapi Mosque Committee said?
Citing
the original plea by the Hindu women seeking permission for yearlong praying
inside the shrine, the mosque committee previously had objected to the
scientific investigation plea, saying that it had nothing to do with its
structure.
On
September 12, the Varanasi district judge dismissed a challenge by the mosque
committee that said the case by the Hindu women for year-long worship inside
the mosque complex had no legal standing. Their challenge was rejected on all
three counts that they had cited including the 1991 law that freezes the status
of a place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
The
petitioners didn't want ownership, just the right to worship, the court ruled.
Gyanvapi
case last hearing
In
the last hearings, advocate Mumtaz Ahmed, appearing for the Muslim petitioners,
said they told the court that carbon dating of the object cannot be done.
If
the object gets damaged in the name of carbon dating, it amounts to the
defiance of the order of the Supreme Court, said Ahmed.
Earlier,
the Muslim petitioners had contended that the Supreme Court had asked the
Varanasi District Magistrate to keep the object safe. In such a situation,
getting it examined cannot be justified. They also said the original case is
about the worship of Shringar Gauri while the structure in the mosque has
nothing to do with it.
Source:
Outlook India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gyanvapi
case: Muslim side moves Allahabad HC on maintainability of plea
Pankaj
Srivastava
Oct
15, 2022
By
Pankaj Srivastava: The Anjuman Intezamia Committee, which represents the Muslim
side, in the Gyanvapi Shrinagar Gauri dispute case, has moved Allahabad High
court. The Muslim said has challenged the verdict of the lower court which
stated that the case is maintainable.
The
Muslim side has challenged the decision of dismissal of the objection application
in the Allahabad High Court. On September 12, a district court in Varanasi
rejected the Anjuman Intezamia Committee's plea challenging Hindu worshippers'
request for permission for daily worship of Hindu deities in the Gyanvapi
mosque. District Judge AK Vishvesh, delivering the verdict in the Gyanvapi
Shrinagar Gauri dispute, said the case is maintainable.
Rejecting
the petition of the Muslim side, the court had said that the suit by Hindu
parties is maintainable in the court.The matter will be heard in the high court
on October 18.
WHAT
DOES THE PLEA STATE?
In
the petition of the Muslim side filed in the High Court, it has been reiterated
that the matter cannot be heard under the Place of Worship Act of 1991. The
plea states that there has also been a demand for a stay on the ongoing hearing
in the Varanasi court till the High Court's decision.
Five
women had filed a petition seeking permission for daily worship of Hindu
deities whose idols are claimed to be located on an outer wall of the Gyanvapi
mosque. The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee has said the Gyanvapi mosque is
a Waqf property and had questioned the maintainability of the plea.
The
Hindu side had claimed in the lower court that a Shivling was found during the
videographic survey of the Gyanvapi mosque-Shringar Gauri complex, but it was
contested by the Muslim side. The mosque management committee claims that the
structure is not a 'shivling' but a part of the "wazookhana"
reservoir system.
COURT
SAYS NO TO CARBON DATING
A
Varanasi court on Friday rejected the Hindu petitioners' plea for carbon dating
of what is claimed to be a 'shivling' in the Gyanvapi mosque premises. The
Hindu side has demanded carbon dating and scientific investigation of the
object and the plea was opposed by the Muslim side.
Source:
India Today
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Man Arrested Under Anti-Conversion Law In Karnataka
October
15, 2022
Bengaluru:
A Muslim man has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody under the
recently promulgated Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act,
for 'converting a woman under the pretext of marrying her.'
According
to the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Bengaluru North Division, Vinayak
Patil, the case was registered against Syed Mueen on a complaint lodged by the
mother of the woman.
A
missing case was registered on October 6 following a complaint by the
18-year-old woman's mother the previous day.
Following
this, the man and the woman were questioned at the police station on October 8.
The
woman's mother again lodged a complaint on Thursday night that her daughter had
been converted to another religion by Syed Mueen on the pretext of marrying
her.
Accordingly,
a case has been registered under section 5 of the Karnataka Protection of Right
to Freedom of Religion Act and the accused has been arrested and remanded to
judicial custody, Patil told reporters.
According
to the complainant, the religious conversion took place at Penukonda in Andhra
Pradesh, he added.
Source:
ND TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Afghanistan
Only Country Denying Girls Access to Education: HRW
By
Arif Ahmadi
14
Oct 2022
Kabul,
Afghanistan – Heather Barr, Associate Director of the Women’s Rights Division
at Human Rights Watch, dubs Afghanistan the “only country on the planet” to
deny girls access to education, warning of the devastating impact of the
Taliban action.
After
the Taliban imposed a ban in September of 2021, it has been 389 days that girls
in Afghanistan are restricted from attending secondary schools despite
international calls for reconsideration.
“This
is absolutely a shameful situation which makes Afghanistan the only country on
the planet which systematically denies girls access to education because of
gender,” she added. “This is going to have a devastating impact.”
A
number of female students above grade six and residents of the country urged
the government to reopen secondary schools for them.
“If
schools are closed even for one day that is a big loss for girls and
Afghanistan, I hope schools reopen for girls,” said Shakila, a student, as
TOLOnews quoted.
“Girls
have the same right to go to schools as boys, and Islam also emphasizes girls’
education,” said Najma, another student.
Meanwhile,
the deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate said efforts are continuing to
reopen schools for girls above grade six. He, however, did not provide further
details on the matter.
“On
this issue, officials of the Islamic Emirate have explained it to you and that
is enough for now,” said Billa Karimi, Deputy Spokesman for the Islamic
Emirate.
In
March, the Islamic Emirate on a formal decree banned female students of grade
six and above from attending classes in schools throughout the country.
The
decision by the group has triggered a backlash among international communities
and the United Nations, including foreign ministries of Canada, France, Italy,
Norway, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., urging for immediate reconsideration
of girls’ education.
Source: Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghanistan-only-country-denying-girls-access-to-education-hrw/
--------
Southeast
Asia
Indonesian Muslims gamble on problematic ties to Saudi government vehicle
October
15, 2022
By
Dr. James M. Dorsey
Nahdlatul
Ulama, arguably the world’s only Muslim mass movement propagating a genuinely
moderate and pluralistic form of Islam, has forged an unlikely, albeit
temporary, alliance with the Saudi-controlled Muslim World League.
The
League is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s chief propagator of a
socially less restrictive but autocratic interpretation of the faith that
demands absolute obedience to the ruler.
In
a bold but risky strategy, Nahdlatul Ulama, the world’s largest Muslim civil
society movement with 90 million followers in Indonesia, the world’s largest
Muslim majority-country and democracy, hopes that the alliance will undercut
Saudi and League support for an Indonesian political party associated with the
Muslim Brotherhood, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).
Against
all odds, Nahdlatul Ulama also envisions its Humanitarian Islam philosophy
rubbing off on the League as a result of cooperation with the Indonesian group.
The
philosophy embraces religious and political pluralism, unambiguously endorses
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and advocates reform of what it terms
“obsolete” elements of Islamic jurisprudence.
Persuading
the League to endorse a genuinely moderate form of Islam would have enormous
significance. It would lend the prestige of the Custodian of Islam’s two
holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, to Nahdlatul Ulama’s effort to reform Islam.
That, however, is a long shot, if not pie in the sky.
More
likely, the League sees reputational benefit in its association with Nahdlatul
Ulama. The League also probably hopes to co-opt the Indonesian movement to
prevent it from becoming a serious competitor for hearts and minds in the
Muslim world.
Neither
group may succeed in fulfilling its aspirations.
Nahdlatul
Ulama has a century-long history of fiercely defending its independence and
charting its moderation course.
At
the same time, there is little reason to believe that the League can embrace
anything but what Mr. Bin Salman authorises.
If
the last two months provide an indication, Mr. Bin Salman and his loyal
lieutenant, League secretary general Mohammed al-Issa, can, at best, be
expected to opportunistically pay lip service to Humanitarian Islam.
Moreover,
the kingdom has long demonstrated its determination, often in cooperation with
the United Arab Emirates, to stymie endeavours for political change across the
Middle East.
Most
recently, Saudi Arabia sentenced two women to respectively 34 and 45 years in
prison for tweets that allegedly “cause public unrest and destabilise civil and
national security” and “tear (Saudi Arabia’) social fabric.”
Last
week, a Saudi court committed to death row three members of the Howeitat tribe
that was forcibly ejected to make way for Mr. Bin Salman’s US$500 billion
science fiction Neom megacity on the Red Sea. The three men had resisted the
ejection.
Adding
fuel to the fire, Mr. Bin Salman reportedly appointed Awadh bin Ali bin Ayedh
al-Mayshar al-Ahmari, a detective allegedly involved in the cover-up of the
killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi,
as president of the kingdom’s counter-terrorism court that handed down
the recent harsh verdicts.
Moreover,
Saudi Arabia has interpreted freedom of religion as inter-faith dialogue that
does not stray beyond lofty statements and high-profile meetings and
conferences rather than lifting a ban on non-Muslim houses of worship in the
kingdom.
To
be sure, Mr. Bin Salman has curbed the authority of the religious police,
enhanced women’s rights and opportunities, and enabled Western-style
entertainment, but that did not entail religious reform. Instead, it amounted
to long overdue social change by decree.
As
a result, Nahdlatul Ulama stands a better chance in loosening the ties between
the League and the PKS than persuading Mr. Bin Salman that in addition to
social change, genuine religious reform and good governance should be the legs
of his efforts to diversify the Saudi economy.
One
litmus test of the League’s relationship with Nahdlatul Ulama will be whether
Hidayat Nur Wahid, a PKS luminary, remains a member of the League’s Supreme
Council.
Mr.
Wahid accompanied Mr. Al-Issa in 2020 to the secretary general’s initial
meeting with Nahdlatul Ulama, the first in the League’s 60-year history. Yet,
he refused to join Mr. Al-Issa in 2020 on his historic visit at the head of a
delegation of Muslim scholars to Auschwitz, the Nazi extermination camp in
Poland.
To
be fair, Nahdlatul Ulama, while virulently opposed to political Islam, has
demonstrated its democratic credentials by confronting the PKS politically but
not disputing its right to compete in free and fair elections or being
politically active within the legal confines of Indonesian democracy.
Sacrificing
the PKS is a small price for the League to pay for what Nahdlatul Ulama offers.
The
association has already paid off with no public indication that the League has
met any of Nahdlatul Ulama’s aspirations. Instead, the League has milked its
partnership with Nahdlatul Ulama for what it is worth on social media.
As
the convener of the Religion Forum 20, a newly created official Group of 20
engagement group, Nahdlatul Ulama has invited the League to co-host next
month’s summit of religious leaders in Bali in advance of a meeting of leaders
of the G20 that groups the world’s largest economies. Indonesia is this year’s
chairman of the group.
The
faith summit aims to “help ensure that religion in the 21st-century functions
as a genuine and dynamic source of solutions, rather than problems.”
Add
to that Nahdlatul Ulama’s recognition of the League as a non-governmental
organisation even though it is wholly government-controlled and primarily
government funded.
The
invitation was in recognition of the League’s break with its past as a major
vehicle in the global spread of Saudi ultra-conservatism before the rise of Mr.
Bin Salman in 2015. The invitation also followed an approach by the Saudi
government to its Indonesian counterparts requesting that the League have a
platform at the R20.
The
approach “stroked with dynamics in the Indonesian government. There was a sort
of feedback loop. In the end, Nahdlatul Ulama and the government reinforced
each other,” said a well-placed source.
Nahdlatul
Ulama’s National Awakening Party (PKB) has four ministers in Indonesian
President Joko Widodo’s government, including Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, the
religious affairs minister, and a brother of the movement’s General Chairman
Yahya Cholil Staquf.
Mr.
Widodo has embraced Nahdlatul Ulama’s push for a genuinely moderate Islam but,
at the same time, has been willing to legitimize Saudi and Emirati efforts
aimed at ensuring that moderation does not entail political liberalisation.
In
contrast to Nahdlatul Ulama, the two Gulf states have steered clear of
anchoring social change in jurisprudential reform of Islamic law.
The
alliance with the League spotlights Nahdlatul Ulama’s difficulty balancing its
domestic objectives with its effort to position itself internationally as the
voice of a genuinely socially and religiously pluralistic and tolerant Islam.
Partnering
with the League in the hope it will pay more than a domestic political dividend
entails reputational risk, with the kingdom’s troubled human rights and freedom
of religion track record potentially again moving centre stage due to
increasingly strained US-Saudi relations.
Source:
Modern Diplomacy
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Despite
snubbing Umno for GE15, PAS says MN continues
Anne
Muhammad
October
13, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The decision by PAS to stick with Perikatan Nasional (PN) for the 15th
general election (GE15) does not mean it has turned its back on Muafakat
Nasional (MN), a party leader said.
PAS
spiritual leader Hashim Jasin said his party would continue to push for Muslim
unity with Umno, via MN, but not necessarily before GE15.
“For
PAS, we will remain in MN,” he told FMT, referring to the political pact it
forged with Umno in 2019 to woo the Malay-Muslim electorate.
“We
won’t part ways for the sake of Muslim unity. MN doesn’t target a specific
deadline, so it will continue.”
Hashim
said this when asked if the Islamic party’s decision to stick with PN for the
nationwide polls meant it was parting ways with Umno.
He
said PAS had objected to Bersatu’s demand for the party to declare Umno an
enemy.
“We
are against it as it isn’t in line with the push for Muslim unity, and Bersatu
is aware of our sentiment on this matter.”
Asked
about the potential clash with Umno in 27 parliamentary seats, Hashim said his
party was ready to face off against Umno, adding that it was part of the
democratic process.
However,
he hoped the contest would not get in the way of the push for Muslim unity.
Earlier,
Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the coalition would be going
solo in GE15 following PAS’ decision to stick with PN for the nationwide polls.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Malaysia's
PAS says its three state assemblies won't be dissolved for elections
Hazlin
Hassan
OCT
14, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR - Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) said on Thursday that it will not
dissolve the three state assemblies under its rule for Malaysia’s general election.
“The
PAS central working committee... has decided to maintain its stand not to
dissolve the state assemblies of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah,” the Islamist
party’s president Abdul Hadi Awang said in a statement.
“We
have also decided that we will strengthen cooperation in Perikatan Nasional
(PN) to face the 15th general election, on the principle of uniting the ummah
(Muslims).”
The
statement did not specifically mention the status of the party’s relationship
with the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN). Both PN and BN were part of Prime
Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration.
PAS
had said before that it wanted to work with the two blocs. It had also
mentioned that it will not dissolve the three state assemblies under its rule
until March 2023, in order to focus on preparations for the floods during the
monsoon season from around mid-November to March.
Meanwhile,
opposition leader and Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim did not
dismiss the possibility of working with former premiers Mahathir Mohamad and
Muhyiddin Yassin for the election.
“We
are now committed to the Harapan agenda against corruption, against abuse of
power. Whoever agrees, they can come and talk to us,” Datuk Seri Anwar was
quoted as saying on Thursday by the Malaysiakini news website.
Dr
Mahathir led the PH government after its historic electoral win over BN in
2018. However, he was toppled by Tan Sri Muhyiddin in 2020 after the latter
withdrew his Bersatu party from the ruling coalition and formed a new
government with Umno.
On
Monday, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri announced the dissolution of Parliament, paving
the way for the general election to be held this year, with polling day
expected in early November.
While
Parliament is led by the prime minister who governs Malaysia, the country’s 13
states are led by Menteris Besar, or chief ministers.
During
polling day, Malaysians are usually given two ballot papers - one to vote for
their MP and another to pick their state assemblyman.
In
the past, both the federal and state assembly polls were held concurrently,
except in Sarawak. This time, several Malaysian states are deciding whether to
dissolve their state legislatures or to wait until 2023, when elections must be
held.
Selangor
and Negeri Sembilan, two of the three states controlled by PH, will not be
dissolving their legislatures. The third state, Penang, might also hold off on
dissolution.
The
PH presidential council could not reach a consensus on the matter in its
meeting on Wednesday.
Democratic
Action Party chairman Lim Guan Eng said state elections should be held
concurrently with the parliamentary election.
Penang
people generally do not want to hold state and federal elections separately as
this would cost more resources and time, he said.
Another
concern is that Umno and PAS might join forces after the general election and
pose a greater threat to PH, he added.
Source:
Straits Times
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PBS
concedes to using GRS emblem though own logo better known
Willie
Jude
October
14, 2022
PENAMPANG:
Although Sabahans are more familiar with Parti Bersatu Sabah’s (PBS) logo, the
party will be contesting under the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) banner in the
15th general election (GE15).
Party
president Maximus Ongkili said the decision to use the GRS logo was jointly
made by the coalition’s component parties, including PBS.
“Certainly
(the PBS logo is better known), but this is GRS’ decision, so we abide by that.
For the sake of unity, we will use (the GRS logo),” he said when met at the
party’s headquarters here.
In
the 2020 Sabah state election, PBS used its own logo for the first time in 16
years, going on to win seven seats.
Maximus
also said there had yet to be a final word on the distribution of seats among
GRS and BN component parties for GE15.
“Even
yesterday, (GRS chairman) Hajiji Noor didn’t want to tell and that’s why we
don’t know how many seats GRS and Umno will get or where the seats are,” he
said.
Yesterday,
Hajiji, who is also the Sabah chief minister, chaired a GRS meeting attended by
leaders of the coalition’s component parties.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Africa
Burkina
Faso’s coup leader appointed transitional president
James
Tasamba
15.10.2022
KIGALI,
Rwanda
A
national meeting Friday in Burkina Faso endorsed coup leader, Capt. Ibrahim
Traore, as the transitional president, two weeks after he led a second coup in
eight months in the West African country.
About
300 delegates, including representatives from the army and police, customary
and religious organizations, civil society, trade unions and parties met in the
nation’s capital of Ouagadougou to discuss plans to steer the country back to
democratic rule.
The
national forum “appointed Traore transition president,” said Omega Radio.
Traore
is expected to lead the country until elections in July 2024, according to the
transitional charter.
Last
month, Traore, 34, led a group of disgruntled soldiers who deposed Lt. Col.
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba who had seized power in January.
Traore’s
appointment was widely expected after he was named president under a
“fundamental act” adopted by the junta group calling itself the Patriotic Movement
for Safeguarding and Restoration (MPSR).
Before
his appointment, demonstrators rallied in Ouagadougou to protest speculation
that senior army officers had wanted to sideline Traore.
Traore
was given the rank of captain in 2020 after returning from the UN's MINUSMA
peacekeeping mission in neighboring Mali in 2018.
After
the January coup that deposed President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Traore
became a member of the MPSR.
The
national forum also examined the transitional charter.
Burkina
Faso has suffered persistent insecurity posed by an insurgency that spread from
Mali in the past decade.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/burkina-faso-s-coup-leader-appointed-transitional-president/2712248
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Tunisian
coastguard recovers 11 bodies after migrant boat went missing
14
October, 2022
The
Tunisian coastguard has recovered 11 bodies thought to be of irregular migrants
lost at sea while attempting to reach Europe, a spokesman said Friday.
The
partly decomposed bodies were found on Thursday and Friday in Mediterranean
waters off the central province of Mahdia, National Guard spokesman Houcem
Eddine Jebabli told AFP.
He
said DNA samples had been taken in order establish their identities.
The
bodies of eight migrants were recovered on Monday off the coast of the North
African country, around two weeks after a makeshift boat carrying 18 people
including a baby went missing.
Hundreds
of Tunisians clashed with police on Wednesday during a protest to demand more
search-and-rescue efforts.
Also
angered over the burial of three suspected Tunisians in a nearby cemetery for
foreign migrants, some demonstrators burnt tires and threw rocks at police.
A
long-running economic crisis has pushed many Tunisians to attempt the perilous
sea journey.
The
North African country has a long Mediterranean coast, in places just 130
kilometers (80 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa.
Tunisia
has long been a key departure point for migrants, including many from
sub-Saharan African countries, seeking a better life in Europe.
Recent
months have also seen a surge in attempts by Tunisians to reach Europe via
Turkey and the Balkans, according to Jebabli, who said four networks involved
in people smuggling on that route had been broken up.
Tunisian
authorities, under pressure from Europe to cut back departures, say they are
struggling to do so with limited means.
Generally
favorable weather from spring to early autumn sees a rise in illegal attempts
to reach Italy from Tunisia and Libya, but such crossings often end in tragedy.
Tunisian
authorities said Tuesday they had intercepted nearly 200 migrants attempting to
reach Europe northward across the Mediterranean Sea last weekend.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Spain
broke law returning migrants to Morocco amid deadly border crossing: Ombudsman
14
October, 2022
Spanish
authorities failed to uphold domestic and international law in returning to
Morocco nearly 500 migrants following a mass border crossing in which at least
23 people died, the country’s civil rights ombudsman said in an interim report
on Friday.
On
June 24, the Spanish authorities said up to 2,000 migrants stormed the high
fence that seals off Spain’s North African enclave of Melilla and engaged in a
two-hour skirmish with border officers.
While
scores succeeded in reaching the Spanish territory, Moroccan authorities said
at least 23 people were killed in a crush after what they described as a
stampede, and others died falling as they climbed. Local NGOs said the death
toll could be as high as 37.
Spain’s
national ombudsman Angel Gabilondo said Spanish police failed to process 470
migrants who sought to cross into the Spanish territory.
“The
institution concludes that 470 persons were turned back at the border without
taking into account national and international legal provisions,” he said in
his review.
The
ombudsman’s office said it has requested access to additional footage of the
disaster, as its investigation was still ongoing. Depending on the final
outcome, the ombudsman can seek further action such as requesting a
parliamentary enquiry or filing a complaint before Spain’s constitutional
court.
In
response to the report, Spain’s interior ministry said its border officials
were guarding a European border from “violent assaults.”
“All
border rejections that took place on June 24 at the border perimeter between
Melilla and Nador were carried out within the strictest legality,” the ministry
said.
Melilla
and Ceuta, a second Spanish enclave also on Africa’s northern coast, have over
the past decade become popular crossing points for African migrants trying to
enter Europe.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Somalia
marks 5th anniversary of deadliest terror bombing in its history
Mohammed
Dhaysane
14.10.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Somalia
on Friday marked the fifth anniversary of the deadliest bombing in the Horn of
Africa nation's history.
On
Oct. 14, 2017, a truck full of explosives caused a massive blast at the busy
Zoobe intersection in the capital Mogadishu, killing more than 600 people and
wounding nearly 1,000 others.
Somalis
in the country and abroad took to social media platforms on Friday to mark the
anniversary of the attack, carried out by the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist
group Al-Shabaab.
Families
who lost their loved ones in the attack told Anadolu Agency that they were
still mourning as they have been, like many others, unable to locate their
loved ones' bodies.
Fadumo
Abdi, a Mogadishu resident, said she still remembered the day of the attack,
the "worst day" of her life.
"Five
people among my close relatives, including my sister's five-year-old baby girl,
died in that attack and we have yet to find some of their bodies. We're still
mourning," Abdi said.
Their
lives were cut short while on their way to Mogadishu's scenic Liido beach on
the Indian Ocean coast, she said.
Suleiman
Ahmed also lost loved ones in the terrorist attack. Speaking to Anadolu Agency,
Ahmed said he lost five of his relatives and five friends who were killed in
the attack, adding that he knows dozens of others who were wounded.
"I
myself wasn't far away from the bomb site and I still remember the magnitude of
that blast, which was the biggest bombing I've ever heard. I lost a lot of
friends, including five close friends and five of my relatives," he said.
Ahmed
added that he still saw nightmares of the blast and said Somalis must unite in
order to defeat the terrorists responsible.
Today,
the site of the attack has been dedicated to mark its anniversary.
The
fifth anniversary of the deadly bombing coincides with Somalia gaining
significant ground against Al-Shabaab in its recent military operations in the
central region of Hiran.
"We
will never forget the victims of the worst terrorist attack in #Somalia on 14
October 2017. We lost over 600 people on that fateful day. Best way to
celebrate their lives is to defeat Al-Shabaab and their violent extremist
ideology. Let’s join the struggle," Abdirahman Aynte, Somalia's former
planning minister, said on Twitter.
Hussein
Sheikh Ali, the national security adviser of Somali President Hassan Sheikh
Mohamud, also marked the attack's anniversary, and said the government would
defeat al-Shabaab and its ideology.
"The
feeling of this anniversary is not one of despair and pain but rather
resistance and resilience. We shall defeat AlShabaab and terror ideology,"
Ali said.
Somalia
has been grappling with security threats for years, with Al-Shabaab being one
of the main ones in the country.
Since
at least 2007, al-Shabaab has waged a deadly campaign against the Somali
government and international forces that has claimed thousands of lives.
The
UN has warned of growing instability in the country, with its periodic reports
on Somalia this year detailing attacks by al-Shabaab and groups aligned with
the Daesh/ISIS terror group.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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10
civilians killed, 38 injured in Mali bus blast
James
Tasamba
14.10.2022
KIGALI,
Rwanda
At
least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured when a passenger bus hit an
improvised explosive device in central Mali, the army said on Friday.
The
explosion occurred on a major thoroughfare in the Bandiagara region on Thursday
afternoon, and the bus was travelling from the capital Bamako, according to a
military statement.
The
army said the attack was carried out by the Katibat Macina terrorist group.
The
dead include a woman and a girl who was about 5 years old, the statement said.
The
UN Stabilization Mission in Mali strongly condemned the attack, and reaffirmed
it will continue to work with Malian authorities “in support of their efforts
to restore the security to which the Malian people deeply aspire.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/10-civilians-killed-38-injured-in-mali-bus-blast/2711991
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