Al-Qaida Threatens Suicide Attacks in India Over Controversial Remarks Concerning Prophet; It Says, "Saffron Terrorists Should Now Await Their End in Delhi, Bombay, UP and Gujarat"
New Age Islam News Bureau
08 June 2022
Representative Image/ Photo: CNBC
----
• UK Cinema Chain All Screenings of a Film, “The Lady
of Heaven”, About the Daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, After Muslims Protest
• Extreme Right-Winger Dutch Lawmaker Geert Wilders
Supports Nupur Sharma
• The Taliban Arrests Afghan YouTuber, Ajmal Haqiqi,
and Colleagues on Charges of Blasphemy
• White House Lauds Saudi Arabia as ‘Strategic
Partner’
India
• UP CM Yogi Adityanath visits samadhi of Krishna's
Muslim devotee in Mathura
• RSS’ Ram Madhav says Muslims ‘need to give up 3
concepts’: ‘Kafir, Ummah, jihad to kill’
• BJP set to become ‘Muslim-free’ in Parliament when
RS terms of Naqvi, Islam, Akbar end
• Gyanvapi mosque row: PIL seeks panel to unravel
truth of structure
• 4 terrorists, including 2 Pakistanis, killed in
J&K since Monday
--------
Europe
• 7 out of 10 Muslims in UK experience Islamophobia at
work: Survey
• UN body rebukes Israel for seeking ‘complete
control’ over Occupied Palestinian Territory
• Ukraine presses to buy Israel's Iron Dome
• Türkiye rejects 'biased, unrealistic' report by
European Parliament
--------
South
Asia
• Unidentified Men Abduct a Businessman in
Mazar-e-Sharif
• SIGAR: Allegations of Former President Ghani’s
Escape with $169M Are “Unlikely to Be True”
• Former Afghan minister returns to Kabul at Taliban
invitation
--------
North
America
• Canada's Muslims Renew Calls to Tackle Islamophobia
One Year After Deadly Attack
• US says Iran’s demands to lift IRGC sanctions behind
failure to revive nuclear deal
• US mediator to visit Lebanon for talks on Israel
border dispute
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistani Senators Call For Boycotting Indian Trade
Following Insult to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
• For Pakistan, peace with TTP jihadists can prove as
bloody as war
• Pakistanis held in Italy over suspected links to
Charlie Hebdo attack
• Four terrorists killed in North Waziristan, Noshki:
ISPR
• How Pakistan turned its back on Afghan musicians who
fled Taliban rule
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Indonesia, Malaysia Protest to India Over Anti-Islam
Remarks
• Muslim Group Leader Arrested in Lampung for Promoting
Caliphate
• Hold Firm to Islamic Principles Prohibiting Insults
against Others, Says Religious Affairs Minister
• Tengku Zafrul’s political ambitions distract from
ministerial duties
--------
Arab
World
• Saudi Arabia Adds 16 Individuals, Entities to Its
Terror List
• Syrian refugees vow to take part in retaking areas
from YPG/PKK terror groups
• Turkish forces ‘neutralize’ 18 PKK terrorists in
northern Iraq, Syria
• Gulf States blacklist terror financiers linked to
Iran, Islamic State, Syrian regime
• No dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood
• Saudi Arabia readies for its first-ever Islamic Arts
Biennale
• Syrian and Russian air forces conduct joint drill
over Syria
• Turkey tells Russia it will respond to destabilizing
moves in northern Syria
• US-backed Syrian Kurds to turn to Damascus if Turkey
attacks
• Syrian, Russian forces boosted after Turkey signals
operation: Officials
--------
Mideast
• Israeli-Palestinian “Flag War” Brews As Violence
Flares
• Iran Sentences Man to Death over Deadly Shia Shrine
Attack
• Iranian Army Commander Underlines Liberation of
Israeli-Occupied Territories
• Iran Demands Shielding IAEA against Political
Influence
• Iran Deplores Church Attack in Nigeria
• Qatar Licenses Operation of Iran's Trade Centre
• Turkey urges Greece to demilitarize Aegean islands
• Yemen’s warring parties agree to establish joint
coordination mechanism
--------
Africa
• At Least 27 Killed, Dozens Wounded In Sudan Ethnic
Clashes: Witnesses
• Algeria media figure sentenced to six months in prison
• 3 killed in live-fire exercise in Libya’s Tarhuna
• Tunisian judges continue their strike to protest
purge
• Race against time to avert famine in Somalia: UN
agencies
• Sudan’s army chief says dialogue historic
opportunity for transition
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/qaida-india-prophet-saffron-terrorists/d/127198
--------
Al-Qaida Threatens Suicide Attacks in India Over
Controversial Remarks Concerning Prophet; It Says, "Saffron Terrorists
Should Now Await Their End In Delhi, Bombay, UP And Gujarat"
Representative Image/ Photo: CNBC
----
ANI / Jun 7, 2022
Jun 7, 2022
NEW DELHI: Terrorist organisation al-Qaida in the
Subcontinent (AQIS) has issued a threat relating to India saying that they are
ready to blow themselves up in Gujarat, UP, Bombay and Delhi to "fight for
the dignity of our Prophet".
The threat statement said, "saffron terrorists
should now await their end in Delhi and Bombay and in UP and Gujarat".
"They shall find refuge neither in their homes
nor in their fortified army cantonments. May our mothers be bereaved of us if
we do not avenge our beloved Prophet."
"We shall kill those who affront our Prophet and
we shall bind explosives with our bodies and the bodies of our children to blow
away the ranks of those who dare to dishonour our Prophet... [They] shall find
no amnesty or clemency, no peace and security will save them and this matter
will not close with any words of condemnation or sorrow," it added.
The threat statement mentioned "Hindutva
terrorists occupying India" and said "we shall fight for the dignity
of our Prophet, we shall urge others to fight and die for the honour of our
Prophet,"
The threat statement, shared by some social media
users, referred to controversial remarks of a BJP office-bearer against whom
the party has taken action.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
UK Cinema Chain All Screenings of a Film, “The Lady of
Heaven”, About the Daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, After Muslims Protest
Getty Images
----
June 8, 2022
LONDON: UK cinema chain Cineworld has pulled all
screenings of a film about the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad after Muslim
groups protested outside theatres, calling the movie “blasphemous”.
Cineworld, the world’s second-largest cinema chain,
said it will cancel all showings of “The Lady of Heaven” due to safety
concerns.
“Due to recent incidents related to screenings of ‘The
Lady of Heaven’, we have made the decision to cancel upcoming screenings of the
film nationwide to ensure the safety of our staff and customers,” said a
spokesman.
Videos online showed the manager of Sheffield
Cineworld in northern England telling a group of protestors on Sunday night
that the screening had been cancelled.
A similar protest targeted Cineworld theatres in the
central city of Birmingham and in the northern town of Bolton.
All three places have sizeable Muslim populations.
The historical drama film calls itself the first movie
on the life of the Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah and draws links between
Islamic State in the 21st century with historical figures of Sunni Islam.
Malik Shlibak, executive producer of the film, told
The Guardian that cinema chains should “stand up and defend their right to show
films that people want to see”.
“I think cinemas are crumbling to the pressure, and
taking these decisions to quell the noise,” he said.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Extreme Right-Winger Dutch Lawmaker Geert Wilders
Supports Nupur Sharma
Pictures of Nupur Sharma were burnt in a Karachi
protest on Tuesday to condemn the derogatory references to Islam and the
Prophet (AP)
-----
J.P. Yadav
08.06.22
Some Right-wingers have reached out all the way to the
Netherlands to find a role model after the BJP sought shelter in the
Constitution to weather the West Asian storm after its erstwhile “fringe”
spokespersons denigrated Prophet Mohammed.
The great white hope of the disenchanted Bhakts comes
in the shape of Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, the silver-haired politician
labelled as “extreme Right” although he considers himself to be a “Right-wing
liberal”. Known for his anti-Islam statements, Wilders was once banned from
entering Britain (the bar was overturned later) and is under armed protection
because of threats to his life.
In India, several Right-wingers have found solace in
Wilders, grabbing his tweet in support of Nupur Sharma and asking Indians not
to be “intimidated by Islamic countries”.
“Dutch lawmaker defends Nupur Sharma’s comments, says
appeasement only makes things worse. Clear indication of the alarming situation
in Europe,” tweeted Prafulla Ketkar, editor of the Organiser weekly magazine
that echoes the views of the RSS.
“The kind of courage the Dutch parliamentarian has
shown, the BJP should have shown the same,” tweeted one Devendra Jatav, who
claimed to be a RSS supporter.
The hashtags #ShameOnBJP and #NupurSharma trended on
Twitter on Tuesday, too, although some BJP-bashers contributed to the trend by
using the same hashtags.
Among those who slammed the Modi government and
demanded revocation of Sharma’s suspension, one name stood out.
Author and commentator Anand Ranganathan, known for
his pro-Right-wing stand, tweeted: “Dear @narendramodi. You will listen to the
Arabs because 5 million Indians are employed in their countries, but you will
not listen to the 500 million Indians employed in your country.”
“Reinstate Nupur. Or declare that no one from now on
is allowed to quote from the Hadiths,” he added in his tweet, referring to the
collection of sayings that constitute a key source of guidance for Muslims.
Some trolls uploaded posters saying “I support Nupur
Sharma” with the picture of the suspended spokesperson and demanded the arrest
of Mohammed Zubair of Alt News, the fact-checking website.
Zubair had tweeted the clip of Nupur Sharma’s
derogatory comments on Prophet Mohammed and criticised the anchor of the TV
show.
The rush to let off steam online may not mean much but
it offers a frightening insight into the deep inroads hate, fed and nourished
by those in high places, has made in the country and how it can take a life of
its own once unbolted.
Amid this storm on the social media, the BJP continued
with the silence it had chosen after suspending Sharma and her colleague Navin Jindal.
A media
conference was held at the BJP headquarters but it focused on targeting Delhi
chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal over the Enforcement Directorate
raids on his arrested minister Satyendra Jain.
Asked about reports that strict guidelines had been
issued for spokespersons, BJP leaders denied the claim. They said that orally
people had been asked to focus only on the good and pro-poor work of the Modi
government and not to pass unnecessary comments.
“Modiji in his address to party office-bearers had
asked everyone to stick to development and national interest and not fall in
the trap of our rivals trying to divert focus. This is the line to be followed
by spokespersons,” a BJP general secretary said.
Privately, party leaders acknowledged that the
suspension of Sharma had caused some unrest among their cadres and supporters
but at the same time claimed that in the long run, it would go in their favour.
“The people of Bharat are witnessing everything. Now
the same yardstick will be applied when Hindu deities are abused," one
leader said.
PTI on Tuesday quoted Sharma as saying that she
“accepts and respects” the party’s decision. “I have practically grown up in
the organisation. I respect and accept their decision,” Sharma said, asked
about the BJP’s action against her.
Source: Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
The Taliban Arrests Afghan YouTuber, Ajmal Haqiqi, and
Colleagues on Charges of Blasphemy
Representative Image/ Photo: Khaama Press
----
By Saqalain Eqbal
08 Jun 2022
The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence has
arrested Ajmal Haqiqi, a YouTuber from Afghanistan, and three of his colleagues
on charges of “insulting Islamic sacred values.”
Four of the young activists are handcuffed in a video
released on the Taliban’s intelligence agency’s Twitter handle, with Ajmal
Haqiqi confessing to “promoting indecency and lewdness, and insulting Quran
verses.”
One of Haqiqi’s colleagues, Gholam Sakhi, who was once
addicted to drugs and claimed to have a “mental condition,” recited verses from
the Qur’an in a humorous voice in a video posted by Haqiqi’s YouTube channel,
where Sakhi sings and dances.
Haqiqi laughs in that widely shared video as Sakhi
mimics recitations in a humorous voice. Sakhi’s conversational style is noted
for being funny and amusing.
Ajmal Haqiqi and Gholam Sakhi appeared in a second
video two days later, apologizing for his colleague’s actions and calling it a
mistake, claiming that he had a “mental disorder,” and that “the mistake is not
going to happen again.”
“No one is allowed to insult or ridicule the verses of
the Qur’an, the Prophet’s hadiths, or Islamic sanctities under the rule of the
Islamic system,” the Taliban intelligence agency wrote on Twitter. Those who
have recently insulted and disrespected the Qur’an’s holy verses; “They are
arrested.”
Ajmal Haqiqi, an Afghan model, stated in the confession
that the previous administration supported him to promote indecencies and
foreign culture.
He says in his video that he insulted the holy values
and sacred, and is ready to accept any judgment of the Taliban court. He
appears to read his confession from the script.
He also says to have marketed and promoted his YouTube
profile using a mentally ill person named Gholam Sakhi.
The Taliban has detained journalists and critics of
the group, including human rights activists, since regaining control of
Afghanistan.
The Taliban had previously released a video of a
number of detained protester women’s confessions, which sparked outrage.
The Taliban has been accused of imposing harsh
censorship on free media, as well as arrest and torture of journalists.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
White House Lauds Saudi Arabia As ‘Strategic Partner’
US President Joe Biden
gestures as he leaves the Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on May 22,
2022. (Reuters)
-----
07 June, 2022
The White House spoke highly of Saudi Arabia on
Tuesday in a tone that was noticeably more amicable than previous comments by
Biden administration officials over the last year.
Ties between Washington and Riyadh have soured since
the election of US President Joe Biden in January 2021. But the Russian
invasion of Ukraine and other geopolitical developments have seen Biden
administration officials look to ease the relationship, especially after Saudi
Arabia rebuffed US calls to increase their oil output.
“Saudi Arabia has been a strategic partner of the
United States for eight decades. Every president since FDR [Franklin Delano
Roosevelt] has met with Saudi leaders and the president [Biden] considers Saudi
Arabia an important partner on a host of regional and global strategies,” White
House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Speaking during a White House press briefing,
Jean-Pierre cited Saudi Arabia’s help in efforts US efforts to end the war in
Yemen, contain Iran and counter terrorism.
“Saudi pilots flew with ours in the war against ISIS,
its navy patrols with ours in the Red Sea and the Gulf, and the US military
personnel are based in Saudi Arabia,” she said.
Biden was expected to travel to Saudi Arabia later
this month to meet with top Saudi officials, including King Salman and Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Salman. But his schedule was never finalized and it is now
anticipated that he will make the trip in July along with a stop in Israel.
Mostly progressive Democrats have pushed back against
attempts to repair frayed ties between the US and Saudi Arabia, but Jean-Pierre
said that Biden would meet with any leader if it served the interests of the
American people. “He believes that engagement with Saudi leaders clearly meets
that test, as has every president before,” she said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
India
UP
CM Yogi Adityanath visits samadhi of Krishna's Muslim devotee in Mathura
TNN
| Jun 8, 2022
AGRA:
Amid the Kanpur violence over anti-Prophet statements by two senior BJP leaders
and widespread furore across the globe, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath on
Tuesday visited the shrine of a Muslim devotee of lord Krishna Syed Ibrahim
Khan -- known by his pen name Raskhan -- in Mathura.
During
his visit, Yogi said, “Bhakti jati-pati nahi dekhti” (there is no caste nor
religion in devotion). After offering flowers at the samadhi, the CM directed
officials concerned to organise weekly cultural programmes at the samadhi to
attract more visitors.
In
the visitors’ diary at the samadhi of Raskhan, an Indian Sufi poet, Yogi
praised the initiative of Braj Vikas Parishad to renovate and beautify the
samadhis of lord Krishna’s Muslim devotees -- Raskhan and Taj Bibi (wife of
Mughal emperor Akbar).
Raskhan
is a widely acknowledged poet, having dedicated most of his creations to lord
Krishna. In his early years, he became a follower of lord Krishna, learned
bhakti yoga and began living in Vrindavan, where he spent the rest of his life.
He accepted lord Krishna as the supreme god and became a vaishnava.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
RSS’
Ram Madhav says Muslims ‘need to give up 3 concepts’: ‘Kafir, ummah, jihad to
kill’
MADHUPARNA
DAS
8
June, 2022
New
Delhi: The three concepts of kafir (‘unbeliever’), ummah (a supra-national
community tied by religion) and jihad (‘struggle’, often used in the sense of
‘holy war’) are hindering the assimilation of Muslims into Indian society at
large, senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionary Ram Madhav has
said.
Once
Indian Muslims “accept” that their roots predate the Islamic invasions of the
country and forsake the “iconoclastic” mediaeval history of Islam, Hindus will
also stop talking about the “destruction that happened hundreds of years ago”,
Madhav, a member of the RSS’s national executive committee, said in an
exclusive interview with ThePrint.
Madhav
also came out in support of the “aggrieved” Kashmiri Pandits amid protests over
targeted killings in the Valley. He said that although the prime minister’s
employment package provided returning Pandits with jobs, “Where is the
security?” The RSS leader said that local stakeholders should be involved in
Kashmir-related discussions. “When killings are happening, there is no political
leadership to reach out to; they are sitting idle. We need to bring them back
into action.”
Discussing
the Hindu-Muslim legal tussle over the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, he
said,”Gyanvapi is offering a very good opportunity to all of us. In the case of
Ram Janmabhoomi, we (Hindus and Muslims) could not come together and negotiate
an acceptable settlement. We left it to the court. Gyanvapi, Kashi Viswanath
and Mathura are very important cases. We could have come together in 1990 and
resolved the Babri Masjid issue. But we could not come together and an
unfortunate incident (the demolition of the Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992)
happened.”
Referring
to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comments on the Gyanvapi case, and his averment
about not needing to find “a Shivling in every mosque”, Madhav said “Now,
Bhagwat ji was very clear about the present issue (of Gyanvapi). Neither the
RSS nor any affiliate demanded anything with regard to the Gyanvapi case,
rather the demand came from people. It is now pending before the court, and the
judiciary may take another decade. Can we come together and solve it? But for
coming together, Muslims have to accept that this happened during the mediaeval
Islamic invasion. We need to appreciate each other’s religious sentiments. Once
that happens, Hindus won’t need to dig up old issues, and also won’t need to
see a Shivling in every mosque.”
Muslims
need to give up three things, and the most important of them is giving up the
idea of calling non-Muslims kafir, he said.
“Islam
has five pillars — loyalty to the religion, namaz five times a day, zakat or
donation for the welfare of the people, fasting during Ramadan and taking a
pilgrimage to Mecca or Medina. Follow that, nobody will stop you (the Muslims)
in this country. There are three other things that come in the way of the large
issue of inclusivity in national society.
“The
concept of ummah which means, ‘we are a separate nation, because we are
Muslims’. They have to give this up. They have to stop believing in the whole
concept of kafir. According to them, non-Muslims are kafir, or sinners. In
day-to-day parlance, nobody is a kafir. They have to stop using that. And then
they have to sacrifice their way of jihad. If it is jihad, it has to be
internal. Many Muslim scholars say ‘jihad has to be internal.’ Jihad does not
mean you kill people of other religions,” Madhav said.
‘Be
Indian, stop relating to Islamic invaders’
Indian
Muslims have to “understand and accept” they are part of this land, and condemn
the “wrongdoings” of Islamic aggressors or invaders, Madhav said.
“Islam
came through invaders. Iconoclasm was an integral part of mediaeval Islam. They
not only did that with the Hindus in India, but also with the Christians in
Europe and with the Jews in Israel. The forefathers of Indian Muslims were
probably not even Muslims. They might have converted later, but that part of
Islamic history remained like an albatross around their neck. Indian Muslims
need to understand that they don’t need to carry (this history),” Madhav asserted.
Giving
the example of the Indonesian model of Islam, he said Indonesians had built a
temple complex “…and here Muslims are debating over history. Indian Muslims
should come forward and accept the mediaeval iconoclasm of the invaders. When
that happens, half of our problems will be solved,” Madhav said.
“Let
me draw a parallel, We have a large number of Christians. Christianity came
with the British and it is called Anglo culture. But do the Christians align
themselves with the British? Do they insist on the British legacy being owned?
No, they don’t. The religion continues, but nobody supports the acts of the
British.”
“Why
doesn’t the same thing happen to the Muslims? Why don’t they stand up and say
that they don’t support this history of invasion? Once that happens, as Bhagwat
ji rightly said, the Hindus will also stop talking about the destruction that
happened hundreds of years ago. But, they expect the Hindus to remain silent
and devoid of any religious sentiment, while they continue to relate themselves
to the iconoclastic mediaeval history of Islam,” he said, adding, “That way
harmony is very difficult to achieve.”
In
this context, Madhav mentioned a “general awakening” in the Hindu society,
saying that Hindus have now started taking pride in their civilisation. “That
is why politicians like Rahul Gandhi or Mamata Banerjee reiterate their Hindu
identity. A large number of Hindus are standing up for their rights. This is
not about vengeance, but about a bigger question. Are we part of the same society
or would some of us relate to the Britishers, or relate to the Mughals? Is this
the way we should live?”
He
added, “We can live in harmony too; that is why Bhagwat ji was so emphatic
about sitting together and initiating a dialogue. That will not happen through
political parties or the government. We have to initiate it. But the
pre-condition is an acceptance from Muslims. They have to say their ancestors
are from this country, and give up the ancestry of mediaeval Islamic invaders.”
‘Involve
locals in J&K’
In
order to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), Madhav argued that the
government must involve local people and stakeholders.
“All
(in government) who are putting their heads together to discuss Kashmir have no
local person. The Home minister, the NSA (national security advisor), the LG
(Lieutenant governor) are in charge of things, but where is the local
representation? Where are the (local) stakeholders? Sooner or later, we have to
include them in the process,” the Sangh functionary said.
“I
know the state substantially well, and with understanding I can say that it is
not only development that will bring peace in J&K, but the involvement of
local people,” he added.
In
his previous role as the BJP’s general secretary (organisation), Madhav was in
charge of J&K, and is credited with stitching up the BJP-People’s
Democratic Party alliance government in 2015. The BJP, however, pulled out of
the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government in August 2018.
“The
situation in the Kashmir Valley — and I must admit that it has spilled over to
Jammu too — needs greater attention from the Government of India. Terrorists
have changed their ways. Earlier, they used to attack the police or the Army in
an organised way; now they are into lone wolf attacks. They are more into
targeted killings. There is a need for greater vigilance and certain acts from
the government,” said Madhav.
“Some
work was done till 2018 as we had our government. If Yasin Malik was brought to
book that is because we had our government. Had the BJP government not come in
J&K, the NIA (National Investigation Agency) would never have had the
opportunity to continue with the investigation,” he added, referring to the
separatist leader’s arrest in a terror funding case.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
BJP
set to become ‘Muslim-free’ in Parliament when RS terms of Naqvi, Islam, Akbar
end
UNNATI
SHARMA
8
June, 2022
New
Delhi: The BJP will have no Muslim representative in Parliament after the terms
of three incumbent Rajya Sabha MPs — Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Syed Zafar Islam and
M.J. Akbar — end in June and July.
The
ruling party has 301 members in the Lok Sabha, but none of them is Muslim.
Naqvi,
the Union Minority Affairs Minister, will bid adieu to the Upper House of
Parliament on 7 July. Islam’s tenure ends on 4 July, while Akbar will retire on
29 June. While 57 seats across 15 states are up for grabs on 10 June, no Muslim
figures in the BJP’s list of Rajya Sabha candidates.
BJP’s
Minority Morcha chief Jamal Siddiqui sought to put the onus for the poor
representation on Muslims, saying they have chosen the wrong platforms to
represent the community electorally.
“Naqvi
sahab, Zafar sahab and other Muslim leaders were in the Rajya Sabha because of
their own merit, and not because of their faith. Naqvi sahab is among the top
leaders of the party. (Former Deutsche Bank managing director) Zafar sahab
knows finance in and out, and we all know how renowned M.J. Akbar is as a
journalist,” Siddiqui said.
“The
BJP has never sent anyone to the House, or removed them, on the basis of
religion. It is not true that the party doesn’t have representation of Muslims,
but, as a community, we need to introspect. Muslims have considered wrong
people their heroes.”
Siddiqui
said the party may have had its reasons not to re-nominate Naqvi and Zafar.
“The party might have more important roles for them,” he added.
Political
analysts believe the low representation will eventually be a cause of concern
for the BJP.
Ahead
of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh election, Siddiqui had said in an interview with
ThePrint that the BJP should field at least 20 Muslim candidates as the morcha
had “identified 100 seats that have 30 per cent minority population, 140 with
20 per cent minority vote and 40 with 60-70 per cent”.
But
the BJP repeated its 2017 pattern of not fielding Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. Its
ally, the Apna Dal (Sonelal), fielded Haider Ali, but he lost from Suar to
Samajwadi Party veteran Azam Khan’s son Abdullah Azam Khan.
While
Mohsin Raza was the lone Muslim face in the Yogi Adityanath government in 2017,
Danish Azad Ansari replaced him as the minorities welfare minister in the
second edition. Like Raza, Ansari is also likely to take the Legislative
Council route to continue as minister.
“It
is true that there is no dearth of potential talented leaders in the community,
but, unfortunately, they have been using the wrong platform. That is why the
community could not progress much . If Muslims connect with us, and are willing
to join the BJP, they will surely be given the platform and opportunity to grow
in the party,” Siddiqui told ThePrint.
No
Muslims in Lok Sabha, assemblies from BJP
In
the 17th Lok Sabha, Lok Janshakti Party’s Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser from
Bihar’s Khagaria constituency is the only Muslim MP from the BJP-led National
Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The
BJP fielded 6 Muslim candidates in the 2019 general elections, but all of them
lost. The party’s 7 candidates in 2014 faced the same outcome.
The
BJP’s Muslim representation is poor at the level of states and Union
territories as well. Syed Shahnawaz Hussain in Bihar and Mohsin Raza and Bukkal
Nawab in Uttar Pradesh — all members of the legislative councils — constitute
its Muslim representation in states.
In
Assam, where 31 MLAs are Muslim, none belongs to the BJP or its allies.
The
number of Muslim MLAs in Uttar Pradesh rose to 34 in 2022, but none is from the
BJP. Danish Azad Ansari is the lone Muslim face in the Yogi Adityanath
government but he did not contest the 2022 assembly election.
In
West Bengal, which has the highest number of Muslim legislators at 44, 43 are
from the Trinamool Congress and one from the Indian Secular Front. In the 2021
West Bengal assembly election, the BJP fielded 9 Muslim candidates but all of
them lost.
Former
Rajasthan minister Yunus Khan, the BJP’s sole Muslim minister in the Vasundhara
Raje government formed in 2018, said the decisions about whom to field are
taken by the party’s parliamentary board, which is the highest decision-making
body of the party.
He
refused to comment further on queries about how he sees the representation of
Muslim community in the BJP.
Political
analyst Rasheed Kidwai asserted that the issue is far more complex.
“It
takes two to tango. Normally, in a democracy, two sides have a mutual interest
and it works fine for both. But unfortunately it has been a problem between the
BJP and the Muslims since the time of the Jana Sangh. It is a bit unfortunate,
but it is not a simplistic equation that blame may be put on the BJP’s doorstep
because they also need diversity and representation considering vote-bank
politics,” Kidwai told ThePrint.
The
Muslims are also not drawn towards the BJP, he said. “But in a democracy, it is
all about numbers, So if a community is 16-18 per cent of the total population,
it must reflect in the party and political positions, and, therefore, it is a
cause of concern for the BJP.”
Arvind
Kumar, political analyst and scholar at University of London, said it “is one
of the important strategies of the BJP that it has tried to project
marginalisation of Muslims in politics — but not much in the economic or social
sphere”.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gyanvapi
mosque row: PIL seeks panel to unravel truth of structure
Jun
7, 2022
LUCKNOW:
A Public Interest Litigation ( PIL) seeking constitution of a committee to be
headed by a Supreme Court or high court judge to ascertain the truth regarding
the recently found structure in Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi has been filed in
the registry of the Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Tuesday.
The
PIL is likely to come up for hearing before a vacation bench of justice Rajesh
Singh Chauhan and justice Subhash Vidyarthi on June 9.
The
PIL has been filed by six persons – Sudhir Singh, Ravi Mishra, Mahant Balak
Das, Shivendra Pratap Singh, Markendey Tiwari, Rajiv Rai and Atul Kumar –
claiming to be devotees of Lord Shiva.
The
petitioners have made the central government, state government and
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) the opposite parties in the case.
In
their plea, the petitioners have said that recently a structure emerged on the
Gyanvyapi mosque premises in Varanasi, which Hindus claim to be a shivling
while Muslims insist that it is a fountain.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
4
terrorists, including 2 Pakistanis, killed in J&K since Monday
Jun
7, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Four terrorists, including two Pakistanis, were killed in joint
operations by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and central security forces in the
restive valley in the last two days, officials said on Tuesday.
The
action followed Union home minister Amit Shah's directive to security forces to
eliminate those involved in the recent series of violent incidents in Kashmir
at the two high-level meetings he held in a fortnight.
The
Jammu and Kashmir Police, the Army and the Central Armed Police Forces have
killed four terrorists since Monday in three different encounters, officials
said.
Of
the slain terrorists, three belonged to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and one was
affiliated to the Hizbul Mujahideen. Two of the slain terrorists were
Pakistanis and the other two locals, they said.
While
Hanzula and Tufail were from Lahore, Ishtiaq Lone was from Tral and Nadeem a
native of Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
AK-56
rifles, grenades and a huge quantity of ammunition have been recovered from
these terrorists, officials said.
In
his meeting on June 3, the home minister had categorically instructed all
agencies involved in counterterrorism operations to hunt down terrorists who
disturbed the peace in Jammu and Kashmir, they said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
7
out of 10 Muslims in UK experience Islamophobia at work: Survey
Muhammad
Mussa
07.06.2022
LONDON
Seven
in 10 British Muslims have experienced some form of Islamophobia in the
workplace, according to a new poll released on Tuesday.
The
survey showed some 69% of Muslims currently employed in the UK faced some sort
of Islamophobic behavior during work-related engagements.
These
included interactions with customers, clients, and other people (44%), during
work-related social events (42%), and when seeking promotions (40%).
The
survey was commissioned by Hyphen, "a new online publication focusing on
issues important to Muslims across the UK and Europe," and conducted by
polling company Savanta ComRes.
A
total of 1,503 British Muslims were interviewed between April 22 and May 10 to
collect data that, according to the pollsters, is representative of UK Muslims
by age, gender, ethnicity, and region.
Black
Muslims were found to have experienced higher levels of Islamophobia compared
to other Muslims.
While
37% of all Muslims reported instances of discrimination at the recruitment
stage, the figure spike to 58% for Black Muslims.
The
Muslim community in the UK has also felt the brunt of the cost of living
crisis, with 54% of respondents saying that affording basic household expenses
– water, gas and electricity bills, food, and fuel – is a greater challenge
than five years ago.
Still
hopeful
Despite
rising Islamophobia and discrimination, as well as the financial crunch, there
is optimism among UK Muslims over broader participation in society, according
to a report detailing the poll results.
Just
over 50% said their lives have improved over the past five years, 68% felt
participation of Muslims in society has increased, while 53% were of the view
that Muslims today enjoy more acceptance in the UK.
Additionally,
55% said there are better opportunities for Muslims to be successful in the UK
and 58% agreed that young Muslims now have more role models to look up to in
the UK.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
body rebukes Israel for seeking ‘complete control’ over Occupied Palestinian
Territory
June
8, 2022
GENEVA:
An independent commission of inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council
after last year’s Gaza conflict said Israel must do more than end the
occupation of land Palestinians want for a state, according to a report
released on Tuesday.
Israel’s
ministry of foreign affairs called the report “a waste of money and effort”
that amounted to a witch-hunt. Israel boycotted the inquiry, accusing it of
bias and barred entry to its investigators.
While
prompted by the 11-day May 2021 conflict in which 250 Gaza Palestinians and 13
people in Israel died, the inquiry mandate includes alleged human rights abuses
before and after that and seeks to investigate the “root causes” of the
tensions.
It
cites evidence saying Israel has “no intention of ending the occupation” and is
pursuing “complete control” over what it calls the Occupied Palestinian
Territory, including East Jerusalem, which was taken by Israel in 1967.
“Ending
the occupation alone will not be sufficient,” the report says, urging
additional action to ensure the equal enjoyment of human rights.
Citing
an Israeli law denying naturalisation to Palestinians married to Israelis, the
report accuses the country of affording “different civil status, rights and
legal protection” for Arab minorities. Israel says such measures safeguard
national security and the country’s Jewish character.
The
Israel ministry added: “It is a biased and one-sided report tainted with hatred
for the state of Israel and based on a long series of previous one-sided and
biased reports.” Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but, with the help of Egypt,
clamps down on the borders of the enclave now governed by Hamas. Palestinian
authorities have limited self-rule in the West Bank, which is dotted with
Israeli settlements.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ukraine
presses to buy Israel's Iron Dome
08
June, 2022
Ukraine’s
ambassador is urging Israel to sell its Iron Dome rocket interception system
and provide anti-tank missiles to defend civilians against Russia’s invasion.
Yevgen
Korniychuk on Tuesday stopped short of accusing Israel of blocking the sale of
the missile defense system. But he wants the Israeli government to back up its
verbal support for Ukraine with military assistance. At a news conference in
Tel Aviv, he said Ukraine wants to buy the Iron Dome system, contending that
the US would not oppose such a sale.
The
US has been financially supporting Israel’s Iron Dome for about a decade,
providing about $1.6 billion for its production and maintenance, according to
the Congressional Research Service. The system is designed to intercept and
destroy short-range rockets fired into Israel.
Korniychuk
also said Israel last week declined a US request for Germany to deliver
Israeli-licensed “Spike” anti-tank missiles to Ukraine.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/06/08/Ukraine-presses-to-buy-Israel-s-Iron-Dome
--------
Türkiye
rejects 'biased, unrealistic' report by European Parliament
Beyza
Binnur Donmez
07.06.2022
Türkiye
on Tuesday rejected "biased and unrealistic assessments" from the
European Parliament with a "shallow and visionless approach" in its
2021 report on the country.
Releasing
a statement after the legislative body's General Assembly approved the report
earlier in the day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara does not accept
the report which ignores the need to strengthen relations between Türkiye and
the EU through mutual efforts.
Türkiye
primarily expects the European Parliament not to become a tool for
"narrow-minded circles," as well as to have an encouraging attitude
towards EU institutions for the revival of the accession talks, it added.
However,
it has so far taken the "opposite stance," the statement asserted,
adding that this attitude is "not surprising" from the European
Parliament, which tolerates members of terrorist groups making terrorist
propaganda.
The
EU parliament had lost its credibility in the eyes of the Turkish public, the
ministry said and stressed that the "baseless views" in the report
reflecting claims on democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Türkiye
and the "narrow-minded" efforts of some EU members relating to the
Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Cyprus issues were "of no use to
us."
Türkiye
expects the EU and all EU institutions to fulfill their obligations towards
Ankara, revitalize the accession process, accelerate dialogue on visa
liberalization, start talks to update the Customs Union, increase cooperation
in the fight against terrorism, and, especially, implement the 2016 voluntary
humanitarian admission scheme within the scope of migration cooperation, it
said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Unidentified
Men Abduct a Businessman in Mazar-e-Sharif
By
Saqalain Eqbal
07
Jun 2022
Unknown
men abducted a businessman in Mazar-e-Sharif, according to Taliban security
authorities in Balkh province.
Khwaja
Siddiq Siddiqui, the President of the Taj Telayee Company, which deals in
importing and producing chicken meat, was kidnapped before noon on Monday, 6th
of June, according to local sources.
Khwaja
Siddiq Siddiqui was abducted on Monday morning near the Baba Yadgar checkpoint
in Mazar-e-Sharif’s fourth district while driving his daughter to school, said
to Mohammad Asif Waziri, a spokesman for the Taliban’s chief of police in Balkh
province.
This
businessman’s fate remains unknown even after several hours.
According
to the Taliban’s Balkh police office, efforts to secure his release have begun.
According
to provincial officials and dealers, traders and businesses in the northern
Balkh Province are increasingly investing in the growing poultry sector, which
employs over 3,000 people.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/unidentified-men-abduct-a-businessman-in-mazar-e-sharif-45758/
--------
SIGAR:
Allegations of Former President Ghani’s Escape with $169M Are “Unlikely to Be
True”
By
Saqalain Eqbal
07
Jun 2022
The
US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) says the
claim that former Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani transferred $169
million while fleeing the country is “unlikely to be true”.
According
to a recent report provided by the SIGAR, the interim findings by indicate that
on the day of the former Afghan government’s collapse, tens of millions of
dollars had vanished from various departments of the previous administration,
particularly the National Directorate of Security.
The
interim findings of SIGAR indicate although that some cash was stolen from the
palace grounds and carried onboard the helicopters carrying Ashraf Ghani,
evidence suggests that the total amount did not surpass $1 million and was
likely closer to $500,000.
Following
the collapse of the Afghan government, numerous media outlets stated that
former President Ashraf Ghani and his senior advisers escaped Afghanistan with
millions of dollars in cash loaded onto helicopters that flew them from the
presidential palace to Termez, Uzbekistan, on August 15, 2021.
The
Russian embassy in Kabul claimed in the press that the helicopters contained
$169 million, and the Afghan ambassador to Tajikistan, Zahir Aghbar, reiterated
these assertions in a news conference two days later.
Ambassador
Aghbar also vowed to seek President Ghani’s arrest from Interpol. Aghbar, on
the other hand, refused to speak with SIGAR or provide any evidence to support
his claims.
John
Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, wrote to
the US House of Representatives and the US Senate that “Although SIGAR found
that some cash was taken from the grounds of the palace and loaded onto these
helicopters, evidence indicates that this number did not exceed $1 million and
may have been closer in value to $500,000”.
According
to SIGAR’s report, $5 million in cash was allegedly left behind at the presidential
palace and was supposedly split by members of the Presidential Protective
Service (PPS) after the helicopters had left but before the Taliban seized the
palace.
According
to SIGAR, personnel of the PPS Office placed the money in multiple bags and
attempted to transport it out of the palace’s main gate, which leads to the
Ariana crossroads, using the previous president’s special motorcade.
When
the guards of the palace at the Ariana crossroads stopped these PPS personnel,
they claimed that they had been assigned to provide security and transfer Hamid
Karzai, Afghanistan’s former president.
This
$5 million, according to multiple former senior officials, was the president’s
personal money, which was reported in his assets. In an interview with SIGAR, a
former senior official asserted that this was the case, claiming that the
president spent the money to help displaced Afghans even in the final days
before the collapse.
Former
government officials said that around $70 million in operational funding from
the Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) was used to arm and fund
anti-Taliban militias, according to the report.
The
official claimed that a group had threatened him to designate a person of their
choice as the financial manager of the department. He said that he was offered
an amount of 20 million, which is the half of the department’s budget, if he
complied with their demands.
SIGAR investigation reveals that a substantial
amount of money was lost on the day of Kabul’s fall, including $5 million at
the presidential palace and tens of millions in National Directorate of
Security. However, SIGAR is unable to determine the exact amount of money
stolen.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Former
Afghan minister returns to Kabul at Taliban invitation
June
08, 2022
KABUL:
A former Afghan minister, who fled as the Taliban took over Afghanistan last
year, returned on Wednesday, officials said, following security assurances
given as part of the hard-line group’s initiative to woo back high-profile
individuals.
Ghulam
Farooq Wardak, a member of the cabinets of former presidents Hamid Karzai and
Ashraf Ghani, is the latest in a string of returning officials, said Taliban
officials looking to shore up a government yet to win international
recognition.
Wardak
had returned from Turkey, said Ahmad Wasiq, the spokesman of a body set up by
the Taliban to negotiate the return of high-profile Afghans abroad.
Other
officials to return included a former spokesman for the defense ministry, the
former head of Afghanistan’s national power company, and some military
officials, he told Reuters.
While
Reuters could not immediately verify the return of the others, Wardak spoke to
state-run media after landing in Afghanistan.
“Most
authorities are thinking about returning,” the former education minister said,
adding that he felt respect and happiness in his home, although he cautioned
that a small group might not want to come back.
Most
high-profile officials fled Afghanistan as the Taliban took over last August,
including Ghani, the president at the time, who is now in the UAE. Karzai
remains in Kabul, the capital.
The
Taliban set up the high-powered panel to negotiate the returns a few weeks ago,
with nine members, including the intelligence and military chiefs.
It
has the power to ensure amnesty, and provide security to returning officials,
as well as ensuring work in the private sector.
Since
last year, former government personalities, especially security officials have
faced reprisals nationwide, say international bodies and media.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2099166/world
--------
North
America
Canada's
Muslims renew calls to tackle Islamophobia one year after deadly attack
7
June 2022
On
the one-year anniversary of a deadly attack that killed four members of the
Afzaal family in London, Ontario, Muslim community leaders are renewing calls
for the Canadian government to tackle Islamophobia in the country.
On
Monday, delegates met with parliament members in the capital, Ottawa, demanding
concrete action to address Islamophobia and hate crimes, reaching all the way
up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who tweeted a photo of a meeting with
delegates from the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).
The
meetings between Muslim advocates and parliament members came a day after
thousands took to the streets of London for a march to commemorate the
anniversary of last year's killing of four members of the Afzaal family.
Last
June, Nathaniel Veltman, 20, deliberately slammed his pick-up truck into Salman
Afzaal, 46; his wife Madiha, 44; his 74-year old mother Talat; and their
15-year-old daughter Yumna as they were waiting to cross the road. All four
family members were killed, with the only survivor being the couple's
nine-year-old son Faez.
The
Toronto police chief said at the time that the victims were “targeted because
of their Islamic faith”.
The
attack placed the Muslim community in Canada in a state of fear, grief and
anxiety, renewing the same sorrow many held in the aftermath of a deadly 2017
assault on a Quebec mosque that left six worshippers dead, and a fatal stabbing
at another mosque in Toronto in 2020.
The
attack, however, did not take place in a vacuum, according to members of
London's Muslim community. In 2020, researchers found the number of hate groups
operating in the country had tripled in recent years. Trudeau vowed to tackle
the problem and held a national summit on Islamophobia in July 2021.
"This
afternoon in London, thousands of people showed up to honour the Afzaal family;
to be there for Fayez, who survived; and to march against Islamophobia,"
Trudeau tweeted on Sunday. The prime minister attended Sunday's march.
"In
memory of #OurLondonFamily, we must keep working together and using every tool
we have to combat this hatred."
Canada
opens call for Islamophobia envoy
In
response to calls from Muslim community leaders, the Canadian government has
opened up applications for an envoy for combating Islamophobia, a role that
would reach out to communities and advise the prime minister and the government
on the best ways to fight hate against Muslims in Canada.
“It
is impacting Muslim Canadians from across the country,” Minister for Diversity
and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen said.
"The
application process is open for anyone interested to fulfill the role," he
continued. "They will issue recommendations and they will work tirelessly
to promote work to combat Islamophobia."
Fatema
Abdalla of the NCCM said the announcement is a step in the right direction, but
added that more needs to be done to ensure better protection of Muslim
communities.
“It’s
about time that we see action,” she told CityNews.
"Security
infrastructure program funding that allows for mosques and places of worship to
better protect themselves."
The
group is also calling for more action to tackle online hate, a national public
education campaign on Islamophobia, as well as changes to the criminal code.
Last
year, NCCM put forward a list of 61 recommendations to tackle Islamophobia in
the country, including putting a pause on "Countering Violent
Extremism" programmes that have been found to target Muslim communities.
The
recommendations also include the development of a federal anti-Islamophobia
strategy that includes a clear definition of Islamophobia by the end of the
year and funding to help support victims of hate-motivated crimes.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
says Iran’s demands to lift IRGC sanctions behind failure to revive nuclear
deal
07
June, 2022
The
US told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday that Iran’s
demands to lift sanctions off their Revolutionary Guards were behind the
failure to revive the abandoned 2015 nuclear deal.
“We
have made clear we stand ready to quickly implement a mutual return to the
JCPOA. What we need is a willing partner in Iran. In particular, Iran would
need to drop demands for sanctions lifting that clearly go beyond the JCPOA and
that are now preventing us from concluding a deal,” the US said, referring to
the nuclear deal by its technical name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA).
Months
of negotiations to revive the nuclear pact, under which Iran restricts its
nuclear program in return for relief from economic sanctions, have stalled.
In
addition to lifting economic sanctions imposed on it under the deal, Tehran has
demanded that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) be removed from the
US foreign terrorist organizations (FTO) blacklist.
The
IRGC is a powerful military force in Iran that has a foreign espionage arm –
the Quds Force – which Washington accuses of conducting a global terrorist
campaign.
Many
US lawmakers oppose removing the IRGC designation and have urged President Joe
Biden against yielding to Iran’s demands.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
mediator to visit Lebanon for talks on Israel border dispute
Wassim
Seif El Din
07.06.2022
BEIRUT,
Lebanon
US
mediator Amos Hochstein will visit Lebanon next week for talks on a maritime
border dispute with Israel, the Lebanese parliament speaker said on Tuesday.
Nabih
Berri told a parliamentary session that Hochstein will arrive in Beirut on
Sunday or Monday.
Tension
rose between Lebanon and Israel earlier this week following the entry of a ship
called Energean Power into a disputed maritime area.
On
Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said the dispute with Lebanon over
natural gas will be solved within the framework of indirect negotiations under
US mediation.
Lebanon
and Israel are engaged in a dispute over a maritime area that is 860 square
kilometers (332 square miles), according to maps sent by both counties to the
UN in 2011.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistani
Senators Call For Boycotting Indian Trade Following Insult to Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH)
June
8, 2022
Pakistani
lawmakers on Monday condemned the derogatory remarks of two BJP officials
against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), asking for boycotting trade with India.
Lawmakers
from both sides of the aisle came together in the upper house of the Parliament
on Monday to demand an immediate trade boycott of India by banning all Indian
products in Pakistani markets as Senate unanimously passed a resolution that condemned
the “highly derogatory and sacrilegious remarks” made by two senior members of
India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) against the Holy Prophet Hazrat
Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
“These
derogatory remarks reflect the fascist face of Indian government which deeply
hurt the sentiments of the people of Pakistan, Muslims and respectful people
across the world,” read the resolution moved by former deputy chairman Senate
Saleem Mandviwalla from Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The
Senate, in the resolution, stated that it was deeply concerned at the rising
communal violence and hatred against Muslims in India.
“Muslims
are being systematically stigmatised, marginalised and subjected to a
well-orchestrated state-sponsored physical, economic, social and religious
assault from radical mentality in India,” it said.
The
Senate expressed its strong commitment towards defending Namoos-e-Risaalat of
the last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) at national, regional and international
fora.
The
house reaffirmed its resolution, passed on May 30, against the spreading
Islamophobia in Sweden and across the world.
The
house unanimously demanded of the federal government to take the following
actions: (i) Summon an emergency OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation)
conference for recording strong condemnation and protest against the
“state-sponsored anti-Islam and sacrilegious acts in India and call upon all
Muslim states to carry out diplomatic, economic and political boycott of
India.” (ii) Record strong condemnation and protest at United Nations against
the spreading Islamophobia, “anti-Muslim, anti-Islamic and fascist
state-sponsored policies in India and other states.” (iii) Mobilise all sources
of internal and external publicity for protection of Namoos-e-Risaalat (PBUH)
in Pakistan and across the world. (iv) Carry out immediate trade boycott of
India by banning all Indian products in Pakistani markets.
Apart
from this resolution, Chairman Senate, in a ruling, decided that senators would
march, after Juma prayer (June 10), towards the Indian Embassy to record their
protest by handing over the unanimous resolution to the high officials of the
Indian High Commission.
A
three-member delegation will also be sent to the OIC to record protest against
the “scathing remarks which have hurt the sentiment of Muslims worldwide,”
Sanjrani decided.
“We
urge the Muslim community and world Parliaments to raise this issue and the
matter of Islamophobia on all platforms,” the Senate chief remarked, presiding
over the house sitting.
Earlier,
Leader of the Opposition in Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem demanded that the routine
agenda of the house be suspended to take up the issue of blasphemous remarks by
the two BJP officials. He demanded that a joint resolution be moved in the
house in condemnation of this blasphemy. He also demanded that Indian products
be boycotted across the globe.
Mushtaq
Ahmed from Jamaat-e-Islami demanded that OIC session be convened to take up the
issue of blasphemy by BJP office-bearers. “Holy Prophet is our redline. Whosoever
will try to cross this redline will have to pay through the nose,” he said. The
JI senator also demanded that Indian products be boycotted worldwide.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
For
Pakistan, peace with TTP jihadists can prove as bloody as war
PRAVEEN
SWAMI
8
June, 2022
Either
kill me or stop it now,” Chand Bibi whimpered in between screams of pain. As
the men of the village watched, she had been pinned to the ground by two men,
one her brother. Then, with metronomic precision, a black-turbaned cleric took
his lash to her body. Early in 2009, Pakistan had signed a peace deal with
jihadists of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), ceding them control of the
Swat valley’s judicial system. The video was widely circulated, an education on
life in the shade of the Sharia.
She
came out of her house with another guy who was not her husband,” a TTP spokesperson said, “so we must punish her.”
“There are boundaries you cannot cross.”
Last
month, that spokesperson—jihadist commander Muslim Khan—was secretly flown out
of death row at a military prison in Pakistan, into the custody of the Afghan
Taliban in Kabul. The release is key to
a series of complex steps to secure a deal with the TTP. Led by
Lieutenant-General Faiz Hameed, former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence
and now commanding officer of the Peshawar-headquartered XI corps.
Even
as the TTP and the Pakistan Army have ostensibly been observing a ceasefire,
jihadist attacks have continued. Just this week, a soldier was killed in an
attack on a military post in North Waziristan, and eight more died in an
assault across the Afghan border last month. Escalating TTP violence since its
Taliban patrons took power in Kabul—the worst in years, according to scholars
Amira Jadoon and Abdul Sayeed—gives Islamabad excellent reason to make do a
deal.
Yet,
the forgotten video of Chand Bibi’s punishment and the massive surge in
violence of which it was just a small part are reminders that peace with the
jihadists might prove as bloody as war.
The
rise of Muslim Khan
From
interviews conducted by the journalist Imtiaz Ali, it is clear Muslim Khan’s
story mirrors those of many jihadist leadership from Pakistan’s north-west.
Educated at a government-run school in Koza Banda, the village where he was
born, Khan is believed to have gone on to study at Jahanzeb Government Graduate
College, in the town of Mingora, in 1972.
He marked the rise of a new, educated class which hoped to sweep aside feudal
tribal leadership—and discovered the Kalashnikov just the tool for the cause.
The
period was the high-noon of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the charismatic prime minister
who melded socialism with Islam. Led by the cleric Kausar Niazi—who preached a
kind of liberation theology, casting Sharia as the key to social justice—
Muslim Khan dropped out of postgraduate studies to become a full-time
Pakistan’s People Party activist.
By
Muslim Khan’s own account of events, he was passionately committed to the
cause: On one occasion, he kidnapped two government officials after a PPP
student activist was killed, and ended up serving almost a month in prison for
the crime.
Like
millions of other young radicals, though, Muslim Khan’s early political career
ended in disillusion. From the early 1980s, Khan told journalist Abdul Hai
Kakar, he left Swat to work with a British shipping company. There are
accounts, somewhat opaque, that the jihad commander also worked in the United
States, first with a house-painting company in Boston, and at a petrol pump.
Then,
after the first Gulf War broke out, Muslim Khan returned home and set up a
pharmaceutical store in Mingora. The diaspora dream was in sight—but Khan
hadn’t quite given up on politics.
Fighting
for Sharia
From
early in the 1990s, Muslim Khan became active in the
Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM), or the Movement for Implementing
the Prophet Muhammad’s Law. Led by the former Jamaat-e-Islami politician Sufi
Muhammad Bin Hassan, the movement called for the implementation of the Sharia
in Swat. The TNSM mobilised against prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s government
in 1994, drawing tens of thousands into its crusade against a woman ruling.
And
following 9/11, Sufi Muhammad raised thousands of volunteers to fight along the
Afghan Taliban. Imprisoned for this crime until 2008, the TNSM left control to
his son-in-law Fazal Hayat—and a generation of jihadists who would go on to
found the TTP five years later.
Like
so many of the TNSM’s rank-and-file, Muslim Khan became impatient with Sufi
Muhammad’s calls for political struggle against the Pakistani state. In one
interview, he called the TNSM a party of “old men who can do nothing.”
In
interviews, Muslim Khan laid out an expansive view of his aims. “Initially we
want implementation of Sharia in our own region,” he declared, “and then we
would like the same in the North-West Frontier Province and then ultimately the
whole of Pakistan. He called on Muslims to unite in a single nation, “and form
a single army and single currency.” “The concept of the Western form of
democracy,” Khan insisted, “is against Sharia.”
Arrested
in 2009, in the course of a Pakistan Army offensive into Swat, Muslim Khan was
eventually convicted by a military court for the killings of 34 people,
including four soldiers. He was also found guilty, a Pakistan Army press
release said, of kidnapping two Chinese nationals for ransom. General Qamar
Javed Bajwa, Pakistan’s army chief, personally signed off on the sentence.
The
appointment with the hangman never came, though. Last year, when
Lieutenant-General Faiz began negotiating with the TTP in Kabul—using community
elders as go-betweens—Muslim Khan’s name was among those of over 100 prisoners
the jihadist group sought released. The death-row convict’s release would have
caused deep embarrassment to the Pakistan army, though.
Eventually,
Taliban interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, and intelligence chief, Abdul
Haq Wasiq, brokered a deal to hand key prisoners over to Kabul, while a final
peace deal is hammered out.
Islamabad’s
perilous peace deals
Following
the surge of jihadist violence after 9/11, Daud Khattak has recorded, military
ruler General Pervez Musharraf signed a peace agreement with commander Nek
Muhammad Wazir. The agreement unravelled inside days. In 2005, there was
another deal with jihadist warlord Baitullah Mehsud; the third in Swat; several more, written or informal, in
2008-2009. Finally, in 2014, Pakistan’s army was forced to go to war against
the jihadists, after the collapse of talks under prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Each
peace deal saw jihadists resiling on their promises to sever ties with
transnational groups like al-Qaeda—and step-up attacks on civilians opposed to
them. Even the ideologically-sympathetic prime minister Imran Khan—who “preached
for understanding for the arsonist”, scholar Ahsan Butt has wryly
observed—failed to secure peace.
Islamabad
had hoped that the rise of the Taliban would see the TTP evicted from its
safe-havens in Afghanistan. Instead, thousands of TTP prisoners were released,
making their way home.
Faced
with an economic meltdown, as well as political chaos, the Pakistan army likely
believes going to war is not now a viable choice. Even though the Pakistan army
cannot publicly concede the TTP’s demands—among them, the withdrawal of the
military from the tribal areas of the north-west, and the imposition of Sharia
across the region—it’s seeking to buy time.
Chand
Bibi disappeared from the news seven years after she was tortured. Summoned to
the Supreme Court of Pakistan, she—wisely—testified that nothing had happened.
Three judges, led by chief justice Mian Saqib Nisar, concluded that the video
was fake. Exactly who might have made it, or why, was never made clear.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistanis
held in Italy over suspected links to Charlie Hebdo attack
June
8, 2022
ROME:
Italy’s anti-terrorism police and Europol on Tuesday arrested Pakistanis
suspected of links to the man who attacked France’s Charlie Hebdo magazine in
2020.
The
sting led to “arrests in Italy and abroad of Pakistani citizens with direct
ties” to Zaheer Hassan Mahmood, a Pakistani man accused of attacking two people
with a meat cleaver weeks after the magazine republished controversial cartoons
of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), Italian police said.
It
did not say how many were arrested.
Europol’s
European Counter Terrorism Centre coordinated the operation along with
anti-terrorism police in France and Spain, according to police in Genoa in
north-western Italy, where a judge signed 14 arrest warrants concerning
offences related to “international terrorism”.
Genoa’s
Il Secolo XIX daily said eight of the arrest warrants had been carried out in
Italy against people belonging to “a network of Islamic extremists... who were
plotting attacks”.
The
probe began in Genoa because one of the suspects lives in the area, but months
of “wiretaps, stakeouts, tailing suspects and comparing numerous data with
police in other countries” revealed other members of the gang in other parts of
Italy, France and Spain, it said.
The
investigation continues into others with alleged ties to those targeted in
Tuesday’s sting, it added.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Four
terrorists killed in North Waziristan, Noshki: ISPR
June
8, 2022
PESHAWAR/QUETTA:
Security forces killed four suspected terrorists during operations in North
Waziristan tribal district and Balochistan’s Noshki district on Tuesday.
According
to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), two terrorists were killed
during an exchange of fire with the security forces in the Hassankhel area of
Mirali tehsil in North Waziristan. Arms and ammunition were seized from the
possession of the dead terrorists who, according to the ISPR statement, were
involved in subversive activities.
According
to the ISPR, two terrorists were killed during an operation in the Parodh area
of Noshki district. Sources said the terrorists tried to escape from their
hideout and opened fire on security forces. During the exchange of fire, two
terrorists allegedly belonging to the banned Baloch Republic Army were killed.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1693697/four-terrorists-killed-in-north-waziristan-noshki-ispr
--------
How
Pakistan turned its back on Afghan musicians who fled Taliban rule
7
June, 2022
Afghan
musicians who fled the country in search of a better life have landed directly
into the fire in Pakistan. Over the last couple of days, many have been
arrested and deported back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan under the Foreigners
Act, 1946.
At
a protest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the musicians told The Express Tribune that
the police bring deportation charges as soon as they learn they are artists.
“I
have a large household, including an ailing father, to take care of… I had no
source of income; therefore, I came to Peshawar,” one of the musicians told
Dawn without giving his real name.
About
150 Afghan artists have been living in Peshawar since August 2021. For these
artists, whether to flee Afghanistan or not was not a choice. “Taliban will not
leave us if we don’t quit our profession,” singer Pasun Munawar said. Another
singer Ajmal reportedly changed his attire before arriving in Peshawar.
Taliban’s
ban
The
Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on 15 August 2021 put an unofficial ban on
music, sports, education (the latter two mainly for women). Many have either
fled the country or stopped performing at all.
With
the US invasion, Afghanistan saw a return of its strong musical tradition,
influenced by Iranian and Indian classical music. In the last 20 years, before
Joe Biden ordered withdrawal of US troops, a thriving pop music scene had also
developed in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan
National Institute of Music had done the unthinkable by being home to the
country’s first all-female orchestra. Zohra used to perform to huge audiences
both nationally and internationally.
Now,
videos of the Taliban smashing and burning instruments are all over social
media.
In
October 2021, Taliban members shot dead two people and injured two others over
music being played at a wedding in Surkh Rod, Nangarhar province.
Pakistan’s
law
Four
Afghan musicians spent a week in a jail in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa before social
media uproar led to a local court granting them bail. They had been arrested
after a performance on 28 May. Opposition leaders in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
assembly, including Awami National Party MP Sardar Hussain Babak and Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz member Ikhtiar Wali Khan had also joined the protest
Dawn
reported that judicial magistrate Sher Hassan Khan accepted bail petition of
the musicians on condition of two sureties of Rs 90,000 each.
The
advocate appearing for Naveedullah, Nadeem Shad, Saeedullah, and Ajmal argued
that deportation would mean sending the musicians to a life of threat. He added
that Islamabad should consider letting them stay in the country on humanitarian
grounds.
“We
arrived in this country to look for asylum out of desperation,” Hafta Gul, a
singer, told BBC Pashto. “We have nowhere else to go.”
The
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, however, is not keen on letting them stay. Dawn
newspaper reported that there have been 1,900 arrests so far, citing police
sources, with no clarity yet on how many have been deported. An officer said
the police have arrested those who came over illegally and do not have valid
documents. Musicians say getting a Pakistani visa can cost up to $600 (about
1.2 lakh Pakistani rupees).
“The
Afghan artists who have arrived here live in fear and great misery,” musician
Zaryali told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal.
Uncertain
future
Afghans
started fleeing to various countries once it became clear that the Taliban rule
would reverse everything that changed in the last 20 years. One musician said
that his son went missing and was later found in Turkey. He is worried that if
Turkish officials get hold of him, he will also be deported back to
Afghanistan.
For
many, the post-Soviet invasion fears of an uncertain future have returned. Many
Afghans had fled to Pakistan and returned to their homeland after Hamid Karzai
took as president in 2001.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Indonesia,
Malaysia protest to India over anti-Islam remarks
June
8, 2022
Jakarta/Kuala
Lumpur: Indonesia and Malaysia summoned India’s envoys on Tuesday to protest
over derogatory remarks made about the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) by two
members of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The
move came as anger spread across the Muslim world, with various Middle Eastern
nations summoning New Delhi’s envoys and a Kuwaiti supermarket removing Indian
products.
Remarks
by a spokeswoman for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has since been
suspended, sparked the furore.
Another
official, the party’s media chief for Delhi, posted a tweet last week about the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that was later deleted.
Indonesian
foreign ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said India’s ambassador in
Jakarta, Manoj Kumar Bharti, was summoned, with the government lodging a
complaint about anti-Muslim rhetoric.
BJP
members asked to exercise caution
In
a statement posted on Twitter, the ministry said Indonesia -- the world’s most
populous Muslim-majority country -- “strongly condemns unacceptable derogatory
rely marks” made by two Indian politicians against the Holy Prophet (peace be
upon him).
The
tweet did not mention the officials by name, but was an apparent reference to
BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and the party’s Delhi media chief Naveen Jindal,
who was expelled from the BJP, according to Indian media reports.
Malaysia’s
foreign ministry said it “unreservedly condemns the derogatory remarks” by
Indian politicians, adding that it had conveyed its “total repudiation” to the
Indian ambassador.
“Malaysia
calls upon India to work together in ending Islamophobia and cease any
provocative acts in the interest of peace and stability,” it said.
BJP
admonishes members
The
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has instructed its members to be “extremely
cautious” when talking about religion on public platforms after derogatory
remarks about the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) drew protests from Muslim
nations.
Muslims
across India have felt more pressure on everything from freedom of worship to
hijab during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule. There were Hindu-Muslim
clashes during processions recently, following deadly riots in 2019-20.
Two
BJP leaders said the verbal instructions were given to over 30 senior officials
and some federal ministers who are authorised to take part in debates hosted by
Indian news channels.
“We
don’t want party officials to speak in a way that hurts the religious
sentiments of any community...They must ensure the party’s doctrine gets shared
in a sophisticated manner,” said a senior BJP leader and federal minister in
New Delhi.
With
about 110 million members, mainly Hindus, the BJP is the world’s largest
political party, while Muslims comprise around 13 per cent of India’s 1.35
billion population.
Last
week the BJP suspended the spokeswoman and expelled another official after
Muslim nations sought apologies from the Indian government and summoned
diplomats to protest remarks made during a TV debate.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1693715/indonesia-malaysia-protest-to-india-over-anti-islam-remarks
--------
Muslim
Group Leader Arrested in Lampung for Promoting Caliphate
BY:
THE JAKARTA GLOBE
JUNE
07, 2022
Jakarta.
An elderly man believed to be the leader of Muslim group Khilafatul Muslimin
was arrested in the province of Lampung early on Tuesday after group members
staged a rally in Jakarta promoting a caliphate.
Abdul
Qodir Baraja was flown to Jakarta for questioning related to the May 29
motorcycle convoy in which his followers carried banners in support of the
Islamic caliphate, Jakarta Police spokesman Chief Comr. Endra Zulpan said.
Videos
circulating on social media accounts show one banner that reads: “Embrace the
rise of the Islamic caliphate.”
Abdul
was arrested at the group’s headquarters in the provincial capital Bandar
Lampung by a team from the Jakarta Police.
The
officer said earlier that the group was being investigated for a potential
violation of the 1945 Constitution because they incited hatred towards the
legitimate government and intended to introduce a new government system.
A
similar rally was held in the Central Java town of Brebes, leading to the
arrest of three suspects on Monday.
Central
Java Police spokesman Chief Comr. Iqbal Alqudusy told the Antara news agency
the group’s actions could amount to treason for promoting the establishment of
an Islamic state in Indonesia.
He
also said Khilafatul Muslimin is the core of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, another
caliphate-inspired group that has been officially banned.
Denial
In
an interview with Jakarta Globe’s sister publication Beritasatu at his Lampung
residence last week, Abdul denied that his group was against the constitution
and the national ideology Pancasila.
"The
Khilafatul Muslimin was founded to unite Muslims and non-Muslims to defend
NKRI," Abdul said, using the acronym that stands for the Unitary State of
the Republic of Indonesia.
“There
is no intention to divide this nation whatsoever.”
The
motorcycle convoy is part of a religious campaign to promote unity as
prescribed by the Koran, he added.
“We
have thousands of followers in Lampung and they live in harmony and peace [with
other communities],” Abdul said.
He
claimed that since its establishment in 1997, the group has drawn millions of
followers across the globe.
Terrorism
Links
A
counter-terrorism official said Abdul was a repeat terror convict who has spent
16 years in prison for bomb attacks, including the one at the Borobudur Temple
in Central Java in 1985.
Abdul
is also a co-founder of Al Mukmin Islamic Boarding School in Ngruki, Central
Java, together with Abu Bakar Baasyir, the spiritual leader of terror group
Jemaah Islamiyah, according to Ahmad Nurwakhid, a director with the National
Counterterrorism Agency, or BNPT.
“They
may say that they have no problem with Pancasila, but their ideology perceives
anything other than their own belief as an infidel system,” Ahmad told Detikcom
news website.
Source:
Jakarta Globe
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/muslim-group-leader-arrested-in-lampung-for-promoting-caliphate
--------
Hold
firm to Islamic principles prohibiting insults against others, says religious
affairs minister
07
Jun 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 7 — Muslims in this country must adhere to the principles and
teachings of Islam which prohibit its worshippers from insulting and sowing the
seeds of hatred against other religions.
Minister
in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad said
as such, Muslims should refrain from reacting to any attempts to insult the
religion.
“It
is not good for us to behave like that (insulting other religions). It should
have not happened to any religion at all,” he told reporters after the launch
of books published by Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM) in conjunction
with the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (PBAKL) 2022 here today.
Idris
was asked to comment on the recent remarks by officials from India’s ruling
party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that insulted Prophet Muhammad SAW and his
wife Saidatina Aisyah RA.
The
controversial remarks have sparked outrage among Muslims around the world,
especially in West Asia, who condemned the act, while some shopping malls have
even removed India’s products from their shelves.
When
asked whether Malaysia would follow the steps of other countries in boycotting
products from India, Idris said the matter would be discussed later.
On
the alleged superstitious practices which went viral on social media recently,
he urged the local authorities to investigate and take appropriate action as
any matter involving religion is under the jurisdiction of the state
government.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tengku
Zafrul’s political ambitions distract from ministerial duties
June
8, 2022
He
claimed not to be a politician when sworn in as senator prior to being named
finance minister in Muhyiddin Yassin’s government on March 9, 2020.
“The
thinking was (that) they wanted a technocrat,” Tengku Zafrul Aziz was quoted as
saying in another interview three months later.
At
the time, it seemed to show bold, courageous and out-of-the-box thinking on the
part of the then prime minister. Such a change from a country so used to one
man occupying both the roles of premier and finance minister, which left the
treasury prone to abuse.
With
the pandemic just unfolding, it appeared that Muhyiddin was prepared to put
aside the partisan politics by which he was appointed to install a technocrat
with specialised knowledge to a key portfolio.
Two
years on, however, it appears that Tengku Zafrul lacks the requisite attributes
to steer the country out of the muck it languishes in.
Yes,
the economy grew by 5% in Q1 of 2022, but this was largely on the back of
rising domestic demand driven in no small part by a staggering net EPF
withdrawal of RM58.2 billion in 2021 and other cash handouts given to the
public.
On
the other hand, government debt has risen by RM320 billion, the ringgit’s value
is plummeting, inflation is on the rise again, prices for food and consumer
goods are climbing steeply, wages are declining, unemployment is high, and the
rakyat is falling deeper into debt.
Despite
this, we have yet to hear Tengku Zafrul articulate any viable fiscal policy to
reverse these trends.
Come
October, this government will almost certainly have to fall back on cash
handouts to stimulate the economy. Surely two years on the job is long enough
for Tengku Zafrul to advise the prime minister that a policy of cash handouts
premised on borrowings is unsustainable.
Properly,
the finance minister should train his mind on more fundamental questions. For
example:
How
can the government pare down its RM1.2 trillion debt?
What
strategies can be put in place to reduce household debt?
How
do we reverse declining private and public investments?
Do
not hold your breath, though. Our finance minister has yet to explain why he
agreed to settle the 1MDB-Goldman Sachs scandal for US$2.5 billion in July 2020
despite the country being cheated of more than US$6.5 billion!
Instead
of putting his technocratic mind to these matters, he appears to be harbouring
political ambitions, with rumours rife that he will emerge as an Umno candidate
to contest a seat in GE15.
Rather
than quash such talk, Tengku Zafrul appears busy trying to secure the safest
seat available, presumably in the hope of retaining his ministerial position if
Umno/BN is returned to power.
Those
machinations seem to have caused him to set his sights on Kuala Selangor,
either attracted to fireflies or the prospect of an easy open race after
sitting Amanah MP Dzulkefly Ahmad announced his retirement from politics early
this month.
Why
else would Tengku Zafrul announce out of the blue at the beginning of the week
the finance ministry’s adoption of Kuala Selangor for development as well as
the building of an East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) station in Puncak Alam?
At
best, that announcement showed an abject failure on his part to comprehend the
limits of his job responsibility.
First
and foremost, ECRL alignment, construction and management are matters within
the purview of the Land Public Transport Agency, which falls under the
transport ministry, not the treasury.
As
finance minister, Tengku Zafrul ought to concern himself with explaining to the
public the viability of the project, in particular how much it will cost, how
it will be financed and how much debt the government will incur.
That
aside, who has ever heard of any ministry singling out a particular district
for development?
How
can the finance ministry play foster parent to any particular district or town?
Tax dollars are drawn from all over the country and, as a general rule,
development must be carried out evenly across its length and breath.
Tengku
Zafrul must immediately explain to the public how the decision was arrived at.
What were the criteria used?
Perhaps,
in particular instances, development expenditure may be necessary to lift the
rakyat from a certain geographical area out of poverty.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Saudi
Arabia Adds 16 Individuals, Entities To Its Terror List
07
June, 2022
Member
countries of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Centre (TFTC), which include
Saudi Arabia, designated 16 individuals, entities and groups as terrorists, the
official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday.
Established
in 2017, the TFTC includes the US, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, and aims to strengthen efforts to confront regional money laundering
and terrorist financing networks.
The
individuals and entities, which have all been previously designated by the US,
include three individuals and two groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary
Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), four individuals and one company associated
with ISIS, and six financiers affiliated with Boko Haram.
Affiliated
with the IRGC
A
Lebanese identified as Ali Qasir and two Iranians, Meghdad Amini and Morteza
Hashemi, have been designated for being associated with the IRGC-QF and
Lebanon’s “terrorist” Hezbollah party.
According
to the US Treasury, Amini and Qasir supervise a network of around 20 people and
front companies in several countries for the purpose of financing Hezbollah and
the IRGC-QF by facilitating “the sale of tens of millions of dollars’ worth of
gold, electronics and foreign currency.”
Hashemi
directs multiple companies based out of Hong Kong and mainland China and has
exploited his “access to the international financial system to launder vast
sums of money for the IRGC-QF and Hezbollah.”
The
two groups designated for their affiliation with the IRGC are Saraya al-Mukhtar
and Saraya al-Ashtar which targeted Bahrain and received financial, military,
and logistical support from the IRGC.
According
to the US Treasury, Saraya al-Mukhtar planned attacks targeting US personnel in
Bahrain while Saraya al-Ashtar targeted security forces in Bahrain and also
encouraged violence against the government of Britain, Saudi Arabia and the US
via social media.
Affiliated
with ISIS and its branches
A
company as well four individuals were designated over their ties with ISIS and
its branches.
They
were identified as Ismatullah Khalozai, an Afghan citizen linked to
ISIS-Khorsan Province, and Alaa Khanfurah, Baraa al-Qatirji and Hussam
al-Qatirji, Syrian citizens affiliated with ISIS.
Baraa
al-Qatirji and Hussam al-Qatirji are the founders of al-Qatirji Company which
was also designated for facilitating the sale of oil to ISIS and for
cooperating with the IRGC-QF.
According
to the US Treasury, al-Qatirji Company, which is based in Syria, has also
delivered weapons to Syria from Iraq. In 2016, it provided supplies to
ISIS-controlled territories.
“In
a 2016 trade deal between the Government of Syria and ISIS, al-Qatirji Company
was identified as the exclusive agent for providing supplies to ISIS-controlled
areas, including oil and other commodities,” the US Treasury said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syrian
refugees vow to take part in retaking areas from YPG/PKK terror groups
Omer
Koparan, Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu and Esref Musa
07.06.2022
JARABLUS,
Syria
Residents
of the northern Syrian district of Manbij, who were forced to flee their homes
owing to the YPG/PKK terror group's coercive measures, applauded a statement
issued by Turkey's top leader and vowed to play their part in liberating their
land from the outfit.
The
YPG/PKK terror group forced tens of thousands of civilians to migrate to areas
near the Turkish border from the Manbij district of Aleppo, which they took
with US support six years ago under the guise of battling Daesh/ISIS
terrorists.
Abdullah
Shilash, the leader of Manbij's Bani Said tribe, told Anadolu Agency that his
tribe is willing to play its part to clean out their district of terrorists.
"We
want to free the district as quickly as possible. We have been displaced for
many years now. We fully support President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's words,"
Silas remarked, alluding to the president's statement about clearing YPG/PKK
terrorists from Manbij and Tel Rifat.
He
also noted that the YPG/PKK is detaining Arab youth under the guise of
compulsory military service.
Earlier,
Turkish President Erdogan said Türkiye is set to clear two areas of northern
Syria, near the Turkish border, of terrorist elements in a bid to eliminate the
terror threat from the region.
"We
are entering a new phase of our decision to establish a safe zone 30 kilometers
(18.6 miles) deep south (of the Turkish-Syrian border). We are clearing Tel
Rifat and Manbij of terrorists," Erdogan stated this recently at a
gathering of his Justice and Development (AK) Party in the capital Ankara.
In
Manbij, where 99% of the population is Arab, the terrorist group is driving
people to migrate by utilizing coercive measures such as forcibly recruiting
young people to its armed group under the cover of "compulsory military
service."
The
displaced people from Manbij have been living away from their homes for about
six years in makeshift tents set up with their own means around Bab and
Jarablus districts along the Turkish border.
‘We
are counting the days to regain our lands’
Ali
Suleiman, a camp resident from the same district, told Anadolu Agency that the
terrorist group's compulsory military service practice pushed thousands of
young people from Manbij to migrate.
Waiting
for the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Army (SMO) to take
action and help the refugees return to their district, Suleiman said, "We
are counting the days to regain our lands."
Gomaa
Khatib, another displaced person, expressed support for all types of military
operations to return displaced civilians to their homes and lands after fleeing
YPG/PKK terror group's persecution.
Situation
in Manbij
The
YPG/PKK terror group has maintained their coercive tactics, harassing civilians
with "compulsory military service" and other subjugation measures.
People
in Manbij who oppose the YPG/PKK terror group's coercive actions hold protests
from time to time to express their dissatisfaction and rejection of such
illegal practice.
To
penalize the local population, the terror group has monopolized patrol in the
district and has been depriving people of much-needed gasoline. Before the
civil war, the district had a population of about one million people.
Moreover,
after being chased out of the territories by Turkish forces, terrorists in
Manbij periodically target Jarablus and Bab districts in the safe zone.
The
YPG/PKK terror group often mounts attacks on Jarabulus, Afrin, and Azaz from
the Manbij and Tal Rifat areas in Syria.
The
YPG/PKK terror group also target Turkish forces who provide security in the
operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring areas, and try to infiltrate
the positions of Syrian opposition fighters from regions where the terror group
was supposed to withdraw under the agreements with the US and Russia.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkish
forces ‘neutralize’ 18 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, Syria
Faruk
Zorlu and Merve Berker
07.06.2022
Turkish
forces “neutralized” 18 PKK terrorists in northern regions of Iraq and Syria,
the National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
Ten
terrorists were targeted in northern Iraq in the Operation Claw-Lock zone, the
ministry said on Twitter.
It
also said the Turkish soldiers have seized numerous arms, ammunition, caves,
and shelters that the terrorists used in northern Iraq as part of the
cross-border anti-terror operation.
Türkiye
launched Operation Claw-Lock in April to target PKK hideouts in Iraq’s northern
Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions.
It
was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in
2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border
attacks in Türkiye.
Turkish
authorities use the term “neutralize” to imply the terrorists in question
surrendered or were killed or captured.
Separately,
eight PKK terrorists were neutralized in northern Syria in areas of Operation
Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring.
“There
is no escape from the end waiting for the terrorists themselves,” said the
ministry, adding: “Our operations will continue unabated.”
The
YPG/PKK terrorists often target Turkish security forces who provide security in
the areas of Operation Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch and Peace Spring, and try
to infiltrate the positions of Syrian opposition fighters from regions which the
terror group was supposed to withdraw from under agreements with the US and
Russia.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gulf
states blacklist terror financiers linked to Iran, Islamic State, Syrian regime
June
7, 2022
Members
of the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), which includes
the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait,
Bahrain and Oman, blacklisted 13 individuals and three organizations for
financing terrorism on Monday.
Among
them were Hossam and Muhammad al-Qatarji, lead members of the Syrian regime’s
oil trade network with the Islamic State (IS) who were previously sanctioned by
the United States in 2018.
Other
targets included:
Three
men — Ali Qasir, Meghdad Amini and Morteza Hashemi — accused of helping Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and Hezbollah move and
launder tens of millions of dollars, including via institutions in the UAE, and
establish IRGC front companies in China.
Bahrain-based
Shia militant groups Saraya al-Mukhtar and Saraya al-Ashtar (also known as
al-Ashtar Brigades) that received IRGC training and explosives and plotted
attacks against Bahraini and US officials. Both are US-designated terrorist
groups.
Six
members of a Boko Haram financing cell convicted in the United Arab Emirates in
2019.
Two
additional IS financiers: Ismatullah Khalozai, accused of aiding the group’s
branch in Afghanistan from Turkey, and Alaa Khanfurah, who facilitated
financial transfers between IS leaders in Syria via his Turkey-based money
service business.
Why
it matters: Washington has long pressed GCC states to crack down on terror
funding networks that use their institutions, with mixed success.
All
of these entities were previously sanctioned by the United States, but the
TFTC’s marks a sign of some progress in recent years’ efforts.
“Over
the past five years, TFTC member states have addressed a broad range of
terrorist financing activity in the Arabian Peninsula, with the goal of
strengthening regional defenses and capabilities to counter terrorist
financing,” US Undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial
intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement released following yesterday’s meeting
in Riyadh.
“The
TFTC’s actions today signal the determination and commitment of TFTC member
states to continue to work toward these goals, as well as unity in the
commitment to root out the full scope of terrorist financing activity,” Nelson
said.
The
move comes just three months after the world’s leading financial watchdog, the
Brussels-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), downgraded the UAE to a grey
list for failing to adequately crack down on terrorist funds flowing through
the Gulf country.
The
Biden administration raised no objection to the FATF’s decision, a US official
told Al-Monitor.
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
No
dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood
Gamal
Essam El-Din
7
Jun 2022
Political
forces preparing themselves for the national dialogue proposed by President
Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi on 26 April reject any participation by Islamists,
particularly the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
The
rejection followed a series of statements issued in recent days by a number of
Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood officials living in Turkey and some European
capitals.
The
first statement came from Youssef Nada, a Muslim Brotherhood millionaire living
in Switzerland. Nada said “the door of the Muslim Brotherhood group is open for
dialogue with the regime in Egypt… We are ready for the possibility of dialogue
with the Egyptian presidency and to forgive injustice without pre-conditions.”
Nada
is a loyalist to the Muslim Brotherhood’s wing in London, led by the group’s
de-facto supreme leader Ibrahim Mounir. In October 2021, the Muslim Brotherhood
leadership split into two factions, one based in London and led by Mounir, the
second based in Istanbul and led by the group’s secretary-general Mahmoud
Hussein.
Political
analyst Abdallah Al-Sennawi said in a recent TV interview that the
Brotherhood’s London-based faction’s approval of the national dialogue shows
that its leaders recognised the group has lost enormous amounts of ground and
sees the dialogue as a way of regaining the spotlight. He argued that Nada’s
statement was intended to test the waters and determined whether dialogue
presents an opportunity for the Brotherhood to regain a toehold in Egypt’
political life.
Al-Sennawi
concluded that any invitation to Brotherhood representatives to participate in
the dialogue was at best improbable, and any hopes the Brotherhood has of
reaching some kind of deal hopelessly misplaced.
Fattouh
Heikal, a political consultant with the London-based Trend Centre for Research
and Consultations, pointed out that “this is not the first time the
Brotherhood’s London-based faction directs a message of reconciliation to the
ruling regime in Egypt.”
The
Istanbul-based faction issued its own statement welcoming the dialogue as “a
good political tool” while noting “confidence-building measures are a
pre-condition for the success of the dialogue.”
Heikal
views both factions’ responses as symptomatic of the severe crisis affecting
the Brotherhood. “Not only have they split into two warring factions, but they
have been facing intense financial pressure over the last two years. Some of
their leaders have been expelled from Turkey and their Istanbul-based TV
channels have been closed, while Qatar, which used to be a safe haven for the
Brotherhood in the past, has chosen to mend fences with Egypt,” says Heikal.
A
third statement, from the Islamist party Building and Development, the
political arm of Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya, saw the party’s former chairman Tarek
Al-Zomor say he welcomed participation in the proposed dialogue “with the
stipulation it should be serious and leads to tangible political reforms.”
Al-Zomor
was a member of Islamic Jihad which carried out the assassination of president
Anwar Al-Sadat in October 1981. Al-Zomor and his brother Abboud were sentenced
to life in prison following the assassination of president Sadat only to be
released after the 2011 January Revolution. In July 2013, when millions took to
the streets to protest against the Brotherhood rule of Mohamed Morsi, he fled
to Qatar.
A
fourth statement came from secular politician and manager of the Istanbul-based
Al-Sharq TV channel Ayman Nour. The 58-year-old, who has been living in
Istanbul since 2013, said “all politicians should welcome the idea of a
national dialogue but as chairman of the Union of Egyptian National Forces I
should stipulate that pre-conditions are needed for the dialogue to be a
success.”
Al-Sennawi
revealed in his interview that “Ayman Nour has sent a secret message to
officials in Egypt asking them to allow him to return from Turkey and
participate in the dialogue” and that Nour “is a sympathiser and confidante of
the Muslim Brotherhood and wants to act as the group’s front man” for them in
the dialogue.
Nour
dismissed any suggestion that he had engaged in secret contacts with Egyptian
officials, though he added that he was “a friend of the Muslim Brotherhood and
the elected chairman of the Egyptian National Forces which includes the
Brotherhood as a major member”.
Groups
across the political spectrum in Egypt have voiced their rejection of any
participation in the dialogue by Islamist figures.
Farid
Zahran, chairman of the Egyptian Socialist Democratic Party and an appointed
senator, said that “when President Al-Sisi issued his call for the national
dialogue and said that political forces would attend he meant civilian and
secular opposition forces based in Egypt which have never been involved in
violence or have blood on their hands.”
Tarek
Radwan, chairman of parliament’s Human Rights Committee, agrees that President
Al-Sisi’s call for dialogue was directed to political forces representing the
left, the right, and the centre, but not to groups which have been designated
as terrorist or involved in violence.
“When
you call for dialogue, you are addressing forces which want to build the
country, not those who want to disrupt it,” he said.
Sayed
Abdel-Aal, chairman of the Tagammu Party, told Al-Ahram Weekly that he had been
taken aback by Muslim Brotherhood leaders living in Istanbul and London issuing
statements. “How can they square their descriptions of President Al-Sisi’s
regime as dictatorial and the result of a military coup and at the same time
welcome the dialogue,” he asked.
Abdel-Aal
also argued secular figures like Nour who have chosen to live outside the
country and obtain money from hostile forces in return for attacking the regime
should be excluded.
Mohamed
Abul-Ela, chairman of the Arab Nasserist Party, told the Weekly that the call
for national dialogue should be limited to civilian forces that participated in
the anti-Muslim Brotherhood 30 June Revolution in 2013.
“These
forces revolted against political Islam in general and rejected any attempts to
turn Egypt into a religious state,” he said.
Khaled
Okasha, head of the Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies, told Abu Dhabi-based
Al-Ain website that the Muslim Brotherhood has been heavily involved in
terrorist activities via military offshoots like Hasm and Lewaa Al-Thawra, and
is responsible for the murder of many soldiers and police personnel since 2013,
a fact that “precludes the opening of political channels to the outlawed
group”.
Okasha
attributed the group’s welcoming of the dialogue to “internal crises and strife
and the desire of its leaders to show Western media that it is a political
force that rejects violence”.
At
an event held to mark Eid Al-Fitr on 2 May, President Al-Sisi said that the
Muslim Brotherhood had repeatedly threatened to target the army and sow chaos
across Egypt. He mentioned that the Brotherhood’s deputy supreme guide Khairat
Al-Shater had threatened him personally when the group ruled the country.
Source:
Ahram
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/467579.aspx
--------
Saudi
Arabia readies for its first-ever Islamic Arts Biennale
7
Jun 2022
Taking
place at the Hajj Terminal, known as the Canopy Terminal, the inaugural
biennale will carry a theme of Awwal Bayt (First House).
Awwal
Bayt is a term derived from the Quran and refers to the Muslims' sacred site,
the Kaaba, the Black Stone of Mecca at center of Islam's most important mosque,
the Masjid Al-Haram (The Great Mosque), and the Qiblah, which is the direction
of prayer to the Kaaba.
The
aim of the biennale is to showcase and celebrate the riches of the Islamic arts
while creating an emphasis on a strong connection between all Muslims around
the world as well as underscoring the links between the spiritual and the
artistic aesthetics.
The
details about the participating artists and the works are yet to be revealed.
Built
in 1981, and located at the at the King Abdulaziz International Airport, the
Hajj Termina receives millions of pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia to take part
in the rituals associated with the annual Hajj. In 1983, the building was
awarded the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.
The
70,000 square-metre location will host a large exhibition space in addition to
spaces for creative workshops, theatre, and dining venues, the Islamic Arts
Biennale will also extend to other locations
The
event is organised by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the same entity that
organised the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, the Kingdom’s first
international contemporary art biennale which took place between 11 December
2021 and 11 March 2022 at the outskirts of Riyadh.
Source:
Ahram
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/467534.aspx
--------
Syrian
and Russian air forces conduct joint drill over Syria
07
June, 2022
Syria's
Defense Ministry on Tuesday released footage of its airforce conducting a joint
drill with Russia, the first since that country's invasion of Ukraine began
more than three months ago,
The
ministry said two Russian SU-35 fighter jets and six Syrian MiG-23 and MiG-29
aircraft simulated facing “hostile” warplanes and drones.
Syrian
pilots dealt with them with cover and support from the Russian warplanes, it
said.
“All
illusive targets were monitored and completely destroyed while aerial targets
were hit at night for the first time,” the Syrian Defense Ministry said in a
statement.
It
also released a video of the warplanes that it said took part in the drill.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey
tells Russia it will respond to destabilizing moves in northern Syria
07
June, 2022
Turkish
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in a
call on Tuesday that Turkey would respond to moves aimed at disrupting
stability in northern Syria, his office said, as Ankara gears for talks with
Moscow ahead of an expected offensive in the region.
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced two weeks ago that Turkey would soon be
launching new military offensives into northern Syria against the Kurdish YPG
militia, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization.
Russian
and Turkish foreign ministers will hold talks in Ankara on Wednesday.
Akar
told Shoigu that “the necessary response will be given to actions aimed at
disrupting the stability achieved in the region and the presence of terrorists
in the region is not acceptable,” Turkey’s Defense Ministry said in a
statement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US-backed
Syrian Kurds to turn to Damascus if Turkey attacks
07
June, 2022
Erdogan
has repeatedly said over the past weeks that he’s planning a major military
operation to create a 30-kilometer (19 mile) deep buffer zone inside Syria
along Turkey’s border, through a cross-border incursion against US-allied
Syrian Kurdish fighters - an attempt that failed in 2019.
Analysts
have said Erdogan is taking advantage of the war in Ukraine to push his own
goals in Syria - even using Turkey’s ability as a NATO member to veto alliance
membership by Finland and Sweden as potential leverage.
On
the ground, the situation has been tense with near daily exchanges of fire and
shelling between the US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters on one side and Turkish
forces and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition gunmen on the other.
The
Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters have been preparing for weeks to take
part in the expected operation against Syrian Kurdish-led forces, seeking to
expand their area of influence inside Syria.
On
the other hand, relations between the Kurdish-led fighters who control large
parts of northern and eastern Syria - including the towns of Tel Rifaat and
Manbij that Erdogan has named as possible targets - with the Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad’s forces have been mostly frosty over the past years.
But
faced with Erdogan’s threat, Syrian Kurdish fighters may want those ties to
thaw.
“The
meeting confirmed the readiness of (SDF) forces to coordinate with forces of
the Damascus government to confront any possible Turkish incursion and to
protect Syrian territories against occupation,” the statement said and added
that a “possible Turkish invasion will affect the stability and unity of
Syria’s territories.”
The
statement did not elaborate on what such a coordination entailed - and whether
an alliance with al-Assad’s government in Damascus would translate into joint
forces on the ground. Syrian Kurdish officials could not immediately be reached
for comment.
Since
2016, Turkey has launched three major operations inside Syria, targeting
Syria’s main Kurdish militia - the People’s Protection Units or YPG - which
Turkey considers to be a terrorist organization and an extension of Turkey’s
outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The PKK has for decades waged an
insurgency within Turkey against the government in Ankara.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syrian,
Russian forces boosted after Turkey signals operation: Officials
07
June, 2022
Russia
and Syrian government forces have been bolstered in northern Syria where Turkey
may soon launch an offensive against Kurdish fighters, Turkish and rebel Syrian
officials said, as Ankara prepares for talks with Moscow.
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said two weeks ago Turkey would launch new military
operations in Syria to extend 30-km (20-mile) deep “safe zones” along the
border, aiming at the Tel Rifaat and Manbij regions and other areas further
east.
Russia,
which warned at the weekend against military escalation in northern Syria, is
sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for talks in Ankara on Wednesday.
The
two countries have close ties and Ankara has sought to mediate talks over
Russia’s war in Ukraine, but their support for opposing sides in Syria may test
President Vladimir Putin’s relations with the only NATO member not to impose
sanctions on Moscow over the invasion.
The
stakes are also high for Erdogan. Without at least tacit approval from Russia,
President Bashar al-Assad’s powerful ally in the Syria conflict, a Turkish
offensive would carry additional risk of casualties. Russia and Turkey have
checked each other’s military ambitions at various points in Syria’s war, at
times bringing them close to direct confrontation.
There
have not yet been signs of a significant Turkish military build-up in the
border region, but reports of rocket and artillery exchanges have become more
frequent in the past two weeks.
Any
Turkish operation would attack the Kurdish YPG militia, a key part of the
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls large parts of north
Syria and is regarded by Washington as an important ally against ISIS. Ankara
sees it as a terrorist group and extension of the militant Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK).
A
spokesman for the Turkey-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) said Russia was
reinforcing positions near Tel Rifaat, Manbij, the southern outskirts of
Kobani, and Ain Issa - all towns within 40 km (25 miles) of the Turkish border.
“Since
the announcement of the operation, the Syrian regime and its Iranian militias
have mobilized and (are) sending reinforcements to the YPG,” Major Youssef
Hammoud told Reuters.
Their
intelligence had spotted Russian helicopters landing at an air base close to
Tel Rifaat, he added.
Turkey’s
state-owned Anadolu news agency cited local sources on Saturday as saying
Russia was making deployments in north Syria to “consolidate its control”,
flying reconnaissance flights over Tel Rifaat and setting up Pantsir-S1 air
defense systems in Qamishli, a border town nearly 400 km further east.
SDF
commander Mazloum Abdi told Reuters on Sunday Damascus should use its air
defense systems against Turkish planes and his forces were “open” to working
with Syrian troops to fight off Turkey, but said there was no need to send more
forces.
Talks
with Lavrov
Ankara
says it must act because Washington and Moscow broke promises to push the YPG
30 km (18 miles) from the border after a 2019 Turkish offensive. With both
powers seeking Turkey’s support over Ukraine, the conflict may offer it a
degree of leverage.
Washington,
whose backing for the SDF has long been a source of strain in ties with Turkey,
has voiced concern, saying any new operation would put at risk US troops -
which have a presence in Syria - and undermine regional stability.
Russia
also said last week it hoped Turkey “refrains from actions which could lead to
a dangerous deterioration of the already difficult situation in Syria.”
A
senior Turkish official said Lavrov would be asked about intelligence that he
said pointed to Syrian government and Iran-backed forces either arriving at Tal
Rifaat or heading there.
“Turkey
will do this operation one way or another,” the official said, speaking on
condition of anonymity.
Asked
whether Russia was strengthening positions in northern Syria, Kremlin spokesman
Dmitry Peskov told reporters it was the Syrian armed forces that “are
reinforcing, to a greater or lesser extent, certain facilities on their
territory.”
The
Syrian government does not comment on troop movements, but the pro-government
newspaper al-Watan on Monday cited sources in northern Raqqa - near the Turkish
border - as saying Syrian troops, tanks and heavy weaponry deployed over the
weekend in response to Turkish moves.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Israeli-Palestinian
“flag war” brews as violence flares
07 June,
2022
Following
weeks of violence in different parts of Israel and the West Bank, Israeli
nationalists have targeted the red, green, black and white Palestinian colors
in an escalating “flag war” that underscores a struggle over status and
identity.
The
conflict reached a high last week, when a bill banning the display of the
Palestinian flag at state-funded institutions, including universities, passed a
preliminary reading in the Israeli parliament.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
To
supporters of the bill, raising the Palestinian flag - which to some Jewish
Israelis represents an “enemy” entity - is a provocation. To many Palestinians
in Israel, the bill is an extension of what they see as Israeli attempts to
erase their identity.
“Whoever
wants to live in the State of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East,
must respect its symbols,” said Eli Cohen, a member of parliament for the
right-wing Likud party, who submitted the bill.
“Those
who want to be Palestinian can move to Gaza or Jordan,” he said.
Israel’s
Arab minority is mostly descended from Palestinians who remained in what became
Israel when the country was created in 1948.
Making
up about 21 percent of the population, they generally value Israeli citizenship
because it affords them more benefits than Palestinians living in the occupied
West Bank or Gaza.
But
many also identify as Palestinian - especially since Israel passed the
nation-state law in 2018, which declared that only Jews have a right to
self-determination between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Ahmad
Tibi, a member of parliament for the Joint List, a coalition of Arab parties,
said the aim of the bill was “to target Palestinian nationalism”.
The
flag “represents the Palestinian people wherever they are,” he told Reuters.
“Trying
to erase us”
Israeli
law does not outlaw Palestinian flags but police and soldiers have the right to
remove them in cases where they deem there is a threat to public order.
Last
month, police attacked pallbearers at the funeral of well-known Palestinian
journalist Shireen Abu Akleh to yank the flag off the coffin during a highly
charged event that took place amid deep anger over her killing.
Days
later, tens of thousands of nationalists marched with Israeli flags outside
Jerusalem’s Damascus Gate, a predominantly Arab area of the Old City, in what
many Palestinians saw as a blatant provocation and attack on their identity.
Suspicions
between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel peaked last May during an
11-day war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas that saw
violent incidents across the country.
In
the run-up to last week’s vote, students organized vigils in Israeli
universities to commemorate what Arabs call the Nakba, when hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians were forced from their homes or fled in the 1948 war
that accompanied the foundation of Israel.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
sentences man to death over deadly Shia shrine attack
07
June, 2022
An
Iranian court sentenced a man to death over an April shrine attack in the Shia
holy city of Mashhad that killed two clerics, the judiciary said on Tuesday.
The
April 5 attack on the Imam Reza shrine, where pilgrims had gathered to worship
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, killed two clerics and injured a
third.
Local
media at the time identified the assailant as Abdolatif Moradi, a 21-year-old
Sunni extremist and ethnic Uzbek who had entered Iran illegally via the
Pakistani border a year earlier.
“The
person who stabbed two clerics in the Imam Reza shrine at Mashhad was sentenced
to death,” judiciary spokesman Massoud Setayeshi told a news conference in the
capital Tehran.
The
defense has appealed the verdict at the Supreme Court, which will review the
case, the spokesman added.
One
of the clerics, Mohammad Aslani, died immediately while the death of the
second, Sadegh Darai, was announced two days later.
The
attack came days after two Sunni clerics were shot dead outside a seminary in
the northern town of Gonbad-e Kavus.
The
three suspects, also Sunnis, were arrested in late April, but were said to have
“no connection with terrorist groups,” state media reported at the time.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
Army Commander Underlines Liberation of Israeli-Occupied Territories
2022-June-7
“Upon
an order of the Supreme Leader of the [Islamic] Revolution, we will raze Tel
Aviv and Haifa to the ground for any mistake made by the enemy (Israel),”
General Heidari said on Tuesday.
He
added that the Israeli-occupied territories will be liberated in less than 25
years.
General
Heidari underlined Iran's progress in military and defense fields, and said,
“Today, the military and defense achievements of the army of the Islamic
Republic of Iran are a thorn in the enemies’ eyes.”
He
added that “the range of drones and operational missiles of the Army’s Ground
Force has increased”.
General
Heidari referred to the Army's strategic drone base 313, saying that all such
equipment is aimed at responding to any foolish attack by the country’s
enemies.
He
said that the light weapons of the Iranian ground forces are also being
“changed, updated, and localized”.
Iranian
politicians and military officials have repeatedly warned Israel against any
adventurism against the Islamic Republic, warning of a crushing response to any
act of aggression.
In
relevant remarks in April, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami warned Israel that Iran's response to any
mischiefs by the regime would be painful and crushing.
“We
are men of our words. Our response will be painful for the Zionist regime,”
General Salami said.
He
warned Israel that its vicious acts will bring about severe consequences.
“The
Zionist regime was created under international conspiracies. God willing, we
will see the eradication of Israel off the face of the Earth,” General Salami
said.
He
described the creation of the Tel Aviv regime as a non-healing wound and a
dagger in the back of all Muslims, stressing that Palestinians have realized
that the so-called Abraham Accords and similar normalization agreements will
neither bring them security nor peace.
“The
enemy only understands the language of force. The roadmap for Iran is to become
stronger as it is the way to emerge victorious.”
“The
Zionist regime has not won a war against Palestinians in recent years. Zionists
have reached a point, where inflicting injuries on a Palestinian will bring
them repercussions,” the IRGC chief said.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Demands Shielding IAEA against Political Influence
2022-June-7
Eslami
told Qatar’s Al Jazeera news channel that the answers the Islamic Republic has
so far given to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been
accurate.
He
added that despite that the agency’s director-general lacks serious
determination to consider Iran’s answers as persuasive, noting that the IAEA
invokes intelligence provided by Iran’s enemies, notably the Israeli regime,
and it has failed to condemn terrorist attacks on Iran’s atomic facilities,
which raises a big question.
The
Iranian nuclear chief also said the resolution that the US and the European
troika are trying to get approved at the IAEA’s board of governors will not
create a new situation.
Eslami
underlined that the IAEA must stop political influence within itself and stick
to its own rules.
Asked
about Iran’s nuclear activities, he said that a decision to enrich uranium to
90% purity lies with relevant officials.
“We
wouldn’t make a decision to enrich [uranium] with the aim of doing acts of
provocation”, Eslami noted.
He
further suggested that the fate of the Iran nuclear deal will have no impact on
the country’s atomic program, saying, “We will continue our peaceful nuclear
activities irrespective of the JCPOA."
Eslami
once again stressed that the IAEA will have no access to the contents of
surveillance cameras at an Iranian centrifuge production site without Iran and
the other sides reaching a deal in Vienna.
The
AEOI’s head said Tehran is ready to comply with all the provisions of the JCPOA
if the other parties do the same.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned on Sunday that those who
support or sponsor adoption of a resolution against Iran at the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will account for its consequences.
“Those
who push for anti-Iran resolution at IAEA will be responsible for all the
consequences,” Amir Abdollahian wrote on his twitter page.
“We
welcome a good, strong and lasting agreement,” he added.
“It's
within reach if US/E3 (Washington and the European trio) are realistic,” Amir
Abdollahian said.
Iran
has also repeatedly cautioned in the past that adoption of an anti-Iranian
resolution was counterproductive to ongoing talks aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear
deal between Iran and world powers.
The
remarks came a day before a meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors. The event
is reportedly set to adopt an anti-Iran resolution, drafted by Britain, France,
Germany, and the US, to accuse the Islamic Republic of withholding cooperation
with the agency.
The
expected adoption of the resolution also comes following a trip by IAEA
Director-General Rafael Grossi to the Israeli-occupied territories.
Iran
has previously cautioned the IAEA against allowing the Israeli regime—which is
leading a constant bid aimed at incriminating Iran’s nuclear work—against
allowing Tel Aviv to influence the agency’s independent mandate and
decision-making.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010317000265/Iran-Demands-Shielding-IAEA-agains-Pliical-Inflence
--------
Iran
Deplores Church Attack in Nigeria
2022-June-7
Iranian
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed deep regret over the
death of a number of people in an armed attack on a church in Nigeria.
He
condemned the attack, and sympathized with the government and people of Nigeria
as well as the families of those who lost their loved ones in the incident.
Khatibzadeh
noted that such acts are aimed at sowing sedition among followers of divine
faiths, which he rejected as “absolutely unacceptable”.
Attackers
targeted the St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in the town of Owo as the
worshippers gathered on Pentecost Sunday. They gunned down parishioners and
detonated an explosive device, local media reported.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010317000524/Iran-Deplres-Chrch-Aack-in-Nigeria
--------
Qatar
Licenses Operation of Iran's Trade Centre
2022-June-7
Mehrabian
said on Monday that the Iranian trade center will be launched in a prestigious
building in one of Doha’s top neighborhoods.
“The
permit for this center was issued today and one of the best buildings in
central Doha, in a very good location, was allocated to the center,” he added.
Mehrabian
arrived in Doha on Sunday to co-chair the eight round of intergovernmental
committee meetings between Iran and Qatar. His trip marks a major breakthrough
in the growing economic ties between the two countries
A
senior trade and business delegation accompany Mehrabian and other government
officials during the visit to Doha.
Iran
and Qatar held the eighth meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic
Cooperation, and signed a memorandum of understanding to increase bilateral
economic and trade cooperation on Monday.
An
Iranian delegation headed by Mehrabian attended the eighth meeting of the Joint
Commission for Economic Cooperation between Iran and Qatar in Doha on Monday.
At
the end of the joint commission meeting, Iran and Qatar inked a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU).
The
MoU is in the fields of transit, transportation, industry and trade, energy,
customs and free zones, tourism, cultural heritage, agriculture, sports, etc.
The
Iranian energy minister, who chaired the meeting of the joint commission, said
that the 13th administration in Iran has focused on expanding relations with
the world and regional countries, and expressed the hope for a significant
increase in bilateral relations between Tehran and Doha after the meeting.
"One
of the most important goals of the meeting is to support the Iranian and Qatari
private sectors, and we are happy to see that a large conference with the
participation of Iranian businessmen is being held in Doha at the same time as
the meeting of the joint commission," Mehrabian said
"During
the day, eight very important memoranda of understanding on food, medical
industry, knowledge-based companies, etc. have been signed between businessmen
of the two countries, which indicates the existence of a suitable market for
the two countries," he added.
The
Iranian energy minister continued that Iran and Qatar have set financial goals
for 2023 and hope to see doubled economic relations and trade balance between
the two countries.
Referring
to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mehrabian said that the Qatar World Cup is
definitely one of the golden opportunities for business people, which can
enhance economic and trade relations between the two countries in various ways.
Mehrabian
and Head of Qatar Petroleum Saad Sherida al-Kaabi in a meeting in Doha on
Monday called for strengthening Tehran-Doha cooperation.
During
the meeting in the Qatari capital, Mehrabian and al-Kaabi explored avenues for
bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral relations in different fields.
"Iran
is interested to further expand relations between the two countries in various
fields," Mehrabian said during his meeting with al-Kaabi.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010317000407/Qaar-Licenses-Operain-f-Iran's-Trade-Cener
--------
Turkey
urges Greece to demilitarize Aegean islands
07
June, 2022
Turkey’s
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday called on Greece to withdraw its
armed forces from Aegean islands, warning that his country would challenge the
status of the islands if it fails to demilitarize them.
Cavusoglu
said during a joint news conference with his North Macedonian counterpart, that
Greece has been building a military presence on Aegean islands in violation of
the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne and the 1947 Paris Treaty.
He
said the islands were ceded to Greece on condition that they be kept
demilitarized.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
minister’s comments come amid a new escalation in tensions between the NATO
members that have a history of disputes over a range of issues such as mineral
exploration in the eastern Mediterranean and rival claims in the Aegean Sea.
Last
month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would stop talking to
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, voicing displeasure at comments the
Greek leader made during a recent US trip, including suggestions that Congress
should block Turkey’s acquisition of F-16 fighter jets.
Greece
argues that Turkey has deliberately misinterpreted the treaties regarding armed
forces on its eastern islands and says it has legal grounds to defend itself
following hostile actions by Ankara including a long-standing threat of war if
it extends its territorial waters.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Yemen’s
warring parties agree to establish joint coordination mechanism
Burak
Bir
07.06.2022
Yemen’s
warring sides agreed to launch a joint coordination room Monday to help pave
the way for bringing the country’s seven-year war to a close.
"The
military coordination committee agreed to set up a joint coordination room to
address main issues of concern in a timely manner," the office of the UN
envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said in a statement.
Military
representatives from the Yemeni government, the Coalition Joint Forces Command
and the Houthis were gathered in Jordan's capital Amman by the Office of the
Special Envoy for Yemen as part of the second meeting of the parties’ military
coordination committee.
"The
meeting was held in a good atmosphere with the participants engaging
constructively on a number of technical issues related to the parties’
commitment to implementing the truce," added in the statement.
In
addition to establishing a joint coordination mechanism, the parties also agreed
to nominate focal points for the coordination room within a week to ensure
regular communication.
Extension
of truce
On
Thursday, Grundberg said Yemen’s warring rivals agreed to extend the current
truce for two additional months.
Under
the truce, which was first reached on April 2, all military operations were
halted. The agreement also allowed the operation of commercial flights from
rebel-held Sanaa Airport in the Yemeni capital.
Yemen
has been engulfed by violence and instability since September 2014, when
Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the
capital Sanaa.
The
Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to restore the Yemeni
government to power.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
At
least 27 killed, dozens wounded in Sudan ethnic clashes: Witnesses
07 June,
2022
Heavy
fighting in Sudan’s west and south has killed at least 27 people and left
dozens wounded, residents said Tuesday, with the United Nations envoy saying he
was “deeply concerned.”
In
separate incidents, clashes broke out in the restive Darfur region in a bitter
land dispute, leaving 16 dead, as well as in South Kordofan state, where 11
people died after an argument between two people reportedly escalated into
wider gun battles.
The
latest violence comes as Sudan grapples with the fallout from a coup in October
last year led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
In
West Darfur, the arid region of Sudan bordering Chad, fighting took place near
Kolbus, some 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the state capital El Geneina.
Attackers set fire to villages leaving them burned to the ground.
It
is the latest in several rounds of clashes pitting largely settled farmers
against semi-nomadic Arab pastoralist groups.
“Fighting
erupted over a land dispute between member of an Arab tribe and a farmer from a
non-Arab one,” said a leader from the non-Arab Gimir people. “The clashes
killed eight people from Gimir, and three villages were burned.”
A
leader from the Arab Rizeigat community said fighting began over a dispute over
land.
“Eight
of our people were killed,” he said. “Clashes are ongoing.”
In
South Kordofan, fighting erupted between rival Arab groups – the Hawazma and
Kenana groups – near Abu Jebeiha.
“At
least 11 people were killed and 35 wounded in fighting,” said one resident, who
is involved in mediation efforts between the rivals.
He
said fighting began as a dispute between two people, but spread into clashes
between the groups.
“I
am deeply concerned about inter-communal clashes,” UN special representative
Volker Perthes said Tuesday, over the fighting in South Kordofan.
“I
call on security forces to secure the area and ensure the protection of
civilians, and urge local leaders to undertake mediation efforts.”
Both
Darfur and South Kordofan suffered heavily during decades of civil war during
the three-decade rule of president Omar al-Bashir, who armed some Arab groups
to fight ethnic minority rebels demanding an end to marginalization by his
Arab-dominated regime.
The
scorched-earth campaign left 300,000 people dead and displaced 2.5 million,
according to the United Nations.
While
key rebel groups signed a 2020 peace deal, deadly clashes still erupt over
land, livestock, access to water and grazing.
The
regions remain awash with weapons, and have seen a renewed spike in deadly
violence in recent months, fanned in some areas by intense droughts and
creeping desertification.
In
April, more than 200 people were killed in clashes between Arab and non-Arab
groups in West Darfur.
In
another development, a coalition of tribes in East Sudan announced on Tuesday
the end of a sit-in which blocked roads to the crucial Red Sea port, after the
governor announced his resignation.
The
Port Sudan sit-in protested a 2020 peace deal the country’s Beja tribes say
made too many concessions at the expense of their group, which has long
complained of marginalization.
Hundreds
of protesters demanded the parts of the deal relating to their eastern region be
scrapped and the dismissal of Red Sea state governor Ali Abdullah Adroub, whom
they accused of supporting the deal.
The
governor announced his resignation in a statement Tuesday.
The
coalition of Beja tribes then released their own statement declaring an end to
“all the sit-ins in eastern Sudan, after the resignation of the Red Sea State
governor was confirmed,” without reference to other demands.
The
2020 Juba Agreement was a landmark accord between rebel groups and a
military-civilian transition government which came to power shortly after the
April 2019 ouster of al-Bashir.
But
Sudan’s eastern Beja people, who number more than 4.5 million, have criticized
the fragile peace agreement for not representing them, and intermittent
protests have demanded parts relating to their impoverished region be scrapped.
In
September last year, protesters from eastern communities led similar
demonstrations against the same agreement.
The
ensuing six-week blockade worsened Sudan’s already struggling economy by
exacerbating fuel and wheat shortages, heaping pressure on the transitional
government of then-prime minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Port
Sudan, the country’s main seaport and vital trade hub, was reopened in November
following a coup by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan which upended Sudan’s
fragile transition to civilian rule.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Algeria
media figure sentenced to six months in prison
07
June, 2022
The
director of an Algerian radio station and news website was sentenced to six
months in prison Tuesday for reopening the wounds of the country’s devastating
1990s conflict, a rights group said.
Several
journalists are in prison or facing trial in Algeria, which ranks 134th out of
180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Index.
Ihsane
El-Kadi, director of Radio M and news website Maghreb Emergent, was also fined
50,000 dinars (322 euros), Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights vice
president Said Salhi told AFP.
He
remains at liberty as the court in Algiers did not issue a warrant for his
arrest, Salhi added.
El-Kadi
was found guilty of “publishing false information likely to damage national
unity” and “reopening the issue of the national tragedy,” Algerian media
reported.
He
was prosecuted following a complaint from the then communications minister Amar
Belhimer over an article he published on the banned Islamist movement Rachad
and the pro-democracy protests that have swept Algeria in recent years.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
3
killed in live-fire exercise in Libya’s Tarhuna
Ebu
Bekir Askin
07.06.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Three
members of Libya’s western forces were killed during a military training in
Tarhuna city, according to local media on Tuesday.
The
fatalities occurred during a live-fire exercise on Monday by the Tripoli-based
Rada Forces, also known as the Special Deterrent Forces, the local Ean Libya
news portal reported.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/3-killed-in-live-fire-exercise-in-libya-s-tarhuna/2607715
--------
Tunisian
judges continue their strike to protest purge
Adel
Thabeti
07.06.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisian
judges continued their strike for the second day on Tuesday to protest
President Kais Saied's decision to sack dozens of their colleagues.
In
a statement, the Association of Judges said 99% of the judges and judicial
staff suspended their work as part of the strike.
Tunisian
judges started a week-long strike on Monday to pressure on Saied to reverse his
decision of sack 57 judges, whom the Tunisian president accused of corruption
and supporting terrorists.
Saied,
however, vowed to cut the wages of the striking judges amid rising tensions
with the judiciary.
The
sacking of judges by the Tunisian president has drawn widespread condemnations
from political parties across the North African nation as well as from the
United States and Amnesty International rights group.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/tunisian-judges-continue-their-strike-to-protest-purge/2608120
--------
Race
against time to avert famine in Somalia: UN agencies
07 June,
2022
The
United Nations warned Monday of a race against time to prevent famine in
Somalia, with more than 200,000 people on the brink of starvation amid a
record-breaking drought.
Some
7.1 million people - nearly half the population - were going hungry but the
situation for 213,000 of the worst affected was catastrophic and urgent, a new
assessment by UN agencies showed.
Four
consecutive rainy seasons have failed in the Horn of Africa, with a fifth
expected on the way, causing the worst drought in 40 years and a major hunger
crisis spanning Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
But
the level of need in Somalia is so great - and so underfunded - that aid groups
are dedicating what resources they have to averting a repeat of a 2011 famine
that killed 260,000 people.
“We
must act immediately to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe,” El-Khidir Daloum,
the World Food Program’s country director in Somalia, said in a statement.
“The
lives of the most vulnerable are already at risk from malnutrition and hunger,
and we cannot wait for a declaration of famine to act. It’s a race against time
to prevent famine.”
The
number of people facing “catastrophic hunger and starvation” had surged 160
percent since April, said the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the
US-funded Famine Early Warning Network.
More
parts of Somalia were at risk of famine, particularly in the south where the
presence of extremists from the al-Shabaab group makes humanitarian access a
challenge.
Three
million livestock had died because of drought since the middle of 2021, a
terrible toll in a largely pastoral country where families rely on their herds
for meat, milk and trade.
Food
prices are also soaring, spurred by failed harvests locally and surging costs
for imports caused in part by the war in Ukraine.
Less
than 20 percent of the money needed to avoid a famine had been raised putting
hundreds of thousands “at a very real risk of starvation and death,” said the
FAO’s representative in Somalia, Etienne Peterschmitt.
“We’re
calling on the international community to act fast while we still have some
hope of preventing... widespread famine in Somalia,” he said.
East
Africa endured a harrowing drought in 2017 but early humanitarian action
averted a famine in Somalia.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sudan’s
army chief says dialogue historic opportunity for transition
Ahmed
Osama Satti
08.06.2022
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
Sudan’s
army chief said Tuesday the dialogue that will be launched Wednesday is a
historic opportunity to end the transition period.
In
his statement aired on state television, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan noted that
they have sworn to work with all segments of Sudan since April 2019 to realize
the dream of the Sudanese people to establish a state of freedom, peace and
justice.
Saying
he supports the process called for by the tripartite mechanism, al-Burhan added
that the Sudanese Sovereign Council, which he chairs, will continue to provide
the necessary facilities to create an environment for dialogue.
The
tripartite mechanism consists of the African Union, the UN Integrated
Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and the Intergovernmental
Authority on Development (IGAD).
Calling
on all parties in the country to participate in this process and not to stand
in the way of the democratic transition, he went on to say that they will stick
to the results of the dialogue and when there is a consensus or an election,
the military will withdraw from the political scene.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/qaida-india-prophet-saffron-terrorists/d/127198