Aligarh Muslim University Drops Teachings of Two Islamic Scholars, Sayyid Qutb and Abul A’la Al-Maududi, From Syllabus
New Age Islam News Bureau
03 August 2022
Aligarh Muslim University
-----
• ‘Shiksha Jihad’: Police Book Directors of School for
Multi-faith Worship; FIR Says Islamic Prayer is ‘Shiksha Jihad’
• Next Qaida Chief: Man Tied To Daniel Pearl’s Killing,
Saif Al-Adel or Zawahiri’s Son-In-Law, Abd Al-Maghrebi?
• Zawahiri Read Alone On Balcony, a Pattern-Of-Life
Intelligence CIA Used To Kill Him: Report
• Islamic Emirate Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada,
Discusses Education, Women’s Rights with Clerics in the Context of Shariah
India
• ‘Flood Jihad’: Muslims Accused of Inundating
Hindu-Majority City of Silchar in Assam By Damaging Flood Defences
• Vadodara School Calls Off Kindergarten Field Trip to
Mosque after Bajrang Dal Threat
• Central officials assessing impact of Zawahiri’s
killing on al-Qaeda’s presence in India
• Taliban Sheltering Zawahiri Will Make India Wary Of
Ties
• 6 arrested for killing Muslim man amid communal
tension
• Hyderabad: Mosque’s demolition triggers protests in
Shamshabad
• UP: SI subjects Muslim man to 3rd-degree torture in
cow-slaughter case
--------
Arab
World
• Shia cleric Al-Sadr urges protesters to leave Iraq’s
Parliament
• Top terrorist leaders killed in US operations since
9/11 attack
• Yazidi Genocide Anniversary Serves as Grim Reminder
of Daesh’s Crimes against Humanity
• Syrian Islamist group imposes irrigation fees on
farmers amidst water crisis
• Iraqi, French FMs voice support for fence-mending
talks between Iran, Saudi Arabia
• Saudi Arabia to Send 130 Athletes For 5th Islamic
Solidarity Games
--------
North
America
• After the killing of al-Zawahri, here is the FBI’s
list of most wanted extremists
• State Dept warns US citizens of terror attacks in
aftermath of Zawahri’s killing
• Ayman al-Zawahri led life of secrecy and violence
• Al-Qaeda leader's death ‘hasn’t solved anything’
says Nigel Farage 'extreme Islamic terrorism hasn't gone away’
• US approves sale of Patriot missiles to Saudi
Arabia, THAAD system missiles for UAE
• Nasrallah slams US over ‘false promises’ to supply
natural gas and electricity to Lebanon
--------
South
Asia
• Islamic Emirate committed to fighting ISIS in
Afghanistan: Haqqani
• Motorcyclist Gunmen Kill Religious Scholar in
Central Afghanistan
• After destroying the Bamiyan Buddha statues, Taliban
attempts to destroy the historic bazaar nearby
--------
Europe
• UN Had Absolutely No Knowledge Of Zawahiri's
Whereabouts: Spokesperson For UNSG
• French gov't takes flak over deportation decision
against well-known imam
• First ship carrying grain from Ukraine reaches
Turkey
--------
Africa
• Muslim-Muslim Ticket Means Persecuting Christians –
Anglican Archbishop, Ibezim
• US played secret role in 2017 Nigeria IDP bombing
that killed over 160: Report
--------
Pakistan
• Govt Leaders Want Imran Banned, Disqualified Over
ECP ‘Charge Sheet’
• Hajj Sermon 2022 gives message of peace, love: Tahir
Ashrafi
• Nawaz urges govt to take legal action against Imran
following ECP verdict
• Ahsan Iqbal asks newly-appointed HEC chairman to
align higher education sector with modern trends
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Kuala Langat MP Questions Guarantee Of Liberty For
Non-Muslims Over Provisions In Anti-Smoking Bill
• Bersatu man defends religious minister’s remarks,
says Bon Odori and Oktoberfest not part of Malaysian culture
• Hannah Yeoh backs Tajuddin in Parliament after
Speaker upholds deputy’s decision on Pasir Salak MP’s sexist remarks
--------
Mideast
• Iran: Israel Understands No Language but Force
• Pro-Palestinian hackers shut down websites of two
major ports in Israeli-occupied territories
• Israeli army on alert after arrest of Islamic Jihad
senior official
• Spokesman: President Rayeesi to Attend UN General
Assembly Meeting in New York
• Iran Blames US for Sanctions Addiction, Says No
Difference between Biden, Trump
• Iran Strongly Condemns Israeli Official's
Warmongering Rhetoric
• Two-month extension of Yemen ceasefire agreed: UN
envoy
• Iran reaffirms support for Palestinians against Israel’s
expansionist policies
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
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Aligarh Muslim University Drops Teachings Of Two
Islamic Scholars, Sayyid Qutb And Abul A’la Al-Maududi, From Syllabus
Aligarh Muslim University
-----
August 3, 2022
The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has decided to
drop teachings of two Islamic scholars from their syllabus of the Department of
Islamic Studies with varsity officials saying that the decision was taken after
some complaints were received that the teachings of the authors were
“objectionable”.
The two scholars whose teachings will be removed are
Turkish author and Islamic scholar Sayyid Qutb and Pakistan author Abul A’la
al-Maududi, said officials. The announcement to remove the teachings of the two
scholars comes days after an open letter was written to Prime Minister Narendra
Modi by 25 academics bringing to his notice “the brazenly Jihadi Islamic course
curriculum” at Aligarh Muslim University, Delhi’s Jamia Milia Islamia and
Hamdard University. The open letter had said that it is a matter of “deep
concern and worry that the writings of Abul Ala Maududi is part of the course
curriculum of the three universities.
Confirming the removal of the two scholars’ teachings
from the syllabus, AMU Public Relations Officer Shafe Kidwai said, “The two scholars’
teachings will be removed from the syllabus. The process for it will be
followed. It was decided to remove the parts from the syllabus to avoid any
controversy at the varsity. The circumstances have changed over the years. What
may have been considered worth teaching years ago may not be considered worth
teaching now…”
“There were some complaints. I don’t know who
complained, but yes, some people raised an issue with these teachings and the
department decided to remove it,” added Kidwai.
The open letter written by the 25 academics was titled
“Indoctrination of students at state funded institutions like the Aligarh
Muslim University, Jamia Milia Islamia & Jamia Hamdard through an
anti-Indic/anti-national course curriculum”. It read, “We the undersigned wish
to bring to your notice the brazenly Jihadi Islamic course curriculum being
followed by certain departments of state funded Islamic universities such as
Aligarh Muslim University, Jamia Milia Islamia and Hamdard University.” Among
the signatories was Prof. Madhu Kishwar, Senior Fellow, Nehru Memorial Museum
and Library (NMML).
A professor at the department, who did not wish to be
identified, said, “We were told by the higher authorities of the varsity to
remove these two scholars from the syllabus of the Department of Islamic
Studies. It was told to us that the decision was taken to avoid a controversy
at the varsity.”
“We weren’t told by the varsity authorities which part
of what was being taught was objectionable or anti-national. We were simply
told to remove the teachings of the two authors,” said the professor.
An official at the varsity said that the teachings of
the two authors were being taught for Masters in the Department of Islamic
Studies as optional papers. “These two authors were being taught for at least a
couple of decades. In the optional papers, the department used to teach the
thoughts and teachings of the two authors and ideologues. They ranged from
their religious teachings and political thoughts. The optional papers taught
about them were titled ‘Maulana Madudi and his thoughts’ and ‘Sayyid Qutb and
his thoughts. These were two optional papers for masters’ students of the
Department of Islamic Studies at AMU,” said the official.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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‘Shiksha Jihad’: Police Book Directors of School for
Multi-faith Worship; FIR Says Islamic Prayer is ‘Shiksha Jihad’
Photo: Maktoob Media
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Sumedha Pal
Aug 03, 2022
New Delhi: Directors of the Florets International
School in Kanpur have been booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police under Sections
295A of the Indian Penal Code and Section 5(1) of the UP Prohibition of
Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021. The FIR was registered after a
complaint and protest by Hindutva activists over the recitation of Islamic
prayers – as part of multi-faith worship – in the school.
The school remained shut for the second day in a row
over the protests.
The FIR was registered against the school late in the
evening on August 1. ACP Nishank Sharma confirmed this development to The Wire,
stating that an investigation has been initiated in the case.
The complaint submitted to the Sismau police station
states that “an attempt is being made by the school to pave way for religious
conversion of the students”. It goes on to add that the school is carrying out
“Shiksha Jihad” as students are being made to recite an Islamic prayer.
The prayer book in question, accessed by The Wire, has
prayers pertaining to multiple faiths, including the Gayatri Mantra, Sanchi
Vaani and a pledge about belonging in India.
In a video statement, Florets principal Shradha Sharma
stated that multi-faith prayers had been part of the morning assembly since the
school’s founding in 2003 but following the objections raised by some parents
to the presence of Islamic prayers, the school authorities have decided to only
recite the national anthem. She added, “We followed prayers of all religions
and not any one particular faith, this has been the case for the past 12-13
years.”
“Seal school for carrying out Shiksha Jihad”
The complaint against the school demands that the
school should be sealed alongside other branches of the school.
Speaking to The Wire, Vishwa Hindu Parishad district
president Yuvraj Dwivedi, one of of the persons protesting against the
recitation of prayers, said, “We met the parents yesterday evening, the parents
stated that their children had been reciting Islamic prayers and they were
deeply worried. After the protests our complaint has been taken into account
and an FIR has been registered. We feel there is a bigger conspiracy at play
here.”
Hindutva organisations reportedly carried out a
“purification ritual” at the school to register their protest. BJP leaders
Mahendra Shukla and Dheeraj Sahu visited the school demanding action against the management. The leaders
had claimed that the school had been purified with ganga jal.
ACP Nishank
Sharma had previously said that a tweet had surfaced on social media stating
that an Islamic prayer was being recited in the school premises. When asked,
the school stated that prayers of all faiths were recited in the morning
assembly and that had been the case for close to 12 years. The school also
announced that this can be stopped and only the national anthem sung.
ADM City Atul Kumar in a statement issued on Monday
stated that the school has declared a holiday amid the row.
The Wire reached out to Florets school, but could not
receive a comment. This story will be updated when a comment is received.
Source: The Wire
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Next Qaida Chief: Man Tied To Daniel Pearl’s Killing,
Saif Al-Adel or Zawahiri’s Son-In-Law, Abd Al-Maghrebi?
Saif al-Adel (L) and
Abdal-Rahman al-Maghrebi are the topcontenders to take over al-Qaida.
----
Aug 3, 2022
DUBAI: The US killing of al-Qaida chief Ayman
al-Zawahiri, officials in Washington said, is the biggest blow to the militants
since Osama bin Laden was shot dead in 2011. Some of the top contenders to take
over the militant organisation:
Saif Al-Adel
The mysterious, low-key former Egyptian special forces
officer is a high ranking member of al-Qaida. The US is offering a reward of up
to $10 million for information leading to his arrest. Al-Adel was suspected of
involvement in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sa-
dat in 1981, and left the country in 1988 to join the
Mujahideen fighting Soviet occupation in Afghanistan. Often called the
third-ranking al-Qaida official, al-Adel helped to plan the bomb attacks
against the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar as Salaam in 1998 and set up
training camps for the organisation in Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan in the
1990s. In 2004, al-Adel’s diary was recovered during a raid in Saudi Arabia.
His role in the organisation has been as a trainer,
military leader and member of bin Laden’s security detail. Before joining Qaida
he was a member of Egypt’s Islamic Jihad organisation, which was bent on
toppling the state. Al-Adel was linked to the killing of US journalist Daniel
Pearl in Pakistan in 2002, US investigators said in a report. The findings by
investigators of the Pearl Project revealed al-Adel had discussed Pearl’s
abduction with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, also known as KSM, the accused
mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks. Al-Adel was appointed
caretaker leader after the death of bin Laden.
Yezid Mebarek
Yezid Mebarek, known as Abu Ubaydah Yusuf al-Anabi,
succeeded as emir of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb in 2020. An Algerian
citizen, Mebarek ran media operations for AQIM, using a 2013 video to call for
global attacks against French interests after Paris sent troops to
help quash a militant insurgency in Mali. Mebarek, 53,
pictured in one photo with a full grey beard and green turban, is a veteran of
Algeria’s 1990s civil war. AQIM took advantage of chaos across the Sahel region
to become one of the global network’s most active and valued branches,
kidnapping Westerners and staging attacks. As a mark of AQIM’s importance to
Qaida, Mebarek’s predecessor Abdelmalek Droukdel, served a role in the
movement’s leadership team under Zawahiri, before being killed by French forces
in 2020. However, analysts believe AQIM has lost sway to newer militant groups
in the Sahel. Mebarek is reported to suffer from old injuries and to lack
Droukdel’s charisma.
Abd Al-Maghrebi
Moroccan-born national Abdal-Rahman alMaghrebi is
wanted for questioning by the FBI in connection with his membership in Qaida.
He studied programming in Germany before moving to Afghanistan where he was
selected to manage Qaida’s main media wing, said the FBI.
The son-in-law of Zawahiri, he is a senior Qaida
commander. Documents recovered in the operation that killed bin Laden indicated
alMaghrebi had been a rising star in the group for many years. He served as
Qaida’s general manager in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Zawahiri Read Alone On Balcony, a Pattern-Of-Life
Intelligence CIA Used To Kill Him: Report
Ayman al-Zawahri. File |
Photo Credit: AP
----
Aug 3, 2022
NEW YORK: Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri liked to
read alone on the balcony of his Kabul safe house early in the morning, a
"pattern-of-life intelligence" that eventually gave American
intelligence agencies the chance to carry out a precision strike that killed
one of the world's most wanted terrorists, a report said.
Zawahiri, who played a key role in the 9/11 attacks
and later formed al-Qaida's regional affiliate in the Indian subcontinent, was
killed in a US drone strike on Saturday evening.
"Intelligence officers made a crucial discovery
this spring after tracking Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaida, to Kabul,
Afghanistan: He liked to read alone on the balcony of his safe house early in
the morning," The New York Times (NYT) said in a report titled 'How the
CIA Tracked the Leader of al-Qaida'.
The report said that analysts search for
"pattern-of-life intelligence", which means any habit the CIA can
exploit to hunt down and target terrorists. "In al-Zawahiri's case, his
long balcony visits gave the agency an opportunity for a clear missile shot that
could avoid collateral damage," it said.
Once intelligence agencies confirmed the location of
Zawahiri's safe house, "the CIA followed the playbook it wrote during the
hunt for (Osama) Bin Laden. The agency built a model of the site and sought to
learn everything about it."
"Analysts eventually identified a figure who
lingered on the balcony reading, but never left the house, as
al-Zawahiri," the NYT report said.
On July 25, Biden authorised the CIA to conduct the
airstrike "when the opportunity presented itself".
"Sunday morning in Kabul, it did. A drone flown
by the CIA found al-Zawahiri on his balcony. The agency operatives fired the
missile, ending a more than two-decade-long hunt," the report said.
US President Joe Biden announced on Monday that Zawahiri,
who took over the reins of al-Qaida after the killing of Osama bin Laden 11
years ago, was killed in an American drone strike.
Biden said "justice has been delivered and this
terrorist leader is no more."
The NYT report said that on April 1, top intelligence
officials briefed national security officials at the White House about the safe
house and how they had tracked Zawahiri.
A "key insight" that had emerged about
Zawahiri's pattern of life was that "he was never seen leaving the house
and only seemed to get fresh air by standing on a balcony on an upper floor. He
remained on the balcony for extended periods, which gave the CIA a good chance
to target him."
The al-Qaida leader was killed by a Hellfire missile,
which is "designed to kill a single person."
Biden was briefed by CIA director William Burns and
other intelligence officials on July 1 and he was shown a model of the safe
house, the report said.
Biden "asked about the possibility of collateral
damage, prodding" Burns to take him "through the steps of how
officers had found al-Zawahiri and confirmed his information, and their plans
to kill him."
During June and July, discussions focussed on
intelligence and examining the potential ramifications of the strike.
The report added that the "safe house" where
Zawahiri stayed was owned by "an aide to senior officials in the Haqqani
network" in an area in the Afghan capital controlled by the terror group.
"Senior Taliban leaders occasionally met at the
house, but American officials do not know how many knew that the Haqqanis were
hiding al-Zawahiri. If some senior Taliban officials did not know that the
Haqqanis had allowed al-Zawahiri to return, his killing could drive a wedge
between the groups," the report said citing independent analysts.
It added that Zawahiri's ties to leaders of the
Haqqani network "led US intelligence officials to the safe house"
where he was hiding.
For many years, it was believed that Zawahiri was
hiding in the border area of Pakistan and it remains unclear why he returned to
Afghanistan, the report said. Following the withdrawal of US troops from
Afghanistan, it is believed that Zawahiri's family returned to a safe house in
Kabul.
The NYT report said that while his family tried to
ensure they were not being watched and keep Zawahiri's location secret,
"intelligence agencies soon learned he too had returned to Afghanistan.
"There was a renewed effort to figure out where
he was," the report quoted former CIA officer Mick Mulroy as saying.
"The one good thing that might have come out of withdrawing from
Afghanistan is that certain high-level terrorist figures would then think it is
safe for them to be there."
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Islamic Emirate Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada,
Discusses Education, Women’s Rights with Clerics in the Context of Shariah
Photo: Pakistan Observer
----
Aug 03, 2022
Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Islamic Emirate's
supreme leader, met with some of Kabul's religious clerics in Kandahar to
discuss education and women's rights in the context of Islamic law.
Returning to Kabul, some religious scholars stated
that the leader of the Islamic Emirate had given them orders on a number of
crucial matters, including respecting women's rights within the framework of
Sharia, updating the curriculum of schools and madrassas (religious schools),
and addressing the problems of Kabul residents.
“The Islamic Emirate's supreme leader gave a number of
instructions to the meeting's attendees, all of whom were from Kabul. One of
the instructions is that all women's rights that are given by Islam should be
respected, not the rights that the Westerners say,” said Abdul Hamed Hamasi, a
member of the Islamic Emirate.
"The supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate has
asked them (religious clerics) to convey the wishes of the people of Kabul to
him, as well as his words to the people," a meeting participant stated.
Religious clerics asked the international community to
award the Nobel Prize to the leader of the Islamic Emirate for putting an end
to the 40-year war in Afghanistan.
"We ask the international community to award
Mawlawi Hebatullah the Nobel Prize because he put an end to decades of war
during which up to three hundred people from the country were killed every day,
and he prevented that," said Abdul Hamed Hamasi, a member of the Islamic
Emirate.
Neda Mohammad Nadim, the governor of Kabul province,
said that the leader ordered him to address Kabul’s residents legal problems.
"The meeting of the Kabul religious clerics
continued for three to four hours, and major matters were discussed. The leader
of the Islamic Emirate has given several orders to solve the problems of the
people of Kabul," he stated.
Source: Tolo News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-179226
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India
‘Flood Jihad’: Muslims Accused of Inundating
Hindu-Majority City of Silchar in Assam By Damaging Flood Defences
By Medhavi Arora and Marco Silva
Aug 03, 2022
After devastating floods hit India's north-eastern
state of Assam, claims that members of the local Muslim community were to blame
for the disaster began circulating online. But was there any truth to these
allegations? One of the accused told the BBC his story.
When the police knocked on his door in the early hours
of 3 July, Nazir Hussain Laskar was puzzled. For years, he had worked as a
construction worker in Assam, helping the state build flood protections.
But, on that morning, the officers who arrested Mr
Laskar accused him instead of "damaging public property" - more
specifically, an embankment meant to protect communities from flooding.
"I have spent 16 years working for the government
to build embankments", Mr Laskar said. "Why would I damage one?"
Mr Laskar spent nearly 20 days behind bars, before
being released on bail. No evidence of his involvement has been found, but the
social media storm around him has been raging ever since.
'I thought I might get attacked'
Two waves of flooding hit Assam in May and June,
killing at least 192 people. While the state floods every monsoon, this year
rains came early and were heavier than usual.
But for a number of social media users, something more
sinister was at play here.
They claimed, without proof, that the floods were
man-made, and that a group of Muslim men had deliberately inundated the neighbouring
Hindu-majority city of Silchar, by damaging flood defences.
Mr Laskar's arrest, along with that of three other
Muslim men, triggered a barrage of social media posts accusing them of
supposedly waging a "flood jihad".
These posts were shared thousands of times, including
by prominent influencers with verified accounts. The claims were then repeated
by some local media outlets.
But the gravity of his situation only dawned on him
when, already in prison, Mr Laskar caught a mention of his name on television:
a news channel accusing him of "flood jihad".
"I was afraid and could not sleep that night. The
other inmates were talking about it. I thought I might get attacked."
The truth behind 'flood jihad' claims
The construction of embankments has been central to
flood management in Assam since the 1950s. The state has more than 4,000km
(2,500 miles) of embankments and many of these are said to be brittle and prone
to damage.
On 23 May, an embankment was damaged on the Barak
River, which flows through north-east India and eastern Bangladesh.
The breach happened in a Muslim-majority area called
Bethukandi - and it was one of several contributing factors to heavy floods in
Silchar, which is majority Hindu.
"The cut was one of the causes", says
Ramandeep Kaur, superintendent of police in Silchar. "But it wasn't the
only point from where water entered the town."
The BBC understands it was this particular incident
that led to the arrest of Mr Laskar and three other Muslim men. Later, a fifth
man was also arrested. No evidence has been found linking any of them to the
breach.
"A lot of these breaches take place because of
the lack of repair and maintenance of the embankments," said Nirmalya
Choudhury, an associate professor at the Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster
Studies in Mumbai.
"Some of it could be also human-induced. It could
be that there were instances where people deliberately breached the embankment
so that the water would move out, and would not flood their area."
The Silchar police agrees.
"There is no such thing as 'flood jihad',"
said superintendent Kaur. "In earlier years, the administration would make
a cut in the embankment themselves to drain the water out. This year it wasn't
done, and some people took it into their own hands."
"To make this kind of claim [of 'flood jihad'] is
to take an easy way out," said Prof Choudhury. "This is a managerial
problem, and I think it requires a far more mature response."
'I was accused because I am a Muslim'
According to Google Trends, searches for "flood
jihad" hit a five-year peak in July, fed by the social media frenzy around
this claim.
But this is hardly the first time anti-Muslim
conspiracy theories have hit the mainstream in India.
During the pandemic, Indian Muslims were at times
falsely accused of deliberately spreading Covid-19 (what some Indian media
outlets described as "corona jihad").
Critics say violence, hate speech and misinformation
targeting Muslims has increased since 2014, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi's
Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power. The party disputes
this.
Meanwhile, in Assam, Mr Laskar continues to live in
fear after his release from jail.
"My family and I are still afraid to leave the
house. My children have been skipping school. If I must leave the house, I
sometimes wear a helmet to hide my face. I am afraid of being lynched by an
angry mob."
Source: BBC
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-62378520
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Vadodara school calls off kindergarten field trip to
mosque after Bajrang Dal threat
by Aditi Raja | Vadodara
August 3, 2022
A private school in Vadodara, which had planned a
field trip for kindergarten children to a mosque in the city, called off the
visit after protests from Bajrang Dal on Tuesday. Volunteers of the Bajrang
Dal, who claimed to have “received complaints” from parents, arrived at the
school and threatened the school management with dire consequences if children
were taken to the mosque.
The Delhi Public School in Kalali in Vadodara, which
had earlier also taken children to visit a temple in the city, had planned to
take the kindergarten children to a mosque as part of a field visit for value
education this week. However, on Tuesday volunteers of the Bajrang Dal arrived
on campus and staged a protest, chanting the Ram Dhun. Later, they met with the
principal of the school and “warned” of agitation if the field trip to the
mosque was not called off.
Ketan Trivedi, President of Bajrang Dal in Vadodara,
said, “We have told the principal of the school that this field trip to the
mosque should be called off…There is no need to mix religion with education.
They can use virtual technology to show places of worship instead of taking
young children to mosques. We have left it to the principal by telling him that
he should consider that he would not want his school to earn a bad name in the
name of religion… We have received complaints from parents and so we have come
here. We will also return on the designated day when they were supposed to take
the children out to the mosque and if we see that they have not complied, we
will agitate as we are prepared for it.”
The school, last week, issued a consent form to
parents, seeking voluntary permission to have their child visit a mosque in the
city. The school said that all parents, who wished to send their wards on the
field trip, had returned the form in agreement. The school management added
that it did not receive any complaint or objection from any parent as it was
the choice of the parents to send the children for the field trip or not. The
school has also handed out a list of field visits planned for children during
the academic year, in advance to all parents, which also includes a visit to a
church among places of religious worship. The other field trips include a visit
to a bank, a bakery, and a grocery store.
A parent of a kindergarten student said, “Almost all
parents we know in our groups had willingly signed consent forms… We were all
looking forward to our children exploring and learning about the world. We do
not see anything wrong in the school planning a visit to a place of worship,
whichever it may be. The children were happy when they visited a temple,
earlier, and similarly, they would have learned about another place of worship
on this trip. It is so disheartening that some fringe groups are protesting
over issues that should be between parents and the school only.”
Another parent of a student from kindergarten said,
“My daughter was very excited for this trip and we were even telling her about
a mosque as she has never been there before… It is only a field trip and as
parents, we have chosen to support the school that is trying to teach children
the values of harmony and unity. There was no pressure on parents to send
children to any activity or field trip.”
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Central officials assessing impact of Zawahiri’s
killing on al-Qaeda’s presence in India
Vijaita Singh
AUGUST 02, 2022
18 Indians are known to have joined the terror group
between 2012 and 2015: police
A day after the United States announced that al-Qaeda
leader Ayman al-Zawahiri had been killed in a drone strike in Kabul on July 30,
Indian government officials on Tuesday said they were assessing its impact in
India.
Unlike other terror groups, al-Qaeda is not an
organisation-led group but is driven by a strong ideology, independent of
territorial limits, an official said.
There are only 18 Indians known to have joined
al-Qaeda between 2012 and 2015, said a Delhi Police official, adding that the
number of persons who owed allegiance to the group was much bigger.
Five of them are in prison, while the others are
absconding. G.P Singh, Special Director-General of Police, Assam, told The
Hindu that since February, the police had arrested 22 members affiliated to the
global terror group or were inspired by its ideology.
Mr. Singh said that over the past two years,
surveillance had been mounted in Assam following reports that the
Bangladesh-based Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT), affiliated to al-Qaeda, was
trying to scout for recruits.
“Their interrogation revealed that they were inspired
by Zawahiri. However, killing of a leader always lowers the morale of the cadre
and sympathisers. We are sure that we will be able to wipe out the network from
Assam in the next two years,” Mr. Singh said.
In 2014, Zawahiri, in a video, announced the creation
of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) to be led by an Indian Maulana,
Asim Umar, who was later identified as Uttar Pradesh resident Sanaul Haq.
Haq is said to have been killed in a drone strike in
Afghanistan a few years ago, but there is no confirmation yet.
In the video, Zawahiri described the formation of the
AQIS as glad tidings for Muslims “in Burma [Myanmar], Bangladesh, Assam,
Gujarat, Ahmedabad, and Kashmir”, adding that the new wing would rescue Muslims
there from injustice and oppression.
A senior Home Ministry official said that according to
recent inputs the group was trying to rebuild al-Qaeda’s organisational
machinery in India. As recent as June 8, the AQIS threatened that its members
would carry out attacks in India in the backdrop of the controversial
statements by two BJP leaders against Prophet Muhammed. The AQIS, in a
statement, called for attacks in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
In 2015, a note generated by an intelligence agency
said that the AQIS “has been attempting to recruit gullible Muslim youth from
Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Karnataka, Kerala and Delhi”, and that the group planned to target BJP offices,
commercial, tourist, religious, aviation and railway infrastructure in various
States as well as unsecured waterfronts.
The Home Ministry official said that al-Qaeda cadre in
India shifting allegiance to the Islamic State was also a possibility.
“Considering the field operational capabilities of Islamic State in Khorasan
Province (ISKP) to mount spectacular attacks, any possible tilt from AQ ranks
to IS warrants a serious attention,” the official said.
In 2017, the AQIS had released a video in which its
spokesperson, Usama Mahmoud, asked Muslims in “Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and
Kashmir” to support the Rohingya in Myanmar, asking them to seek revenge.
According to another official, the AQIS, banned in
2018 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), was backed by the
Pakistani establishment to carry out attacks in India.
In 2019, Zawahiri had for the first time released a
Kashmir-centric video asking its cadres to inflict “unrelenting blows” on the
Indian Army and the government in Kashmir Valley to “bleed” the economy and
“make the country suffer”.
Source: The Hindu
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Taliban sheltering Zawahiri will make India wary of
ties
Aug 3, 2022
NEW DELHI: The revelation that slain Al Qaeda leader
Ayman al Zawahiri was living in a Taliban safe house when he was killed in a US
drone strike is unlikely to stall the India-Taliban peace overtures, which
recently saw the return of Indian diplomats to Kabul but may encourage the
government to be more circumspect in its dealings with the Taliban.
The Taliban have so far, in their quest for
international recognition perhaps, been on their best behaviour with India but
the government knows that an Al Qaeda haven in Afghanistan can act as a boon
for Pakistan-based terror groups which, according to a recent UNSC report,
continue to operate training camps in Afghanistan.
The same report by the monitoring team assisting the
1988 Sanctions Committee, which is currently headed by India, had said in May
this year that Al Qaeda already had a safe haven under the Taliban and an
``increased freedom of action’’. It also mentioned how Zawahiri was frequently
issuing recorded messages since the return of the Taliban.
In one of these video messages, released in April this
year, Zawahiri weighed into the Karnataka hijab controversy targeting what he
described as pagan Hindu democracy and calling it a tool meant to oppress the
Muslims. According to the report, this video provided the first ``conclusive
current proof’’ of life for al-Zawahiri in recent years. ``The pace of recent
communications suggests that he may be able to lead more effectively than was
possible before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan,’’ it said, adding that
Zawahiri was reported to be living in eastern Afghanistan along the border with
Pakistan.
Despite the humanitarian assistance it has provided to
the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, and its decision to reopen the Indian embassy in
Kabul in June, India has remained reluctant to upgrade its incipient engagement
with the government in Kabul apparently because of the latter’s links with
terror groups. This was one of the reasons India chose to participate in the
recent Afghanistan conference in Uzbekistan at the level of officials. Unlike
his Pakistan and China counterparts, foreign minister S Jaishankar also did not
meet the Taliban acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, while he was in
Tashkent for the SCO meeting that followed the conference in Uzbekistan.
According to sources, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, India is also closely following reports that Pakistan may have had a
role in facilitating the US drone strike on Zawahiri. ``Things could get
complicated if that’s true given Pakistan’s propensity to run with the hares
and hunt with the hounds on the issue of terrorism,’’ said a source. While
Pakistan may be on the verge of exiting the FATF increased monitoring list,
India believes that Islamabad has still not done enough to rein in
India-focused groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Despite his announcement of the formation of a branch
of Al Qaeda in the Indian subcontinent, and his utterances on Kashmir, Zawahiri
mostly represented a distant threat for India unlike Masood Azhar and Hafiz
Saeed who continued to lead Pakistan-based and UN designated terror groups
looking to target India at every available opportunity. This is probably also
the reason India is unlikely to issue any statement on Zawahiri’s killing.
Source: Times Of India
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6 arrested for killing Muslim man amid communal
tension
Aug 03, 2022
By Arun Dev
Six people have been arrested in Karnataka’s Mangaluru
in connection with the murder of a 23-year-old Muslim man at Surathkal in the
Dakshina Kannada district on July 28, two days after the killing of ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionary Praveen Nettaru, police said.
Mangaluru police commissioner, N Shashi Kumar, said
the six people came together with the aim of “killing someone” at the earliest
and planned Mohammed Fazil’s murder for three days. Responding to a question on
whether Fazil was hacked to death in retaliation for Nettaru’s killing, Kumar
said further interrogation was required to ascertain that.
However, two investigators speaking on the condition
of anonymity said that the murder was indeed retaliation and that they had a
potential list of targets, all Muslims. “Four arrested men were from Surathkal
and they knew Fazil. So, his name was suggested. The other people on the list
of potential targets too were from also one community.” They added that the
killers eventually settled on Fazil because he was an easy target. “They
finalised Fazil’s name for logistical reasons. They wanted to kill someone at
the earliest,” said one of the two officers.
The six men are believed to belong to a right wing
group, but Kumar said this and the motive could be confirmed only after further
questioning.
Police said the six, Suhas Shetty, 29, Mohan Singh,
26, Giridhar, 23, Abhishek, 21, Shrinivas, 23, and Deekshith, 21, have been
involved in several crimes in the past. Citing preliminary investigation,
police said the accused were planning to kill Fazil since July 26.
“The six people did not know each other, but they came
to know each through common friends. Suhas called his friend Abhishek and had a
long discussion with him. He told Abhishek that by the evening of July 26, they
should murder someone. They decided to gather more people and weapons,” said
Kumar.
He added that Suhas Shetty met Abhishek on July 26
(the day BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Nettaru was murdered) and shared his
plan to murder someone.
On July 27, Shetty met Giridhar at a hotel in
Surathkal, where he shared the plan with him and said that he had weapons and
needed vehicles and manpower. Giridhar called Mohan who agreed to organise a
car. “On July 27, Mohan got a car from Ajith Crasta who was assured of ₹15,000
in three days if their plan was successful,” said the commissioner.
They did not proceed with the task on July 27 as three
of the accused did not turn up for a planned meeting.
“On July 28, Suhas left early in the morning with
weapons to Bantwal’s Karinjeshwar temple, while three other accused had to
appear in court. They had a discussion near the court where Fazil’s name was
finalised as the target…” Kumar said.
In the evening, all six left in the car. They made
three rounds of the garment shop where Fazil was. Shetty got out of the vehicle
along with Mohan and Abhishek and hacked Fazil to death. “ Suhas, Mohan and
Abhishek were the assailants, Giridhar was driving the car, Deekshith was
seated in the car, while Srinivas tried to protect the accused from the public
during the murder. The six accused then escaped towards Palimar. They abandoned
the car and escaped in another car to a hideout,” the commissioner said.
All six were arrested on Tuesday morning at Udyavar.
The accused were produced before the court and remanded to 14-day police
custody.
Kumar said Shetty is an accused in a murder and three
other criminal cases, while Mohan, Giridhar and Abhishek are accused in two
criminal cases each. Shrinivas is accused in four criminal cases while Deekshit
is accused in three criminal cases.
Kumar ruled out reports that the killers targetted
Fazil by mistake. He also said news reports that Fazil was in a relationship
with a girl from another Muslim sect and was murdered on account of that, were
false.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Hyderabad: Mosque’s demolition triggers protests in
Shamshabad
2nd August 2022
Hyderabad: Protests erupted in Shamshabad following
the demolition of a mosque by the municipal authorities on the outskirts of
Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Masjid-e-Khaja Mahmood in Green Avenue colony was
demolished by the municipal staff early morning amid heavy police presence.
The incident led to strong protests by local Muslim
residents and leaders of various parties.
A person, whose house is beside the mosque, had, along
with some other residents, complained to Shamshad Municipal authorities against
the construction of the mosque.
Leaders of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen
(AIMIM) and the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) lodged their protest.
AIMIM’s local leaders staged a sit-in at the municipal
office. They demanded action against the officials responsible for the
demolition and immediate reconstruction of the mosque.
Police later arrested the protesters who were led by
AIMIM in charge of Rajendra Nagar Assembly constituency, Mirza Rahmath Baig.
Muslim leaders have condemned the demolition and urged
the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government to take immediate action against
those responsible.
MBT leader Khan said that the TRS government headed by
KCR has been following in the footsteps of BJP’s Yogi government. He alleged
since the TRS party came to power in 2014, six mosques were demolished in
Telangana.
He questioned the silence of those Muslim
organisations and politicians who claim KCR as a secular leader. He said the demolition
was carried out by the Municipal Department headed by KCR’s son K.T. Rama Rao.
MBT leader Amjedullah Khan said the mosque was
constructed three years ago and daily five times namaz including Friday prayers
were being performed regularly.
According to Khan, a local resident of Shamshabad in
the area named Vishal Singh allegedly approached the court contesting the
mosque’s construction.
He pointed out that Green Avenue Colony on 15 acres of
land was plotted and sold after due permission from Shamshad Grampanchayat. Two
plots of 250 square yards were marked as a site for the masjid.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/hyderabad-mosques-demolition-triggers-protests-in-shamshabad-2382087/
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UP: SI Subjects Muslim Man To 3rd-Degree Torture In
Cow-Slaughter Case
2nd August 2022
Muzaffarnagar: A police officer has been suspended in
Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar for allegedly subjecting third-degree torture to
a man who happened to be a distant relative of an accused.
According to reports, R. Rana, the Sub-Inspector (SI)
of Chhapar police station in Muzaffarnagar, went to Khampur village with a team
to arrest an accused named Zishan Ansari, who was wanted in a case related to
cow slaughter.
He did not find the alleged accused and picked up his
distant relative Farad Hakim, 40, a resident of the same village.
Hakim was taken to the police station and was
subjected to third-degree torture by the SI.
Later, he was released from the police station due to
pressure from the villagers.
One of the villagers recorded a video of Hakim which
purportedly shows bruise marks on his body and uploaded it on social media.
After the video went viral, SSP Vineet Jaiswal took
suo moto cognizance and ordered a probe.
Source: Siasat Daily
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Arab
World
Shia
cleric Al-Sadr urges protesters to leave Iraq’s Parliament
02.08.2022
BAGHDAD
Iraqi
Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday called on his supporters to leave the
parliament building amid protests against the nomination of a new prime
minister by groups close to Iran.
In
a statement, al-Sadr urged protesters to evacuate the building in Baghdad’s
fortified Green Zone within 72 hours. The influential leader, however, called
on supporters to maintain their sit-in around the parliament HQ.
Al-Sadr
also called on his supporters to gather to perform the weekly Friday prayers on
Aug. 5 in the Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government offices and several
foreign embassies.
Meanwhile,
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called on pro-Sadr protesters to end
their demonstrations and hold dialogue among the country’s political groups.
Tension
escalated across Iraq since last week following the nomination of Mohammed Shia
al-Sudani as a new prime minister by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of
groups close to Iran. The move, however, triggered protests from supporters of
al-Sadr.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Top
terrorist leaders killed in US operations since 9/11 attack
Mahmoud
Barakat
02.08.2022
Since
the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, in which roughly 3,000 lives were taken when
al-Qaeda hijackers struck the financial and political capitals of the US,
Washington has hunted top terrorist leaders overseas.
In
its latest operation, the US killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a
drone attack in Afghanistan over the weekend in what President Joe Biden said
was a "clear demonstration" of American resolve to carry out its
fight against the terrorist group.
"Now
justice has been delivered, and this terrorist leader is no more," Biden
said.
Zawahiri
had long evaded the US attempts to kill or capture him. He led the
US-designated terrorist group in 2011 when American forces killed al-Qaeda
founder Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Zawahiri
was originally from Egypt and had spent decades in al-Qaeda, serving as its
deputy leader under bin Laden before assuming the mantle over a decade ago. He
was believed to have plotted the 2000 attack on the USS Cole naval destroyer in
Yemen in which 17 US sailors were killed and helped coordinate Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon.
The
US had offered a reward of up to $25 million for information on him under its Rewards
for Justice program.
Major
operations
In
February, Biden announced that US forces had killed Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi
al-Qurayshi in Syria, who was named the leader of the Daesh/ISIS terror group
in 2019 after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi earlier that year.
In
March, the Daesh/ISIS terror group confirmed the killing of its leader
al-Qurayshi.
In
October 2019, former US President Donald Trump announced the death of Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi, the Daesh/ISIS chief who led the terrorist group's major takeover
of large swathes of territory in Iraq in the summer of 2014 before taking vast
territory in Syria.
Baghdadi,
who was born in Iraq, blew himself up during an Oct. 26 raid by US forces in
Idlib, Syria, with military and intelligence cooperation between Türkiye and
the US, according to Trump.
In
September 2019, Trump confirmed the death of Hamza bin Laden, son of slain
al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in a US counter-terrorism operation in the
Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
Osama
bin Laden was killed in 2011 in a covert operation carried out in Abbottabad,
Pakistan, at a compound where he was holed up. He claimed responsibility for
the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York's Twin Towers and the Pentagon attack
that day.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Yazidi
Genocide Anniversary Serves as Grim Reminder of Daesh’s Crimes against Humanity
NADIA
AL-FAOUR
August
02, 2022
DUBAI:
On August 3, Yazidis around the world will come together to mourn their
brothers, sisters, parents, and other loved ones who were massacred by Daesh
eight years ago.
It
was on that fateful day in 2014 that Daesh hordes invaded the historic Yazidi
homeland, Sinjar, in Iraq. The terrorist group murdered 1,268 people on the
first day; and throughout the weeks that followed, 6,417 Yazidis were
kidnapped, 3,548 of whom were women and underage girls who were thrown into
sexual slavery and forced labor.
The
entire community fled, seeking safety in the mountains of Sinjar. More than 65
percent of Yazidis became displaced.
"I
am able to announce, that based upon independent and impartial investigations,
complying with international standards and UN best practice, there is clear and
convincing evidence, that the crimes against the Yazidi people, clearly
constituted genocide,” Karim Khan, of the UN Investigative Team to Promote
Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh, told the Security Council in
2017.
A
few months into the 2014 genocide, Sinjar and US-based Yazidis established an
organization, Yazda, as an emergency response unit to help rescue their
community from extinction. It became clear after the release and escape of some
women that Daesh was deliberately targeting and sexually enslaving Yazidis due
to their religious identity.
Dabiq,
the online magazine used by Daesh for Islamic radicalization and recruitment
purposes, published fatwas calling on the militants to enslave Yazidis as they
were considered “devil worshippers.”
Yazda
has logged testimonies from survivors who recounted militants telling them
their community would “never welcome them back after what was done to them.”
As
of today, 3,545 Yazidis have returned to their families; 1,205 of whom are
women who risked their lives to escape captivity.
The
survivors were physically, sexually, mentally, and spiritually devastated, with
Yazda offering full access to psycho-social and protection services, while also
documenting testimonies.
Some
spoke of forced abortions, others shared how they self-harmed in order to
miscarry after they learned the militants were keen on keeping the children.
Some women even decided to complete their pregnancies and did their best to
raise their children through re-education programs.
Today,
many of these survivors are internally displaced persons trapped in a miserable
life in camps. They complain that the facilities are in miserable condition
with no access to critical services such as food, water, electricity and safe
housing.
There
are no recreational spaces to help encourage community building activities, and
women and children are also unable to complete their education.
Against
all odds, Yazidi women continue to fight for themselves.
A
platform created within Yazda, the Yazidi Survivors Network, has given women
from the community the space to advocate for their cause as they felt it vital
that their voices are present when decisions were being taken.
“I
want to be able to speak for myself and not have others speak for me,” one
survivor and YSN member said.
Another
said: “We want to participate in every decision that affects us as survivors.
We want to be our own voice in all projects that concern us because only we
know what we have been through and what we need in order to achieve the peace
and security we desire, as well as to recover from our suffering.”
Justice,
though, can be achieved through different ways for the survivors.
Yazidis
have been advocating to bring Daesh militants to court and prosecute them for
crimes against humanity, namely for genocide. But while many petitions have
been filed and are receiving funds to cover costs, what they lack is the
quantity of legal advocacy needed for commitment to the cases that have piled
up.
Apart
from legal prosecution, the safe return to Sinjar is another form of justice
Yazidis have been hoping for since their exile, where they can find their
missing family members and give a proper burial to the ones they lost.
Another
aspect of justice is global recognition of their genocide. To date, there has
been no follow-through from the international community on helping the Yazidi
community. More surprising is that no Middle Eastern country besides Iraq has
formally recognized the genocide.
Even
in Iraq, where the genocide is legally recognized under Article 7 of the law,
the acknowledgement has not been fully realized. At a commemorative event, YSN
member Nasrin Hassan Rasho said: “I demand the Iraqi state adopt a national
project for transitional justice that explicitly and clearly includes a legal
recognition of the Yazidi genocide and that of other minorities.”
Many
female survivors expressed their concern on being treated like second-class
citizens in Iraq and the Kurdistan region. Despite their history of shared
violence under the brutality of Daesh, there have been no efforts of
reconciliation or efforts to resolve the discrimination.
On
a personal level for survivors, the lack of their inclusion affects their
productivity, independence and sense of self, which in turn hinders their
psychological rehabilitation and treatment.
Suzan
Safar, a Yazidi genocide survivor and founder of the Dak Organization for Ezidi
Women Development, said: “This marginalization, carelessness and negligence of
the Sinjar cause practiced by the government makes us feel and gives us the
impression that unfortunately we are not first-class citizens, but second-class
ones.
“This
is what we are sensing from the actions that we are witnessing from the Iraqi
government.”
In
his 2017 presentation to the Security
Council, UNITAD head Khan did recognize that genocide had occurred — which in
itself is a big step forward in the pursuit of justice.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2134821/middle-east
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Syrian
Islamist group imposes irrigation fees on farmers amidst water crisis
Mohammed
Hardan
August
3, 2022
Amid
a worsening water crisis in northwest Syria, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has
taken a series of measures to weather the effects of this crisis and help
citizens cope with its repercussions.
Throughout
the years of war, Syrian government forces have repeatedly targeted vital
infrastructure and facilities, including drinking and irrigation water pumping
stations, which has prevented farmers from irrigating their agricultural lands.
Al-Roj
Plain in the western countryside of Idlib was not spared the damage. The water
pumps at the Balaa Dam in the countryside of Jisr al-Shughur in southwest Idlib
province stopped working in 2013 due to repeated bombings, before
rehabilitation works were recently launched to improve agriculture in the area.
The
HTS-affiliated Syrian Salvation Government in Idlib recently started pumping
water from Ain al-Zarqa spring to Balaa Dam through a number of pumps, as part
of a project that aims to help farmers and enable them to plant water-intensive
crops.
On
July 24, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation of the Salvation Government
inaugurated the project to pump water to al-Roj Plain, in the presence of HTS
leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani, head of the Salvation Government, and a number
of other prominent figures.
In
a statement published July 29, the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation
announced fees that farmers would have to pay for the irrigation of their lands
from the waterways supplied from Ain al-Zarqa water station.
The
directorate had days earlier, on July 21, conducted experimental operations by
pumping water to the waterway in al-Roj Plain for a few hours in a bid to
encourage farmers to plant.
Speaking
to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, a source from the directorate of water
resources at the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation said, “The water
resources directorate has rehabilitated three out of the total seven pumps at
Ain al-Zarqa station, and can now supply about 3,500 hectares [8,649 acres] in
al-Roj Plain with water, out of a total area of about 10,600 hectares [26,193
acres] in the plain, which means that the project is able to meet the area’s
needs. If the remaining four pumps are rehabilitated, all seven would be
capable of irrigating about 7,000 hectares [17,297 acres] of land in al-Roj
Plain.”
He
added, “The directorate carried out a pumping [performance] test for 18 hours,
six hours for each pump through the Ain al-Zarqa station, with an operational
cost of about $4,680. This is the second pumping attempt since part of the Ain
al-Zarqa station was rehabilitated last year. The water was pumped for the
first time in 2021, after about a nine-year halt. We informed the farmers
wishing to benefit from the project that the operational cost ranges between $7
and $9 per dunam [0.25 acres].”
Al-Roj
Plain is known for its diverse agricultural crops due to the soil fertility. It
is considered the food basket of the region, and the farmers there rely on
water springs and the Orontes River, as well as the underground wells they had
dug following the Syrian revolution and the shutdown of dams and water projects
due to repeated shelling.
Farmers
in al-Roj Plain have long suffered from many difficulties that have hindered
their work, causing many to abandon farming and search for other job
opportunities.
Muhamed
Issa, a farmer in al-Roj Plain, told Al-Monitor, “Most of the farmers in al-Roj
Plain have relied on solar energy in [irrigating] their summer crops this
season, in light of the halt in the flow of water to serviced canals
surrounding the agricultural lands in the plain, the high cost of water supply
from groundwater wells and the high cost of diesel, which is estimated at $70 a
day.”
He
noted, “Operating Ain al-Zarqa station is not a solution, because the
irrigation cost based on the rates imposed by the water resources directorate
is very high and does not commensurate with the profits generated from our
agricultural crops. We cannot afford these rates unless the prices of summer
crops are adjusted on the market and are raised in line with the costs [of
production]. The price of crops decreased to the point of causing losses this
year. Also, it is too late to pump water for the current summer crops, as the
season is nearing its end. The crops were limited anyway, because not all
farmers managed to irrigate more than one dunam or a little more.”
Although
there are about 50 localities and villages in al-Roj Plain, and their residents
depend primarily on agriculture as their main source of income, green spaces
have recently declined in the area during the summer season because of the lack
of water supplies to waterways.
Farmer
Abdo Hassan told Al-Monitor, “Many farmers like me were willing to increase
yield this year when we heard that water would be pumped into the canals of
al-Roj Plain. I rented 50 dunams [12.4 acres] of land in the plain this year,
but just before I started farming, I took a step back because it would have
caused me major losses. It turned out that we have to pay a fee to receive the
water. This is why I decided to limit cultivation to winter crops and refrain
from cultivating summer crops.”
He
added, “Some crops need to be irrigated more than 25 times, which make them
very costly and cause losses to farms.”
Source:
Al Monitor
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Iraqi,
French FMs voice support for fence-mending talks between Iran, Saudi Arabia
03
August 2022
Iraq
and France have expressed their support for the talks in Baghdad between
representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia as part of a diplomatic process
aimed at mending relations, calling for its continuation in order to ensure
security and stability in the Middle East.
During
a telephone conversation between Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his
French counterpart Catherine Colonna on Tuesday evening, the two sides
exchanged viewpoints on rapprochement talks between Riyadh and Tehran and
stressed the need for the negotiations to continue, the official Iraqi News
Agency reported.
They
also discussed ways to advance initiatives that would guarantee security and
stability in the region, and would facilitate the process of cooperation in
order to establish peace and achieve desirable development.
The
senior diplomats also referred to the talks on lifting the sanctions against
Tehran and reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, stating that a final agreement will
have positive repercussions on regional security and stability.
On
July 23, Hussein said Iraq will host a “public” meeting between Iran and Saudi
Arabia at the level of foreign ministers as part of successive reconciliation
talks mediated by Baghdad.
“The
Saudi crown prince asked us to host the meeting of the Saudi foreign minister
with his Iranian counterpart in Baghdad. I contacted the foreign minister of
Iran about this. We are preparing the meeting, trying to find the best time to
invite the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia,” the Iraqi foreign
minister said.
“It
will be a public meeting, unlike previous encounters which were secret and were
held between intelligence and security officials,” Hussein noted.
Iraq
has hosted five rounds of talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran at the level of
intelligence and security heads since last April, the top Iraqi diplomat added.
Last
month, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian appreciated the
“constructive” role of Iraq in advancing regional dialogue and said there has
been “progress” in the last five rounds of talks with Saudi Arabia.
Amir-Abdollahian
said he had told Iraqi mediators that Tehran is ready for a new political and
security phase with Riyadh, expressing hope that the measure would “eventually
lead to the return of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran relations
to normal.”
Saudi
Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian
protesters, enraged by the Saudi execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr
Baqir al-Nimr, stormed its embassy in Tehran.
The
kingdom then pursued a confrontational foreign policy toward the Islamic
Republic, especially during the administration of former US president Donald
Trump, with whom the Saudi rulers shared close ties.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia to Send 130 Athletes For 5th Islamic Solidarity Games
August
03, 2022
JEDDAH
— Saudi Arabia will participate in the Fifth Islamic Solidarity Games
"Konya 2022" to be officially launched on Tuesday in Konya city,
Turkiye, with the participation of 54 Islamic countries.
Konya
Islamic Solidarity Games 2022 will last until August 18.
More
than 130 male and female players will represent the Kingdom in the competitions
including 3×3 women’s basketball, darts, gymnastics, athletics, fencing,
football, handball, judo, karate, archery, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo,
weightlifting, wrestling, and Paralympic swimming.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
North
America
After
the killing of al-Zawahri, here is the FBI’s list of most wanted extremists
03 August,
2022
Until
Sunday, al-Qaeda head Ayman al-Zawahri was one of the world's most wanted men.
As
the number one extremist on the FBI’s most wanted list, al-Zawahri and his
deceased co-conspirator Osama Bin Laden were the masterminds behind the 9/11
attacks against the World Trade Centre in New York. Al-Zawahri was considered
one of the leaders of terrorism that led the planning and execution of heinous
terrorist operations in the US, Saudi Arabia and several other countries across
the world.
The
US government carried out an attack that killed al-Zawahri on July 31 while he
stepped out on his balcony in Kabul, Afghanistan. Senior US officials told
reporters that the attack was conducted by an unmanned drone, which fired two
Hellfire missiles.
His
name has been crossed off the FBI’s most wanted list, but there are about two
dozen more names of suspected terrorists and extremists.
Here
is a look at some of the other extremists topping the FBI’s most wanted
terrorists list – including a relative of al-Zawahri.
Abd
al Rahman al-Maghrebi
The
son-in-law of al-Zawahiri, Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi, a Moroccan-born national,
is wanted for questioning in connection with his membership in al-Qaeda, an
organization known for committing acts of terrorism against the US. Al-Maghrebi
reportedly studied software programming in Germany before traveling to
Afghanistan where he was selected to manage al-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s primary media
wing. Following the events of the 9/11 attacks in the US, al-Maghrebi fled to
Iran and possibly travels between Iran and Pakistan, according to the FBI,
which is offering a $7 million reward for his apprehension.
Sajid
Mir
Sajid
Mir is wanted for his alleged involvement in the 2008 terrorist attacks in
Mumbai, India. Between November 26, 2008, and November 29, 2008, ten attackers
trained by the Pakistan-based foreign terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Tayyiba
(LeT) carried out a series of coordinated attacks against multiple targets in
Mumbai, including hotels, cafes, and a train station, killing approximately 170
people. Six Americans were killed during the three-day attacks.
Mir
allegedly served as the chief planner of the attacks, directing preparations
and reconnaissance, and was one of the Pakistan-based controllers during the
attacks. Additionally, Mir allegedly conspired to commit a terrorist attack
against a newspaper and its employees in Denmark between 2008 and 2009. Mir was
indicted in the US on April 21, 2011, and was charged with conspiracy to injure
the property of a foreign government; providing material support to terrorists;
killing a citizen outside of the US and aiding and abetting; and the bombing of
places of public use. An arrest warrant was issued on April 22, 2011. The FBI
is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.
Ishmail
Muslim Ali
Ishmail
Muslim Ali is wanted for his alleged involvement in the December 31, 1984,
hijacking of American Airlines Flight 626 en route from St. Croix, US Virgin
Islands, to John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. Ali, who
was aboard the plane as a prisoner being transferred from the islands to a
prison in New York, allegedly used a handgun hidden in the bathroom of the
plane to hijack the plane to Havana, Cuba, according to the FBI. At the time,
Ali was serving eight life sentences for the murders of eight tourists in St.
Croix. A federal arrest warrant was issued for Ali on April 17, 1985, after he
was charged with aircraft piracy.
Jaber
A. Elbaneh
Elbaneh
is wanted in connection with a federal criminal complaint unsealed on May 21,
2003, in the Western District of New York, Buffalo, New York. He is charged
with providing material support to a terrorist organization and conspiring to
provide material support, specifically to al-Qaeda. Elbaneh was last known to
be in Yemen. The reward directly leading to his apprehension has been put at $5
million.
Saif
al-Adel
Saif
al-Adel is wanted by the FBI and thought to be a high-ranking member of
al-Qaeda. He is wanted in connection to the 1998 bombings in Tanzania and
Kenya. A reward of up to $10 million is being offered by the FBI for
information leading directly to his arrest.
Mohammed
Ali Hamadei
Mohammed
Ali Hamadei is wanted by the FBI in connection to the 1985 hijacking of a plane
which resulted in the murder of a US citizen. He is an alleged member of
Lebanon’s Iranian proxy group Hezbollah. The FBI is offering a reward of up to
$5 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
State
Dept warns US citizens of terror attacks in aftermath of Zawahri’s killing
03
August, 2022
The
State Department warned US citizens on Tuesday that al-Qaeda supporters may
increase their attacks on Americans and US interests overseas in the aftermath
of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri.
In
a statement, the State Department said it remained concerned about the
continued threat of terror attacks, demonstrations and other violent actions
against US citizens and interests. “The Department of State believes there is a
higher potential for anti-American violence given the death of Ayman al-Zawahri
on July 31, 2022,” the statement read.
Current
information suggests that terror groups are continuing to plan attacks against
US interests in multiple regions across the globe, according to the State
Department. “These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics including
suicide operations, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, and bombings.”
The
US government carried out an attack that killed al-Zawahri on July 31 while he
stepped out on his balcony in Kabul, Afghanistan. Senior US officials told
reporters that the attack was conducted by an unmanned drone, which fired two Hellfire
missiles.
The
strike resulted in the killing of al-Zawahri, and the US purposefully did not
target his family members inside the building, US officials said.
Although
White House officials played down the threat of al-Qaeda re-emerging in Afghanistan,
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US would still remain
vigilant.
In
its warning, the State Department said supporters of al-Qaeda, or its
affiliated terrorist organizations, may now seek to attack US facilities,
personnel, or citizens because of his death.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Ayman
al-Zawahri led life of secrecy and violence
Douglas
Martin, Alan Cowell | New York
03.08.22
Ayman
al-Zawahri, the Egyptian-born surgeon-turned-jihadist who assumed the
leadership of Al Qaida after the killing of Osama bin Laden and who died at 71
in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, over the weekend, according to US
officials, led a life steeped in secrecy, betrayal, conspiracy and violence,
most murderously in the September 11 attacks against the US in 2001.
While
Bin Laden, who was killed by an American raid in 2011, was widely seen as the
terrorist mastermind of those attacks, many counter-terrorism experts
considered al-Zawahri more responsible. With his white turban and dense, grey
beard, his forehead marked by the bruising prized by some Muslims as denoting
piety from frequent prayer, Zawahri had little of Bin Laden’s charisma and none
of his access to fabled family wealth.
But
he was widely depicted as the intellectual spine of al Qaida — its chief
operating officer, its public relations executive, and a profound influence who
helped the Saudi-born Bin Laden grow from a charismatic preacher into a deadly
terrorist with global reach. In an interview in May 2011 with the Investigative
Project on Terrorism, a research group, Tawfik Hamid, a former Islamist
militant who now studies the subject, said that of the two men, Zawahri was a
more influential leader. “When you listen to him, you can tell clearly that he
has the ambition and is dedicated 100 per cent to achieving this mission,”
Hamid said.
During
his leadership of al Qaida, the organisation’s global influence waned as the
Islamic State rose. But the group remained a threat, with affiliates in several
countries carrying out attacks. And Zawahri, to whom they all swore allegiance,
was still one of the world’s most-wanted terrorists at his death. From his
teenage years in an upscale suburb of Cairo, Zawahri led a cat-and-mouse
existence, serving prison terms in Egypt and Russia and hunted by adversaries,
including US counterterrorism authorities, who placed a $25 million bounty on
his head.
Yet
he seemed always to stay one step ahead, hiding out in the craggy redoubts of
Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal areas. Over time, his aims and ideology
evolved from a visceral hatred of secular rule in Egypt, where he was among
those tried for conspiracy in the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat,
to a virulent campaign to strike at the so-called “far enemy”, the US, al
Qaida’s target of preference.
The
group’s tactical strength lay in its ability to launch spectacular assaults,
starting with the simultaneous attacks on the American embassies in Tanzania
and Kenya in 1998 and the suicide bombing of the American destroyer Cole in
Yemen in 2000, and culminating in the attacks on New York and Washington in
2001 that led to the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. In the following
decade, American counterterrorism authorities pursued Bin Laden and Zawahri,
his deputy and chosen successor.
Drone
strikes decimated al Qaida’s leadership in a sustained effort to degrade the
organisation and avenge the September 11 attacks. On at least one occasion,
Zawahri was said to have died, only to resurface in the sporadic video and
audiotapes that spread his message. In May 2011, a Navy SEAL team killed Bin
Laden in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. For more than a month,
al Qaida was silent on its future leadership. Then Zawahri put out a 28-minute
video of himself.
With
a rifle in the background and making a chopping motion with his hand, he
promised that Bin Laden would continue to “terrify” America after his death.
“Blood for blood,” he said. By that time, a newer generation of jihadists had
grown, first in the chaos of Iraq after the American invasion, and then
spreading to Syria after civil war broke out there in 2011. In the ensuing
mayhem, the Islamic State rose to prominence as a new beacon of jihadist zeal,
attracting tens of thousands of followers with its media-savvy, Internet-age
messages, its slick videos of beheadings and its capture of huge swaths of
territory in which it declared a new caliphate for the world’s Muslims.
Shorn
of its iconic leader, al Qaida, by contrast, had been forced to abandon its
centralised command structure while its affiliates, particularly in Yemen and
Syria, pledged allegiance to Zawahri in a sharpening and bloody feud with the
Islamic State, which, paradoxically, had begun as an offshoot of al Qaida in
Iraq. Both groups were rooted in Sunni extremism. But the distinctions between
them were legion.
While
the Islamic State sought hegemony among jihadist groups and thirsted for
territorial expansion, al Qaida’s affiliates showed increasing readiness to
cooperate with other groups and little appetite for occupation.
Zawahri
castigated the IS and its leaders for their practice of killing Shia civilians,
fearing that such killings would taint the jihadist cause among Muslims. And
while the Islamic State disciples reinforced the group’s reputation for
brutality through videos of the decapitations of western hostages and other
acts of savagery, Zawahri opposed such displays, apparently to avoid alienating
potential supporters.
Sajjan
M. Gohel, a specialist in international terrorism based in London, wrote that
Zawahri was happy to let the Islamic State face attacks by US-backed coalition
forces in Iraq and Syria, giving al Qaida the space to “reconstitute its
infrastructure and networks across the Islamic world” and revive its long-term
goal of striking targets in the West. In 2015, Zawahri played what he
calculated would be a winning card in his group’s revival, introducing to
followers Hamza bin Laden, a son of the al Qaida founder, and describing him in
an audio recording as a “lion from al Qaida’s den”.
In
the broadcast, Hamza bin Laden exhorted jihadists to carry out “the highest
number of attacks” on western cities. A year later, in a message aimed at
America titled “We are all Osama,” Hamza bin Laden issued a personal appeal to
avenge his father. “Yours will be a harsh reckoning,” he said. “We are a nation
that does not rest over injustice.”
Hamza
bin Laden had been among a group of Bin Laden relatives who took refuge in Iran
after the September 11 attacks, held under house arrest arrangements of varying
severity. Some analysts believed that he was no more than a figurehead whose
utterances were intended to lure younger jihadists from the Islamic State.
According
to Gohel, Hamza bin Laden had at least two wives, including a daughter of
Zawahri’s who bore two children, linking the two families in a “strategic
marriage alliance”. Hamza bin Laden was killed in a counterterrorism operation
in Afghanistan sometime in 2017 or 2018, American officials said.
Zawahri’s
deputies were also picked off. Abu al-Khayr al-Masri was killed by a US drone
strike in Syria in 2017. A successor, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, who went by the
nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Masri, was killed by Israeli operatives in Tehran
in 2020. In 2021, nearly 20 years after the US invaded Afghanistan to drive al
Qaida out, the Taliban retook control of the country and gave its ally, al
Qaida, safe haven.
Zawahri
duly returned. Ayman Muhammad Rabie al-Zawahri, one of five children, was born
on June 19, 1951, in Maadi, a Cairo suburb. His father was a pharmacology
professor whose uncle had been the grand imam of Al Azhar, a 1,000-year-old
university that is a centre of Islamic learning. His mother’s father was
president of Cairo University, founder and director of King Saud University in
Riyadh and an ambassador to Saudi Arabia and other countries. Another of her
relatives was the first secretary general of the Arab League. Despite its
prominence, the family displayed little evident prosperity and never owned a
car until Ayman was grown.
Lawrence
Wright, in his book The Looming Tower: Al Qaida and the Road to 9/11 (2006), said that the al-Zawahris’ reclusive,
conservative, even backward ways caused them to be perceived as “hicks.”
Zawahri was a brilliant student when he was not daydreaming and opposed contact
sports as inhumane.
He
began reading Islamist literature at an early age. One enormous influence was
Sayyid Qutb, an Islamic thinker who saw the world diametrically divided between
believers and infidels. (He included moderate Muslims among the infidels.) Qutb
was imprisoned and tortured in Egypt and hanged there in 1966.
“In
Zawahri’s eyes, Sayyid Qutb’s words struck young Muslims more deeply than those
of his contemporaries because his words eventually led to his execution,”
Montasser al-Zayyat, an Islamic radical and lawyer, wrote in The Road to Al
Qaida: The Story of Bin Laden’s Right-Hand Man (2004). Another influence was
the humiliating defeat the Arab countries suffered at the hands of Israel in
1967.
It
turned many young people away from the Pan-Arab socialism pursued by President
Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and toward anti-western forms of Islam.
In
1966, Zawahri helped form an underground militant cell dedicated to replacing
Egypt’s secular government with an Islamic one. He was 15. At first, there were
five members. By 1974 there were 40. Zawahri kept his involvement secret from
even his family while he attended medical school at Cairo University.
He
graduated in 1974, served three years in the army and earned a master’s degree
in surgery in 1978. Through his and her families, Zawahri met Azza Nowair, who,
Wright wrote, came from a well-off background. He suggested that in another
time she might have been a professional or a socialite. But she had become
deeply religious, wore a veil and spent whole nights reading the Quran. When
they were married in 1979, Zawahri had seen her face exactly once.
At
the ceremony, there were men’s and women’s sections. At the bride’s request,
there was no music or photography. In October 2001, soon after the attacks on
America, Azza Zawahri and at least one of their children were killed by
bombardments in Afghanistan. Wounded, she had refused to be pulled from the
rubble, news accounts of the bombardment said, for fear that rescuers would see
her face — an offence against Islamic modesty. Published reports have said that
they had four daughters and a son.
Al-Zawahri
was working in a clinic in Egypt in 1980 when he seized an opportunity to go to
Peshawar, Pakistan, for the Red Crescent, the Muslim correlate of the Red
Cross, to treat refugees fleeing Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion.
He
visited Afghanistan and recognised it as a good place to launch a jihad,
returning many times. When he was arrested in 1981 for conspiring to murder
Sadat, he was slapped by the chief of police. Zawahri slapped him back. At his
trial, along with hundreds of others, he was convicted only of gun possession.
But as the trial proceeded for nearly three years, he was repeatedly tortured
in prison.
Under
interrogation, he revealed the name, activities and whereabouts of one of his
collaborators, a soldier, which led to the man’s arrest. In an interview with
The New Yorker in 2002, Zayyat, the lawyer for many Islamist activists,
suggested that the guilt Zawahri felt over this betrayal was a major reason for
his leaving Egypt after he was released in 1984.
His
journey took him to Saudi Arabia and then, in 1986, back to Peshawar, where Bin
Laden sometimes lectured at the hospital where Zawahri worked. Zawahri became
Bin Laden’s personal physician, set up a security force around him and helped
the Saudi begin thinking about specific ways to hurt the western powers and the
West Asian governments they supported.
“When
Ayman met Bin Laden, he created a revolution inside of him,” Mr. Zayyat told
The New Yorker. The deal was straightforward: Zawahri would supply the
political acumen and an educated leadership cadre to turn Bin Laden’s loose coalition,
and his own unformed impulses, into an instrument of mass murder. Bin Laden
provided money and prestige. Zayyat, who once shared an Egyptian prison cell
with al-Zawahri, wrote that he was convinced that Zawahri was more responsible
than Bin Laden for the attacks on the US, a view shared by other
counterterrorism experts.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/ayman-al-zawahri-led-life-of-secrecy-and-violence/cid/1877915
--------
Al-Qaeda
leader's death ‘hasn’t solved anything’ says Nigel Farage 'extreme Islamic
terrorism hasn't gone away’
02
August 2022
Nigel
Farage has said the death of an Al-Qaeda leader “hasn’t solved anything”
because “the threat of extreme Islamic terrorism hasn't gone away”.
Ayman
al-Zawahiri was killed in Afghanistan, in a drone strike organised by US
forces, Joe Biden has confirmed.
The
terrorist plotted the 9/11 attacks alongside Osama Bin Laden and took over
Al-Qaeda after his former boss was killed in a 2011 US operation.
During
a debate on GB News’ Dan Wootton Tonight on the death of al-Zawahiri, Dan asked
Nigel: “How significant is that?”
To
which Nigel responded by saying: “Not at all, it’s history, Al-Qaeda was
yesterday’s organisation, it moved onto ISIS.
“Yes
this guy as the Americans would say was a bad dude who was complicit in the
most horrendous events on 9/11.
“Was
he posing a threat today? I very much doubt it.
“Was
it an act of retribution? Yes”
“Would
it be seen my Americans as some form of justice? I Guess that it will but I’m
not sure it’s going to give Joe Biden many plus marks when ISIS is still there
and the threat of extreme Islamic terrorism hasn't gone away.
“So
fine, an old score has been settled but it hasn’t solved anything in my view
for the future.”
Source:
GB News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US
approves sale of Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia, THAAD system missiles for
UAE
02 August,
2022
The
US State Department has approved the sale of 300 Patriot missiles to Saudi
Arabia in a deal worth $3.05 billion and another deal worth $2.25 billion to
the UAE for 96 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile rounds.
In
a statement released by the Pentagon, the US said Riyadh requested PATRIOT
MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical Ballistic missiles (GEM-T). The
sale will include other tools and test equipment.
The
principal contractor will be US-based Raytheon.
“This
proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security
objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country
that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf
region,” the Pentagon said.
The
Pentagon added that this sale would improve Saudi Arabia’s ability to meet
current and future threats by “replenishing its dwindling stock of PATRIOT
GEM-T missiles.” It cited “persistent Houthi cross-border” drone and ballistic
missile attacks on civilian sites and critical infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
Al
Arabiya English first reported in June that the US was likely to announce the
sale of anti-missile interceptors in the coming weeks.
The
Iran-backed Houthis doubled the number of attacks on civilian targets in Saudi
Arabia during the first nine months of 2021 compared to the same period in
2020, according to a report published by the Washington-based Center for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Separately,
the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had initiated the planning
of Exercise EAGLE RESOLVE 23 - a scenario-driven command post exercise (CPX)
linked with field training exercises (FTX) scheduled for May-June 2023 in Saudi
Arabia.
This
will be the 16th iteration of the yearly exercise, which is designed to develop
and employ a Combined Joint Task Force to respond to current and emerging
regional threats in the Middle East.
Air
defense for UAE
The
Pentagon also said that the UAE requested to buy THAAD missile rounds, two
THAAD Launch Control Stations (LCS), and two THAAD Tactical Operations Stations
(TOS). Also included are repair and return, system integration and checkout,
and spare and repair parts.
This
sale would support US national security interests and improve the security of
an important regional partner, the Pentagon said. “The proposed sale will
improve the UAE’s ability to meet current and future ballistic missile threats
in the region, and reduce dependence on US forces.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Nasrallah
slams US over ‘false promises’ to supply natural gas and electricity to Lebanon
03
August 2022
The
leader of Hezbollah resistance movement has slammed the US’ false promises for
the transfer of natural gas and electricity from Egypt and Jordan to Lebanon.
One
year has passed since the US ambassador’s promise, but nothing has happened in
practice, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in an address to Hezbollah Central
Ashura mourning ceremony in Dahiyeh, Lebanon.
“After
a few days, the memory of the false promise of the American ambassador to bring
gas from Egypt and electric energy from Jordan through Syria will come to us,”
he said.
Nasrallah
said the United States and Israel are the embodiment of Devil and Hezbollah’s
struggle against them will continue.
“We
will continue with the methodology of finding solutions,” he said, noting the
movement had proposed to buy fuel from Iran to meet Lebanon’s energy needs, but
the US did not allow it to happen.
Nasrallah’s
remarks came two days after he issued a stern warning to Israel about
exploiting Lebanon’s offshore energy resources.
Nasrallah
said the resistance movement is ready for any scenario, including a war, to
protect those resources.
Given
the entrance of the Israeli vessels into the waters, he said Sunday,
“Hezbollah’s leadership discussed the options in front of the country.”
“There
is a 50 percent chance that [the situation] could be resolved, and a 50 percent
chance that the situation could advance towards war,” he added.
The
resistance’s attitude and behavior towards the Israeli regime in the case,
Nasrallah said, depended on the results of ongoing indirect negotiations
between Beirut and Tel Aviv over the disputed maritime area.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/08/03/686693/Lebanon-Hezbollah-leader-US-gas-electricity
--------
South
Asia
Islamic
Emirate committed to fighting ISIS in Afghanistan: Haqqani
August
2, 2022
In
an interview with an Indian news channel on Friday, July 29, Afghanistan’s
acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani said that the al-Qaeda network does
not have a military presence in Afghanistan and that the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan (IEA) is bound by its commitments to the international community to
fight ISIS.
Haqqani
added that al-Qaeda does not have a military force in Afghanistan and that the
network is no longer a threat to the security of the region and the world.
“As
we have promised to the world also the Islamic world is in arms against the
ISIS to control and throw it out; many steps have been taken with regard to
al-Qaeda, it has no presence in Afghanistan and is no more a threat and the
world is required not to feel threatened about the already dead outfit some
Western forces which are trying to destabilize the country are being taken care
of by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to control and contain these forces,”
said Haqqani.
“We
have repeatedly said that the Treaty of Doha which was signed will be
implemented in letter and spirit and our message to the world is that no such
terror outfit will make Afghanistan its Center of Terror operation; our
security agencies are competing to prevent and to nip such attempts in the bud
and we are firmly united against such forces,” he added.
Haqqani
describes India’s concern about the presence of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) and
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) groups in Afghanistan as baseless and emphasized that the
Islamic Emirate is ready to provide security to diplomatic missions of foreign
countries, including India.
“India’s
concern about the presence of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in
Afghanistan is baseless, we want to have very close relations with India, such
fear is baseless and undesirable,” said Haqqani.
Source:
Ariana News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.ariananews.af/islamic-emirate-committed-to-fighting-isis-in-afghanistan-haqqani/
--------
Motorcyclist
Gunmen Kill Religious Scholar in Central Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
03
Aug 2022
Unknown
motorcycle-riding gunmen killed a religious scholar in Ghor province, in
central Afghanistan, according to local Taliban officials.
Abdul
Matin Mohammadi, a religious scholar, was allegedly killed on Tuesday, August
2, in the evening by unidentified assailants, according to the Taliban
authorities.
The
Taliban governor’s office in Ghor has released a newsletter stating that the
religious scholar was attacked in the Dara Ghazi region of Firuzkoh district on
Tuesday evening.
According
to sources, the attackers ride away from the scene on motorcycles after killing
Mohammadi as he was returning home after offering the prayers in the mosque.
The
Taliban governor’s office in the province of Ghor reports that no one has been
arrested in relation to the death of this religious scholar, despite an ongoing
investigation.
Mawlawi
Abdul Matin taught at the Imam Abu Hanifa Islamic seminary in the Firuzkoh
district and was one of the most renowned and distinguished scholars of Ghor.
In
a recent incident, unidentified gunmen killed a prayer leader, the Imam of a
mosque in the Afghan northeastern province of Kunar.
Sheikh
Mohammad Israel Sahibzada was killed in the Sahibzada village of Kunar
province, as he was returning from the mosque after offering the prayer.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/motorcyclist-gunmen-kill-religious-scholar-in-central-afghanistan-487494/
--------
After
destroying the Bamiyan Buddha statues, Taliban attempts to destroy the historic
bazaar nearby
Aug
03, 2022
More
than two decades after destroying the Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan,
the Taliban has now started construction work nearby the cliff, where the two
giant statues once stood, to develop a tourism complex.
The
terror outfit masquerading as the government of Afghanistan is looking to
'rebuild' a historic bazaar that was destroyed in 1990 when the civil war was
at its peak in the country. Reportedly, the tourist complex will house
guesthouses, restaurants, public toilets, parking as well as grocery and
handicraft shops.
While
the Taliban attempts to embrace modernity by building a new complex, some
experts believe that the ruined bazaar itself is a historic site. Moreover, the
bazaar could be sitting atop other ancient relics buried underneath it. Thus,
by building new infrastructure, the Taliban may be doing a lot more damage to
the site.
It
is being reported that United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization or UNESCO, which has been working extensively at the Bamiyan site
for decades hasn't been consulted for the project. The UN agency said in a
statement:
When
the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan last year, it charged as much as $5
from the tourists trying to reach the place where the statues once stood and
look at the holes.
Source:
WIO News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
UN
had absolutely no knowledge of Zawahiri's whereabouts: Spokesperson for UNSG
Aug
3, 2022
UNITED
NATIONS: Member states must ensure that measures taken to counter terrorism
comply with their obligations under international law, a spokesperson for the
UN secretary general has said, asserting that the global body had “no
information” about the whereabouts of al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri killed
by a US drone strike in Kabul.
Al-Qaida's
emir Ayman al-Zawahiri, who played a key role in the 9/11 attacks and later
formed the group's regional affiliate in the Indian subcontinent, was killed in
a drone strike carried out by CIA on Saturday at a house in a posh locality in
the Afghan capital where he was sheltering to reunite with his family. US President
Joe Biden made the announcement of his killing on Monday, declaring that
"justice has been delivered and this terrorist is no more".
Zawahiri
had assumed the leadership of al-Qaida after the death of its founder Osama bin
Laden.
"No,
not at all. We had absolutely no knowledge,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for
secretary-general Antonio Guterres said, when asked at the daily press briefing
on Tuesday whether the UN had any knowledge that Zawahiri was in Kabul,
Afghanistan's capital.
In
response to a question on the UN's reaction to Zawahiri's killing, Dujarric
said the world organisation remains committed to fighting against terrorism and
strengthening international cooperation in countering that threat.
"Member
states must ensure that any measures taken to counter terrorism comply with
their obligations under international law,” he added.
Zawahiri's
death is the biggest blow to the global terror network since Laden was
eliminated in Pakistan in 2011.
Dujarric
noted that the UN is not a party to the 2020 Doha agreement, which had outlined
terms of US withdrawal from Afghanistan and under which the Taliban had to
ensure that the group will not allow any of its members, other individuals or
groups, including al-Qaida to use the soil of Afghanistan to threaten the
security of the United States and its allies.
“Our
relations with the de facto authorities in Kabul will continue, and we will
continue... for the sake of the people of Afghanistan, we will continue to
press them on human rights, especially on the rights of girls, on the rights of
women, and on the need to meet the many, many overwhelming, one could say,
humanitarian needs of the Afghan people,” he said.
Dujarric
reiterated to “make it very clear, we, of course, had no idea, information”
about Zawahiri's whereabouts, the “fact he was in Kabul or whatever. I mean,
that's not something we would have been aware of. Obviously, we're not... no
information on that”.
The
New York Times reported that American intelligence agencies tracked down
Zawahiri in Kabul earlier this year and then spent months determining that it
really was him hiding out in a house in a crowded section of the Afghan
capital.
Once
the CIA received authorisation from Biden for the operation a week ago, two
Hellfire missiles were used to kill Zawahiri on a “balcony of the house”
without killing anyone else, including members of his family or any nearby
civilians, the NYT report said.
Zawahiri's
killing “raised immediate questions” about the terrorist leader's presence in
Afghanistan a year after Biden withdrew American forces from the war-torn
country, “clearing the way for the Taliban to recapture control of the
country,” the NYT said.
“Al-Zawahiri
moved back to Afghanistan earlier this year, evidently believing he would be
safe there,” the NYT report quoted officials as saying.
However,
the report quoted an American official as saying that Zawahiri's presence in
Kabul was a “clear violation” of the agreement over the American withdrawal
from Afghanistan by former President Donald Trump and later accepted by Biden
that the Taliban would not provide safe haven for al-Qaeda to launch further
attacks against Americans.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
French
gov't takes flak over deportation decision against well-known imam
Feiza
Ben Mohamed
02.08.2022
NICE,
France
Several
organizations and mosques in France are leading criticism of an Interior
Ministry decision to deport well-known Muslim imam Hassan Iquioussen.
A
preacher and member of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France (UOIF),
Iquioussen faces expulsion after authorities refused "unjustly" to
renew his residence permit and has filed a case with an administrative court to
halt the deportation procedure which he insists is based on "baseless
accusations." A hearing is expected to take place in the coming days.
In
multiple statements issued over the weekend, the heads of various organizations
called for the rejection of the procedure, described as unfair.
The
procedure is "crude political maneuver," the French Jewish Union for
Peace (UJFP) said, adding that "state racism" continues to
discriminate against a section of the population under the guise of the
scoundrel law of "separatism."
He
was referring to new secularism legislation known as "confirming respect
for the principles of the Republic" or so-called "separatism
law" which came into effect in August 2021 and has been criticized for
singling out Muslims.
"The
separatism law, as we see here clearly, is a law of confusion of powers where
the minister of the interior establishes judicial power," said the Jewish
organization.
Noting
that racism was the reason behind the decision against Iquioussen, the UJFP
stressed that "nothing can justify deportation for political or
ideological reasons."
The
deputy of the northern New Ecological and Social People's Union (NUPES), David
Guiraud, also expressed his frustration over the deportation plan in a
statement published on Sunday evening.
He
said that French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wants to saturate the media
waves with a security and repressive discourse.
Noting
that the imam "has not yet been prosecuted for any crime or offense,"
Guiraud warned that while the plan targets Muslims today, others could later
fall victims of the same flouted procedure in the future because
"arbitrary and anti-democratic decisions never stop" once not
challenged.
In
July, Interior Minister Darmanin accused Iquioussen of allegedly making
"hate remarks against French values contrary to the principle of
secularism."
No
less than 26 mosques in the north have also published a joint statement
defending Iquioussen.
"During
his various and regular interventions in our mosques, Hassan Iquioussen always
makes remarks consistent with the national values of liberty, equality and
fraternity, as well as secularism. He has faithfully campaigned tirelessly to
promote dialogue, respect and togetherness," the statement said.
Meanwhile,
in a joint statement, the Council of Mosques of the Rhone (CMR) and Theological
Council of Imams of the Rhone (CTIR) said the accusations against Iquioussen
"do not seem to be in line with the spirit of justice and fairness that
guide our institutions."
"We
have always known him to be faithful to his commitment against hatred, racism,
anti-semitism, extremism, obscurantism, terrorism and an advocate of gender
equality. Throughout his ministry, he has tirelessly promoted dialogue,
respect, peace and peaceful co-existence," Kamel Kabtane said for the RMC
and Mohamed Minta and Azzedine Gaci for the CTIR.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
First
ship carrying grain from Ukraine reaches Turkey
03
August 2022
The
first shipment of Ukrainian grain to leave Ukraine since Russia launched a
military campaign against the country has reached Turkish waters.
The
Sierra Leone-flagged vessel Razoni anchored at the edge of the Bosphorus Strait
on Tuesday.
Under
a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the vessel is due to be
inspected near Istanbul on Wednesday by a team that includes Russian and
Ukrainian officials before delivering its cargo of 26,000 tons of maize to Tripoli,
Lebanon.
The
landmark deal lifted Moscow's naval blockade in the Black Sea, allowing
millions of tons of grain to be exported to world markets to help curb a global
food crisis. The banned export of grain from Ukraine, which is one of the
world's major exporters of maize, has contributed to soaring food prices,
hitting the world's poorest nations the hardest.
Turkey,
a NATO member state, shares a sea border with both Russia and Ukraine in the
Black Sea. Ankara has offered its services to accompany maritime convoys from
Ukrainian ports.
Kiev
says at least 16 more grain ships are waiting to depart.
Relations
between Kiev and Moscow began to deteriorate in 2014, when the then-Ukrainian
territory of Crimea voted in a referendum to join the Russian Federation.
Western countries backed Kiev, refused to recognize the referendum results, and
imposed sanctions on Moscow.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Africa
Muslim-Muslim
ticket means persecuting Christians – Anglican Archbishop, Ibezim
August
2, 2022
By
Joe Chukindi
Archbishop,
Province of the Niger, and Bishop of Awka Diocese of the Anglican Communion,
Most Reverend Alexander Ibezim has said the recent unveiling of a Muslim Vice
presidential candidate by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC amounts to
persecuting Christians.
Ibezim
decried the seeming plan to alienate Christians from the affairs of Nigeria
while speaking to journalists in a press conference to mark the commencement of
activities marking his 60th birthday.
Speaking
in Awka on Tuesday, Archbishop Ibezim said it was unacceptable to run an
all-Muslim ticket in a secular state like Nigeria. He said the decision
amounted to persecuting Christians in Nigeria.
“Whether
you like it or not, no one must play with Christians. It is for the interest of
Nigeria if Christianity succeeds.
“We
have undergone a lot of persecution and they want to persecute us again in
present-day Nigeria.
“We
are not second-class citizens in Nigeria. For us to be holistic, for us to be
truthful to ourselves, we must not play with Christianity. Muslim-Muslim ticket
is unacceptable, and that is how I see it,” Ibezim said.
Speaking
about the controversy surrounding the attendance of some unidentified bishops
at the unveiling of the APC vice presidential candidate, Ibezim said the
proliferation of churches has made it easy for people to crown themselves
bishops.
“Proliferation
entered into the church and that is why people can dress how they like. People
now call themselves, and they address themselves as bishops.
“If
they claim to be bishops, let it be that God has sent them. That is my advice
to them. No one can deceive the church of God.
“What
they did is satanic and capable of destroying that person. They say money can
buy anything, and people take the money and claim anything.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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--------
US
played secret role in 2017 Nigeria IDP bombing that killed over 160: Report
02
August 2022
The
US government played a secret role in a military operation in Nigeria in 2017
that killed hundreds of civilians, a damning new report has revealed, painting
a harrowing picture of US Africa Command's conduct in the region.
According
to a Freedom of Information Act report obtained by The Intercept, US
intelligence was secretly involved in the disastrous bombing of an internally
displaced persons (IDP) camp in Nigeria that led to the killing of more than
160 civilians, most of them children.
The
bombardment was carried out in January 2017 on the camp located in Nigeria’s
city of Rann, near the Cameroonian and Chadian borders, which housed 43,000
people and was controlled by the Nigerian Arm.
It
led to the destruction of at least 35 structures, including shelters for war
victims, besides killing nine aid workers and critically wounding over 120
people.
According
to survivors of the attack, a surveillance plane flew over the camp, before
another plane bombed the area where the population drew water from a well. The
jet then circled and dropped another bomb on the refugees’ tents, decimating
the whole camp.
The
attack, branded as a ‘US-Nigeria operation’, was carried out under the guise of
a counterinsurgency campaign against the armed group Boko Haram.
In
a statement one day after the attack, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) regretted
carrying out the airstrike and explained that “the site was not reflected on
the operational map as a humanitarian base.”
“Hence,
it appeared as a place that could equally be used for enemy activities,” said
Major Gen. John Enenche, Nigeria’s director of defense information.
Nigerian
human rights organizations and activists questioned how the military could be
unaware of the camp and accused the NAF of a cover-up as the refugees’ tents
were completely visible from the air, according to satellite imagery.
A
year after the offensive, human rights lawyer Femi Falana called on National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to compensate victims of the airstrike.
In
The Intercept report, it is revealed that the US government secretly provided
intelligence or other support such as background information to the Nigerian
military before bombing the area.
“You
will gather and preserve any background information that is relevant to a
complete understanding of the US-Nigerian operations such as this strike,”
reads the document.
According
to the document obtained by The Intercept, just days after the attack, the US
Africa Command (AFRICOM) secretly commissioned Brigadier General Frank J.
Stokes, deputy director of the Strategy, Engagement and Programs Directorate,
to conduct an “investigation to determine the facts and circumstances of a
kinetic airstrike by Nigerian military forces in and around Rann, Nigeria”.
However, the findings of the investigation were never published.
“Civilian
victims, and the American and Nigerian publics, deserve answers about any US
role in this devastating strike,” said Annie Shiel, senior adviser for the
United States at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC).
“What
exactly was the United States’s involvement? What were the findings of the
investigation — including findings of wrongdoing — and what kind of
responsibility does the U.S. acknowledge for the grave harm caused?”
“As
the US continues to deepen its security assistance to Nigeria… we also need far
more transparency about what steps have been taken to prevent and respond to
civilian harm using US assistance,” said Shiel, adding that Congress should
demand clarifications from military authorities.
According
to a senior member of the United National Anti-war Movement Judith Bello, the
American authorities, who called for airstrikes, “do not care” about the
civilians’ deaths, “because the idea of having ongoing wars is what they
exactly want”.
Stokes’
mandate included an inquiry into how the US shares information with Nigeria’s
military and “after action reporting procedures when shared information is used
in a strike (e.g., battle damage assessment reports)".
However,
he was impeded from obtaining any information “on any person or organization
which took part in this strike”.
“You
do not have any authority to compel potentially incriminating evidence from any
Service member, a civilian employee of the US, contractor personnel supporting
US operations, or foreign military personnel,” reads his mandate.
AFRICOM
“was not involved” in the bombing of the camp, spokesman Kelly Cahalan said,
adding that secret operations can be carried out by the CIA or Special
Operations forces under their own chains of command.
According
to a special investigative project for Nigeria’s The Cable, the regional
military commander, Gen. Lucky Irabor (now Nigeria’s defense chief), “admitted
that he ordered the attacks in Rann, based on intelligence received.”
The
report cited a “senior military source” saying that the intelligence
information was received from “one of the powerful countries in the west.”
It
is worth noting that US surveillance and intelligence-gathering equipment such
as Predator drones, Global Hawks, and turboprop planes have regularly been
employed over Nigeria as well as the Chadian border.
In
2017, The Intercept in another damning report revealed the existence of a
‘drone base’ and ‘torture center’ used by US contractors in Salak, Cameroon, in
the northern border region between Nigeria and Chad.
The
US drone program was originally instituted by George W. Bush to assist in his
so-called ‘War on Terror’. His successors significantly increased the number of
drone strikes in faraway countries.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Govt
leaders want Imran banned, disqualified over ECP ‘charge sheet’
Syed
Irfan Raza
August
3, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Terming the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict in the prohibited
funding case of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) a “charge sheet” against the
party, members of the ruling coalition claim it has proved ‘anti-Pakistan forces’
were behind establishment of the party, and labelled party chief Imran Khan
everything from a liar, corrupt, foreign agent to a money launderer.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday maintained the ECP decision declared Mr Khan
a “certified liar” for submitting false affidavits, while PPP Chairman and
foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s spokesman said the verdict proved the
former premier was a corrupt person and running his political party under the
name of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital.
“The
ECP verdict on PTI foreign funding case charge-sheets Imran Niazi for violating
the Constitution, submitting false affidavits, and accepting foreign money,”
the prime minister tweeted after the ECP announced its decision on Tuesday
morning.
“Proven
yet again that he is a certified liar,” he added, and urged the nation to
ponder over the implications of Mr Khan’s politics funded by foreigners.
From
London, former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif urged the federal
government to take “immediate legal action” against Imran Khan following the
ECP verdict, saying that Imran used to give “lectures” to people about honesty.
“Today, the ECP’s verdict has shown that it is actually him who is the biggest
thief in history.
Also
taking potshots at the PTI chief, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz said Imran
Khan had finally been proved to be a “foreign agent”.
“This
foreign agent was launched to stop CPEC and the progress of Pakistan. This man
who used to give sermons on liberating the nation from slavery, in fact, turned
out to be a slave of foreign powers. He took money from these foreign powers to
create anarchy in Pakistan,” Ms Nawaz said in a series of tweets.
She
said Mr Khan’s narrative of honesty and self-respect had been fully exposed.
“The anti-Nawaz Sharif narrative was based on blatant lies & conspiracies
but IK is guilty of startling, mind-boggling wrongdoings the evidence of which
is irrefutable.”
Recently
ousted Punjab chief minister and the prime minister’ son, Hamza Shehbaz, said
the ECP verdict had exposed the alleged foreign conspiracy against Imran Khan.
“Taking money from citizens and companies of countries like the US and India,
Imran Khan created anarchy in his own country,” he said, adding the “judicial
Sadiq and Amin” had been declared a “proven liar and money launderer”.
Speaking
at a press conference here, PML-N leader Tallal Chaudhry demanded a lifetime
ban and imprisonment for Mr Khan.
Information
Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said a “thief, liar involved in foreign funding and
money laundering” has finally been caught after eight years. In a statement,
she demanded Mr Khan resign from the party chairman post immediately.
Minister
for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri of the PPP, which is an
ally of the PML-N in the ruling coalition in the Centre, stated legal action
would be pursued after the ECP proved financial crimes committed by the PTI.
Addressing
a news conference along with party leader Faisal Karim Kundi, the minister said
Mr Khan, anticipating a decision against him, had already started blaming other
parties for receiving foreign funding. “The PTI must come forward with proof if
the PPP or PML-N has received foreign funding.”
The
PTI chief submitted false affidavits before the ECP and delayed the decision
for eight years through writ petitions, she remarked. “Now a legal process will
be followed in light of this decision,” Ms Marri declared.
Pakistan
Democratic Movement head and chief of his own faction of the Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, demanded the PTI be banned and Imran Khan
disqualified.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1702997/govt-leaders-want-imran-banned-disqualified-over-ecp-charge-sheet
--------
Hajj
Sermon 2022 gives message of peace, love: Tahir Ashrafi
August
2, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East
Hafiz Tahir Memood Ashrafi on Tuesday said the message of Hajj Sermon 2022 was
peace and love.
Addressing
the Paigham-e-Hajj Conference here, he said the interfaith dialogue had also
been discussed in the divine command Holy Quran but some miscreants had tried
to misinterpret the teachings of Islam which were completely based on religious
coexistence.
Ashrafi
who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council said they also attempted to
make Sheikh Dr Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa controversial who delivered the
Arafat Day Sermon at Namirah Mosque in order to create religious disharmony.
Shedding
light on the religiopolitical significance of Sheikh Dr Muhammad bin Abdul
Karim Al-Issa, Ashrafi said he was secretary-general of the Muslim World League
and member of the Council of Senior Scholars.
Regarding
Hajj 2022, he said the world was expecting that the Hajj rites would be
suspended due to coronavirus pandemic but the Saudi government, instead of
suspending them completely, restricted to a tentative figure in 2020 and 2021
in a bid to save the Muslims from this viral infection.
He
said although it was a gigantic task to organize the Hajj Operation 2022 at a
massive scale after the hiatus of two years, but by the grace of Allah Almighty
and preventive measures adopted by the Saudi government to curb this deadly
disease, not a single case of COVID-19 was reported during the pre and post
Hajj operation.
He
also appreciated the outstanding services of Saudi government, provided to the
pilgrims during the Hajj rituals.
Ashrafi
said ‘Road to Makkah’ project was the expression of strong love and affiliation
of Saudi Arabia with Pakistan.
Through
this project, the immigration process of pilgrims was conducted at the
Islamabad International Airport, he said expressing the hope that the following
facility would be expanded to other cities next year.
On
American President Joe Biden’s visit to Jeddah, he said certain elements tried
to propagate false notions amongst the Muslims on the globe but the way Saudi
leadership raised the issue of Palestine in the conference was appreciative.
He
made it clear that Pakistan and Saudi Arabia was on one page either it was the
matter of Kashmir or Palestine.
Organization
of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the only united forum of Muslim countries, had
the same stance on the Palestine and Kashmir issues since the day one and it
would never change, he added.
He
quoted Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal who said during his visit to
Islamabad that Saudi Arabia was standing by Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir as
it remained in the past.
He
said the world knew that Saudi Arabia was at the helm of affairs of OIC and
this year, it held two meetings in Islamabad giving loud and clear message on
the Palestine and Kashmir issues.
He
said Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman generously extended his all out
support to Afghanistan when he was realized that Afghanistan and Pakistan’s
future were correlated.
At
the end, the participants offered ‘Fateha’ for the departed souls of Pakistan
Army officers in the helicopter crash incident in Balochistan.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Nawaz
urges govt to take legal action against Imran following ECP verdict
Javed
Hussain
August
2, 2022
Former
prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the federal
government to take "immediate legal action" against PTI chairman
Imran Khan following the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) verdict
against his party in the prohibited funding case.
"It
has been proven today [...] and the entire nation knows now that Imran Khan is
the biggest thief in [the country's] history," he alleged.
Earlier
today, the ECP, in its verdict, ruled that the PTI had did indeed receive
prohibited funds.
The
ECP said the party had only owned eight accounts before the commission and
declared 13 accounts to be unknown.
In
its order, the commission also said that it was "constrained to hold that
Imran Khan failed to discharge his obligations as mandated under the Pakistani
statutes."
Talking
to reporters outside his residence in London today, Nawaz said that Imran used
to give "lectures" to people about honesty. "Today, the ECP's verdict
has shown that it is actually him who is the biggest thief in history.
"He
knew that he had committed the biggest money laundering. This is the reason he
kept demanding the chief election commissioner's resignation," he said.
"The
way Imran took money from foreign nationals proves that he was the person who
brought foreign agenda into the country," Nawaz claimed.
He
recalled that the PML-N had been leading the country towards progress,
regretting that all the efforts went in vain because of Imran's actions.
"He has ruined the economy and broken our backs.
"And
he did all this for a foreign agenda," the PML-N leader said, demanding
that people such as former justice Saqib Nisar — who termed Imran sadiq and
ameen and initiated proceedings in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)
against the PML-N — should also be punished.
"All
these things are present on the record. And there will be a time where all
these questions will need to be answered."
Nawaz
reiterated that these people, along with Imran, were responsible for bringing
Pakistan to the point where it was today and urged all the political parties to
take action against them.
"This
man Imran is extremely dangerous for Pakistan," he stated, adding that he
should be punished as soon as possible.
Separately,
in a tweet earlier today, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb vowed that
the government will implement ECP's verdict in the case as per the law.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Ahsan
Iqbal asks newly-appointed HEC chairman to align higher education sector with
modern trends
August
2, 2022
Federal
Minister for Planning Development & Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan
Iqbal has asked the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to align the higher
education sector with modern trends and requirements while curriculum of the
varsities should be aligned with the job market.
The
minister made these remarks while meeting with the newly-appointed Chairman HEC
Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed at the Ministry.
On
July 30 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Dr Mukhtar Ahmed as the HEC
chairman, according to a press release issued here on Tuesday.
The
minister while congratulating him said that Dr Mukhtar had an extensive
experience in the education sector which would reflect in the policies of HEC.
“Priority
sectors and best universities should be selected for scholarships abroad, ”
said the minister, adding that despite the economic crisis, ample funds had
been provided for HEC.
The
minister further added that a competitive process should be set up through the
academic and performance audit system of universities.
Candidates
should be selected to benefit from the Pakistan-America Knowledge Corridor
Project, he remarked.
Professor
Iqbal said that steps should be taken to ensure the establishment of Dr. AQ
Khan Metallurgy Institute.
Dr
Ahmed, a renowned educationist, had earlier held the post of HEC Chairman from
2014 to 2018.Executive Director HEC from 2013 to 2014 and as Member (Operations
and Planning) HEC from 2005 to 2011.
With
a Bachelors and Masters of Science from University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
and Masters in Business Administration and PhD from University of California,
Riverside, USA, Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed has over three decades of educational
development and management experience at national and international level that
includes teaching, research, administration, policy development, linking
educational research to
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Southeast
Asia
Kuala
Langat MP questions guarantee of liberty for non-Muslims over provisions in
anti-smoking Bill
By
Yiswaree Palansamy
02
Aug 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Kuala Langat MP Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar today questioned if
the provisions under the proposed Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill
2022 would later be extended to also cover alcohol consumption and gambling
activities, raising concerns about the issue of policing freedoms of non-Muslims
in the country.
Dr
Xavier pointed to several issues with the Bill, including personal liberty, and
expressed worry that the law would not sit well with the Orang Asli and other
indigenous communities in rural areas both here and in Sabah and Sarawak.
He
then questioned the protection of liberty for non-Muslims to purchase alcohol
and gamble.
“So
Speaker, I am in doubt. No one should be singled out for prosecution under this
law. Because we are not making cigarettes illegal in the country. We are only
making it illegal for a certain generation only. Other generations will be
allowed to smoke at will.
“The
individual liberty of a person in the country is at stake. Today, you say it is
cigarettes. Tomorrow, what is the assurance that it won’t be for alcohol and
gambling? MPs must understand that in Malaysia, 70 per cent are
Bumiputera-Muslims. We do this law now. What is the state of my liberty as a
non-Bumiputera, but a Malaysian?” he questioned.
Dr
Xavier said that in his area, there are 13 Orang Asli villages and if he were
to tell them to not smoke or drink, there would be problems.
“I
am a doctor. I do not smoke. Neither am I a member of any cigar club. I have no
problems with my friends who smoke. That is their choice. They have the liberty
to do what they want. But at the same time, when we bring a Bill to Parliament,
we must make sure we can enforce it forever. Forty years is a long time,
Speaker. I am not going to be around after 40 years to see if it is a success.
“This
is an experiment in progress. I want to mention it here because there are no
countries which have done this. Scandinavian countries themselves have not
started this,” he added.
Dr
Xavier also expressed hope that the Bill will be referred to a parliamentary
select committee before it is passed into law.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Bersatu
man defends religious minister’s remarks, says Bon Odori and Oktoberfest not
part of Malaysian culture
By
Ashley Yeong
03
Aug 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Deputy National Unity Minister Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad
Kamal today said that the religious affairs minister's advice to Muslims in the
country to not attend the Bon Odori was not wrong.
"Cultural
festivals such as Bon Odori and Oktoberfest are not actually indigenous. It's
not actually part of the culture of our society. The religious affairs minister
(Datuk Idris Ahmad) has expressed his views, and I think we need to respect his
views. We have not used any laws to restrict the freedom of any party to
practice their culture."
"I
think what was said by the religious affairs minister, as a Muslim and an
authority of religion, isn't wrong," Wan Ahmad said, in response to a
question by Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng in Parliament today.
Lim
posed a question to the ministry on their priorities. "What happens if PAS
party members disrupt the activities of non-Muslims? Aren't there more
important matters to tend to such as bribery instead?" Lim asked.
The
national unity deputy minister also suggested MPs sing the national anthem
Negaraku before every Parliament session to foster patriotism.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Hannah
Yeoh backs Tajuddin in Parliament after Speaker upholds deputy’s decision on
Pasir Salak MP’s sexist remarks
By
Ashman Adam
02
Aug 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 2 — Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun today upheld
his deputy’s ruling on Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman’s misogynist remarks
made in Parliament on July 20.
Addressing
Parliament at the end of today’s proceedings, Azhar acknowledged that there was
a miscommunication with his deputy Datuk Rashid Hasnon and that he was not
aware of the latter’s decision to expel the Pasir Salak MP from Parliament that
day.
He
then said that Tajuddin should not have been present for the vote to revoke the
decision made by MPs on March 23 earlier this year to cancel the enforcement of
sub-section 4(5) of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma)
and amend the results using Standing Order 100.
“The
incident where Pasir Salak was ordered to leave the House by the deputy Speaker
happened at about 12.30pm on July 20, 2022. I was actually not informed by the
deputy Speaker and the secretariat with regards to the decision to expel Pasir
Salak for two days.
“To
tell you the truth, I was not informed of his expulsion, and I was not aware of
it. If I knew of the expulsion, I would have not allowed him to enter the House
to vote.
“With
that, I am using Standing Order 100 to amend the results of the vote put
forward by the Home Ministry on July 20, from 105 agreeing to 104, and absent
from 32 to 33,” he said.
Tajuddin
then stood up to address Azhar and insisted that he was not ordered to leave
the House by Rashid, was not barred for two days, and that his vote should
count.
“Actually,
this is the problem when we are too nice. Listen to me first. I was not ordered
out. I walked out voluntarily because I did not want to cause a ruckus.
“Secondly,
I had other matters to attend to outside. That is why I left Parliament. But it
was interpreted as I was ordered to leave. That’s not true at all!
“But
when the deputy Speaker, the following day, or two days after that, said that
he had ordered me to leave, and that I was automatically barred for two days, I
refused to argue with him. I didn’t want to waste time, so whatever he said, I
just kept quiet.
“Honestly,
as God is my witness. I am a Muslim. I did not want to protest because I
thought it was a waste of time. So, I would like to say here that I was not
ordered to leave parliamentary proceedings and I was not barred for two days.
Thus, my vote on that day should count. That’s all I have to say,” he said in
Parliament.
To
this, Azhar said that he had watched a replay of the incident via YouTube and
admitted that the whole situation was a “madhouse”.
He
then added that he did not blame Tajuddin if he did not hear the order from
Rashid.
This
drew ire from the Opposition in Parliament, with Hannah Yeoh (PH-Segambut)
saying that for the first time ever, she agreed with the Pasir Salak MP, and
accused Rashid of misleading the House.
“For
the first time, I’m agreeing with Pasir Salak, because he said he did not hear
the deputy Speaker asking him to leave. None of us here heard the deputy say
so.
“After
that, the deputy Speaker called a few of us out asking us, as witnesses, did
Pasir Salak say those words, and we testified to it.
“So
the conduct of the deputy Speaker is very problematic here. I think that order,
he made it up. I really feel that because none of us heard him ordering Pasir
Salak out,” she said.
Teo
Nie Ching (PH-Kulai) then tried to chime in, but Azhar cut her short, which
drew even more shouting from the Opposition side in Parliament.
She
could be heard shouting to Azhar asking him to be fair, to which Azhar said he
had been more than fair in his ruling, and that if she was not satisfied, to
file a review.
Teo
then accused the Speaker of protecting his deputy, which he denied.
“I
have never protected him. I am being fair. I admit my mistake. We admit our
mistakes. Please sit, thank you,” he told Teo.
He
then threatened to expel Teo from Parliament for constantly challenging his
ruling, to which Teo said that it was unfair.
Khalid
Abdul Samad (PH-Shah Alam) then stood up and jokingly asked Azhar if it was his
ruling or Tajuddin’s ruling that stood, to which Azhar said that it was his
ruling that stood.
Teo
then stood up once again to ask whether it was fair the deputy’s ruling was
legitimate on the grounds that Pasir Salak was not aware of it, and challenged
the Speaker to answer.
The
Speaker then used his mallet to call for order and said that he is not here to
answer her question, ending the conversation on the topic.
On
July 20, Tajuddin was warned by Rashid over his remarks on DAP women — who he
claimed behaved indecently and were foul-mouthed.
Tajuddin
had apparently taken issue with Teo’s statement, accusing him, together with
Baling MP Datuk Seri Azeez Abdul Rahim and Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung
Moktar Radin, of sexist remarks against women MPs.
On
July 26, Kasthuri Patto (PH-Batu Kawan) was ejected from Dewan Rakyat after she
repeatedly challenged Rashid over his ruling on Tajuddin’s remarks.
Kasthuri
earlier asked about her letter to the Speaker regarding an alleged sexist
remark Tajuddin said off-microphone when debating the Anti-Sexual Harassment
Bill on July 20, and Rashid said today that he already took action.
In
the letter, Kasthuri urged Tajuddin to apologise and withdraw his “obscene
words”.
“My
ruling is, number one is when he (Tajuddin) remarked that DAP women (are rude
and indecent), I already gave a warning.
“Second,
regarding the remark, I will only mention the word with the letter P, there is
no mention in the Hansard. I have consulted with the legal adviser. When I
ordered Pasir Salak (Tajuddin) to get out, Pasir Salak automatically gets two
days’ (suspension) including the day of the incident. This is my ruling,” he
told the Dewan Rakyat.
Teo
disputed this today by showing the Hansard from the day, which showed that
Tajuddin was present in the Dewan after being ejected during the morning
session.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran:
Israel Understands No Language But Force
2022-August-2
Speaking
at an event to celebrate human rights and human dignity in Tehran, Amir
Abdollahian reiterated Iran’s support for “the Palestinian issue and the
creation of a Palestinian state on the entire mainland and motherland, with
Al-Quds as its capital".
“We
are proud to announce loudly that the experience of the Islamic Revolution,
that of the Islamic Republic, and that of the resistance have proven that
nothing but the language of force and resistance is effective in confronting
the ambitions of the apartheid, fake Zionist regime,” he added.
At
the same time, the Iranian top diplomat reiterated Tehran’s call for holding a
referendum among the “original” inhabitants of Palestine – including Muslims,
Christians, and Jews – under the supervision of the United Nations, as a
democratic political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Certainly,
the Zionists did not and will not support this idea. What the Zionists
understand is the language of force and resistance,” he continued.
Referring
to the killing of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was
commemorated during the ceremony, Amir Abdollahian stated her death is a clear
example of “the instrumental use of terrorism” to justify the US sales of
weapons.
The
foreign minister noted that the West is trying to impose its “fake values” on
other countries while the United States and other Western states themselves
“don’t respect human rights".
Iran:
US-Supported Barbarity of Israel Not to Avert Regime's Certain
Destinyhttps://t.co/uCPCUo2nem pic.twitter.com/7clarDpv2p
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) July 28, 2022
Israel
has in recent week ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities throughout
the occupied West Bank. Dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and
hundreds have been arrested during the raids. At least 60 Palestinians have
been killed by the Israeli army since the start of the year, about a third of
them were from Jenin, according to reports
In
mid-May, Israeli forces shot dead Abu Akleh, 51, while she was reporting on a
raid in Jenin. Calls for a full, independent and transparent investigation into
the killing of the Al-Jazeera journalist are mounting with world leaders
demanding that those responsible be held to account.
Back
in late-July, Iran’s Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN
underlined that the United Nations Security Council’s inaction and passiveness
vis-a-vis Israel's incessant crimes against Palestinians and the regional
nations has emboldened the Tel Aviv regime to keep up with its war-mongering
behavior.
"The
Security Council to force the Israeli regime to immediately cease its
systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law,"
Zahra Ershadi said.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010511000989/Iran-Israel-Undersands-N-Langage-B-Frce
--------
Pro-Palestinian
hackers shut down websites of two major ports in Israeli-occupied territories
03
August 2022
A
group of pro-Palestinian hackers, apparently from Bangladesh, have shut down
the websites of two major ports in the Israeli-occupied territories, amid
rising cyber operations targeting the regime’s companies and facilities.
The
group, named Mysterious Team Bangladesh, claimed on Tuesday to have brought
down the websites of the Port of Eilat and the Port of Ashdod, the
Hebrew-language Yedioth Ahronot daily newspaper reported.
It
remains unclear whether the hackers managed to steal any sensitive information
or personal data.
Last
week, social media activists said various Israeli websites were offline due to
a widespread cyber attack that was perpetrated by an Iraqi hacker group calling
itself "ALtahrea Team."
Among
the affected sites were the Lifters website, the Nadlan World website, and the website
of the Liam Group.
Iraqi
hackers posted a picture of Iran's top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General
Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated along with his Iraqi comrade Abu Mahdi
al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU),
in a US drone strike authorized by former president Donald Trump near Baghdad
International Airport on January 3, 2020.
They
also placed a tab in order to play the official anthem of the Iraqi PMU, better
known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi, on the defaced Israeli websites.
Sabereen
News, a Telegram news channel associated with Hashd al-Sha’abi, reported on
July 11 that ALtahrea Team had managed to break into the Tel Aviv municipality
website and take it down, a week after a similar cyber attack on NTA
Metropolitan Mass Transit System Ltd., which is responsible for the design and
construction of a mass transit system in the coastal Israeli city.
“Does
not work; it's suspended by order of General Qassem Soleimani,” read the
message posted on the Tel Aviv Municipality website at the time it was hacked.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israeli
army on alert after arrest of Islamic Jihad senior official
Rina
Bassist
August
2, 2022
The
IDF remains on high alert this evening after yesterday's dramatic arrest of
Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Bassem Saadi in the West Bank.
This
morning, the army closed several main roads in the Gaza envelope, setting up
checkpoints to control traffic there. All the villages and kibbutzim along the
Gaza border have alternative exit routes with the exception of Kerem Shalom and
Kibbutz Nahal Oz. These two communities were entirely blockaded today due to
the security restrictions. Later in the day, some of the checkpoints were
removed and some of the roads reopened. Still, the IDF warns the risk of an
attack by Gaza Islamic Jihad militants remains high.
Saadi
was arrested by IDF forces last night in the West Bank town of Jenin. He was
taken from his home with his son-in-law and aide Ashraf al-Jada. Another member
of the Islamic Jihad was killed in a gun battle with Israeli troops. During
Saadi’s arrest, IDF forces also raided the homes of 39 Palestinians with
alleged ties to Hamas and 13 wanted Palestinians were reportedly detained.
A
joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and Israel border police said two
Palestinian terror suspects were arrested last night in Jenin, adding that a
handgun, ammunition and cash were seized during the operation. The statement
said that the decision to arrest Saadi was made after the army identified an
uptick in activity by fighters tied to Islamic Jihad that posed “a direct
threat of a possible attack on Israeli civilians.” The Shin Bet confirmed Saadi
was the main target of the raid and arrest.
Palestinian
news outlets published footage showing a convoy of Israeli military vehicles
entering Jenin. In other videos, heavy gunfire can be heard. Palestinian
reports also said Saadi was bitten by a military dog during his arrest. The IDF
later shared images with the media seeming to show Saadi in good condition, in
hope of calming tensions and refuting these claims. In response to Saadi’s
arrest, Islamic Jihad declared a state of “alertness” and raised its fighters’
“readiness.”
Tensions
have risen in the West Bank for the past three months, following the spring
terror wave that cost the lives of 19 Israeli citizens. Still, the Gaza border
remained relatively quiet. If calm continues there, the Israeli authorities
intend to implement a government decision to increase the number of work
permits to Gaza Palestinians from 14,000 to 20,000. Reports say that the number
could be increased to 30,000 in the near future.
Source:
Al Monitor
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
Spokesman:
President Rayeesi to Attend UN General Assembly Meeting in New York
2022-August-2
Jahromi
made the remarks in response to a question by reporters in his weekly press
converence on Tuesday.
The
77th session of the UN General Assembly will open in New York on September 13.
Jahromi
said relevant planning has been done and initial measures are underway in
preparation for the visit.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
Blames US for Sanctions Addiction, Says No Difference Between Biden, Trump
2022-August-2
In
response to the new sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran, Kana'ani
stated on Tuesday that Washington is addicted to the sanctions and uses them
instrumentally, no matter who is in the White House.
The
spokesman said that the White House’s addiction to sanctions and its
instrumental use of them were indicators of the US’ dominance system and shows
that change of administrations makes no difference.
"The
Joe Biden administration’s officials have repeatedly described former US
President Donald Trump’s 'maximum pressure policy' as a failed, fruitless
policy," the diplomat stressed, but in practice, "they have continued
and even expanded the failed policy to the extent that they wouldn’t quit the
malign policy even in the ongoing efforts to resume the talks for US’s return
to the nuclear deal with Iran".
"The
Islamic Republic of Iran, firstly, will react firmly and immediately to the
White House’s insistence on sanctions," the spokesman noted, adding that
"Tehran will then take any required measure to neutralize the potential
impacts of such sanctions on its trade and economy".
The
official also slammed the US’ hypocrisy and the show of condolences by the US
special envoy for Iran during the time when the Iranian people have incurred
losses and damages due to recent floods.
The
statement comes as the US on Monday designated six entities related to Iran’s
oil and petrochemicals sectors.
The
US, under Trump, unilaterally withdrew participation in the nuclear deal and
re-imposed sanctions against Iran, which the 2015 agreement had lifted.
The
Trump administration subsequently launched what it touted as a campaign of “maximum
pressure” against Iran, hoping to force Tehran to accept large-scale limits on
its nuclear program and missile work, among other things.
The
Biden administration has verbally renounced that policy and admitted to its
failure, while expressing a willingness to return to the Iran deal. However, it
has so far stopped short of taking any concrete steps to that end and retained
the sanctions on Tehran.
Iranian
officials say the Biden administration has not changed the policies of Trump
towards Tehran, and blast the European states for lack of a serious approach
towards negotiations like the US.
Tehran
says the US sanctions policy against Iran is a failed and ineffective policy
and only indicates Washington's addiction to sanctions.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
Strongly Condemns Israeli Official's Warmongering Rhetoric
2022-August-2
Takht
Ravanchi, in two identical letters to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and
the rotating President of the UN Security Council Zhang Jun, vehemently
censured the head of Israel’s so-called National Security Council, Eyal Holata,
over his latest anti-Iran comments.
Holata
openly threatened Iran with more terrorist operations, saying in an interview
in mid-July, “We (Israel) have rarely acted in Iran over the past year. Tel
Aviv will act independently against the Islamic Republic of Iran, regardless of
Washington’s opinion on this issue."
“These
statements clearly confirm the Israeli regime’s accountability for acts of
sabotage and terrorist acts in Iran,” the Iran’s UN ambassador noted.
Takht
Ravanchi maintained that such provocative remarks are not only a blatant
violation of international law and the UN Charter, but also an open
acknowledgment of the Israeli regime’s responsibility for terrorist operations
and actions against Iranian officials, scientists, and civilian nuclear
facilities in recent years.
“It
also proves the fact that the Israeli regime is responsible for such criminal
and terrorist acts; and that it must be held accountable and accept all likely
consequences of such crimes,” the Iranian diplomat added.
Takht
Ravanchi went on to censure the recent remarks by Israeli minister for military
affairs Benny Gantz, who claimed during an interview at a Channel 13 conference
in occupied al-Quds on July 26 that the Tel Aviv regime has the ability to
cause serious damage to Iran’s nuclear program.
The
Iranian ambassador finally called upon the Security Council to honor its
statutory obligations to international peace and security and to condemn the
war-mongering policies and malicious activities of the Israeli regime, which
pose a serious threat to international peace and security.
Iranian
Navy Commander Dismisses Israeli DM's Remarks over Red
Seahttps://t.co/k6JrwvFHEb pic.twitter.com/aLbHaVwyw0
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) July 30, 2022
Iran
says Israel is the primary source of instability in West Asia, and the United
States remains responsible for the instability in the region as long as its
wrong and crisis-stirring policies are not rectified.
Tehran
has repeatedly warned that any mistake by the US and Israel will be met with
Iran's crushing response.
Iranian
officials say Washington and Tel Aviv are well aware of Tehran’s capabilities
and capacities, and caution that Tehran does not compromise or joke with its
national security.
Iran:
Recently-Arrested Mossad Agents Planned to Explode Sensitive Military Facility
by Powerful Bombshttps://t.co/Zmyo7qkGAz pic.twitter.com/6kM6U6KgkX
—
Fars News Agency (@EnglishFars) July 27, 2022
On
Thursday, President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi said military option has been
excluded from enemies’ policies towards Iran due to the country’s might, and
added that the regional countries enjoy safety because of Tehran's power.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Two-month
extension of Yemen ceasefire agreed: UN envoy
02
August, 2022
The
UN special envoy for Yemen announced another extension of the fragile ceasefire
between warring parties, pledging to ramp up talks for an expanded truce
agreement.
“I
am pleased to announce that the parties have agreed to extend the truce, under
the same terms, for an additional two months, from 2 August 2022 until 2
October 2022,” Hans Grundberg said in a statement. “This truce extension
includes a commitment from the parties to intensify negotiations to reach an
expanded truce agreement as soon as possible.”
Grundberg
thanked all sides for being able to extend the ceasefire, which has been the
longest period of a truce since the war broke out seven years ago.
Last
month, the European Union reprimanded the Iran-backed Houthis for rejecting a
UN proposal to reopen roads around the city of Taiz. The UN had been pushing
for a six-month ceasefire.
But
Grundberg warned on Tuesday that an expanded truce proposal would allow for the
resumption of a Yemeni-led political process to reach a lasting peace.
“The
main objective of the current truce continues to be to provide tangible relief
to civilians and to create a conducive environment for reaching a peaceful
settlement to the conflict through a comprehensive political process,” he said.
The
diplomat added that he would “intensify” talks with the parties to ensure the
full implementation of all the parties’ obligations in the truce.
He
singled out Saudi Arabia and Oman for their support in his efforts to end the
war.
US
President Joe Biden welcomed the agreement and also thanked Saudi Arabia and
Oman for their roles. “The King and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia confirmed to
me their full commitment to extending the truce,” Biden said in a statement.
“They and their team demonstrated that commitment over the course of
discussions in recent weeks. I thank them for that.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran
reaffirms support for Palestinians against Israel’s expansionist policies
03
August 2022
Iranian
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has reaffirmed the Islamic Republic’s
commitment to the Palestinian cause, saying Tehran will continue to support the
oppressed Palestinian nation against the expansionist policies of the
“apartheid” Zionist regime.
In
a meeting with Secretary General of the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad movement Ziad
al-Nakhala in Tehran on Tuesday evening, Amir-Abdollahian also called for unity
and cohesion between Islamic countries in the face of the Israeli regime’s acts
of aggression against Palestinians.
Referring
to the failures of Israel and the US against the Palestinian resistance, the
chief Iranian diplomat expressed hopes that the enemies would be further
undermined through increased harmony and unity among Islamic countries.
For
his part, Nakhala appreciated Iran’s support for the Palestinian people’s
resistance and lauded the country’s constructive role in regional developments
and its active diplomacy toward other countries.
Iran’s
achievements, in fact, belong to the entire Muslim community, he said.
Nakhala
also regretted certain efforts in the region to exert pressure on the Islamic
Republic and downplay the real threat the Israeli regime poses to the Muslim
community, Palestinians in particular.
Late
in 2020, four Arab countries – the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco – inked
normalization deals with the Israeli regime. The deals, also called the Abraham
Accords, were pushed by former US president Donald Trump.
Palestinians
and their regional and international supporters have denounced the agreements
as a “stab in the back” of the Palestinian cause of liberation from Israeli
occupation and aggression.
At
the same time, the United States and Israel have garnered support from certain
regional states to counter what they call “Iran’s malign activities” in the
region.
The
Islamic Jihad leader, however, said the endeavors and stances of the Islamic
Republic in confronting the world’s hegemonic powers and supporting the
oppressed nations against the occupiers and foreign powers herald blessings and
strength for the resistant nation of Palestine and weakness for the enemies of
the Muslim world.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
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