American Muslim Leaders to ISIS: ‘You Do Not Speak For Us’
New Age Islam News Bureau
14 Jun 2016
Photo: In peace and harmony -- The chairman of Indonesia’s biggest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Said Aqil Siradj (right), talks to journalists after he was reelected as NU chairman in a national congress (Muktamar) in 2015. (Tempo/-)
• Orlando Nightclub Massacre Comes As Islamic State Faces Battlefield Setbacks
• Peace More Important Than Sharia: Indonesia’s Biggest Islamic Organization
• Concern for India as Maldivians lean towards Islamic State
• Lahore’s Historical Gurdwara Now a Muslim Shrine
--
North America
• American Muslim Leaders to ISIS: ‘You Do Not Speak For Us’
• Orlando Nightclub Massacre Comes As Islamic State Faces Battlefield Setbacks
• US: ISIS ‘Perverting’ Islam to Justify False Agenda, Says White House
• Donald Trump Calls for Banning All Muslim Immigrants to Keep America a ‘Tolerant Society’
--
Southeast Asia
• Peace More Important Than Sharia: Indonesia’s Biggest Islamic Organization
• Dalai Lama on Rohingya Muslims: If Buddha Happened, He Would Protect Those Brothers and Sisters
• Rohingya families happy to celebrate Ramadan in Malaysia
• Indonesia plans to execute 16 – likely by firing squad – after Ramadan ends next month
• Troubled Islamic path of Indonesia, Malaysia!
India
• Concern for India as Maldivians lean towards Islamic State
• Islamic Banking Catches On In India
• Court rejects alleged Islamic State operatives’ bail plea
--
Pakistan
• Lahore’s Historical Gurdwara Now a Muslim Shrine
• U.S. Bigger Enemy of Pakistan than India, Says JuD Chief Hafiz Saeed
• Five 'Militants' Killed In Quetta Encounter with Police
• Pakistan politician accused of threatening to 'pull down' journalist's 'pants' on live TV
• Saudi Arabia builds houses, schools and hospitals in Pakistan as relief package
• Army major killed in Afghan cross-border firing
• Pakistan’s transgenders mocked by most, abhorred by many
• Baloch families flee hometown as security operations intensify in Kech
--
Arab World
• The “Global Islamic City ‘With Which China Seeks To Open the Arab World
• Al-Nusra Front Targets Aleppo Neighborhoods
• Al-Nusra Fails to Break through Gov't Forces' Positions in Quneitra
• Iran Calls on West to Seize Post-Sanctions Opportunity to Broaden Ties
• Iran Condemns Terrorist Attack in US
• ISIL Strongholds Hit Hard in Syrian Army Attacks in Deir Ezzur
• ISIL Offensive Repulsed by Syrian Army, NDF in Western Raqqa
• Syrian Democratic Forces Capture more Key Villages near Manbij
• Top ISIL Treasury Official Escapes from Raqqa
• Iran Calls for Boosting Trade Ties with Iraq
--
Mideast
• Turkish Military Surveillance Jet to Fly over Russia
• Turkish Shelling, Coalition Airstrikes Kill Five ISIL Militants in Syria
• EU envoy to Turkey resigns: EU delegation official
• ISIL militants planned to attack MPs, journalists in Turkey
• Venice Commission calls curfews in Turkey ‘unconstitutional’
--
South Asia
• Sartaj Aziz Says Haqqani Network Not a Simple Issue, Could Cause a Blowback
• Deadly Airstrike Target Taliban in Farah, 25 Killed, 27 Wounded
• Donald Trump says he would ban Afghan and Pakistani immigrants from US
• Afghanistan summoned Pakistani Ambassador over Torkham clash
• Fresh clash reported among Afghan and Pakistani forces in Torkham
• Barak citizen group worries over atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh
--
Europe
• French Police Chief and Partner Killed In Stabbing Claimed By Isis
• Visa of anti-gay Muslim cleric under review, says Malcolm Turnbull
--
Africa
• Terror Respects No Borders: Lessons for Africa from the Orlando Shooting
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
---
American Muslim Leaders to ISIS: ‘You Do Not Speak For Us’
June 14, 2016
American Muslim leaders have warned ISIS: “You do not speak for us”, in the wake of a mass shooting in a gay club which left 50 dead.
Nihad Awad, speaking for the Council on American-Islamic Relations told reporters that the shooting was “a hate crime, plain and simple.”
The organisation has since the attack, urged the Muslim community to donate blood after a shortage due to the high number of victims.
“We condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Awad sad.
“It violates our principles as Americans and as Muslims. I have a word for Isis and their supporters. How would you stand before God and answer for your crimes against innocent people – thousands of innocent people – Muslims, Christians and other minorities?”
“You do not speak for us. You do not represent us. You are an aberration,” he added.
“They don’t speak for our faith,” Awad continued. “They never belonged to our beautiful faith. They claim to, but the 1.7 billion people are united in rejecting their extremism, their interpretation and their acts and senseless violence.”
The All Dulles Area Muslim Society, in Washington DC, who is on the board of the Islamic Society of North America, said the mass shooting should “not be used to vilify or stereotype peaceful, law-abiding Muslims in America”.
“We were outraged by this horrific shooting,” he added.
50 people were killed and 53 injured yesterday in the shocking terrorist hate crime attack, which saw a gunman open fire inside The Pulse gay bar in Orlando, Florida.
ISIS has since claimed responsibility for the attack, which was perpetrated by US citizen Omar Mateen. The majority of the victims were Latino.
In a statement, President Obama mourned the victims of the homophobic hate crime attack and called for greater restrictions on arms sales.
In response, Republican nominee Donald Trump said Obama should resign for failing to rally against Islam in his comments.
pinknews.co.uk/2016/06/13/american-muslim-leaders-to-isis-you-do-not-speak-for-us/
--
Orlando nightclub massacre comes as Islamic State faces battlefield setbacks
June 14, 2016
The mass shooting in Florida comes as Islamic State forces are stretched thin, under financial strain and losing ground near strongholds in Iraq, Syria and Libya, U.S. officials say.
A multi-pronged U.S. strategy has killed thousands of Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, trimmed their ability to smuggle oil and move supplies, and steadily chipped away at the group’s self-declared caliphate in both countries.
“The noose is tightening,” CIA Director John Brennan said in an interview Sunday with the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel.
“They still maintain quite a bit of capability to carry out attacks in [Iraq and Syria] as well as beyond, so this is going to be a long, hard fight,” Brennan said.
Indeed, as the slaughter of 49 patrons at a gay nightclub in Orlando early Sunday made clear, the Obama administration is battling a multi-front war against Islamic State, with more American casualties on the home front than overseas.
“Everybody is focused on the destruction of the caliphate,” said Christopher Harmer, a former Pentagon strategist now at the Institute for the Study of War, a nonpartisan public policy group in Washington, D.C. “But the more daunting task will be combating their ideology to inspire attacks, which is a virtually impossible problem to solve.”
No evidence indicates the Orlando gunman, New York-born Omar Mateen, had contact with or support from Islamic State or any other terrorist group, officials said Monday. He professed allegiance to the leader of Islamic State in a call to police during the shooting itself. He later died in a shootout with police.
Mateen’s self-radicalization, apparently from extremist websites and other online material, is part of a trend that has confounded the Obama administration.
“Even as we hit their leadership, even as we go after their infrastructure… one of the biggest challenges we are going to have is this kind of propaganda and perversions of Islam that you see generated on the Internet,” President Obama said Monday at the White House.
The U.S. military portrays the domestic attacks, in part, as a sign of the growing pressure they are putting on Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
“We know they continue to look for opportunities to make spectacular, headline grabbing attacks, in part to make up for their losses on the battlefield in both Iraq and Syria,” Col. Christopher Garver, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Baghdad, wrote in an email.
But the evidence is scanty. Islamic State has urged followers since 2014, when it was at its peak, to mount attacks in America, Europe and other regions.
Nothing suggests that Mateen, or the couple who gunned down 14 people in San Bernardino in December, or the 18-year-old who stabbed four people at UC Merced last fall, did so to avenge Islamic State’s battlefield setbacks.
While the militants remain entrenched in cities and towns, by any measure the group’s losses are substantial and growing.
Iraqi military forces, tribal fighters and Shiite militias are attempting to recapture Fallujah, an Islamic State stronghold west of Baghdad. Backed by more than 80 coalition airstrikes in the last month, the offensive has moved slowly closer to the embattled city.
At the same time, Islamic State has ramped up a deadly series of suicide bombings in Baghdad in an apparent attempt to rekindle sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shiites, and to destabilize the central government.
In Syria, rebel forces backed by coalition warplanes and about 300 U.S. advisers have encircled the key border city of Manbij in an effort to cut the militants’ ability to move supplies or personnel in and out of Turkey.
An estimated 3,500 fighters, mostly from Arab militias, are seeking to close the so-called Manbij Pocket, a 60-mile stretch of the border that long served as a conduit for the militants.
The terrorists who carried out deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels since November had traveled from Raqqah, Islamic State’s self-declared capital in Syria, up to Manbij “and then out to the capitals where they organized their attacks,” Brett McGurk, Obama’s envoy to the U.S.-led coalition, told reporters Friday at the White House.
“So we have to work with forces on the ground to close out this area,” he said.
In Libya, militias aligned with the fledgling United Nations-backed unity government have retaken parts of Surt, which has been an Islamic State stronghold. In recent days, the militias reportedly took over the port area and began advancing on the city center.
“What we see now is that they are also being pressured by various militia groups, and the armies that have been brought to bear against them,” Brennan said. “These efforts take time.”
latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-isis-setbacks-orlando-20160613-snap-story.html
--
Peace More Important Than Sharia: Indonesia’s Biggest Islamic Organization
Tue, June 14 2016
Nahdlatul Ulema (NU), Indonesia’s biggest Islamic organization, is of the opinion that making Indonesia a peaceful country with the world’s largest population of Muslims is more important than forcing it to adopt Sharia (Islamic law), the organization’s leader has said.
NU chairman Said Aqil Siradj emphasized that NU wanted Indonesia to become a darussalam country, which in Arabic means an “abode of peace”.
Citing a principle from late NU leader Wahid Hasyim, Said argued that Islam should become the protector of minorities in Indonesia. The first religious affairs minister in the country passed on this principle to his son, Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid.
It was during Gus Dur’s leadership that NU declared its official support for the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia in a national congress (Muktamar) in 1984. Gus Dur was elected president in 1999.
“We want a Darussalam, a peaceful land where everybody can live in harmony, which does not enforce the legal codes of Islam in the country. Islam is not a political commodity,” Said told thejakartapost.com on Monday.
The NU chairman further praised the role that Islamic leaders, or kyai, had played in the villages to prevent the Indonesian people from extremism and radicalism. Unlike Middle Eastern Islamic leaders, whose preachings often lead to conflict, the kyai in Indonesian villages were successful in tamping down religious conflict in the country.
“Rural areas are the vital points in preventing the spread of radicalism, and I’m grateful that we have kyai in villages who teach the creation of national character. This situation is very different from Middle Eastern countries, where conflict can easily flare up only because of provocations on social media,” Said added.
thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/14/peace-more-important-than-sharia-nu.html
--
Concern for India as Maldivians lean towards Islamic State
Tue, 14 Jun 2016
NEW DELHI: While India has remained relatively insulated from the threat of IS indoctrination, radicalization in the neighbourhood remains a concern for Indian authorities. A family of three from the island of Hithadhoo in southern Maldives is said to have arrived in Syria last week seeking to join Islamic State.
According to Maldives former foreign minister Ahmed Naseem, a leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the development confirms that religious fundamentalism continues to grow in the archipelago. Naseem told TOI that the number of Maldivians who have joined IS now exceeded 300. "This is the highest number (of fighters contributed by any nation) per capita in the world, considering our small population,"' he said.
While Maldives is negotiating a counter-terrorism agreement with India and hopes to use it to deal with returnees from Syria and Iraq, who might be well-trained and armed, the united Maldives opposition accuses President Abdulla Yameen of underestimating, even ignoring, the issue. As per government estimates, not more than 50 Maldivian youths have travelled to Syria or Iraq.
While there might be a hint of exaggeration in the way MDP describes the issue, there is no denying that the government has not done enough to check attempts by fighters from Maldives to indoctrinate youths using social media. A case in point, said Naseem, was the video released last week by Maldivian fighters threatening action against present and former presidents of Maldives, including the exiled Mohamed Nasheed of MDP.
"He (President Yameen) makes statements which are seen as significant by the international community but behind that he encourages radicalised youth to remain militant," said Naseem. Former President Nasheed had told TOI last year that about 30 IS jihadists had returned from Syria to recruit more.
Terrorism and radicalization featured prominently in PM Narendra Modi's meeting with Yameen in April this year with both leaders seeking close cooperation between intelligence agencies. Any presence of IS in Maldives will have serious security implications for India. Despite the growing presence of China in the Maldives, India remains the preferred destination for Maldivians in areas like education, medical care and business. In fact, the number of Maldivians seeking visas to India has gone up significantly in the past three years.
Nasheed's party MDP has in the past accused Yameen of aligning himself with extremist groups in his attempts to convince the Muslim-majority country that Nasheed was anti-Islam. Former dictator and Yameen's half-brother Abdul Gayoom too was accused in the past of having used extremists to undermine liberal, democratic opposition.
economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/concern-for-india-as-maldivians-lean-towards-islamic-state/articleshow/52740899.cms
--
Lahore’s historical gurdwara now a Muslim shrine
June 13,2016
The well of blood
Gurdwara ‘Lal Khoohi’ (the well of blood) was built at the spot where Guru Arjan Dev was kept in confinement.The site housed the haveli (mansion) of Chandu Shah,the diwan of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who haddeveloped hatred for the Guru after he rejected themarriage proposal of the Emperor's daughter with the Guru’s son, Hargobind. The Guru is believed to havespent his last days here, drinking from the well. In1927, the SGPC took charge of the gurdwara.
A historical gurdwara in Lahore has been turned into a Muslim shrine, according to a recent article by Islamabad-based anthropologist Haroon Khalid. Gurdwara ‘Lal Khoohi’ (well of blood), built at the spot where Guru Arjan Dev was kept in confinement, has now become ‘Haq Char Yaar’.
Khalid, known for documenting the historical and cultural heritage of Pakistan, said this was yet another instance of a place of worship belonging to a minority community being appropriated by the dominant Muslim population.
Khalid, who has written books on Pakistan’s minorities, said the fifth Sikh Guru was also tortured at this place. “The story goes that this site housed the haveli (mansion) of Chandu Shah, the diwan of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who had developed hatred for the Guru after he rejected the marriage proposal of Chandu Shah’s daughter with the Guru’s son, Hargobind,” he said.
As per Khalid, “The Guru is believed to have spent his last days here, drinking from the well. That’s how it came to be called ‘Lal Khoohi’.”
Prof JS Grewal, a chronicler of Sikh history and former director of the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla, confirmed that the reference to the fifth Guru’s confinement at Chandu Shah’s haveli was found in Sikh texts.
Lahore-based Majid Sheikh, a journalist and a writer who has extensively written on Lahore’s history and is now doing PhD on ‘Ancient history of Punjab’ at Cambridge University, said, “This place has nothing to do with Islam. There seems to be no limit to our ignorance.”
The gurdwara was initially very small, but Sikhs purchased the adjoining houses and built a bigger building. In 1927, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) took charge of it.
Talking to The Tribune, Haroon said most of the places of worship belonging to the minorities in Pakistan were in a bad condition. Most of them have been taken over by Partition refugees and transformed into houses. “Over the years, these buildings have lost their architectural heritage. However, there are a handful of gurdwaras and temples that the Pakistan Government looks after. These are the places which Sikh and Hindu pilgrims are allowed to visit,” he said.
tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/lahore-s-historical-gurdwara-now-a-muslim-shrine/251494.html
--
North America
American Muslim Leaders to ISIS: ‘You Do Not Speak For Us’
June 14, 2016
American Muslim leaders have warned ISIS: “You do not speak for us”, in the wake of a mass shooting in a gay club which left 50 dead.
Nihad Awad, speaking for the Council on American-Islamic Relations told reporters that the shooting was “a hate crime, plain and simple.”
The organisation has since the attack, urged the Muslim community to donate blood after a shortage due to the high number of victims.
Full report at: pinknews.co.uk/2016/06/13/american-muslim-leaders-to-isis-you-do-not-speak-for-us/
--
Orlando nightclub massacre comes as Islamic State faces battlefield setbacks
June 14, 2016
The mass shooting in Florida comes as Islamic State forces are stretched thin, under financial strain and losing ground near strongholds in Iraq, Syria and Libya, U.S. officials say.
A multi-pronged U.S. strategy has killed thousands of Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq, trimmed their ability to smuggle oil and move supplies, and steadily chipped away at the group’s self-declared caliphate in both countries.
“The noose is tightening,” CIA Director John Brennan said in an interview Sunday with the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel.
Full report at: latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-isis-setbacks-orlando-20160613-snap-story.html
--
US: ISIS ‘perverting’ Islam to justify false agenda, says White House
June 14, 2016
Terror outfits like the ISIS are “perverting” Islam to justify their “murderous, false agenda” as part of which they claim the mantle of the religion to describe themselves as “holy warriors” fighting with the US, the White House has said.
“What is true that many of those organisations pervert the religion of Islam to justify their murderous, nihilistic agenda. The President has said that on many occasions. He’s been very blunt about what those organisations are trying to do,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday.
Full report at: indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/isis-perverting-islam-to-justify-false-agenda-white-house-2851804/
--
Donald Trump Calls for Banning All Muslim Immigrants to Keep America a ‘Tolerant Society’
June 14, 2016
In early May, Donald Trump dismissed his own proposal for a blanket ban on Muslim immigration as a mere “suggestion.” One month — and a mass casualty terrorist attack later — the ban has become the centerpiece of his general election campaign.
On Monday, the Republican nominee described banning immigration from the Middle East and “Muslim countries outside the Middle East” as a “common sense” and “mainstream immigration policy.” Far from a casual “suggestion,” Trump argued that if the American government fails to establish the ban, “we’re not going to have a country anymore — there will be nothing left.” And he framed the debate over Muslim immigration as a synecdoche for the broader choice American voters will face in November — between policies that put the American people first, and ones “designed to benefit politically correct special interests.”
Full report at: nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/06/trump-muslim-ban-needed-to-keep-us-tolerant.html
--
Southeast Asia
Peace More Important Than Sharia: Indonesia’s Biggest Islamic Organization
Tue, June 14 2016
Nahdlatul Ulema (NU), Indonesia’s biggest Islamic organization, is of the opinion that making Indonesia a peaceful country with the world’s largest population of Muslims is more important than forcing it to adopt Sharia (Islamic law), the organization’s leader has said.
NU chairman Said Aqil Siradj emphasized that NU wanted Indonesia to become a darussalam country, which in Arabic means an “abode of peace”.
Full report at: thejakartapost.com/news/2016/06/14/peace-more-important-than-sharia-nu.html
--
Dalai Lama on Rohingya Muslims: If Buddha happened, he would protect those brothers and sisters
Tue,June 14 2016
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has a moral responsibility to try to ease tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims, her fellow Nobel laureate, the Dalai Lama, said on Monday.
The Tibetan spiritual leader said he had stressed the issue in meetings with Suu Kyi, who came to power in April in the newly created role of state counsellor in Myanmar’s first democratically elected government in five decades.
“She already has the Nobel Peace Prize, a Nobel Laureate, so morally she should … make efforts to reduce this tension between the Buddhist community and Muslim community,” he told Reuters in an interview in Washington.
Full report at: indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/dalai-lama-on-rohinya-muslims-if-buddha-happened-he-would-protect-those-brothers-and-sisters-2851596/
--
Rohingya families happy to celebrate Ramadan in Malaysia
Tue,June 14 2016
KUALA LUMPUR: Spending his third Ramadan in Malaysia, schoolteacher and Rohingya refugee Arfat Ganumia is not at all optimistic that the newly democratic Myanmar will be rolling out a welcome mat for the Rohingya anytime soon.
The forecast looks the same for this ethnic minority, even as Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) takes the mantle to build a democratic bedrock in formerly authoritarian Myanmar.
However, not all is gloomy.
Arfat, who teaches some 130 children at the Al-Akhlas Rohingya refugee school in Selayang, appreciates Malaysia for its peacefulness, tolerance and generosity, especially during this time of the year.
Full report at: thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/06/14/spirit-of-peace-and-charity-rohingya-families-happy-to-celebrate-ramadan-in-msia/
--
Indonesia plans to execute 16 – likely by firing squad – after Ramadan ends next month
Tuesday, 14 June, 2016
Indonesia plans to put 16 convicts to death after next month’s Muslim Eid holiday, an official said on Tuesday, confirming executions were set to resume after a hiatus.
The death row convicts will be executed “immediately after” the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Mohammad Rum, a spokesman for the attorney general’s office, said, but he did not give a precise date.
Ramadan ends with the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which falls in Indonesia on July 6 and 7.
Rum did not say who would face the firing squad, but Indonesia has been waging a campaign against narcotics and in 2015 executed 14 drug convicts, mostly foreigners, sparking international outrage.
Full report at: scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1975068/indonesia-plans-execute-16-likely-firing-squad-after
--
Troubled Islamic path of Indonesia, Malaysia!
Tuesday, 14 June, 2016
Indonesia and Malaysia in South East Asia are basically Muslim nations with majorities seeking to practice Islamic way of life and governments are also duty bound to provide all facilities and opportunity for Muslims to practice Islam in true ways.
Islamic societies world over have been facing severe problems, especially after the Sept-11 hoax, meticulously executed in USA by anti-Islamic forces, as both Muslim nations and Muslims are under perpetual threat to their existence.
Full report at: kashmirwatch.com/troubled-islamic-path-indonesia-malaysia/
--
India
Concern for India as Maldivians lean towards Islamic State
Tue, 14 Jun 2016
NEW DELHI: While India has remained relatively insulated from the threat of IS indoctrination, radicalization in the neighbourhood remains a concern for Indian authorities. A family of three from the island of Hithadhoo in southern Maldives is said to have arrived in Syria last week seeking to join Islamic State.
According to Maldives former foreign minister Ahmed Naseem, a leader of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the development confirms that religious fundamentalism continues to grow in the archipelago. Naseem told TOI that the number of Maldivians who have joined IS now exceeded 300. "This is the highest number (of fighters contributed by any nation) per capita in the world, considering our small population,"' he said.
While Maldives is negotiating a counter-terrorism agreement with India and hopes to use it to deal with returnees from Syria and Iraq, who might be well-trained and armed, the united Maldives opposition accuses President Abdulla Yameen of underestimating, even ignoring, the issue. As per government estimates, not more than 50 Maldivian youths have travelled to Syria or Iraq.
Full report at: economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/concern-for-india-as-maldivians-lean-towards-islamic-state/articleshow/52740899.cms
--
Islamic banking catches on in India
Tue, 14 Jun 2016
Allowing the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to open its first branch in Ahmedabad is a refreshing step. It was part of an MoU signed between IDB and India’s EXIM Bank during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April 2016. Since the global economic crisis of 2008, triggered by subprime mortgage crisis in US, has exposed the fragility of the capitalistic economic system based on interest and free market, there has been a yearning for an alternative system, which both generates capital as well as takes care of the poor. A viable option is the interest-free Islamic finance and banking. Even the Vatican has offered Islamic finance principles to Western banks as a solution to the worldwide economic crisis.
Globally, interest-free banking has witnessed a significant increase. According to IMF chief Christine Lagarde, the total assets are estimated at around USD 2 trillion, nearly a 10-fold increase from a decade ago, and outperforming the growth of conventional finance in many places.
Full report at: dnaindia.com/analysis/column-islamic-banking-catches-on-2223400
--
Court rejects alleged Islamic State operatives’ bail plea
Jun 13, 2016
Suspected terrorists arrested by Delhi Police’s Lodhi Special Cell on May 4. (HT?Photo)
A Delhi court has rejected the bail plea of five suspected ISIS operatives arrested for allegedly plotting a terror strike during the Ardh Kumbh at Haridwar.
According to the sources, the court denied relief to the accused persons -- Akhlakur Rehman, Mohd Osama, Mohd Mehraz, Mohd Azeemushan and Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed -- observing that it was not a fit case for bail.
Full report at: hindustantimes.com/india-news/court-rejects-alleged-islamic-state-operatives-bail-plea/story-QxA324iMoyQE8R8yig11jK.html
--
Pakistan
Lahore’s historical gurdwara now a Muslim shrine
June 13,2016
The well of blood
Gurdwara ‘Lal Khoohi’ (the well of blood) was built at the spot where Guru Arjan Dev was kept in confinement.The site housed the haveli (mansion) of Chandu Shah,the diwan of Mughal Emperor Jahangir, who haddeveloped hatred for the Guru after he rejected themarriage proposal of the Emperor's daughter with the Guru’s son, Hargobind. The Guru is believed to havespent his last days here, drinking from the well. In1927, the SGPC took charge of the gurdwara.
A historical gurdwara in Lahore has been turned into a Muslim shrine, according to a recent article by Islamabad-based anthropologist Haroon Khalid. Gurdwara ‘Lal Khoohi’ (well of blood), built at the spot where Guru Arjan Dev was kept in confinement, has now become ‘Haq Char Yaar’.
Full report at: tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/lahore-s-historical-gurdwara-now-a-muslim-shrine/251494.html
--
U.S. bigger enemy of Pakistan than India, says JuD chief Hafiz Saeed
June 13, 2016
Karachi: The U.S. has “moved ahead” of India in its enmity with Pakistan and wants to damage its nuclear programme, JuD chief Hafiz Saeed said.
“America has moved ahead of India in its enmity with Pakistan. It carried out drone attack in Balochistan to kill Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour to test Pakistan whether it would give any reaction.
His comments came a day after Pakistan lodged its protest to a visiting high-level United States delegation over the May 21 drone strike in Balochistan, which killed Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
siasat.com/news/u-s-bigger-enemy-pakistan-india-says-jud-chief-hafiz-saeed-971598/
--
Five 'militants' killed in Quetta encounter with police
June 13,2016
QUETTA: Police claimed to have killed five suspected militants in Chashma Achozai area in an encounter here late on Monday.
The armed men opened fire at a patrolling police van in Chashma Achozai. Police personnel retaliated and five suspected militants were killed during the exchange of fire.
Earlier on Sunday, militants ambushed a police party in the same area and left two policemen injured.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1264679/five-militants-killed-in-quetta-encounter-with-police
--
Pakistan politician accused of threatening to 'pull down' journalist's 'pants' on live TV
June 13,2016
Senator Hafiz Hamdullah had to be restrained by a fellow guest after getting into a verbal altercation with human rights campaigner Marvi Sirmed.
Ms Sirmed accused Mr Hamdullah of calling her a "whore" and trying to "punch her" in a later Facebook post.
In a separate Twitter post, she also claimed the Pakistani politician threatened to "pull down" her "pants".
Full report at: express.co.uk/news/world/679482/Pakistan-senator-journalist-threatens-during-TV-panel-debate
--
Saudi Arabia builds houses, schools and hospitals in Pakistan as relief package
June 14, 2016
RIYADH — 1,900 housing units, 33 schools and 23 healthcare centers are being built in Pakistan by Saudi Arabia as a part of a relief package for earthquake and flood victims in the country.
More than 75,000 people killed, 128,000 wounded and displaced 3.5 million in October 2005, earthquake. Dr. Khaled Mohammed Al-Othmani, the regional director of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Campaign for the Relief of Pakistani People said the housing units will be built in Baluchistan and Gilgit-Baltistan and the schools and health centers in Sind, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Kashmir.
Full report at: siasat.com/news/saudi-arabia-builds-houses-schools-hospitals-pakistan-relief-package-971944/
--
Army major killed in Afghan cross-border firing
June 13, 2016
PESHAWAR: An army officer, who was injured by Afghan firing at the Torkham border on Monday, succumbed to his injuries at the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar on Tuesday.
Security sources confirmed that Major Ali Jawad Changezi could not recover from the injuries he sustained, adding that his funeral will take place in Peshawar and he will be laid to rest in his hometown Quetta.
The skirmish between Afghan and Pakistani security personnel began on Sunday after "Afghan security forces resorted to unprovoked firing directed at the Pakistani side of the Torkham Gate," a statement issued by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) had earlier said.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1264766/army-major-killed-in-afghan-cross-border-firing
--
Pakistan’s transgenders mocked by most, abhorred by many
June 13,2016
In this Wednesday, May 25, 2016 photo, Pakistani transgenders mourn the death of their colleague Alisha in Peshawar, Pakistan. Alisha was shot five times allegedly by her boyfriend who has since been arrested. She died of her wounds three days after being admitted to hospital. Her friends say she was neglected by doctors and medical professionals, who taunted her, rather than treated her. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)(Credit: AP)
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — Abandoned by family and mocked by their society, the life of a Pakistani transgender is lonely.
It can even be deadly.
Full report at: salon.com/2016/06/14/pakistans_transgenders_mocked_by_most_abhorred_by_many/
--
Baloch families flee hometown as security operations intensify in Kech
June 14,2016
KARACHI: More than a dozen families have escaped their hometown in a remote Balochistan district and moved to Karachi because of clashes between security forces and insurgents, it emerged on Monday.
About 15 families left their homes in Dasht, Kech district, over the last few days and a majority of them have settled in Orangi Town, Sabzi Mandi and Federal B Area. Four of the 15 families have moved to Hyderabad and Kotri.
Among them, Mohammad Balaach and his family of 20 moved to Faqir Colony in Orangi Town around two weeks back.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1264636/baloch-families-flee-hometown-as-security-operations-intensify-in-kech
--
Arab World
The “global Islamic city ‘with which China seeks to open the Arab world
06/14/2016
It has gone from being a place almost anonymous to global meeting center for the Arab world . Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia province, in northeastern China, experience one of the plans more ambitious transformation of the Chinese government, which aims to turn the city into the focus of its expansion to the West.
the flight EK326 from Dubai landed at around six o’clock in Hedong International Airport. In the corridors of the terminal, several taxi drivers wait outside of the few passengers who arrive at this hour Yinchuan, a place that lives between the routine and transformation plans. “It’s the third time I come to Yinchuan this year and the first to do it with this direct flight. We are close to a deal with a Chinese company for invest in several projects in the UAE , but still will take some time to get things moving, “says Ahmed, one of the few foreigners traveling on board the EK326. If Beijing’s plans are met, in a few years they are many who, like Ahmed, made the trip back and forth from Yinchuan to some of the capitals of the Middle East, which, as claimed by the Chinese government, will play an important role in the future development of the economy .
Full report at: archyworldys.com/the-global-islamic-city-with-which-china-seeks-to-open-the-arab-world/
--
Al-Nusra Front Targets Aleppo Neighborhoods
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Al-Nusra Front militants fired mortars and MLRS shells at two settlements in the Aleppo province.
Al-Nusra Front militants on Monday fired from mortars and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRSs) at two settlements in the Aleppo province and neighbourhoods of its eponymous capital, the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation said.
"In the Aleppo province, Handrat and al-Ramusy inhabited areas, Sheikh Maqsood, al-Hamadiya, al-Khalidiah and Meidan quarters of Aleppo have been shelled with MLRS and mortars [by Al-Nusra Front militants]," the center said in a statement.
The extremist group also shelled the Ard al-Wata and Rasha settlements in the Lattakia province, as well as the Blelije and Marj Sultan villages in the Damascus province, the military added.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000767
--
Al-Nusra Fails to Break through Gov't Forces' Positions in Quneitra
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The al-Nusra Front's offensive on government forces' strongholds in the Southern province of Quneitra was pushed back by the army's strong defense, adding that the terrorist suffered a heavy death toll and fled the battlefield, sources said.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front stormed the pro-government positions near Tal al-Hamiriyeh South of the village of Hadhar, but the strong defense to Syrian soldiers did not allowed them to advance in the battlefront and retreated from the battlefront under the heavy fire of the army men.r
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000593
--
Top ISIL Treasury Official Escapes from Raqqa
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Informed sources disclosed that the top treasury official of the ISIL terrorist group in the capital of the self-proclaimed Caliphate has left the city for an unknown destination with a large amount of cash.
Local sources said that Hatim al-Utaybi, a Saudi national, has stolen the entire money, gold and other precious jewelry of the Takfiri group and has left Raqqa for an unknown destination.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000710
--
Iran Calls on West to Seize Post-Sanctions Opportunity to Broaden Ties
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian soldiers struck the ISIL concentration centers and gatherings in Eastern and Central parts of Hama province, inflicting major damage on the Takfiri group's military hardware.
The Syrian military forces stormed the ISIL strongholds near the town of al-Aqayrabat in Eastern Hama, which claimed the lives of several militants and destroyed their machinegun-equipped vehicles.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000536
--
Iran Condemns Terrorist Attack in US
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaberi Ansari condemned the Sunday's terrorist attack in the US city of Orlando which resulted in the death of over 50 civilians and injury of many more.
"In line with its principled policy in condemning terrorism and its strong determination to firmly and decisively counter this ominous phenomenon, the Islamic Republic of Iran deplores the recent terrorist attack in Orlando city," Jaberi Ansari said on Monday.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000376
--
ISIL Strongholds Hit Hard in Syrian Army Attacks in Deir Ezzur
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Syrian military forces, in a fresh round of anti-terrorism attacks, targeted the ISIL concentration centers in different districts and regions inside and outside of the Eastern city of Deir Ezzur and inflicted major losses on the terrorists.
The Syrian soldiers clashed with the ISIL in al-Roshdiyeh district, which ended in the killing of 15 terrorists and wounding of several more.
In the meantime, the ISIL positions came under the attacks of the Syrian army men.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000452
--
ISIL Offensive Repulsed by Syrian Army, NDF in Western Raqqa
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops and National Defense Forces (NDF) engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL along Hama's main road to al-Tabaqa airbase and forced the terrorists to retreat from the battlefield.
The ISIL left behind at least 16 members, including non-Syrians, dead and several more wounded and fled the battlefield after its offensive to penetrate into the government forces' position along a road connecting Ithriya in Hama to al-Tabaqa in Raqqa were fended off by the Syrian government forces.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000386
--
Syrian Democratic Forces Capture more Key Villages near Manbij
June 14,2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), comprising mainly of Kurdish fighters, won more clashes against the ISIL near the strategic town of Manbij in Northeastern Aleppo and captured more territories in the region.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950325000318
--
Mideast
Turkish military surveillance jet to fly over Russia
June 14,2016
The Russian Defense Ministry have stated that a Turkish surveillance plane carrying local and Finnish experts will conduct flights over Russia, a rare permit that comes at a time when the relations between Moscow and Ankara have deteriorated.
The permit, a part of the Treaty on Open Skies, has been granted despite Ankara refusal of such a demand back in February, said the ministry.
Sergey Rijkov, the Russian ministry official in charge of the Treaty on Open Skies, said in a statement that Russian officers will accompany the flights scheduled to begin on June 13 and continue for four days.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-military-surveillance-jet-to-fly-over-russia.aspx?pageID=238&nID=100441&NewsCatID=510
--
Turkish shelling, coalition airstrikes kill five ISIL militants in Syria
June 14,2016
Five militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were killed on June 13 in Syria in shelling by the Turkish army and air operations by the U.S.-led coalition.
Some 13 ISIL targets, which were reportedly preparing an attack on Turkey from Syria, were detected by target acquisition systems on the border. Turkish artillery units shelled the targets as coalition warplanes conducted two air operations on the region, security sources have said.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-shelling-coalition-airstrikes-kill-five-isil-militants-in-syria.aspx?pageID=238&nID=100459&NewsCatID=352
--
EU envoy to Turkey resigns: EU delegation official
June 14,2016
The European Union's top envoy to Turkey, Hansjörg Haber, has resigned, an official from the EU delegation in Ankara said on June 14, without giving any reason.
A source from the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey has confirmed Haber’s resignation and accuracy of the report by Hürriyet.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/eu-envoy-to-turkey-resigns-eu-delegation-official.aspx?pageID=238&nID=100458&NewsCatID=351
--
ISIL militants planned to attack MPs, journalists in Turkey
June 14,2016
Militants of the Islamic State of the Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) planned to stage attacks on lawmakers and journalists in Turkey, a list found on two militants caught by the authorities in the southern border province of Kilis has revealed.
The militants, working as assassins for the jihadist group, were caught while trying to enter Turkey, daily Yeni Safak reported on June 14.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/isil-militants-planned-to-attack-mps-journalists-in-turkey-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=100460&NewsCatID=352
--
Venice Commission calls curfews in Turkey ‘unconstitutional’
June 14,2016
The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe (CoE) has arrived at the conclusion that curfews imposed in various districts and neighborhoods in Turkey’s Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions since August 2015 were “not constitutional.”
The commission completed drafting its opinion on the compatibility of the legal framework governing curfews in Turkey with European standards. The opinion was requested by the chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on March 15 and the commission prepared to submit it in its plenary session in June.
“The commission [therefore] notes that the curfews imposed since August 2015 have not been based on the constitutional and legislative framework which specifically governs the use of exceptional measures in Turkey, including curfew. To comply with this framework, any curfew measure should be associated with emergency rule, as provided for in Articles 119 to 122 of the constitution,” said the commission in its draft opinion obtained by Hürriyet Daily News.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/venice-commission-calls-curfews-in-turkey-unconstitutional.aspx?pageID=238&nID=100433&NewsCatID=351
--
South Asia
Sartaj Aziz says Haqqani Network not a simple issue, could cause a blowback
Tue Jun 14 2016
The Pakistani Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz has said the Haqqani Network was not a simple issue and could have caused a blowback.
Sartaj was speaking a joint sitting of the Senate committees on defence and foreign affairs which mainly focused on the issue of the cancellation of F-16s sale by US to Pakistan.
The US congress refused to to approve funding for the deal days after the US lawmakers had accused Pakistan of not doing enough to fight militant.
The decision by the US congress meant that Pakistan will have to pay more than $700m (£480m) – two-and-a-half times the original cost of the fighter jets.
Pakistan would pay close to $270m, with the US foreign military financing budget paying for the rest, according to the original arrangement.
Full report at: khaama.com/sartaj-aziz-says-haqqani-network-not-a-simple-issue-could-cause-a-blowback-01255
--
Deadly airstrike target Taliban in Farah, 25 killed, 27 wounded
Tue Jun 14 2016
At least 25 Taliban militants were killed in an airstrike in the western Farah province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said.
A statement by MoD said the airstrike was carried out in Bala Bolok district of Farah, leaving at least 27 more wounded.
The statement further added that four vehicles and 7 motorcycles belonging to the militants were also destroyed during the airstrike.
Full report at: khaama.com/deadly-airstrike-target-taliban-in-farah-25-killed-27-wounded-01254
--
Donald Trump says he would ban Afghan and Pakistani immigrants from US
Tue Jun 14 2016
Following a deadly attack on a gay nightclub in Florida, the US Presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he would ban the immigrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria.
He was speaking a day after an ISIS sympathizer killed at least 50 people by attacking the night club in Florida.
Trump said he would use the executive authority of the presidency to temporarily ban the entry of foreign Muslims from countries “where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe, or our allies until we fully understand how to end these threats.”
He also added that the immigration ban would would last until “we are in a position to properly screen these people coming into our country. They’re pouring in, and we don’t know what we’re doing.”
Full report at: khaama.com/donald-trump-says-he-would-ban-afghan-and-pakistani-immigrants-from-us-01252
--
Afghanistan summoned Pakistani Ambassador over Torkham clash
Tue Jun 14 2016
The Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan was summoned in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MoFA) over a clash between the Afghan and Pakistani forces in Torkham.
MoFA said a strong protest was lodged with the Pakistani Ambassador Syed Abrar Hussain regarding the latest clash.
The deputy foreign minister for administrative affairs Dr. Nasir Ahmad Andisha reminded the Pakistani Ambassador regarding an agreement was reached for the establishment of intallations in Torkham as part of the negotiations between the two nations in accordance with the international norms.
Full report at: khaama.com/afghanistan-summoned-pakistani-ambassador-over-torkham-clash-01251
--
Fresh clash reported among Afghan and Pakistani forces in Torkham
Tue Jun 14 2016
Fresh clashes have reportedly among the Afghan and Pakistani forces in Torkham, hours after a heavy clash broke out between the two sides.
According to reports, the clash resumed around 4 pm local time but there are no other information available regarding the incident.
Full report at: khaama.com/fresh-clash-reported-among-afghan-and-pakistani-forces-in-torkham-01249
--
Barak citizen group worries over atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh
Tue Jun 14 2016
SILCHAR, June 13: Citizens’ Rights Preservation Committee (CRPC), Assam, has expressed its concern at the recent political unrest in Bangladesh leading to the attack on Bengali Hindus and other minority communities in different forms such as killing, kidnapping, raping, forceful conversion of religion, burning and destroying of properties, temples among others. CRPC says in an e-mail message to The Sentinel that this has created a total anarchy, sense of fear and panic not only among the people residing in different corners of Bangladesh but also for the peace loving citizens of India.
Full report at: sentinelassam.com/cachar/story.php?sec=2&subsec=12&id=270649&dtP=2016-06-14&ppr=1
--
Europe
French police chief and partner killed in stabbing claimed by Isis
June 13, 2016
President François Hollande has convened crisis talks after a man convicted for terrorist offences and claiming allegiance to the Islamic State stabbed a French police commander to death in front of his house outside Paris, then killed his partner who also worked for the police.
The 42-year-old police commander was in plain clothes when he was stabbed to death as he arrived home at around 8.30pm on Monday night in a quiet residential area of Magnanville, north-west of Paris.
Full report at: theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/13/french-policeman-stabbed-death-paris
--
Visa of anti-gay Muslim cleric under review, says Malcolm Turnbull
June 13, 2016
The immigration department is reviewing the visa of a Shia Muslim cleric who toured Orlando in March and argues that homosexual acts are punishable by death under sharia law.
British-born medical doctor and preacher Farrokh Sekaleshfar is giving lectures throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan at the Imam Husain Islamic Centre in Sydney’s south-west.
Sekaleshfar, who spoke in Orlando in March, told a Michigan audience in 2013 that “death is the sentence for homosexual acts” in Islam and this was “nothing to be embarrassed about”.
“We have to have that compassion for people. With homosexuals, it’s the same. Out of compassion, let’s get rid of them now,” he said in the lecture.
Full report at: theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jun/14/visa-of-anti-gay-muslim-cleric-under-review-says-turnbull
--
Africa
TERROR RESPECTS NO BORDERS: LESSONS FOR AFRICA FROM THE ORLANDO SHOOTING
June 13, 2016
If the United States can record its deadliest mass shooting in history and the nation’s worst terror attack since the 9/11 attacks, then truly, “terror respects no borders and happens to even the best prepared,” former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan remarked. This serves as a huge lesson to other countries of the world, especially African countries battling with terror.
During the early hours of Sunday, Omar Mateen, 29, shot and killed 50 persons at a gay nightclub in Orlando. According to reports, the Police crashed into the building with an armoured vehicle and stun grenades and killed Mateen. Apart from the dead, the incident also left no fewer than 53 injured, according to a police report published by international TV news channel, The Cable News Network (CNN). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials told CNN that it interviewed Mateen in 2013 and 2014, but was not found to be a threat. It was also reported he (Mateen) pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in a 911 call made during the attack.
Full report at: venturesafrica.com/terror-respects-no-borders-lessons-for-africa-from-the-us-shooting/
URL:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Womens in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Womens In Arab, Islamphobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism, Moderate Islam, Moderate Muslims, Progressive Islam, Progressive Muslims, Liberal Islam, Liberal Muslims, Islamic World News