New
Age Islam News Bureau
24
December 2021
General
V.P. Malik, who was army chief during the 1999 Kargil War. File photo
----
•
Saudi Arabia Minister of Islamic Affairs: We Will Confront Smear Campaigns
against Islam with Moderate Stances
•
Bashir Mastan Gets Death Sentence for Blasphemy by Uploading a Video Making
False Claim of His Being a Prophet
•
Afghan Sikhs, Hindus on Exile in India Meet Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan
Deputy PM
•
In Istanbul, a Conference of Rabbis from Islamic Nations Got a Surprise
Audience with Erdogan
India
•
Don’t Portray All Muslims As Part Of Social Democratic Party Of India: Kodiyeri
•
Ignore Constitution, pray to Godse: Sadhvi Annapurna justifies killing of
Muslims
•
Media bullied against reporting on anti-Muslim violence in Tripura: Editors’
Guild
•
UP Muslim Youth who Chanted Jai Sri Ram in BJP Rally to get Police Protection
•
Jammu IED case: NIA files chargesheet against three accused
•
Afghanistan vote brings to fore India’s differences with China, Russia
--------
Arab World
•
Qatar's Ambitions to Become 'The Art Mecca of The Middle East'
•
Lebanon’s top Christian party signals possible end of Hezbollah alliance
•
Lebanon ‘regrets’ assault on UN peacekeepers
•
World Bank pledges $37 mln to help Lebanon teachers
•
Arab Coalition says destroyed drone targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport
--------
Pakistan
•
Are Christians Lesser Pakistanis? - Two Bakeries In Karachi Refuse To Write
“Merry Christmas” On Cakes
•
Israel Was Brought Up For Discussion At The OIC Extraordinary Meeting In Pakistan
•
Why Is Pakistan Eager to Help Afghan Taliban When They Don't Even Recognise
Border, Questions Former Pakistani Senator Rabbani
•
Two soldiers martyred in attack on check post in Balochistan's Kech: ISPR
•
Pakistan welcomes UNSC resolution easing aid flow to Afghanistan
•
No one can deprive Gwadar people of their rights: Maulana Hidayat
--------
South Asia
•
Suicide bomber gunned down in Kabul as Taliban fighters gather for passports
•
Taliban dissolve two ministries and electoral bodies
•
Afghan factories to go bankrupt duet to frozen assets: industrialists
•
Taliban halted evacuation flights from Afghanistan for past 2 weeks: Report
--------
Mideast
•
125 Palestinians injured as Israeli settlers, troops raid village in West Bank
•
Hezbollah has 2,000 UAVs, can severely damage Israel’s defences, warns Israeli
centre
•
Saudi warplanes take Yemen’s capital under new airstrikes
•
Hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner cannot move anymore, lawyer says
•
FM: Iran Not to Accept Excessive Demands in Vienna Talks
•
Iranian Companies to Develop Transportation Cooperation with Syria
--------
Southeast Asia
•
Yahya Cholil Staquf a Progressive Muslim Scholar Elected Leader of Indonesia's
Influential Nahdlatul Ulama
•
Israel-Indonesia Normalization Discussed By US Sec. Of State Blinken
•
President Jokowi officialises new office of Indonesian Mosque Council
•
Sources: Thailand, BRN Rebels to Resume In-person Peace Talks Next Month
--------
Africa
•
Moroccans Stage Rallies On First Anniversary Of US-Brokered Normalization With Israel
•
Nigeria’s Buhari vows to be ‘hard’ on terrorists
•
Top US lawmakers condemn Sudan's military for use of violence
•
Tunisian president warns of 'assassination plans' against some officials
--------
North America
•
Biden Quietly Signs Import Ban Targeting China’s Abuse Of Uyghur Muslims
•
The influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates inside and outside
the United States
•
San Antonio Mosque Spearheads $150,000 Reward for Missing 3-Year-Old Lina Sadar
Khil
•
Intel apologizes for pushing Xinjiang ban over Muslim abuse complaints
--------
Europe
•
French Anti-Muslim Candidates Target Armenia To Galvanize Supporters
•
Turkey pursuing 'proactive diplomacy': Foreign minister
•
Turkey, Montenegro agree to boost inter-parliamentary cooperation
•
Germany to step up Afghanistan evacuation efforts
•
EU calls for investigation into rape allegations in Sudan
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Army
Veterans Express Outrage at Calls for Killing of India’s Muslims and Recent
Lynching of Two Men Accused of Sacrilege
General
V.P. Malik, who was army chief during the 1999 Kargil War. File photo
----
Imran
Ahmed Siddiqui
24.12.21
Veterans
including former armed forces chiefs have expressed outrage at the calls for
the killing of India’s Muslims at a three-day conference of sadhus last week in
Haridwar, and urged the government to act.
The
veterans have also condemned the recent lynching of two men accused of
sacrilege at the Golden Temple in Amritsar and at a Gurdwara in Kapurthala district
of Punjab.
Admiral
(retd) Arun Prakash, former navy chief and a 1971 war hero, cited a video of
the Haridwar event to ask whether “we want a communal bloodbath”, bringing
quick endorsement from General V.P. Malik, who was army chief during the 1999
Kargil War.
Social
media users have expressed horror also at a video that appears to show an event
by the Hindu Yuva Vahini where the participants take a vow to “fight, die for
and, if necessary, kill” to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra.
Delhi
BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay had attended the December 17-19 Dharma Sansad in
Haridwar, Uttarakhand, where videos purportedly show sadhus and Hindutva
leaders urging Hindus to take up weapons against Muslims.
Upadhyay,
a former Delhi BJP spokesperson, told The Telegraph he was there only on
December 19, for “30 minutes”, and witnessed no hate speech. Upadhyay had been
arrested briefly in August for organising an event at Jantar Mantar in Delhi
where slogans were chanted calling for violence against Muslims.
Tweeting
about the Haridwar event, Admiral Prakash wrote: “Why is this not being
stopped? With our jawans facing enemies on 2 fronts, do we want a communal
bloodbath, domestic turmoil and international disgrace? Is it difficult to
understand that anything which damages national cohesion & unity endangers
India’s national security?”
General
Malik responded: “Agreed. Such speeches disturb public harmony and affect
national security. Action required by Civil Admin.”
A
former lieutenant-general told this newspaper: “These hate mongers are bigots
and a threat to the country’s social fabric. Why has the government not
arrested them and slapped the UAPA and sedition cases against them?”
Strategic
expert Sushant Sareen tweeted: “Utterly disgusting. If the government does not curb
this hate mongering, it is playing with the security of the country.”
Asked
why no action had been taken over the Vahini event, a senior Delhi police
officer said: “We have seen the videos of the event in Delhi where anti-Muslim
slogans were raised. We are awaiting a nod from our top brass so that action
can be initiated.”
Major
General (retd) Yash Mor condemned the Punjab lynchings, tweeting: “This is so
disturbing as the two men were killed in the name of religion in Punjab. We are
becoming another Pakistan. This hate should stop or else we are doomed.”
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia Minister of Islamic Affairs: We Will Confront Smear Campaigns against
Islam with Moderate Stances
Minister
of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh
-----
December
23, 2021
TABUK
– Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh
warned against the smear campaigns being unleashed against Islam.
“There
are moves for the malicious distortion of Islam’s true image as a religion of
moderation and tolerance,” he cautioned while calling on all Muslims to
practically confront it with moderate stances that embody tolerance and
forgiveness.
He
made the remarks after launching the initiative titled “Exalting the houses of
God,” and the activities of “Takatuf,” a women’s voluntary organization,
established by the ministry’s branch in Tabuk.
Al-Sheikh
stressed that the Kingdom bears the banner of spreading moderation. “The
religion of Islam calls for tolerance and moderation and the fight against
extremism and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said.
The
minister pointed out that the Kingdom’s effort to spread moderation today is
reflected in the reality of the country, in terms of the spread of security and
safety, and its keenness to build the country and the cohesion of its people.
He
lauded the active role of women in the ministry’s various activities and
programs. “This confirms their excellence and keenness in mastering the tasks
and works entrusted to them,” he added.
Source:
Saudi Gazette
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Bashir
Mastan Gets Death Sentence for Blasphemy by Uploading a Video Making False
Claim of His Being a Prophet
Bashir
Mastan, a resident of Charsadda, Pakistan
----
Bureau
Report
December
24, 2021
PESHAWAR:
A local court on Thursday convicted a 42-year-old man of committing blasphemy
through uploading a video on the internet and sentenced him to death along with
a fine of Rs100, 000.
Additional
district and sessions judge Mohammad Tahir Aurangzeb pronounced that the
prosecution had proved its case against the accused, Bashir Mastan, a resident
of Charsadda, and the evidence on record connected him with commission of the
offence.
The
court convicted him under section 295-C of Pakistan Penal Code and while
sentencing him to death ordered that the sentence should not be executed unless
confirmed by the Peshawar High Court.
The
judge ordered that necessary reference should be prepared and sent to the high
court for confirmation of the death sentence. The judge also convicted the
accused under section 298 PPC and sentenced him to two years rigorous
imprisonment.
The
FIR of the occurrence was registered at Inqilab police station in Peshawar by
its SHO on Sept 7, 2020, under sections 295-C (derogatory remarks in respect of
the Holy Prophet) and 298 (uttering words to wound religious feelings) of the
PPC and section 15 of the Arms Act.
In
the FIR, the SHO claimed that a video had gone viral wherein the suspect could
be seen making false claim of his being a prophet. He stated that the said
video had resulted into a public outcry.
The
police claimed that the suspect was traced through his mobile phone connection
and then taken into custody from residence of one of his relatives in Pandhu
area. It was stated that a pistol was also recovered from the suspect.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1665478/man-gets-death-sentence-for-blasphemy
--------
Afghan
Sikhs, Hindus on Exile in India Meet Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan Deputy PM
Afghan
MP Narender Singh along with other Hindu and Sikh representatives meet with the
Taliban deputy PM on Thursday. (Source: Twitter)
----
JK
Singh
Dec
24, 2021
AMBALA:
Representatives of minority Sikh and Hindu communities in Afghanistan,
including MP Narender Singh Khalsa who had flown to India after the Taliban
took over Kabul in August, held a meeting with Maulvi Abdul Kabir, deputy prime
minister of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan (IEA) government on Thursday.
Well
placed sources in Delhi said Kabul MP Khalsa and Manjeet Singh of Jalalabad
flew back to Afghanistan four days ago against the wishes of Afghan Minorities
Group (AMG), a joint coordination committee comprising of Afghan-origin Hindus
and Sikhs living in India and Afghanistan.
As
per reports of an Afghanistan-based channel, during the meeting, the Hindu and
Sikh community representatives told him that they wanted to stay in Afghanistan
and play a constructive role in the development of the country.
"Maulvi
Abdul Kabir told them that the Taliban government has provided security to all
and that their policy for everyone, including minorities, is to live in
prosperity and peace. All ethnic groups and citizens of the country have the
right to live and to contribute to the development of the country,"
reported Aamaj News.
The
Afghan minorities also demanded return of their usurped land and property,
added the report.
Apart
from Khalsa, Gurnam Singh, president of Gurdwara Sahib Dashmesh Pita at Karte
Parwan near Kabul and Ram Sharan Bhasin, a Kabul-based leader of Hindus were
present in the meeting among others.
Efforts
were made to contact MP Khalsa and Singh but they could not be contacted.
MP
Khalsa had flown to India after the Taliban had taken over the control of the government
in Afghanistan and on his arrival here, he had broken down while speaking to
the Indian press.
"We
have never seen this kind of situation in Afghanistan and now that we are
seeing it, everything is over. Even the government that was built in the last
20 years is finished. Everything is zero now," he had said after being
evacuated from Kabul in an Indian Air Force aircraft on August 22, 2021.
India
had then evacuated 168 people, of whom 107 were Indian nationals and the
remaining were Afghan Hindus and Sikhs. Another batch of nearly 100 persons was
flown to India in the second week of December. The Afghan minorities had
brought along some saroops (scriptures) of Guru Granth Sahib and some holy
books of the Hindu faith.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
In
Istanbul, a Conference of Rabbis from Islamic Nations Got a Surprise Audience
with Erdogan
Members
of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States (ARISand Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan (David I. Klein/JTA)
-----
By
David I. Klein
DECEMBER
23, 2021
ISTANBUL
(JTA) – Rabbis from across the world filled the halls of Istanbul’s Conrad
hotel this week for the inaugural conference of the Alliance of Rabbis in
Islamic States (ARIS). They were expecting two days of networking, discussions
of Jewish law and simple camaraderie over their shared experience of supporting
Jewish life in Muslim-majority countries.
What
they weren’t expecting was to be whisked off to the Turkish capital of Ankara,
on a private plane sent by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, or to have
dinner with him at his presidential palace.
Rabbi
Mendy Chitrik, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Turkey and director of ARIS, only
got the news that the Turkish president would receive them hours before the
conference was set to begin.
According
to Chitrik, Erdogan stayed with the rabbis for two hours discussing a variety
of topics.
“The
president has listened very gracefully to all of the rabbis, has spoken in very
strong terms against antisemitism and Islamophobia and has reiterated the
Turkish stance that denying the Holocaust is a crime against humanity,” Chitrik
told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, adding that Erdogan also voiced his support
for the construction and renovation of synagogues in Turkey and the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Another
topic addressed was the state of Turkish-Israeli relations.
“I
value our renewed dialogue with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett,” Erdogan noted to the rabbis, according to the
government-aligned outlet Daily Sabah.
Though
the country was once a strong ally of Israel, Turkish-Israeli relations have
soured under Erdogan’s nearly 20-year rule. 2010’s Mavi Marmara Incident, when
Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish citizens attempting to break Israel’s
blockade of the Gaza Strip, ushered in a low point (and several years of
Turkish legal battles), as did the U.S. Embassy’s move to Jerusalem in 2018.
Erdogan has called Israel a “terrorist state” and accused it of “genocide.”
Despite
continuing trade relations with Israel, the Turkish government also hosts the
leadership of Hamas on its soil, and is a major funder of Palestinian causes in
Gaza and the West Bank.
The
Turkish president reiterated that position, but called on the rabbis to be part
of the solution.
“We
all have to strive for peace in the Middle East,” he said. “We do not want to
see any conflicts in this geography that is home to three Abrahamic religions.”
“I
believe that a solution that prioritizes the sensitivities of all religious
groups living in Jerusalem can be achieved,” he added.
Erdogan’s
relations with the global Jewish community have also not always been so rosy.
In
May, he was castigated by U.S. President Biden for statements, considered to be
trading in antisemtic tropes, which Erdogan made during Israel’s flare-up of
tensions with Gaza.
“They
are murderers, to the point that they kill children who are five or six years old.
They only are satisfied by sucking their blood,” Erdogan had said at the time.
“”It is in their nature.”
At
a 2015 rally, the authoritarian-leaning ruler also lashed out at Western media,
saying that “Jewish Capital” is behind The New York Times.
Nonetheless,
the rabbis welcomed the meeting.
“We
are forward-looking rabbis. We are working in communities in the Muslim world,
and we are looking to strengthen Jewish life. There are many things in the
past, but we are looking forward, working on the present and working for the
future,” Chitrik said.
The
meeting concluded with Turkey’s Sephardic chief rabbi, Isak Haleva, gifting the
Turkish president an ornate menorah.
All
in all, the level of dialogue the rabbis shared with Erdogan was precisely one
of the reasons Chitrik founded ARIS.
The
idea came to him while at another conference, the Kinus HaShluchim – an
international conference of Chabad emissaries – when he found himself seated at
a table with colleagues from Azerbaijan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and
Nigeria.
“We
looked at each other and said, ‘Wait a minute, we’re all rabbis from Muslim
countries. Why isn’t there a session here at this conference for rabbis of
Muslim countries?’” Chitrick recalled. “There are things that we can help each
other with. So we started a WhatsApp [group], then made a Twitter handle, and
it grew from there.”
A
century ago, there were well over one million Jews living in the Muslim world.
Though the establishment of the State of Israel brought Jewish life to an end
in many Muslim countries, they haven’t all entirely emptied.
Around
100,000 Jews still live in Muslim-majority countries, Chitrick estimated. The
largest Jewish populations can be found in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran and
Turkey.
“People
say, ‘Wow, there are 100,000 Jews in Islamic countries?’ Yes, there are,” he
said. “They have been living in this Islamic world for thousands of years, and
they continue to live here, continue to call this place home. Many times
they’re very patriotic toward the places where they live in. Most of them are
not looking for other places to move out to. “
When
he founded ARIS, Chitrik was adamant that it couldn’t just be an organization
of Chabad rabbis. It would need to bridge all the different Jewish communities
served in the Muslim world, including post-Soviet countries like Azerbaijan and
Kazakhstan; historic communities of the Middle East and North Africa such as
Turkey, Iran, Tunisia and Morocco; and fast-growing communities in the UAE and
Bahrain in the wake of the Abraham Accords.
“The
agenda of the Alliance of Rabbis is to normalize Jewish life in Muslim
countries, Chitrik said. “It shouldn’t look as a surprise to people.”
Over
their years working in their countries, what Chitrik and many of the rabbis
have found is that while Jewish life is not necessarily discouraged, foreign
intervention, be it from Israel or Jewish citizens of western powers like the
U.S. or U.K. often complicates it.
“Many
of the rabbis are realistic and know that in the places we live, international
interference is not always looked at positively,” Chitrik said. “When a rabbi
in Turkey or in Iran needs help, whether it is in communication, in providing
tefillin, in sending matzot or etrogim, it is so much easier to do it from
Istanbul than anywhere else.”
Through
the alliance’s coordination, last year they were able to get matzah to Jews in
countries ranging from Libya to Lebanon and Syria. It also helped get some of
the last Jews of Afghanistan out of the country after the Taliban’s resurgence,
one to Istanbul and another to Albania.
This
week’s conference in Istanbul was the first time many of the rabbis got to
finally meet in person. In attendance were rabbis representing more than ten
counties, including Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Albania, Kosovo, the United Arab
Emirates, Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Kazakhstan, and
Russia as well as Turkey whose chief rabbinate served as hosts to the
conference.
For
many of the attendees, one of the most important things they felt they got out
of it was the feeling that they aren’t alone in their work.
“When
you come and you meet people from so many different Muslim countries, and
everywhere you see there is a Jewish community, you feel more strength and more
calm,” said Rabbi Elchanan Cohen, who serves a community in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
“We
have our own sensitivities living in the Muslim countries, and that’s what puts
all the rabbis here into [a] common situation,” said Rabbi Shnuer Segal, of
Azerbaijan. “We are all facing challenges, and the idea that we can solve them
together is something our alliance supports.”
Rabbis
take comfort in “the idea that we have someone backing us up, in case we need
any connection with the government or with others,” said Rabbi Chaim Azimov of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
As
such, in addition to philosophical conversations about the future of Jewish
life in the Muslim world, the conference also included more practical sessions
on fundraising and social media techniques.
The
surprise meeting with Erdogan replaced a visit to Istanbul’s Jewish museum and
a gala dinner at Neve Shalom, the flagship synagogue of the Turkish rabbinate.
But by the second day of the conference the rabbis were back on track with a
halachic symposium at Istanbul, led by Iran’s Chief Rabbi Yehuda Gerami and
dedicated to their predecessor, Maimonides.
Gerami
ultimately left the conference with a brand new Torah scroll to bring back to
his community in Iran.
Source:
JTA
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
Don’t
Portray All Muslims As Part Of Social Democratic Party Of India: Kodiyeri
24th
December 2021
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Terming the recent murders in Alappuzha part of a planned conspiracy, the CPM
has alleged that the RSS and the SDPI have been trying to create a riot-like
situation in the state. The political murders in Alappuzha are not an isolated
incident. It’s part of a move to disrupt the state’s peaceful atmosphere.
Briefing the media on the CPM secretariat decisions here on Thursday, party
state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan took strong exception to campaigns
portraying CPM leaders as people with SDPI links.
Kodiyeri
rejected allegations of SDPI infiltration into CPM. “There’s no SDPI intrusion
into CPM. If such moves come to the party’s notice, immediate action would be taken
against them. Everyone who belongs to the Muslim community are not part of
SDPI. Such a portrayal is wrong,” said Kodiyeri responding to allegations from
different corners.
Referring
to allegations by RSS, Kodiyeri criticised deliberate attempts to portray some
party leaders including Alappuzha MLA H Salam as someone with SDPI links. “It’s
part of a deliberate campaign to prevent minorities joining the CPM,” he said.
Terming the allegations absurd, Kodiyeri said Salam has made it clear that he
would take legal course of action against such allegations.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ignore
Constitution, pray to Godse: Sadhvi Annapurna justifies killing of Muslims
23rd
December 2021
Pooja
Shakun Pandey, also known as “Sadhvi Annapurna” gave an open call for arms and
encouraged violence against the Muslim community at the Haridwar hate conclave
held between December 17 and 19.
She
further argued that all the Hindu community “needs” is a 100 soldiers to kill
of 20 lakh Muslims to bring about a Hindu Rashtra. If these statements weren’t
worrisome enough, Annapurna speaking to NDTV said that the Indian Constitution
is wrong and Indians should pray to (Gandhi’s assassin) Nathuram Godse.
As
it turns out, Sadhvi Annapurna wasn’t the only one encouraging a fundamentalist
view of how the world’s largest democracy should function. The blatant hatred
of Muslims was palpably felt across various speeches made by Hindutva
supporters at the conclave held in Uttarkhand under the ever-watchful gaze of
hate-filled priest Yati Narsinghanand.
BJP
leader Ashwini Upadhyay’s version of the Constitution:
BJP
leader Ashwini Upadhyay, an ardent follower of hate-mongering priest Yati
Narsinghanand, was also present at the conclave. A mere few months ago,
Upadhyay had raised anti-Muslim slogans at a protest in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar
in an attempt to “put an end to colonial-era laws.”
In
the current conclave, Upadhyay distributed copies of the “Bhagwa (saffron)
Constitution.” He however also claimed that he had nothing to do with the
speeches made at the conclave. Defending his own version of the constitution,
he said, “I distributed copies to some and discussed provisions related to
population control, checking conversions, infiltrations…If distributing or
discussing the constitution is a crime, then I have committed a crime.”
Advocation
of ethinic cleansing: BJP ally Prabodhanand Giri
“Like
Myanmar, our police, our politicians, our Army and every Hindu must pick up
weapons and conduct a Safayi Abhiyan (ethnic cleansing). There is no other
option left,” said Prabodhanand Giri, another Hindutva participant of the
conclave.
The
statement is made in the context of the genocide in Myanmar which resulted in the
mass exodus and displacement of scores of Rohingya refugees.
Further,
Giri justified his statements and said that he wasn’t afraid of the police and
was very willing to stand by his statements. He argued, “There is a difference
between your thinking and mine. Read the Constitution. My comments were not
inflammatory at all. If anyone tries to kill me, I will fight back. I am not
afraid of the law,” he declared whilst claiming that he was very closely
associated with the BJP.
Giri
has been seen associating with highly powerful BJP leaders which include Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Glory
to Godse, death to Manmohan Singh:
In
another video from the conclave, Swami Dharam Das Maharaj, talks about
“becoming Nathuram Godse” and shooting Manmohan Singh (former Prime Minister)
in parliament.
“If
I was present in parliament when PM Manmohan Singh said minorities have first
right over national resources, I would’ve followed Nathuram Godse, I’d have
shot him six times in the chest with a revolver,” Dharam Das says.
“We
take an oath to fight and kill [Muslims] to turn India into a Hindu-only
nation,” said the Hindu Yuva Vahini, reading out the oath.
The
strengthening of Hindu Rashtra:
Anand
Swaroop Maharaj, a Hindu leader and the president of Varanasi-based outfit
Shankaracharya Parishad, was heard saying, “If the governments do not listen to
our demand (establishment of a Hindu Rashtra through violence against
minorities), we will wage a war far scarier than the 1857 revolt.”
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Media
bullied against reporting on anti-Muslim violence in Tripura: Editors’ Guild
23rd
December 2021
A
fact-finding report by the Editors’ Guild India (EGI) found that the Bharatiya
Janata party-led government in Tripura downplayed the communal violence. They
aimed to garner Hindu votes for elections in late November and hence used
violence during Durga puja in Bangladesh, as an opportunity to isolate the
Hindu emotion, in the state.
“The
communalism was sought to be justified as a ‘natural reaction’ of the Hindus of
Tripura as they had family links with the Hindu population across the border in
Bangladesh” said the report.
The
EGI sent a three-member team to Tripura between November 28 to December 1 to
assess the condition of media freedom in the state after reports of the
government using draconian laws to deter journalists and civil society
activists from reporting on the communal violence started to spread.
MS
Education Academy
The
report accuses the police and the administration of “displaying a lack of
professionalism and integrity in dealing with the communal conflict” in the
state. However, the same conclusions were arrived at by the group of Supreme
court lawyers who investigated Tripura’s communal violence.
The
Editors Guild report, exclusively shed light on how the government intimidated
the media from reporting against them, hence being complicit “in the growth of
muscular majoritarianism that subverts democratic institutions”.
How
Tripura government strong-armed journalists:
According
to the report, local media has been forced to support the government to keep
running as the state uses advertising as a weapon against those whose narrative
does not suit their needs. Advertising is one of the major means of gathering
funds for media houses and isolating them from the advertisers would mean that
the organization suffers losses eventually forcing a shutdown.
“These
include Mrinalini ENN, Din-Raat, Akash Tripura, and Hallbol. Duranto TV in Udaypur
was ransacked a few months back,” a senior functionary of THRO claimed.
A
BJP leader, explained, “Media has good relations with the government here.
Independent journalism is absent here because the media is ‘adjustable’ and
willing to compromise. The UAPA charges were made against outside media and not
local media. Most journalists are happy here because they get pensions, health
insurance and low cost housing. If there is tension with the media then it is
quickly resolved – it is relationship between big brother and small brother.
Local media did not write directly against the government. It is the outside
media that came here and did that.”
The
state termed the violence as a “normal” reaction to what happened in
Bangladesh. Any person or entity reporting on the issue–especially those from
the outside– was subject to draconian laws like the UAPA, and police action in
an attempt to bring them under control.
UAPA
charges on Supreme Court lawyers
Fact-finding
lawyers of the Supreme Court have also been subject to the insecure political
leadership, of the state. Ehtesham Hashmi, Amit Srivastav, Ansar Indori, and
Mukesh Kumar were charged with the UAPA for sharing their findings on the
violence against minorities in the state in a press conference.
The
fact finding report by the lawyers titled “Humanity under attack in Tripura;
#Muslim lives matter” revealed that if the BJP government in Tripura wanted to,
they could have stopped the violence but they chose to give a free hand to the
Hindutva mobs in the state.
Women
journalists, Samriddhi Sakunia and Swarna Jha, were also arrested under the
UAPA for performing their journalistic duty. Although the Supreme Court came to
their immediate rescue.
“For
the first time in the history of Tripura they used UAPA against journalists but
then the Supreme Court intervened. They knew that the Supreme Court can come
down heavily on them so the government has decided to order a review of the
UAPA cases against journalists,” said a Civil Society activist, to the EGI fact-finding
team. Although nothing tangible has taken place as part of the review clarified
the report.
The
report also explains that even those sympathetic to the government claim, “What
they have done to the journalists and the lawyers is an over-reaction and they
will have to retrace their steps.”
The
report holds that the Tripura police have been instrumental in inciting
communal tensions in the state, under the “superannuated” director General of
Police who has been given a two-year tenure by the chief minister.
How
the police downplayed the communal nature of the violence:
The
DGP claimed that an incident of violence took place in Panisagar on October 26
when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad took out a rally against the communal riots
during Durga pooja in Bangladesh. “Not a mosque but a “prayer hall” was set on
fire. No holy book was targeted and set on fire. Yet, rumors were spread that
the holy book had been burnt. The ground in fact was peaceful and the local
media was reporting that the area was peaceful,” he claimed.
Independent
journalists and the fact-finding team of supreme court lawyers gathered proof
that some religious institutions and scriptures had in fact been burned but the
police attempted to tone down its effect by stressing that reporters must learn
the difference between a prayer hall and a mosque.
There
were no arrests made despite proof of communal violence in the state until the
courts stepped in due to the “culture of impunity that the state epitomizes”.
On the other hand, journalists and lawyers who reported “against the state”
were booked under various charges.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UP
Muslim Youth who Chanted Jai Sri Ram in BJP Rally to get Police Protection
DECEMBER
23, 2021
AMuslim
Youth has been provided police protection after he chanted Jai Shri Ram in a
political rally in of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Shahranpur of Uttar
Pradesh. Ehsan Rao raised the slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram’ at the rally jointly
addressed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath in Saharanpur on December 2. The Police said that the youth has
been provided security as he was getting threatening messages after the rally.
Saharanpur
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Akash Tomar said that Ehsan was receiving
constant threats for raising the Jai Shri Ram slogan. Ehsan had reportedly
written a letter to the District Magistrate (DM) and SSP seeking their
intervention for getting police protection.
Ehsan,
who is a BJP supporter, said that he was receiving threats from extremists who
accused him of being un-Islamic.
“Lord
Ram is our ancestor and all of us are all descendants of Shri Ram. I have no
problem in saying Jai Shri Ram or chanting Bharat Mata Ki Jai. The country in
which we are living should be celebrated in every way," Ehsan told the
media. He added that he would not back down from his stance.
Source:
News18
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Jammu
IED case: NIA files chargesheet against three accused
Sanjay
Khajuria
Dec
24, 2021
JAMMU:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against three
accused in connection with the recovery of an improvised explosive device (IED)
at Bhatindi in Jammu & Kashmir in June this year.
A
chargesheet was filed in the NIA special court in Jammu naming Nadeem-ul-Haq,
Talib-Ur-Rehman (both from district Ramban) and Nadeem Ayoub of Shopian. The
case pertains to recovery of 5.5 kgs of IED at Bhatindi in Jammu on June 27
earlier this year.
During
questioning the accused confessed their involvement and also that they acted on
the directions of their handlers in Pakistan. Owing to the sensitivity of the
matter, the case was handed over to the NIA in July.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghanistan
vote brings to fore India’s differences with China, Russia
Sachin
Parashar
Dec
24, 2021
NEW
DELHI: While the UNSC resolution meant to ensure sanctions don't come in the
way of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan was adopted unanimously, the
negotiations for the resolution again brought to the fore "sharp
divisions" within the Council over Afghanistan.
China
and Russia opposed strong oversight and a short time limit for the exemption
from sanctions to facilitate aid even as countries like India and France backed
a proposal for the same.
India
voted in favour of the resolution as it welcomed the provision for a review in
12 months of the "humanitarian carveout". India ambassador T S
Tirumurti called for the Council to exercise oversight and to ensure there was
no "misuse or diversion of funds".
China
and Russia, with which India has been working closely on the Afghanistan issue,
ensured though there was no time limit for the exemption. This has led to
concerns that the US-sponsored resolution could effectively mark the beginning
of the end of the Taliban-related sanctions regime.
India's
position on Taliban has been nuanced with the government having offered
Afghanistan 50,000 MT of wheat and also medicines as humanitarian aid but also
simultaneously maintaining that the dispensation in Kabul lacks legitimacy. For
India it's important to ensure Taliban severs links with Pakistan-based terror
groups like LeT and JeM before it considers backing any move to accord
international recognition to Taliban. Many countries share the concern that
unregulated aid flow could further empower the Taliban.
According
to the Security Council Report, which tracks closely the functioning of the
Council and provides "independent" information, sharp divisions
emerged during the negotiations between Members which supported a short time
limit for the provisions of the resolution and stricter reporting requirements,
such as France and India, and those who did not want a set time limit for the
resolution’s provisions, such as China and Russia.
The
US, as 'pen holder' for the resolution, is reported to have upheld China's
objection to a time limit to ensure support from Beijing. While the review
after 1 year of exemption is significant, it will not automatically end the
humanitarian exemption but will require another Council resolution to end the
exemption and reimpose the restrictions lifted now. Such a resolution is almost
certain to be vetoed by China and Russia. France described the lack of a time
limit as a mistake and urged the Council to re-examine the decision "based
on how future events unfold".
In
complete contrast to the position taken by China and Russia, according to the
Security Council Report, India, France, UK and Estonia maintained that the
Council review the exemption within a shorter time frame because of the dynamic
nature of the situation on the ground. The final draft mentioned no time limit
even as it said that the Council will review the implementation of the
provision after a period of 1 year.
According
to the Security Council Report, the frequency of the reporting requirement on
the provision of humanitarian assistance by humanitarian agencies was another
matter of discussion during the negotiations. India and several other countries
wanted strong oversight to ensure funds weren't diverted to terror groups.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Qatar's
ambitions to become 'the art Mecca of the Middle East'
24th
December 2021
The
Middle East nation of Qatar has announced an ambitious plan to expand its
public art program as it prepares to play host to the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Leading
the initiative, Qatar Museums -- the state-run organization under which many of
the nation's cultural institutions sit -- says it will display over 40 new and
commissioned works by Qatari and international artists across public spaces in
the capital, Doha, and surrounding cities.
The
idea is to turn the local urban landscape into "a vast outdoor art museum
experience," according to a press release.
"As
the rest of the world turns their eyes on Doha, we thought one of the best ways
to introduce ourselves and create a dialogue would be through art in the public
sphere," Qatar Museums' Director of Public Art, Abdulrahman Ahmed
Al-Ishaq, said in a video call.
Art
on show
The
installations will appear in public squares and shopping centers, schools and
athletic facilities, railway stations and the Hamad International Airport, as
well as a few stadiums set to host the matches.
"All
the artwork we're showcasing will fit within the context of Doha and Qatar,"
Al-Ishaq said. "It will be placed strategically or territorially to
reflect something about our country."
An
example is Dutch sculptor Tom Claassen's "Falcon" outside the Hamad
International Airport -- a golden, abstract representation of Qatar's national
bird that was installed over the summer.
Other
pieces that have already been unveiled include Bruce Nauman's "Untitled
(Trench, Shafts, Pit, Tunnel and Chamber)," an experimental work made by
the American artist in the late 1970s -- outside of the M7 in Msheireb Downtown
Doha. Near the National Theatre stands German artist Isa Genzken's monumental
"Two Orchids," a large 2015 sculpture that stands as an idealized
version of the plant symbolizing the relationship between architecture, nature
and popular culture.
"The
aesthetics of both artworks complement their selected locations," Al-Ishaq
said. Nauman's piece "is a scaled down version of a previous earthwork,
and Msheireb (where it has been exhibited) is a block known for its advanced
urban practices and its attention to material use."
Placing
Genzken's "Orchids"' in the garden of the National Theatre, "one
of the oldest structures along the Doha Corniche and one associated with
celebration, beauty and elegance of the artform," Al-Ishaq said, was equally
intentional. "The public may see them as a symbolic reflection of the
theater," he explained.
While
the full list of artists has yet to be released, many of the confirmed names
also include Qatari and regional talent. Among them are exiled Iraqi sculptor
Ahmed Al Bahrani, known for works that touch on the political realities of the
Arab Diaspora as well as war, displacement and memory; and Faraj Daham, who
focuses on the nation's architectural and urban alterations, as well as the
subsequent economic, social and political consequences arising from those
changes.
There
are a few female talents, too: acclaimed Lebanese American artist Simone
Fattal, whose figurative work draws on sources such as war, displacement and
migration, landscape painting, and ancient religions and mythologies; and
Qatari visual artist Shua'a Ali, who will unveil her first public work -- an
abstract sculpture titled "Tawazun" (an Arabic word meaning
"balance").
The
sculpture, a pillar made of stacked stones signifies the country's "progression"
and "the balance between traditional and modern elements in our everyday
life," the artist wrote in an e-mail. "Using both modern and old
construction materials, it marks the balance in contemporary local civic and
architectural accomplishments."
Ali
added that she felt "proud and honored" that the work will be
showcased in downtown Doha and said inclusion in the program would allow her to
reach global audiences that would otherwise have been hard to attain. "The
public art program provides a solid platform for artists and creatives to
thrive from."
"Having
local artists showcase their work was a must for us," Al-Ishaq said.
"This is an opportunity to shed some light on the wealth of talent from
Qatar and its neighboring countries, and give them the platform they deserve.
"Since
the very start, we've been working towards bringing art outside of museum
walls," Al-Ishaq explained, saying the program's new additions will bring
the total number of works on public display to 100.
Building
an 'art Mecca'
The
road to the 2022 World Cup hasn't been without controversy. Qatar has faced
criticism regarding its treatment of migrant workers involved in constructing
stadiums and concerns over the country's anti-homosexuality laws. On the latter
subject, Qatar 2022 CEO Nassar Al Khater told CNN in November that nobody
should feel threatened when visiting the country. "Qatar is a tolerant
country. It's a welcoming country. It's a hospitable country."
Cultural
initiatives like the public art program might help shift perceptions.
"The
program aims to offer a snapshot of our identity, our culture, past and
present. It's an invitation to look at Qatar beyond the World Cup," said
Al-Ishaq.
The
public art program initially launched in 2013, when it kicked off with a series
of artworks that included British artist Damien Hirst's controversial "The
Miraculous Journey" -- 14 bronze sculptures of a gestating fetus from
birth to conception -- at the Sidra Medical and Research Center. The
installation, which showed a sperm fertilizing an egg and a 46-foot-tall
sculpture of a naked baby boy, was covered up soon after outrage was expressed
on social media. Some perceived it as a graphic depiction -- though the
official line for the covering was because of on-going building work. It was
reinstalled in 2018.
Qatari
artist Ali Hassan's "Desert Horse," is also exhibited just outside
the Hamad International Airport, as part of the program. Another one of his
works, "Wisdom of a Nation," was shown near the visitors' entrance at
the National Museum of Qatar.
Inside
the National Museum Qatar
"After
being exclusively showcased indoors in museums or galleries, art can now be
seen in public places," he said in an e-mail, adding that the organization
is helping to shape the local art community.
"The
feeling of leaving an imprint on such important landmarks is beyond expression
for me as a Qatari artist, because of the great significance these two
locations represent locally and globally."
The
initiative has also expanded to support other projects that publicly engage
locals with contemporary artists.
Among
these efforts is an open call to students, which encourages young people to
create temporary public artworks made from recycled materials; and Jedariart,
an annual program inviting artists to paint murals across the city that reflect
on social, historical, and cultural issues.
Source:
CNN
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
http://us.cnn.com/style/article/qatar-museums-outdoor-art/index.html
--------
Lebanon’s
top Christian party signals possible end of Hezbollah alliance
23
December ,2021
Lebanon’s
top Christian party has indicated it is considering ending a political alliance
with Iran-backed Hezbollah, threatening a fragile union that has shaped
Lebanese politics for nearly 16 years.
Gebran
Bassil, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement party said earlier this week
there would be “political consequences” for action taken against his party by
Lebanon’s two main Shia parties Hezbollah and Amal.
Prominent
figures close to the party have also said the 2006 Mar Mikhael Agreement
between FPM and Hezbollah is at an end.
“Mikhael
is dead,” FPM pundit Charbel Khalil tweeted on Tuesday.
The
party’s support was critical in bringing President Michel Aoun, the FPM’s
founder, to power in 2016, and the FPM has provided critical Christian
political cover for Hezbollah’s armed presence under Lebanon’s sectarian
power-sharing system.
Hezbollah
has not publicly commented.
Pro-Hezbollah
Sheikh Sadiq Al-Nabulsi said on Wednesday that Hezbollah had “a very high
tolerance for pain and criticism” but Bassil was at risk of losing its support.
“Today
the FPM has no real ally other than Hezbollah, so why are you letting go of
your last ally?” he said.
Bassil’s
party has faced growing political pressure to distance itself from Hezbollah
since the country’s 2019 financial meltdown.
Traditional
allies in the Gulf have been unwilling to provide Lebanon with aid, as they
have in the past, because of what they have said is Hezbollah’s grip on the
country and its support for Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Hezbollah
is classified by the United States and major western nations as a terrorist
group.
In
Lebanon, Hezbollah has taken a hardline stance against the judge investigating
the August 2020 Beirut blast, causing a row that has left Prime Minister Najib
Mikati’s government unable to meet since Oct. 12 even as poverty and hunger
worsen.
But
Hezbollah remains Bassil’s strongest ally. And with presidential and
parliamentary elections due next year, some analysts say the FPM could be
posturing.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon
‘regrets’ assault on UN peacekeepers
24
December ,2021
Lebanon’s
foreign ministry said on Thursday it regretted an assault on a Finnish
battalion of UN peacekeepers and awaited results of an inquiry as videos showed
local people attacking their vehicles.
Videos
circulated on social media and published by news outlets showed residents of a
southern Lebanese town pelting United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon
(UNIFIL) vehicles with rocks on Wednesday.
“The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants regrets the incident that occurred
with the Finnish battalion in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon,” it
said in a statement.
“The
Ministry confirms that it does not accept any form of transgression against the
UNIFIL forces.”
Following
the incident on Wednesday, UNIFIL said that “depriving UNIFIL of freedom of
movement and attacking those who serve the cause of peace is unacceptable” and
violated a peacekeeping agreement between Lebanon and the UN. It urged Lebanese
authorities to hold those responsible accountable.
The
peacekeepers, now numbering around 10,000, have been stationed in southern
Lebanon since 1978, when they arrived following an Israeli invasion during the
1975-1990 civil war.
While
Palestinian rebel groups were active there at the time, Iran-backed Hezbollah
now operates in the area. The group fought a brutal 34-day war with Israel in
2006 that left around 1,200 Lebanese - most of them civilians - and more than
150 Israelis - mostly soldiers - dead.
Wednesday’s
incident came just hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres departed
the country following a four-day visit in which he reaffirmed the need for
peacekeeping forces to go about their mission.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/12/24/Lebanon-regrets-assault-on-UN-peacekeepers
--------
World
Bank pledges $37 mln to help Lebanon teachers
23
December ,2021
The
World Bank on Thursday said it agreed with its partners to repurpose $37
million in funds to help Lebanon’s public-school teachers survive a crushing
economic crisis.
The
World Bank and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office would divert
the money from the Lebanon Syrian Crisis Trust Fund, which aims to assist
Lebanese communities accommodating Syrian refugees, the bank said in a
statement.
It
would be used to “provide financial incentives to public school teachers
suffering from the severe economic and financial crisis in Lebanon to ensure
they can purchase fuel to travel to work,” the statement added.
The
“exceptional” financing, which is valid only for the 2021-2022 academic year,
came at the request of Lebanon’s government, the bank said.
Lebanon,
home to more than one million refugees from war-torn Syria, is grappling with
an economic crisis that the World Bank has branded as one of the worst the
world has seen in modern times.
More
than 80 percent of the population lives in poverty and the local currency, the
pound, has lost 90 percent of its value against the dollar on the black market.
Public
school teachers who were already underpaid before the onset of the economic
crisis two years ago have since been pushed deeper into poverty.
Their
salaries in pounds are a fraction of what they used to be due to the currency’s
rapid devaluation.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
Coalition says destroyed drone targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport
23
December ,2021
The
Arab Coalition fighting the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen said on
Thursday it had destroyed an armed drone attempting to target Abha
International Airport, Al Arabiya reported.
Debris
from the destruction of the drone surrounding the airport did not cause any
injuries, the coalition added.
The
Coalition also announced that it had carried out 36 strikes against Houthi
targets in Marib over the past 24 hours.
At
least 28 military vehicles were destroyed and 310 Houthi militants were killed,
making it reportedly the biggest toll of casualties among the Iran-backed
fighters.
The
Houthis have increased their attacks on Saudi Arabia, and other civilian
targets as their offensive on Marin continues.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Are
Christians Lesser Pakistanis? - Two Bakeries In Karachi Refuse To Write “Merry
Christmas” On Cakes
Pia
Krishnankutty
23
December, 2021
New
Delhi: The Christmas holiday spirit in Pakistan has been dampened after two
bakeries in Karachi — Delizia and Auntie Munaver — were accused of
discrimination by allegedly refusing to write “Merry Christmas” on customers’
cakes.
“Are
Christians lesser Pakistanis that they cannot be served or are popular bakeries
just for Muslims?” asked author Shamila Ghyas.
“Two
well known bakeries refusing to write “Merry Christmas” on their cakes in
Karachi, a huge majority defending the decision as well,” said Pakistani
musician Daniel Panjwaneey.
On
21 December, a woman by the name of Celestia Naseem Khan took to Facebook to
narrate how a worker at Delizia in Karachi’s Khayaban-e-Jami area refused to
write ‘Merry Christmas’ on a cake as it was an “order (to not write the
message) from the kitchen”. The woman further said: “If they’re so against the
minorities and their religion then they should not even make money from these
occasions.”
A
day later, a woman accused staff at Auntie Munaver, located in Clifton’s
Bokhari Commercial Area of Karachi, of refusing to write the seasonal message
on a cake following “instructions from the management”. While Delizia told Dawn
that the incident was an act of an individual and that it would be “taking
action” against the staffer, Auntie Munaver is yet to respond to the
allegations.
A
starkly similar incident took place in 2018 at Delizia’s Badar Commercial
branch after which the bakery reportedly dismissed some staff. Some social
media users recalled the 2018 case asserting that they weren’t convinced the
latest incident was the result of an individual’s act.
Meanwhile,
others pledged to never order from Delizia bakery, encouraging others to
boycott the chain.
Some
users jokingly posted seasonal greetings, saying: “Merry Christmas Delizia and
Auntie Munaver. May you lose (at least) some of your biases in 2022. (sic)”
This
came as journalist Naila Inayat and others accused Interior Minister Sheikh
Rashid Ahmed of “seasonal rhetoric” following his remarks that Christians are a
“peace loving” community. “Pakistani Christians remain one of the most
persecuted religious minority groups. Try to undo the discriminatory laws
against them, instead of seasonal rhetoric,” said the journalist.
‘See
the flag’
Enraged
by the incident, some users accused Delizia of forgetting what the white in the
Pakistan flag stands for. The Pakistani flag, which shows white star and a
crescent on a dark green field, has the colour green to represent Islam, the
dominant religion followed in the country, and white to represent minority
religions in the country.
Meanwhile,
Paris-based Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui said while cakes are a “luxury
item”, one could only imagine what under-privileged non-Muslim minorities must
face in the country.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
Was Brought Up For Discussion At The OIC Extraordinary Meeting In Pakistan
DEC
22, 2021
The
headline is a hope for the future, when Israel will actually be invited for an
Organisation of Islamic Countries meeting. However Israel was brought up for
discussion, as usual, at the 17th extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Minister
of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), convened by Pakistani Prime
Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad to discuss Afghanistan and the looming
humanitarian crisis.
While
there is no obvious connection between the crisis in Afghanistan and Israel,
for obvious reasons Israel seemed to be the only important and clear part of
the so called “Islamabad declaration” that was adopted by the OIC summit.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan convened the extraordinary meeting citing the deterioration
of the economic and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. After the Taliban
takeover of Kabul, Pakistan has tried its very best to convince the
international community to engage and fund the Taliban government, which it
terms as inclusive and representative of the Afghan people. After repeated
failures in all fora, it finally turned to the OIC, which it hoped will support
its stance on funding the Taliban.
Meanwhile
India hosted the 3rd meeting of the India-Central Asian dialogue on the same
day as the extraordinary OIC Foreign ministers meeting and had the foreign
ministers of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz
Republic all in attendance in New Delhi, giving the OIC meeting a skip.
Speaking
at the conference, rather than focus on the agenda and crisis at hand, Imran
Khan chose to invoke Palestine and Kashmir-bringing both to the same plane. He
called upon the OIC member states to make a unified plan to help the oppressed
people of Palestine and “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir”. The PM
expressed his concerns over grave human rights situation in the Indian
Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). As reported by the News International, while
appreciating the OIC’s steadfast support for Kashmiris, he requested the OIC
Secretary General for continued advocacy for the resolution of the Jammu and
Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. He was
curiously silent on the oppression of the Uighur Muslims in neighboring
Xingxiang.
Coincidentally,
thousands rallied in Pakistan’s largest city Lahore in an anti-Israel, pro-Iran
rally led by prominent Pakistani Shia cleric Allamah Syed Jawad Naqvi. The
rally was held on Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, one of the busiest streets in Lahore,
and was attended by thousands of people, both Shias and Sunnis chanting
anti-Israel and pro-Iran slogans.
In
his remarks at the rally, Naqvi said “threat to Iran is a threat to all Muslim
countries,” reaffirming the support of the people of Pakistan to the government
and people of Iran.
The
rally seemed like it was a show of good faith to the attending Iranian foreign
minister Hossein Amirabdollahian who met with Prime Minister Imran Khan and
chief of army staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. Naqvi particularly stressed on
closer relations between the two Muslim countries of Iran and Pakistan to ward
off the threat posed against the world of Islam by the Israeli regime and its
backers.
The
increasing closeness between Iran and Pakistan also comes on the eve of
Pakistan’s need to rally Afghanistan’s neighbors to its side. In the past Iran
has been very wary of the Sunni Taliban and has shared a common platform with
India and Russia which has often been against Pakistan’s interests. By
criticizing Muslim countries who develop relations with Israel (UAE and Bahrain
without mentioning them) and equating Palestine and Kashmir, Khan hopes to win
admirers and supported at the OIC as well as make common cause with the
Iranians, hoping to create a bond against the Israel-India alliance. It is
important to remember that Iran’s nuclear program was kickstarted by Pakistani
nuclear scientist (and the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program) A.Q.Khan.
Pakistan
has also started experimenting with so called tribunal’s rallying the extreme
left in Europe and the Americas. Kashmir Civitas, a Canadian NGO funded
apparently by Pakistani security services, organized a Russell tribunal on
Kashmir in coordination with the OIC meet in Islamabad. The so called tribunal
was organized in Sarajevo, which is now leaning towards Islamist forces with
the support of Al Jazeera balkans, International university of Sarajevo, the
Permanent People’s tribunal of Bologna and several Turkish funded
organizations. In Italy meanwhile, the former speaker of the Italian
Parliament, Laura Boldrini, has created waves inviting the director of PLFP
linked Al-Haq to speak at the Commission for foreign affairs of the Italian
Parliament. These attempts seem to be experiments to start legitimizing
ridiculous claims with the use of instruments that are legitimate and valid
(such as the Uighur Tribunals against china). How much of this is coincidence
and how much is a dedicated strategy by the new upcoming
Pakistan-China-Qatar-Turkey-Iran alliance will only be seen in the coming
months. It wouldn’t be surprising if this were followed by a “tribunal on
Palestine”.
The
“Islamabad declaration” was very short on specifics when it came to aid for
Afghanistan. What is clear is that the Islamic development bank (based in
Jeddah) will open a trust fund by Q1/2022 to channel development funds from OIC
countries for humanitarian aid to Kabul. No commitments were made or any
specifics declared. The OIC did not provide formal recognition to the attending
Taliban minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was excluded from the formal photo. It also
urged Afghanistan’s rulers to abide by “obligations under international human
rights covenants, especially with regards to the rights of women, children,
youth, elderly and people with special needs”.
Source:
Times of Israel
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israel-the-oic-extraordinary-meeting-in-pakistan/
--------
Why
Is Pakistan Eager to Help Afghan Taliban When They Don't Even Recognise Border,
Questions Former Pakistani Senator Rabbani
Nadir
Guramani
December
24, 2021
Former
Senate chairman and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Raza Rabbani on
Friday questioned the government's haste to extend support to the Afghan
Taliban, when the latter did "not even recognise the border".
Addressing
a senate session, Senator Rabbani asked the foreign minister to take the
parliament into confidence about a recent incident in which the new rulers in
Afghanistan had reportedly barred Pakistan's security forces from fencing the
border.
Pakistani
officials have not commented on the incident so far.
Pakistan
has fenced most of the 2,600km border despite protests from Kabul, which has
contested the British-era boundary demarcation that splits families and tribes
on either side.
Afghan
defence ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarazmi had said the Taliban forces
stopped the Pakistani military from erecting what he called an “illegal” border
fence along with the eastern province of Nangarhar on Sunday.
The
fencing was the main reason behind the souring of relations between previous
US-backed Afghan governments and Islamabad. The current standoff indicates the
issue remains a contentious matter for the Taliban, despite its close ties to
Islamabad.
"They
are not ready to recognise the border, so why are we moving forward?"
questioned Rabbani, during the session today.
The
PPP senator also expressed alarm over reports that the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan (TTP) was regrouping in Afghanistan, "which could possibly fuel
terrorism in Pakistan".
"On
what terms is the state talking about a ceasefire with the banned group?"
he questioned.
He
went on to say that the state of Pakistan meant the civil and military
bureaucracy of Pakistan and not the people sitting in parliament.
'Sialkot
lynching shook us to the core'
During
the session, Senator Azam Nazir Tarar took to the floor to speak about the
horrific lynching of Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara, a factory manager in
Sialkot, saying "the incident has shaken us to the core".
The
senator said the brutality with which the mob killed the Sri Lankan citizen was
highly reprehensible.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Two
soldiers martyred in attack on check post in Balochistan's Kech: ISPR
Naveed
Siddiqui
December
24, 2021
Two
soldiers were martyred when terrorists attacked a security forces' check post
in Balochistan's Kech district, the military's media affairs wing said on
Friday.
According
to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lance Naik
Manzar Abbas, resident of district Khushab, and Sepoy Abdul Fath, who hailed
from Khuzdar, embraced martyrdom during the exchange of fire with the
terrorists.
The
ISPR said a follow-up operation was in progress in the area to search for the
terrorists.
"Security
forces are determined to defeat such acts of inimical elements, aimed at
disrupting peace, stability and progress of Balochistan," the statement
said.
This
is the second such incident in the province in the span of a month.
On
December 14, a member of the security forces was martyred when terrorists
attacked a post close to the Pak-Iran border in Balochistan.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan
welcomes UNSC resolution easing aid flow to Afghanistan
Baqir
Sajjad Syed
December
24, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan on Thursday welcomed the UN Security Council resolution that eased the
flow of aid to Afghanistan and expressed the hope that the world would urgently
fulfil the needs of struggling Afghans.
“Pakistan
welcomes the adoption, by consensus, of the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 2615, that has reaffirmed that provision of humanitarian and other
assistance to the people of Afghanistan is not a violation of the Security
Council’s Sanctions regime,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office said.
The
Security Council on Wednesday adopted a US-proposed resolution allowing
humanitarian aid to be delivered to Afghanistan to avert an economic collapse.
The
resolution read: “Payment of funds, other financial assets or economic
resources and the provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the
timely delivery of such assistance or to support such activities are
permitted.”
It
noted that such assistance would not violate the sanctions imposed on Taliban
and their affiliates.
There
has been widespread recognition of the aggravating humanitarian situation in
Afghanistan, but donors have struggled to find ways to deliver aid to the
people in the war-ravaged country.
The
FO said the resolution had been adopted at a critical time, and the move
reflected the international community’s “sense of urgency” to help the Afghan
people.
It
further noted that the resolution was “a step in the right direction” for
helping the Afghans faced with a dire situation.
It
recalled that this sentiment was reflected in the resolution adopted
unanimously by the 17th extraordinary session of the OIC’s meeting of Council
of Foreign Ministers hosted by Pakistan last week.
The
OIC meeting had called for the swift roll-out of all possible humanitarian,
recovery, reconstruction, development, technical and material assistance to
Afghanistan.
“As
called for by the OIC, pathways should now be found towards revitalising of the
Afghan economy and unfreezing of the assets that rightfully belong to the
Afghan people,” it added.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan, in his speech at the OIC CFM, had also stated that
sanctions should not prevent the international community from providing
humanitarian and other essential assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1665483/pakistan-welcomes-unsc-resolution-easing-aid-flow-to-afghanistan
--------
No
one can deprive Gwadar people of their rights: Maulana Hidayat
Behram
Baloch
December
24, 2021
GWADAR:
The leader of Gwadar Ko Haq Do Tehreek [Movement for rights of Gwadar], Maulana
Hidayatur Rehman has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and
resources of Balochistan belong to the people of Balochistan and no person,
however powerful, will be allowed to deprive the people of their legitimate and
legal rights.
Speaking
at a meeting of fishermen in Ormara, he said nobody would be allowed to rob sea
resources as it was the right of local fishermen to earn their livelihood from
Balochistan sea waters.
Maulana
Rehman warned the chief minister and provincial government that if the
agreement reached between the government and the movement leaders was not
honoured and implemented by the government, the movement would stage a massive
protest sit-in of more than one million people in Quetta after three months.
“Our
struggle will continue till all check-posts of security forces are removed and
illegal fishing in Balochistan sea waters by trawlers was stopped,” Maulana
Rehman said.
He
said that Balochistan fishermen had been deprived of their livelihood because
of illegal fishing by trawlers and they had plundered resources of
Balochistan’s sea.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1665499/no-one-can-deprive-gwadar-people-of-their-rights-maulana-hidayat
--------
South Asia
Suicide
bomber gunned down in Kabul as Taliban fighters gather for passports
December
24, 2021
Awould-be
suicide bomber was shot dead on Thursday outside Kabul's main passport office,
police said, as hundreds of Taliban fighters lined up for travel documents on a
day reserved exclusively for their applications.
“He
was identified and killed at a checkpoint at the entrance,” Mobin Khan,
spokesman for Kabul police, told AFP.
There
have been several attacks against Taliban fighters since their return to power
in August — most claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State group.
Around
200 Taliban fighters had gathered at the passport office from dawn after
authorities announced that Thursdays would be set aside exclusively for them to
apply for passports.
It
was unclear why the fighters wanted passports — or where they planned to travel
to — as security operatives barred reporters from interviewing them.
Civilians
who arrived to process their applications were held back or sent home by
Taliban security, who also tore up documents of some as they pressed to enter.
“Issuing
passports to the Taliban members was cancelled due to overcrowding,” said Qari
Shafiullah Tassal, a spokesman for the office.
Many
people were also falsely claiming they had Taliban links, he told AFP.
Taliban
fighters were also given the opportunity on Thursday to apply for passports in
the southern city of Kandahar, according to an AFP reporter there.
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Taliban
dissolve two ministries and electoral bodies
24
Dec 2021
Cabinet
of the Taliban interim government recently decided to dissolve ministry
government in peace affairs, ministry of government in parliament affairs,
Independent Election Commission, Independent Election Complaints Commission
from their cabinet.
As
per the new decision, the Independent Commission of Human Rights will be
operational with a change in its name.
The
interim cabinet has directed the administration of affairs and all relevant
administrations to clarify the destiny of the staff of the ministries and the
commissions, payment of their salaries, and the entities belonging to the
bodies.
One
month deadline is given for the above-mentioned tasks to be completed.
The
cabinet has also decided to keep the secretariats of the former Senate and
parliament and has direct administration of affairs to identify and implement
the staff of the secretaries in a two-week time.
In
the meantime, the administration of affairs was directed to draft the name of
the independent commission of human rights and submit it to the next meeting of
the cabinet.
The
cabinet has also made decisions about other administrations and commissions.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-dissolve-two-ministries-and-electoral-bodies-57568/
--------
Afghan
factories to go bankrupt duet to frozen assets: industrialists
24
Dec 2021
Officials
of Afghanistan’s Chamber of Industry and Mines in a press conference in Kabul
said that the lack of cash and freezing assets by the US have put their
factories on the verge of bankruptcy.
The
officials said that the US has frozen nearly ten billion dollars of
Afghanistan’s funds that also including $2.5 billion of Afghan investors and
industrialists.
Deputy
of the Chamber Sherbaz Kaminzada said that over 5,000 factories are now facing
a dearth of raw material that will lead to the closure of these factories if
not addressed the problems.
Kaminzada
said that thousands of workers have been trained and are now busy working at
the factories who will also be in danger of losing their jobs.
“We
have trained thousands of workers and have invested in Afghanistan for tens of
years. Why should my factories go bankrupt? We will go to UN and will also file
complain in the international court.” Said Kaminzada.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-factories-to-go-bankrupt-duet-to-frozen-assets-industrialists-875876/
--------
Taliban
halted evacuation flights from Afghanistan for past 2 weeks: Report
December
24, 2021
The
flights were halted over disagreements both about how the Kabul airport is
managed and who is provided with seats on the evacuation flights, Sputnik
reported citing NBC report on Thursday.
"We
are hopeful that flights will resume shortly, though as usual, winter weather
conditions and airport operations remain additional factors to be aware
of," a State Department official told NBC.
The
Taliban allegedly demanded several seats on the flights for their fighters and
sympathizers so that they can work in other countries, the Russian News Agency
reported.
According
to the report, the Taliban argue that they are running the country and Qataris
use their airspace, so the radical group should receive seats on the flights.
Prior
to the flight suspension, the Taliban were using the seats to send migrant
workers to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries to find work, the report
noted. The Taliban were deciding who would get the seats, and it was not known
who was leaving Afghanistan - Taliban fighters, sympathizers, civilians, or a
combination of these groups, the report added.
The
report further stated that when the Qatari government declined to continue
providing seats, the Taliban halted evacuation flights.
The
Taliban took over control of Kabul on August 15 and following this the country
has been battered by deepening economic, humanitarian and security crisis.
Source:
Business Standard
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
125
Palestinians injured as Israeli settlers, troops raid village in West Bank
24
December 2021
At
least 125 Palestinians have been wounded in violent attacks by Israeli forces
after hundreds of Israeli settlers attempted to break into and raid a village
near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
42
Palestinians, including a local journalist, were injured by rubber-coated
bullets and 83 others suffered breathing problems after inhaling tear gas fired
by Israeli soldiers in the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus, on Thursday
evening, the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) said.
The
PRC said a girl was treated for shock after a group of violent Israeli settlers
attacked her family’s home on the outskirts of the village, Wafa news agency
reported.
Under
the protection of Israeli soldiers, the setters also attacked several vehicles,
three houses, and a car wash belonging to Palestinians.
They
also vandalized a number of gravestones in a cemetery in the village. Two ambulances
were hit by Israeli troops with stun grenades and tear gas canisters.
Israeli
settlers routinely engage in violence and vandalism against Palestinians in the
occupied West Bank.
Israeli
settlers injure three Palestinians after attacking their vehicles in the
occupied West Bank city of Nablus.
After
the 1995 accords, the Israeli regime confiscated 1,014 dunams of land from the
village of Burqa in order to establish the Israeli settlement of Homesh. The
settlement was evacuated in 2005 but was later used by the Israelis as a
military base.
Israeli
settlers have been calling on the regime to let them return to the Homesh
settlement
Two
Palestinians were killed in the area by the regime’s forces on Tuesday and
Wednesday as Israeli forces and settlers ramped up their violent attacks
against Palestinians.
On
Monday, 70 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces in Burqa after an attack
by Israeli settlers on Palestinians’ vehicles in the area.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hezbollah
has 2,000 UAVs, can severely damage Israel’s defences, warns Israeli centre
24
December 2021
Lebanese
resistance movement Hezbollah is in possession of some 2,000 Unmanned Aerial
Vehicles (UAV) compared to 2006 when the group had less than 50, says an
Israeli research center, warning that a “swarm” of such UAVs can severely
damage Israel’s defenses.
In
a report released on Thursday, the ALMA Research Center said based on its
information and professional assessments thereof, it has concluded that
Hezbollah now possesses approximately 2,000 UAVs.
“Over
the past 15 years, there has been a huge increase in the number of Hezbollah’s
UAVs,” it said.
“While
in 2006 Hezbollah had only a few dozen UAVs (in our estimation less than 50),
we have information that in 2013 they had a few hundred (about 200 UAVs) and in
2016 they had hundreds of UAVs (we estimate up to about 800). We estimate that
they now have at least 2,000 UAVs,” the report added.
It
then warned that an extensive attack by “swarm” of Hezbollah’s UAVs on the
Israeli regime’s air defense systems in the north could neutralize Israel’s
defenses or severely damage them.
“Another
example could be a UAV attack on Haifa port, shutting it down de facto.”
In
the Thursday report and in an earlier report published on Tuesday, the ALMA
Research Center claimed that Hezbollah’s UAVs were mostly produced in Iran,
adding that the Islamic Republic has evolved highly advanced operational
capabilities in this sector.
“Some
of the knowledge was also obtained by copying Western technologies, enabled
through the falling of American and Israeli UAVs into Iranian hands,” it said.
“Still, Iran is not dependent on Western UAV technology and has been able to
reach its present advanced level through its own independent efforts.”
In
recent years, Hezbollah has also shot down several intruding Israeli UAVs in Lebanon.
The
Tel Aviv regime frequently violates Lebanon’s airspace. The Lebanese
government, Hezbollah, and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
have repeatedly condemned Israel’s overflights, saying they are in clear
violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the country’s sovereignty.
The
resolution, which brokered a ceasefire in the war Israel launched against
Lebanon in 2006, calls on the Israeli regime to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty
and territorial integrity.
In
another report last month, Israeli media said that Hezbollah is in possession
of more than 100,000 rockets, stressing that Israel’s existing missile systems
neither are capable of intercepting such a number of missiles and rockets nor
can protect Israeli settlers.
According
to the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Israel Hayom, the occupied territories
are within striking distance of more than 100,000 rockets from Lebanon, in
addition to tens of thousands more from Gaza-based Palestinian resistance
fighters.
Lebanon
fought off two Israeli wars in 2000 and 2006. On both occasions, battleground
contribution by Hezbollah proved an indispensable asset, forcing the Israeli
military into a retreat.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/12/24/673282/Hezbollah-in-possession-2000-UAVs-Report
--------
Saudi
warplanes take Yemen’s capital under new airstrikes
24
December 2021
Saudi
warplanes stage a new round of airstrikes against Yemen’s capital as the
kingdom intensifies its attacks on its impoverished southern neighbor.
Targeting
the heart of Sana’a on Thursday night, the aircraft strafed residential areas
and a hospital, which resulted in the injury of at least one civilian, Yemen’s
al-Masirah television network reported.
Claiming
it only hits “legitimate” military targets, Riyadh has been targeting the
city’s infrastructure, including bridges and a prison.
Earlier
this week, AFP reported that Saudi-led airstrikes were preventing delivery of
United Nations-provided relief supplies to the lifeline airport that lies in
the city. “The airport is no longer able to receive aircraft operated by the
United Nations or international humanitarian organizations,” an airport
official told the agency, calling on the world body to secure a halt to the
raids.
Leading
several of its allies, the kingdom launched a war against the Arab world’s
already poorest nation in March 2015. The war has been seeking to restore power
in Yemen to the country’s former Riyadh-allied officials.
Last
month, a United Nations Development Programme report said the war would have
claimed 377,000 lives by the end of the year through both direct and indirect
impacts.
Earlier
on Thursday, the kingdom carried out scores of airstrikes against other Yemeni
provinces, in particular the strategic west-central province of Ma’rib, where
Yemeni forces have been successfully pushing back against the Saudi-led
aggression.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/12/24/673277/Yemen-Saudi-Arabia-airstrikes-Sana-a
--------
Hunger-striking
Palestinian prisoner cannot move anymore, lawyer says
23
December 2021
Hunger-striking
Palestinian inmate Hisham Abu Hawwash cannot move anymore, his lawyer says,
nearly 130 days after the prisoner began his hunger strike in protest at his
indefinite, unfair and unexplained imprisonment by Israel.
Jawad
Boulus, Abu Hawwash’s lawyer, said on Thursday that his client, who has been on
hunger strike for the past 129 days, has lost his ability to move, and is
suffering from speaking difficulty, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency
reported.
He
warned that although Abu Hawwash is in critical condition and in dire need for
medical follow-up and hospitalization, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) has kept
him in prison and refused to move him to hospital for due treatment.
“Despite
the critical health condition of Abu Hawwash, the IPS is still rejecting to
move him to a civil hospital, and is seemingly aiming to impose this as a
reality in the issue of the hunger-strikers,” said Boulus in a statement shared
by the Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS).
“The
demand to move Abu Hawwash to hospital requires additional efforts. The IPS
used to move the [hunger-striking] prisoners to a civil hospital after some
time into their hunger strike, [but] today it deliberately keeps them in
prison,” the lawyer added.
Boulus
also noted that moving hunger-striking prisoners to a civil hospital has become
a condition for the court to suspend the administrative detention, which is a
sort of imprisonment without trial or charge.
Earlier
this month, the Prisoners and Ex-prisoners Affairs Authority said that Abu
Hawwash was in “tragic condition.” The rights group said the 40-year-old inmate
suffers from weakness in the bones and muscles, a sharp weight loss, and sharp
pains all over his body.
He
has also become unable to move or to speak, but Israeli courts continue to
reject his release appeals, it added.
Abu
Hawwash's family has already warned that he may die any moment as a result of
his prolonged hunger strike, calling for urgent action to save his life before
it is too late.
Abu
Hawwash is one of the four prisoners who went on extended hunger strikes
against their detention without charge. The other prisoners were Kayed Fasfous,
Ayyad al-Harimi, and Lo’ai al-Ashqar.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/12/23/673267/Palestine-Israel-Abu-Hawwash-prison-hunger-strike
--------
FM:
Iran Not to Accept Excessive Demands in Vienna Talks
2021-December-23
"In
the last round of the Vienna talks, after two stages of negotiations, we
reached a single document and agenda, and there was a significant progress in
the previous two rounds of talks. In the negotiations, in general, I did not
see the position of certain European countries, specially France, as
constructive. We hope that the French side will play a constructive role and
the Iranian people's rights will be restored realistically," Amir
Abdollahian said in a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad
Hussein in Tehran on Thursday.
"The
second problem with the three European countries is that in practice they did
not show any new initiative in the negotiations.
He
described the coordinator role played by EU Deputy Foreign Policy Chief Enrique
Mora Mora and EU Foreign Policy Chief Joseph as positive, and said in the
previous rounds of talks the American side sent some unwritten messages to the
meeting and received the necessary answers.
"Iran
pursues the talks in Vienna with good will and seriousness. The other sides
should have no doubt if they mean to give one point and take ten, Iran will not
accept it. Our goal is to materialize (implementation of) obligations by all
parties under the nuclear deal. When they (the western sides) say that we are
concerned about the progress of Iran's nuclear program, we say out loud that if
they want their concerns to be obviated, all sanctions should be lifted. The
day the opposite parties show their serious will, will be the day when we can
talk about the return of all parties to their undertakings under the nuclear
deal," Amir Abdollahian said.
Elsewhere,
he said that Iran is determined to make the Shalamcheh-Basra railway
operational as soon as possible.
"We
are determined make the Shalamcheh railway to Basra to go into operation at the
earliest and the [Iranian] Minister of Roads will leave for Iraq next week in
that regard," he added.
Amir
Abdollahian said that in their meeting the two diplomats emphasized cooperation
with the Iran-Iraq Judicial Committee to speed up work on the prosecution of
the perpetrators behind the martyrdom of anti-terror commander General Qassem
Soleimani and Iraqi Abu Mahdi Muhandis.
"I
heard a piece of news from the Iraqi counterpart that confirms the withdrawal
of US troops from Iraq," he added.
The
Iranian foreign minister also said that they had consulted on the general
cancellation of visas for citizens of both sides.
Fuad
Hussein, for his part, said that "in today's meeting with the Iranian
Foreign Minister, we emphasized expansion of relations, including in economic
fields. This was a good opportunity for us to talk about regional issues,
specially the security situation in Iraq and the region".
"We
talked about Iraq-US relations, and the strategic dialogue between the Iraqi
government and the American side, and the agreement between the two sides to
withdraw US troops from Iraq," he added.
"It
is important for us to discuss Iran's relations with Iraq's neighbors. Iraq
played an important role in supporting the talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran,
and we hope that the fifth round of talks will take place," Hussein said.
Last
Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry rejected any direct talks with the US
during negotiations between Tehran and the Group 4+1 (China, Russia, Britain
and France plus Germany) in Vienna aimed at removal of sanctions against Iran.
The
Iranian negotiation team has not had any direct talks with the US during the
recent negotiations in Vienna, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.
“Some
messages have been received through (EU Deputy Foreign Policy Chief) Enrique
Mora in written and unwritten forms since the beginning of talks in Vienna on
the issues of negotiation (and nothing more) and the answers have been given
immediately,” the spokesman said.
"Despite
its claims, the US has not yet made any tangible proposals or text to the
G4+1", Khatibzadeh said.
Iran
makes any efforts to reach an agreement in the talks, he said, adding that if
the other side offers a tangible text, an agreement can be reached in the
shortest possible time.
He
went on to say that the Iranian team just thinks about achieving results in the
talks but they do not trust the US intentions, and unfortunately certain
members of the European troika.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001002000548/FM-Iran-N-Accep-Excessive-Demands-in-Vienna-Talks
--------
Iranian
Companies to Develop Transportation Cooperation with Syria
2021-December-23
Such
cooperation is important for foiling the sanctions, Khazim said during the
meeting in Damascus on Thursday.
He
also called for setting a framework for the expansion of Damascus-Tehran
relations in land and air transportation.
In
a relevant development earlier this month, Iranian Vice-President for
Parliamentary Affairs Mohammad Hosseini underlined that Tehran is ready to
implement reconstruction projects in Syria.
Hosseini
made the remarks in a meeting with Syria's Ambassador to Tehran Shafiq Dayoub.
The
Iranian vice-president pointed out that Tehran and Damascus have signed
agreements in political and economic sectors but were unable to implement them
due to several reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001002000520/Iranian-Cmpanies-Develp-Transprain-Cperain-wih-Syria
--------
Southeast Asia
Yahya
Cholil Staquf a Progressive Muslim Scholar Elected Leader of Indonesia's
Influential Nahdlatul Ulama
Arlina
Arshad
24
December 2021
SINGAPORE
- A revered Islamic scholar hailed as a "symbol of the new
generation" has been elected chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's
influential Muslim group and the world's largest Islamic organisation.
Mr
Yahya Cholil Staquf, 55, defeated incumbent and two-term chairman Said Aqil
Siradj and three other candidates in a tightly-contested race on Friday (Dec
24) at NU's national congress .
His
late father Cholil Bisri co-founded Indonesia's major Islamic political party,
the National Awakening Party (PKB), and his younger brother is religious
affairs minister Yaqut Cholil Quomas.
"Not
only is he younger (than Mr Said), his thinking is also more progressive. NU
members are bored of the current administration and want to see change,"
Mr Muh Taufiqurrohman, senior researcher at the Jakarta-based Centre for
Radicalism and Deradicalisation Studies, told The Straits Times.
"Mr
Yahya's focus will be on how to empower NU members and provide welfare, while
Mr Said had been focused on involving NU in national politics," he said.
Mr
Yahya's election had raised questions over whether the organisation of more
than 90 million followers would further entrench itself in domestic politics,
and exert any influence over foreign policy.
He
is after all no stranger to the government. As a member of the Presidential
Advisory Council in 2018, he had advised Indonesia's leader Joko Widodo on
religious, domestic and international matters.
Mr
Said, his 68-year-old predecessor, was perceived as key in bringing NU closer
to politics.
Save
in 1999 when former NU chairman the late Abdurrahman Wahid, became Indonesia's
president, NU leaders had generally not played a crucial role in politics in
the last two decades. But in 2019 President Widodo picked former NU leader
Ma'ruf Amin as his running mate in the election, not only sealing his victory,
but marking NU's return to serious politics
The
PKB, NU's political vehicle, currently occupies 58 seats in the 575-strong
House of Representatives, and boasts four ministers.
But
NU has always been supportive of the government historically, said Mr
Taufiqurrohman.
"NU
has no option. It has to be political if it wants to make a big change in
Indonesia because the change can mostly be done through politics," he
added.
In
the context of global engagement, analysts noted that Mr Yahya leans
politically towards the US, while Mr Said has been known to be friendly towards
China.
Mr
Yahya co-founded the US-based organisation Bayt ar-Rahmah, or The Home of
Divine Grace, aimed at expanding NU's operations in North America, Europe and
the Middle East.
In
2018, he received backlash at home when he visited Israel on the invitation of
the American Jewish Community Global Forum. Indonesia has no formal diplomatic
ties with Israel and has long opposed its occupation of Palestinian territory.
NU,
under Mr Said, has been criticised for being seemingly less vocal about China's
alleged oppression of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Analysts
believe Mr Yahya has enough political savvy to not take sides, aligning with
Indonesia's foreign policy, and will maintain good relations with China.
In
fact, the reformist refers to settle disputes through dialogues, unlike Mr Said
who tends to be vocal against radical or extreme groups, said Mr
Taufiqurrohman, but his closeness to the US means he would be able to work well
with it in countering terrorism threats.
Mr
Robi Sugara, executive director of the non-governmental organisation Indonesian
Muslim Crisis Center, said: "But there's a possibility he might pay less
attention to issues in China such as Uighur Muslims, as compared to the Taliban
in Afghanistan."
One
certainty, analysts say, is that the NU will advocate religious tolerance and
pluralism under the leadership of Mr Yahya, continuing the approach taken by Mr
Said. It will also promote Islam Nusantara or "Islam of the
Archipelago", NU's brand of moderate Islam which incorporates local
customs and traditions in understanding the faith.
Mr
Robi said the challenge for the new chairman is to find a way to replicate NU's
success in Indonesia to Muslim societies elsewhere.
Source:
Straits Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israel-Indonesia
normalization discussed by US Sec. of State Blinken
DECEMBER
24, 2021
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken raised the possibility of Indonesia
normalizing their diplomatic relations with Israel in meetings with officials
in Jakarta last week, Israeli officials said on Thursday, Walla reported.
Indonesia,
the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, was one of the countries the
Trump administration tried to bring into the Abraham Accords fold, though
negotiations had stalled by the time Trump’s term concluded.
The
Abraham Accords were the landmark normalization agreements signed between
Israel and several other Muslim-majority countries, such as the UAE and
Bahrain, that up to that point had no formal diplomatic ties with Israel and
sought to keep that status quo. Donald Trump’s administration spearheaded the
talks, which culminated in deals between Israel and four other countries.
The
US and Israeli officials have discussed ways to expand the Abraham Accords in
recent months – and Indonesia has come up in that context, according to the
Israeli officials.
While
Israeli officials stressed that no deal is close, there have been unofficial
progress made behind the scenes: During the original Abraham Accords
negotiations, Indonesia requested an upgraded trade deal with the US in return
for taking steps to normalize ties with Israel – such as opening direct flights
and issuing visas to Israelis – according to former Trump administration
officials.
“We
are always exploring additional opportunities for normalization, but we’ll
leave those discussions behind closed doors until the right moment," State
Department spokesperson Ned Price told Axios. Another senior US official said
the Biden administration was working “quietly but quite assiduously” to expand
the accords.
The
Southeast Asian country of Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populous
country with roughly 270 million inhabitants – a vast majority of whom are
Muslim. Consisting of over 17,000 islands – most notably the tourist hub Bali –
it is the 14th-largest country by area and the largest island region on the
planet.
Indonesia
declared independence in 1945 – just a few years before the State of Israel was
officially founded – after battling with colonial powers that dominated the
nation for over 350 years.
Indonesia
does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, which is common among
Muslim-majority countries and has actively supported Palestine.
J
Post
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-689666
--------
President
Jokowi officialises new office of Indonesian Mosque Council
24
December 2021
Jakarta
(ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the new office building
of the central board of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) here on Friday.
"With
this new office, I am optimistic that the DMI would be more enthusiastic in
making mosques as a place of prayer for Muslims as well as a center for
education, dawah, and deliberation," Jokowi said at the DMI inauguration broadcast
on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube Channel.
In
addition to the mosques' function as places of worship, the president is
sanguine that mosques can be a place for learning, sermon, social welfare, and
discussions that strengthen the nation's unity and bond.
According
to the president, a mosque is a place for dawah that disseminates religious
wisdom for the people to realize charity and kindness. Mosque also becomes a
place for sowing Islamic values as blessings for the universe.
"Hence,
mosques can contribute to our country's civilization that builds great human
resources with noble character," Jokowi added.
Furthermore,
the president was on the same page as DMI Chairman, Jusuf Kalla, who believes
that mosques should function to bolster the economy among Muslim communities.
"Mosque
really develops a mutamaddin community that is empowered economically,
politically, and culturally," he pointed out.
Hence,
Jokowi explained that mosques can work along with the government to reduce the
rates of unemployment, poverty, and social inequality to enhance the aspect of
togetherness.
Source:
Antara News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sources:
Thailand, BRN Rebels to Resume In-person Peace Talks Next Month
2021-12-23
Malaysia
next month will host the first face-to-face talks in nearly two years between
Thailand and southern BRN rebels, sources from both sides said Thursday about
in-person negotiations that were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
high-level talks brokered by Malaysia are expected to resume after a surge in
clashes in late 2021 between Thai government forces and suspected rebels from
Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), the most powerful separatist group in
Thailand’s majority-Muslim Deep South.
“We
will resume in January if all goes well,” a source on the Malaysian side
familiar with the peace negotiations, but who requested anonymity, told
BenarNews.
“It
will be a face-to-face discussion in Kuala Lumpur,” said the source who was not
authorized to speak to the media.
Thai
officials and BRN representatives last met virtually in February 2021, and the
last face-to-face discussions – two rounds of them – took place in Kuala Lumpur
in March 2020, around the time of the first full-blown onset of the coronavirus
pandemic in Malaysia.
Gen.
Wanlop Rugsanao, the chief Thai negotiator, did not immediately reply on
Thursday to calls from BenarNews seeking comment.
The
provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala – as well as four districts of
Songkhla province –make up Thailand’s Deep South, a predominantly Muslim and
Malay region on the border with Malaysia.
A
leader of an umbrella group of 32 civil society organizations in the Deep
South, however, said Thailand and the BRN would likely meet in the Malaysian
capital in the coming weeks.
“As
far as we heard from insiders, there will be a meeting of Thailand’s peace talk
panel and the BRN in Kuala Lumpur, likely on Jan. 11,” Ruckchart Suwan told
BenarNews by phone on Thursday, but declined to name his sources.
Meanwhile,
the commander of Thai army’s 4th Region, which covers the Deep South, and
officials with ISOC-4, the regional operations command, are involved at a
“working level and technical level” to discuss a possible peaceful solution to
the conflict with the private sector and in-country insurgents, ISOC officials
told BenarNews without going into detail.
More
than 7,000 people have been killed in the southern border region since the BRN
and other armed separatist groups renewed their decades-old insurgency against
Buddhist-majority Thailand 17 years ago.
Increase
in attacks since September
Ruckchart,
who is based in Yala, went to parliament on Thursday to join an opposition MP
in proposing that a House committee be set up to “to follow up on the progress
of the existing peace talks.”
A
“big budget was spent on many talks and it is necessary to have a committee to
monitor the process,” Ruckchart said.
The
Thai legislature may include the proposal for consideration during the next
session in early 2022, opposition lawmaker Kamolsak Leewamoh said in
parliament.
A
month after the last in-person discussions between Thai official and BRN
representatives, the rebel group declared a unilateral ceasefire in April 2020
to allow Thai health workers to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite
the ceasefire – which was never formally declared over – a few sporadic
attacks, which were blamed on the insurgents, took place earlier this year.
This
past September, a noticeable uptick in violence began after a message linked to
the BRN and posted on Facebook urged combatants to “resume self-defense
operations” because, it alleged, security forces were conducting “summary
executions despite COVID difficulties.”
Source:
Benar News
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--------
Africa
Moroccans
stage rallies on first anniversary of US-brokered normalization with Israel
23
December 2021
Hundreds
of Moroccans have staged demonstrations to express their resentment and
reiterate support for the Palestinian cause on the first anniversary of the
US-sponsored normalization of diplomatic relations between the North African
country and Israel.
People
from all walks of life participated in rallies across the country on Wednesday
night, as they heeded a call by the "Moroccan Front in Support of
Palestine and Against Normalization," which reportedly includes 15
political, union and human rights organizations that have voiced solidarity
with Palestine and denounced Morocco’s normalization of ties with the Tel Aviv
regime.
The
demonstrators chanted slogans in condemnation of the normalization, and
demanded the reversal of the agreement, which they described as “ominous.”
The
protesters shouted “Morocco is my free land and Zionists must leave,”
“Palestine is resisting while regimes are normalizing”, “We love Palestine with
all our hearts,” and “No to normalization.”
Moroccan
security forces then intervened to disperse the crowds, especially in the
capital Rabat and the western port city of Casablanca.
“Zionist
occupiers of Palestine seek to occupy Morocco as well, and sabotage it
economically, politically and socially,” Abdel Samad Fathi, a protester, said.
Fathi
underscored that the “Moroccan Front in Support of Palestine and Against
Normalization” resolutely opposes normalization of relations with Israel, and
calls on all Moroccans to reject it.
Israel
and Morocco agreed on December 10, 2020 to normalize relations in a deal
brokered with the help of former US President Donald Trump’s administration,
making the North African country the fourth Arab state last year to strike a
normalization deal with the regime. The others were the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain and Sudan.
Former
Trump sealed the agreement in a phone call with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. As
part of the agreement, the US president agreed to recognize Morocco’s
sovereignty over the Western Sahara region, which has been at the center of a
dispute with neighboring Algeria.
Algeria
cut diplomatic ties with Morocco in August, citing "hostile actions."
The
Algerian Foreign Ministry later rejected Trump’s stance, saying the US decision
“has no legal effect because it contradicts UN resolutions, especially UN
Security Council resolutions on Western Sahara.”
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Nigeria’s
Buhari vows to be ‘hard’ on terrorists
Olanrewaju
Kola
23.12.2021
LAGOS,
Nigeria
President
Muhammadu Buhari vowed Thursday to go after terrorists and bandits in Nigeria’s
northeast and northwest regions.
"I
have ordered and we have started receiving some military hardware, aircraft,
armored cars, helicopters and we are going to be very hard on them," he
said during a visit to Maiduguri.
The
president said the security situation in the northeast has improved compared to
2014 and 2019 when Boko Haram held territories in the region.
But
Buhari condemned bandits' attacks in the northwest. He said people from the
same culture and background have been killing each other.
"What
for?" he asked. "We are going to deal with them.”
Buhari
said Nigeria was placed in a position to liberate the African continent, and he
urged the nation to work hard for the survival of the country.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/nigeria-s-buhari-vows-to-be-hard-on-terrorists/2456107
--------
Top
US lawmakers condemn Sudan's military for use of violence
23
December ,2021
Top
members of the US Congress condemned Sudan’s military on Thursday over the
recent violence used on pro-democracy protesters.
“The
Sudanese people are losing faith and confidence in a now broken process that
was designed to pave the way toward democracy, economic growth, and meaningful
political reforms,” a statement from Gregory Meeks and Michael McCaul read.
Thursday’s
comments come after increased use of force and violence was used reported
against protests in Sudan demanding a transition to democracy.
“We
strongly and unequivocally condemn the Sudanese military’s violent crackdown
against pro-democracy protestors and other human rights violations. These
actions further undermine the civilian-led transition in Sudan,” Meeks and
McCaul said.
Earlier
this week, it was reported that Sudan’s premier, Abdalla Hamdok, would announce
his resignation. If he follows through, Hamdok would be stepping down just
weeks after Sudan’s military overthrew his government.
Although
he struck a deal with the top general, Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, Hamdok appears to
be frustrated by a lack of support for his efforts to transition to a
civilian-led government.
Protesters
have also rejected the deal reached between the civilian-led government and the
military.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tunisian
president warns of 'assassination plans' against some officials
Mehmet
Nuri Uçar
24.12.2021
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisian
President Kais Saied warned the public Thursday that plots are being prepared
against some officials in the country, including assassinations.
"According
to the Minister of the Interior, there is even a recording of a phone call that
specifies the day of the assassinations," Saied said in a video message on
the Facebook page of the Tunisian Presidency.
He
urged the people of Tunis to remain vigilant against "the plots of some
traitors."
Saied
did not share any information about who the alleged plotters were.
His
remarks came as a group called "Citizens Against the Coup” comprising
prominent people including some members of parliament, declared that they will
go on a hunger strike in protest against Saied's July 25 power grab.
Former
Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki also announced that he would
"symbolically" join the hunger strike.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
Biden
quietly signs import ban targeting China’s abuse of Uyghur Muslims
By
Steven Nelson
December
23, 2021
President
Biden signed a major bill targeting China’s abuse of Uyghur Muslims off-camera
and without media in the room Thursday, forcing press secretary Jen Psaki to
deny he did so in order to spare the Chinese government’s feelings.
“He
signs bills on camera. Off camera sometimes, sometimes on camera,” Psaki said.
“We support the bill and obviously we’ve been leading the effort in the world
to call out human rights abuses.”
The
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed the House and Senate without
opposition last week. The bill prohibits the importation of goods from China’s
northwest Xinjiang region unless the importer can prove it was not manufactured
using forced labor.
The
legislation also allows for sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for
human rights abuses against the Uyghurs.
Rather
than hold a public bill-signing ceremony, which might have included remarks by
Biden chastising China’s Communist government for detaining thousands of people
in re-education camps, the White House announced the measure had been enacted
in a brief email to reporters Thursday morning.
Thursday
afternoon, by contrast, Biden hosted a public bill-signing ceremony for
legislation that seeks to improve treatments for people with amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis — better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease — with $100
million in annual funding.
Biden
hailed the overwhelmingly bipartisan support for the Accelerating Access to
Critical Therapies for ALS Act — without mentioning the bipartisan Uyghur bill
that he signed earlier.
“When
we act together we get things done and this is totally, totally, totally a
bipartisan effort,” Biden said in praise of the ALS bill.
Beijing
has been accused of carrying out a cultural genocide against the Uyghurs, with
harrowing reports from witnesses describing atrocities including torture, rape
and forced abortion.
Biden
has taken a seemingly soft touch on other matters sensitive to the Chinese
government. For example, he didn’t press Chinese President Xi Jinping for
transparency on the origins of COVID-19 during a 3 1/2 hour virtual summit last
month.
Biden
smiled last week and walked away after listening to a question from The Post
about why he hasn’t done more to push China for transparency on the origins of
the pandemic after 800,000 US deaths.
The
US intelligence community said in August that it’s possible the virus leaked
from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, calling the theory one of two “plausible”
explanations, in addition to a natural transfer from animals to humans.
Biden
has also kept many of former President Donald Trump’s policies toward China in
place for now, including tariffs on Chinese goods and sanctions on Chinese
officials for eliminating Hong Kong’s autonomy, as well as sanctions against
officials for mistreating Uyghurs.
Trump
said in a recent interview with Fox News journalist Maria Bartiromo that Biden
hasn’t pressed China on coronavirus origins because “he’s afraid of” Xi due to
his son Hunter Biden’s business interests in China.
“So
they have something on him?” Bartiromo asked.
“Yeah.
Of course they do,” said Trump, who is teasing a 2024 rematch against Biden.
Hunter
Biden’s attorney Chris Clark said last month — less than one week after his
father’s summit with Xi — that the first son divested a 10 percent stake in a
Chinese investment fund controlled by state-owned entities.
The
firm, called BHR Partners, was registered 12 days after Hunter joined then-Vice
President Biden aboard Air Force Two for a 2013 trip to Beijing. The entity was
influential in facilitating a 2016 deal in which a Chinese company bought a
Congolese cobalt mine from US and Canadian companies. Cobalt is a key material
for electric car batteries.
The
first son’s lawyer has provided no information on the divestment, including the
identity of the person or entity that acquired his stake, the date of the
transaction and the dollar amount. Psaki recently said the White House would
not be providing details on the transaction and referred The Post to Hunter’s
attorney, who did not respond to requests for information.
Biden
said last year that members of his family would not hold any business role that
conflicts with “or appears to be in conflict” with his job as president, but
until his lawyer’s statement, the White House had repeatedly said the first son
was still working to “unwind” his Chinese holdings.
Source:
New York Post
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--------
The
influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates inside and outside the
United States
December
23, 2021
By
Dr.Nadia Helmy
The
Muslim Brotherhood has a great influence on the American interior, and they
have had relations with Washington for 70 years. From the point of view of the
American historian (William Engdahl), he sees that the Muslim Brotherhood is
just a tool and a means used by Washington to employ them for its interests.
Especially because the Brotherhood’s international organizations possess
international Islamic networks and institutions that have influence on certain
parts of the world, and entanglements with other political systems or
individuals and other political organizations. Therefore, the (political
employment game of the Muslim Brotherhood) began with the CIA, with its
dealings With the Brotherhood since
former Egyptian President “Gamal Abdel Nasser” expelled them from Egypt in the
fifties, and they had relations before that with British intelligence, so the
American intelligence is trying to exploit their capabilities and employ them
politically, considering that they are a well-known entity for the Americans.
That is why you always find in Washington those who insist on the rise of the
Muslim Brotherhood, and even its support at the start of the Arab Spring
revolutions, and of course the United States has a long experience in (the
employment of political Islam groups, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, and the
exploitation and exploitation of their lust for power for the benefit of
successive American administrations).
And
by virtue of my knowledge of a large number of studies and researches of
American think tanks, there appeared new leaks confirming (the United States of
America re-employed political Islam groups and the Muslim Brotherhood
politically to oppose and fight communist China and then Russia in the Arab and
Islamic world, the Middle East, Asia and Africa). And the Americans considered, in documents
issued by the American National Security Departments, that “the Muslim
Brotherhood is an advanced tool and spearhead for fighting the influence and penetration
of the Communists, mainly China and then Russia, in the Arab countries and some
of the Asian and African countries in which Islam spreads to confront
communism”. This matter takes us back exactly, as (Hitler) did in a previous
era with the Muslims of some Asian republics and employed them politically at
the time to confront Russia. The leader “Hassan Al-Banna”, founder of the
Muslim Brotherhood, warned “Hitler” in his memoirs that “Hassan Al-Banna” is
more dangerous because of the violent radical ideology that his idea carries as
the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in its early beginnings, while the Nazi
leader “Hitler” on the other hand, was in contact with “Good” is one of the
leaders of the political organization in Palestine, “Amin Al-Husseini”, and all
of them were linked by one circle of extremism and extremism to support the
agenda of the United States of America, Europe and the West to achieve its
interests in the region. The well-known Canadian “son of Johnson” in his famous
book of “A Mosque in Munich”.
Therefore,
we will find at the present time that the relationship of the United States of
America and the CIA with the currents of political Islam has begun to grow
again with political Islam groups and the Muslim Brotherhood in the forefront
of them, as an attempt to use them to (change the map of the Middle East under
the cover of spreading democracy, human rights and opposing political
regimes, And then interfering in the
internal affairs of countries), which are justifications and pretexts that
experiences proved to be unsuccessful, especially after the failure of the
American-backed Arab Spring revolutions in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan, and
consequently the weakening of the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and its
arms within the region.
But,
the new goal of the American administration is to escalate Islamic
fundamentalisms and the Muslim Brotherhood is no longer, in fact, its goal is
the Arab world and the Middle East in particular, but the farthest goal was
China and Russia, given the state of American fear of China as the next pole in
America’s dispute over its control of the world, and Russia and its defiance of
US and NATO influence in Ukraine and Central Asia, and its assistance and
support to China through its alliance with it.
Source:
Modern Diplomacy
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
San
Antonio mosque spearheads $150,000 reward for missing 3-year-old Lina Sadar
Khil
December
23, 2021
A
$150,000 reward is now being offered for information that leads to finding
missing 3-year-old Lina Sadar Khil, who vanished from a playground at her
family's apartment complex in northwestern San Antonio on Monday evening.
The
Islamic Center of San Antonio, a mosque that Lina's father would occasionally
attend, originally offered a $10,000 reward on Wednesday morning, but that
number shot up to $100,000 by Thursday evening as charities and private
individuals started pitching in, according to a spokesperson for the mosque,
Mike Martin.
"This
is not just coming from the community — this is also from local charities,
non-Muslim organizations, and non-Muslims throughout the city," Martin
told Fox News.
"Everybody
is coming together over this. There’s good people all over and there’s people
that understand that it’s not a faith-based delineation. If somebody is in
need, we help them."
Crime
Stoppers of San Antonio is also offering a $50,000 reward for information that
leads to finding Lina and locating the suspect or suspects responsible for her
disappearance.
Lina's
family moved to San Antonio in 2019 after fleeing Afghanistan from
"threats that were posed to us," her father told KENS-TV.
The
3-year-old girl was on a playground Monday evening at the family's apartment
complex in northwestern San Antonio when her mother briefly left the area. Lina
had vanished when her mother returned.
"We
continue to deploy an all hands on deck approach to ensure no evidence, witness
statement or clues are left undiscovered," the San Antonio Police
Department said Thursday.
Lina's
disappearance is still considered a missing person case, not an abduction, San
Antonio Police Chief William McManus said Wednesday.
Despite
the case being officially classified as a missing person case, an FBI unit that
specializes in crimes against children is on the scene in San Antonio.
"The
FBI regularly engages with its local law enforcement partners in efforts to
protect our community," an FBI San Antonio Field Office spokesperson told
Fox News Digital. "San Antonio Police Department Headquarters continues to
lead the interagency efforts to recover missing child, Lina Sardar Khil, with
the support of the FBI's resources, to include the Child Abduction Rapid
Deployment Team."
Helicopters
have been flying over the area while law enforcement officers go door-to-door
and review hours of surveillance video. K-9s that specialize in finding missing
persons have also been involved in the search.
Source:
Fox News
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Intel
apologizes for pushing Xinjiang ban over Muslim abuse complaints
December
23, 2021
Intel
apologized Thursday for asking suppliers to avoid sourcing goods from Xinjiang
after the world’s biggest chipmaker joined other foreign brands that face the
fury of state media over complaints of abuses by the ruling Communist Party in
the mostly Muslim region.
Intel’s
request was “arrogant and vicious,” said Global Times, a newspaper published by
the ruling party.
The
reference to Xinjiang in a letter to suppliers was aimed at complying with US
regulations, Intel said on its social media account. Washington has barred
imports of goods from Xinjiang over complaints of mass detentions, forced
abortions and forced labor, which Beijing denies.
Tension
over Xinjiang is rising as activists call for a boycott of February’s Winter
Olympics in Beijing, a prestige project for the ruling party. The White House
says the United States won’t send dignitaries. Beijing on Wednesday barred four
members of a U.S. government religious freedom panel from China in retaliation
for sanctions imposed by Washington on two Xinjiang leaders.
“So-called
forced labor and other allegations on Xinjiang are completely lies concocted by
anti-China forces,” said a foreign ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian. He called
on Intel to “respect facts and tell right from wrong.”
Some
commenters online, where comments the ruling party doesn’t want are deleted by
censors, called for a boycott of Intel products.
Intel
processor chips are used in smartphones, computers and other products.
The
letter caused “concerns among our cherished Chinese partners, which we deeply
regret,” said an Intel statement.
“We
apologize for the trouble caused to our respected Chinese customers, partners
and the public,” the company said.
Other
companies including retailer H&M and shoe brand Nike have been targeted for
criticism and calls for boycotts after expressing concern about Xinjiang or
saying they would stop using materials produced there.
The
Chinese government rejects complaints of abuses in Xinjiang, but companies say
they are unable to carry out independent audits of factories and other
workplaces.
Pop
singer Wang Junkai, also known as Karry Wang, announced Wednesday he was
pulling out of a deal to act as “brand ambassador” for Intel’s Core line of
processor chips.
Wang’s
move is a “fresh warning siren to Intel and other foreign companies that seek
to undermine China’s core interests while also trying to profit from the vast
Chinese market,” said Global Times, which is known for its nationalistic tone.
Other
singers, actors and other celebrities have broken ties with foreign brands that
were targeted for criticism over Xinjiang, giving up millions of dollars in
income to protect their careers from official retaliation.
Xinjiang
is a major supplier of silica used in making computer chips. Intel has a chip
factory in Dalian in China’s northeast — its only one in Asia and one of four
outside the United States. The company also has a research facility in Beijing.
Criticism
by state media might prompt consumers to look at products based on chips from
other suppliers. But there are few alternatives. The include Advanced Micro
Devices Inc. of the United States for chips in desktop PCs and servers and
Britain’s Arm Ltd. for smartphones.
Source:
New York Post
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Europe
French
anti-Muslim candidates target Armenia to galvanize supporters
DEC
22, 2021
Two
leading challengers to President Emmanuel Macron in France's presidential
elections have made high-profile visits to Armenia in recent days, as the
destiny of the Christian Caucasus nation becomes a campaign issue.
Just
over a year after Armenia was defeated by Azerbaijan in the 2020 war over
control of the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, candidates on the
right are keen to burnish their support for the country.
Far-right
pundit Eric Zemmour, known for his diatribes against Islam and immigration,
headed to Armenia earlier this month shortly after declaring his candidacy in
the April 2022 elections, declaring Armenia to be a country of
"martyrs" that was in danger.
He
was followed this week by the candidate of the right-wing Republicans (LR),
Valerie Pecresse, seen by some analysts as the biggest threat to Macron in the
elections and who has surged in polls since she was nominated by her party.
In
an election campaign so far dominated by the right, support of Armenia, the
first state in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in the
fourth century, has become a symbol of commitment to conservative values.
Analysts
say that candidates are not just angling for votes from the hundreds of
thousands of Armenians in France but also from Catholic conservatives deeply
concerned by the fate of the Christians of the east.
In
2020, Azerbaijan liberated a large part of the Azerbaijani region of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which ethnic Armenian separatists had seized as the USSR
broke up. During last year's 44-day Karabakh war more than 300 settlements were
freed from Armenian occupation.
Armenian
forces could not match the greater might of the Azerbaijani military, which was
also boosted by the use of highly sophisticated drones developed by its ally
Turkey. The entry of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces into Shusha caused the
Armenian Army to disperse. Armenia signed a declaration on Nov. 10, 2020,
acknowledging its defeat and promising to withdraw its army from the provinces
of Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin.
Analysts
emphasize that the conflict with Azerbaijan was territorial rather than
religious in nature. But Zemmour declared that Armenia is a "Christian
nation in an Islamic Ocean." Pecresse's visit was meanwhile aimed at
"giving to support to Christians just before Christmas," an aide told
Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"We
must mobilize all of Europe around this conflict, it is not a conflict in the
Caucasus, it is a conflict that affects Europe because when Christians of the
east are attacked, it is the foundations of European civilization that are
under attack," far-right Pecresse told reporters in Yerevan.
Armenia
is becoming a "new issue in a competition to capture the conservative
Catholic electorate," said a report by the Jean Jaures Foundation. It said
the French right had an "old tradition of protecting eastern
Christians," such as supporting the Lebanese Christians during the civil
war of the 1980s, or Christians in the Middle East during the ascendancy of the
Daesh terrorist group from 2014-2015.
On
the left, Socialist candidate Annie Hidalgo has not ruled out a visit to
Armenia and in December opened an "Esplanade of Armenia," a walkway
in the French capital, speaking of "Paris' unbreakable support of the
Armenian people," although without evoking religion.
Macron
has himself been vocal in his support of Armenia, tweeting this month after
meeting both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev in Brussels: "We will never abandon the Armenians. We will
always seek solutions for lasting peace."
Members
of the 500,000-strong Armenian diaspora in France have mixed feelings about the
surge of interest in the country, grateful for the support, but also fearing
political exploitation.
"We
do not want the Armenian cause to be closed up inside a conflict of
civilizations that just serves domestic policy," said Jules Boyadjian,
head of the French association Committee for the Defense of the Armenian Cause.
Pecresse
and Zemmour are known in France and across the world as controversial
personalities, who push for anti-migrant policies as well as racist rhetorics
against the Muslim population in the country.
Earlier
in December Pecresse voiced concern over the rise of what she called “Islamism”
in France.
Source:
Daily Sabah
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Turkey
pursuing 'proactive diplomacy': Foreign minister
Muhammet
Tarhan
24.12.2021
Turkey
is pursuing a "realistic foreign policy" based on the superiority of
the diplomatic initiative over a wide geography, the country's foreign minister
said Thursday.
"We
have a proactive approach to diplomacy, not reactive, without letting events
rule us," Mevlut Cavusoglu said at the closing ceremony of the virtual
International Security Academy organized by the International Relations
Association.
Cavusoglu
stressed that the global security environment was getting increasingly fragile.
"After
the Cold War, great power competition is fueling tensions in different regions
such as Ukraine, the Balkans, the Black Sea, Taiwan, and the South China Sea.
The effects of relatively modern challenges such as climate change, terrorism,
cyber attacks, irregular migration and the pandemic are being felt everywhere,"
he said.
He
underlined that in the current environment of rapid change, one of the most
important points in international relations that has remained constant was the
international order established after World War II.
"While
software updates come to our mobile devices every few weeks, the fact that the
international system has not been updated for 80 years makes it difficult for
the system, especially the UN, to find solutions to problems," he said.
Cavusoglu
pointed out that in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the "need
for multilateralism" had emerged once again.
"We
cannot say that a significant distance has been covered on this road in the
last year. However, we see that concepts such as multilateralism and solidarity
come to the fore, at least at the level of discourse," he said.
Russa,
Ukraine, NATO relations
The
Turkish top diplomat said during his speech that today, the rivalry between
Russia and Ukraine as well as between Russia and NATO has reached
"dangerous" levels.
"We
will not ignore our principles and close relations with Ukraine just because we
have extensive relations with Russia. In many difficult equations like this, we
do whatever the spirit of the time and our national security require. It's hard
work, but that's what diplomacy is for," Cavusoglu said.
In
2014, Russia began to support separatist forces in eastern Ukraine against the
central government, a policy that it has maintained for the past seven years.
For
the second time this year, Moscow reportedly concentrated military troops in
and around Ukraine last month.
NATO
and the EU have warned Russia that if it shows an aggressive attitude towards
Ukraine, it will face a serious response and heavy sanctions.
Cavusoglu
went on to say that NATO has also undergone a transformation, noting that it
was trying to adapt itself to new developments and that the focus was on
strengthening the political dimension in the NATO 2030 process.
He
emphasized that Turkey, as the country with the second-largest military in NATO
and fifth-greatest contributor to the alliance's operations and missions, plays
an active role in these efforts.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-pursuing-proactive-diplomacy-foreign-minister/2456176
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Turkey,
Montenegro agree to boost inter-parliamentary cooperation
Mustafa
Talha Öztürk
23.12.2021
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Turkey
and Montenegro agreed Thursday to strengthen cooperation between their
legislative assemblies.
Turkey's
parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop met with his Montenegrin counterpart Aleksa
Becic in the capital, Podgorica.
During
the meeting, it was agreed that the common historical heritage between the two
countries contributed to the continuous progress in relations between their
parliaments.
The
two sides also signed an inter-parliamentary cooperation agreement during
Sentop's visit.
Underlining
that the parliaments of the two countries were already in cooperation with each
other, Sentop said the new protocol would strengthen its groundwork.
"We
will have exchanged important information on sharing good practices and
experiences in this regard. I think that this will especially benefit the work
of our parliamentary teams and bureaucrats. In this way, we're going to deepen
our relations at the parliamentary level."
For
his part, Becic emphasized that Turkey-Montenegro ties were at "the highest
level in history."
"At
our meeting, we agreed that we've written the most beautiful pages of our long
and rich common history with many meetings we held this year," he said.
He
added that the Montenegrin diaspora in Turkey was an important and strong bridge
of cooperation between the two countries.
Following
the bilateral meetings, Sentop visited the historic Mehmet Fatih Madrasah in
Tuzi, a small town in Montenegro, accompanied by the president of the
Montenegro Islamic Union, Rifat Feyzic, and Turkey's ambassador to Montenegro
Songul Ozan.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Germany
to step up Afghanistan evacuation efforts
Ayhan
Simsek
23.12.2021
BERLIN
Germany
will step up efforts to evacuate more than 15,000 former local employees, NGO
staff, and human rights activists from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Annalena
Baerbock said on Thursday.
“As
the foreign minister of the Federal Republic of Germany, I would like to
underline that they have not been forgotten. We are working hard to get
everyone to safety,” Baerbock told a news conference in Berlin.
She
said Germany’s new government will reduce bureaucratic hurdles, simplify visa
procedures, and intensify talks with neighboring countries to facilitate the evacuation
of former local employees, their family members, and people at heightened risk
of persecution.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/germany-to-step-up-afghanistan-evacuation-efforts/2456004
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EU
calls for investigation into rape allegations in Sudan
Bahram
Abdel Moneim
23.12.2021
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
The
European Union and Western countries on Thursday called on the Sudanese
authorities to conduct an independent investigation into allegations that
security forces raped demonstrators in the capital, Khartoum.
In
a joint statement, the European Union Mission to Sudan, Canada, Norway,
Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States “strongly condemn the use
of sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon to drive women away from
demonstrations and silence their voices.”
“We
urge the authorities to carry out a full and independent investigation into
these allegations of violence and ensure perpetrators are held accountable
regardless of their affiliation. Sudan's citizens must be afforded the right of
freedom of political expression and assembly free from violence,” the statement
said.
It
pointed out that “today, Sudanese women and their allies will take to the
streets to march against the sexual violence and harassment, including rape
that occurred during protests on December 19.”
On
Tuesday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the
Sudanese authorities to conduct a "rapid, independent and thorough"
investigation into the "allegations" of raping 13 women and girls and
sexual harassment of others by security forces during Sunday's protests.
Since
Oct. 25, Sudan witnessed protests, in response to the military’s dismissal of
the transitional government and declaration of a state of emergency.
Prime
Minister Abdalla Hamdok, however, was reinstated on Nov. 21 under an agreement with
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the Sudanese army chief, in a move that aimed to
resolve a political crisis that threatened to undermine Sudan’s transition to
democracy.
On
Sunday, thousands of Sudanese staged protests in Khartoum to express their
rejection of the political agreement with the military and demanded full
civilian rule.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-calls-for-investigation-into-rape-allegations-in-sudan/2455799
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