Azan Arrives to Minneapolis Soundscape as US Allows Public Broadcast by Its Two Dozen Mosques
New Age Islam News Bureau
02 June 2022
A member of the Abubakar
As-Saddique Islamic Center recites the Islamic call to prayer, or Azan, on
Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
-----
• Muslim and Protestant Politicians Receive Communion
at German Catholic Event
• China ‘Shoots and Kills’ Anyone Who Tries To Escape
From Internment Camps in Xinjiang
• Clash of Shariah and Common Law: Freedom of Religion
Is Not an Absolute Right: Faizan Mustafa
• Tunisian President Purges Judges after Instituting
One-Man Rule
North
America
• UN Registers 'Türkiye' As New Country Name to
Replace 'Turkey'
• NATO 'ready to sit down and address' Turkish
security concerns
• US denies shelving plans for de facto Palestinian
Embassy
--------
Europe
• In Historic First, New Australian Premier Picks 2
Muslim Cabinet Ministers
• Belgian Muslims, Jews submit petition protesting ban
on animal slaughter by religious rules
• Terror organization PKK's supporters march to
central London
• German court convicts Daesh returnee who took
daughter to Syria
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Zahid: Forget 'New Malaysia', Time to Bring Back
'Original Malaysia' Under BN
• Muslim teachers group appeals High Court ruling on
vernacular schools
• Amid calls for GE, Najib reflects on consequences of
‘delayed’ polls
--------
India
• UP Power Department Officer, Ravindra Prakash
Gautam, Says Osama Bin-Laden 'Best Engineer', Suspended
• Muslim Men Leaving Jahangirpuri Out of Fear of
Police Harassment, Say Locals
• Extend Caste Census to Muslims, Exclude
Infiltrators, Says Union Minister Giriraj Singh
• To Stay Afloat In Mathura, Muslim Hotelier Replaces
Staff with Hindus
• India, Bangladesh flag off new passenger train
service, Mitali Express
--------
Africa
• ‘Terrorist attack’ on UN convoy in Mali kills Jordan
peacekeeper, injures three
• Somali president urges immediate international
humanitarian action as drought escalates
• Libya’s Dbeibeh calls for resuming oil exports amid
dispute on revenues
--------
Arab
World
• Entry of the Lord into Egypt: Egypt’s Coptic
Christians Put Down Roots around The World, But Remained Grounded in Their
Culture
• Syria: 50 Detained Islamic State Fighters Returned
To Iraq
• SDF commander raises concern over new Turkish threat
in Syria
• ‘Major Confrontation’ With Hezbollah Ahead, Says
Lebanon Christian Politician
• Lavrov: Gulf countries will not impose sanctions on
Russia over Ukraine
• Rocket attack by YPG/PKK terror group injures 3
civilians in northern Syria
• Gulf united on Russia-Ukraine war, says Saudi
foreign minister
--------
South
Asia
• UNAMA Calls on the Taliban to Release Journalists
and End “Draconian Measures”
• No Major Issues with Pak, Won’t Allow Terror Acts
from Afghan Soil: Afghanistan’s Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob
• Islamic Republic Of Pakistan Donates A Street
Library to Sri Lanka
• Indian officials visit Kabul for first Taliban meet
since US left
• Taliban forces kill four NRF members in
Afghanistan’s Tagab
--------
Mideast
• 148 Israeli Violations against Palestinian
Journalists in May: NGO
• Israel army shoots, kills Palestinian during raid in
West Bank
• Erdogan says Turkey to rid Syria's Tal Rifaat,
Manbij of terrorists
• Iran Seriously Pursuing Settlement of Dust Storms
Problem with Iraq, Syria
• SNSC Secretary: Abadan's People to Overcome Hardship
after Metropol Incident
• Turkey breaks off high-level talks with Greece as
rift grows
• Israel says Iron Beam laser-based missile shield to
cost just $2 per interception
--------
Pakistan
• 'Don't Dare To Cross Limits': PM Shehbaz Warns Imran
against Talking About Pakistan Breaking Apart
• PTI seeks apex court’s protection from ‘state
torture’
• Pakistan Jirga Lands in Kabul to Take Talks with Pak
Taliban Forward
• Pak Govt, TTP Agree To Extend Ceasefire Indefinitely
Amidst Ongoing Negotiations To End Militancy
• Country to head towards civil war if elections not
announced: Imran Khan
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/azan-minneapolis-us-mosques/d/127156
--------
Azan Arrives to Minneapolis Soundscape as US Allows
Public Broadcast by Its Two Dozen Mosques
A member of the Abubakar
As-Saddique Islamic Center recites the Islamic call to prayer, or Azan, on
Thursday, May 12, 2022, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)
-----
June 2, 2022
The chant in Arabic blasted from rooftop loudspeakers,
drowning out both the growl of traffic from nearby interstates and the chatter
and clinking glasses on the patio of the dive bar that shares a wall with
Minneapolis’ oldest Somali mosque.
Dozens of men in fashionably ripped jeans or
impeccably ironed Kameez tunics rushed toward the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque. Teens
clutched smartphones, and some of the older devout shuffled in with the aid of
walkers from the high-rise complex across the street where thousands of Somalis
live.
This spring Minneapolis became the first large city in
the United States to allow the Islamic call to prayer, or Azan, to be broadcast
publicly by its two dozen mosques.
As more of them get ready to join Dar Al-Hijrah in
doing so, the transforming soundscape is testament to the large and increasingly
visible Muslim community, which is greeting the change with both celebration
and caution, lest it cause backlash.
“It’s a sign that we are here,” said Yusuf Abdulle,
who directs the Islamic Association of North America, a network of three dozen
mostly East African mosques. Half of them are in Minnesota, home to rapidly
growing numbers of refugees from war-torn Somalia since the late 1990s.
Abdulle said that when he arrived in the United States
two decades ago, “the first thing I missed was the Azan. We drop everything and
answer the call of God.” The Azan declares that God is great and proclaims the
Prophet Muhammad as his messenger. It exhorts men _ women are not required _ to
go to the closest mosque five times a day for prayer, which is one of the Five
Pillars of Islam.
Its cadences are woven into the rhythm of daily life
in Muslim-majority countries, but it’s a newcomer to the streets of
Minneapolis, which resonate with city traffic, the rumble of snowplows in
winter and tornado siren drills in summer.
Americans have long debated the place of religious
sound in public, especially when communities are transformed by migration, said
Isaac Weiner, a scholar of religious studies at Ohio State University.
“What we take for granted and what stands out is informed
by who we think of ourselves as a community,” he said. “We respond to sounds
based on who’s making them.” That’s especially true when the sound is not a
bell or a horn, but spoken words, as in the Azan.
“Hearing that voice, it’s a connection to God even if
at work or in the fields or a classroom,” said Abdisalam Adam, who often prays
at Dar Al-Hijrah. “It’s a balance of this world and the hereafter.” Dar
Al-Hijrah got a special permit to broadcast for the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan in spring 2020, when Minnesota was under a pandemic lockdown, so the
faithful could hear the Azan from home, mosque director Wali Dirie said.
Soon it was resounding from speakers set up with the
help of First Avenue, a nightclub made famous by Prince.
People thought they were dreaming and wept at their
windows.
That community need led to the recent resolution
authorizing the broadcasts more broadly. It establishes decibel levels and
hourly limits in line with the city’s noise ordinance, meaning that the
early-morning and late-night calls to prayer are only aired indoors.
At Dar Al-Hijrah now, elders call the prayer three
times a day, drawing youth like Mohamad Mooh, 17, who arrived just five months
ago. He said he wishes the broadcasts were even louder like back in Somalia,
where the early morning calls woke him up.
“I know it’s a little bit complicated because of the
society,” Mooh added after a recent packed prayer service.
Just like some Americans opposed church bells in the
19th century, the call to prayer has led to disputes over the years, from Duke
University to Culver City, California. In Hamtramck, a small city surrounded by
Detroit, councilors exempted religious sounds from the noise ordinance at a
mosque’s request. Coming in the aftermath of 9/11, the amendment got embroiled
in national controversy, but a referendum to revoke it failed.
In the predominantly Somali neighborhood of
Cedar-Riverside, tucked between downtown and two college campuses, Dar
Al-Hijrah mosque’s Azan has met no backlash.
Hoping to also prevent it, the Abubakar As-Saddique
Islamic Center in south Minneapolis, which hosts some 1,000 men for Friday
midday prayers, plans to hold meetings with neighbors before broadcasting
publicly this summer.
“We care about the neighbors,” said Abdullahi Farah,
the center’s director. “We have to talk to them, explain to them and at least
share our views on this.” Abdullahi Mohammed stopped at Abubakar on a recent
afternoon when he was driving by and was alerted by a call-to-prayer app, which
he and many others use in the absence of a public broadcast. He said he would
love to hear the Azan ringing out everywhere because it would teach Muslim
children to pray “automatically”- but also acknowledged non-Muslim neighbors
“might feel different.”
Between hesitancy to provoke tensions, technical
complexities and the challenges of arranging for someone with Arabic and vocal
skills to chant the call live, several mosques may decide not to broadcast,
said Jaylani Hussein, director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
But other mosques are already eager to push for
permission to broadcast all five prayers and hope to see Minneapolis set an
example for cities across the country.
“We want Muslims to fully exist here in America,”
Hussein said, adding that the Azan is the “last piece to make this home. It’s
incredibly important for Muslims to know their religious rights are never
infringed upon.” Several neighborhood groups consulted by The Associated Press
said that while no formal discussions have been held yet, they expect most
residents will be accepting.
“People will ask, What’s that? and then say, That’s
cool,” predicted Tabitha Montgomery, director of the Powderhorn Park
Neighborhood Association.
At two churches, founded more than a century ago by
Scandinavian immigrants and now within earshot of the Azan, leaders also had no
objections.
Trinity Lutheran Congregation collaborates with Dar
Al-Hijrah on charity and outreach events. Pastor Jane Buckley-Farlee said she
likes hearing the Azan from her office.
“It reminds me that God is bigger than we know,” she
said.
Hierald Osorto, pastor of the predominantly
Spanish-speaking St. Paul Lutheran Church near Abubakar and another mosque,
also anticipates no pushback from his flock.
In fact, he’s been thinking of bringing back the
long-broken church bell as a way to gather the congregation and make it more
visible in the neighborhood.
“It allows us to be known,” Osorto said.
Mowlid Ali, the imam at Abubakar, said part of the aim
in broadcasting the Azan is precisely that mix of claiming belonging and
outreach.
“We hope that through calling the Azan in public, it
would actually bring more interest from the neighbors in knowing about the
religion of Islam,” Ali said.
Source: Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Muslim and Protestant Politicians Receive Communion at
German Catholic Event
Bishop Gebhard Fürst of
Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Germany. | Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart.
-----
June 2, 2022
A Muslim politician and at least one Protestant
politician have received Communion at Masses celebrated by bishops during a
multi-day Catholic event in Germany.
The same event, held on May 25-29, reportedly barred
organizers of the German March for Life from having a stall.
Muhterem Aras, a Turkish-born Muslim and prominent
state parliamentarian of Germany’s environmentalist Greens, received Communion
at the opening Mass in Stuttgart, southern Germany, celebrated by local Bishop
Gebhard Fürst, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.
While Aras received the Eucharist, Sabine Foth,
president of the Protestant state synod, “kept her distance ‘out of respect for
the bishop,’” said the local newspaper Stuttgarter Nachrichten.
CNA Deutsch contacted the Diocese of
Rottenburg-Stuttgart for comment but had not received a response at the time of
publication. At least one Protestant politician did receive Communion at a
later date.
The Katholikentag (“Catholics Day”) is a biannual
event organized by the local diocese together with the Central Committee of
German Catholics, a lay organization supported by the German bishops’
conference.
This year, the event made headlines ahead of its
opening when a pro-life organization accused organizers of barring it from
having a stall.
The Federal Association for Life oversees the March
for Life in Berlin. When applying for a stand at the Katholikentag, it was
reportedly told by organizers that they were “unable to determine that your
organization is clearly Christian,” according to a statement by the
association’s president Alexandra Maria Linder.
Another well-known Protestant politician received
Communion personally from Bishop Georg Bätzing, chairman of the German bishops’
conference, at the same event.
Thomas de Maizière, a former defense minister and
interior minister who served in German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet for
12 years, was seen receiving the Eucharist from Bishop Bätzing, reported CNA
Deutsch.
An image of Bätzing giving Communion to the prominent
Protestant was posted on Twitter.
A spokesperson for the German bishops’ conference
confirmed that Bätzing had been approached by de Maizìere before Mass and the
politician subsequently received Communion from the bishop.
The bishops’ spokesperson added there is “not yet full
church Communion between the Protestant and Catholic churches and therefore no
general communion. A Protestant Christian who has examined himself, shares the
faith in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, and comes to the
Lord’s Table may receive Holy Communion on a case-by-case basis.”
Bätzing has repeatedly expressed qualified support for
intercommunion with Protestants, telling journalists in February 2021 that it
was necessary to respect the “personal decision of conscience” of those seeking
to receive Communion.
Bätzing also led an ecumenical study group that
published the 2019 document “Together at the Lord’s Table,” proposing a
“Eucharistic meal fellowship” between Catholics and Protestants.
The situation triggered a response by the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in September 2020.
In a four-page critique and letter to Bätzing, the
doctrinal congregation emphasized that significant differences in understanding
of the Eucharist and ministry remained between Protestants and Catholics.
“The doctrinal differences are still so important that
they currently rule out reciprocal participation in the Lord’s Supper and the
Eucharist,” it said.
“The document cannot therefore serve as a guide for an
individual decision of conscience about approaching the Eucharist.”
The CDF cautioned against any steps toward
intercommunion between Catholics and members of the Evangelical Church in
Germany (EKD).
Following the Vatican intervention, Bätzing reaffirmed
his view that intercommunion with Protestants should be possible.
Cardinal Kurt Koch, the Swiss president of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, also expressed serious
misgivings about the “Eucharistic meal fellowship” proposal.
There was little sign of such a fellowship being
wilfully orchestrated in Stuttgart, CNA Deutsch reported, quoting local media
as saying that there was some confusion about who could receive Communion, with
one Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion telling a Protestant visitor: “I
don’t know. I only know that this is the Body of Christ.”
Despite the controversies, a survey showed that most
Catholics are not interested in the event, CNA Deutsch reported. Attendance
numbers are dwindling, while the costs are extensive, with the Stuttgart event
expected to cost more than 10 million euros (around $11 million).
Source: Eurasia Review
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
China
‘Shoots and Kills’ Anyone Who Tries To Escape From Internment Camps in Xinjiang
Representative
Image
----
2nd
June 2022
Beijing:
The ugly face of Chinese repressions on Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang once
again surfaced after an academician Andrian Zenz disclosed the disturbing
realities of China’s minority policy.
The
files disclosed by Zenz include a 2017 internal speech by Chen Ouranguo, a
former Communist Party Secretary in Xinjiang, in which he is reportedly ordered
guards in internment camps to shoot and kill anyone who tries to escape and
directed officials in the region to “exercise firm control over religious
believers,” reported The HK Post.
The
files also consist of thousands of photos and official documents from China’s
Xinjiang confirming the unscrupulous, harsh and violent treatment of Uyghur
minorities in the country.
Although
China has denied violation of human rights of the minorities in the country,
the leaked photographs and internal documents sent to Zenz by an anonymous
source who hacked into the official database in Xinjiang point to the contrary.
China
has forced Uyghurs into mass internments
China
has forced Uyghurs into mass internments notwithstanding its claim that the
internments were voluntary. The leaked data vindicates allegations of Chinese
authorities allegedly detaining over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim
minorities in a network of detention centres and prisons in the region.
Earlier,
it was alleged that hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs as well as Kazakhs, Kyrgyz
and other ethnic minorities were forcibly held in camps for communist
indoctrination and training.
The
ghettoization and forceful detentions were started somewhere in the year 2015
when a senior Chinese communist official apparently noted that “a third” of
Xinjiang’s Uyghurs were “polluted by religious extremist forces”, and needed to
be “educated and reformed through concentrated force”.
Xinjiang,
inhabited by ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities never seemed fully within
the Communist Party’s grasp, according to many analysts. Since July 2009 and
till 2016 there had been several instances of violent disputes between Uyghur
and Han Chinese, reported The HK Post.
These
violent reactions from Xinjiang Muslims were sparked by the Chinese
government’s diktats coercing them to give up their ethnic identity to follow
Chinese-type communism, efforts to change the demography of the region
encroaching on living space as well as employment opportunities of Uyghurs.
Response
of threats of extremism, terrorism, claims China
Instead
of meeting the aspirations of the ethnic minorities and ensuring their human
rights, Beijing maintained that its actions in Xinjiang were justified in
response to the threats of extremism and terrorism.
It
did not address the reasons for the agitation among Muslim ethnic minorities.
On the contrary, it tried to promote their assimilation into the Han culture,
often by force, reported The HK Post.
The
latest documents reveal a 2018 internal speech apparently by Public Security
Minister Zhao Kezhi citing direct orders from President Xi Jinping to increase
the capacity of detention facilities.
According
to the documents, Chinese officials believed that two million people in
Xinjiang alone had been “severely influenced by the infiltration of extremist
religious thought”.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Clash
of Shariah and Common Law: Freedom Of Religion Is Not An Absolute Right: Faizan
Mustafa
Rahmani
and Mustafa
-----
JS
Ifthekhar
1st
June 2022
Hyderabad:
The controversy over the umbrage taken by Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani,
Secretary, All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), at the remarks of
Faizan Mustafa, Vice Chancellor, NALSAR University, that the law of the land
would prevail over the Shariah law, has deepened with the latter coming out
strongly in defence of what he stated at a recent book release function here.
In
a video uploaded today as part of his Legal Awareness Web Series, Faizan
Mustafa counter questioned whether Muslims are governed by religion or laws
made by the Parliament? Reacting to the report published by Siasat.com, he said
as citizens of the country people have no choice but to follow the country’s
legal system. Even those who are not citizens are also bound by the country’s
laws the moment they land in its territory. The same is the case with other
countries.
“Therefore
to ask the people whether they considered the law of Parliament supreme or the
law of Shariah is not a proper question at all,” the Vice Chancellor said and
added that perhaps the Maulana also did not want to put it the way it is
reported.
Acknowledging
that he had immense respect for the Maulana and also for experts of every
field, he described Maulana Rahmani as a renowned scholar and an expert in Islamic
law. “But my expertise is law and not religion. I can’t show to the country
what religion is and it is not my duty either,” he remarked.
In
a detailed clarification he declared that he is not trained in theological
questions nor are judges trained in common law. Cases that come to the court
are decided on the basis of law and judges should not wade into the field of
theology – be it Hindu, Christian, Jain or Islamic–since law and theology are
two different things. Law prescribes human behaviour from which it judges
deviants. Moreover, it is the Constitution which gives the freedom of religion
and also lays down its limitations. “We can follow religion to the extent it
doesn’t affect public order, health, morality and other fundamental rights,”
the VC said.
He
recalled how he questioned the essentiality doctrine in the Sabrimala case. The
Supreme Court has accepted his argument and constituted a larger bench which is
examining whether the judiciary has to decide the essential and non-essential
features and practices of a religion.
The
VC further stated that one is free to believe in one God, Trinity, Nirakar or
Sakar. It is a thing which law doesn’t determine. But everyone is bound by the
laws made by the Parliament and State Assemblies. In this connection he
referred to various Acts like the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act 1939,
Maternity Benefits Act, LIC Act, Consumer Protection Act, Dowry Prohibition
Act, Minimum Wages Act and said everyone is bound to follow them.
Fazian
Mustafa wants everyone to know that freedom of religion guaranteed by the
Constitution is not an absolute right. It is a restricted right subject to non
violation of other fundamental rights. A law can be a law as long as it is
consistent with the Constitution, he said and wanted religions to bring in
flexibility and make liberal interpretation of their laws so that there is no
confrontation with the law of the land.
In case of confrontation the law of land will be followed and religion
has to give way. In case of conflict between religion and freedom of speech,
the latter will prevail and so will the right to equality and personal liberty.
When
contacted, Maulana Rahmani said in the Islamic jurisprudence there is scope for
change as per the needs of the time. But change is not possible in commands
which are clearly established through the Quran and Hadith. However, rules
based on ijtehad (independent reasoning), whoever they may be of, can be
changed and are being changed.
Fellow
countrymen believe in the existence of Shri Ramji, whose period is several lakh
years ago. No historical proof can be presented about it and yet the court has
accepted it since it is the belief of the people. In the same way it is the
belief of Muslims that the commands given in the Quran and Hadith are from
Allah and with the same spirit and belief the Shariat Application Act of 1937
is made. Therefore, it is wrong to think that Muslim Personal Law doesn’t enjoy
the status of law,” the Maulana said.
He
further stated that the Constitution has permitted everyone to act as per his
belief and conscience provided it doesn’t hurt others. All the laws that come
under the gambit of Muslim Personal Law are of the same nature. Muslims
consider these as unchangeable laws given by Allah and his Messenger. It is
wrong to say that Islam has become out of date or its rules have become
obsolete. Man made laws become outdated and are amended repeatedly. “But the
divine law is up-to-date since it is made by the Creator who knows the present
and also the future,” he said.
The
Maulana clarified that Muslims are not against the administrative laws made by
the Parliament. But if they are against Shariah and morality, Muslims have to
keep away from them. Like a man and woman living together without nikah is sin
in the eyes of Shairah, although the law may permit it. “But it is necessary to
escape from it”, he said.
Acknowledging
the expertise of Faizan Mustafa in the field of law, the Maulana said he is of
great value to the community and the nation. But it doesn’t mean that one can’t
differ from his views, he remarked.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Tunisian
President Purges Judges After Instituting One-Man Rule
Tunisian
President Kais Saied speaks REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed/File Photo
-----
02 June,
2022
Tunisia’s
president sacked 57 judges on Wednesday, accusing them of corruption and
protecting terrorists in a purge of the judiciary that comes as he seeks to
remake the political system after consolidating one-man rule.
In
a televised address President Kais Saied said he had “given opportunity after
opportunity and warning after warning to the judiciary to purify itself.” Hours
later the official gazette published a decree announcing the dismissals.
Among
those sacked was Youssef Bouzaker, the former head of the Supreme Judicial
Council whose members Saied replaced this year as he moved to take control of
the judiciary.
The
council had acted as the main guarantor of judicial independence since
Tunisia’s 2011 revolution that introduced democracy and Saied’s changes
prompted accusations he was interfering in the judicial process.
Another
prominent judge on the list of those sacked was Bachir Akremi, whom some
political activists accuse of being too close to the Islamist Ennahda party and
of stopping cases against it. Ennahda and Akremi both deny that.
Last
summer Saied dismissed the government and seized executive power in a move his
foes called a coup before setting aside the 2014 constitution to rule by decree
and dismissing the elected parliament.
He
says his moves were needed to save Tunisia from crisis and his intervention
initially appeared to have widespread public support after years of economic
stagnation, political paralysis and corruption.
Saied,
who has also replaced the independent electoral commission, has also said he
will introduce a new constitution this month that he will put to a referendum
next month.
However,
nearly all Tunisia’s political parties have rejected the move along with the
powerful UGTT labour union.
With
Tunisia’s economy failing, and with public finances in crisis, Saied meanwhile
faces the prospect of growing popular anger over high inflation and
unemployment, and declining public services.
The
UGTT said this week that public sector workers would go on strike on June 16,
posing the biggest direct challenge to Saied’s political stance so far.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
North
America
UN registers 'Türkiye' as new country name to replace 'Turkey'
Betul
Yuruk and Servet Gunerigok
01.06.2022
UNITED
NATIONS
The
country name "Türkiye" is replacing "Turkey" at the UN,
following a request by Ankara to be referred to as such, the international body
announced on Wednesday.
The
new brand "Türkiye" is now in place in foreign languages.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency, UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said they received a letter
by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu addressed to Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres, requesting the use of "Türkiye" instead of
"Turkey" in the international arena.
The
spokesman said the country's name change became effective from the moment the
letter was received.
Cavusoglu
announced the letter's official submission to the UN and other international
organizations on Tuesday.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/un-registers-turkiye-as-new-country-name-to-replace-turkey/2603492
--------
NATO
'ready to sit down and address' Turkish security concerns
Michael
Hernandez
01.06.2022
WASHINGTON
All
30 NATO members are ready to come to the table to address Türkiye's security
concerns related to the PKK terror group, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
said Wednesday.
The
comments come as Ankara continues to protest Finnish and Swedish membership
bids to join the transatlantic alliance, maintaining both countries have
supported and provided a safe haven to terrorists, including members of the
YPG/PKK and others.
"All
NATO allies are of course ready to sit down and address those concerns, including
the threats posed to Turkey by PKK, and this is terrorist threats, which of
course, is something we are taking very seriously," Stoltenberg told
reporters at the State Department where he was being hosted by Secretary of
State Antony Blinken.
"We
know that no other NATO ally has suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkey,
and Turkey is an important ally not least because of its strategic geographic
location bordering Iraq and Syria," he added.
Stoltenberg
said he will convene senior officials from Türkiye, Sweden and Finland in
Brussels "in the coming days," adding that he is confident "we
will find a united way forward."
Earlier
Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sweden and Finland have
not yet provided Ankara with concrete responses that meet its expectations.
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO on May 18, a decision spurred by
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24.
But
Türkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to their
membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting
terror groups such as the YPG/PKK and FETO, the group responsible for a failed
2016 coup in Türkiye.
All
membership applications must be met by unanimity in the 30-member alliance to
be successful.
US
warns against Syria operation
Blinken,
the top US diplomat, further warned against a Turkish operation in northern
Syria, saying "any escalation there in northern Syria is something that we
would oppose," maintaining Washington’s support for "the maintenance
of the current ceasefire lines."
"The
concern that we have is that any new offensive would undermine regional
stability such as it is, provide malign actors with opportunities to exploit
instability for their own purpose," he said. "We continue effectively
to take the fight through partners to Daesh, to ISIS, within Syria, and we
don't want to see anything that jeopardizes the efforts that are made to
continue to keep ISIS in the box that we put it in.”
Erdogan
said Türkiye is set to clear two areas of northern Syria near the Turkish
border of terrorist elements in a bid to eliminate the terror threat from the
region. The Turkish leader said the operation would target the areas of Tel
Rifat and Manbij to protect the nation and residents in northern Syria from the
YPG/PKK terror threat.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
denies shelving plans for de facto Palestinian Embassy
Michael
Gabriel Hernandez
01.06.2022
WASHINGTON
The
State Department denied Tuesday that it has halted plans to reopen its
consulate in Jerusalem, which had served as the US' de facto Embassy to the
Palestinians until it was shuttered by former President Donald Trump.
"We
remain committed to opening a consulate in Jerusalem. We continue to believe it
can be an important way for our country to engage with and provide support to
the Palestinian people," State Department spokesman Ned Price told
reporters, later clarifying that he was referring to the "reopening"
of the former diplomatic building.
"We're
continuing to discuss this with our Israeli and our Palestinian partners, and
will continue to consult with members of Congress as well," he added.
The
comments came after the Times of Israel reported that the Biden administration
is freezing plans to reopen the consulate amid stalwart opposition from Israel,
and would instead elevate Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli and
Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr to become US special envoy to the Palestinians.
The
Palestinian Affairs Unit, which is currently housed in the embassy, would begin
reporting directly to Amr rather than the US ambassador to Israel, according to
the report, which cited anonymous US and Palestinian officials.
Trump
closed the US Consulate General in East Jerusalem in March 2019. The building
had, for decades, served as Washington's main diplomatic mission to the
Palestinians and its staff worked independently of their counterparts in the
former US Embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv.
Its
mission was instead folded into the US' Israel Embassy two years after Trump
relocated it to Jerusalem and recognized the contested city as Israel's capital
in a move that continues to roil the Palestinians who are seeking East
Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Israel
has staunchly opposed the reopening of the consulate, with Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett saying it does not belong in Jerusalem, which Israel views as
its undivided capital.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-denies-shelving-plans-for-de-facto-palestinian-embassy/2602538
--------
Europe
In
historic first, new Australian premier picks 2 Muslim Cabinet ministers
Islamuddin
Sajid
01.06.2022
For
the first time in the country’s history, Australia’s Cabinet will boast two
Muslim members, local media reported.
Anne
Aly and Ed Husic, both Muslim members of parliament, were sworn into the
Cabinet on Wednesday, SBS News reported.
Husic
will be minister for industry and science while Aly will serve as minister for
early childhood education and youth.
Husic
is the son of a Bosnian Muslim immigrant, while Aly came from Egypt along with
her parents when she was 2 years old.
The
23-member Cabinet also includes a record 10 women.
The
swearing-in ceremony held in the capital Canberra came 11 days after new Prime
Minister Anthony Albanese led the center-left Labor Party to win the May 21
federal elections.
The
Australian Muslim Advocacy Network welcomed Albanese's historic decision to
include Muslim MPs into his Cabinet.
"This
is a day that we never thought we would see and it’s so uplifting – so exciting
and great for democracy to have that diversity in parliament," SBS quoted
Rita Jabri Markwell, leader of the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network, as
saying.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Belgian
Muslims, Jews submit petition protesting ban on animal slaughter by religious
rules
Selen
Temizer and Esra Taskin
01.06.2022
BRUSSELS
Belgian
Muslims and Jews on Wednesday presented 127,000 signatures protesting a
proposed ban on the slaughter of animals using their traditional religious
rules, known respectively as halal and kosher.
On
the last day of about two weeks of debate over the proposed ban in the capital
region, representatives of the Muslim and Jewish communities and other members
of the public gathered in front of the Brussels Region Parliament to show
solidarity in presenting their protest petition.
“We’ve
been fighting for a long time because this law the Brussels Parliament is
trying to pass in the name of protecting animal welfare is a serious violation
of religious freedoms,” Coskun Beyazgul, head of the Belgian Religious
Foundation and spokesperson for the Belgian Islamic Coordination Board, told
Anadolu Agency.
“If
such a decision is made in Brussels, Muslims and Jews will face a great
injustice,” said Beyazgul, adding if the law is passed, it will thanks to
extreme rightists and racists.
“It
would be very bad to give this message from a place where so many different
religions and cultures live in peace, in Belgium, and the capital of Europe,
Brussels.”
Albert
Gigi, the chief rabbi of Brussels, added: “This law is unfair and wrong. It
targets religious minorities, especially Muslims and Jews.”
Claiming
that some are trying to paint Jews and Muslims as anti-animal welfare, Gigi
said: "What is unacceptable for us is the prohibition of slaughter
according to religious rituals, claiming that by stunning, knocking out, or
suffocation by breathing gas, this hurts the animal less."
In
December 2020, a ban on animal slaughter in Belgium’s Flanders region according
to traditional Muslim and Jewish rules was upheld by the European Court of
Justice.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Terror
organization PKK's supporters march to central London
Ahmet
Gurhan Kartal
01.06.2022
LONDON
A
group of the terrorist organization PKK held a march into central London on
Wednesday.
Shouting
anti-Turkish slogans, the protesters marched from the Highbury and Islington
station to Leicester Square under a police cordon.
The
group of around 50 men and women carried terror group head Abdullah Ocalan's
pictures and various PKK symbols and flags.
Police
were observed to have walked alongside the marchers who disrupted the traffic
as well.
The
UK’s Supreme Court last January upheld a ruling against a man who carried the
terrorist organization’s flag in a similar protest in 2018.
London
police arrested such individuals in recent protests.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/terror-organization-pkks-supporters-march-to-central-london/2603341
--------
German
court convicts Daesh returnee who took daughter to Syria
June
01, 2022
BERLIN:
A German woman, who took her young daughter to Syria, joined Daesh group there
and allegedly took advantage of an enslaved Yazidi woman, was convicted
Wednesday of membership in a terrorist organization and other offenses.
The
state court in Celle said the 34-year-old, who has been identified only as
Romiena S. in line with German privacy rules, was sentenced to three years and three
months in prison. She was also convicted of being an accessory to a crime
against humanity, abducting a minor and breaching her duties of welfare and
education.
Judges
said that she traveled to Syria in 2014, taking her 4-year-old daughter against
the wishes of the child’s father. She then successively married a number of
Daesh members, enabling them to fight by running their households.
The
defendant brought up her daughter and two Syria-born sons in line with Daesh
ideology, taking the girl to the stoning of a woman when she was 6 and showing
her execution videos, the court said. At one point, it added, she exploited an
enslaved Yazidi woman at the home of a slave trader for a few days and guarded
her as she went into town.
The
defendant also posted messages on Twitter supporting extremist attacks in Nice,
France, and Wuerzburg, Germany, in 2016.
She
was arrested at Frankfurt airport when she arrived in October among a group of
women and children repatriated from a camp in northeastern Syria where suspected
Daesh members were held.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2094506/world
--------
Southeast
Asia
Zahid:
Forget 'New Malaysia', Time to Bring Back 'Original Malaysia' Under BN
By
R. Loheswar
01
Jun 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 1 — Umno president Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi has today said that the
country needs to return to its old ways and bring back what he called as
"Original Malaysia", claiming that the so-called "New
Malaysia" that was born from Barisan Nasional's (BN) fall in 2018 has
failed.
He
said the ensuing political turmoil, defections by MPs, economic instability and
lack of leadership have caused Malaysia's economy to digress in the past four
years since Pakatan Harapan (PH) took over.
"The
notion that the 'New Malaysia' espoused good governance is merely talk. The
mandate the public gave them was exploited and government institutions were
manipulated even to the point of crippling the Parliament to stay in power,”
Zahid said during his speech at BN’s 48th annual convention at World Trade
Centre here.
"The
'Original Malaysia' is based on the formula our forefathers developed and it is
empowered through the Federal Constitution, Rukunegara and various policies
based on tolerance and loyalty towards a multiracial race."
"BN
wants to return Malaysia to those days and improve our weaknesses and ensure
all institutions have good governance, transparent and free from corruption,”
he added.
He
claimed peace and stability have been threatened since PH's win, accusing the
opposition of dismantling Malay-Muslim privileges and espousing equality among
the ethnic groups.
Zahid
claimed this had instead divided and angered BN supporters.
The
"Malaysia Baharu" or "New Malaysia" slogan was adopted by
the PH coalition after they won a historic general election in 2018 by beating
BN. the only ruling coalition Malaysia ever had in 60 years.
PH's
administration however collapsed after 22 months after its component Parti
Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia allied with Umno and PAS to form the Perikatan
Nasional government.
Zahid
spoke after prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and received a warm
welcome from the delegates, especially after he asked if the audience is ready
for the next election.
This
came even as Ismail Sabri was quoted yesterday saying that he is in no rush to
call for a general election anytime soon, contrary to speculation that polls
may be held before the year ends.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
teachers group appeals High Court ruling on vernacular schools
Danial
Azhar
June
1, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: A Muslim teachers group has filed an appeal against the Kota Bharu High
Court’s recent ruling that the existence of vernacular schools was
constitutional.
Lawyer
Shaharudin Ali, representing the group Ikatan Guru-Guru Muslim Malaysia, filed
the appeal yesterday at the Court of Appeal.
On
May 29, judicial commissioner Abazafree Mohd Abbas dismissed the suit brought
by the group, stating that the existence of vernacular schools must be read in
the historical context.
But
Shaharudin questioned if history could really be used as the basis to justify
the legality of the schools.
Shaharudin
said Abazafree had said the schools were public authorities under the Federal
Constitution.
“However,
by ruling that the schools are public authorities, it means that Bahasa Melayu
is the compulsory medium of instruction,” he told FMT, citing Article 152 of
the Federal Constitution.
Ikatan
Guru-Guru Muslim Malaysia president Azizee Hasan filed the suit last year,
challenging the constitutionality of Sections 17 and 28 of the Education Act.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Amid
calls for GE, Najib reflects on consequences of ‘delayed’ polls
Jason
Thomas and Nora Mahpar
June
1, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Former prime minister Najib Razak has reflected on the potential risks
of delaying the next general election (GE15), warning that it could lead to
another loss for Barisan Nasional at the polls.
“When
is the election (GE15)? I don’t know. But I want to share for the first time …
I want to admit … We should have had GE14 after the (2017) SEA Games,” he told
the Barisan Nasional Convention today at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur.
“If
we did, maybe we would have won big. But because of pressure from various
parties, we delayed it. And then conditions changed.”
The
2017 SEA Games which the country hosted ended in August 2017, with GE14 held in
May 2018.
He
then highlighted how the opposition is now “in a state of disarray”, pointing
towards the low turnout at PKR’s recent party polls, Bersatu having only two
assemblymen in the Johor state assembly, and DAP and PAS supposedly facing
diminished support.
“BN,
on the other hand, is getting stronger,” he said.
The
Barisan Nasional adviser also commented on a recent interview with Japan’s
Nikkei Asia in which Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that GE15 – which
only needs to be called by September 2023 – would have to be pushed back due to
rising cost of living and inflation.
Stating
that inflationary cycles are known to run for “two to three years”, Najib
called on Umno’s top leadership – which includes Ismail – to discuss the matter
and “make the right choice”.
In
the Nikkei Asia interview conducted during his trip to Japan last week, Ismail
said “we will have to wait for the right time (to call for elections)”.
“We
are facing a period of increasing inflation … Do you think this is the right
time?” he told the Japanese financial paper.
There
are factions in Umno pushing for an early general election in light of the
party’s commanding wins in the recent Melaka and Johor state elections.
However,
other Umno leaders are against the push for early polls as they believe the
present administration – which has 10 ministers and 10 deputy ministers – is
still stable.
Stressing
that leaders should put their personal interests aside if Barisan Nasional wins
Putrajaya at GE15, Najib said the “stakes are too high” for the coalition,
which ruled the country for more than six decades before being ousted at GE14.
“This
is not a question about Najib or Zahid (Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) or
Ismail. This is about BN and our country,” said Najib.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
UP
Power Department Officer, Ravindra Prakash Gautam, Says Osama Bin-Laden 'Best
Engineer', Suspended
Jun
2, 2022
AGRA:
A poster put up by a sub-division officer in the power department at UP's
Farrukhabad district that said 'Revered Osama bin-Laden --- world's best junior
engineer' has led to his suspension and a probe by senior officers. The legend
was accompanied by a photo of the dreaded terrorist who was killed by US forces
at his hideout in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.
The
matter came to light after the photo went viral on the internet. On Wednesday
evening, SDO (Nawabganj) Ravindra Prakash Gautam was suspended and bin-Laden's
photo removed from the office's wall. The 47-year-old officer had been working
with the power department for the past 21 years.
Amit
Kishore, MD of the state government-owned discom DVVNL, said, "The act of
the SDO falls in the category of 'serious misconduct' and calls for harsh
disciplinary action. Following a primary investigation, the officer was
suspended for violation of the Uttar Pradesh Government Servants' Conduct
Manual, 1956. A detailed probe report will be sent to the state government for
further action. For now, the photo has been removed."
According
to officials privy to the incident, Gautam placed the photo after reading a
book that mentioned "Laden had a degree in civil engineering and was
associated with major construction projects in Saudi Arabia in the initial
phase of his life."
When
TOI reached out to Gautam, he said, "I placed the photo around a month
ago. Osama bin-Laden was a civil engineer and executed a mega plan without
scope for failure. The picture was simply there for personal motivation -- to
set high targets and work meticulously to achieve them. My intention is not
destructive. I am not a supporter of terrorism and have never indulged in
anything unlawful. In fact, I take inspiration from missile man APJ Abdul
Kalam, too, and have always had his picture and quote on display at my
office." Gautam hails from Lucknow, is a double diploma holder in
mechanical and electrical engineering and has a B Com as well as an LLB degree.
He is also father to a six-year-old girl. Gautam's colleagues said he is highly
learned, an avid reader and dedicated to his work but had been suffering from
"mental complications" in the last three weeks.
"He
recently put up wires around the office and passed current through them, saying
this was needed to prevent a 'sudden attack'. We had no idea what he
meant," said a colleague.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Men Leaving Jahangirpuri Out of Fear of Police Harassment, Say Locals
Nikita
Jain and Sumedha Pal
Jun
2, 2022
Jahangirpuri
(New Delhi): A number of Muslim residents of Jahangirpuri, which was witness to
communal violence during a Hanuman Jayanti procession and a demolition drive
afterwards, allege that they have had to face police harassment since the riots
took place.
Locals
of the area where demolitions took place, C Block, say that young men are often
hauled up by police. While some of them had been involved in petty crimes
before – residents allege that police have been hauling them up in a manner not
justifying the degree of their crimes.
As
men of the allegedly area move out, primarily out of fear of police action,
women have alleged that they are being harassed by the police too. Minors, too,
are being picked up, say locals.
Jahangirpuri’s
Bano* tells The Wire that her brother was detained on May 20. “He was having
lunch when some police officials from Jahangirpuri police station picked him up
and took him to the station without any explanation,” she says. The family
claims that he was taken to the station over charges of theft. But in an order
issued by the Rohini court on May 24, Bano’s brother is named in a case
pertaining to the Hanuman Jayanti violence.
Bano
says she lives in a state of constant fear and that even her daughter was
allegedly threatened by police.
“My
husband and sons have left the city in a bid to avoid wrongful incarcerations.
They weren’t even here when the [Hanuman Jayanti] violence happened. But the
police came knocking at our door, asking us to ‘surrender’ them. They threatened
my young daughter and said that she will be ‘picked up’ if we do not tell them
the whereabouts of my sons,” she says.
“We
all know that they are picking up Muslim men and putting their names in the
case, alleging violence,” she adds.
Akhlaq*
is a ragpicker living in Jahangirpuri. Three members of his family have been
picked up from the C Block area since the violence.
“Men
are picked up almost every day. This has created a chaotic and fearful
environment. Almost all of them are innocent. My worst fear is that these young
kids, barely in their teens, are being taken into custody and being beaten up.
Under the garb of smaller offences this atmosphere of a full blown crackdown is
being created,” Akhlaq says.
“We
are never fully free, we are constantly being watched and surveilled – from
what we are eating and where we are going to the toilet, they are monitoring
everything. We have become prisoners in our own homes,” he adds.
A
pattern
In
the immediate aftermath of the violence, the National Security Act was invoked
against five of the accused in the case.
Lawyer
Kawalpreet Kaur has been handling cases of some of the residents in the region.
“The
detentions are in line with a recent trend displayed by Delhi Police. The
victims of an attack – who are mostly from the Muslim minority community – are
framed and charged as accused,” Kaur says.
She
adds that this is a pattern that was seen in the arrests made in the 2020
northeast Delhi riots cases as well.
“Similarly,
in Jahangirpuri the first batch of arrests had only Muslim names. This design
is sinister. The ‘investigation’ in the cases is completely lopsided. Most
people get bail after having spent a few months in jail. This must be called
out. Only after Delhi Police was criticised for its one-sided investigation in
Jahangirpuri did we see arrests being made among people of the Hindu community.
However, this was after a whole day. And even then, those who incited the mob
and their leaders weren’t arrested,” the lawyer says.
Jahangirpuri
houses a significant number of people working in low-paying jobs, including
daily wagers, auto drivers and factory workers. Residents pointed out how this
crackdown has also been affecting their economic activities.
“The
fear is not of us landing up in jail, we know we haven’t done anything. The
fear is of facing custodial violence and harassment,” a local, Ifran*, says.
‘Made
to pose with guns’
Danish*,
a man in his 20s, says he was allegedly beaten up with a lathi by the police
earlier this month. “My fault was that I intervened when a group of boys were
fighting in my street,” he says.
Showing
CCTV camera footage of the brawl, he went on to allege that local conflicts are
becoming a plank for the police to subject Muslim youth to harassment.
“I
have CCTV footage where I can be seen breaking up the fight. Yet a policeman
comes [in the video] and immediately beats me up and takes me to jail,” he says,
adding that two other Muslim men were also allegedly beaten up.
“In
front of me, there were at least six Hindu men who had been arrested but the
police did not say anything to them. But they beat us up so much that I still
cannot go to work,” he adds.
He
further alleged that the police demanded Rs 50,000 from him and threatened to
slap the National Security Act (NSA) against him if he did not pay the amount.
“They forcefully gave me guns and took my photo, saying they [the guns] were
mine. This is disgusting, whatever they are doing. They threatened me and beat
me up. Am I a terrorist?” he asks.
Danish
was let off the same night after an agreement was reached with the police.
Meanwhile,
the Delhi Police on May 7 arrested three people from Jahangirpuri in connection
with the April 16 violence.
Rekha,
a Hindu resident of Jahangirpuri, who lives with her family in the area, also
says that there is “an atmosphere of fear in the region.”
“This
has heightened since the demolition drive. I was told by some neighbours that
they are leaving for their villages out of fear and that they will be back when
the situation normalises,” she tells The Wire.
The
Wire sought to reach DCP North West Usha Rangnani for her response on these
allegations, however calls and emails have not yet been answered. This story
will be updated when a response is received.
A
Rohini court had criticised the Delhi Police for its conduct on April 16,
observing prima facie that police had “utterly failed” in stopping the Hanuman
Jayanti procession for which no permission had been granted.
Source:
The Wire
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Extend
caste census to Muslims, exclude infiltrators, says Union Minister Giriraj
Singh
June
1, 2022
Union
Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday said the proposed caste census in Bihar
must exclude infiltrators like Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, who are not
acknowledged to be so because of “politics of appeasement”.
The
BJP leader, who was here to take part in the saffron party’s state executive
meeting, said there is need for a strong anti-conversion law, dropping the use
of the term 'minorities' and erasing all “symbols of oppression by foreign
invaders” like the Gyanvapi mosque, a religious structure in Varanasi.
Singh,
who represents Begusarai Lok Sabha seat in the state, told journalists these
were his “personal opinion” on burning issues of the day, in the presence of
many party colleagues.
The
union minister said he fully supported the state government's move for a caste
survey despite the Centre's refusal to conduct one.
He
was speaking a few hours ahead of an all-party meeting to be chaired by Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar which would set in motion the state-specific survey of
castes.
Nonetheless,
he added “Muslims, who take advantage of reservations for backward classes,
must also be covered in the exercise”.
He
cited a petition filed in the 1990s to claim that population of illegal
immigrants in 11 Bihar districts was about four lakhs back then and underscored
the need for not including them in the exercise, which could grant legitimacy
to the “infiltrators, who are not called by the name because of politics of
appeasement”.
“Be
they Bangladeshis, Rohingyas [from Myanmar] or any other type of illegal
residents, they must be kept out”, said Singh.
Known
for his hard-line Hindutva stance, the union minister also stressed the need
for a “strong anti-conversion law”.
He
said there is a need for redefining the term minorities and even doing away
with it in the light of the Narendra Modi government's motto of 'Sabka saath
sabka vikas'.
“Even
[Mehmood] Madani has said he does not belong to a minority group”, Singh said,
referring tongue in cheek to the Deoband cleric's recent averment that Muslims
should consider themselves to be in "majority" taking into account
all “like-minded” people.
Asked
about his take on the Gyanvapi controversy and the leak of video footage of a
survey conducted at the premises and the Places of Worship Act of 1991, which
is being resented by those demanding “restoration” of a temple at the mosque
site, he said the matter is sub-judice and he cannot comment on such a matter.
"Nonetheless,
in my view, the POW Act is not applicable to Gyanvapi. We must also understand
why Muslims are so worked up over the leak of the video footage”, he remarked.
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
To
Stay Afloat In Mathura, Muslim Hotelier Replaces Staff with Hindus
Jun
1, 2022
AGRA:
As religious passions run high in the temple city of Mathura over petitions
pertaining to the proposed "removal" of the Shahi Idgah mosque, a
Muslim hotelier, whose family has been running an establishment for almost half
a century, claims he had to change everything about his restaurant -- its name,
staff, and even food -- to adjust to these "new times". "Being a
Muslim has become difficult in the city. I am constantly looked upon with
suspicion," said the businessman, 56-year-old Mohammad Zameel. His
establishment on Daresi road, known as the 'Taj Hotel' since 1974, was
rechristened as the 'Royal Family Restaurant' in December 2021.
"We
live in times of uncertainty and constantly fear the unknown. We have no option
but to hide our identities in order to earn our livelihood. This restaurant has
been my family's source of income for decades. Before me, my parents used to
run it. It's painful for me to change my family's legacy," Zameel told
TOI.
The
hotelier has fired eight of his Muslim staff to hire Hindus instead. "They
cook better vegetarian food. That's all we're allowed to sell after the state
government banned the sale of meat and liquor in the city last year," he
said.
Gone
are the chicken kormas, chicken changezis, and niharis. The new menu consists
of paneer changezi and paneer korma, along with other vegetarian dishes such as
kadhai paneer, shahi paneer, and dal tadka.
"I
have stopped sitting at the cash counter to ensure that my appearance doesn't
keep clients away. I've hired Hindu staff to take my place," he said.
Zameel
told TOI that it took him a couple of months to change everything about his
restaurant -- the name, the menu, and the staff.
He
added, "I have faced huge losses. Some anti-social elements still don't
allow me to operate smoothly as I am on their target. My income has reduced to
Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 a day, from around Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000 a day
earlier." "This is the first time in my life that I've seen such
hostility in the area. This was a peaceful temple town and we lived
harmoniously. Suddenly, everything has changed. No one can even think about
eating non-vegetarian dishes at their homes because there's always fear that a
right-wing activist may thrash us after accusing us of 'smuggling beef'."
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India,
Bangladesh flag off new passenger train service, Mitali Express
01st
June 2022
NEW
DELHI: To further strengthen people-to-people connectivity through the railways
between India and Bangladesh, the two countries started a new passenger train
service, Mitali Express, via the recently-restored Haldibari-Chilahati rail
link on Wednesday.
The
third passenger train service between India and Bangladesh, which was virtually
inaugurated by the prime ministers of the two countries on March 27 last year,
was flagged off virtually by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his
Bangladeshi counterpart Mohammad Nurul Islam Sujan.
The
train service could not be started earlier due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Speaking
on the occasion, Vaishnaw said Mitali Express will be yet another milestone in
strengthening the bond between the two neighbouring countries.
The
train will run bi-weekly (departure from New Jalpaiguri at 11.45 am on Sunday
and Wednesday, arrival in Dhaka at 10.30 pm on the same days and departure from
Dhaka at 9.50 pm on Monday and Thursday and arrival in New Jalpaiguri at 7.15
am on Tuesday and Friday) and cover a distance of 595 kilometres (of which a
61-kilometre stretch is in India).
The
LHB coach of the Indian Railways (like the ones used in the Maitree Express and
Bandhan Express trains) will be used, comprising four First AC, four AC Chair
Car and two Power cars.
There
will be three classes -- AC First (Cabin) Sleeper, AC First (Cabin) seat and AC
Chair car, and the fare will be USD 44, USD 33 and USD 22 respectively.
The
new passenger service, Mitali Express, will give a boost to both countries'
tourism since it connects Bangladesh with north Bengal as well as the
northeastern region of India.
It
will also provide an access to Nepal to Bangladeshi citizens via India by rail.
The
new train is in addition to two existing passenger train services --
Kolkata-Dhaka-Kolkata Maitree Express (five days a week) and
Kolkata-Khulna-Kolkata Bandhan Express (two days a week) -- between India and
Bangladesh.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
‘Terrorist
attack’ on UN convoy in Mali kills Jordan peacekeeper, injures three
02 June,
2022
A
UN peacekeeper was killed and three others wounded Wednesday in a
"terrorist attack" on their convoy in Kidal, northern Mali, the
MINUSMA mission said.
The
casualties were members of the mission's Jordanian contingent, a security
official said separately on condition of anonymity.
The
convoy was hit by small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in an attack
that lasted about an hour, MINUSMA spokesman Olivier Salgado tweeted.
“Unfortunately,
one of the blue helmets succumbed to his wounds following the attack,” he
posted in French.
No
details were given about the suspected attackers.
In
a statement, the UN's special representative for Mali and head of MINUSMA,
El-Ghassim Wane, said the peacekeepers repelled the assailants, who were
heavily armed.
“I
strongly condemn this attack, which is another desperate attempt by terrorist
groups to hamper the quest for peace in Mali and the implementation of
MINUSMA's mandate,” he said.
The
attack was the fifth incident to occur in Mali's Kidal region in a week, the
statement said.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack, according to a
spokesperson, saying attacks on peacekeepers “may constitute war crimes under
international law.”
“He
calls on the Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the
perpetrators of this attack so that they can be brought to justice swiftly,”
the spokesperson said.
MINUSMA
-- the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali
-- was deployed in 2013 to help shore up the fragile Sahel state in the face of
extremist attacks.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Somali
president urges immediate international humanitarian action as drought
escalates
Mohammed
Dhaysane
01.06.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
President
Hassan Sheikh Mohamud implored the international community to help Wednesday
with the ongoing drought response as Somalia prolonged drought conditions
escalate.
Mohamud,
who was elected May 15, visited internally displaced persons camps on the
outskirts of Baidoa, one of the worst affected areas in the country.
"I
am indeed saddened but I also pledged to take action," he wrote on Twitter
after the visit.
He
added that they will work with all partners to effectively address the drought.
Mohamud
spoke directly to the international community and pleaded for immediate action
to help save lives.
"The
international community has been standing by the Somali people for the last 3
decades, now it's another time. We commit and willing and hope this might be
the last time," he said.
Somalia
is experiencing one of the worst droughts in 40 years and the UN raised the
alarm Wednesday as it warned that 330,000 children in Somalia are at risk of
dying from starvation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libya’s
Dbeibeh calls for resuming oil exports amid dispute on revenues
Moataz
Wanees
01.06.2022
TRIPOLI,
Libya
Libyan
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh on Wednesday called for the resumption of
oil exports amid a dispute over the distribution of revenues.
“Oil
exports must be resumed and then reaching an understanding on a mechanism to
distribute revenues,” Dbeibeh said during a Cabinet meeting in the capital
Tripoli.
Much
of Libya’s oil facilities have been shut down by tribal groups since April amid
pressure on Dbeibeh to cede power to the Parliament-appointed government of
Fathi Bashagha.
Libya
holds Africa’s largest crude reserves, but 11 years of conflict in the country
since the 2011 ouster of ruler Muammar Gaddafi has hobbled production and exports.
Dbeibeh
reiterated his rejection of calls for infighting among Libyans.
“We
still extend our hands for peace and dialogue,” he said.
Bashagha,
a former interior minister, was appointed by the Tobruk-based parliament in
March to replace Dbeibeh as a prime minister. Dbeibeh, however, insists on
remaining in his post.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Entry
of the Lord into Egypt: Egypt’s Coptic Christians Put Down Roots around The
World, But Remained Grounded in Their Culture
Jonathan
Gornall
June
02, 2022
LONDON:
Coptic Christians in Egypt and in scattered migrant communities across the world
celebrated on Wednesday the "Entry of the Lord into Egypt,” an annual
feast day. That celebration is followed by The Holy Feast of Ascension,
commemorating the Christian belief in Christ’s bodily ascension into heaven.
In
a sense, the two consecutive feast days bookend the Coptic experience. The one
marks their deep-rooted pride in an Egyptian heritage that predates the arrival
of Islam, while the other celebrates the spiritual value of self-sacrifice,
which would come to define the experience of a church forged in martyrdom soon
after Christ’s death on the cross.
Back
in April, Egypt’s Christians celebrated two other consecutive special days.
Orthodox
Easter fell on April 24, a date set by the Julian calendar under which the
Church of Alexandria operates, rather than the Gregorian calendar used by the
rest of Christianity, with which the Copts parted ways over theological
differences in the fifth century.
But
the following day, together with Egyptians of all faiths, Copts celebrated the
national holiday of Sham Ennessim. The origins of this festival of spring date
back millennia to the days of the pharaohs and, like the Copts themselves,
survived the Arabization of Egypt in the seventh century to become an integral
part of Egyptian society.
Around
the world are many Copts, some now second or even third generation, who were
born on foreign soil after their parents emigrated in search of a better life,
yet who also remain rooted in Egypt and its culture.
The
life and work of Fadi Mikhail, a successful artist in the UK, symbolizes the
generations who were born overseas to immigrant parents, but maintain strong
ties to their Egyptian and Coptic heritage.
Mikhail’s
parents, Hany and Salwa, emigrated from Egypt in the late 1970s, his father
pursuing his career as a doctor in the UK. “The promise of higher pay and a
better life called to him,” said Mikhail.
Born
in Harlow, England, in 1984, Mikhail studied in Los Angeles under the renowned
Egyptian iconographer Isaac Fanous before graduating from the Slade School of
Fine Art in London.
Today,
he produces icons for Coptic churches around the world, but his art is a visual
bridge between East and West — he has a parallel career as a painter in the
Western tradition, working in oils to produce landscapes, or drawing inspiration
from books he enjoyed as a child.
His
work is showcased by British galleries and has led to commissions for notable
patrons, including the Prince of Wales.
Mikhail
and his wife return to Egypt only for the occasional annual vacation. But, like
most Copts scattered around the world, he says that “through the church I do
still feel strongly connected to the Coptic faith and, by extension, Egypt.”
His
interest in iconography “certainly began as a religious connection but has more
recently become equally a part of my identity as an Egyptian.”
His
parents’ generation, he said, “were particularly strong as a community, having
banded together as recent immigrants, wanting to retain as much Egyptian
culture as possible. Faith was an intrinsic part of this.”
He
concedes that, “now in our second and third generation, the Coptic community in
the UK is certainly experiencing some challenges of identity and the struggle
to feel or appear as unwavering in our ‘Egyptianness’ as our parents.
“Practising
one’s faith in a church in the West, where Western thought is certainly more
liberal, while remaining in communion with the Eastern church, which is
considerably more conservative, is difficult.
“However,
I believe we have been very lucky with the wisdom of our leadership here in the
UK, and to date I believe the waters have been wisely and deftly navigated.”
Wherever
emigrating Copts have put down roots, their communities and their church have
flourished. In addition to the estimated 15 million Copts in Egypt — some 10
percent of the population — there are now thought to be more than 2 million
living abroad, chiefly in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe, where they make
up mainly a wealthy and educated immigrant class of professionals, such as
doctors or engineers.
The
first Coptic parish in North America, St. Mark’s, was established in Toronto in
1964. It was followed shortly afterwards by the parish of St. Mark’s in New
Jersey, which was founded in the late 1960s and saw the building of the first
Coptic church in the West.
But
one of the oldest Coptic communities abroad was founded in the 1950s in the UK,
where the first Coptic liturgy in Europe was conducted in London on Aug. 10,
1954. The community was founded largely by Copts who studied medicine and moved
to Britain to pursue their careers free of the glass ceilings that held them
back in Egypt.
In
1978, the Coptic pope, Shenouda III, traveled from Egypt to the UK to
consecrate St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Kensington, London, the first
Coptic Orthodox Church in Europe.
Since
then, the church in the UK has gone from strength, with in excess of 20,000
faithful across 32 parishes. In 2002 Shenouda returned to lay the foundation
stone for the Cathedral of St. George, which was inaugurated in the Hertfordshire
town of Stevenage, England, in 2006.
The
head of the church in the UK is Archbishop Anba Angaelos, whose personal story
of migration in many ways echoes that of so many Copts.
Born
in Cairo in 1967, as a child he emigrated with his family to Australia. There
he obtained a degree in political science, philosophy and sociology and, after
postgraduate studies in law, returned to Egypt in 1990, where he became a monk
and joined the historic monastery of St. Bishoy in Wadi El-Natrun.
In
1995, he was sent to the UK as a parish priest. Four years later, he was made a
general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church and on Nov. 18, 2017 was enthroned
as the first Coptic Orthodox archbishop of London.
Icons
in St. George Cathedral were painted by Fadi Mikhail in the modern Coptic style
championed by his teacher Isaac Fanous.
The
Copts who live abroad, said Angaelos, “don’t look at ourselves as a diaspora
community, one that has faced persecution and has dispersed. We are a migrant
community, people who have gone to find a better life for themselves and for
their children and who still maintain links with Egypt.”
Egypt’s
Coptic Christians can justifiably claim to be the original Egyptians, guardians
of a language once spoken by the pharaohs and keepers of a faith forged in
adversity.
“We
are an indigenous people,” said Angaelos. “I can trace my heritage as a
Christian back to St. Mark, who established Christianity in Egypt, and even
further back to my ancient Egyptian roots.”
According
to scripture, Mary and Joseph sought refuge in Egypt with the infant Jesus to
escape the massacre of all male children aged 2 or under in Bethlehem ordered
by King Herod.
A
generation later, it was in the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria that Mark
the Evangelist founded the church that would become one of the five great
episcopal sees of early Christendom, alongside Constantinople, Antioch,
Jerusalem and Rome.
Copts
have not always felt welcome in Egypt. Under Roman rule, Christians throughout
the empire suffered persecution for centuries. St. Mark himself was murdered
and martyred by a pagan mob in the streets of Alexandria in A.D. 68, and
hundreds of Christians died in Egypt during the reign of the Emperor
Diocletian.
Such
was the impact of what became known as the Diocletianic persecution that the
years of the liturgical calendar used by the Coptic Orthodox Church are counted
from A.D. 284, the beginning of Diocletian’s reign. For the Copts, years are
labelled not A.D. (Anno Domini, “the year of our Lord”), but A.M. — Anno Martyrum,
“Year of the Martyrs.”
With
the rise of Islam in the seventh century, the Copts faced new challenges to
their faith and their ancient language, a direct linguistical descendant from
the ancient Egyptian tongue. As many Copts converted to Islam, in part to avoid
the increasingly onerous taxes imposed on non-Muslims, use of the language was
steadily eroded and now survives only in the monasteries and liturgies of the
Coptic Church.
All
these obstacles the Copts navigated stoically for many centuries, through times
of great unrest and periods during which Christians and Muslims lived side by
side in harmony in Egypt.
In
the 20th century, however, a series of social, economic and political upheavals
— aggravated by Britain’s divide-and-rule policies in Egypt and leading
ultimately to the “Free Officers” coup of 1952 and President Gamal Abdel
Nasser’s pan-Arab reforms — saw the start of a steady trickle of Copts
emigrating in the hope of finding a better life in the West.
Even
before the revolution, “Copts were being slowly pushed out of Egyptian
politics,” said Michael Akladios, founder and director of Egypt Migrations, a
Coptic cultural and archival project set up in Canada in 2016 to preserve the
stories of Egypt’s migrants.
“Immediately
following the revolution, graduate Copts began to emigrate, going to the UK,
Canada and the US, because they were hitting ceilings within the schools and
professions.”
Akladios
said it was a mistake to characterize all Coptic emigration from Egypt as the
product of fear or persecution. His own family emigrated to Canada when he was
8, joining his father’s siblings who had already settled in Toronto, and the
move was “economically motivated.”
“Yes,
persecution is an element,” he said. “But the Copts are more than their churches;
they’re also human beings with needs and families, and they make decisions as
pragmatic migrants just like anybody else.”
For
Copts in Egypt today, said Archbishop Angaelos, “there are still challenges.
But one of the most important things for Copts, in Egypt and abroad, is that
over the past decade we have seen a much greater, harmonious existence between
Christians and Muslims.”
One
man is the flag-bearer for the new spirit of interfaith harmony abroad in Egypt
– Gen. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who was elected president in 2014 and has been
responsible for a series of gestures of inclusive non-sectarianism.
When
20 migrant Coptic Egyptian workers and a Ghanaian colleague were beheaded on a
beach in Libya by terrorists in February 2015, it was El-Sisi who sent the
Egyptian Air Force to exact revenge on Daesh.
When
a series of attacks against Copts and Coptic churches was unleashed in 2017,
claiming dozens of lives, the wave of terror was crushed by an overwhelming
response by the Egyptian army.
In
2018, El-Sisi’s government paved the way for the return of the Libyan martyrs’
bodies to Egypt. In the village of Al-Aour in Upper Egypt, where many of the
men had lived, they were laid to rest in the newly built Church of the Martyrs
of Faith and Homeland, the construction of which had been funded by the
Egyptian government.
And
Copts everywhere were delighted when El-Sisi joined Coptic Pope Tawadros for
Christmas Mass in the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ in Egypt’s New
Administrative Capital on Jan. 6 this year. In a speech, El-Sisi spoke of a
“new republic” in Egypt “that accommodates everyone without discrimination.”
As
if to underline the point, just over a month later the first Coptic Christian
was appointed head of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court, the highest
judicial authority in the country.
For
Michael Akladios, and for the Coptic community in Egypt and the wider world,
the appointment of Judge Boulos Fahmy Eskandar on Feb. 9, 2022, was “a
promising step on the road to greater Coptic inclusion and representation in
Egypt’s public sphere.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2095006/middle-east
--------
Syria:
50 detained Islamic State fighters returned to Iraq
June
2022
Fifty
Iraqi fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group detained by Kurdish-led forces
in northeast Syria have been returned home to face legal action, security
services said on Wednesday.
The
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) handed them over at the Rabia border post,
Iraq's joint operations command said in a statement, according to AFP.
It
said the captives would be questioned by the interior ministry's intelligence
services, which would take "all necessary judicial measures".
Iraq
has prosecuted thousands of its nationals accused of IS membership, a charge
which carries the death sentence under its anti-terrorism laws.
The
SDF has warned of the high-security risks of holding thousands of IS prisoners,
as highlighted by a jailbreak attempt by militants in January in Ghwayran,
northeast Syria, that cost hundreds of lives in several days of fighting.
Iraq
also repatriated 100 militants in December, the latest in a string of such
operations.
A
senior military official told AFP that some 3,500 Iraqi detainees remain in
Syrian Kurdish jails, as well as 30,000 other Iraqis, including 20,000
children, in Syria's al-Hol camp for the displaced.
In
contrast to the reticence of western countries, Iraq has so far repatriated
more than 450 families from the camp.
Iraq
announced its victory against IS in late 2017 after three years of ferocious
fighting backed by paramilitary forces and the US-led international coalition.
But
IS cells still carry out hit-and-run attacks, particularly in the vast desert
regions of northern and western Iraq near the porous border with Syria.
The
IS group has "maintained the ability to launch attacks at a steady rate in
Iraq, including hit-and-run operations, ambushes, and roadside bombs", a
UN report said in February.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-iraq-50-islamic-state-jailed-fighters-returned-home
--------
SDF
commander raises concern over new Turkish threat in Syria
02
June, 2022
Syrian
Democratic Forces commander-in-chief raised concern over the new Turkish
threats that “pose high risk on northern Syria,” in a Twitter statement on
Thursday.
“Any
offensive will divide Syrians, create a new humanitarian crisis, and displace
original inhabitants and IDPs,” he said, adding that a “new escalation” will
also negatively affect their fight against ISIS.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘Major
confrontation’ with Hezbollah ahead, says Lebanon Christian politician
01
June, 2022
The
Christian Lebanese Forces party will veto as prime minister anyone aligned with
the armed Shia movement Hezbollah and stick to its boycott of government if a
new consensus cabinet is formed, the party's leader said on Wednesday.
Lebanon
is in the throes of one of the world's worst economic meltdowns, according to
the World Bank, with the local lira losing 90 percent of its value since 2019.
Analysts
have warned that the divisions in parliament will likely delay consensus on
reform laws needed to drag Lebanon out of crisis. They could also create a
vacuum in top leadership positions.
While
the LF and independent newcomers gained more seats in last month's elections,
they still failed to prevent Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri from securing a seventh
term as speaker in parliament's first session on Tuesday.
“If
it's a government that includes everyone as usual, of course we won't approve
and we won't take part,” LF party chief Samir Geagea told Reuters.
“...They
(Hezbollah) shouldn't celebrate too much,” he said, adding that the splits in
parliament would lead to a “major confrontation” between Iran-backed Hezbollah
and its allies on one side and the Saudi-aligned LF on the other.
Tuesday's
session was the first since the new parliament was elected on May 15, in the
first vote since Lebanon's economic collapse and the Beirut port explosion of
2020 that killed more than 215 people.
The
LF was founded as an armed movement during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war but
officially laid down its arms after the conflict.
It
has taken part in both parliament and cabinet but has opted out of the latter
since 2019, when widespread anti-government protests broke out in Beirut.
Independent
lawmakers have balked at the LF's roles in the war and in the political
establishment more recently, but Geagea said newcomer MPs would have little
influence if they did not align with his party.
“We
all need one another to be able to go through the process of change and
recovery that is required,” he said.
Lebanon's
system of government now requires President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah
and rival of the LF, to consult with lawmakers on their choice for prime
minister.
Geagea
declined to say whether the LF would support a fresh term for current premier
and frontrunner Najib Mikati or if his party would back a different name.
The
new cabinet will only last a few months, as parliament is set to elect a
successor to Aoun, whose presidential term ends on Oct. 31. The next president
would then name a new premier.
Aoun
came to power as president in 2016 with the LF's backing after decades of
intense rivalry between the two.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘Major
confrontation’ with Hezbollah ahead, says Lebanon Christian politician
June
01, 2022
MAARAB,
Lebanon: The Christian Lebanese Forces party will reject anyone aligned with
the armed Shiite movement Hezbollah as prime minister and stick to its boycott
of government if a new consensus cabinet is formed, the party’s leader said on
Wednesday.
Lebanon
is in the throes of one of the world’s worst economic meltdowns, according to
the World Bank, with the local lira losing 90 percent of its value since 2019.
Analysts
have warned that the divisions in parliament will likely delay consensus on
reform laws needed to drag Lebanon out of crisis. They could also create a
vacuum in top leadership positions.
While
the LF and independent newcomers gained more seats in last month’s elections,
they still failed to prevent Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri from securing a seventh
term as speaker in parliament’s first session on Tuesday.
“If
it’s a government that includes everyone as usual, of course we won’t approve
and we won’t take part,” LF party chief Samir Geagea told Reuters.
“They
(Hezbollah) shouldn’t celebrate too much,” he said, adding that the splits in
parliament would lead to a “major confrontation” between Iran-backed Hezbollah
and its allies on one side and the LF on the other.
Tuesday’s
session was the first since the new parliament was elected on May 15, in the
first vote since Lebanon’s economic collapse and the Beirut port explosion of
2020 that killed more than 215 people.
The
LF was founded as an armed movement during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war but
officially laid down its arms after the conflict.
It
has taken part in both parliament and cabinet but has opted out of the latter
since 2019, when widespread anti-government protests broke out in Beirut.
Independent
lawmakers have balked at the LF’s roles in the war and in the political
establishment more recently, but Geagea said newcomer MPs would have little
influence if they did not align with his party.
“We
all need one another to be able to go through the process of change and
recovery that is required,” he said.
Lebanon’s
system of government now requires President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah
and rival of the LF, to consult with lawmakers on their choice for prime minister.
Geagea
declined to say whether the LF would support a fresh term for current premier
and frontrunner Najib Mikati or if his party would back a different name.
The
new cabinet will only last a few months, as parliament is set to elect a
successor to Aoun, whose presidential term ends on Oct. 31. The next president
would then name a new premier.
Aoun
came to power as president in 2016 with the LF’s backing after decades of
intense rivalry between the two.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2094806/middle-east
--------
Rocket
attack by YPG/PKK terror group injures 3 civilians in northern Syria
Omer
Koparan and Ethem Emre Ozcan
01.06.2022
JARABULUS,
Syria (AA) - A rocket attack by the YPG/PKK terrorist group injured three
civilians in the Jarabulus district in northern Syria, local sources said on
Wednesday.
The
attack was carried out from the Manbij district and the injured persons were
taken to nearby hospitals.
Following
the attack, the Turkish armed forces targeted the positions of the terror group
with howitzers.
The
YPG/PKK terror group often mounts attacks on Jarabulus, Afrin, and Azaz from
the Manbij and Tal Rifat areas in Syria.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gulf
united on Russia-Ukraine war, says Saudi foreign minister
MOHAMMED
AL-SULAMI AND LAMA AL-HAMAWI
June
01, 2022
RIYADH:
Gulf nations stand united on the issue of the conflict between Russia and
Ukraine, according to Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin
Farhan.
“Our
stance as Gulf countries regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis is unified,” he
said on Wednesday during a speech at the opening of the 152nd session of the
Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“Today
we had two fruitful meetings with the Russian and Ukrainian ministers, during
which we stated our unified stance regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and
its negative consequences, namely the food security of the affected countries
and the world.”
Closer
to home, he added, regional security and concerns about the activities of Iran
are important unifying factors.
“Laying
the foundations of our regional security is one of the most important pillars
of our unity, which faces big challenges and requires close coordination to
reach a common approach to our international relations to nurture our interests,”
said Prince Faisal.
“In
the forefront of these challenges is Iran’s nuclear project, its arming of
militias, its support for terrorism and its destabilizing behavior in the
region. That’s why our dialogue and communication with Iran should be based on a
unified Gulf stance, through which we call for peace, cooperation and adherence
to the principles of international legitimacy and good-neighborliness, so we
can be able to work together to achieve our developmental plans within a stable
regional environment that supports partnerships and economic-diversification
projects.”
He
added: “The stability of the brotherly country of Yemen is an integral part of
the security of the Gulf system and the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, the GCC
countries emphasize the provision of all means of support to achieve the goals
of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and empower its supporting bodies to
carry out the roles assigned to them, so that Yemen can regain its stability
and security and maintain its unity and sovereignty.
“We
reiterate our support for the UN’s efforts, led by its special envoy to Yemen,
aiming to reach a comprehensive political solution to end the crisis in Yemen.
“We
seek during our meeting today to contribute to the security and stability of
our countries and achieve our people’s aspirations for a better future.”
Sergey
Lavrov, Russia’s minister of foreign affairs, said that Western nations seek to
form a unilateral world led by the US. During a press conference on Wednesday
after a closed meeting in Riyadh with his counterparts from GCC countries, he
also accused the West of pushing Ukraine to threaten the security of his
country.
Lavrov
said that GCC nations understand the nature of the conflict between his country
and the West, and that the Gulf states have given assurances that they will not
join Western nations in imposing sanctions on Moscow.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2094546/saudi-arabia
--------
South
Asia
UNAMA
Calls on the Taliban to Release Journalists and End “Draconian Measures”
By
Saqalain Eqbal
2
June, 2022
According
to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), journalists in
Afghanistan are not safe, and violence against them persists. The office calls
on the Taliban to stop harassing journalists and end extremely harsh and severe
measures.
On
Wednesday, 1st July, UNAMA tweeted asking on the Taliban to release all
detained media workers and journalists, and to stop torturing, arbitrarily
detaining, and threatening journalists.
At
the same time, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) demanded that the
Taliban be held accountable for the torture of journalist Roman Karimi and for
the detention of his driver.
The
CPJ urged that Jamaluddin Deldar, the head of the radio station, and Mirza
Hassani, a former owner of a local radio station, be released unconditionally
as soon as possible.
On
May 19, while reporting a women’s demonstration, Roman Karimi and his driver
were detained and tortured by the Taliban.
The
Taliban, according to Steven Butler, Asia Program Coordinator for Committee to
Protect Journalists, should immediately release the detained journalists and
investigate the attack on Roman Karimi and the detention of his driver.
He
highlighted arbitrary detention and torture as indicators of Afghanistan’s
deteriorating media environment, emphasizing that the process of access to
information and an open society was in grave danger.
According
to the Afghanistan Journalists Center, at least 80 journalists have been
detained and tortured by the Taliban in the last nine months.
According
to other figures, over 45 percent of journalists have quit since the Taliban
assumed power, either due to threats or to leave the country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
No
Major Issues with Pak, Won’t Allow Terror Acts from Afghan Soil: Afghanistan’s
Defence Minister Mullah Yaqoob
JUNE
02, 2022
Tensions
have been running high at the borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan even as
the two countries attempt to defuse the situation. The nearly 2,400km Durand
Line has been a perpetual flashpoint between the two sides, especially after
Pakistan started erecting fences there.
However,
speaking to CNN-News18 in a global exclusive interview, Afghanistan’s defence
minister Mullah Yaqoob maintained that things are not as bad as they seem.
“Our
relations with Pakistan on the Durand Line and on a regional basis are
political in nature. Inshallah, our relations are good and there are no major
issues between us. On the issue of boundaries, I would mention that both
countries are separate and issues are bound to come up as is evident with other
countries. However, these incidents are not serious enough to cause a
disruption in our relations. We have made efforts to resolve the issues which
come up between us through talks,” he said.
The
Durand Line passes through the present-day Pakistani provinces of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (NWFP), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and
Balochistan. It also includes 10 provinces in Afghanistan.
The
shadow of terror has not left Afghanistan and has remained a constant source of
concern for countries like India as well as the United States and others.
Mullah
Yaqoob, however, attempted to assuage those worries, saying his country will
not allow its soil to be used to perpetrate terrorism in other nations.
“Our
relations with al-Qaeda broke when America started its attack on Afghanistan
and there is no new association with al-Qaeda. They went to Arab countries and
brought revolutions there and established themselves there. It is mentioned
that after the signing of the Doha agreement with America it is our national
and sincere responsibility to honour the pact, which clearly states that
Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against America and its coalition.
Therefore, we are dutybound to implement it in letter and spirit and lay
emphasis on it. Now we have put a check on it and America has also acknowledged
it,” he said.
The
defence minister also called upon other nations, particularly the United
States, to drop all bitterness towards Afghanistan and form cordial relations.
“The
20 years of our animosity should be transformed into new thought and synergy.
We are making efforts and are ready to have economic, political and other new
relations in all spheres with America. There is no problem with this. America
should also not create hurdles or pose challenges before the new government of
Afghanistan. We hope that they refrain from it and initiate multi-faceted
relations with the Afghan people,” he said.
As
far as Daesh (ISIS) is concerned, he said, it is crushed in Afghanistan and has
no physical presence here.
“Though,
it could be that they would have secretly moved to a few places. It is also
possible that similarly, they are present in other countries. We are on the
task to end the Daesh threat not only in Afghanistan but also in other
countries that would emanate from Afghanistan. We are working on it and have
largely been successful in this. I assure the countries of the world and the
neighbouring countries that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against other
countries by Daesh and we are earnestly working in this regard. We hope that
there would not be any difficulties in this,” said the minister.
A
United Nations report recently stated that Pakistan-based terror groups such as
Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, led by 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks
mastermind Hafiz Saeed, maintain their training camps in some provinces of
Afghanistan and some of them are directly under the Taliban control.
Source:
News18
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Islamic
Republic of Pakistan donates a street library to Sri Lanka
June
02, 2022
The
first street library in Colombo was opened on May 20, 2022 as a gift from the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Pakistan
High Commissioner H.E. Major Genaral(Retd) Umar Frooq Burki HI(M) and the
Chairman of the Urban Development Authority, Major General (Retd.) Udaya
Nanayakkara participated the opening ceremony. Rs. 2.3 million has been spent
for this library located in the parking lot near the Race Course mini pavilion,
Colombo 7. On behalf of the Pakistan Government, the High Commissioner of
Pakistan officially handed over the Library to the Chairman of the Urban
Development Authority, Government of Sri Lanka.
The
High Commissioner of Pakistan said that the library was given to the people of
Sri Lanka as a gift with the aim of further strengthening the brotherhood and
friendship between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. High Commissioner Major General
(Retired) Umar Frooq Burki further stated that the Government of Pakistan will
soon grant a similar street library to the people of Sri Lanka in Kandy. Major
General (Retd.) Udaya Nanayakkara, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority
, addressing the function said. ''Pakistan is one of the first countries to
establish diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka since independence in 1948. Both
Pakistan and Sri Lanka are Commonwealth member states. Both countries are
members of the Non-Aligned Movement and are members of the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Similarly, people in both
countries love cricket and there are a lot of cricket fans in both countries.
In this context, the two countries have a good mutual relationship as well as a
close friendship. The Government of Pakistan has donated this street library
worth Rs. 2.3 million to us, further enhancing the lasting friendship between
our two countries.
Source:
News LK
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Indian
officials visit Kabul for first Taliban meet since US left
June
2, 2022
India
has sent a team of foreign ministry officials to Afghanistan's capital of Kabul
for talks with senior members of the ruling Taliban, the ministry said on
Thursday, the first such meeting since the chaotic US withdrawal last year.
Poverty
and hunger have rocketed in the strife-torn nation since the Islamist militants
took power last year after the United States withdrew.
“The
Indian team will meet the senior members of the Taliban, and hold discussions
on India's humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan,” the ministry
said in a statement.
The
officials would oversee delivery of humanitarian assistance and visit areas
targeted by Indian-backed programmes or projects, it added.
India
has donated about 20,000 tonnes of wheat, 13 tonnes of medicines, 500,000 doses
of COVID-19 vaccine and winter clothing, with more medicine and foodgrain on
the way, it said.
The
South Asian nation pulled its officials out of Afghanistan last August and
closed its embassy, although New Delhi is keen to retain ties with the country.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1692752/indian-officials-visit-kabul-for-first-taliban-meet-since-us-left
--------
Taliban
forces kill four NRF members in Afghanistan’s Tagab
2
June, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], June 2 (ANI): Taliban forces killed four members of the National
Resistance Front during the clearing operation in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan
province, a local media reported.
The
incident took place on Tuesday morning in Tagab district, Khaama Press reported
citing Bakhtar state news agency.
Taliban’s
Director of Information and Culture in Badakhshan, Moizuddin Ahmadi, confirmed
the news and also said that their air force has also participated in the
operation.
The
Taliban’s allegation of killing four National Resistance Front members and
demolishing the group’s hideout has elicited no response from the National
Resistance Front, reported Khaama Press.
Meanwhile,
The National Resistance Front on Monday claimed that they have killed over 15
Taliban fighters in an ambush in Panjshir province.
Ali
Maysam Nazari, the National Resistance Front’s head of foreign relations, said
that their people have killed more than 15 Taliban fighters on the outskirts of
Panjshir.
The
Taliban have yet to make any comment on the resistance’s claim.
Earlier
this month, in a statement, Sebghatullah Ahmadi, a spokesman for the National
Resistance Front, claimed that 22 Taliban militants had been killed in battles
with the front, but local Taliban leaders in Panjshir refuted the claims,
saying that only three had been wounded, reported Khaama Press.
“Hostilities
had grown in Dara district, but a small-scale damage had been done to Taliban
troops, including the destruction of three vehicles and the injury of three
members,” Abu Bakr Siddiqui, spokesman for the Taliban governor in Panjshir
province, told the media.
Meanwhile,
a Taliban spokesman for the province claims that their “operation” to clear the
members of the NRF in the AbdullahKhel village has forced them to flee to the
mountains.
The
bodies taken to Kabul were also said to have been returned to the provinces,
according to the media.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/taliban-forces-kill-four-nrf-members-in-afghanistans-tagab/980220/
--------
Mideast
148
Israeli Violations against Palestinian Journalists in May: NGO
Nour
Abu Eisha
01.06.2022
GAZA
CITY, Palestine
An
Arab NGO has documented 148 Israeli rights violations against Palestinian
journalists in the occupied Palestinian territories last month.
In
a statement on Wednesday, the Journalists Support Committee said the month of
May witnessed a surge in attacks on Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces
and settlers.
It
termed the attacks as “an attempt to prevent Palestinian journalists from
covering Israeli assaults against Palestinians and their holy sites.”
According
to the NGO, the Israeli violations varied from arrests, intimidation, shooting,
verbal and physical assaults to car-ramming incidents.
It
said 11 journalists were detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank during
May, while the custody of five others were extended without trial.
"Israeli
forces, in collaboration with settlers, disrupted the work of 61 journalists
and media institutions while covering Israeli violations in the cities of
Jerusalem, Hebron and Jenin,” it added.
The
NGO also noted that the social media accounts of 11 Palestinian journalists
were suspended for alleged violations of publication rules.
Last
month, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, 51, was shot dead while
covering an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
army shoots, kills Palestinian during raid in West Bank
02
June, 2022
A
Palestinian was killed in an Israeli raid in the north of the occupied West
Bank on Wednesday night, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The
ministry said the Palestinian died after arriving at a hospital in Jenin in a
critical condition, having been “shot by live bullets in the chest and thigh.”
The
Israeli army said it had carried out an operation in the village of Yabad near
Jenin to demolish the home of Diaa Armashah, 27, who killed five people in a
gun attack in - Bnei Brak, an Orthodox Jewish city near Tel Aviv in March.
Palestinian
news agency Wafa said that six Palestinians were injured in the Israeli raid.
The
army added that it had informed the Armashah family of the demolition order on
April 17.
Israel
regularly destroys the homes of individuals it blames for attacks on Israelis.
The
practice, which often fuels tensions, has been condemned by critics as a form
of collective punishment. Israel insists it deters attacks.
On
Wednesday morning, Israeli soldiers shot dead Ghofran Warasnah, 31, near Hebron
after she “advanced” towards soldiers with a knife, the army said.
Nineteen
people, mostly Israeli civilians -- including 18 inside Israel and a Jewish
settler -- have been killed in attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs since
late March.
Israeli
security forces have responded with raids inside Israel and the West Bank,
particularly in the flashpoint northern district of Jenin. Three Israeli Arab
attackers and a police commando have died.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Erdogan
says Turkey to rid Syria's Tal Rifaat, Manbij of terrorists
01
June ,2022
President
Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday Turkey will rid northern Syria's Tal Rifaat
and Manbij areas of terrorists, confirming the targets of the new incursion for
the first time and saying it will continue into other regions.
His
comments, in a speech to lawmakers from his ruling AK Party, came a week after
he pledged a new military incursion on Turkey's southern border against the
US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia YPG, which Ankara views as a terrorist group.
“We
are going into the new phase of our determination to form a 30-km (20-mile)
deep safe zone along our southern border. We will clear Tal Rifaat and Manbij
of terrorists, and we will do the same to other regions step-by-step,” he said.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“Let's
see who supports these legitimate steps by Turkey and who hinders them,”
Erdogan added.
Ankara
has carried out four operations in northern Syria since 2016, seizing hundreds
of kilometres of land and pushing some 30 km deep into the country, mainly
targeting the YPG.
While
backing opposing sides in Syria's war, Turkey has coordinated with Russia on
its military operations.
Turkey's
cross-border operations have been criticized by its NATO allies, notably the US
and some have imposed a series of arms embargoes on Ankara. Washington
expressed concern at any new offensive in northern Syria, saying it would put
US troops at risk and undermine regional stability.
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday repeated the Biden
administration's opposition to the move.
“Any
escalation there in northern Syria is something that we would oppose, and we
support the maintenance of the current ceasefire lines,” Blinken told a news
conference.
“We
continue effectively to take the fight through partners to ISIS, within Syria,
and we don't want to see anything that jeopardizes the efforts that are made to
continue to keep ISIS in the box that we put it in,” he added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Seriously Pursuing Settlement of Dust Storms Problem with Iraq, Syria
2022-June-1
Iranian
Vice-President and Head of the Department of Environment (DOE) Ali Salajeqeh
said on Wednesday that Iran, Iraq and Syria will sign a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) to increase cooperation to combat dust storms.
He
pointed to the latest consultations with Iraqi and Syrian officials to combat
dust storms, said that the DOE's officials have had effective meetings with
these countries' officials and have discussed ways to control dust storms.
"In
Iraq, we had meetings with the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Environment,
Foreign Affairs, Interior, Agriculture and Water Resources, who all stressed
the need for cooperation in this field to combat the problem."
Salajeqeh
also declared endorsement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Syria
that will be implemented in the city of Deir Ezzur, adding that an MoU will be
signed with the Iraqi side on July 12, 2022, to control the foreign sources of
the dust storms.
Last
week, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi called on the regional states to
increase cooperation to resolve the dust storms problem in the region.
The
campaign against dust pollution is a public demand today and the entire
regional countries are expected to heed their responsibilities respectively,
Rayeesi said in a phone conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa
Al-Kadhimi on Sunday.
He
said that the climate change is not restricted to any certain country and no
borders are limits for the climatic phenomena.
Elsewhere,
Rayeesi expressed satisfaction with the progressing movement of the Iraqi
nation towards unity, and the interactions among various groups for
establishment of the new Iraqi government, and argued that the approval of a
law on prohibition of naturalizing relations with the Zionist regime at the
Iraqi parliament was a blessed act.
The
Iranian president said that development of connection routes between the two
countries leads to broader economic ties and regional stability, stressing that
Iran-Iraq railway project needs to become complete faster.
Al-Kadhimi,
for his part, appreciated Iran's support for the Iraqi Parliament's decision to
ban naturalizing ties with Israel.
He
said that the Palestinian issue is a top concern for the world Muslims as the
entire freedom and justice seekers in the world favor the liberation of
Palestine.
Al-Kadhimi
also assured President Rayeesi that the completion of Shalamcheh-Basra railroad
will be followed up seriously.
He
referred to his meeting with the head of the Iranian Environment Protection
Organization about the dust problem and the practical acts that each country
must pursue within the framework of an MOU.
Last
Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian wrote letters to
his counterparts in the region to discuss the origin of dust storms and
environmental crises caused by the spread of sandstorms in the region.
He
explained that "in addition to bilateral technical cooperation to control
tiny particles issue, the Islamic Republic of Iran calls for the conclusion of
a regional convention with the participation of the United Nations and its
specialized agencies, in particular, the United Nations Environment Program and
the World Health Organization".
Amir
Abdollahian added in the letter that "it is necessary to create a fund
under this proposed convention to which international and regional aid is deposited
to use the fund in fighting the particles and deforestation as soon as
possible".
The
Iranian foreign minister further pointed out that the dust storms are a
regional phenomenon as they spill over boundaries of the regional countries,
therefore they require a regional solution.
Amir
Abdollahian added that Iran had previously discussed the need for bilateral and
collective action to curb the phenomenon of dust storms and deforestation with
its Iraqi, Syrian, Kuwaiti and Turkish counterparts.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
SNSC
Secretary: Abadan's People to Overcome Hardship after Metropol Incident
2022-June-1
Shamkhani
offered sympathy with family members of the victims of a tower block collapse
in Abadan, saying the iconic city will eventually rise from the rubble of the
Metropol building and overcome the psychological warfare being waged by enemies
against the country in the aftermath of the tragedy.
He
added that those who lost their loved ones in the disaster were currently
grappling with “two types of debris”, one left from the building collapse and
the other caused by the “politically bankrupt” elements loyal to the ex-Pahlavi
regime.
“While
authorities are doing their utmost to remove the physical debris and
investigating the technical aspects that led to the incident, the elements who
are creating [psychological] rubble, are at work to fabricate and spread
maximum rumors in order to disturb public opinion,” Shamkhani said.
He
added that monarchists, members of the anti-Iran Mojahedin Khalq Organization
(MKO) terrorist group, and separatists had entered the scene to fuel the
psychological warfare using cyber space and satellite channels as a propaganda
tool.
However,
he said, today’s Abadan is the same city that successfully broke a siege
imposed on it by the army of ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the 1980s war,
and its “brave and patient people will overcome the hardships and problems with
the same spirit”.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey
breaks off high-level talks with Greece as rift grows
01 June,
2022
Turkey
will no longer hold high-level talks with neighboring Greece, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday amid rising tensions between the
traditional rivals.
Ankara
resumed negotiations with Athens last year following a five-year break to
address differences over a range of issues such as mineral exploration in the
eastern Mediterranean and rival claims in the Aegean Sea.
“We
broke off our high-level strategy council meetings with Greece,” Erdogan told a
meeting of his party’s lawmakers in Ankara, adding: “Don’t you learn any
lessons from history? Don’t try to dance with Turkey.”
The
talks had made little headway, but were a means for the two countries to air
out their grievances without resorting to a potential armed standoff as had
occurred as recently as two years ago.
Erdogan’s
pivot on the talks appeared to have been triggered last week when he signaled his
displeasure at comments made by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during
a trip to the US.
Erdogan
said Mitsotakis “no longer exists” for him after accusing the Greek leader of
trying to block Turkey’s acquisition of F-16 fighter planes.
Erdogan
also commented on Turkey’s objection to Sweden and Finland joining NATO. Ankara
has complained the Nordic states harbor terror suspects and arm a group in
Syria it accuses of being an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK
that has waged a 38-year insurgency inside Turkey.
“NATO
is a security organization, not a support organization for terrorist
organizations,” he said.
The
US and EU have categorized the PKK as a terror group. However, it’s Syrian
wing, the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, has played a leading role in the
US-led fight against ISIS.
Erdogan
said those who tried to legitimize the PKK with “letter tricks” were “deceiving
themselves, not us.”
The
president added that Turkey would not change its stance on the Swedish and
Finnish NATO application without seeing “binding documents” demonstrating a
hardened approach to those Ankara considers terrorists.
Regarding
a new cross-border military operation in Syria, Erdogan said Turkey was
“entering a new phase” in its goal to create a 30-kilometer (19-mile) buffer
zone south of the frontier.
The
territory is controlled by a Syrian Kurdish administration and Ankara says it
has been used to launch attacks on Turkey.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
says Iron Beam laser-based missile shield to cost just $2 per interception
01
June, 2022
A
laser-based air defense system that Israel hopes to deploy from next year to
neutralize enemy rockets and drones will cost just $2 per interception, Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett said on Wednesday.
Israel
currently depends on shoot-down systems that launch interceptor missiles
costing between tens of thousands and millions of dollars to track such
projectiles.
But
the Iron Beam system, a prototype of which was unveiled last year, uses lasers
to super-heat and disable aerial threats.
Bennett
predicted it would enter service by early 2023.
“This
is a game-changer, not just because we are striking at the enemy military, but
also because we are bankrupting it,” he said during a visit to the system’s
state-owned manufacturer, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Palestinian
and Lebanese forces have in past wars launched thousands of rockets and mortar
bombs at Israel, which has in recent years also intercepted drones it suspects
were launched by Iranian-backed fighters near its borders.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
'Don't
dare to cross limits': PM Shehbaz warns Imran against talking about Pakistan
breaking apart
Nadir
Gurmani
June
2, 2022
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif censured his predecessor Imran Khan on Thursday,
accusing him of "making naked threats against the country", deeming
him "unfit for public office" and warning him against "talking
about [the] division of Pakistan".
The
prime minister made these remarks in a Twitter post that referred to an
interview of Imran with anchorperson Sami Abraham for Bol News programme 'Tajzia'
last night during which the PTI chief urged the establishment to make the
"right decisions" and warned that if Pakistan were to lose its
nuclear deterrence, it would fragment into "three pieces".
In
the interview aired Wednesday night, he said the current political situation
was a problem for the country as well as the establishment. "If the
establishment doesn't make the right decisions then I can assure [you] in
writing that [before everyone else] they and the army will be destroyed because
what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt," he said.
"Pakistan
is going towards a default. If that happens then which institution will be
[worst] hit? The army. After it is hit, what concession will be taken from us?
Denuclearisation," he said. "If the right decisions aren't made at
this time then the country is going towards suicide."
Hours
after the interview was broadcast, PM Shehbaz tweeted: "While I am in
Turkey inking agreements, Imran Niazi is making naked threats against the
country. If at all any proof was needed that Niazi is unfit for public office,
his latest interview suffices."
"Do
your politics but don't dare to cross limits and talk about [the] division of
Pakistan," he warned the PTI chairperson.
In
a separate statement shared on the PML-N's Twitter, the premier said Imran's
remarks were proof that the PTI chief was "involved in a conspiracy, not
politics".
He
said Imran was spreading "chaos" due to his "frustration and
sick mentality", and that his statement was similar to those of Pakistan's
enemies.
"This
is not a statement but a conspiracy to spark the fire of anarchy and division
in the country," PM Shehbaz said.
"Losing
power does not mean that you wage a war against Pakistan, its unity and its
institutions," he said, warning Imran not to "attack" the
federation and country's institutions. "Don't exceed the limits [defined]
by the law and Constitution."
The
prime minister said the nation would not accept such "nefarious"
plans at any cost and would not let them succeed. He vowed to defeat such
"impure" aims.
'Modi's
language'
Earlier,
PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari also condemned Imran's remarks in a
late-night statement shared on his party's Twitter.
"No
one can talk about fragmenting Pakistan. This is not that language of a Pakistani
but that of [Indian PM] Modi," he said.
"Imran
Khan, power is not everything in this world. Be brave and learn to do politics
standing on your own feet," Zardari berated the PTI chief, saying that the
"wish of dividing this country into three pieces cannot be realised until
we and our future generations live".
He
concluded his statement by saying that "God willing, Pakistan will survive
till the Day of Judgement".
The
statement said Zardari had instructed the PPP to protest Imran's "impure
statement".
'Agenda
of anarchy and hate'
In
his condemnation in a series of tweets, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique
said Pakistan's nuclear programme was "safer in the hands of those"
who started it and carried out nuclear tests — a reference to his party, the
PML-N, which leads the incumbent coalition government.
He
demanded Imran to elaborate on what right decisions the "army" needed
to make.
The
minister said the "incompetent PTI's policy of hate, revenge and division
had brought the country on the brink of destruction" and alleged that
Imran had been "conspiring against democracy since 2011 to come to
power".
He
said Imran should improve his "manners, behaviour, language and character
before advising the army".
Rafique
said Imran should leave behind the "agenda of anarchy and hate" and
"learn to become a part of the political community before addressing the
judiciary and army".
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PTI
seeks apex court’s protection from ‘state torture’
Nasir
Iqbal
June
2, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
While the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) finally approached the Supreme Court
to seek its protection from the alleged ‘state torture’, the apex court on
Wednesday directed the city administration and spy agencies to submit reports
within a week explaining at what time PTI chairman Imran Khan had asked party
workers to reach D-Chowk in violation of the last week’s court order and
whether the crowds entering the Red Zone were ‘organised and supervised’ or
their act was random.
Headed
by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, a five-member SC bench
observed that peaceful protest was a constitutional right but it must be
exercised subject to permission by the state.
Read
more: Azadi March: Changing plan to stay at D-Chowk, Imran says will return in
6 days if elections not called
The
filing of the much-trumpeted petition by Barrister Ali Zafar on behalf of PTI
secretary general Asad Umar on Wednesday coincided with the release of the
damning order by the larger Supreme Court bench.
As
the petition sought a restraining order against the use of ‘coercive measures’
or ‘intimidating tactics’ to stop supporters and leaders of the PTI from
holding the next ‘peaceful Azadi March’ in Islamabad, PTI chairman Imran Khan
linked the announcement of the next protest date with a decision of the apex
court on the matter.
The
PTI in its petition argued that locking down an entire province and restricting
public movement amounted to illegal confinement and therefore contrary to the
fundamental rights and asked the SC to restrain the federal and Punjab
governments from restricting the movement of the people by any means. The
petition also requested the court to stop the government from using force or
any strong-arm tactics against anyone participating in the upcoming peaceful
assembly.
The
freedom of movement and the right to peaceful protest and procession is a
fundamental right of all the citizens of Pakistan, under the 1973 Constitution,
the petitioner emphasized, while claiming that the planned march was intended
to be peaceful without violating any law.
The
SC bench had earlier on May 26 dropped hints at taking cognizance of the
unfortunate situation on the previous night.
In
its order, the court observed that the high moral ground held by the parties
(government and the PTI) diminished, because public rights, interest and
property of the disinterested public were “breached” and “damaged badly”.
Authored
by the CJP, the majority order of the court asked Islamabad police chief and
chief commissioner, interior secretary, director generals of the Intelligence
Bureau and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to furnish reports at what time
did Mr Khan asked party workers to reach D-Chowk, and when, where and how did
the crowd cross the barricade to enter a hitherto closed area.
It
was further asked whether the protesters entering the Red Zone was ‘organised’
and ‘supervised’ or they moved randomly. Also, if there were any acts of
provocation or breach of assurance by the government, it asked.
If
any action or treatment meted out by the Islamabad police against the
protesters was disproportionate to the actual or perceived wrong committed by
the protesters, asked the SC.
Also,
the court sought details of how many protesters managed to enter the Red Zone,
which security arrangements were relaxed by the executive authorities, whether
any security barrier cordons were broken or breached by protesters, how many
protesters or party workers reached G-9/ H-9 ground and how many civilians were
injured/killed/ hospitalised or arrested. The reports, the SC ordered, should
reach within one week for perusal in chambers by members of the larger bench.
Contempt
proceedings
In
his additional note, Justice Yahya Afridi, a member of the larger bench,
observed that Mr Khan, prima facie had disobeyed the May 25 court directions,
therefore contempt proceedings be initiated against him for allegedly
disobeying the directions instead of calling reports from the state agencies.
Justice
Afridi also disagreed that no credible material was available before the court
for initiating independent contempt proceedings against Mr Khan who allegedly
disobeyed the May 25 court order.
The
SC viewed the May 25 events with concern, observing that apparently the
assurances conveyed to the court by counsel for PTI leadership may have been
dishonored by its workers/ supporters/ sympathizers by proceeding to D-Chowk in
the red zone area and by allegedly committing acts of arson and destruction of
public and private properties on the way.
The
court noted Mr Khan reached Jinnah Avenue leading to D-Chowk on May 26 early
morning and announced the postponement of the Islamabad sit-in for six days. As
a result, further damage to property or injury to human life was averted, it
observed.
Responsibility
Nevertheless,
the CJP noted, there remained the lurking question whether the responsibility
for the events of May 25 evening comprising reckless acts of mob anger could be
blamed upon the senior leadership of PTI.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1692715/pti-seeks-apex-courts-protection-from-state-torture
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Pakistan
jirga lands in Kabul to take talks with Pak Taliban forward
Jun
2, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A 50-member council of elders (jirga) from Pakistan arrived in Kabul on
Wednesday to join the ongoing talks between the outlawed Pakistani Taliban and
Islamabad after the two sides agreed a month ago to extend a month-long
ceasefire for an indefinite period.
The
jirga, constituted to take forward the dialogue process and reach an agreement
with the militants, has representatives from all seven tribal districts
bordering Afghanistan and Malakand division of Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province. It comprises tribal elders, lawmakers and top government
representatives, including federal minister Sajid Hussain Turi, a native of Orakzai
tribal region.
The
talks between the two have been facilitated by the Afghan Taliban in Kabul. It
had resulted in a month-long ceasefire on May 1. As the truce was due to expire
on May 31, the two sides agreed to extend it for an indefinite period to help
prevent the derailment of the fragile process.
Officials
said Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghanistan’s interior minister, has played a key in
mediating the talks. Sources familiar with the developments said Haqqani was
personally available in some sessions of the talks and had effectively
intervened to remove deadlocks to help push the process.
While
Pakistani authorities have not revealed what they had agreed upon in talks with
the TTP so far, Islamabad had last month released several TTP figures, including
key leaders Muslim Khan and Mahmood Khan. Both leaders were on the list of over
100 detainees, the release of whom was one of the group’s key demands.
Muslim
Khan, who had served as spokesperson for the TTP’s Swat chapter, was arrested
in 2009 and later awarded the death penalty in 2016. Pakistan army chief
General Qamar Javed Bajwa had confirmed his death sentence. Reports suggested
that he was pardoned through a presidential decree.
Previously,
the TTP had been demanding restoration of the traditional semi-autonomous
status of several of its tribal districts, formerly known as the Federally
Administered Tribal Areas, or Fata. The militants also demanded withdrawal of
Pakistani troops from the rugged mountainous region and implementation of
Sharia law in erstwhile Fata. They reject the Pakistani constitution as
un-Islamic.
Islamabad,
for its part, has been asking the TTP to shun militancy, dissolve the group and
start living as normal Pakistani citizens.
Shaukatullah
Khan, a jirga member and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s former governor, said he was
hopeful of the outcome of peace talks, saying that the situation had changed in
the region after the exit of foreign forces from Afghanistan.
Since
its inception in 2007, the TTP-led suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks
have killed tens of thousands of Pakistanis, including security forces.
Sustained military operation by Pakistan has significantly degraded the group’s
abilities to carry out major attacks.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pak
govt, TTP agree to extend ceasefire indefinitely amidst ongoing negotiations to
end militancy
SAJJAD
HUSSAIN
31
May, 2022
Islamabad/Peshawar,
May 31 (PTI) The Pakistan government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) have agreed to extend the ceasefire indefinitely amidst ongoing
negotiations between the two sides to end the nearly two decades of militancy
in the tribal region, bordering Afghanistan.
The
ceasefire, which was to come to an end on the night of May 30, has been
extended for an indefinite period, sources told PTI.
The
extension in ceasefire indicates significant progress in talks between the two
sides in the Afghan capital Kabul, Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing
sources familiar with the development.
The
TTP, also known as the Pakistan Taliban, was set up as an umbrella group of
several militant outfits in 2007. Its main aim is to impose its strict brand of
Islam across Pakistan.
The
group, which is believed to be close to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several
deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in
2009, assaults on military bases and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in
Islamabad.
Citing
Sources, the paper said that the two sides had agreed to extend the ceasefire
and continue peace talks following separate meetings with Mullah Muhammad
Hassan Akhund, acting Prime Minister of the Taliban-led Afghanistan government,
at his office the other day.
These
sources said that in his meetings with the two sides, the septuagenarian leader
expressed his desire that the talks and ceasefire should be allowed to continue
without any cut-off date.
In
a subsequent joint meeting, the two sides agreed to extend the ceasefire
indefinitely and pursue negotiations to end the conflict that has seen mass
dislocation and killings of thousands of people in Pakistan’s tribal region and
the country at large.
Afghanistan’s
interim Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid and TTP spokesman
Muhammad Khurasani had issued statements early this month, announcing extension
in the ceasefire till May 30.
No
official statement has been issued so far regarding the indefinite extension in
ceasefire.
The
development follows days of “intense and extensive negotiations” in the Afghan
capital attended by senior level delegations from the two sides that at one
point seemed close to breakdown.
Afghanistan’s
acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is the central mediator,
helped bring the talks back on track, sources said.
The
Pakistan government had demonstrated its seriousness by acceding to some of the
TTP’s demands after the Afghan Taliban suggested it would be important for
confidence-building to move from preliminaries to formal and structured
negotiations.
The
release of prisoners and presidential pardon to two key militant commanders,
including TTP Swat spokesman Muslim Khan, was one such demand.
The
government has released 30 TTP prisoners after the talks and ceasefire.
Compensation
for the dead and wounded, enforcement of Shariah regulation in Malakand,
withdrawal of military from the borders and reversal of tribal areas merger
into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were key demands from the TTP side, sources said.
The
government had no issue with some of the TTP’s demands, but two major issues
remained challenging: the reversal of tribal areas merger and the disbandment
of the TTP as an armed militant group, they said.
The
government delegates made it clear that the merger brought about through a
constitutional amendment was not up for discussion and that tribal people were
the main, important stakeholders.
The
TTP on its part had brought documents containing the commitment made by
Pakistan’s founder Qaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah with the tribal people
guaranteeing their autonomy in an independent Pakistan. They were told that the
reversal of the merger would mean return to the Frontier Crimes Regulation
which was a relic of the British Empire and did not contain anything that could
be considered ‘Islamic.’ The disbandment of the TTP is another make-or-break
issue, sources said.
The
government has made it clear that no armed group would be allowed to enter
Pakistan territory or operate as such.
The
next round of negotiations is expected to take place in the second week of
June, sources said, with a tribal jirga holding direct talks with the TTP in
Kabul.
Source:
The Print
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Country
to head towards civil war if elections not announced: Imran Khan
June
1, 2022
PTI
Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday warned that the country would descend into a
civil war if elections were not announced.
"We
will see if they allow us to go towards elections through legal and
constitutional means otherwise this country will go towards [a] civil
war," he said in an interview with anchorperson Sami Ibrahim for Bol News
programme Tajzia.
Imran
further said there was "no question" of returning to the National
Assembly as that would "mean accepting the conspiracy" that had
removed his government.
He
said he was waiting for the apex court to decide on his party's plea to provide
protection to the protestors, after which he said he would issue the date for
the next march.
'Did
not have absolute power as PM'
The
PTI chief admitted he did not enjoy absolute power as the prime minister,
indicating that the actual centres of power in the country lay elsewhere and
"everyone knows where that is."
In
the interview, Imran was asked to recall the events of the night of the
no-confidence vote against him, who was issuing orders and who had impeded the
cases against the PPP and PML-N leaders.
Imran
said his government had been "weak" when it came to power and had to
seek coalition partners, adding that if the same situation were to arise again,
he would opt for reelections and seek a majority government or none at all.
"Our
hands were tied. We were blackmailed from everywhere. Power wasn't with us.
Everyone knows where the power lies in Pakistan so we had to rely on
them," he said without elaborating any further who he was referring to.
"We
relied on them all the time. They did a lot of good things too but they didn't
do many things that should've been done. They have the power because they
control institutions such as NAB (National Accountability Bureau), which wasn't
in our control."
He
claimed that while his government had the responsibility, it did not have all
the power and authority.
"No
management works if I have responsibility but have no complete power and
authority. A system works only when responsibility and authority are in one
place."
Imran
said it was imperative for the country to have a "strong army" due to
the threat posed by the enemies but said there was also the need to strike a
"balance" between having a strong army and a strong government.
'If
establishment doesn't make right calls, country will head towards suicide'
The
PTI chief said the current political situation was a problem for the country as
well as the establishment. "If the establishment doesn't make the right
decisions then I can assure in writing that [before everyone else] they and the
army will be destroyed because what will become of the country if it goes bankrupt,"
he said.
"Pakistan
is going towards a default. If that happens then which institution will be
[worst] hit? The army. After it is hit, what concession will be taken from us?
Denuclearisation."
Imran
said that if Pakistan were to lose its nuclear deterrent capability, it would
be fragmented into three pieces. "If the right decisions aren't made at
this time then the country is going towards suicide," he warned.
Prodded
further to share his thoughts on the night of the no-confidence vote, Imran
declined to go in details and said: "History never forgives anyone. Things
come out. If you ask me, I won't go into details, but when history will be
written then it'll be counted as such a night in which Pakistan and its
institutions were damaged a lot.
"Those
same institutions weakened Pakistan which give it its foundation and
strengthened it."
Imran
said he had "clearly told the neutrals" that the PTI government's
economic performance, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, was nothing short of a
"miracle".
"I
told them if you do this and if this conspiracy [to remove my government] is
successful then our economy will go down," he said, adding that he had
also sent former finance minister Shaukat Tarin to give a presentation.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/azan-minneapolis-us-mosques/d/127156