Bangladesh Village Doctor Hacked To Death in Suspected Islamist Attack
New Age Islam News Bureau
20 May 2016
Photo: Christianity Meets Islam (Photo via Shutterstock)
• Pope Meeting with Imam While Blaming West For Extremism
• A New Lawsuit Claims a Secretive; Bush-Era Program Is Delaying Muslims’ Citizenship Cases
--
South Asia
• Bangladesh Village Doctor Hacked To Death in Suspected Islamist Attack
• US To Maintain 9,800 Troops in Afghanistan Through Most Of 2016: Kerry
• Sayyaf’s house comes under rocket attack in Kabul
• Russia ready establish helicopters service centre in Afghanistan
• Top Afghan army General Abdul Basir Sharwand martyred in Kandahar explosion
--
Europe
• Pope Meeting with Imam While Blaming West For Extremism
• Putin Given Go-Ahead by the Russian Parliament to Build New Super Army to Destroy ISIS
• Hungary: US Wants to Fill Europe with Muslim Migrants
• Crimean Muslim refugees feel welcome, but there’s no place like home
• Sberbank to start Islamic banking pilot program
--
North America
• A New Lawsuit Claims a Secretive; Bush-Era Program Is Delaying Muslims’ Citizenship Cases
• Largest US Muslim Centre Targets Spike in Islamophobia
• Meet Jewish America's first ambassador to Muslims
• Ayatollah: America is the Major Idolator
--
Africa
• Terrorists Polluting Islam, Says Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo
• Italy Turns To African Nations To Help Stabilize Libya And Stop Migration Flow
• Refugees’ fate rests on Ki-moon phone call to Kenya
--
Pakistan
• Three Suspected Suicide Bombers Killed In Peshawar as Jacket 'Accidentally Explodes'
• Indian N-Missile Ambitions Threaten 32 Littoral States: Aziz
• One of the killed militants along with seven other was ‘Al Qaeda country head’
• Pakistan may get F-16s by July: experts
• Journalist’s book on Kashmir banned in PoK
• 2,393 Pakistanis languishing in Saudi jails, Senate told
--
India
• Malegaon Blast Case; From Muslims Perception to Muslims Conviction
• Agra Mufti Objects to UGC's Order Of Chanting 'Om' On Yoga Day
--
Arab World
Terrorists Sustain Heavy Losses in Army's Offensive in Damascus Countryside
• ISIL Suffers Heavy Death Toll in Clashes with Kurdish Fighters in Raqqa Province
• Syria: ISIL Withdraws from Western Side of Al-Sha'er Oilfield in Homs
• Syrian Army Continues to Advance against ISIL West of Deir Ezzur
--
Mideast
• ISIL Suspect Blows Himself up during Police Raid in Turkey’s Southeast
• Turkey Hits PKK Targets in Northern Iraq
• President Erdoğan says Turkey awaiting Israeli response on Gaza proposals
• CHP deputies walk out of parliament over speaker's secularism remarks
• Three security officers killed in PKK attacks, car crash in Turkey’s southeast
• Police officer shot dead in Turkey’s Adana
--
Southeast Asia
• Indonesia Targets to be World`s Muslim Fashion Capital in 2020
• Islamic moderates hold summit in Jakarta to promote peace in the Middle East
• Shariah-Compliant Web Browser Launched In Malaysia
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
Bangladesh village doctor hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack
May 20, 2016
Machete-wielding assailants hacked to death a village doctor and wounded a university teacher in Bangladesh on Friday, in what police suspected was the latest in a series attacks by Islamists in the majority-Muslim nation.
The attackers rode a motorcycle, which they used to block the victims' motorcycle in the western district of Kushtia, 150 miles (245 km) from Dhaka, said district police chief Mohammad Sahabuddin Chowdhury.
The homeopathic doctor, Mir Sanaur Rahman, 55, was killed on the spot, and his companion, identified as Saifuzzaman, 45, suffered serious wounds. Police found a bloody machete at the scene.
"We suspect Islamist militants are behind the attack," Chowdhury said.
Police were checking whether the victims had any particular enemies or if other factors could have been a motive but media reported associates of the doctor saying he had a reputation for progressive views. Friends of the wounded university teacher said he too was known for being progressive-minded.
The doctor was on his way to a weekly free clinic he operated when he was attacked.
Over the past year, the South Asian nation of 160 million has seen a surge of attacks on atheist bloggers, academics, members of religious minorities and foreign aid workers.
At least 26 people have been killed including five secular bloggers, a publisher and two gay right campaigners have been among those milled since February 2015.
Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has claimed some of he attacks. Members of Islamic State have also claimed responsibility for some attacks, including the killings of two foreigners last year, and a university professor and a Hindu last month.
The government has denied that Islamic State or al Qaeda groups have a presence in the country and says home-grown Islamists are responsible.
Police have announced 1.8 million taka ($23,000) rewards for information leading to the arrest of six militants of a banned home grown group called Ansarullah Bangla Team, which is believed to be behind the killing of the bloggers.
in.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-attacks-idINKCN0YB0O6
--
Pope Meeting With Imam While Blaming West For Extremism
May 20, 2016
On Monday, Pope Francis will host Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar and considered to be the highest authority in Sunni Islam. This meeting puts the world’s 2.2 billion Catholics and 1.7 billion Sunni Muslims at the same table to discuss mutual interests for the first time.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told AFP on Thursday, “This audience is being prepared and has been scheduled for Monday. It will be a first.”
The upcoming meeting at the Vatican is the result of several months of delicate negotiations. In February, Bishop Miguel Àngel Ayuso Guixot, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the apostolic nuncio in Egypt, Archbishop Bruno Musarò, visited the al-Azhar Mosque and University.
During their visit, Bishop Ayuso gave Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, a letter expressing his willingness to meet with the Grand Imam and to accompany him for an official audience with the Pope. These moves will culminate in Monday’s meeting.
Relations between the Vatican and Sunni Islam were shattered in 2006 when Pope Benedict XVI made a speech in which he linked Islam to terror attacks. His remarks generated anger in the Islamic world, which responded with deadly protests in several countries and reprisal attacks on Christians.
Dialog between the two faiths officially resumed in 2009 but were again suspended in 2011 after a bomb attack on a church in Alexandria during the time of Coptic Christmas. Pope Benedict XVI called for “effective measures for the protection of religious minorities”. The Egyptian government claimed was interfering with Egypt’s domestic politics and recalled their ambassador to the Vatican.
Relations between the Islam and Catholicism have improved since Benedict stepped down in 2013 and Pope Francis was inaugurated. One month after his election, Pope Francis sent a personal message to Muslims marking the end of the first month of Ramadan.
A representative of the Al-Azhar mosque, Mahmoud Azab, took part in an inter-faith conference at the Vatican in March 2014, The conference was to combat human trafficking and slavery.
Pope Francis garnered high praise in the Muslim world in April when he returned from a trip to the Greek island of Lesbos with three randomly chosen Syrian Muslim families who are now being put up by the Vatican as they apply for asylum in Italy. This act also attracted criticism from many Christians who feel the leader of the Catholic world should have helped some of the many Christian refugees on the island instead.
The Pope’s efforts at making peace with Islam have occasionally come at the cost of his relations with the West. In an interview this week to the French Catholic newspaper La Croix, he compared Islamic Jihad to Christian missionaries.
“It is true that the idea of conquest is inherent in the soul of Islam,” he said in the interview. “However, it is also possible to interpret the objective in Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus sends his disciples to all nations, in terms of the same idea of conquest.”
In the interview, he blamed Western powers for Islamic extremism.
“In the face of Islamic terrorism, it would be better to question ourselves about the way in an overly Western model of democracy has been exported to countries such as Iraq, where a strong government previously existed,” he noted. “Or in Libya, where a tribal structure exists. We cannot advance without taking these cultures into account.”
breakingisraelnews.com/68070/pope-francis-in-unprecedented-meet-with-sunni-leader-5-16/#u65BxH6eg52Om9uT.97
--
A New Lawsuit Claims a Secretive, Bush-Era Program Is Delaying Muslims’ Citizenship Cases
May 19, 2016
Thirteen Muslim Missouri residents are suing the US Citizenship and Immigration Services along with the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, alleging the agencies have unlawfully delayed their applications for citizenship.
The complaint alleges that the immigrants' applications were funneled into a secretive Bush-era program calld the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP) that requires immigration officials to flag applicants as national security threats based on a broad range of criteria.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which uncovered the program in 2013, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations say it illegally discriminates against applicants from Muslim-majority countries. Last year, Buzzfeed reported that this heightened review process was being used to screen incoming Syrian refugees.
The federal lawsuit was filed today by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Missouri and a local immigration litigation law firm that's representing the Missouri Muslims who applied for citizenship.
"The CARRP definition illegally brands innocent, law-abiding residents, like [the] plaintiffs—none of whom pose a security threat—as 'national security concerns' on account of innocuous activity and associations, innuendo, suppositions and characteristics such as national origin," the lawsuit says.
USCIS does not comment on pending litigation and a spokesman declined to comment specifically about the case. The agency would not say if the plaintiffs were subject to the heightened vetting program, citing privacy concerns.
By law, USCIS is expected to process applications for naturalization within six months of receiving them, and it must make a decision on a case within four months of interviewing the applicant. However, if an immigrant is flagged for national security concerns, USCIS places the case on the CARRP track, without notifying the applicant, according to the lawsuit. Such cases are often subject to lengthy delays and cannot be approved, "except in limited circumstances," the lawsuit says, citing the testimony of a USCIS witness in a previous case.
One of the plaintiffs in the Missouri lawsuit, a 49-year-old woman from Iraq named Wafaa Alwan, applied for citizenship in December 2014. She waited eight months for an interview, which finally took place Aug. 31, 2015. She has been waiting for a decision ever since. Syed Asghar Ali, a 47-year-old man from Pakistan, named filed his application in March 2014 and has been in limbo for more than two years, the lawsuit says.
An immigrant who is subject to the heightened vetting program can be flagged for, among other things, donating to a charitable organization that was later designated a financier of terrorism, traveling through or living in an area with terrorist activity as well as making or receiving a large money transfer.
Immigrants may also be flagged if their names appear on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Database, also known as the Terrorist Watch List, which is estimated to include over a million names. More than 40 percent of those on the watch list have been described by the government as having "no recognized terrorist group affiliation," according to The Intercept.
The lawsuit alleges that this process places an unnecessary burden on law-abiding applicants from Muslim-majority countries in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It also argues that the program violates the Constitution because was enacted in secret, without the approval of Congress.
Although USCIS declined to respond directly to these allegations, a spokesman told Mother Jones that the agency often needs additional time to thoroughly vet each immigrant who applies for citizenship. The program is meant to ensure that immigration benefits and services are not given to people who may pose a threat to public safety, the spokesman emphasized.
The last time a major civil rights organization filed this kind of lawsuit was in 2014, when the ACLU sued USCIS on behalf on five California residents. However, shortly after it was filed, the government quickly wrapped up the pending citizenship applications, granting three of the plaintiffs citizenship and denying the applications of the other two. After that, the ACLU and their clients dropped the legal case.
This happens frequently, said Jim Hacking, the lead attorney on the Missouri case that was filed today. That includes a 2008 lawsuit he filed on behalf of three dozen immigrants whose applications were pulled into the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program.
"When I filed for the 36 [clients], cases that had been delayed for three, four, five years all of a sudden became a priority," he said. "This is because the government tries to root out the case. They don't want a federal judge ruling on whether CARRP is legal or illegal. So they try to get rid of all the plaintiffs by either approving or denying their case."
Hacking expects the new Missouri case may end the same way.
USCIS also declined to comment on the decision to resolve the applications of immigrants in the 2014 case.
Even if the new case doesn't end in a court ruling, Hacking hopes it will put the program back in the spotlight. If society is going to hold Muslims to a higher standard when it comes to immigration and assume that they're terrorists then we should do it out in the open and debate it, Hacking said.
"Let's not just let an agency decide on its own that this is the way things are going to be," he said "That's not how America is supposed to work."
motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/missouri-muslims-lawsuit-immigration-terrorism-security-carrp
--
South Asia
Bangladesh village doctor hacked to death in suspected Islamist attack
May 20, 2016
Machete-wielding assailants hacked to death a village doctor and wounded a university teacher in Bangladesh on Friday, in what police suspected was the latest in a series attacks by Islamists in the majority-Muslim nation.
The attackers rode a motorcycle, which they used to block the victims' motorcycle in the western district of Kushtia, 150 miles (245 km) from Dhaka, said district police chief Mohammad Sahabuddin Chowdhury.
The homeopathic doctor, Mir Sanaur Rahman, 55, was killed on the spot, and his companion, identified as Saifuzzaman, 45, suffered serious wounds. Police found a bloody machete at the scene.
Full report at: in.reuters.com/article/bangladesh-attacks-idINKCN0YB0O6
--
US to maintain 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of 2016: Kerry
Fri May 20 2016
The US Secretary of State John Kerry has said 9,800 American troops will remain in Afghanistan through most of this year.
“Tomorrow we will discuss Afghanistan. And we’re going to review the progress of the Resolute Support mission and the need to continue our financial assistance for Afghan Security Forces and the imperative of planning for a new, flexible, regional presence beyond 2016,” Kerry told reporters ahead of the NATO foreign ministerial in Brussels on Thursday.
Kerry further added “I will reiterate that America’s commitment to maintain 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of this year and 5,500 thereafter remains, with 3,400 assigned to NATO responsibilities.”
Full report at: khaama.com/us-to-maintain-9800-troops-in-afghanistan-through-most-of-2016-kerry-01003
--
Sayyaf’s house comes under rocket attack in Kabul
Fri May 20 2016
The residence of a prominent former Jihadi leader Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf once again came under rocket in Kabul this morning.
Sources close to Sayyaf said at least two rockets were fired in the early hours of Friday morning which landed in the vicinity close to his house.
There are no reports regarding the casualties and no group has so far claimed responsibility behind the attack.
This comes as several rockets were fired on the residence of Sayyaf nearly a week ago but the attack did not result into any casualties.
Full report at: khaama.com/sayyafs-house-comes-under-rocket-attack-in-kabul-01002
--
Russia ready establish helicopters service center in Afghanistan
Fri May 20 2016
The Russian helicopters company officials have said they are prepared to establish a service center in Afghanistan to provide repair and other technical services to the Afghan Air Force.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Russian Helicopters Alexander Mikheev has said the company is also prepared to assist the Afghan Air Force in training the Afghan technical staff and engineers.
According to the State-run Sputnik News Agency, Mikheev made the commitment during a meeting with Shakir Kargar, the special presidential envoy to Commonwealth fo Independent States.
Full report at: khaama.com/russia-ready-establish-helicopters-service-center-in-afghanistan-01000
--
Top Afghan army general Abdul Basir Sharwand martyred in Kandahar explosion
Thu May 19 2016
A top Afghan army general Abdul Basir Sharwan was martyred in an explosion southern Kandahar province, the third senior Afghan general martyred in a span of almost 4 months.
According to the provincial government media office, Gen. Sharwand, the commander of the 1st Brigade of 205th Atal Corps of Afghan National Army, was martyred while he was on his way following a visit of the Afghan army check posts in Shahwali Kot district.
Gen. Sharwan was one of the prominent army generals in the south and was actively involved in training and leadership of the Afghan armed forces.
Full report at: khaama.com/top-afghan-army-general-abdul-basir-sharwand-martyred-in-kandahar-explosion-0998
--
Europe
Pope Meeting With Imam While Blaming West For Extremism
May 20, 2016
On Monday, Pope Francis will host Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, Imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar and considered to be the highest authority in Sunni Islam. This meeting puts the world’s 2.2 billion Catholics and 1.7 billion Sunni Muslims at the same table to discuss mutual interests for the first time.
Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told AFP on Thursday, “This audience is being prepared and has been scheduled for Monday. It will be a first.”
The upcoming meeting at the Vatican is the result of several months of delicate negotiations. In February, Bishop Miguel Àngel Ayuso Guixot, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the apostolic nuncio in Egypt, Archbishop Bruno Musarò, visited the al-Azhar Mosque and University.
Full report at: breakingisraelnews.com/68070/pope-francis-in-unprecedented-meet-with-sunni-leader-5-16/#u65BxH6eg52Om9uT.97
--
Putin Given Go-Ahead by the Russian Parliament to Build New Super Army to Destroy ISIS
Fri, May 20, 2016
The National Guard force - which was approved by the Russian parliament today - will be put under the strongman's personal command.
It will be used for major counter-terrorism operations across the planet and have vast powers, including the authority to shoot into crowds and hold suspects for indefiite interrogation.
Experts say the ruthless force will act as an "extension" of Putin himself.
It will be used to conduct military operations around the world, detaining terror suspects for as long as is necessary to glean intelligence from them before handing them over to the police.
Full report at: express.co.uk/news/world/671966/Vladimir-Putin-creating-SUPER-ARMY-tackle-terrorism-Russia
--
Hungary: US Wants to Fill Europe With Muslim Migrants
May 19, 2016
President Barack Obama and the United States favor illegal migration in Europe because they want to fill it up with Muslims, the chief of staff of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Thursday.
Janos Lazar also described Hungarian-born American financier George Soros as a standard-bearer for Obama's immigration policies for Europe and said "certain American groups" want Europe to be "diluted ... so Europe and America can cooperate without restraint."
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was unaware of Lazar's comments, but added: "I'm not sure they're worthy of a response."
Lazar called Soros a patron of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the current U.S. presidential candidate, and a Democratic Party supporter who was "ready to step up" against Orban.
Full report at: abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/hungary-us-fill-europe-muslim-migrants-39232205
--
Crimean Muslim refugees feel welcome, but there’s no place like home
May 19, 2016
HARI SREENIVASAN: It’s been more than two years since Russia invaded the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, home to a Muslim population that has suffered greatly through the centuries. Since the invasion, they are under pressure once more.
From Kiev, special correspondent Kira Kay reports, our story produced in partnership with the Bureau for International Reporting.
KIRA KAY: Here in the main mosque of Ukraine’s capital, Kiev, Imam Seram Arifov leads Friday prayers for the city’s Muslims, but he is more than 500 miles from his home in Simferopol, Crimea.
IMAM SERAM ARIFOV, Kyiv Islamic Cultural Center (through interpreter): I was a teacher. We had a private school. We were teaching the Islamic religious sciences. We also taught the Koran. I had to leave my homeland to continue my job in more acceptable conditions. We could not work in Crimea anymore. They didn’t let the school operate. They didn’t renew our license.
Full report at: pbs.org/newshour/bb/crimean-muslim-refugees-feel-welcome-but-theres-no-place-like-home/
--
Sberbank to start Islamic banking pilot program
20 May, 2016
Russia’s Sberbank intends to introduce Islamic banking this autumn in Tatarstan, a region with a significant Muslim population.
The religion forbids bankers to lend money with interest. So a bank provides a return on the money from the profits of business projects it invests in.
According to Sberbank Deputy Chairman Maxim Poletaev, the Central Bank of Russia is discussing changes in legislation that could allow Islamic banking in the country.
However, pilot transactions could be carried out within the framework of existing legislation, Poletaev added.
Full report at: rt.com/business/343736-islamic-banking-russia-sberbank/
--
North America
A New Lawsuit Claims a Secretive, Bush-Era Program Is Delaying Muslims’ Citizenship Cases
May 19, 2016
Thirteen Muslim Missouri residents are suing the US Citizenship and Immigration Services along with the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, alleging the agencies have unlawfully delayed their applications for citizenship.
The complaint alleges that the immigrants' applications were funneled into a secretive Bush-era program calld the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP) that requires immigration officials to flag applicants as national security threats based on a broad range of criteria.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which uncovered the program in 2013, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations say it illegally discriminates against applicants from Muslim-majority countries. Last year, Buzzfeed reported that this heightened review process was being used to screen incoming Syrian refugees.
Full report at: motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/missouri-muslims-lawsuit-immigration-terrorism-security-carrp
--
Largest US Muslim center targets spike in Islamophobia
May 19, 2016
NHAM, United States (AFP) — Sitting on a red and green carpet inside a mosque in a suburb of Washington, Nabill Abdulle describes an invisible force. You can’t see it, he says, but “it’s there.”
Islamophobia haunts the Muslims of Lanham, Maryland — 30 minutes north of the US capital — as the country’s divisive election campaign fuels fears already heightened by Islamic State group attacks in Brussels and Paris.
So hopes are riding high on the inauguration of the town’s new Islamic center, and its ability to help win over Americans’ trust.
Full report at: timesofisrael.com/largest-us-muslim-center-targets-spike-in-islamophobia/
--
Ayatollah: America is the Major Idolator
May 20, 2016
In a new verbal attack aimed at the United States despite the recently concluded nuclear deal, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that America is both the "great Satan" and a major idolator.
"Certain [governments] in the Islamic world, instead of clinging to the Qur'an, are clinging to taghut," he told an audience of judges of an international Qur'an contest in Tehran.
"America is the major taghut and the great Satan," he added. "Those who are implementing the American policy in the region are adhering to taghut."
Taghut is a theological term for one who severely transgresses Islamic tenets, usually translated as "idolator." It's a term more commonly used for fellow Muslims; the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) in its propaganda publication has labeled Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi "taghut," while Sunni radicals frequently use the same term for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Full report at: familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/ayatollah-america-is-the-major-idolator?f=must_reads
--
Meet Jewish America's first ambassador to Muslims
Thursday, May 19
Bob Silverman, a Jew who spent most of his diplomatic career in Muslim-majority nations, will now reach out to Muslims in his own country. The American Jewish Committee recently hired him as its first U.S. director of Muslim-Jewish relations.
As a U.S. Foreign Service officer for 27 years, the Des Moines, Iowa, native served in Israel, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Sweden, and retired from the government last year. Now 58, he works at the New York headquarters of the 110-year-old AJC, which was founded to combat discrimination against Jews but has historically defended other minority groups as well.
Full report at: deseretnews.com/article/865654623/Meet-Jewish-Americas-first-ambassador-to-Muslims.html
--
Africa
Terrorists Polluting Islam, Says Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo
19th May 2016
CAIRO - Islam prohibits attacks on any human being, whatever their religion (Surat Al-Maida /32), the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo, Professor Dr. Sheikh Ahmad Muhammad Al-Tayyib, has said.
He denounced the terrorists as misguided self-seekers and called for concerted efforts in training Muslim leaders and the local imams in Africa as a tool against terrorism.
While emphasising that Islam is peace loving, Dr. Ahmad decried the senseless acts of beheading, bombings and explosions committed by the terrorists as savage crime and a plot to damage Islam.
The Grand Imam was hosting over 40 media managers and editors from 23 African countries who last week visited him at the Al- Azhar University in Cairo.
The media managers and editors are in Egypt at the invitation of the Egyptian Government for a one-month’s course on the future of the media in Africa. Al-Azhar is the oldest and one of the most prestigious religious universities in the Muslim world and it acts as a reference for Muslims world over.
Full report at: newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1424925/terrorists-polluting-islam-grand-imam
--
Italy turns to African nations to help stabilize Libya and stop migration flow
MAY 20, 2016
Ministers from more than 40 African states attending talks in Rome Wednesday voiced strong backing for one of the central elements of the Italian plan -- the stabilisation of Libya. But long-standing concerns about the creation of a "fortress Europe" were also aired.
Italy is on the frontline of a wave of migrant arrivals from north Africa, with more than 350,000 people having reached its shores since the start of 2014, spurring efforts to find a long-term solution.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Rome's "migration compact" proposals had been given a "very favourable" reception at the first of what is to become a regular, bi-annual Italy-Africa summit.
Full report at: yourmiddleeast.com/news/italy-turns-to-african-nations-to-help-stabilize-libya-and-stop-migration-flow_40913
--
Refugees’ fate rests on Ki-moon phonecall to Kenya
MAY 20, 2016
NAIROBI, (CAJ News) – THE United Nations is making frantic efforts to make Keya reconsider its decision to forcibly repatriate thousands of refugees, manily Somali, following the recent decision by the East African country to close its refugee camps.
The closure of the camps is set affect some 600 000 refugees that have sought sanctuary from the political problems afflicting their countries.
Plans by UN agencies to influence Kenya to rescind its decision have failed.
UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, has stepped in as a last gasp measure to ensure Kenya did not forcibly repatriate the refugees.
Full report at: cajnewsafrica.com/2016/05/20/refugees-fate-rests-on-ki-moon-phonecall-to-kenya/
--
Pakistan
Three suspected suicide bombers killed in Peshawar as jacket 'accidentally explodes'
ALI AKBAR — May 20th, 2016
PESHAWAR: Three suspected suicide bombers on a motorcycle were killed when a suicide jacket carried by one of them accidentally exploded early Friday morning in Peshawar's Regi Lalma area, police said.
Superintendent Police Cantonment Kashif said the men were taking a suicide attacker to a target in Peshawar when the suicide jacket exploded. All three motorcyclists died on the spot.
The incident comes days after two remote-controlled roadside bombs killed one constable and injured 17 others.
dawn.com/news/1259556/three-suspected-suicide-bombers-killed-in-peshawar-as-jacket-accidentally-explodes
------
Indian N-missile ambitions threaten 32 littoral states: Aziz
BAQIR SAJJAD SYED : May 20th, 2016
ISLAMABAD: India’s nuclear-armed missiles deployed on nuclear-powered submarines pose a threat to the maritime security of the Indian Ocean Region’s (IOR) 32 littoral states, besides upsetting the strategic balance in South Asia, the Senate was told on Thursday.
Making a policy statement on the deployment of nuclear-armed missiles on submarines in the Indian Ocean, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan was considering a proposal for tabling a resolution at the UN General Assembly session later this year, which would call for making the Indian Ocean a nuclear-free zone.
He said Pakistan might ask the 32 littoral states to co-sponsor the move. Some of the key littoral states include the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1259492/indian-n-missile-ambitions-threaten-32-littoral-states-aziz
---
One of the killed militants along with seven other was ‘Al Qaeda country head’
May 20th, 2016
MULTAN: Tayyab Nawaz alias Hafiz Abdul Mateen, who was killed along with seven other suspected militants on Wednesday night was the head of Al Qaeda, Pakistan, Dawn learnt on Thursday. According to officials sources, three of the militants who were killed in Nawabpur area in an encounter with a joint team comprising Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and ISI personnel were from Al-Ahrar group of banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the remaining were Al-Qaeda members.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1259521/one-of-the-killed-militants-was-al-qaeda-country-head
--
Pakistan may get F-16s by July: experts
May 20th, 2016
WASHINGTON: Defence experts in the US capital believe that Pakistan may get the disputed F-16s by the end of July, despite a strong opposition from American lawmakers.
The experts, who spoke to Dawn, said that the Obama administration would ultimately succeed in convincing Congress that it was in America’s interest to enable Pakistan to buy the aircraft.
Earlier this year, the Obama administration informed Islamabad that it was ready to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, as it wanted. The US Senate, however, prevented the administration from subsidising the deal, although it endorsed the sale.
On Tuesday, the White House warned Congress that its effort to restrict US military assistance to Pakistan would hurt US interests in the region and would “unnecessarily complicate progress” in ties with Pakistan.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1259494/pakistan-may-get-f-16s-by-july-experts
--
Journalist’s book on Kashmir banned in PoK
May 20th, 2016
Islamabad: A book written by a journalist has been banned in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The book on Kashmir is titled “Dar-e-Zindaan, and is written by a journalist Amjid Shareef.
A notification for banning the book in the region has been issued.
Mr. Shareef has projected himself as a “nationalist” writer.
His pro-freedom writings have been unpalatable to key agencies in Pakistan.
siasat.com/news/journalists-book-kashmir-banned-pok-960676/
--
2,393 Pakistanis languishing in Saudi jails, Senate told
IFTIKHAR A. KHAN —May 20th, 2016
ISLAMABAD: The Senate was informed on Thursday that 2,393 Pakistanis were languishing in jails of Saudi Arabia.
During the question hour, the ministry of foreign affairs told the house that there were 1,621 Pakistani prisoners in Jeddah and 772 in Riyadh.
The ministry said that Pakistan’s mission in Saudi Arabia had taken various steps, including consular visits to meet the prisoners, and extend them every possible assistance.
It said that emergency travel documents were issued to those who had completed their sentences to return to Pakistan. The cases of those who were nearing completion of their sentences had been raised with the Saudi authorities to ensure that they were set free without any delay, it added.
Full report at: dawn.com/news/1259484/2393-pakistanis-languishing-in-saudi-jails-senate-told
---
India
Malegaon blast case ; from Muslims perception to Muslims conviction
May 20, 2016
New Delhi: The arbitrary arrest of innocent Muslim youths across the country by the government agencies on mere suspicion or false charges levelled against them of indulging in anti national activities and denying jobs to Muslim in government sectors is generating perception among Muslims that the government of the day is biased against them.
The present government’s slogan of Sabka Saath Sab Ka Vikas came as glimpse of hope but it faded away quickly.
Full report at: siasat.com/news/malegaon-blast-case-muslims-perception-muslims-conviction-960696/
--
Agra Mufti objects to UGC's order of chanting 'Om' on Yoga day
May 19, 2016
Even as the University Grants Commission (UGC) is trying to promote yoga as a fitness regimen through the newly formed AYUSH Ministry, Agra's Mufti Mudassar Ali Qadri has decided to throw a spanner in the works by claiming that yoga is un-Islamic in many ways. He argued that many yoga postures were related to Hindu form of worship, including the chanting of 'Om' during Pranayama.
The controversy broke out over the UGC's directive asking universities and colleges to follow AYUSH Ministry's yoga protocol that begins with chanting of 'Om' and some Sanskrit sholakas during Yoga Day celebrations on June 21.
Full report at: indiatoday.intoday.in/story/muslims-object-to-ugcs-order-of-chanting-om-on-yoga-day/1/672414.html
--
Arab World
Terrorists Sustain Heavy Losses in Army's Offensive in Damascus Countryside
May 20 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army and popular forces continued their military operations against the terrorist groups in Damascus countryside, and inflicted heavy losses on them over the past 24 hours.
The Syrian army killed and wounded scores of the ISIL militants in Damascus countryside.
The terrorist groups also sustained heavy casualties in other key provinces across Syria.
Damascus
The Syrian Army backed by Hezbollah and National Defense Forces (NDF) took full control over the strategic town of Deir Al-Assafir in Damascus province after a series of fierce clashes.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950231000179
--
ISIL Suffers Heavy Death Toll in Clashes with Kurdish Fighters in Raqqa Province
May 20 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- Kurdish sources announced that a number of ISIL terrorists were killed or wounded in a fresh round of clashes with the People’s Protection Units (YPG) near a strategic dam in Northwestern Raqqa.
"The YPG fighters engaged in fierce clashes with the ISIL terrorists near the strategic Tishrin dam, which ended in the killing or wounding of a number of the terrorists," the sources said.
In relevant developments on Thursday, the Syrian air force launched heavy attacks against the ISIL positions in Tabaqa region in the Western part of Raqqa province.
The airstrikes inflicted heavy damage on the militants while killing tens of them, including a field commander, a military source said.
Different weapons and equipment belonging to the ISIL terrorists were also destroyed in the attacks, he added.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950231000423
--
Syria: ISIL Withdraws from Western Side of Al-Sha'er Oilfield in Homs
May 20 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army and its allies stormed the ISIL positions in the Western entrance of al-Sha'er oilfield and drove the terrorists back from the battlefield after inflicting heavy casualties on them.
The Syrian soldiers, the Russian Marines, National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Iraqi popular forces liberated a large swathe of territory from the ISIL and reached at the Western gates of the al-Sha’er energy-rich region.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950231000238
--
Syrian Army Continues to Advance against ISIL West of Deir Ezzur
May 20 2016
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army troops continued to hit the ISIL centers heavily in the Western countryside of Deir Ezzur and pushed the terrorists back from a key district after at least two days of tough battle.
The Syrian soldiers liberated the Panorama checkpoint and then pushed further West towards the Armenian Cemetery, killing several ISIL terrorists in the process of this advance.
The Syrian Armed Forces reached at the outskirts of the Armenian Cemetery on Thursday night.
Full report at: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950231000203
--
Mideast
ISIL suspect blows himself up during police raid in Turkey’s southeast
May 20 2016
A suspected militant from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) blew himself up during a police raid in the southeastern province of Gaziantep on May 19, a Turkish official has said.
Gaziantep Gov. Ali Yerlikaya told the state-run Anadolu Agency that another suspect was taken alive late May 19 during the counter-terrorism operation.
“No citizens or security forces were hurt in the incident,” Yerlikaya added.
Yerlikaya provided no details on the identity or nationality of the ISIL suspects.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/isil-suspect-blows-himself-up-during-police-raid-in-turkeys-southeast.aspx?pageID=238&nID=99424&NewsCatID=509
--
Turkey hits PKK targets in northern Iraq
May 20 2016
Turkish jets have conducted air strikes against outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) said May 20.
The jets hit the Kandil Mountains between 9 and 9:45 p.m. on May 19 after evaluating intelligence.
Shelters and weapon launching areas belonging to the PKK were destroyed in the airstrikes, according to the TSK.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-hits-pkk-targets-in-northern-iraq.aspx?pageID=238&nID=99425&NewsCatID=352
--
President Erdoğan says Turkey awaiting Israeli response on Gaza proposals
May 20 2016
Turkey has asked for permission from Israel to construct energy and water transfer infrastructure in Gaza, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, noting that the Israeli government’s initial responses had been positive amid expectations that ties would soon be normalized between the two countries.
“I suppose I expect that something will happen this month. It’s my wish that we’ll reach a conclusion in a short time,” President Erdoğan told a news program broadcast by A Haber late May 19.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/president-erdogan-says-turkey-awaiting-israeli-response-on-gaza-proposals.aspx?pageID=238&nID=99428&NewsCatID=510
--
CHP deputies walk out of parliament over speaker's secularism remarks
May 20 2016
A group of main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies walked out of parliament debates on May 20, in protest at Parliament Speaker İsmail Kahraman over his previous remarks on secularism.
In the second round of voting on the government’s controversial move to lift the parliamentary immunity of some MPs, CHP deputy Levent Gök demanded that Kahraman apologize for his remarks on secularism and the new constitution, saying it was “not appropriate” for him to oversee the session.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/chp-deputies-walk-out-of-parliament-over-speakers-secularism-remarks.aspx?pageID=238&nID=99426&NewsCatID=338
--
Three security officers killed in PKK attacks, car crash in Turkey’s southeast
Fri May 20 2016
Two soldiers and one police officer, who were wounded in attacks by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and a military vehicle crash, succumbed to their injuries at hospitals where they were being treated in the southeastern provinces of Van, Hakkari and Diyarbakır.
PKK militants had detonated an improvised explosive device buried under the asphalt road stretching between Aktütün and Beyyurdu near Turkey’s border with Syria on May 18.
The blast occurred during the passage of two armored army vehicles at 2:05 p.m., around 70 kilometers from the center of the Şemdinli district of Hakkari.
Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/three-security-officers-killed-in-pkk-attacks-car-crash-in-turkeys-southeast.aspx?pageID=238&nID=99429&NewsCatID=509
--
Police officer shot dead in Turkey’s Adana
Fri May 20 2016
One plain clothes police officer was killed on May 20 in an armed attack in the southeastern province of Adana.
Two assailants riding on a motorbike opened fire on police officer Yılmaz Bozkurt while he was delivering documents in the Seyhan district of the Mediterranean city.
Bozkurt was heavily injured in the attack and later died while being treated at hospital.
His assailants fled the scene after the attack.
An investigation has launched into the attack and police teams have been deployed to the scene.
hurriyetdailynews.com/police-officer-shot-dead-in-turkeys-adana.aspx?pageID=238&nID=99433&NewsCatID=341
--
Southeast Asia
Indonesia Targets to be World`s Muslim Fashion Capital in 2020
THURSDAY, 19 MAY, 2016
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Trade Ministry is optimistic that Indonesia will reach the target of being the world’s Muslim Fashion Capital in 2020. Indonesia has a huge market with 87.2 percent of its muslim residents and a data shows that export figure of Indonesian muslim fashion is rocketing following local fashion grow.
Trade Ministry Acting Director General of National Agency for Export Development (PEN) Tjahya Widyanti said the whole fashion industry in Indonesia has grew 8.15 percent in the past five years. "The export figure is also increasing," said Tjahya Thursday, May 19, 2016. Local fashion product’s export in January increased 3.87 percent compared to the same period last year.
Full report at: en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/05/19/056772423/Indonesia-Targets-to-be-Worlds-Muslim-Fashion-Capital-in-2020
--
Islamic moderates hold summit in Jakarta to promote peace in the Middle East
20 ,MAY, 2016
JAKARTA: The three-day International Summit of Moderate Islamic Leaders (ISOMIL) in Jakarta, was sponsored by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia’s largest moderate Islamic organisation. The meeting brought together some 500 moderate Muslim leaders from 70 countries in a joint effort to promote understanding of Islamic teachings and the spread of moderate views.
The event followed the summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Istanbul a few weeks ago.
Full report at: heraldmalaysia.com/news/islamic-moderates-hold-summit-in-jakarta-to-promote-peace-in-the-middle-east/29313/2
--
Shariah-compliant web browser launched in Malaysia
MAY 20, 2016
KUALA LUMPUR — Muslims anxious to safeguard their faith online now have the option of a “Shariah-compliant” web browser that aims to steer them away from the sins and temptations of the Internet.
Dubbed the “Salam Browser”, the free-to-download programme claims to filter out websites with content incompatible with the Muslim religion.
According to SBRO Online Security Solutions, the local firm offering the browser, it “enables web browsing that helps maintain purity of your heart and benefits your values”.
“Avoid Haram. Salam alerts on >1.4m webpages with pornography, gambling, offense to religion and other harmful content,” the firm said on its webpage.
Full report at: todayonline.com/tech/shariah-compliant-web-browser-launched-malaysia
URL:
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Womens in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Womens In Arab, Islamphobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism, Moderate Islam, Moderate Muslims, Progressive Islam, Progressive Muslims, Liberal Islam, Liberal Muslims, Islamic World News