Billboard CampaignAgainst Hate and Discrimination Trends Interfaith Harmony in Pakistan
New Age Islam News Bureau
15
Jul 2020
• Saudi Rights
Chief Highlights Media’s Role in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
• Turkey Will
Inform UNESCO About Hagia Sophia Changes, Says FM
• After More
Than 30 Years of Islamist Rule, Sudan Scraps Apostasy Law and Alcohol Ban for
Non-Muslims
• Prevent Counterterrorism
Strategy Reinforces Stereotypes and Leads Muslim Students to Self-Censor as per
a Report
• Coronavirus:
Trump Abandons International Students Ban After Backlash At Home, Abroad
------
Pakistan
• Billboard
CampaignAgainst Hate and Discrimination Trends Interfaith Harmony in Pakistan
• Second Covid
Wave Inevitable in Pakistan If Precautions Ignored on Eid ul Azha
• Three
Pakistan soldiers killed in terror attack
• FIA Files
Report on Rawalpindi-Based Cleric Mirza IftikharuddinIn Contempt Case
• Court moved
for ban on TikTok
--------
Arab World
• Saudi Rights
Chief Highlights Media’s Role in Promoting and Protecting Human Rights
• US Sends
More Military Equipment to Northeastern Syria
• Lebanon
looks to China in hopes to secure investments, bring relief
• Syrian
militants detonate bomb near Russian-Turkish patrol in northern Syria
• Lebanese man
accused of financing Hezbollah freed from US: Sources
• Russia says
joint patrol with Turkey struck by bomb in Syria
--------
Mideast
• Turkey Will
Inform UNESCO About Hagia Sophia Changes, Says FM
• ‘Do Not
Execute’: Twitter Hashtag Against Iran Executing Protestors Trends Worldwide
• Iran's
Judiciary Spokesman: Death Penalty for Mossad, CIA Spy Unchangeable
• Iran offers
unconditional support to Hamas, Islamic Jihad
• Yemeni
Official Threatens S. Arabia with More Missile Attacks
• Iran
executes two over 2010 bomb attack at military parade
• Turkey court
jails three suspects for life over 2016 attack: Reports
• Zarif: Iran
will keep trying to send Yemen relief aid despite Saudi siege
--------
Africa
• After More
Than 30 Years of Islamist Rule, Sudan Scraps Apostasy Law and Alcohol Ban for
Non-Muslims
• Tunisia’s
President Saied Rejects Islamist Ennahda’s Call for Government Change
• UAE working
for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Libya: Foreign Affairs Minister Gargash
• Somalia’s
military chief unhurt, civilian killed in suicide car bomb
• Nigeria
Scheme Snubs Ex-Boko Haram Women
• War Crimes
Trial Begins Against Malian Jihadist
--------
Europe
• Prevent
Counterterrorism Strategy Reinforces Stereotypes and Leads Muslim Students to
Self-Censor as per a Report
• Germany
arrests two Syrians linked to al-Qaeda
• Spanish
police detain two Algerians in anti-terrorism operation in Barcelona
• EU preparing
possible sanctions on Turkey
• Muslim
Brotherhood’s danger dawns on France
--------
North America
• Coronavirus:
Trump Abandons International Students Ban After Backlash At Home, Abroad
• The U.S.
must respond forcefully to Russia and the Taliban. Here’s how.
--------
India
• Maharashtra
CM says Muslim Leaders to Keep Festivities for Bakri Eid Low Key
• Resentment
in Hindus On Arrests from Riot-Hit Areas in Northeast Delhi, Take Care: Special
CP to Probe Teams
--------
South Asia
• US Closes
Five Bases inAfghanistan As Part OfTaliban Peace Deal
• Archbishop
recovered from Covid-19, dies after stroke in Bangladesh
• Khalilzad
reacts to Taliban car bomb attack in Samangan province
• NATO
Secretary General reacts to increased violence led by Taliban
• Afghan
forces kill, wound at least 68 Taliban militants in the North: Shahen Corps
--------
Southeast Asia
• Malaysia PM
Muhyiddin Wins Vote to Oust Speaker, Proves Majority in Parliament
• Pakistani,
Indonesian Muslim Groups Hail Turkey's Hagia Sophia Move
• KhairySays BN
To Hold ‘Internal Discussions’ On Improving Its Parliamentary Debate Etiquette
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Billboard
Campaign Against Hate and Discrimination Trends Interfaith Harmony in Pakistan
Kamran
Chaudhry
July 15, 2020
A billboard
featuring Archbishop Sebastian Shaw (bottom left) on Jail Road in Lahore.
(Photo: Kamran Chaudhry)
----
As the
coronavirus rages in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, new trends of interfaith
harmony have emerged in its Punjab province.
These include
a bold billboard campaign against hate and discrimination. High-profile
billboards along busy roads in five cities including Lahore, the Punjab
capital, feature religious leaders with the headline, "Our message to the
nation: coronavirus has no religion or sect!"
Archbishop
Sebastian Shaw of Lahore is among the leaders being advertised.
“Let us unite
against this worldwide epidemic. Instead of blaming each other, follow
guidelines of the government and World Health Organization to save yourself and
other people,” says the prelate in a public service message.
Similar
messages are being broadcast on TV, radio, cable television networks and social
media as 253,604 Covid-19 cases were reported to World Health Organization
(WHO) with 5,320 deaths as of July 14.
Youth
Development Foundation (YDF), a Catholic-led group for students, is collaborating
with the Ministry of Human Rights, Minority Affairs and Interfaith Harmony
Government of Punjab for the campaign launched last month.
The pilgrims
In April, WHO
reported that 46 percent of Pakistanis who have tested positive for the
Covid-19 have a travel history to Iran. Pakistan and Iran share a 900-kilometer
border, which is frequently used for trade and by pilgrims belonging to the
Hazara community who travel to Iran for religious pilgrimages, often crossing
the border town of Taftan in southwestern Balochistan province.
The ethnic
group, which is predominantly Shia Muslim, has been targeted for more than a
decade, with many shootings and bomb attacks claimed by armed sectarian groups
such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Balochistan
National Party-Mengal chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal claimed that around
95 percent cases of Covid-19 in the country are due to mismanagement at Taftan
border. “Pakistani pilgrims were allowed to cross the border into their
homeland from Iran without testing for coronavirus,” he told media. Several
clerics were reported using the term “Shia virus.”
Television
channels and social media slammed the provincial government for its poor
handling of the people quarantined at the Taftan camp.
Video clips
shared on social media show people crammed inside tents erected in a dirty
courtyard and sleeping on floors and in corridors.
The
Balochistan chief minister dismissed criticism over the alleged lack of
facilities at the Taftan quarantine facility.
In March,
authorities placed Raiwind city under quarantine after more than 200 Tablighi
Jamaat preachers were tested positive in Punjab province alone.
More than
100,000 people, including 5,000 foreigners, attended the three-day annual
gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat – an Islamic missionary movement – despite
calls by the government for the event to be canceled before lockdown was
implemented. Thousands of Jamaat members were later quarantined in different
provinces and held responsible for spreading the contagion in Pakistan.
According to
Shahid Rehmat, executive director of YDF, 20 billboards and 2,000 poll banners
have been posted under the media campaign titled “Bringing Communities
Together” that will continue till Aug. 14, the country’s Independence Day.
“The continual
blame game can fuel hate speech and further disharmony in society. Anybody can
transmit the virus. We hope to replicate the campaign in other parts of the
country. Banners of Catholic bishops in restaurants and along roads is a rare
show in our society,” he told UCA News.
“Students of
diverse faith from different educational institutes are now being urged to
share short video messages. The clips are being shared on campaign page of
Punjab government.”
Hate crimes
Meanwhile,
human rights groups continued protesting against persecution of religious
minorities.
In May,
Islamic missionary group Dawat-e-Islami reported conversion of non-Muslims
while distributing rations at the Faizan-e-Madina head office amid the
coronavirus lockdown in Karachi.
Charity group
SaylaniWelfari has already faced accusations that Christian and Hindu families
are being excluded from its door-to-door food distributions.
More than 100
Christian families from Punjab’s Kasur district were reportedly excluded from
food aid distributed by a village committee comprising Muslims. In another
incident, Christians were denied food in a village near Lahore.
Earlier this
month, the Ahmadi community accused local administration and villagers of Chak
(village) 79 in Sheikupura district of desecrating Ahmadi graves. Ahmadiyya
spokesperson Saleemuddin tweeted the photos of damaged tombstones.
“How long the
state apparatus will act as enabler in the hands of extremists? How long our
dead will be persecuted in their graves? How long the state & others will
turn a blind eye to this?” he tweeted on July 1.
In the federal
capital Islamabad, a temple under construction has been attacked and vandalized
four times since the news of its construction was made public last month.
Khurram
Shahzad, deputy secretary to the chief minister of Punjab, said he welcomed the
anti-hate campaign of YDF.
“This has been
a difficult time for humanity as discrimination, hate and stigmatization
accompany the spread of Covid-19 worldwide and particularly in Pakistan. I
greatly appreciate the campaign that is effective in influencing the common
public,” he stated in a July 10 letter.
“Messaging of
leading political and religious leaders is an important work which is needed to
keep its impact sustainable over time.”
Earlier this
year, YDF and the provincial ministry launched the "Harmonious, Tolerant
and Safe Punjab" campaign amid increasing religious persecution in the
province.
The project
involves the formulation of an Inter-Faith Harmony Policy on promoting
diversity and harmony in Punjab, where Christians are the largest non-Muslim
minority making up 2.6 percent of the province's population of 110 million.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/billboard-campaign-fights-discrimination-in-punjab/88780
--------
Saudi rights
chief highlights media’s role in promoting and protecting human rights
July 15, 2020
President of
Saudi Human Rights Commission notes progress made in the Kingdom as he launches
training course for journalists
-----
JEDDAH: Awwad
Al-Awwad, the president of the Saudi Human Rights Commission (HRC) highlighted
the role the media plays in protecting and promoting people’s rights.
Speaking on
Tuesday at the launch of a new training program for Saudi journalists and media
specialists, he also noted the progress made by the Kingdom in terms of human
rights which, he said, was the result of the “pioneering reforms implemented by
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”
Al-Awwad said
that a number of initiatives have been launched and actions taken that have
helped to boost the country’s international ranking in human-rights reports,
including one on human trafficking published by the US State Department.
“In addition,
a World Bank report titled ‘Women, Business and the Law 2020’ ranked the
Kingdom first out of 190 countries in terms of progress and reforms in the
field of the empowerment of women and the preservation of their rights,” he
added.
The new
training course, titled Human Rights-Based Approach in Journalism, was
developed by the HRC in cooperation with the UN’s Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
“We value what
the Saudi media is doing to protect and promote human rights,” Al-Awwad said.
“We are looking forward to further media capacity-building in this field, which
falls within the HRC’s objectives to build national capabilities in all human
rights-related fields.
“The media is
an important and effective partner in the spread of the human-rights culture
and we count on it to showcase content that promotes societal awareness. We
look forward to having a more effective partnership with the media, in all its
various forms, to promote human rights and this culture together.”
Nathalie
Fustier, the UN’s resident coordinator, said initiatives such as the training
course help to promote strong partnerships with the media based on mutual trust
and communication.
“This
contributes to improving knowledge of human rights and the capacity to help
accelerate the achievement of the (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goals by
2030,” she added. “The UN is committed to strengthening journalistic
capabilities and professionalism. This program is one of the results of the
cooperation between HRC and OHCHR, within the framework of the Human Rights
Technical Cooperation Program in the Kingdom, which seeks to build the
capacities needed to protect and promote human rights in the country and boost
the Kingdom’s participation in international human-rights mechanisms.”
Roueida
El-Hage, the OHCHR’s regional representative for the Middle East and North
Africa region, said the media has a pivotal role to play in all countries and
societies.
“Its impact
has multiplied in recent years due to the development of means of
communication,” she said. “This requires us to focus on the relation between
the media and the human-rights culture, as interdependence is essential to
achieve sustainable societal development.”
The
participants in the first session of the training program discussed
international human rights law, the workings of the UN, human rights concepts
and terms, the legal regulation of the media and the current state of human
rights in the Kingdom.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1704841/saudi-arabia
--------
Turkey Will Inform UNESCO About Hagia Sophia Changes, Says FM
13 July 2020
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu? Photograph: Mustafa Çiftçi
------
Turkey will
inform the United Nation’s cultural body UNESCO about changes to Istanbul’s
ancient Hagia Sophia after Ankara converted the museum back into a mosque,
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.
On Friday, a
Turkish court ruled that the building’s conversion to a museum in 1934 was
unlawful and President Tayyip Erdogan, declaring it a mosque, said the first
prayers would be held there within two weeks.
UNESCO said on
Friday it would review the status of the monument as a World Heritage Site
following Erdogan’s enouncement.
Cavusoglu said
Ankara was surprised by UNESCO’s reaction and would let it know of further
steps that will be taken regarding Hagia Sophia, which was a Byzantine church
for nine centuries before the Ottomans converted it to a mosque.
Turkey is
sensitive about protecting its historical character, he said. “We have to
protect our ancestors’ heritage. The function can be this way or that way -- it
does not matter,” Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
Asked about
criticism and expressions of concern from Greece, Pope Francis and others,
Cavusoglu said the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque was lawful.
“We respect
everyone’s view even if we don’t agree with it but we strongly reject comments
made in a way that infringes on Turkey’s sovereign rights,” he said.
Greece
condemned the decision on Friday, saying it would have repercussions not only
on relations between the two countries, but on Turkey’s ties with the European
Union. Pope Francis said on Sunday he was hurt by the decision.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/07/14/Turkey-will-inform-UNESCO-about-Hagia-Sophia-changes-says-Cavusogl.html
--------
After More
Than 30 Years of Islamist Rule, Sudan Scraps Apostasy Law And Alcohol Ban For
Non-Muslims
July 13, 2020
Women's groups
have been campaigning for an easing of various Sudanese laws
-----
After more
than 30 years of Islamist rule, Sudan has outlined wide-reaching reforms
including allowing non-Muslims to drink alcohol, and scrapping the apostasy law
and public flogging. Also Read - Wait, WHAT?! South Sudan Diplomat
Embarrassingly Urinates During Live Zoom Discussion Panel, Twitter Left in
Splits
“We [will]
drop all the laws violating the human rights in Sudan,” Justice Minister
NasredeenAbdulbari said, the BBC reported. Also Read - Sudanese PM Abdalla
Hamdok Survives Assassination Attempt in Khartoum, Taken to Safe Place
A raft of new
laws were passed last week but this is the first public explanation of their
contents.
Sudan has also
banned female genital mutilation (FGM).
Under the new
laws, women no longer need permission from a male relative to travel with their
children.
The reforms
come after long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was ousted last year following
massive street protests.
The current
government is an uneasy mixture of those groups which ousted Bashir and his
former allies in the military, who ultimately staged a coup against him.
Non-Muslims
are now allowed to consume alcohol in private, however the ban on Muslim
drinking remains, Abdulbari told state TV.
Non-Muslims
could still be punished if they are caught drinking with Muslims, the Sudan
Tribune reports him as saying.
He explained
that the government was trying to safeguard the rights of the country’s
non-Muslims, who make up an estimated 3 per cent of the population.
They are now
allowed to drink, import and sell alcohol.
“We are keen
to demolish any kind of discrimination that was enacted by the old regime and
to move toward equality of citizenship and a democratic transformation,” he
said.
The laws were
initially approved in April but the BBC’s Mohamed Osman in Khartoum says they
have only now taken effect.
Until now,
anyone convicted of renouncing Islam, or apostasy, could face the death
penalty.
The best known
case was of Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag, a pregnant woman who was sentenced to
be hanged after she married a Christian man in 2014.
She managed to
flee the country but the apostasy law – targeting those deemed to have
abandoned Islam – has remained on the statute books until now.
The
declaration that someone was an apostate was “a threat to the security and
safety of society,” Abdulbari said.
Under Bashir,
the morality police would often carry out public flogging for various
misdemeanours but Mr Abdulbari said this punishment had now been abolished.
The latest
changes come after a restrictive public order law that controlled how women
acted and dressed in public was repealed in November.
The imposition
of strict Islamist laws in the 1980s was a key factor in the long-running civil
war which eventually led to independence for South Sudan, where the majority of
people are Christian or follow traditional religions.
https://www.india.com/news/world/after-more-than-30-years-of-islamist-rule-sudan-scraps-apostasy-law-and-alcohol-ban-for-non-muslims-4083945/
--------
Prevent
Counterterrorism Strategy Reinforces Stereotypes and Leads Muslim Students to
Self-Censor as per a Report
By Rayhan
Uddin
14 July 2020
A new study
has revealed that the UK government's Prevent counterterrorism strategy has
reinforced negative stereotypes about Islam and Muslims and caused students to
self-censor their views on campus.
According to a
study published on Monday by SOAS University of London along with the
universities of Lancaster, Durham and Coventry, students who supported Prevent
were almost three times more likely to see Islam as intolerant towards
non-Muslims than those who believed Prevent was damaging university life.
The study also
found that students who saw radicalisation as a problem on campus were four
times more likely to believe that Muslims had not made a valuable contribution
to British life.
Forty-three
percent of the 2,000 students surveyed thought that Islam was a religion that
discriminated against women.
"It
appears that Prevent has become strongly associated with the presumed dangers
of radical Islam and with a perception that Muslims are dogmatic, intolerant
and prone to violence," Mathew Guest, one of the report's authors, wrote
in an op-ed for Open Democracy.
The research
found that students and staff at universities self-censored themselves during
discussions on Islam to avoid becoming the object of suspicion. Only a quarter
of respondents said they felt entirely free to express their views on Islam
within a university context.
"Our
research suggests that universities could do much more to tackle the roots of
Islamophobia and ensure that they are not complicit in maintaining
racism," Guest said. "As centres of critical thinking, universities
have the capacity and the moral obligation to take a lead in addressing our
latest 'acceptable' prejudice."
An
accompanying animated video revealed comments shared by students interviewed as
part of the study.
"All the
things that society tends to put on Muslims manifest itself on campus. I
originally thought it was down to a lack of diversity, but I came to this
university and people say the same things, just more eloquently," one
Muslim woman said. "People think I've been forced to wear [hijab] or I
don't have an understanding or I need to be liberated by someone else."
Another Muslim
respondent spoke of fears of studying their religion.
"I wanted
to take out some books on Islam just to explore my religion but I decided
against it in case I get in trouble. I got my friend who is white to take them
out for me instead. It just felt safer that way," the student said.
In 2018,
students at the University of Reading were warned to take care while reading a
leftwing essay about the ethics of revolution to avoid falling foul of Prevent.
Students were told not to access the paper on a personal device and to read it
in a secure setting.
In response to
the report, a government spokesperson said: "The government is committed
to strengthening academic freedom and free speech in universities so that they
are places where debate thrives.
"Universities
are required by law to uphold freedom of speech, allowing academics, students
and visiting speakers to challenge ideas and discuss controversial subjects.
The Prevent duty explicitly requires this."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/prevent-uk-counterterrorism-censorship-muslim-students-soas-report
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Coronavirus:
Trump abandons international students ban after backlash at home, abroad
14 July 2020
US President
Donald Trump's administration Tuesday backtracked on a decision to ban
international students, including those from the GCC, who only took online
classes after outrage from universities and foreign governments, as the
coronavirus pandemic forced universities to close campuses and suspend
classroom attendance.
In a court
hearing that lasted less than four minutes, a US district judge said the
government decided to halt the order that would see non-immigrant students who
plan on attending schools in the fall that operate entirely online removed from
the US.
Harvard and
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were the first two schools to
publicly condemn the move and sue the US government.
The decision
was announced on July 6 by the US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Universities
then quickly scrambled to adjust their policies and what defines “in-person”
instruction.
The
coronavirus pandemic has forced several universities to cancel all in-person
classes for the fall semester, which has drawn the ire of US President Donald
Trump.
For all the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
There are
close to 1 million international students in the US, according to the Institute
of International Education.
In its
original statement, ICE said that visas would not be issued to students who are
enrolled in schools or programs that are entirely online.
“Nor will US
Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United
States,” the statement said.
Meanwhile,
students already in the US would be asked to leave or transfer to a school with
in-person instruction “to remain in lawful status” or risk being deported.
Over, but not
over
Despite the
judge's announcement on Tuesday, a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
official said the Trump administration still intended to issue a regulation in
the coming weeks addressing whether foreign students can remain in the country
if their classes move online.
The DHS
official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the details of any future
regulation on this issue remain under discussion.
In particular,
DHS officials are still deciding whether to treat students already in the US
differently than students seeking to enter the country for the first time,
according to the official.
'Hardship and
confusion'
After the ban
announcement, many universities voiced their opposition to the new rule and
intended to head to federal courts to appeal.
Georgetown
University President John DeGioia said that the move was a "reckless
action" and that it created "new and unnecessary barriers for
international students."
DeGioia admitted
that the university was going to the federal courts and working on “a number of
fronts to limit, and if possible prevent, the negative impact of this
rule" on their international students.
Following
Tuesday's announcement, DeGioia welcomed the about-face. "Our
international students are integral members of our University community, and we
will continue to advocate on their behalf whenever necessary," he said in
an emailed statement to Al Arabiya English.
Like several
other schools, Harvard and MIT, prior to the initial decision, determined the
health risks too high to hold in-person classes for the all semester.
For more
coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.
The University
of Miami in Florida was among 170 institutions of higher learning to support
Harvard and MIT’s lawsuit.
“This new
guidance from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is creating hardship and
confusion among international students who are already navigating difficult
decisions during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic,” a statement from the
University of Miami said before Tuesday's announcement.
The University
of Virginia said it was “deeply concerned” about the ban that would have
restricted international students from pursuing online studies in the US.
The president
and provost both noted international students as an “essential part of our
identity as a University and integral members of our community.”
UVA has around
3,000 international students enrolled every year, comprising about 10 to 15
percent of its overall enrollment.
Brian Coy,
UVA's Spokesperson, told Al Arabiya English that UVA had supported 19 US state
attorneys general in a lawsuit to stop the federal rule. UVA "provided
materials to support the complaint filed in that matter, which has been mooted
by rescission of the policy. UVA academic leaders were also in the process of
working with our international students to keep them in compliance with this
now-rescinded rule," Coy said.
Arab and Gulf
students
Saudi Arabia is
the fourth-largest source of international students after China, India and
South Korea, according to the Department of Homeland Security. As of January
2020, there were 368,800 Chinese students, while Indian and South Korean
students registered were 194,556 and 59,421. There are close to 40,000 Saudi
students currently studying in the US.
For
comparison, Canada and Brazil each have just under 30,000 students in the US.
“Saudi
students have been attending US colleges and universities, which are among the
best in the world, for decades. That will continue to be the case going
forward,” a spokesperson from the Saudi Embassy in Washington told Al Arabiya
English.
In January,
there were 8,090 Kuwaiti students in the US; 3,739 Egyptian; 2,718 Omani; 1,843
Emirati; 1,599 Lebanese.
At Virginia
Commonwealth University, Saudi and Kuwaiti students make up two of the top four
groups of the 1,170 international students from 101 countries. China and India
are the top two.
“Today's
decision came with plenty of joy and relief. Most of our students were under
tremendous pressure due to last week's sudden and strange guidelines,” Mohammed
AlRashidi, Kuwait’s Cultural Counselor and Director in the US, told Al Arabiya
English.
Tuition at VCU
for a non-resident of Virginia is $36,048, and another $11,035 for room and
board.
Over 130
members of Congress criticized the move to bar foreign students, citing a 2018
US Chamber of Commerce report, which said international students contribute $45
billion to the US economy.
Asked if foreign
states had filed complaints, appeals or requests for clarification on the
recent decision, an ICE spokesperson told Al Arabiya English: "I can’t
provide comment due to the pending litigation."
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/07/14/US-universities-scramble-to-adjust-classroom-policies-for-international-students.html
--------
Pakistan
Second Covid
Wave Inevitable In Pakistan If Precautions Ignored on Eid ul Azha
Jul 15 2020
LAHORE:
Warning against a potential second wave of Covid-19 if people abandoned
precautions during EidulAzha and Muharram, Primary and Secondary Healthcare
Secretary Muhammad Usman on Tuesday beseeched people “to be very very careful,
otherwise things can quickly spin out of hand”.
Addressing a
press conference a day after the National Command Operation Centre set the
template for animal markets and sale/purchase of animals during the pandemic,
the secretary dilated upon the details about Punjab: “The situation is now
relatively under control, but any mistake can reverse it quickly, as happened
following EidulFitr.”
Flanked by Dr
Mahmood Shaukat, chairman of the Corona Expert Advisory Group, who later took
over the press conference as the secretary left, and members of the Technical
Working Group, Mr Usman pleaded: “Covid positivity has dropped to six per cent
against 31pc in June. The number of critical patients has declined and recovery
rate has improved to 60pc. The number of tests dropped not because of capacity
issues, but due to fewer requirements. All these signs show that the situation
is under control.”
Health secy
claims virus positivity rate down but can get out of hand
“However,
fears are growing that these signs could denigrate if people throw caution to
the wind during EidulAzha and Muharram, as happened after EidulFitr when the
numbers skyrocketed within days. Apart from these two religious events,
hospital outpatient departments are being reopened, which could cause a rush to
these facilities. This is why the government is trying to lay extra stress on
coronavirus protocols, which essentially remain the same – masks, social
distancing, frequent washing of hands and avoiding travel,” he told the media.
Talking about
the apparently dwindling number of tests, Dr Shaukat said that it was because
there was no need for utilising the entire testing capacity of 12,000. “Since
the core number of patients has gone down, so has contact tracing and their
testing. In the beginning, we were testing 10 contacts of each positive
patient. Both numbers have gone down. Secondly, discharge protocol has changed;
it used to be two consecutive negative tests, which is down to one. The
asymptomatic patients can end the isolation in 10 days and symptomatic ones in
three days if symptoms don’t deteriorate. Third, anti-bodies tests have increased
manifold, which gives the government a fairly good idea about the prevalence of
the virus. So, instead of more expensive PCR, which becomes even more expensive
when taken in the background of its yield (only 60pc), reliance on anti-bodies
has increased to get a full picture of the disease. All these factors have
decreased the requirement for tests instead of the government shirking its
responsibility as being propagated by some quarters,” he explained.
However, he
pointed out a hitherto neglected or less noted area: post-Covid-19 assessment
of patients. There have been reports that mental stress is taking a heavy toll
on some of the patients. “They used to be kept in complete isolation for 10
days, which took a heavy toll. This stress is then compounded by subsequent
economic and financial pressures. Both these situations are triggering
neurological troubles among patients. These are in addition to heart, lungs and
diabetic issues among most of the patients.”
To a question
about the assessment of patients who were administered Actemra injections, the
secretary said that about 300 patients were given the injection in private
sector and around 260 in public sector. The data is collected and is under
scrutiny now. The final analysis would take another 10 days and results shared
with people, he added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568999/second-covid-wave-inevitable-if-precautions-ignored-on-eid
--------
Three Pakistan
soldiers killed in terror attack
Jul 14, 2020
ISLAMABAD: At
least three Pakistani soldiers were killed and eight others injured on Tuesday
in a terrorist attack in the restive Balochistan province, the Army said.
Troops of the
paramilitary Frontier Corps were patrolling when they came under fire from terrorists
near Gichak valley in Kahan area of Panjgur district, it said.
Three soldiers
were killed, while eight others, including an officer, sustained injuries, the
Army said, adding five of them were in critical condition.
The injured
troops were taken to Combined Military Hospital located in the provincial
capital Quetta.
Baloch
nationalists involved in low level insurgency often carry out such attacks.
Seven soldiers
were killed in May in two separate terror attacks in the province.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/three-pakistan-soldiers-killed-in-terror-attack/articleshow/76966897.cms
--------
FIA Files
Report On Rawalpindi-Based Cleric Mirza Iftikharuddin In Contempt Case
Nasir Iqbal
Jul 15 2020
ISLAMABAD: A
fresh report of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) shed light on the life
and history of Rawalpindi-based cleric Mirza Iftikharuddin who is facing
contempt charges for his derogatory and scandalous speech against the
judiciary.
According to
the interim report submitted to the Supreme Court, Mirza Iftikhar received
religious education in Iran. He did his BSc in 1972 from ChinabNaqar and ran
Iqra School and College from 2010 to 2018, in addition to property business.
The Supreme
Court had on July 2 indicted the cleric for his derogatory and scandalous
speech which went viral on social media. The court had indicted him under
Section 5 of the Contempt of the Court Ordinance 2003 after rejecting his
unconditional apology he tendered for uttering the objectionable remarks in a
private meeting.
The Iqra
Welfare Organisation has been established by raising funds at home and abroad
and it has a hostel for orphans, the FIA report said, adding that the cleric
had travelled to Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran and Syria for Umrah, Ziarat and educational
purposes, besides having telephonic contacts with students, friends and
relatives in Iran, Australia, the United States, England and Canada.
Due to
uploading of intimidating contents on his social media (YouTube channel and
Facebook pages) following the murder of General Sulemani of Iran, Facebook
authorities had blocked all his live coverage. When live streaming of his
Facebook account “Akbar Jani” was also blocked for a limited time, he created
different accounts like Maarfat-i-Elahi and DeenShahnas.
According to
the report, 698 videos have been uploaded on social media. All videos are under
scrutiny and forensic analysis will be made as and when any of them is found to
be in violation of any law of Pakistan, it says.
The travel
history of the cleric showed that he had been to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia, but travel trends were not unusual. The subscriber’s detail of
mobile numbers’ association with social media accounts on which the
objectionable video was uploaded has been obtained along with CDRs. The
analysis of CDR showed the cleric’s communication on NTC, PTCL and mobile phone
numbers, besides international calls to Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea,
Malaysia, China, Zambia and England.
The FIA said
the revenue authorities had been requested to provide the record of immovable
properties of the cleric, and a reply was awaited. The Rawalpindi deputy
commissioner has also been requested to provide information and record of the
Iqra Welfare Organisation — a trust run by the cleric.
Similarly, the
record of Iqra Public School and College has been obtained from the Federal
Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Islamabad. The college record
showed that a total of 532 students had passed matriculation and intermediate
between 2010 and 2018.
The Federal
Board of Revenue chairman has been requested to provide tax returns and wealth
statements of the cleric. Moreover, after obtaining permission from the
competent court of ATA, all banks have been requested to provide details of
accounts of the cleric.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1569100/fia-files-report-on-cleric-in-contempt-case
--------
Court moved
for ban on TikTok
Jul 15 2020
LAHORE: A
civil miscellaneous application has been filed in the Lahore High Court
demanding an immediate ban on a famous mobile phone video application, TikTok.
Advocate
Nadeem Sarwar moved the application on behalf of a citizen who is a petitioner
in a main petition pending with the court.
The lawyer
contended that hearing of the main petition against the TikTok had not been
fixed so far and the matter was of great importance. He said more than 10
deaths had been reported in the country in incidents relating to the users of
the application.
Moreover, he
said, the video-sharing application had become a source of spreading
pornography for the sake of fame and ratings on social media.
He referred to
a recent incident wherein a girl had been gang-raped by a group of friends whom
she acquainted on the TikTok.
He argued that
the video application was a great mischief of modern times. He pointed out that
the same application had already been banned in Bangladesh and Malaysia for its
pornography and inappropriate content and its use for mocking people.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568996/court-moved-for-ban-on-tiktok
--------
Arab World
US Sends More
Military Equipment to Northeastern Syria
Jul 14, 2020
The equipment
was sent to Geweran region whose government buildings had earlier been occupied
by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Arabic-language website of SANA news
agency reported on Tuesday.
It added that
a major part of the military equipment dispatched to Hasaka are radar and
electronic warfare systems.
Also, the
region that hosts an ISIL-only prison has been the scene of increasing flights
by the US helicopters.
Earlier this
month, the US military sent a new convoy of trucks loaded with military
hardware and logistical gears to Syria’s Northeastern province of Hasaka as
Washington seeks to control and loot crude resources in the war-torn country.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing unnamed local sources in al-Ya'rubiyah town,
reported that a convoy of 30 vehicles, including trucks and armored personnel
carriers, rumbled through the Waleed border crossing, located in the al-Rutba
district of Iraq’s Western province of Anbar, into Syrian territories on
Thursday.
The sources
added that the convoy drove by Tel Hamees town and headed toward the provincial
capital city of Hasaka.
According to
SANA, the US forces have also built an airstrip in Geweranneighborhood of
Hasaka province to allow their military aircraft to land and take off. They
have also occupied a large number of state buildings in the area with the help
of Kurdish-led members of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
This came
after the US military dispatched a convoy of dozens of tankers to the small
Syrian city of al-Malikiyah in Hasakah province.
The vehicles
headed toward the Iraqi territory after being loaded with crude oil, according
to SANA.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990424000988
--------
Lebanon looks
to China in hopes to secure investments, bring relief
15 July 2020
Facing a
worsening economic crisis and with little chance of Western or oil-rich Arab
countries providing assistance without substantial reforms, Lebanon’s
cash-strapped government is looking east, hoping to secure investments from
China that could bring relief.
For all the latest
headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
But help from
Beijing risks alienating the United States, which has suggested such a move
could come at the cost of Lebanese-US ties.
A tiny nation
of 5 million on a strategic Mediterranean crossroads between Asia and Europe,
Lebanon has long been a site where rivalries between Iran and Saudi Arabia have
played out. Now, it's becoming a focus of escalating tensions between China and
the West.
In recent
months, the Lebanese pound has lost around 80 percent of its value against the
dollar, prices have soared uncontrollably, and much of its middle class has
been plunged into poverty. Talks with the International Monetary Fund for a
bailout have faltered, and international donors have refused to unlock $11
billion pledged in 2018, pending major economic reforms and anti-corruption
measures.
Left with few
choices, Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government — supported by the Iran-backed
Hezbollah and its allies — is seeking help from China, an approach that the
Shia militant group strongly supports.
He is walking
a tightrope.
“Our move
toward China is very serious but we are not turning our back to the West,” a
ministerial official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity
because he is not authorized to talk to the media. “We are passing through
extraordinary circumstances and we welcome whoever is going to assist us.”
He said China
has offered to help end Lebanon’s decades-long electrical power crisis through
its state companies, an offer the government is considering.
In addition,
Beijing has offered to build power stations, a tunnel that cuts through the
mountains to shorten the trip between Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley, and
a railway along Lebanon’s coast, according to the official and an economist.
The US, which
has historic relations with Lebanon and is a strong backer of its army, said
such a move could come at the expense of Beirut’s relations with Washington.
The China
overtures come at a time when Hezbollah and its allies are increasingly
portraying the crisis in Lebanon, which stems from decades of corruption and
mismanagement, as one fomented by the US administration. They accuse the US of
imposing an informal “financial siege” on Lebanon, partly to put pressure on
Hezbollah which Washington and its Gulf Arab allies consider a terrorist
organization.
“We know well
that there is a big decision to besiege the country. They are preventing any
assistance to Lebanon,” Diab told a July 2 government meeting, according to his
office.
Diab said,
without naming any country, that “they are preventing transfers to the country
and blocking credit lines to import fuel, diesel, medicine and flour to cut the
electricity, starve the Lebanese and make them die without medicine.”
“Trying to
blame Lebanon’s economic crisis on US sanctions is misguided and false,” US
State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in response to the
accusations.
Earlier this
month, Diab received China’s ambassador to Lebanon, Wang Kejian, after which
Lebanon’s industry minister was asked to follow up on possibilities of
cooperation. Kejian declined to comment.
Hezbollah has
advocated for a bigger role for China and other allies in Lebanon. The group
had opposed an IMF program to get Lebanon out of its crisis, fearing it would
come with political conditions. But it begrudgingly accepted that Lebanon
engage in the negotiations as long as the IMF didn't dictate policy.
Seventeen
rounds of talks between the government and the IMF since mid-May have failed to
make any progress.
A person
familiar with the discussions said it was not an “either-or” choice between
China and the IMF, adding that the talks with the IMF are about covering the
immediate fiscal deficit, injecting dollars and developing a framework for
structural reform, while the discussions with Beijing are about infrastructure
projects. The person spoke on condition of anonymity in order to describe the
negotiations.
Lebanon
defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, and economist Hasan Moukalled said
most Western companies will be reluctant to invest there as long as the country
does not reach a deal with the IMF. This is what makes Chinese companies
different, he said.
Moukalled, who
visited China several times in 2018 and 2019, said the projects that China has
offered to work on are worth $12.5 billion.
The
investments can be mutually beneficial. China can gain from close relations
with Lebanon, with the country serving as a launch pad for the reconstruction
of neighboring Syria, another Beijing ally.
Lebanon’s
northern port of Tripoli has been expanded in recent years and could be a
terminal in China’s trillion-dollar “Silk Road” project that's carving a trade
route from east Asia to Europe.
Iran has also
offered to sell Lebanon oil for Lebanese pounds, but officials in Beirut have
been concerned about deals with Tehran because of Western sanctions. The
government is in talks with Iraq's government, which is offering to give fuel
to Lebanon in return for agricultural products.
“We understand
Lebanon is in desperate need for an infusion of cash. They need investors,” US
Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea told Al Hadath. After Lebanon’s default in
March, “investors are not lining up at the door.”
Some people
have talked about Lebanon turning east “as if that’s the answer to all of
Lebanon’s economic woes,” she said, warning that Chinese investments might come
“at the expense of the country’s prosperity, stability or fiscal viability, or,
of course, on the long-standing relations with the United States.”
Russian
Ambassador Alexander Zasypkin told the daily al-Joumhouria that Russia, China,
Syria, Iran and Iraq can help Lebanon. He added that when the West refused,
“the alternative to look east became more persistent.”
During a visit
to Lebanon last week, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command,
was asked about Lebanon and other regional countries looking to China for
resources and financing.
“You get what
you pay for. That’s all I have to say,” McKenzie said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/15/Lebanon-looks-to-China-in-hopes-to-secure-investments-bring-relief-.html
--------
Syrian
militants detonate bomb near Russian-Turkish patrol in northern Syria
14 July 2020
A roadside
bomb planted by Syrian militants detonated near a joint Russian-Turkish patrol
in northern Syria on Tuesday morning, injuring three Russian soldiers, the
Russian Defense Ministry said.
Russia called
off the patrol following the blast near the town of Ariha in Idlib province,
which damaged one Russian and one Turkish armored personnel carrier, the
Russian ministry said.
The Russian
statement said an unspecified number of Turkish troops were also hurt. Two
sources said there were no Turkish casualties in the attack.
Turkey’s
defense ministry later said two vehicles were partially damaged as a result of
a car bomb and that no one was killed.
Russian jets
that flew at high altitude conducted a series of bombing raids on several
opposition held areas in retaliation for the attack, according to residents and
a network of plane spotters who document sightings of jet fighters.
Civil defense
groups said five civilians were injured in the strikes.
Hundreds of
civilians fled, fearing a wider resumption of the Russian-led air strikes that
had displaced over a million people before the ceasefire, witnesses said.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
Russia was
evacuating its equipment from the area and moving its troops to the Hmeimim air
base where some of them would receive treatment, the Russian statement said.
Turkey and
Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria’s war, agreed in March on a
ceasefire and joint patrols following weeks of clashes that took them to the
brink of direct confrontation.
Ankara backs
rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow supports
Damascus. The patrols take place in a “de-escalation zone” intended to serve as
a buffer between government forces and opposition fighters in the last major
area still held by the rebels after nine years of civil war.
An unconfirmed
social media video of the attack circulated by Russia’s RIA news agency showed
a powerful explosion right by a convoy of passing armored vehicles.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/14/Syrian-militants-detonate-bomb-near-Russian-Turkish-patrol-in-northern-Syria.html
--------
Lebanese man
accused of financing Hezbollah freed from US: Sources
14 July 2020
A Lebanese man
accused of financing Hezbollah was freed from jail in the United States last
month as a result of indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington that are
expected to yield more releases, three senior Middle East officials said.
KassimTajideen
was released on June 11, according to the US Federal Bureau of Prisons, and
arrived in Lebanon last week. Two of the sources said his release was part of
the same track that last year yielded the release of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese
businessman with US permanent residency, from Iran, and Sam Goodwin, a US
citizen, from Syria.
Tajideen was
released due to health concerns and reports that the release was part of a
backroom deal were false, a Department of State spokesperson said.
Tajideen’s
lawyer, ChibliMallat, also denied that the release had anything to do with the
release of other prisoners. “It was a purely judicial operation,” he said.
Tajideen, 65,
pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges associated with violating US sanctions
imposed on him and was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $50 million.
In 2009, the
United States designated Tajideen as an important financial supporter of
Hezbollah, a heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese Shi’ite group that is
classified as a terrorist group by Washington. He was extradited to the United
States after being arrested in Morocco in 2017.
Tajideen has
always denied supporting Hezbollah and disputed his designation as a terrorist
financier, said Mallat.
A judge
ordered Tajideen’s release on May 27 pending a 14-day quarantine on the basis
of a motion submitted by his lawyers arguing that he should be freed due to the
risks of COVID-19 in jail, Mallat said. He was being held in Maryland.
The reasons
for his release are under seal in the United States.
The US
government had opposed the release but would abide by the court’s decision,
said the State Department spokesperson.
The sources –
a senior official in the Middle East, a senior Lebanese official and a regional
diplomat – said the release was the result of “indirect understandings” between
Tehran and
Washington.
“The release
of Tajideen comes within a long path of exchange operations that will happen
later on a wide level. There are still those who will be released by the two
sides. This operation will continue,” the Middle Eastern official said.
The regional
diplomat also described Tajideen’s release as a prelude to further possible
deals involving around 20 people.
“All parties
involved are testing each other as there is zero trust,” he said.
Major General
Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security agency, is acting as the
main mediator in the process, two of the sources said. General Security
declined to comment.
The senior
Lebanese official said the process had been going on in complete secrecy and
had started with the handing over of Goodwin and other foreigners held by
Syria, whose government is allied to Iran and Hezbollah.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/14/Lebanese-man-accused-of-financing-Hezbollah-freed-from-US-Sources.html
--------
Russia says
joint patrol with Turkey struck by bomb in Syria
JULY 14, 2020
MOSCOW
(Reuters) - A roadside bomb planted by Syrian militants detonated near a joint
Russian-Turkish patrol in northern Syria on Tuesday morning, injuring three
Russian soldiers, the Russian Defence Ministry said.
Russia called
off the patrol following the blast near the town of Ariha in Idlib province,
which damaged one Russian and one Turkish armoured personnel carrier, the
Russian ministry said.
The Russian
statement said an unspecified number of Turkish troops were also hurt. Two
sources said there were no Turkish casualties in the attack.
Turkey’s
defence ministry later said two vehicles were partially damaged as a result of
a car bomb and that no one was killed.
Russian jets
that flew at high altitude conducted a series of bombing raids on several
opposition held areas in retaliation for the attack, according to residents and
a network of plane spotters who document sightings of jet fighters.
Civil defence
groups said five civilians were injured in the strikes.
Hundreds of
civilians fled, fearing a wider resumption of the Russian-led air strikes that
had displaced over a million people before the ceasefire, witnesses said.
Russia was
evacuating its equipment from the area and moving its troops to the Hmeimim air
base where some of them would receive treatment, the Russian statement said.
Turkey and
Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria’s war, agreed in March on a
ceasefire and joint patrols following weeks of clashes that took them to the
brink of direct confrontation.
Ankara backs
rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, and Moscow supports
Damascus. The patrols take place in a “de-escalation zone” intended to serve as
a buffer between government forces and opposition fighters in the last major
area still held by the rebels after nine years of civil war.
An unconfirmed
social media video of the attack circulated by Russia’s RIA news agency showed
a powerful explosion right by a convoy of passing armoured vehicles.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-security-russia/russia-says-joint-patrol-with-turkey-hit-by-bomb-attack-in-syria-idUSKCN24F0XB?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1358214_
--------
Mideast
‘Do not
execute’: Twitter hashtag against Iran executing protestors trends worldwide
15 July 2020
Iranians
launched on Tuesday a hashtag on Twitter that ended up trending worldwide with
over two million tweets against the decision of Iran's highest judicial
authority to uphold the death sentences of three young Iranians who took part
in the November 2019 protests.
The
Persian-language hashtag which translates to “do not execute” has had over two
million tweets as of late Tuesday.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The hashtag
was launched in support of Amirhossein Moradi, Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad
Rajabi – three protesters who were arrested and sentenced to death following
Iran’s anti-government protests last November.
Protests broke
out across Iran in November 2019 after the government introduced gasoline
rationing and price hikes. Thousands were arrested and about 1,500 Iranians
were killed by security forces, according to a Reuters report.
The Supreme
Court of Iran has upheld the three protesters’ death sentences, judiciary
spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili confirmed on Tuesday, saying they were “among
the main rioters,” the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
Iranian rights
group HRANA had previously reported that interrogators forced the three
protesters to confess to crimes they did not commit through torture.
An
interrogator stood on Moradi’s chest during an interrogation session causing
injury to his ribs, HRANA quoted a source close to Moradi’s family as saying.
“You cannot
prevent the occurrence of another November 2019 through executions,” tweeted
Mohammad Agha-Soltan using the hashtag. Agha-Soltan’s sister, Neda, became the
symbol of Iran’s 2009 protests after she was shot dead by security forces.
At the same
time, cybersecurity NGO Netblocks reported a “significant disruption” to
multiple networks in Iran, which some activists speculate is an attempt by the
authorities to disrupt the Twitter campaign.
During the
November 2019 protests, Iran almost completely shut off access to the internet
across the country for days.
Twitter is
banned in Iran, but many Iranians access the social media platform using
virtual private networks (VPN).
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/15/-Do-not-execute-Twitter-hashtag-against-Iran-executing-protestors-trends-worldwide.html
--------
Iran's
Judiciary Spokesman: Death Penalty for Mossad, CIA Spy Unchangeable
Jul 14, 2020
“The case is
in the process of execution and is one of the final and imperative rulings,”
Esmayeeli told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday.
He added that
a similar death sentence has also been carried out for another spy, namely Reza
Asgari, who was an employee of the defense ministry and had ties with the CIA
and sold some pieces of information in relation to the missile industries.
Asked about
the latest situation of the case related to three young convicts who were tried
and sentenced to death last March and were charged for armed struggle, illegal
exit from the country, rioting and sabotage, Esmayeeli said that they were
among the main culprits behind the November unrests and were arrested on the
scene of an armed robbery from a woman.
“They had
recorded the sabotage acts that they had done and sent the footage to certain
news agencies outside the country and these video files have been discovered
from their cell phones after detention," he said and ensured of their fair
trials.
esmayeeli said
the convicts have "confessed to their crimes at the court while they were
represented in their defense by 4 lawyers".
Esmayeeli had
last month announced that an Iranian national who had been spying for the
Mossad and CIA was sentenced to death.
"Recently,
Seyed Mahmoud Mousavi Majd who was linked both to the Mossad and CIA and spied
in the security field and on Armed Forces in exchange for dollar payments was
arrested," Esmayeeli told reporters.
"This
person was sentenced to death," he said, adding that he will be executed
soon so that his masters see the faith of betrayers.
He said
Mousavi Majd had disclosed itinerary of the routes taken by the martyred
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, Lieutenant
General Qassem Soleimani.
Yet, a later
Judiciary statement reminded that Majd had played no role in the US terror
attack on Martyred General Soleimani, implying that his spying pertained to the
time before Gen. Soleimani's martyrdom.
Esmayeeli said
that despite the strenuous attempts by the US and Israel to spy on Iran, the
Iranian security and intelligence forces foil their plots by preventing the
espionage activities.
Also, in
February, an Iranian court had also issued death penalty for a person who has
spied for the CIA in the country.
"Amir
Rahimpour who spied for the CIA and received huge amounts of money and
attempted to provide the US intelligence service with a part of Iran's nuclear
information was tried and had been sentenced to death and the supreme court has
also recently endorsed his sentence and he will be punished soon,"
Esmayeeli told reporters in a press conference in Tehran at the time.
He added that
two others who also collected intelligence for the US under the disguise of a
charity have also stood on trial and were sentenced to 10 years of prison for
espionage operations and 5 more years for acting against security.
Last year,
Iran issued rulings for two persons who spied for the US and Saudi Arabia in
the country.
"Rulings
have been issued for two spies of the US and Saudi (intelligence)
agencies," Esmayeeli told reporters in a press conference in Tehran in May
2019.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990424000727
--------
Iran offers
unconditional support to Hamas, Islamic Jihad
Jul 13, 2020
GAZA CITY,
Gaza Strip — Since Hamas and Islamic Jihad remained on the sidelines in the
Syrian civil war and left their respective offices in Damascus in 2012, Iran, a
staunch ally of the Syrian regime, suspended its financial support to both
movements, cutting off their largest sources of funding.
The return of
these relations, however, seems to be in the offing, especially with the recent
events in the region. On May 28, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
announced that his government intends to annex 30% of the West Bank.
Head of the
Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh said July 6 that he had received a
message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, confirming that his
country will continue to provide support to the Palestinians.
“Iran will
spare no effort to support the Palestinian people to restore their right and
hold off the evil schemes of the Zionist entity,” the message read.
The message
comes after Iranian Shura Council Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made two
phone calls to Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah
July 1, to discuss mechanisms and ways to thwart Israel’s annexation plan.
Ghalibaf
expressed his country’s support for the Palestinian people in the face of the
US Middle East peace plan, known locally as "the deal of the
century."
Hamas has made
great efforts in the past months in a bid to restore Iranian support. Hamas
condemned the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, by a US strike in Baghdad Jan. 3. Haniyeh also
traveled to Tehran to participate in Soleimani’s funeral.
Mahmoud
al-Zahar, a member of Hamas political bureau, had said during an interview with
Al-Nahda News July 9, 2019, that Hamas had been making great efforts in a bid
to restore relations with the Syrian government backed by the Iranian regime.
A prominent
Hamas leader who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said, “Iran
decided to provide the Palestinian resistance with the greatest possible
support to confront Israel’s annexation plan of the West Bank. This support
will be greater than ever, with no restrictions and in any way the Palestinian
resistance wishes."
Although Iran
announced that it would continue to support the Palestinian resistance, a major
challenge stands in the way, which is the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s
policy to dry up Hamas sources of funding, taking strict measures to prevent
money from outside the Palestinian territories from reaching the Islamic
movement through local banks.
“Hamas has its
own ways to get the money. Banks are no longer part of its scheme to do so,”
the Hamas source said.
A Reuters
report published on April 26, 2019, said that Hamas is increasingly using
sophisticated methods to raise money using Bitcoins, which highlights the
difficulties facing the authorities to track cryptocurrencies financing groups
that some classify as terrorists.
“It is not
important here for the public to know how the support will reach the
resistance, but what is important is where and how such support would be used
on the ground to thwart the Israeli annexation plan,” the source explained.
He added, “The
Iranian support will mainly be directed to the West Bank that is at risk now
with the Israeli annexation plan. Support will also focus on mobilizing the
Palestinian people to confront this scheme.”
On July 2,
Secretary-General of Fatah’s Central Committee Jibril Rajoub and Hamas leader
Salah al-Arouri, who is based in Beirut, held a rare joint video conference to
discuss a joint plan of action to counter the Israeli annexation plan.
“We must
realize that the battlefield now is the West Bank and our people in Gaza are
ready by all means to [counter the plan]. Abu Obaida [spokesman for Hamas’
military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades] said that the annexation is a
‘declaration of war,’” Arouri said during the conference call.
Islamic Jihad
leader Khodr Habib told Al-Monitor, “Iran’s support is of paramount importance
for the Palestinian resistance and willl significantly contribute to escalate
the resistance against the Israeli occupation in the coming period.”
He stressed
that there is ongoing communication between his movement’s leadership and
Iranian officials to discuss mechanisms to translate what has been agreed upon
in recent contacts with Iran on the ground.
He added, “The
resistance factions have been holding regular meetings to develop practical
measures to address the Israeli plan. All our efforts in the coming stage will
be focusing on resisting and thwarting the [annexation] plan and we will
certainly succeed in that.”
Talal Okal,
political analyst and writer for the Ramallah-based newspaper Al-Ayyam, told
Al-Monitor, “Iran’s recent stance to provide the greatest possible support to
Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the framework of confronting the Israeli annexation
plan, is the culmination of great efforts made by the leadership of the two
movements to restore their relations with Iran.”
He said that
Hamas felt it had made a historic mistake by detaching itself from Iran over
the Syrian conflict, and by looking for alternative sources of funding, such as
Qatari support.
Okal explained
that Hamas found out that Qatar’s support is conditioned by maintaining calm
with Israel, which is in direct conflict with the movement’s principles and
goals aimed at perpetuating the conflict with Israel. Hamas was forced to
maintain calm with Israel at the moment in order to receive more funds from
Qatar, especially since it has been grappling with a major financial crisis
since Egypt established a buffer zone along the borders with the Gaza Strip in
2014 to destroy the border tunnels, he added.
“Hamas
realized that it is in imperative need of the Iranian support more than any
other source of funding, as Iran would provide it without any conditions or
prerequisites,” Okal concluded.
Hassan Abdo, a
writer and political analyst close to Islamic Jihad, told Al-Monitor, “The
recent contacts between Hamas and Islamic Jihad with Iran — and Khamenei’s
message — are proof that all differences between the two parties would remain
on hold now as they are insignificant in light of the Israeli annexation
scheme.”
He added,
“Many other Arab countries turned their back on the Palestinians and
contributed in intensifying their blockade, making way for the US deal of the
century and the annexation plan, which is part of it. Iran’s position was
exactly the opposite."
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/07/palestinian-hamas-iran-financial-support-israel-annexation.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1358214_
--------
Yemeni
Official Threatens S. Arabia with More Missile Attacks
Jul 14, 2020
“Hey Salman!
You deserve death. Missiles will come to you while they cannot be tracked,”
Abdul-Salam wrote on his twitter page on Tuesday.
“They always
and every moment bring you breaking news that the (Yemeni) missiles are fired
from their bases like a volcano,” he added.
Abdul-Salam
expressed confidence that God will help the Yemenis defeat the Saudi government
and its leader.
Yemeni forces
targeted Saudi Arabia's strategic military sites, including military bases, and
an oil facility, by a squadron of domestically-manufactured combat drones and
ballistic missiles.
Spokesman for
Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said on Monday that
"Tadaween military camp in Marib was targeted during a meeting of Saudi
military commanders with mercenaries, killing and injuring dozens of them.”
"Other
military sites were targeted in Abha, Jizan, and Najran airports,” he added.
General Saree
also said that a giant oil facility in the industrial zone in Jizan was
accurately targeted.
He added that
the military operation executed with undisclosed highly accurate ballistic
missiles, and a large number of drones
“Our
determination in the legitimate defense of Yemen until freedom and independence
are achieved,” General Saree stressed.
According to
previous reports on Sunday, four ballistic Yemeni missiles and seven drones
laden with explosives hit designated targets in the city of Khamis Mushait in
the Southwestern province of Asir and Abha, the capital city of Asir.
The reports
added that King Khalid Airbase in Khamis Mushait and the Abha International
Airport were targeted during the retaliatory assault.
The Saudi-led
coalition, however, claimed on Monday it had intercepted and destroyed the
rockets and drones. The coalition did not report any casualties.
The attack
came after Saudi fighter jets pounded the Washhah district in Hajjah on Sunday,
leaving ten civilians dead and two others injured.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990424000896
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Iran executes
two over 2010 bomb attack at military parade
14 July 2020
Iran on
Tuesday executed two people convicted of involvement in a 2010 bomb attack at a
military parade that killed a dozen people, the Islamic republic’s judiciary
said.
“The death
penalty was carried out today for the two main perpetrators of the (2010)
bombing in the city of Mahabad,” said a statement by the judiciary authority of
West Azerbaijan province.
It said the
two were “the agents of terrorist groups linked to foreign intelligence
services,” according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It did not
reveal the identity of the convicts nor the alleged countries involved.
Twelve people
were killed and 81 injured by the bomb that exploded in Mahabad, on Iran’s
northwestern borders with Iraq and Turkey, in September 2010.
Most of the
victims in the Kurdish-majority city were women and children attending a
military parade.
Iranian
officials blamed the attack on “counter-revolutionary elements” in the region
which regularly witnesses armed clashes between Iranian forces and Kurdish
militant groups.
Days after the
attack, Iran said 30 “terrorists” including some “American mercenaries”
involved in the attack were killed in an operation by the Revolutionary Guards
in Iraq.
Iran’s
intelligence ministry said in 2014 that three linked to the attack were
arrested, adding that they had confessed to being part of the Kurdish
nationalist group Komala.
The group has
conducted a long-running insurgency in Iran’s Kurdistan from bases located
across the border in Iraq.
Iran has
accused the United States of supporting the groups, most notably Komala and
Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK).
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/14/Iran-executes-two-over-2010-bomb-attack-at-military-parade.html
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Turkey court
jails three suspects for life over 2016 attack: Reports
14 July 2020
A Turkish
court on Monday handed down life sentences to three suspects over a 2016 terror
attack claimed by Kurdish rebels that left 12 people dead, the official Anadolu
news agency reported.
Six of the
victims in the bombing of a police bus in the heart of Istanbul were police
officers and the other six were civilians.
The court in
Istanbul found defendants Eyup Sever and Murat Bal guilty of “violating the constitution”
and “premeditated murder,” handing both aggravated life terms, Anadolu
reported. It also sentenced them each to 893 years in prison.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The court
sentenced a third defendant, GulsahBahadir, to life for “premeditated murder”
and separately sentenced her to 893 years in prison, according to the news
agency.
Militant
Kurdish group the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons (TAK) – seen as a splinter group of
the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) – claimed responsibility for the Istanbul
attack.
The PKK, which
has waged an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is blacklisted as
a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.
The Istanbul
court ordered the release of four other suspects under judicial control.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/14/Turkey-court-jails-three-suspects-for-life-over-2016-attack-Reports-.html
--------
Zarif: Iran
will keep trying to send Yemen relief aid despite Saudi siege
14 July 2020
Despite the
ongoing restrictions and setbacks, Iran will keep up its efforts to transfer
humanitarian aid to Yemen, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says,
denouncing continuation of the Saudi-led war and siege against the impoverished
country as “unacceptable.”
Zarif made the
remarks on Tuesday during a video-call with Hisham Sharaf Abdullah, his
counterpart from the Yemeni National Salvation Government.
Yemen’s
popular Houthi Ansarullah movement formed the government together with its
allies in 2016 to undertake administration of the country’s internal affairs.
The allies
were forced to come together after Yemen’s former Riyadh-allied government fled
the country amid a political deadlock, refusing to stay behind and negotiate
power.
The new government
was also tasked with dealing with a relentless war of aggression and
simultaneous siege that Saudi Arabia and some other countries brought against
Yemen with the United States’ support to try and reinstate the Riyadh-allied
former officials.
The invasion
has killed tens of thousands of Yemenis and pushed the country close to the
brink of all-out famine.
“Despite
[existing] restrictions and obstructions, the Islamic Republic of Iran will
continue taking the necessary measures to transfer humanitarian aid [to Yemen]
to [help it] confront the coronavirus’ spread,” Zarif said.
“Continuation
of the invasion and oppressive blockade of Yemen by the [Saudi-led] coalition,
and impounding of the ships that carry foodstuffs and fuel to the country amid
the coronavirus’ epidemic is unacceptable,” he added.
The Iranian
top diplomat reasserted the Islamic Republic’s stance of considering the
political solution to be the only way out of Yemen’s crisis, saying Tehran has
been cooperating constructively with the concerned Yemeni and international
parties with the aim of restoring peace in the violence-stricken country.
In the same
context, Zarif said the only way to return stability to the country was to
ensure respect for Yemen’s territorial integrity as well as unity and
broad-based political dialog among various Yemeni parties groups towards
formation of an inclusive government “because Yemen belongs to all Yemeni
groups.”
The Yemeni
official, for his part, expressed gratitude towards the Islamic Republic for
its political and humanitarian support for the country amid the invasion and
blockade.
He also
provided Zarif with a report on the latest political and field developments
concerning Yemen and an outlook of the crisis.
GCC’s Iran
claims
Also on
Tuesday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi addressed earlier claims by
Nayef Falah Mubarak Al Hajraf, secretary-general of the [Persian] Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC), who had tried to implicate the Islamic Republic in
the Houthis’ retaliations against Saudi Arabia.
Pointing to a
Monday counterstrike by the Houthis, Al Hajraf had claimed that Tehran
“supplies arms and ammunition” to the movement. The official had also pledged
full support on the part of the GCC for Saudi Arabia, disregarding Riyadh’s
incessant bloodshed of the Yemenis.
Mousavi
advised the Council to try to stop the Saudi-led coalition’s attacks on Yemeni
women and children instead of playing the blame game and coming up with
“baseless” claims about others.
The spokesman
further denounced Riyadh and the former Yemeni government for its “duplicitous”
attitude towards an initiative led by the United Nations that is aimed at
ending the war. He said the coalition claims to be observing a ceasefire in
Yemen, while keeping up its “wanton bombings” and still trying to resolve the
crisis through military means.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/14/629612/Iran-Yemen-humanitarian-aid-Zarif
--------
Africa
Tunisia’s
President Saied rejects Islamist Ennahda’s call for government change
13 July 2020
Tunisia’s
Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the largest in parliament, called Monday for
consultations to appoint a new prime minister, a move opposed by President Kais
Saied.
Prime Minister
Elyes Fakhfakh was sworn in in February after winning a confidence vote in
parliament following four months of post-election deadlock amid tensions with
Ennahdha.
Fakhfakh is
under investigation over alleged failure to hand over control of shares he owns
in private companies that have won public contracts.
For all the latest
headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Ennahdha
consultative council asked party leader Rached Ghannouchi “to carry out
consultations... on a change of government,” council president Abdelkarim
Harouni said.
“The economic
and social situation is very serious and can only be overcome by a government
whose head is not suspected of any conflict of interest,” he told a news
conference.
“Ennahdha does
not allow any suspicion of corruption to prevail in the government,” Harouni
said.
Relations
between Ennahdha and Fakhfakh have been strained ever since the October
legislative elections.
President
Saied rejected Ennahdha’s call for consultations to go ahead.
“There will be
no consultations so long as the prime minister remains in power,” his office
said in a statement after a meeting with the premier.
In a related
development, the head of Tunisia’s Free Destourian Party (Free Constitutional
Party) bloc AbirMoussi said on Monday that Ennahdha’s leader Rached Ghannouchi,
cannot topple the government through a no confidence vote.
Tunisia’s
already fragile economy has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
Fakhfakh said
last month that the economy would shrink by some six percent this year as “all
state enterprises are in bankruptcy.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/07/13/Tunisia-s-President-Saied-rejects-Islamist-Ennahda-s-call-for-government-change.html
--------
UAE working
for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Libya: Foreign Affairs Minister Gargash
13 July 2020
The United
Arab Emirates continues to “work for an immediate ceasefire and return to a
political process” in Libya, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar
Gargash said on Monday.
“The UAE,
alongside its partners, wants to see a return to oil production in Libya as
soon as possible, with safeguards in place to prevent the proceeds fueling
further conflict. We continue to work for an immediate ceasefire and return to
a political process,” the minister wrote on his official Twitter page.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
His statement
comes as the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu rejected a ceasefire in
Libya on Monday.
Agreeing to a
ceasefire would be dependent on the withdrawal of the Libyan National Army
(LNA) led by commander Khalifa Haftar, Cavusoglu had said.
Libya has been
mired in conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, but since 2019,
fighting between the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar and the
GNA has escalated as foreign involvement has intensified.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/07/13/UAE-working-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-Libya-Gargash.html
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Somalia’s
military chief unhurt, civilian killed in suicide car bomb
13 July 2020
The head of
Somalia’s military escaped unhurt and one civilian was killed on Monday when a
suicide attacker drove a bomb-laden car into a convoy in the capital Mogadishu,
according to a military spokesman and an ambulance service.
The al
Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group said it was behind the attack.
General Yusuf
Rage was driving in the convoy near the military hospital in Mogadishu’s Hodan
district when the blast struck, Colonel Abdiqani Ali, the military spokesman
said.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
commander’s guards opened fire on the suicide car bomb as it speedily tried to
swerve into the convoy. The bomber was shot dead and his car bomb exploded. The
commander and his guards escaped unhurt,” he said.
Mogadishu’s
Aamin Ambulance service said it had collected the body of one civilian.
Al Shabab’s
military operations spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab said in a statement: “We
conducted a martyrdom operation in Mogadishu. The target was a military convoy
escorting senior apostate commanders.”
Since 2008,
the extremist militant group has been fighting to overthrow the central
government and establish its rule based on its own harsh interpretation of
Islam’s Sharia law.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/07/13/Somalia-s-military-chief-unhurt-civilian-killed-in-sui.html
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Nigeria Scheme
Snubs Ex-Boko Haram Women
13 JULY 2020
By Emeka
Okonkwo
Abuja, Nigeria
— Nigeria's programme to rehabilitate repentant members of the Boko Haram has
come under criticism for shunning women that quit the terror group.
The criticism
comes as the West African country has rehabilitated about 900 ex-insurgents
under the Operation Safe Corridor (OSC).
It is the
biggest project by Nigeria to address the terrorism that has left thousands
dead and millions displaced northeast of the country.
Nextier
Security, Peace and Development (SPD) however said the programme appeared
male-focused and repentant women were merely released back to their
communities.
"Processes
for females with links to Boko Haram are not clear," the Abuja-based
think-tank stated.
According to
the experts, the government's programme overlooks the fact that some women were
involved as perpetrators.
Nextier SPD
said the chances of survival for women with links to Boko Haram would be worse
even as they were reportedly released into communities without adequate
psychosocial support and empowerment.
In some cases,
these women are snubbed by the community.
There is
concern therefore that with no means of livelihood or support, the chances of
the women returning to Boko Haram remain high.
"The
amnesty programme must be accompanied by an approach that specifically caters
for the needs of women in the programme," Nextier SPD recommended.
The Boko Haram
has killed more than 30 000 civilians since its rebellion in 2009.
It seeks to
create an Islamic state northeast of Nigeria.
More than 2
million people have been displaced. An estimated 8 million people in the region
are food-insecure.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202007130289.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1358214_
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War Crimes
Trial Begins Against Malian Jihadist
By Lisa Bryant
July 14, 2020
PARIS - The
ex-chief of Timbuktu’s Islamic police went on trial Tuesday in The Hague for a
number of alleged war crimes and crimes against humanities charges including
rape, sexual slavery and destroying irreplaceable shrines in the ancient Malian
city.
Wearing a
flowing blue gown and white headdress — and a face mask pushed below his nose —
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud replied “yes” to whether he
understood each of the 13 charges against him. But on each count, he refused to
plead either
innocent or guilty.
International
Criminal Court prosecutors accuse Al Hassan of rape, torture and sexual
slavery, among other atrocities allegedly committed between 2012 and 2013, as
Timbuktu's police chief after jihadists occupied the city.
Prosecutor
Fatou Bensouda described as unimaginable the crimes committed by jihadists in
the city. Under Al Hassan, she said, the Islamic police belittled, humiliated
and persecuted residents on religious grounds.
Prosecutors
argue Al Hassan abused, whipped and tortured Timbuktu residents who violated
strict religious laws. He allegedly forced young women and girls to marry
jihadist fighters, which the prosecution claims led to rape and sexual
enslavement. And he is accused of participating in lashings of men and women —
and of playing a role in the destruction of local shrines.
Al Hassan’s
defense argues he is not mentally fit to stand trial.
How can
somebody who is experiencing such post-traumatic stress that they are
dissociating in a way they avoid memories, properly assist council to analyze
the evidence—that to date it still hasn’t had the opportunity to even
investigate — in order to prepare an adequate defense?”
ICC judges
ordered Al Hassan to be medically examined, but ruled the opening would not be
delayed.
Al Hassan is
the second Islamist to face trial at the ICC over the destruction of Timbuktu’s
religious and historical buildings. In 2016, Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi pled guilty
to attacks on the UNESCO World Heritage site. He was sentenced to nine years in
prison.
https://www.voanews.com/africa/war-crimes-trial-begins-against-malian-jihadist
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Europe
Germany
arrests two Syrians linked to al-Qaeda
13 July 2020
Two Syrians
have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of helping to carry out an execution
by a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, prosecutors said Monday.
Named only as
Khedr A.K. and Sami A.S., the men are accused of having “jointly killed a
person protected under international humanitarian law,” prosecutors said.
The men were
arrested and their apartments searched in Naumburg, near Leipzig, and in the
western city of Essen.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Khedr A.K.
joined the GhurabaaMuhassan group in Syria, part of the Jabhat al-Nusra
terrorist organization, some time before July 2012, prosecutors said.
At that time,
Jabhat al-Nusra was al-Qaeda’s sister organization in Syria.
On July 10,
2012, Khedr A.K. was involved in the execution of a lieutenant colonel with the
Syrian army who had been captured by the group, they said.
He is accused
of guarding the prisoner, who was bound by his hands and subjected to severe
mistreatment, as he was transferred to his place of execution in Syria.
Sami A.S.
filmed the subsequent shooting of the victim and commented on the video “in a
glorifying manner” for propaganda purposes, prosecutors said.
Khedr A.K. is
suspected of membership in Jabhat al-Nusra and Sami A.S. of having been a
supporter of the group.
Both men
appeared before the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) on Monday and are now in
custody.
The first
court case worldwide over state-sponsored torture by Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad’s regime opened in April in Germany after the suspects were brought to
the notice of the authorities by their victims.
In June, a
Syrian doctor living in Germany was arrested on suspicion of crimes against
humanity in his country of origin.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/07/13/Germany-arrests-two-Syrians-linked-to-al-Qaeda.html
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Spanish police
detain two Algerians in anti-terrorism operation in Barcelona
14 July 2020
Two Algerian
men were detained in an anti-terrorism raid in Spain’s second largest city
Barcelona on Tuesday morning, police said.
The two
Algerians were part of a cell, under investigation since 2017, which was
planning an attack with explosives in Barcelona, the regional Catalan police
said in a statement, adding that the cell had now been fully disbanded.
“The
investigation has allowed us to identify the areas in which the terrorist cell
had planned to act, as well as determine that the group had already begun to
gain capacity on how to make explosive devices and how to obtain the war
weapons they needed to carry out their attack,” police said.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The activities
of extremist groups remain a top priority for police in Spain after militants
used a van to hit pedestrians in Barcelona’s Las Ramblas boulevard in August
2017 and carried out a follow-up attack in another municipality, killing 16
people in total.
In May, police
arrested a Moroccan man in Barcelona with suspected links to ISIS who they
believed was planning a militant attack.
A total of 16
suspected extremist fighters have been arrested in Spain from the start of the
year until July 5th, according to data from the interior ministry.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/07/14/Spanish-police-detain-two-Algerians-in-anti-terrorism-operation-in-Barcelona.html
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EU preparing
possible sanctions on Turkey
14 July 2020
Jerome Hughes
EU foreign
affairs ministers agree to draw up possible sanctions on Turkey if Ankara fails
to change its policies.
For the first
time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe, EU foreign ministers gathered in
Brussels for face-to-face talks. They had plenty of criticism for leaders in
China and Venezuela but most of their indignation was reserved for President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. The ministers agreed to draw up possible
sanctions against Ankara.
Brussels is
irritated with Turkey over its efforts to find gas in disputed Mediterranean
waters. This is annoying EU members Cyprus and Greece in particular.
Furthermore,
the bloc is unhappy with Turkey’s involvement in Libya and Syria, not to
mention recent, alleged, aggressive Turkish behavior toward a French navy
vessel in the Mediterranean. Both Turkey and France are members of NATO.
Most recently,
the EU is taking a tough stance over Turkey’s decision to change the status of
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul from a museum to a mosque. On all these issues,
Erdogan insists he is protecting Turkey’s interests and the EU should mind its
own business. As relations with the EU worsen, experts suggest Turkey should be
seeking to reinforce partnerships closer to home.
Not long ago,
Turkey was edging closer to EU membership. Experts say the bloc has a lot to
lose by antagonizing Ankara too much. They point out that if Turkey allows
refugees to freely enter the EU, the political consequences for the 27-country
bloc would be enormous.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/14/629575/EU-Turkey-sanctions
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Muslim
Brotherhood’s danger dawns on France
July 14, 2020
Lawmakers in
France last week recommended that there should be a preaching ban on clerics
affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood, as one of 44 propositions used in order
to counter extremist Islamist radicalization in the European country.
“I believe
that the most important thing is to control those who convey a hate speech,
from outside or within the country, such as separatists, racists, anti-Semites.
This speech is contrary to the values of the French Republic,” French Senator
Nathalie Goulet told Arab News.
“The fight
against Islamization accepts no tolerance in fighting against the enemies of
the Republic and particularly the Muslim Brotherhood movement,” she added.
The report’s
44 propositions relate to economic, education, social and cultural issues,
according to French daily Le Figaro. It uncovers a truth long hidden in France
and one that has been warned against by several countries in the Arab world.
“It is the
nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all
nations, and to extend its power to the entire planet.”
Those words
were among the many ominous points outlined on a document titled “The Project”
that was discovered by Swiss authorities as they raided prominent Muslim
Brotherhood member and terror financier Youssef Nada’s apartment in November
2001.
While they may
have been brushed off among everyday Europeans as those of a radical madman,
carrying no significant weight, they ring true for many who believe in the
Muslim Brotherhood’s extremist ideology.
Key Dates
1928
1
The Muslim
Brotherhood is founded by Hassan Al-Banna in Ismailia, Egypt.
December 1948
2
Muslim
Brotherhood member Abdel Meguid Ahmed Hassan assassinates Egypt’s Prime
Minister Mahmud Al-Nokrashy.
1954
3
Members of the
Muslim Brotherhood attempt to assassinate Egyptian President Gamal Abdel
Nasser, who then raids the group and arrests several of its members, including
the group’s ideologue Sayyid Qutb.
1966
4
Egypt executes
Sayyid Qutb, whose extremist ideology inspired the birth of terrorist
organization Al-Qaeda.
June 1979
5
The Muslim
Brotherhood in Syria launches an attack during the Islamic uprising, killing 83
cadets at the Aleppo Artillery School.
Timeline Image
June 1979
November 1981
6
The Muslim
Brotherhood in Syria carries out a spate of car-bomb attacks against military
and government officials in Damascus, causing the deaths of hundreds of people.
Timeline Image
November 1981
1987
7
The Muslim
Brotherhood sets up Hamas as one of its military wings in Palestine.
1997
8
The US State
Department designates Hamas as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the
Immigration and Nationality Act.
2001
9
The US
Treasury Department designates the Muslim Brotherhood-founded Holy Land Foundation
for Relief and Development and Al-Taqwa Bank as a “Specially Designated Global
Terrorist” group after supplying Hamas and Al-Qaeda with logistical and
financial support.
2011
10
The Muslim
Brotherhood’s Tunisian political party, Ennahdha, led by Rachid Al-Ghannouchi,
comes first in assembly elections with more than 37 percent of the vote.
2012
11
Swiss banks
UBS and Credit Suisse cancel Muslim Brotherhood-linked, UK-based NGO Islamic
Relief’s accounts due to fears they are being used to finance terrorism.
2012
12
The Muslim
Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi wins the Egyptian presidential elections to take
office as the country’s president after the ousting of Hosni Mubarak.
August 2013
13
Members of the
Muslim Brotherhood are accused of looting and setting fire to over 42 Egyptian
churches and police stations.
Timeline Image
August 2013
2013
14
Morsi is
ousted from his position as president following nationwide protests and is
arrested by the military, which later raids the Muslim Brotherhood’s camps and
arrests loyalists; the country officially designates the group a terrorist
organization.
Timeline Image
2013
2014
15
Muslim
Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie and 628 other members are sentenced to
death for violence and killing policemen in Egypt.
June 29, 2015
16
Cairo’s
Criminal Court charges 67 members of the Muslim Brotherhood with the
assassination of Egyptian Public Prosecutor Hisham Barakat.
2015
17
UK Prime
Minister’s Office says membership of the Muslim Brotherhood is “a possible
indicator of extremism.”
2016
18
UK’s HSBC
cancels Islamic Relief’s accounts amid concerns that its monetary aid is
financing terrorism.
2017
19
Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt sever ties with Qatar following its continued
support for and harboring of extremists and terrorists, including members of
the Muslim Brotherhood and its spiritual guide Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.
July 22, 2017
20
A Cairo court
sentences 28 people to death over Hisham Barakat’s killing, and hands 15 others
25-year jail sentences.
2017
21
France expels
the Muslim Brotherhood founder’s grandson Hani Ramadan for his anti-Semitic and
extremist rhetoric which “posed a serious threat to public order,” according to
the interior ministry.
2018
22
The French
government freezes Hani Ramadan’s assets as part of the fight against the
financing of terrorism.
2018
23
The Muslim
Brotherhood is sued internationally by the head of the Egyptian Union of Human
Rights Organizations, Naguib Ghobrael, and other international unions for
setting fire to over 42 churches in 2013.
2019
24
German
officials accuse Islamic Relief of “significant personal ties” to the Muslim
Brotherhood and start a review of official funding of Brotherhood-related
groups.
While the
group’s views and ties to terrorism are well-known in the Arab region, the
Brotherhood took advantage of its unknown and low-lying presence in Europe.
Hundreds of exiled members sought safe haven there during the 1950s and 1960s
following Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s nation-wide purge of the group’s
loyalists after their failed attempts to assassinate him.
“An extremely
adaptive movement, the Brotherhood has understood that its goals for the Arab
world — establishing Islamic regimes which they would lead — is not a realistic
aspiration in Europe, at least for the time being,” Dr. Lorenzo Vidino,
director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, told Arab
News.
The group’s
slogan definitively sums up what its fundamental worldwide goal is: “Islam is
the solution, the Qur’an is our constitution, Allah is our objective. The
Prophet is our leader. Jihad is our way. Dying in the way of Allah is our
highest hope.”
This, as the
group’s notorious spiritual guide Sayyid Qutb described, can only happen
through the ultimate jihad — a religiously justified expedition to rid the
world of the tyrannical, the ignorant and the falsely worshipped.
According to
the 9/11 commission report published in 2004: “No middle ground exists in what
Qutb conceived as a struggle between God and Satan. All Muslims — as he defined
them — therefore must take up arms in this fight. Any Muslim who rejects his
ideas is just one more nonbeliever worthy of destruction.”
This extremist
ideology went on to inspire terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, with its current
leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri being an ardent follower and student of Qutb.
In order for
it to achieve its ultimate takeover, Vidino said, the group has three main
goals within Europe: To spread its political and religious world views to
European Muslim communities, to be designated as official or de facto
representatives of Muslim communities in each European country, and to
influence European public opinion and policymaking on all issues in an
Islamist-friendly direction.
“They seek to
do so through an incessant dawa (religious call) which is facilitated by the
fact that they can rely on ample resources (and, consequently, a network of
mosques, educational activities, publications), more than any competing Islamic
trend,” said Vidino, who is also author of the book “The New Muslim Brotherhood
in the West.”
He continued: “The Brotherhood aims at being
entrusted by European governments with administering all aspects of Muslim life
in each country. This position would also allow them to be the de facto official
Muslim voice in public debates and in the media, overshadowing competing
forces.”
And one
needn’t go far in order to prove that this is their ulterior motive. Exiled
Egyptian cleric Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideologue profiled
by Arab News in its “Preachers of Hate” series, openly stated on a Qatar TV
talk show in 2007: “Islam will conquer Europe without resorting to the sword or
fighting.
“Europe is
miserable with materialism, with the philosophy of promiscuity, and with the
immoral considerations that rule the world — considerations of self-interest
and self-indulgence,” he said, adding: “It is high time (Europe) woke up and
found a way out from this, and it will not find a lifesaver or a lifeboat other
than Islam.”
Founded by
Egyptian schoolteacher Hassan Al-Banna in Ismailia in 1928 as a movement to
oust British colonial rule and create an Islamic state dictated by Sharia Law,
the Muslim Brotherhood has since shifted from attempting to achieve its goal
through violence and terrorist attacks throughout Egypt and the Arab world to
masking its intentions through democratic and lawful means.
Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Russia have slapped the group with terrorist
designations, and while US President Donald Trump mulled doing the same,
neither the US nor any of European countries have done so — although the EU and
US have labeled its Palestinian military wing, Hamas, a terrorist group.
Europe, and
most notably France and Germany, have harbored large Muslim communities throughout
the years. While most members of these communities might have no ill intentions
towards their host nations, dangerous and radical ideology bubbles under the
surface, especially among younger people.
“Violent
radicalization arises out of the particular challenges faced by an increasingly
Westernized generation of young Muslims in Europe, who attempt to carve out an
identity for themselves,” wrote Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen, director of the
Institute for Strategy at the Royal Danish Defence College, in a paper titled
“Violent Radicalization in Europe: What We Know and What We Do Not Know.”
She added:
“The overall conditions of modernity and life in Western democracies —
individualization and value relativism — prompt a search for identity, meaning,
and community for a number of individuals.”
The answers
these young people look for, as Vidino pointed out, are found in the mosques
and youth clubs the Muslim Brotherhood set up through the years since its
members arrived in Europe.
“Since (the
1950s) and up to now, members of the Brotherhood have been able to obtain
asylum and citizenship, set up mosques and institutions, disseminate their
propaganda, collect funds, recruit new members, and even be seen as moderate
partners of European establishments, their institutions often being seen as
moderate interlocutors,” he said.
These
institutions are many and wide-spread across the UK, France, Germany and other
European countries.
The
Dublin-based European Council for Fatwa and Research is one of them. Founded in
1997 by Al-Qaradawi, the council has stirred great controversy since then. Its
most recent scandal came after it developed the Euro Fatwa app that has been
dubbed “a tool for radicalization” by German authorities.
According to
local media, the app’s introduction included statements from Al-Qaradawi
saying: “Muslims became a disgrace to Islam and have acted similarly to the
Jews who decreed it was correct to steal.”
Another is the
Federation of Islamic Organizations in France, founded by the Brotherhood in
1989, that acts as an umbrella organization to most Muslim organizations across
Europe. Falling under it is the Islamic Community in Germany that was formerly
headed by the Brotherhood founder’s son-in-law Said Ramadan. It is considered
the central organization for Muslim Brotherhood followers in the country by the
German Domestic Intelligence Agency.
“If we want to
limit the influence of this tendency of Islam, incompatible with our republican
rules, we must take more concrete measures,” Senator Goulet said, adding that
“we must also be very vigilant towards foreign funding of French associations.”
This freedom
to operate under the guise of promoting Islam within the confines of the law in
Europe poses a challenge to many agencies and policy makers in the continent
who are aware of the dangers the group’s soft power poses in the long term,
especially within Muslim youth communities.
“Some
countries, or at least some agencies and policymakers within some countries, do
see the Brotherhood as problematic, and some actions have been taken against
the group,” Vidino said. These measures include shutting down its entities,
stripping members of visas and seizing its funds.
“The security
services of Germany, for example, have repeatedly stated that the threat posed
by ‘legalistic Islamists’ (Islamist groups that operate within the boundaries
of the law) is much greater in the long term than that of jihadism.”
“In this
spirit, the report targets the Muslim brotherhood and its leader Sheikh
Qaradawi,” Senator Goulet said. “I cannot say it enough: It is up to religions
to adapt to the Republic and not the other way around.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1704676/world
--------
North America
The U.S. must
respond forcefully to Russia and the Taliban. Here’s how.
July 14, 2020
John W.
Nicholson, a retired Army general, commanded U.S. and NATO-led international
forces in Afghanistan from March 2016 to September 2018. He was the
longest-serving commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
In late 2017,
when I was commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, an Afghan governor
whom I knew well and trusted came to my headquarters in Kabul. He brought a
small cache of weapons that he said had been provided to the Taliban by Russian
operatives coming across the northern border from Tajikistan.
This marked a
significant change from the pre-2014 days of cooperation with the Russians,
when they facilitated our logistics through Central Asia. Unfortunately,
support to the Taliban fit into what U.S. intelligence showed was a pattern of
increasing Russian malign activity, which included cooperation with the Taliban
and disinformation tactics aimed at undermining U.S. and NATO legitimacy,
jeopardizing prospects for peace and endangering our troops.
Russia
provided small arms, ammunition and money with the intention of sustaining the
Taliban in the fight and gaining influence ahead of the anticipated withdrawal
of U.S. and NATO troops. While this assistance did not significantly alter the
tactical balance on the battlefield, it helped the Taliban inflict more
casualties on Afghan security forces and increased the danger to their U.S. and
coalition advisers.
I concluded at
the time that the Russian assistance was calibrated. For instance, they refused
to provide the Taliban with antiaircraft missiles. However, we recognized the
potential for escalation and expanded efforts to monitor the Russian-Taliban
collaboration and the growth of Russian activity in Central Asia.
These
provocations continued throughout my tour as commander, which ended in
September 2018. Still, I was somewhat surprised to read articles describing
Russian involvement in paying bounties to the Taliban for killing Americans and
our coalition partners because of the strategic risk it entails for Russia to
be directly involved in targeting our troops.
If true, this
would constitute both a reckless miscalculation and a major mistake by the
Russians and the Taliban. History shows that such mistakes and miscalculations
often lead to war. And, of course, the consequences of a conflict between
Russia and the United States, both nuclear superpowers, could be catastrophic
for the planet.
If U.S.
intelligence agencies determine that Russia put bounties on American and
coalition lives, we must respond forcefully, publicly and in ways that will
drive home to the Russians and the Taliban that there is a price to pay for
these actions.
Our response
should be clear, unequivocal and coordinated with our NATO allies and other
coalition partners in Afghanistan. Without such direct, unambiguous
communication, there could be further dangerous Russian miscalculations.
First, the
highest levels of the U.S. government and NATO should condemn these actions in
language strong enough that the Russians understand that they are unacceptable
and undermine any chance of improving relations and cooperating on areas of
mutual interest.
Second, the
United States should suspend the proposed withdrawal of U.S. forces from
Germany. These reductions play into Russian desires to undermine, weaken and
divide NATO. If withdrawals are carried out despite these reported bounties,
Russia will view this as a sign of American weakness in the face of Russian
threats. Moscow will undoubtedly be tempted to test our resolve in other ways.
Third, the
United States should pause further troop withdrawals from Afghanistan until the
Taliban meet the conditions stipulated in the peace agreement. We have
delivered on our part of the accord by drawing down U.S. force levels to 8,600
troops ahead of schedule. The Taliban must deliver on its promises, including
severing ties with al-Qaeda, beginning peace negotiations with the Afghan
government and sustaining a reduction in violence.
Our long war
in Afghanistan will have an enduring end only if agreement is reached at the
peace table. The current peace process rests on a foundation of hard-fought
gains by Afghan security forces, with the support of the United States and our
coalition partners. In recent months, each time progress is made at the table,
it is met with increased violence on the ground by the Taliban, who are
supported by Russia.
Russia’s
alliance with the Taliban, while calibrated in the past, is designed to
undermine the success of the U.S.-led peace process and to erode the will of
the United States, NATO and the Afghan people. Our leaders have a moral
responsibility to protect our service members who are fighting for an enduring
peace in Afghanistan, to honor the sacrifices of the brave Americans, coalition
partners and Afghans who came before them, and to reduce the potential for
further miscalculations and mistakes that could lead to war.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-us-must-respond-forcefully-to-russia-and-the-taliban-heres-how/2020/07/13/df13ed6c-c529-11ea-b037-f9711f89ee46_story.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1358214_
--------
India
Maharashtra CM
says Muslim Leaders to Keep Festivities For Bakri Eid Low Key
Jul 15, 2020
MUMBAI: Chief
minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday asked Muslim leaders to organise low-key
Bakri Eid celebrations without flouting social-distancing norms during a
meeting to discuss arrangements for the festival. Bakri Eid falls on August 1.
The meeting,
held via videoconferencing, was also attended by deputy chief minister
AjitPawar, home minister Anil Deshmukh, additional chief secretary (home)
Sitaram Kunte, director general of police Subodh Jaiswal and Mumbai police
commissioner Parambir Singh.
The
bureaucrats were of the opinion that animal sacrifice should be avoided in the
wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but Thackeray said that for the last four
months, people of all faiths have avoided traditional festivities, and
suggested that Bakri Eid celebrations too should be observed in the same
spirit.
Muslim leaders
had expressed concern and said that this year, they had already had muted
Ramzan Eid celebrations, and hence sought permission to celebrate Bakri Eid in
the timehonoured tradition by carrying out a sacrifice. “We are ready to offer
prayers at home, but cannot skip the sacrifice. The government should find a
way out to set up mandis (markets) all over the city and allow sacrifice of
animals in compliance with social distancing and other lockdown norms,” said
Arif Nasim Khan, a former Congress minister.
NCP minister
Nawab Malik, Congress MLAs Amin Patel and Zeeshan Siddiqui, Samajwadi Party
leader Abu Asim Azmi, and SP MLA Rais Shaikh had met the city’s guardian
minister Aslam Shaikh on Monday to discuss and plan how to organise the
festival without violating social-distancing norms.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/keep-festivities-for-bakri-eid-low-key-maharashtra-cm-uddhav-thackeray-to-muslim-netas/articleshow/76971473.cms
--------
Resentment In
Hindus On Arrests From Riot-Hit Areas In Northeast Delhi, Take Care: Special CP
To Probe Teams
by Mahender
Singh Manral
July 15, 2020
The arrests of
“some Hindu youth” from riot-hit areas in Northeast Delhi has led to a “degree
of resentment among the Hindu community” and “due care and precaution” must be
taken while making arrests, the Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) has
written in an order to senior officers heading probe teams and asked them to
“suitably” guide the Investigating Officers.
The order
comes amid the ongoing investigation, arrests and prosecution by the Delhi
Police in a slew of riot cases.
Dated July 8,
the order, signed by Special CP (Crime & Economic Offences Wing) Praveer
Ranjan, cites an “intelligence input” about the riot-related arrests of “some
Hindu youth from Chand Bagh and Khajuri Khas areas of Northeast Delhi”.
The order says
that “community representatives are alleging that these arrests are made
without any evidence and are even insinuating that such arrests are being made
for some personal reasons.”
The order goes
on to name two Muslim men and states: “In the same area, resentment among Hindu
community is also reported for alleged police inaction” against the two, “who
are alleged to have been involved in mobilising members of Muslim community
during Delhi riots and anti-CAA protests”.
“Due care and
precaution be taken while arresting any person. All evidences including direct
and technical evidences be properly analysed and that all the arrests are
backed by sufficient evidence be ensured. No arbitrary arrest should be made in
any case and all evidences must be discussed with Special PPs (public
prosecutors) assigned for each case,” it states, adding: “Supervisory officers
ACPs/DCPs — SIT & Additional CP/Crime (Headquarters) may guide the IOs
(investigating officers) suitably.”
There are
three SITs, or Special Investigation Teams, currently probing riots cases.
The Indian
Express reached out to Special CP Ranjan as well as Delhi Police PRO M S
Randhawa seeking comments.
The newspaper
sent a message to Ranjan asking him about the allegations made by “community
representatives,” and whether his order put a question mark on the nature of
the probe. No response was received.
In a tweet on
April 20, the Delhi Police had written: “While investigating Jamia and NE riot
cases, Delhi Police has done its job sincerely and impartially. All arrests
have been made based on scientific and forensic evidence.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/hindu-resentment-north-east-delhi-riots-special-cp-6506063/
--------
South Asia
US closes five
bases in Afghanistan as part of Taliban peace deal
Jul 14, 2020
ISLAMABAD: The
United States has shut five bases in Afghanistan in compliance with
Washington’s peace agreement with the Taliban, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special
representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, said on Tuesday.
The closed US
bases are in Helmand, Uruzgan, Paktika and Laghman provinces.
"We have
reached Day 135, a key milestone in implementation of the US-Taliban agreement.
The US has worked hard to carry out the 1st phase of its commitments under the
agreement, including to reduce forces & depart five bases. NATO troops have
come down in proportional numbers (sic)," Khalilzad posted on Twitter.
"As we look to the next phase of implementation under the agreement, our
approach will remain conditions-based. We will press for completion of prisoner
releases, reduction of violence, complete delivery on CT (counter-terrorism)
commitments and start of and progress in intra-Afghan negotiations (sic),"
he said.
According to
media reports, US troops in Afghanistan have been reduced to 8,600, while Nato
has currently around 12,000 troops under the Resolute Support (RS) mission.
A spokesperson
for American troops in Afghanistan said the US continues its counter-terror
fight against groups like "ISIS (Daesh)" and Al-Qaeda while also
providing training, funding and supplies to Afghan National Defence and
Security Forces (ANDSF) through the NATO RS mission.
Some important
parts of the US-Taliban deal, such as reduction in violence and intra-Afghan
negotiations, have not been implemented since the signing of the Doha accord.
The Afghan
government has blamed the Taliban for not implementing their commitments,
saying that movement by the group should be scrutinised after the peace deal.
The prisoner
exchange between the Afghan government and the Taliban is another complicated
process that has delayed intra-Afghan negotiations. According to the agreement,
the prisoner-swap process should have happened within 10 days of the peace
deal.
"Their
(Taliban’s) key responsibility was a significant reduction in violence and an
‘unofficial’ ceasefire. Another responsibility of theirs was to cut their ties
with all terrorist groups, but you saw in recent reports by the UN and US that
this has not happened so far," presidential spokesman SediqSediqqi said.
"A big role in the peace process is on the Taliban’s shoulders," he
added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/us-closes-five-bases-in-afghanistan-as-part-of-taliban-peace-deal/articleshow/76967188.cms
--------
Archbishop
recovered from Covid-19, dies after stroke in Bangladesh
July 13, 2020
A leading
Bangladeshi Catholic archbishop has died just weeks after apparently recovering
from the deadly Covid-19.
Holy Cross
Archbishop Moses Montu Costa of southeastern Chittagong Archdiocese, died in a
hospital in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka on July 13 after suffering a series of
strokes. He was 70.
Archbishop
Costa became the most senior Catholic clergyman in the country to die during
the coronavirus pandemic.
Archbishop
Costa was the secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
Bangladesh (CBCB). He also headed the bishops' Commission for Health Care.
Previously, he served as chairman of CBCB Commission for Seminary and
Commission for Youth.
Holy Cross
Cardinal Patrick D’Rozario of Dhaka Archdiocese and president of the CBCB
announced the prelate’s death in a statement and called on everyone to pray for
his departed soul.
Archbishop
Costa was admitted to hospital on June 13 in critical condition and tested
positive for Covid-19 the next day. His condition improved significantly and he
tested negative for the virus on June 22. However, he remained in hospital for
further treatment.
He suffered
multiple strokes on July 9, according to doctors.
He will be
buried in Chittagong on July 14, Chittagong Archdiocese officials said.
An irreparable
loss
Archbishop
Costa’s death is an irreparable loss, said ManikWillver D’Costa, pastoral
coordinator of Chittagong Archdiocese
“Besides his
extraordinary efforts in laying a strong socio-economic foundation for the
Church and revolutionizing the systematic re-organization of Church apparatus,
he emphasized a spiritual awakening and missionary zeal for clergy, religious
and laity,” he told UCA News.
“He believed
that without becoming a local missionary and helping self-growth and thriving,
the Church has no future. He was a great visionary and there will be no one
like him,” he added.
“During his
time at Youth Commission as well as in dioceses, he forged personal
relationship with youth and many others and people loved him because of his
simplicity and cordial manner,” the pastoral coordinator said.
Apart from
typical youth formation, Archbishop Costa was “dynamic” in promoting the idea
that Catholic youth formation was not all about teaching, but “a journey and
growing up with Jesus Christ,” he added.
The Bangladesh
Catholic Student Movement, a Church-affiliated youth group called the late
archbishop “a pioneer of the Bangladesh Church and guiding light for youth
leadership,” in a statement.
Archbishop
Costa’s death has sent shockwaves among Bangladeshi Catholics at home and
abroad. Hundreds posted tributes on social media.
Maulana Amjad
Hossain, a Muslim cleric from Chittagong, described the archbishop’s death as
the “loss of a great friend” who promoted interfaith harmony.
“Archbishop
Moses was a true friend…. He was a man of dialogue who prioritized interfaith
harmony. His life and idealism are great inspirations for us all,” Hossain, a
Shia Muslim, told UCA News.
An illustrious
life
Born on Nov.
17, 1950, the youngest of 10 children, Moses Montu Costa entered the Little
Flower Minor Seminary of Bandura in Dhaka district in 1963.
He joined Holy
Cross Congregation, the largest religious order in Bangladesh in 1971 and
professed his first and final vows in the Holy Cross in 1978 and 1981
respectively.
Archbishop
Michael Rozario of Dhaka ordained him a Holy Cross priest Feb. 5, 1981.
After stints
as an assistant pastor in two parishes in 1981-1984, he went on to obtain
licentiate degrees in theology and spirituality at St. Thomas Aquinas
University in 1986 and in psychology and counseling at Pontifical Gregorian
University in 1989, both in Rome.
Back home,
Father Moses later taught psychology and pastoral theology at the National
Major Seminary in Dhaka, and became director of the Holy Cross Seminary and
Holy Cross Scholasticate. He also became rector of the National Major Seminary
and a member of the Holy Cross Congregation General Council.
On July 20,
1996 Pope John Paul II appointed Father Costa as the 6th bishop of Dinajpur
Diocese, where he served until 2011.
Bishop Costa
was appointed the 5th bishop of Chittagong in 2011 and became an archbishop
when Pope Francis elevated Chittagong to an archdiocese in 2017.
Recognizing
his efforts for social and economic empowerment of marginalized communities in
northern Bangladesh, Christ the King Seminary in New York conferred on him an
honorary doctorate in 2005. He also received the “Mother Teresa Memorial Award”
in 2016.
https://www.ucanews.com/news/archbishop-recovered-from-covid-19-dies-after-stroke-in-bangladesh/88757
--------
Khalilzad
reacts to Taliban car bomb attack in Samangan province
14 Jul 2020
The U.S. envoy
for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad reacted to a car bomb attack in northern
Samangan province which the Taliban group claimed responsibility for.
“We condemn
today’s attack. The use of major explosives to detonate a vehicle in a
provincial capital is unacceptable and will strengthen those who oppose peace
and plays into the hands of spoilers. All sides must reduce violence,”
Khalilzad said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Zabiullah
Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban group issued a statement on Twitter on
Monday claiming that the group carried out the attack.
Mujahid went
on to claim that the attack killed 47 personnel of the Afghan intelligence
forces and wounded at least 72 others.
Meanwhile, the
local authorities claim that the gun battle followed by a car bomb explosion in
Aibak city of Samangan claimed the lives of at least 10 people.
The officials
also added that the attack left at least 50 others wounded.
https://www.khaama.com/khalilzad-reacts-to-taliban-car-bomb-attack-in-samangan-province-08958/
--------
NATO Secretary
General reacts to increased violence led by Taliban
15 Jul 2020
The NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted to increased violence led by Taliban
during the recent weeks, warning that the the violence led by Taliban attacks
undermines confidence in the peace process.
“The level of
violence in #Afghanistan, driven by Taliban attacks, undermines confidence in
the peace process. We call on all sides to rapidly start intra-Afghan talks.
#NATO Allies will continue to consult on our military presence to support peace
process,” Stoltenberg said in a Twitter post.
Meanwhile, the
alliance issued a statement, emphasizing that “An Afghan-owned and led peace
process aimed at finding a political resolution that ends decades of conflict
is the only way to deliver sustainable peace to the Afghan people and to ensure
Afghanistan’s long-term security and stability. NATO and its partners are
committed to contributing to an environment conducive to this outcome. We call
on all sides to rapidly resolve the remaining issues still precluding the start
of inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations.”
The statement
further added “The current level of violence – driven especially by Taliban
attacks against Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, remains
unacceptably high, causing instability and undermining confidence in the peace
process. During the 2018 and 2020 Eid al-Fitr ceasefires and the period of
reduced violence leading up to the signing of the U.S.-Taliban agreement and
the issuance of the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration, all sides demonstrated
the political will and capacity to stop the fighting. Given the impact of
COVID-19, we echo the call of the United Nations for the Taliban to agree to a
humanitarian ceasefire that applies to all sides. Both sides must also urgently
resolve issues related to prisoner releases.”
“The military
presence of the Alliance and its partners in the Resolute Support Mission in
Afghanistan is conditions-based. We will continue to consult and, if conditions
allow, to adjust our military presence to support the peace process, initiated
by the U.S.-Taliban agreement and the U.S.-Afghanistan Joint Declaration. We
urge the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban to
fulfill their commitments, including entering into intra-Afghan negotiations
and ensuring terrorists never again find safe haven on Afghan soil. Recent
heinous attacks targeting civilians, including women, children, civil society
members, religious figures, and health care workers throughout Afghanistan
underscore the urgency of fulfilling these critical commitments,” the statement
added.
NATO also
added “NATO reaffirms its longstanding commitment to Afghanistan, the Afghan
people, and the Afghan security forces through the Resolute Support Mission. We
expect intra-Afghan negotiations to lead to an enduring and comprehensive peace
agreement that puts an end to violence, safeguards the human rights of all
Afghans, including women and children, upholds the rule of law, and ensures
that Afghanistan never again serves as a safe haven for terrorists.”
https://www.khaama.com/nato-secretary-general-reacts-to-increased-violence-led-by-taliban-08962/
--------
Afghan forces
kill, wound at least 68 Taliban militants in the North: Shahen Corps
14 Jul 2020
The Afghan
National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) personnel killed or wounded at
least 68 Taliban militants in northern parts of the country in the past 24
hours.
The 209th
Shaheen Corps in a statement said the Afghan forces killed at least 32 Taliban
militants by laying ambushes and directly engaging the Taliban militants in
Balkh, Faryab and Samagan provinces.
The statement
further added that the security forces also wounded at least 36 Taliban
militants during the same clashes.
The security
forces also destroyed large amounts of weapons, munitions and several vehicles
during the operations, the 209th Shaheen Corps added in its statement.
The Taliban group
has not commented regarding the incidents so far.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-forces-kill-wound-at-least-68-taliban-militants-in-the-north-shahen-corps-08960/
--------
Southeast Asia
Malaysia PM
Muhyiddin wins vote to oust Speaker, proves majority in Parliament
JUL 13, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR -
Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin finally ended months of uncertainty
over his parliamentary majority on Monday (July 13) by successfully removing
Speaker Ariff Yusof after a heated debate in which the government won by a slim
majority of two.
It was a rare
event where nearly the entire 222-strong House was present to vote on the
motion.
PartiPribumi
Bersatu Malaysia president Muhyiddin has faced doubts over his majority since
being sworn in on March 1, when his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed
to still lead a 115-strong bloc following a week-long political imbroglio.
Tan Sri
Muhyiddin's Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact managed to unseat Tan Sri Ariff by a
vote of 111 to 109, with minister Maximus Ongkili absent while Deputy Speaker
Rashid Hasnon, who is a government MP, did not cast a ballot as he was
presiding over the vote.
Following the
decision to remove Tan Sri Ariff, Deputy Speaker Nga Kor Ming announced his
resignation.
Datuk Azhar
Harun, the new Speaker nominated by the government took his oath and was
appointed, amidst protests from the Pakatan Harapan-led (PH) opposition that
lawmakers had not voted on his appointment.
De facto law
minister Takiyuddin Hassan said the opposition had not nominated anyone else
for the post while Deputy Speaker Rashid Hasnon ruled that the period for
nomination had lapsed.
Mr Nga’s post
was filled, also without a vote, by Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, an MP from
Umno, the largest party in PN.
“If there is
only one nomination, there is no need for voting. The candidate can be
installed as speaker,” newly-appointed Speaker Azhar told a news conference
when asked about the legitimacy of his position.
Mr Muhyiddin
has avoided testing his command of Parliament for over four months, but the
need to get his legislative agenda - including RM45 billion (S$14.7
billion) in stimulus spending due to the
coronavirus pandemic - on the road has necessitated the ongoing 25-day
parliamentary session.
"Do not
commit this mistake that will sully the sanctity of Parliament. The excuse that
there is a new candidate is unreasonable. We can consider it, if there is a
solid rationale why a Speaker who has conducted his duties well must be
dropped," said Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim when debating the motion
earlier on Monday.
Dr Mahathir
also said he opposed "the motion if it is a (legal) motion, as I have not
read in the Constitution or Standing Orders of Parliament that the Prime
Minister can change the Speaker simply because there is another
candidate".
"I, too,
have another candidate for prime minister," he said to laughter.
"What wrong has the Speaker done? The only wrong is that there is another
candidate. The government wants a Speaker that is under their thumb, but that
is not the role of the Speaker."
But PN's
Baling MP Azeez Rahim shot back and accused the former premier of also swapping
the heads of judiciary, police and anti-graft body when he was in power
"despite no wrong being done (by the incumbent)".
Datuk
Takiyuddin explained that the move was according to legal provisions that
"the Speaker can be elected... if at any time the House resolves" and
that there was no need to notify MPs that the chair was vacant.
Other
government MPs also repeatedly pointed out how Dr Mahathir picked private
lawyers as attorney-general and anti-corruption chief instead of from the ranks
of the government's legal and civil services while leading the PH
administration that was in power from May 2018 to February this year.
"Changing
the Speaker is to ensure proceedings are in line with the government's
direction," said Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar.
This was the
first parliamentary vote held since PH was toppled in February when Mr
Muhyiddin defected along with about 40 other MPs to form government with then
opposition parties such as Umno, Parti Islam SeMalaysia and GabunganParti
Sarawak, which rules the eastern state.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-pm-muhyiddin-wins-vote-to-oust-speaker-proves-majority
--------
Pakistani,
Indonesian Muslim Groups Hail Turkey's Hagia Sophia Move
15.07.2020
Political
parties and religious groups in two largest Muslim nations, Pakistan and
Indonesia, appreciated Turkey’s decision to turn Hagia Sophia back into a
mosque.
In a letter
addressed to the Turkey's President, chief of Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami party
Siraj ul Haq said the news of opening Hagia Sophia for Muslim prayers after 86
years "warmed hearts of Muslims all around the world and particularly in
Pakistan."
"Accept
our heartiest greetings over the major decision which has reversed the
injustice committed decades back," Haq said in his letter to Recep Tayyip
Erdogan.
After
centuries of service as a church under the Byzantine Empire, Hagia Sophia was
converted into a mosque by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II following his conquest of
Istanbul in 1453.
In 1935, Hagia
Sophia was converted into a museum.
"The
Hagia Sophia is amanat [depositation] of Fatih Sultan Mehmet and who better
than President Erdogan can take care of such a huge responsibility," Haq
added.
Recalling the
Indian top court's verdict last year on the historical Babri mosque, Haq said
that at a time when Muslim-majority Turkey is taking the lead in preserving
heritage of Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in India, a neighbor of Pakistan,
"the Hindu nationalist government has once again attacked centuries-old
Babri Masjid and demolished it to construct a Hindu temple."
Babri Masjid
was constructed by Zahir-uddin Babur, an ethnic Turk and his Mungal empire
ruled over South Asia for nearly 300 years.
"Likewise,
Hindu fascists are eyeing thousands of other mosques in India which are under threat.
They have already begun demographic change in Indian-occupied Kashmir which is
a Muslim-majority region," he added.
- Decision
welcomed by Indonesian Muslim groups
On Friday, a
top Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet decree, which had turned Istanbul's
Hagia Sophia from a mosque into a museum.
This verdict
by the country's Council of State paved the way for its use again as a mosque
after 85 years.
It ruled that
the architectural gem had been owned by a foundation established by Mehmed II,
and presented to the community as a mosque -- a status that cannot be legally
changed.
"Legal
decisions through open and impartial litigation must be respected," said
RobikinEmhas, head of Executive Council of Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest
Muslim organization, told Anadolu Agency.
Responding to
diverse reactions from the international community, Emhas said every decision
of a judicial institution in any country would not satisfy all parties, but
"this move must be respected."
Muhammadiyah,
the country's oldest Muslim organization, also welcomed Turkey’s decision on
Hagia Sophia.
Wahid Ridwan,
the body’s secretary for international relations and cooperation, said the
reopening of Hagia Shopia as a mosque is the full right of Turkish government
and people.
"The
change in status was carried out in a legal and bureaucratic process as a
democratic country, so it does not need to be contested internationally since
it had gone through a very accountable process," he told Anadolu Agency.
Ridwan said
this step portrayed tolerance and development of world civilization in the
harmony of religions.
"The
pressure will not change the stance of government and people of Turkey. The
West must understand that their view of Islam is very narrow,” he said.
He added that
criticism over the decision is unnecessary as Turkey will open the complex to
visitors of all religions.
Meanwhile,
SurahmanHidayat, a member of parliament from the Prosperous Justice Party, said
the decision was Turkey’s sovereign rights and it needs to be respected.
"Everyone
must respect the Turkish legal system and authority, its internal sovereignty
and long history of the nation," he told Anadolu Agency.
He highlighted
that the historical building was presented to the community as a mosque by
Fatih Sultan Mehmed II.
He added that
changing the status of Hagia Sophia to a mosque means it will be open every day
for visitors and everyone can enter the complex.
Ahmad Baidowi,
a deputy from the United Development Party, said the return of Hagia Sophia as
a mosque is Turkey’s sovereignty.
"Turkey
has its own authority as a country," Baidowi told Anadolu Agency.
He said that
Indonesia, as a country that adheres to free and active foreign policy, fully
respects Turkey's decision.
“It was ruled
by the court and it was changed from a museum, not from other religion’s house
of worship, so it is not a big problem,” he added.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the historical complex will be ready for
worship for Friday prayers on July 24.
*Writing by
RhanyChairunissaRufinaldo from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian language services in
Jakarta
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/pakistani-indonesian-muslim-groups-hail-turkeys-hagia-sophia-move/1910920
--------
Khairy says BN
to hold ‘internal discussions’ on improving its parliamentary debate etiquette
14 Jul 2020
BY JULIA CHAN
KUALA LUMPUR,
July 14 — After a chaotic parliamentary session yesterday marred by purported
sexist and racist remarks, Barisan Nasional (BN) leader Khairy Jamaluddin said
the coalition will work on improving the manner by which it approaches debates
in the Dewan Rakyat.
The science,
technology and innovation minister said that a spirited debate is expected in
the House, but lawmakers must know when to draw the line between what is
appropriate and what is considered discrimination.
“We have to
work on our debate culture in Parliament,” he tweeted in Malay today.
“Parliamentary
debate has always been robust, but we must distinguish between witty and
acerbic repartee with racist/sexist/ageist statements. BN will be having
internal discussions on how we can do better,” said the Rembau MP.
His comments
came after Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim made remarks seen as
sexist and racist yesterday in apparent reference to Batu Kawan MP KasthuriraaniPatto.
Azeez, himself
of Indian Muslim descent, reportedly said that he could not see her because
“gelapsangat” (very dark) and went on to suggest that Kasthuriraani powder her
face.
The remark
caused Jelutong MP RSN Rayer to stand up and demand that Azeez offer a
retraction, before the exchange devolved into a shouting match.
Newly-minted
Parliament speaker Datuk Seri AzharAzizan Harun then instructed Abdul Azeez to
apologise and retract his remarks, which he eventually did after claiming he
was commenting on the Dewan Rakyat’s dim lightning and not the rival MP when he
said “gelap”.
Azhar, failing
to quell the chaos, later resorted to adjourning the sitting.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/14/khairy-says-bn-to-hold-internal-discussions-on-improving-its-parliamentary/1884391
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