BJP Minority Morcha to organise Sufi, Ulema conference to bridge the gap between party and Muslim community
New Age Islam News Bureau
06 February 2023
BJP Minority Morcha leader Suhaib Qasmi (Photo/ANI)
----------
• Caretaker
CM KP seeks Ulema role for promotion of sectarian harmony
• Review
fatwa on female circumcision, Putrajaya urged
• 14 Hindu
Temples VandalisedIn Bangladesh: Police
• 200 dead,
many trapped as major earthquake strikes Turkey, Syria
• Official:
US Backing for Israel Means Support for State Terrorism
• Pope
urges end to ethnic hatred at an open-air mass in South Sudan
• US to
provide assistance for those affected in the Turkey earthquake: Sullivan
• Muslims
in the Netherlands protest the desecration of the Quran
India
•
Muslim body calls for curbs on hate, opposes Uniform Civil Code in Lucknow meet
•
FIR Against Ramdev for Remarks on Muslims, Christians in Rajasthan
•
Pervez Musharraf's love-hate ties with India and his family connection to
Delhi: All you need to know
•
1999: Year of Kargil war and a power grab
•
On foot to Mecca, Shihab Chottur to finally begin Pakistan leg
•
'Supreme Court Partial to Muslims': Suresh Chavhanke's Supporters Attack
Observations on Hate Speech
•
Bengaluru right-wing group flags mosque construction near electric line
•
Mathura authority cuts electricity connection of Shahi Idgah mosque
•
‘Frontier Gandhi worked with Mahatma for Hindu-Muslim unity’
•
Chowk in Mumbai's Bhendi Bazaar named after Khilafat Movement leader
--------
Pakistan
•
Islamic scholars declare suicide attacks Haram
•
Pakistan PM Sharif reiterates diplomatic, political and moral support to
Kashmiris
•
Musharraf allied with the U.S. and promoted moderate Islam
•
Pervez Musharraf: Military general who morphed into many roles in a
roller-coaster career
•
Thousands pour onto streets demanding restoration of durable peace in KP
•
Pakistan divided on legacy of military ruler Musharraf
•
Govt ready to arrest Imran Khan if fresh protest launched by PTI, warns
Sanaullah
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
Racial slurs should be made a crime, says Noor Farida
•
Can Malaysia’s ruling coalition work together? PM Anwar squares up to new
political realities
•
Malaysia expresses interest in recruiting 'security guards' from Bangladesh
--------
South
Asia
•
Qatar sends envoy to Kabul for talks with Taliban
•
Pakistan to approach Taliban chief Akhundzada, will beg Afghanistan to help
control TTP
•
China committed to expand dealings with Taliban in Afghanistan: Report
--------
Arab
World
•
Iraqis protest after man kills YouTuber daughter
•
Russia’s Lavrov visits Baghdad to discuss bilateral relations, energy
cooperation
•
Muslim Council of Elders commemorate signing of historic Document on Human
Fraternity
•
The changing landscape of the Saudi design industry
•
Saudi FM meets Omani counterpart in Muscat
•
Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu delights fans in Jeddah
•
OIC holds meeting for 49th foreign ministers session
--------
Mideast
•
UN: Israel Martyred at Least 31 Palestinians, Razed Scores of Palestinian
Structures in 3 Weeks
•
Iran's Khamenei pardons thousands of prisoners, including protesters
•
New survey shows widespread opposition to Iran’s regime among Iranians
•
Iran opposition leader calls for referendum amid protests
•
MPs reaffirm commitment to fundamentals of Islamic Revolution
•
Turkey says no threat to foreigners after IS suspects nabbed
•
Supreme Leader Pardons, Commutes Sentences of Large Number of Convicts Arrested
During Iran's Unrest
•
Tehran Raps IAEA's Unprofessional, Unacceptable Attitude towards Iran's Nuclear
Program
•
Lead Negotiator: Iran Not Relying on West Based on JCPOA Experiences
•
Iranian FM Underlines Failure of US Sanction, Bullying Policies
•
Woman, three children on migrant boat from Turkey die off Greece
•
Iran ex-President Khatami, former PM Mousavi call for political change amid
protests
•
Iran hiring crime gangs to assassinate dissidents in UK, West, officials say:
Report
•
Israeli army intercepts ‘small aircraft’ over Gaza
•
Turkiye’s President Erdogan says Western missions will ‘pay’ for closures
•
Yemen’s Taiz mourns 2 children who committed suicide
•
Israeli forces arrest senior Islamic Jihad member in West Bank raids
--------
Africa
•
Mali junta expels UN mission’s human rights chief: govt
•
Sudan’s army chief says not planning to turn against framework agreement
•
Tunisia thwarts 3 attempts to cross into Europe, arrests 239 migrants
--------
North
America
•
US repeating flimsy Iraq War pretexts against Syria: FM Mekdad
--------
Europe
•
Rushdie releases new novel, 6 months after knife attack
•
Italy withdraws tsunami warning after deadly earthquake hits Turkey, Syria
•
Ukraine, Israel say are prepared to offer help to Turkey after devastating
earthquake
•
Rescue teams from Netherlands, Romania on way to Türkiye over powerful quake
•
Islamophobic graffiti trigger backlash from Bosnians
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
--------
BJP
Minority Morcha to organise Sufi, Ulema conference to bridge the gap between
party and Muslim community
6
February, 2023
BJP
Minority Morcha leader Suhaib Qasmi (Photo/ANI)
------------
New
Delhi [India], February 6 (ANI): In an attempt to bring the Muslim community in
confidence, the Minority Morcha of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) will organise
Sufi and Ulema conferences in major cities and districts of the country.
The
conferences will be held in 100 Lok Sabha constituencies with Muslim
populations to diminish the distance between the BJP and the Muslim community
in the country.
The
party has appointed Maulana Suhaib Qasmi as the program coordinator.
Convenor
Qasmi said, “The Minority Front will hold Ulema and Sufi conferences in 100 Lok
Sabha constituencies and major cities of the country in the coming days,
through which the development work done by the PM Modi government for the
Muslim community will be conveyed and the dialogue between the Muslim community
and the BJP will be discussed.”
We
will try to reduce the gap between BJP and Muslims, he added.
These
conferences will be held in 15 major cities and 100 districts of the country,
in which efforts will be made to give the message of patriotism and peace.
Earlier
on January 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the National Executive meeting
called upon the party leaders to reach out to the minorities, including
Muslims, without expecting votes.
PM
Modi also instructed BJP leaders to refrain from unsolicited remarks against
any community, sources added.
PM
Modi said under the resolution of ‘Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat’, all states should
cooperate with each other and be accommodative of each others’ language and
culture.
Prime
Minister Modi exhorted all BJP fronts to connect more with the villages in the
border areas. He said BJP workers should play their part in the development of
aspirational districts. (ANI)
Source:ThePrint
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Caretaker
CM KP seeks Ulema role for promotion of sectarian harmony
February
5, 2023
Chief
Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Azam Khan
-------
PESHAWAR:
Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Azam Khan has made an
appeal to religious leaders and Ulema belong to all schools of thoughts to play
due role for promotion of sectarian harmony in the province.
The
Chief Minister appreciated the role of religious leaders and Ulema in pacifying
the sentiments of the general masses after an unpleasant incident that took
place in a private sector educational institution in Peshawar the other day;
and said that the provincial government highly valued their positive role.
He
has said that religious leaders and Ulema of the province have always been
playing very positive role in such matters; and expressed the hope that the
Ulema will play the same role in future as well.
Muhammad
Azam Khan has further said that in the context of the prevailing law &
order situation of the province and the peaceful holding of the upcoming
general elections; there is a dire need of a peaceful environment in the
province as it was ever before adding that the province could not afford any kind
of unrest or sectarian issue in the prevailing situation.
He
once again made an appeal to the religious leaders and Ulema of all sects to
further promote sectarian harmony and to play their important role in pacifying
the sentiments of the general public in such incidents so that such issues
could be dealt with as per law.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Review
fatwa on female circumcision, Putrajaya urged
Angelia
Lau
February
6, 2023
The
national fatwa council had in 2009 issued a fatwa declaring that female
circumcision was compulsory. (Reuters pic)
----------
PETALING
JAYA: The government has been urged to order a review of a 2009 fatwa by the
national fatwa council that declared female circumcision compulsory.
Aleza
Othman, communications officer of Sisters in Islam, told FMT that other Muslim
countries, including Egypt and Indonesia had issued fatwas stating that female
genital mutilation was damaging to women and girls.
There
was also no conclusive and valid Islamic text in the Quran or the Sunnah
(traditions of the Prophet) to justify the practice, she said.
Aleza
acknowledged that the Islamic development department (Jakim) and the Muzakarah
Committee were the greatest challenges ahead to abolishing the practice.
“Most
medical practitioners who perform female circumcision on babies in clinics and
hospitals have no formal training. They learn the procedure from their seniors,
who in turn learned it from their previous seniors.
“The
practice of passing on such knowledge without official medical training can do
more harm,” she said.
Another
activist group, Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia, said there was
no proof that female circumcision had any medical benefits.
The
group’s president Dr SubatraJayaraj said female genital mutilation was rooted
in traditional views and was a patriarchal practice.
International
health experts say that female circumcision can cause immediate and long-term
health risks from excessive bleeding and urinary problems and could also lead
to higher risks of childbirth complications.
However,
the Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement or Abim said it was more important to
guarantee the safety of the procedure than to ban the practice.
“It
does not affect the girls’ physical or mental health, or psychology. Thus, it
is important to ensure the procedure is safe and harmless to them,” said Abim
vice-president Fatin Nur MajdinaNordin.
She
added it was the parents’ right to decide on religious grounds if they wanted
their daughters circumcised.
The
United Nations has called for an end to female genital mutilation by 2030 and
declared Feb 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital
Mutilation (FGM).
It
said over the last 25 years, the prevalence of FGM has declined globally.
The
practice is primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle
East, but is also practiced in some countries in Asia and Latin America and
among immigrant communities in western countries, the UN says.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
14
Hindu Temples VandalisedIn Bangladesh: Police
February
05, 2023
Some
idols were destroyed while some were found in a pond.
---------
Dhaka:
Unidentified persons vandalised 14 Hindu temples in northwestern Bangladesh in
a series of orchestrated attacks overnight, police said on Sunday.
"Unidentified
people carried out the attacks under the cover of darkness, vandalising idols
in 14 temples in three unions (lowest local government tier)," said
Bidyanath Barman, a Hindu community leader at Baliadangi) "upazila"
or "sub-district" in Thakurgaon.
Mr
Barman, the general secretary of the upazila's Puja Celebration Council, said
some of the idols were destroyed while some were found in pond waters along the
temple sites.
"We
are in the dark about their (culprits) identity but we want to bring them to
justice after investigations," Mr Barman said.
The
Hindu community leader and union parishad chairman Samar Chattarjee said the
region was always known to be an area of excellent interfaith harmony as
"no such heinous incident took place here in the past".
"The
(majority) Muslim community does not have any dispute with us (Hindus)... we
just cannot understand who could be these culprits," he said.
Baliadangi
police station's officer in-charge Khairul Anam said the attacks took place
between Saturday night and Sunday dawn at several villages.
"It
clearly appears to be a case of an orchestrated attack to disrupt the peaceful
situation of the country," Thakurgaon's police chief Jahangir Hossain told
reporters at one of the temple sites.
He
added that a police investigation was launched immediately to track down the
persons. "I assure you they will have to face stern legal actions,"
he said.
"This
(attack) is the manifestation of a conspiracy against peace and communal
harmony...this is a serious crime and the perpetrators will face the
music," Thakurgaon's deputy commissioner or administrative chief Mahbubur
Rahman said.
Source:NDTV
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/14-hindu-temples-vandalised-in-bangladesh-police-3755949
--------
200
dead, many trapped as major earthquake strikes Turkey, Syria
February
6, 2023
Buildings
collapsed after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit central Turkiye and northwest
Syria on Monday, killing more than 500 people. — Anadolu Agency
----------
A
major earthquake of magnitude 7.9 struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday,
killing about 200 people as buildings collapsed across the snowy region, and
triggering a search for survivors trapped in the rubble.
The
quake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning, was also felt in
Cyprus and Lebanon.
“I
have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I’ve lived,” said Erdem, a
resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the quake’s epicentre, who
declined to give his surname.
“We
were shaken at least three times very strongly, like a baby in a crib.”
Turkey’s
disaster agency said 76 people had been killed, and 440 hurt, as authorities
scrambled rescue teams and supply aircraft to the affected area, while
declaring a “level 4 alarm” that calls for international assistance.
President
Tayyip Erdogan spoke by telephone with the governors of eight affected
provinces to gather information on the situation and rescue efforts, his office
said in a statement.
Syrian
state media said more than 100 people were killed and dozens injured there,
most in the provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia, where numerous buildings had
been brought down.
“The
situation is very tragic, tens of buildings have collapsed in the city of
Salqin,” a member of the White Helmets rescue organisation said in a video clip
on Twitter, referring to a town about five kilometres from the Turkish border.
The
rescuer on the clip, which showed a rubble-strewn street, said homes were
“totally destroyed”.
Many
buildings in the region had already suffered damage in fighting during Syria’s
nearly 12-year-long civil war.
People
in Damascus, and in the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Tripoli, ran into the
street and took to their cars to get away from their buildings in case they
collapsed, witnesses said.
In
Turkey’s Gaziantep, Erdem also said people had fled from their shaking homes
and were too scared to return.
“Everybody
is sitting in their cars or trying to drive to open spaces away from
buildings,” Erdem said by telephone.
The
United States was “profoundly concerned” about the quake in Turkey and Syria
and was monitoring events closely, White House national security adviser Jake
Sullivan said on Twitter.
“I
have been in touch with Turkish officials to relay that we stand ready to
provide any and all needed assistance,” he said.
The
region straddles seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes.
Focus
on search and rescue
The
tremor lasted about a minute and shattered windows, according to a Reuters
witness in Diyarbakir, 350km to the east, where a security official said at
least 17 buildings collapsed.
Authorities
said 16 structures collapsed in Sanliurfa and 34 in Osmaniye.
Broadcasters
TRT and Haberturk showed footage of people picking through building wreckage,
moving stretchers and seeking survivors in the city of Kahramanmaras, where it
was still dark.
“Our
primary job is to carry out the search and rescue work and to do that all our
teams are on alert,” Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told reporters.
The
German Research Centre for Geosciences said the quake struck at a depth of
10km, while the EMSC monitoring service said it was assessing the risk of a
tsunami.
The
US Geological Survey reported a series of further earthquakes following the
initial tremor, which it put at a magnitude of 7.8. There was a quake measuring
6.7 in Gaziantep and another of 5.6 in the city’s Nurdag area.
Turkey’s
Disaster and Emergency Management Authority put the magnitude of the quake at
7.4 near Kahramanmaras and the larger city of Gaziantep, close to the Syrian
border.
Tremors
were also felt in the Turkish capital of Ankara, 460km northwest of the
epicentre, and in Cyprus, where police reported no damage.
“The
earthquake struck in a region that we feared. There is serious widespread
damage,” KeremKinik, the chief of the Turkish Red Crescent relief agency, told
Haberturk, issuing an appeal for blood donations.
Turkey
is among the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. More than 17,000
people were killed in 1999 when a 7.6-magnitude quake struck Izmit, a city
southeast of Istanbul. In 2011, a quake in the eastern city of Van killed more
than 500.
Pakistan
offers condolences
In
separate tweets on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended condolences
and sympathies to the governments of Syria and Turkey.
Separately,
the Foreign Office said in a statement that the government and people of
Pakistan were saddened to learn that a severe earthquake hit parts of Southern
Türkiye earlier today, resulting in the loss of precious lives and extensive
damage to property.
“The
people of Pakistan stand in complete solidarity with our Turkish brethren in
this hour of grief. We extend our deepest condolences to the bereaved families
and pray for early recovery of those injured,” it said.
The
statement added that Pakistan stood ready to extend all possible support in the
relief effort. “We are confident that the resilient Turkish nation will
overcome this natural calamity with characteristic grit and determination.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735632/200-dead-many-trapped-as-major-earthquake-strikes-turkey-syria
--------
Official:
US Backing for Israel Means Support for State Terrorism
2023-February-5
"Sustainable
peace and security, as the main ideal of the UN Charter, will be achieved in
the region only after the US ends its costly support of the terrorist regime of
Israel. @StateDeptSpox support of this regime means opposition to the right of
the innocent Palestinian people to decide their fate and support of state
terrorism," Kadkhodayee tweeted.
He,
meantime, said that sustainable peace and security in West Asia region will be
achieved only after the US ends its support for the Israeli regime.
"Washington’s
support also means opposition to Palestinians’ right to decide their
fate," Kadkhodayee added.
In
relevant remarks earlier this week, President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi lambasted
some Western countries' support for insecurity and instability in Iran, and
said that Tehran's enemies hatched plots against the Iranian nation and
orchestrated protests to stir chaos in the country after the failure of their
sanctions.
President
Rayeesi made the remarks in a televised interview on Tuesday, calling the
foreign-backed riots and the sanctions two sides of the same coin.
He
noted how the sanctions had failed to bring production in the country to a
standstill, prevent the country from experiencing five-percent economic
progress, and creation of close to one million jobs across the nation.
"Whatever
it (the enemy) was after [stifling], has been [contrarily] realized thanks to
the nation's will and the government's intention to serve [the people],"
Iran's president continued, adding, "Therefore, it is natural that the
enemy should be angry at us."
"One
of the reasons [behind the enemy's fomenting] of the recent riots was the very
fact that it was witnessing that its sanctions have been neutralized thanks to
the efforts of our statesmen and the steadfastness of the people," the
chief executive stated.
"While
the enemies are trying to stop the country's progress, our people have resolved
to move forward," he remarked, asserting that the course of the country's
advancement would gather further momentum every day owing to the nation's
willpower and the government's determination to be at the nation's service.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pope
urges end to ethnic hatred at an open-air mass in South Sudan
February
6, 2023
JUBA:
Pope Francis appealed on Sunday to the people of South Sudan to lay down their
“weapons of hatred” at an open-air mass on the final day of his pilgrimage to a
country blighted by violence and poverty.
Large
crowds of ecstatic worshippers streamed into the John Garang Mausoleum in the
capital Juba to see the 86-year-old pontiff, who has made peace and
reconciliation the theme of his three-day trip to the world’s newest nation.
“Let
us lay down the weapons of hatred and revenge... Let us overcome the dislikes
and aversions that over time have become chronic and risk pitting tribes and
ethnic groups against one another,” he said in his homily.
People
waved national flags and sang “Welcome holy father to South Sudan” as the
Argentine pontiff moved through the crowds in his popemobile before delivering
the mass to an audience local authorities put at around 70,000.
Francis
is on the first papal visit to the largely Christian country since it achieved
independence from mainly Muslim Sudan in 2011 and plunged into a civil war that
killed nearly 400,000 people.
Despite
a peace deal signed in 2018 between President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek
Machar, many of its conditions remain unmet and violence continues to roil the
country, driving people from their homes into displacement camps.
Hope
for change
The
wheelchair-bound pontiff, who himself tried to broker peace during the civil
war, has received a rapturous welcome throughout his visit.
“I
came to see the pope bring change to the country. For many years we’ve been at
war, but we need peace. We want the pope to pray for us,” said James Agiu, 24.
He
was among the many who stayed overnight to join the mass at the John Garang
mausoleum — built in honour of South Sudan’s rebel hero who was killed in a
helicopter crash in 2005.
“I
arrived last night. I’ve been waiting here. All night, sitting and waiting,”
Agiu said, laughing. “After he goes, I sleep.” On Saturday, Francis met victims
of the civil war, who were brought to Juba from various camps, and urged the
government to resume the peace process and restore “dignity” to the millions
affected by conflict.
With
2.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs), and another two million outside
the country, South Sudan is witness to the worst refugee crisis in Africa.
‘A
new start’
“I
have been suffering in my life. That is why I’m here, so the pope can bless me
and my family,” said 32-year-old Josephine James at Sunday’s mass. “Ever since
he arrived, people have been happy. I am very happy.”
The
papal visit has been closely followed in the devoutly Christian country of 12
million people, where church leaders played a key role in protecting civilians
during the push for independence and the 2013-18 ethnic conflict.
He
made a pointed speech on Friday telling the country’s leaders they need to make
“a new start” toward reconciliation and end the greed and power struggles
tearing the nation apart.
“Future
generations will either venerate your names or cancel their memory, based on
what you now do,” he told an audience that included Kiir and Machar.
“No
more bloodshed, no more conflicts, no more violence.”
The
pope had promised in 2019 to travel to South Sudan, when he hosted Kiir and
Machar at a Vatican retreat and asked them to respect the ceasefire.
In
scenes that reverberated in South Sudan, Francis knelt and kissed the feet of
two foes whose personal armies had been accused of horrific war crimes.
But
four years later, the oil-rich country remains mired in intractable conflict,
compounded by poverty, hunger and natural disasters.
In
a sign of the challenges, at least 21 people were killed in a cattle raid on
the eve of Francis’s visit in what local authorities termed a reprisal attack
in Central Equatoria state.
The
pope’s stop in South Sudan followed a four-day visit to the Democratic Republic
of Congo, another resource-rich country plagued by persistent conflict and also
often overlooked by the world.
The
trip — Francis’s fifth to Africa — was initially scheduled for 2022 but had to
be postponed because of problems with the pope’s knee.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735600/pope-urges-end-to-ethnic-hatred-at-open-air-mass-in-south-sudan
--------
US
to provide assistance for those affected in the Turkey earthquake: Sullivan
06
February ,2023
US
President Biden directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess
response options to the most affected areas in the Turkey and Syria earthquake,
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Sunday.
The
United States is profoundly concerned by the reports of the destructive
earthquake, he said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Muslims
in the Netherlands protest the desecration of the Quran
Abdullah
Asiran
06.02.2023
A
group of Muslims staged a protest in the Hague on Sunday against recent
desecrations of the Quran and Islamophobia.
Hundreds
of Muslims marched towards Koekamp square as part of the “stop anti-Muslim
hatred” protest organized by the Federation of Islamic Organizations (FIO) and
the Haaglanden Region Islamic Organizations Association (SIORH).
Gathering
in the square, they chanted slogans against the desecration of the Muslim holy
book, condemning such Islamophobic acts.
They
also performed a prayer and recited verses from the Quran.
Speaking
at the demonstration, Tahsin Cetinkaya, the head of the Turkish Islamic Culture
Foundation, said Islamophobia has risen to "a new level" in the
Netherlands.
"Muslims,
mosques and other Islamic institutions have faced various Islamophobic acts
over the years, including the sending of threatening letters to mosques, the
hanging pigs’ heads on mosque doors and arson," he said.
Cetinkaya
noted that the perpetrators of these acts are encouraged by the silence of
government officials.
"Enough
is enough. Stop holding grudges against Muslims and Islam," he said,
stressing that Muslims living in the Netherlands are also part of the country.
Rasmus
Paludan, an extremist Danish-Swedish politician and the leader of the far-right
party StramKurs (Hard Line), burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish
Embassy in Stockholm on Jan. 21 with both police protection and permission from
Swedish authorities.
The
following week, he burned a copy of Islam's holy book in front of a mosque in
Denmark and said he would repeat the act every Friday until Sweden is included
in NATO.
Meanwhile,
far-right Dutch politician Edwin Wagensveld, leader of the Patriotic Europeans
Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA), tore apart a Quran before
setting it on fire at an anti-Islam demonstration in Enschede, the Netherlands
in late January.
Sweden's
NATO bid
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, a decision spurred by
Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Unanimous
agreement from all NATO members – including Türkiye, a member for more than 70
years – is needed for any new members to be admitted to the alliance.
Under
a memorandum signed last June between Türkiye, Sweden and Finland, the two
Nordic countries pledged to take steps against terrorists to gain membership in
the NATO alliance.
In
the memorandum, Sweden and Finland agreed not to provide support to terrorist
groups such as the PKK and its offshoots and the Fetullah Terrorist
Organization (FETO) and to extradite terrorist suspects to Türkiye, among other
steps.
Türkiye
says the two countries, particularly Sweden, need to do more to fulfill their
promises, especially in the wake of recent demonstrations by supporters of the
PKK terror group and the burning of the Quran in Stockholm.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/muslims-in-netherlands-protest-desecration-of-quran/2807332
--------
India
Muslim
body calls for curbs on hate, opposes Uniform Civil Code in Lucknow meet
06.02.23
The
All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Sunday appealed to the “highest
authorities” to put in place stringent measures to control “hatred being
spread” in the country even as it passed resolutions against the implementation
of the Uniform Civil Code and razing of people’s properties.
Meeting
in Lucknow, the board also urged the judiciary to take a serious note of the
“injustice” being meted out to the weaker sections and the minorities.
“Houses
built for decades are getting razed. Those holding peaceful demonstrations are
framed under the most stringent of laws and put behind bars indefinitely,” the
AIMPLB said in a statement.
“Lawlessness,
whether on the part of the citizens or the rulers, is condemnable and all
citizens and stakeholders must oppose it strongly,” the board said. The
reference appeared to be to the bulldozing of allegedly illegal properties in
Uttar Pradesh, actions which critics say target Muslims.
In
its appeal to the “highest authorities”, the board urged them to control the
spread of hate “before irreparable damage was done to the fabric of our
nation’s harmony”.
The
board passed several resolutions at the meeting, including against “illegal”
appropriation of waqf properties.
In
one such resolution, according to AIMPLB general secretary Khalid Saif Ullah
Rahmani, the board said the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code would
deprive citizens of the privileges provided to them by the personal laws.
Such
a “code is neither relevant nor beneficial for a multi-religious, multicultural
and multilingual country like India”, the statement said.
On
the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, the AIMPLB said that
failing to implement it could lead to “endless differences among various
religious groups”.
“The
government must not surrender to the separatist powers and should responsibly
safeguard the legal interests of all,” it urged.
On
waqf properties, the board said: “It is unlawful for any citizen or government
to grab waqf properties. The AIMPLB strongly opposes statements by some public
representatives instigating action to deprive Muslims of their waqf properties
and appeals to the government to beware of such actions.”
The
board advised Muslims to take care of waqf properties and use them, as much as
possible, for educational purposes.
The
board also called for the following of due procedure of law as it lamented:
“Unfortunately, lawlessness is prevailing in the country and an attempt is to
implicate the accused even before the prosecution and litigation take their
course.”
“Law
is a ray of hope for justice. Lawlessness steeps society into anarchy,” it
added.
Making
an appeal to the judiciary, the AIMPLB statement said: “Judiciary is the last
hope for the public. No bigger misfortune can there be than disappointment on
this front.”
The
board observed that religion and faith are matters of belief and conscience,
hence, the decision to follow a religion is natural.
Source:
TelegraphIndia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
FIR
Against Ramdev for Remarks on Muslims, Christians in Rajasthan
New
Delhi: An FIR has been registered against businessman and yoga teacher Ramdev
in Rajasthan on Sunday (February 5), under sections pertaining to promoting
enmity and outraging religious feeling. The case pertains to a provocative
speech Ramdev gave in Barmer, where he claimed that Muslims and Christians
communities have been “obsessed” with “conversion”.
A
police officer told PTI that the FIR was registered at Chauhatan police station
based on a complaint filed by a local resident, Pathai Khan.
According
to Chauhatan police station SHO Bhutaram, the FIR was registered under IPC
Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of
religion, race, place of birth, residence), 295A (deliberate and malicious
acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its
religion or religious beliefs) and 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate
intent to wound the religious feelings of any person).
In
a viral video of a congregation of Hindu leaders in Barmer on February 2, Ramdev
can be heard saying that Muslims believe that namaz washes away all sins,
including “kidnapping Hindu girls and terrorism”. He added in Hindi, “Ask a
Muslim what your religion says, they will say, ‘Read namaz five times and then
do whatever comes to mind.’ Whether you kidnap Hindu girls, do whatever sin you
want to commit. They think that the meaning of Islam is only namaz.”
He
adds: “Our Muslim brothers commit a lot of sins, but I have seen that they will
definitely pray. Because that’s what they have been taught, just pray, do
whatever else you want to do. They became terrorists, and a lot of them become
criminals.”
“I
am not saying this is what Islam or Quran teaches. But it is being followed
anyway,” he says in the video.
About
Christianity, he claimed: “What does Christianity say? Go to church, light a
candle, and then stand in front of the Lord Jesus… all your sins will be washed
away.” He can be heard saying that Christians wear a cross across their chest
and propagate the religion.
“I
am not criticising anyone. These people are just obsessed with that. Some say
turn the whole world into Islam, someone says the whole world should be turned
into Christianity. But tell me what you will do by changing it. No agenda,” he
goes on in the video.
The
Rajasthan police had earlier initiated a suo motu enquiry into the statements.
Source:TheWire
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://thewire.in/communalism/fir-against-ramdev-for-remarks-on-muslims-christians-in-rajasthan
--------
Pervez
Musharraf's love-hate ties with India and his family connection to Delhi: All
you need to know
Feb
5, 2023
NEW
DELHI: Former Pakistan military ruler General Pervez Musharraf, who passed away
in Dubai on Sunday after prolonged illness, had a strong connection to India
despite being the architect of the Kargil War and straining relations to nearly
breaking point over the Kashmir dispute, cross-border terrorism and nuclear
weapons.
Musharraf's
complicated ties with India:
Musharraf
was born in August 1943 to a middle-class family of Urdu-speaking Mohajir
(immigrant) parents in Old Delhi's Daryaganj. The ‘Neharwali Haveli’ was bought
by Musharraf's grandfather Qazi Mohtashimuddin following his retirement as the
commissioner of Punjab. The property is now mostly in ruins.
His
family migrated to Pakistan after Partition in 1947.
He
fought in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 as a second lieutenant, and also
participated in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 as a Company Commander in the
Commando Battalion.
After
his failed misadventure in Kargil in 1998, Musharraf deposed Nawaz Sharif in a
bloodless coup and ruled Pakistan from 1999 to 2008 in various positions –
first as the chief executive of Pakistan and later as the President.
Despite
breakdown of relations with India several times, Musharraf was involved in
several diplomatic efforts, peace talks, and negotiations with New Delhi,
including the Agra Summit, the Lahore Declaration, the Joint Anti-Terrorism
Mechanism, and numerous discussions regarding Kashmir.
After
the January 2001 Gujarat earthquake, Musharraf expressed his sympathies to then
PM Atal Behari Vajpayee and sent a plane load of relief supplies to India.
In
July 2001, Musharraf and PM Vajpayee met for a two-day summit in Agra. However,
the talks ended in failure.
After
the December 2001 attack on Parliament, ties between India and Pakistan nearly
snapped as the neighbours amassed their militaries along the border. The
standoff only ended in October 2002, a few months after Musharraf pledged that
Islamabad would combat extremism on its own soil.
In
January 2004, Vajpayee and Musharraf held direct talks at the 12th SAARC summit
in Islamabad, and the two countries' foreign secretaries met later in the year.
This marked the beginning of the Composite Dialogue Process, in which bilateral
meetings are held between officials at various levels of government.
In
September 2006, Musharraf and PM Manmohan Singh agree to set up an
India-Pakistan institutional anti-terrorism mechanism.
Musharraf
visited India thrice. He made his first visit to the country for the failed
Agra summit in 2001. He also went to India in 2005 and 2009 to watch an India-Pakistan
ODI cricket match and to attend a media event.
During
his visit to India in 2005, Musharraf received his birth certificate from then
PM Manmohan Singh. According to records, he was born at a civic-run hospital
now known as the MrsGirdhari Lal Maternity Hospital, which comes under the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Musharraf
resigned as president in August 2008 after ruling coalition officials
threatened to have him impeached for imposing emergency rule and firing judges.
Afterward,
he lived abroad in Dubai and London, attempting a political comeback in 2012.
But Pakistan instead arrested the former general and put him under house
arrest. He faced treason allegations over the Supreme Court debacle and other
charges stemming from the Red Mosque raid and Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.
Source: Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
1999:
Year of Kargil war and a power grab
Sankarshan
Thakur | New Delhi
06.02.23
At
the beginning of 1999, arguably the most significant year in the man’s life,
the mention of General Pervez Musharraf would have evoked instant recognition
in few beyond Pakistan. By the end of that year, he had blistered a trail to
global infamy. He had, almost single-handedly, triggered a war between two
nuclear powers, and proceeded not long thereafter to effect a coup and grab
power at home — the first military dictator of Pakistan since Gen. Zia-ul-Haq
and the last of several our western neighbour has had.
In
the February of that year, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his
Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, had been able to together stage what was
widely seen as a seminal — and unlikely — manoeuvre towards peace. Vajpayee
rode across the border to Lahore with a busload of celebrity Indians and Sharif
feted his visitors with a warmth and fervour few would have anticipated.
At
the time Vajpayee and Sharif were baby-stepping towards the peace pipe, Gen.
Musharraf was busy plotting an audacious military adventure that would flame
out the euphoria of the bus ride, demote it from historic to history.
Unbeknownst to the Sharif establishment, the final pieces of launching an
invasion across the Kargil frontier were being put in place. Soon Musharraf
would force Sharif into a war he couldn’t disown and Vajpayee into one he
couldn’t back off from.
There
is a photograph from earlier the same year of Gen. Musharraf placing a pistol —
probably a new arrival in the Pakistani arsenal — in the palm of Prime Minister
Sharif during a field visit. That pistol Musharraf had put to Sharif’s head and
pointed towards Vajpayee.
The
war over Kargil’s frozen and desolate heights raged 10 weeks that summer of
1999. It left the world shivered and keen to put the fires out, for it was two
nuclear powers blowing up at each other.
It
exacted an incalculable price — close to 5,000 soldiers killed, thousands
maimed and scarred, hundreds of thousands displaced from homes and hearths on
either side of possibly the most cantankerous fence on earth.
Eventually,
the big rollers had to be moved to whistle an end to the subcontinental
jousting; Washington intervened and in simplified language what probably
happened was that the Americans prevailed on Sharif to prevail on Gen.
Musharraf.
But
evidently that wasn’t the end of it; Gen. Musharraf, who spent part of his
growing days in Turkey and was avowedly taken by Mustafa Kemal Pasha, wasn’t
done pushing his ambitions yet. The legendary Mustafa Kemal had alchemised his
military genius with a political vision that founded a modern Turkey radically
different from the Caliphate. Gen. Musharraf wanted to emulate his hero, make
of Pakistan what nobody had attempted to make it before him.
His
chance wasn’t far to come. In October 1999, when Musharraf was in Sri Lanka
overseeing joint military exercises, Sharif made a move he’d long been wanting
to — to throw Musharraf out and appoint another general as army chief.
Musharraf got wind of it, he flew home, and effected a coup ordering sector
military commanders from the cockpit while his aircraft circled over Karachi
airport awaiting permission to land.
Between
October 12 and 14, Musharraf ’s garrisons moved swiftly and all across the country.
Top politicians were all arrested. The Sharif government was dismissed. The
constitution was suspended. From General, Pervez Musharraf became Chief
Executive. Of Pakistan.
He
would become President, of course, launch his own political party and lord over
his nation for just short of a decade. When he was no more strictly a man of
arms — and probably wanted to take a shot at statesmanship — he made ventures
at peace with India, at least two of them.
The
second, and the one widely thought to be a more realistic attempt, was
conducted quietly in the back-channels during the Manmohan Singh years, and its
centrepiece was a four-point blueprint that envisaged fluidity of passage
between the two Kashmirs and joint monitoring and mana g ement of issues like
water sharing. It never came close to being executed although for a while
monitored travel (and trade) between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad did open as part
of a confidence-building measure. Those buses run no more, neither do any goods
cross this way or that legitimately.
The
first one was a fanfare that the world watched come apart hour after hour. It
was the highly billed Vajpayee-Musharraf summit at Agra. Nothing came of it but
incendiary sparks; it eventually turned to a damp squib.
The
late General may have thought of that trip a little differently, though. Woven
into the Agra itinerary was the place of his birth; Musharraf was a Delhi boy
after all, and very likely the only mohajir (refugee from India) to lead
Pakistan other than Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
Source:
TelegraphIndia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/1999-year-of-kargil-war-and-a-power-grab/cid/1914545
--------
On
foot to Mecca, Shihab Chottur to finally begin Pakistan leg
RAJEEV
KR
Feb
6, 2023
KOZHIKODE:
Shihab Chottur (29) from Malappuram, who is on a journey by foot to Mecca for
Haj pilgrimage, has said that he has finally received official papers from
Pakistan permitting him to travel through the country. On Monday, he will
resume his journey from Punjab, where he has been staying for the past four
months and nine days waiting for the transit visa.
Shihab
- who was staying at the Aafiyah Kids School at Khasa, Amritsar - made the
announcement on a Facebook video on Sunday. "I had commenced my journey on
June 2 and till February 2, I had been waiting for one paper and now I have
received it. It's now just hours remaining for me to set foot on Pakistani
soil. I will resume my journey on Monday," he said in the video.
Mushtaq
Haji of Karnataka, who is present along with Shihab at Khasa, told TOI over
phone that Shihab would cover the 12 km from Khasa to Wagah on Monday morning.
Shihab
would reach the Wagah border check post at 10am to enter Pakistan, Haji said.
Shihab thanked the Aafiyah school authorities in the video for facilitating his
stay, saying that he had come to the school maintaining that he would stay
there for just three days but his wait for the transit visa got delayed.
He
has covered 3,300km on foot so far, covering seven states from Kerala to
Punjab. Shihab, who started off on his 8,640-km journey from Malappuram on June
2, reached near Wagah border in September but could not cross the border as he
did not have a transit visa. He plans to reach Mecca in Saudi Arabia and
perform the Haj in 2023, after covering Pakistan and crossing over to Iran and
a small stretch in Iraq to enter Kuwait and later Saudi Arabia.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
'Supreme
Court Partial to Muslims': Suresh Chavhanke's Supporters Attack Observations on
Hate Speech
Vipul
Kumar
New
Delhi: At a demonstration at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on February 5,
supporters of Sudarshan TV head and Hindutva activist Suresh Chavhanke said
that the Supreme Court’s critical observations on his 2021 public exhortation
to “die for and kill” to make India a “Hindu nation” was “unnecessary legal
harassment”. They also accused the top court of favouring Muslims.
Chavhanke’s
hate speech at an event organised by the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a Hindutva group
formed by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath in 2002, had been criticised
by the Supreme Court in April last year. The court had also pulled up Delhi
Police for its affidavit which had initially concluded that “no hate speech was
made at the event.”
Police
also initially said that the gathering was made of people motivated to “save
the ethics of their community.”
Administering
an ‘oath’ to the audience at the event, Chavhanke had said:
“If
needed, we will kill and get killed for it. But we will declare the country a
Hindu nation at any cost. May our ancestors and deities give us the power to
achieve our goal.”
On
Sunday, February 5, Chavhanke’s supporters – many of them Hindutva leaders
themselves – claimed at Jantar Mantar that there was nothing wrong in the
above-mentioned oath. Many speakers also accused the Supreme Court of “Muslim
appeasement” and “of being hard on Hindus but liberal with other religions ”
Retired
IPS officer Anand Kumar, one of the speakers and the president of the Rashtra
Nirman Party, said, “It’s strange that the Supreme Court is asking the police
why they’re not taking action or arresting someone, when the police have
already stated that there’s no offence found against Chavhanke after an
investigation.”
He
also expressed the belief that the Supreme Court is biased in favour of Islam
and said it “engages in Muslim appeasement”.
Hindutva
leaders like Ragini Tiwari, Suraj Pal Ammu, Aastha Maa, and Annapurna Bharti
were part of the event. Chavhanke himself was not present.
There
were approximately 300-400 people in the audience, a third of them were school
students.
“Our
guru ji (teacher) has brought us here. I do not know the reason for our visit,”
said a student of Class 8 who had come from Palwal in Haryana, said.
Following
the reprimand by the Supreme Court, the Delhi police had filed fresh cases
against Suresh Chavhanke on May 4, 2022, under sections 153A (promoting enmity
between different groups on the basis of religion, race, birth, etc.), 295A
(deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 298 (uttering words,
etc., with deliberate intent, to wound the religious feelings of any person)
and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the
Indian Penal Code.
On
January 10, 2023 Supreme Court had once again pulled up the Delhi Police,
noting that there has been “no arrest”, “no chargesheet” and “no palpable
progress” even eight months after the FIR was lodged last year.
Before
the Jantar Mantar event, Chavhanke had tweeted a poster on Twitter which said,
“How is taking oath of Hindu nation a crime?”. After the event, he has tweeted
visuals of it, including of the children attending.
Suraj
Pal Ammu of KarniSena, who has a history of making hate speeches, also spoke in
support of Chavhanke.
He
said, “There is a lobby working against Chavhanke, but I want to tell them that
he is not a carrot or radish that can be easily uprooted and consumed. If
someone tries to stop him, we will keep supporting him. Chavhanke is getting
support from all over India to make India into a Hindu nation, and he will
continue to receive support. We’re not demanding anything; we’re only asking to
remove the country’s traitors, those who eat in India but sing praises of
Pakistan.”
Amritanand
of Dasna Devi Temple said that the Chavhanke-led Sudarshan News is the “only
channel which is saving our mothers and sisters.”
“It
works to prevent the throats of our brothers from being slit. It exposes many
types of ‘jihads’ including ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’,” Amritanand added.
‘Love
jihad’ is an imagined conspiracy popularised by Hindutva organisations, to claim
that Muslim men are using marriage to convert Hindu women. The government has
on occasion said it has no data on such alleged occurrences.
‘Land
jihad‘ is a similar Hindutva allegation which purports to claim that Muslims
occupying land are doing so illegally.
Another
speaker at the event said, “This government is of Hindus, not of Muslims.” He
used pejorative terms to denote Muslims.
“What
sin has our Suresh Chavhanke ji done by demanding a Hindu nation? Would we
demand a Hindu nation in Pakistan? Can we not demand a Hindu nation in
Hindustan? Brothers, I would like to tell you that Sudarshan News is only
channel who raises voice of Hindus. Foreign forces, no matter how much you
drink your mother’s milk, our Sudarshan channel will not stop,” he said.
Source: TheWire
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://thewire.in/communalism/supreme-court-suresh-chavhanke-hate-speech-jantar-mantar
--------
Bengaluru
right-wing group flags mosque construction near electric line
Feb
06, 2023
Right-wing
organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has approached the Bruhat Bengaluru
MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) to stop the alleged illegal construction of a mosque
below the high-tension electric line of the Karnataka Power Transmission
Corporation Limited (KPTCL) in AECS Layout – A Block in Singasandra in
Bengaluru.
According
to the HJS, the construction in that area violates the rules laid down by the
Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission, as it is right under the KPTCL
high-tension electric line.
A
video of a building under the high-tension line in the area, alleged to be a
mosque, has also surfaced on various social media platforms.
The
right-wing group alleged that even after repeated complaints by residents to
the civic body, the BBMP is yet to take action regarding the issue.
“It
is surprising to note that no effort has been made to stop the construction so
far even after locals have registered several complaints regarding this. Would
the civic body have responded in the same way if the illegal work was done by
someone from the Hindu community?” the letter submitted to the BBMP read.
“Why
is the civic body being silent regarding the illegal construction by another
community? All the Hindu groups demand that the BBMP should take this matter
seriously, probe it and stop the construction of the illegal mosque. If not, we
will have no other alternative but to take the fight to the High Court,” the
letter further read.
The
convenor of the right-wing outfit, Mohan Gowda, expressed outrage and demanded
answers from the civic body regarding this issue.
Gowda
said that the KPTCL could not carry out work under the high-tension electric
line. However, a mosque is being constructed illegally in Singasandra near
Electronic City under the BBMP, he said, adding that it is not safe to carry
out any work below the high-tension line.
“Hindu
temples are immediately demolished in case of any violation. Unfortunately, no
action has been taken even though the structures of other religions are built
illegally. The state government should take this seriously and take immediate
action,” Gowda said.
Meanwhile,
BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Girinath said that the civic body did not grant
any permission to build the structure in the area.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mathura
authority cuts electricity connection of Shahi Idgah mosque
Feb
5, 2023
LUCKNOW:
The electricity supply of the Shahi Idgah mosque of Mathura was disconnected on
Sunday with an FIR lodged against it for having an illegal electricity
connection. A fine was also recovered from Tanveer Ahmed, the secretary of the
Shahi Idgah Masjid Committee.
According
to a press statement issued by the government here, the action was taken as
part of its ongoing campaign against illegal electricity consumption in the
state.
According
to the statement, the connection was cut by a joint team of Mathura district
police and the Electricity department. An FIR was also booked in the matter
under section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, at Krishna Nagar Police
Station.
According
to the statement the action was taken at the complaint of Shri Krishna
Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘Frontier
Gandhi worked with Mahatma for Hindu-Muslim unity’
Feb
6, 2023
Nagpur:
“Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and Mahatma Gandhi were very close to each other. Their
teachings, life and work are still relevant because they worked for
ganga-jamuni Tehzeeb, for communal harmony, and for Hindu-Muslim unity. We must
make a conscious effort to reintroduce those teachings and sacrifices to our
kids,” said Delhi-based historian Syed Obaidur Rahman on Sunday.
Rahman
was delivering a talk on ‘Let us celebrate our national heroes’ on the eve of
the 133rd birth anniversary of freedom fighter and Bharat Ratna Khan Abdul
Ghaffar Khan at Bapukutti in Sewagram. The event was organized by Vidarbha
Muslim Intellectuals’ Forum which would now be holding a lecture series on all
such forgotten heroes.
“Not
just Khan, many such freedom fighters like Sher Ali Khan Afridi who killed a
viceroy in Andman and Nicobar must be remembered again and again. Those who
laid down their lives for the nation, sacrificed their careers are
unfortunately not celebrated or recognized anymore,” he said.
Khan,
who earned the sobriquet of Frontier Gandhi during the Independence struggle,
spent 40 years in jail after freedom. “A Hindu fanatic killed Gandhi in India
while Pakistani Muslims incarcerated Khan for years. Both never got justice
from their respective governments and people,” he said.
A
Pashtun pathan, Khan turned out to be a complete contrast when it came to the
freedom struggle. “He surprised many when he held out his other cheek forward
if he was slapped. He was inspired by Gandhi and adopted non-violence like many
others,” he said.
Former
minister Sunil Kedar, city lawyer Firdos Mirza, Parvez Siddiqui, Raja Baig,
lawyer Zahed Ali and Aseem Khan were also present.
In
his address, Mirza said that even today, India is known as Gandhi’s nation.
“Hatred is being spread in the name of religion especially through the WhatsApp
university. There is a need to engage with each other and move closer to the
truth,” he said.
Mirza
added that Maratha warrior king Shivaji’s name is also misused to spread
misinformation and divide Hindus and Muslims. “When Shivaji left Agra, he was
accompanied by Muslims. When he went to meet Afzal Khan, ministries
accompanying him were Muslims. But we are being taught that the
Shivaji-Aurangzeb fight was a Hindu-Muslim dispute,” he said
Similarly,
HazratTipu Sultan has been defamed, Mirza said. “Even Sawarkar’s book ‘Six
Epochs of Hinduism’ mentions that Tipu Sultan gave acres of land for mandirs.
Fatima Bi joined Savitribai Phule is spreading literacy. Andman Islands have
graves of several Muslim freedom fighters. The Jallianwala Bagh protest was
held against the arrest of Dr Saifuddin Kitchlew,” he said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Chowk
in Mumbai's Bhendi Bazaar named after Khilafat Movement leader
Feb
6, 2023
The
British government, to discuss India's future, held a series of meetings called
the Roundtable Conference (1930-32) in London. Among the attendees of the first
conference was poet, writer, freedom fighter and Khilafat Movement leader
Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar (1878-1931). Though fragile due to illness, the
journalist in Jauhar had not lost his impish attitude to power. Addressing the
British on November 19, 1930 at the Conference Jauhar said: "I would
prefer to die in a foreign country so long as it is a free country, and if you
do not give us freedom in India, you will have to give me a grave here."
Jauhar's utterances proved prophetic as he died a few weeks later in England
and, on the demand of his relatives and admirers, was buried near Masjid
Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
Ninety
two years after Jauhar's death, Mumbai memorialised Jauhar this past week by
inaugurating a chowk named after him at the busy Bhendi Bazaar in South Mumbai.
Sponsored by Congress MLA Amin Patel, the chowk's naming, along with replicas
of Sufi saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi dargah's main gate unveiling, saw Mahatma
Gandhi's great grandson Tushar Gandhi attending, who drove down all the way
from his Khar residence to the crowded cacophonous venue.
Patel
sounded ecstatic: "This is a humble tribute to a great freedom fighter and
leader of the Khilafat Movement. Both Muhammad Ali Road and this chowk will
remind Mumbaikars about his contribution to our freedom struggle." Gandhi
recalled the bond Mahatma Gandhi had with Muhammad Ali and the cause that had
brought them together "The naming of a Chowk after the Khilafat Movement
leader is significant in the sense that it reminds us of the champions of
Hindu-Muslim unity and nationalism. Muhammad Ali and Bapu (Gandhiji) worked
tirelessly and closely to bring the two communities together and create a
formidable front against the British," said Gandhi. "At a time when
true patriots are being forgotten, such efforts must be lauded."
Born
in Rampur (UP), the Ali Brothers (Muhammad Ali and Shaukat Ali) received sound
education thanks to their mother Bi Amma's untiring efforts. Though uneducated,
Bi Amma was a brave and revolutionary woman who rode the crest of popularity
when her support to Khilafat was captured in a slogan to mobilise the masses:
Boli Amma Muhammad Ali ki jaan de do Khilafat pe beta (Muhammad Ali's mother
said, son, give your life for Khilafat).
Leaving
no stone unturned to educate her sons, she sent Shaukat Ali and Muhammad Ali to
Aligarh. While Shaukat excelled in cricket and captained Aligarh Muslim
University's cricket team (he later joined UP provincial services), Muhammad
Ali went on to Oxford for higher studies, appeared for the ICS exam but failed.
Returning to India, he joined the civil service at the Baroda state (prince
Fateh Singh of Baroda was his friend at Oxford).
Subsequently,
Jauhar quit his job at Baroda, moved to Calcutta where he launched two
newspapers, The Comrade in English and Hamdardi n Urdu. Rajmohan Gandhi, in his
seminal work "Understanding the Muslim Mind" writes that his
(Jauhar's) Urdu writing was not as effective as his English.
Though
the paper's tone was trenchant and adversarial, many British officials too
subscribed to it and Lady Harding, the Viceroy Lord Harding's wife, phoned if
the paper did not reach her on time.
Jauhar's
lasting relationship with Mumbai is inscribed at the iconic Khilafat House at
the leafy love lane in Byculla. In 1920 the Muslim Caliphate (Khilafat) in
Turkey was under threat from England and Muslims feared that many
Caliph-controlled sacred places like Mecca and Medina would go to non-Muslim
hands. Indians, led by Ali Brothers, Gandhiji and others, began the Khilafat
Movement.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Islamic
scholars declare suicide attacks Haram
February
06, 2023
KARACHI:
Islamic scholars on Sunday unanimously declared that all terror activities
being carried out in Pakistan, including suicide attacks, are absolutely
forbidden (Haram) in Islam.
Leading
Islamic scholar Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman presided over a congregation of
Ahl-e-Sunnat scholars.
According
to a statement, Mufti Muneeb and leading scholars condemned the recent suicide
attack at a mosque in Peshawar. They termed the incident Fasad Fil Ardh, which
was one of the gravest crimes in Islam. They rejected all justifications of the
suicide attack, terming it a crime against humanity.
The
scholars asked the government to trace the terrorist network in the country and
eliminate it.
They
also appealed to Afghanistan to maintain relations with Pakistan according to
Islamic principles and act as a neighbour should act. They asked the Afghan
government not to provide shelter to those involved in terrorism in Pakistan.
The
scholars also demanded that the Muslim world take concrete diplomatic and
economic measures to ensure that no one dared desecrate holy relics. They
condemned the desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden and said it had caused
immense pain to the Muslims all over the world.
The
religious congregation also demanded implementation of the verdict given by the
Federal Shariat Court in April 2022 against Riba (interest).
They
also called for the global community to support the oppressed Kashmiris and
ensure that they had basic human rights. The scholars called for ensuring the
right to self-determination to Kashmiris.
They
also declared that they were with the State and its institutions for the
security of the country.
Source:
TheNews
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1037916-islamic-scholars-declare-suicide-attacks-haram
--------
Pakistan
PM Sharif reiterates diplomatic, political and moral support to Kashmiris
Feb
5, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday reiterated diplomatic,
political and moral support to the Kashmiri people until they attained their
right to self-determination as per UN resolutions. Addressing a special session
of the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) assembly in Muzaffarabad, Sharif said
that Pakistan always laid emphasis on a peaceful resolution of the Jammu and
Kashmir dispute as per relevant UN Security Council's resolutions.
He
said that East Taimur, Darfur, and other areas of the world were given
independence on ethnic grounds but the same is not applied in Kashmir and
Palestine.
He
was speaking on the occasion of 'Kashmir Solidarity Day', which was observed in
Pakistan to express support to the Kashmiris.
Separately,
Prime Minister Sharif in his special message said that the people of Pakistan
"renew our commitment of our unflinching support to them (Kashmiris) in
their just struggle for inalienable right to self-determination".
Foreign
Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute
"will remain a key pillar" of Pakistan's foreign policy.
"We
will continue to lend unstinted moral, diplomatic and political support to the
Kashmiri people...," Bilawal added.
The
top brass of the Pakistan Army also paid tribute to the struggle of Kashmiris
"for their right to self-determination as per UN resolutions".
Solidarity
walks were organised in Islamabad, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and in four provincial capitals.
Seminars and other events were also organized to highlight the Kashmir issue
and its importance for Pakistan.
India
has repeatedly told Pakistan that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and shall
forever" remain an integral part of the country. It has also advised
Pakistan to accept the reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
New
Delhi has also told Islamabad that issues related to Jammu and Kashmir are its
internal matter and the country is capable of solving its own problems.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Musharraf
allied with the U.S. and promoted moderate Islam
February
5, 2023
ISLAMABAD,
Feb 5 (Reuters) - Pervez Musharraf, the four-star general who ruled Pakistan
for nearly a decade after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1999, oversaw
rapid economic growth and attempted to usher in socially liberal values in the
conservative Muslim country.
Musharraf,
79, died in hospital after a long illness after spending years in self-imposed
exile, Pakistan media reported on Sunday. He enjoyed strong support for many
years, his greatest threat al Qaeda and other militant Islamists who tried to
kill him at least three times.
But
his heavy-handed use of the military to quell dissent as well as his continued
backing of the United States in its fight against al Qaeda and the Afghan
Taliban ultimately led to his downfall.
Born
in New Delhi in 1943, Musharraf was four years old when his parents joined the
mass exodus by Muslims to the newly created state of Pakistan. His father
served in the foreign ministry, while his mother was a teacher and the family
subscribed to a moderate, tolerant brand of Islam.
He
joined the army at the age of 18, and went on to lead an elite commando unit
before rising to become its chief. He took power by ousting the then prime
minister, Nawaz Sharif, who had tried to sack him for greenlighting an
operation to invade Indian-held areas of Kashmir, bringing Pakistan and India
to the brink of war.
In
his early years in government, Musharraf won plaudits internationally for his
reformist efforts, pushing through legislation to protect the rights of women
and allowing private news channels to operate for the first time.
His
penchant for cigars and imported whisky and his calls for Muslims to adopt a
lifestyle of "enlightened moderation" increased his appeal in the
West in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.
He
became one of Washington’s most important allies after the attacks, allowing
U.S. forces to operate armed drones from secret bases on Pakistani soil that
killed thousands and ordering domestic troops into the country’s lawless tribal
areas along the Afghanistan frontier for the first time Pakistan’s history.
That
helped legitimise his rule overseas but also helped plunge Pakistan into a
bloody war against local extremist militant groups.
In
a 2006 memoir, he took credit for saving Pakistan from American wrath saying
the country had been warned it needed to be “prepared to be bombed back to the
Stone Age” if it did not ally itself with Washington.
Musharraf
also successfully lobbied then-President George W. Bush to pour money into the
Pakistani military. Still, the army's allegiances were never unambiguous: its
powerful intelligence services cut deals with the Taliban and al Qaeda, and
bolstered an insurgency fighting U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
In
other areas of foreign policy, Musharraf attempted to normalise relations
between New Delhi and Islamabad.
At
a regional summit in 2002, less than three years after launching the military
operation against India, Musharraf shocked the world when, after finishing a
speech, he suddenly moved towards Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to
shake hands and offered to talk peace.
Analysts
say the issue of Kashmir – which remains the most potent point of contention
between India and Pakistan – was close to being solved during the Musharraf
era. But the peace process was derailed soon after his rule.
Under
Musharraf, foreign investment flourished and Pakistan saw annual economic
growth of as much as 7.5% - which remains the highest level in nearly three
decades, according to World Bank data.
The
later years of his presidency were, however overshadowed, by his increasingly
authoritarian rule. In 2006, Musharraf ordered military action that killed a
tribal head from the province Balochistan, laying the foundations of an armed
insurgency that rages to this day.
The
next year, more than a hundred students calling for the imposition of Sharia
law were killed after Musharraf shunned negotiations and ordered troops to
storm a mosque in Islamabad. That led to the birth of a new militant group,
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has since killed tens of thousands in suicide
bombings and brazen assaults.
Later
in 2007, a suicide attack that assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto,
triggered waves of violence. His efforts to strong arm the judiciary also led
to protests and a besieged Musharraf postponed elections and declared a state
of emergency.
In
2008, the country's first democratic elections in 11 years were held.
Musharraf's party lost and facing impeachment by parliament he resigned the
presidency and fled to London.
He
returned to Pakistan in 2013 to run for a seat in parliament but was
immediately disqualified. He was allowed to leave for Dubai in 2016.
Source:
Reuters
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Thousands
pour onto streets demanding restoration of durable peace in KP
February
6, 2023
MOHMAND:
Thousands of people poured onto the roads for the third day on Sunday in
different towns of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, condemning the brutal attack on the
Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar and resurgence of militancy in the
province.
The
peace rallies were held in Mohmand, Malakand, LakkiMarwat and other areas under
the slogan of UlasiPasoon (public uprising).
Prominent
leaders, who participated in the Mohmand rally, included among others Pashtun
Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) leader Manzoor Pashteen and Awami National Party
provincial general secretary Sardar Hussain Babak.
The
peace marchers were mostly youngsters, who were holding white flags, placards
and banners, demanding of the government to eliminate the militancy and ensure
sustainable peace.
Rallies
held in Mohmand, Lakki and Malakand
A
huge contingent of police was deployed to avoid any untoward incident on the
occasion.
Addressing
the rally, PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen said militancy and worsening law and
order situation had affected every segment of society, including children,
women, senior citizens and tribal elders. “Workers of every political party
have sacrificed their lives during the war imposed on the Pakhtun region,” he
said.
He
said Pakhtuns were divided under a conspiracy, and urged them to show unity in
the larger interest of their community.
“Only
in Momand Gat area of the Mohmand tribal district at least three dozen people
have been killed,” he said.
The
PTM leader urged elders, Maliks and religious scholars to show unity in raising
their voice for the recovery of the missing persons.
On
the occasion, ANP leader Sardar Hussain Babak said children of tribesmen needed
peace in their region and authority over their resources.
“We
consider this region as our own and value it like a mother,” Mr Babak said. He
demanded of the religious scholars to issue verdict against the ongoing
terrorism and killing of innocent people. “Our resources are being looted and
our children are dying of hunger,” he said.
He
said how did militants crossed over into Pakistan and reached Peshawar after
the border with Afghanistan had been fenced and military posts set up along it.
In
LakkiMarwat, the local residents took out a peace rally on Sunday.
The
rally appeared from Shaheed Abid Ali Chowk and converged at Qazi Ishfaq Chowk
on the main bust stand in the Lakki city after marching on Tajazai-Lakki Road.
The
participants were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans,
highlighting their demands for peace and harmony.
Speaking
on the occasion, Dr Muhammad Iqbal of PTI, Eng Ihsan, Malik Waqar,
InamKhoidadkhel and Shahid Tajoriwal said residents of the district were
peace-loving and they wanted sustainable peace in their area.
They
said area people would not allow anyone to destroy peace and use their soil for
carrying out anti-state activities.
They
said that along with poor law and order, the local residents had to face the
brunt of excessive gas and power outages, besides suspension of mobile and
internet services had added to their troubles. They said that a pipeline was
being laid to supply gas to Punjab, but the local residents were ignored.
The
speakers called upon the elders and public representatives to ‘break their
silence’ and play role in ending lawlessness and protecting rights of people.
In
Malakand, workers of political parties and civil society activists came out on
the streets in Batkhela to demand establishment of durable peace on their soil.
The
participants carried white flags, banners and placards and marched from Zafar
Park to the old bus stand, chanting slogans for restoration of peace.
Jamaat-i-Islami’s
former provincial minister Shah Raz Khan, former MNA BakhtiarMaani, ANP
district president Ejaz Khan, former provincial minister Shakeel Khan, Maulana
Imran Hilali of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Maulana Javed, PML-N’s city
president Ali Mohammad, All Chairmen and CouncillorIttehad president Pir Azmat
Shah, Muslim Khan of Pakistan Peoples Party, Sikandar Hayat, Zafar Ali Khan and
traders’ union president Zwar Khan also attended the rally.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735535
--------
Pakistan
divided on legacy of military ruler Musharraf
Feb
5, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Pervez Musharraf was a polarising figure in Pakistani politics, taking the
country back to a period of economic stability while accused of rampant abuses
and weakening democracy.
The
nation's most recent military leader governed for nearly a decade after seizing
power in a bloodless coup in 1999.
His
rule was marred by repeated allegations of abuses, including ruthlessly
rounding up his opponents as well as being accused of involvement in former
prime minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
The
effects of his decision to back the United States in its invasion of
Afghanistan -- albeit in the face of threats of bombing and in return for a
massive aid injection -- continue to reverberate.
"Musharraf
boosted education standards and infrastructure in Pakistan. He brought
development to the country," 24-year-old student Mohammad Waqas told AFP
in Islamabad.
"But
on the other hand, the country suffered losses in the face of terrorism.
Entering America's war weakened our own country."
Pakistan
is currently undergoing yet another economic crisis, and widespread political
uncertainty ahead of elections due later this year.
In
the face of the turmoil, some remember Musharraf with a certain fondness.
"He
was a good ruler. There has not been a leader like him before and there will
never be one like him again," said 70-year-old Islamabad shopkeeper
Muhammad Khan.
Veteran
Pakistani politician and Musharraf ally Parvez Elahi told AFP: "He was a
ruler with a lot of depth, who loved hard work and he would appreciate new
initiatives".
In
2006 -- at the height of their alliance -- US President George W. Bush called
Musharraf "a strong, forceful leader (who) has become a target of those
who can't stand the thought of moderation prevailing".
His
moves to overthrow an elected government and to suspend the constitution for
long periods, however, also frame his legacy.
"His
one act, which will be remembered throughout history, was he violated the
constitution," retired civil servant Naeem UlHaqSatti told AFP.
"The
most important thing a country has is its constitution," the 69-year-old
added.
As
he faced growing pressure for democratic elections, Musharraf's oppression of
critics worsened.
He
suspended the constitution for a second time in 2007, rounded up thousands of
opponents and sacked the chief justice, leading to widespread protests.
"General
Musharraf was one of the military dictators who misruled the country by...
bringing in a group of sycophants," businessman Abdul Basit told AFP in
the Balochistan provincial capital of Quetta.
Under
Musharraf, Pakistan stepped up its war against ethnic Baloch separatists, with
a military operation killing key separatist leader Akbar Bugti in 2006, an
assassination that further fanned the flames of that movement.
"People
do give credit to General Musharraf for developing the country but on the other
hand, like his predecessors, he played havoc," said Basit.
Musharraf
resigned in 2008 and faced years of legal wrangling, finally being found guilty
in absentia and sentenced to death for treason. That ruling was later
nullified.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Govt
ready to arrest Imran Khan if fresh protest launched by PTI, warns Sanaullah
Imran
Gabol
February
6, 2023
LAHORE:
A day after PTI Chairman Imran Khan asked his workers and supporters to prepare
for a ‘Jail Bharo’ (court arrest) movement, party leaders said they would be
first to surrender once Mr Khan issues a call.
Meanwhile,
the government has taken a firm stand in the face of agitation from Mr Khan,
with PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Sunday launching a fresh salvo against
Mr Khan, and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah saying that the government was
ready to arrest the PTI chief once the party starts the court arrest drive.
Speaking
at a press conference on Sunday, former state minister Farrukh Habib said the
workers and leaders of the party were waiting for Mr Khan’s call to fill jails.
“The party leadership and workers are not afraid of going to jail when Imran
Khan calls. I will go to jail first,” he said.
He
said everyone was aware of the country’s situation for the past two months and
the current government had ruined the country’s economy.
Govt
‘prepared to arrest PTI chief’ if fresh protest launched, says minister
Mr
Habib feared that a government’s deal with the International Monetary Fund
would further increase inflation and compound the public’s suffering.
Meanwhile,
speaking to PML-N workers at a party convention in Multan on Sunday,
MrSanaullahcriticised the PTI leadership for “creating troubles”.
“In
2014, PTI staged protest demonstrations and tried to stop the journey of
progress and prosperity. Imran Khan is following the politics of agitation in
the shape of long marches, sealing Islamabad on the pretext of a date for
elections,” he said.
Commenting
on the PTI’s Jail Bharo movement, the interior minister hoped Imran Khan would
be placed in the “same death cell where I was placed during my arrest”.
Dismissing
the impression that the PML-N was not ready for general elections, he said the
party would contest and win elections and form a government in Punjab.
PML-N’s
Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif, who also addressed the Multan
convention, took a jibe at the PTI’s court arrest drive, saying Mr Khan was
running a Jail Bharo movement for four years during his tenure as prime
minister.
On
the arrests of senior PTI leaders and ally Sheikh Rashid, Ms Sharif said they
had been “crying like children”. She added, “We spent five years in jail with a
smile, but they had started weeping after five days of imprisonment.”
She
also named PML-N leaders who were put in jail during Imran Khan’s government,
including her father Nawaz Sharif, uncle Shehbaz Sharif, cousin Hamza Shehbaz,
and senior party leaders Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal and
others.
‘No
Constitution exists’
In
Jhelum, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said at a party’s public meeting that former
military ruler Pervez Musharraf, who passed away on Sunday, did the right thing
when he ended the Nawaz Sharif government in 1999.
Noting
that PPP and PML-N leaders were passing remarks against Mr Musharraf for
dislodging the Constitution, Mr Chaudhry questioned: “Does any Constitution
exist during the current government tenure?”
“I
think retired Gen Musharraf was right in suspending the Constitution because
there was zero implementation of the Constitution in the presence of Nawaz
Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari,” he said.
Mr
Chaudhry said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition was running away
from elections and was busy “torturing PTI stalwarts”.
He
said the PDM was attacking and entering the houses of PTI leaders to arrest
them. “You will kill me in the night, and I will meet you in the headline of
the newspaper in the morning,” he said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735608
--------
Southeast
Asia
Racial
slurs should be made a crime, says Noor Farida
Reshna
Reem Ganesan
February
5, 2023
PETALING
JAYA: A law to criminalise racial remarks should be introduced, says a former
top civil servant, following two incidents involving remarks by a social media
influencer and a national hockey player.
“I
really can’t believe these kinds of things are still happening. We must
introduce a law where racist remarks are considered an offence and punishable,”
said Noor Farida MohdAriffin, a spokesperson of the G25 group of former senior
civil servants.
Her
comments were made in the wake of remarks linked to a concert at the National
Stadium last Saturday.
The
influencer is under police investigation, while hockey player HanisNadiah Onn
has apologised for her remarks.
Farida
said if a law criminalising racist remarks was introduced, victims would be
able to lodge reports against the offenders.
She
said the use of racial slurs by young people indicated that racial tolerance
was declining.
A
law on race relations has been sought by activist groups over the decades. Last
year, a former law minister, Nazri Aziz, had also called for anti-racism laws
to serve as an instrument to preserve unity among Malaysians.
Farida
said a root cause was the lack of interaction between schoolchildren from
different communities, made worse by “too many hours” being devoted to
religious studies in national schools, further segregating Muslim and
non-Muslim pupils.
“This
speaks volumes about the need to reform the education curriculum because the
students shouldn’t be separated in the first place,” she said.
Social
activist Chandra Muzaffar, also in favour of a law against racial remarks,
questioned whether the authorities and society at large made attempts to check
racial slurs.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Can
Malaysia’s ruling coalition work together? PM Anwar squares up to new political
realities
ZainudinAfandi
04
Feb 2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: After Malaysia’s recent general election produced a hung parliament,
artist Faye Lim was thrilled when Pakatan Harapan (PH) got the chance to form
the government again.
The
32-year-old was among those who opposed the internal coup in 2020 that had
brought down the previous PH government.
So
in December, when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, chairman of PH, won a vote of
confidence in the Malaysian parliament to emerge as the undisputed leader of
the new unity government, it was what Lim wanted.
“Give
people a chance to finish what they start,” she said. “If (politicians) are
always going to keep repeating … ‘I’ll never work with’ (or) ‘I don’t want’,
then … (they) aren’t thinking about us as a whole nation holistically.”
Yet,
the alliances that make up the current government, chiefly between PH and
rivals Barisan Nasional (BN), are more tenuous than those in the PH government
that came to power at the 2018 election.
Can
the unity government find a way to work together and last a full term in
office, the programme Insight asks. It might prove a daunting task — and is not
the only challenge lying ahead of the new PM.
‘COALITION
OF INCOMPATIBLES’
With
the King having decreed that BN must be part of a unity government to end the
impasse following the elections, the previous incumbents surprised some
observers by choosing to work with PH instead of Malay-centric coalition
Perikatan Nasional (PN).
“(The
unity government) is a coalition of incompatibles,” said former PM Mahathir
Mohamad.
“They
don’t have the same objective or the same philosophy and yet they found a need
to work together, so they overlooked all their past statements, past promises,
in order to form this coalition.”
Within
the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) itself, BN’s anchor party, there
is recognition of “complications” arising from the party being “ideologically”
opposed to the Democratic Action Party (DAP) — a PH component party —
acknowledged Umno information chief HizatulIsham Abdul Jalil.
“This
is something that we need to sort out,” he said. “(But) it makes sense for us
to go with PH because they need the Malay votes, and we need the non-Malay
votes.”
To
hold the alliance together, Anwar made compromises over key roles.
PH
component party PartiKeadilan Rakyat (PKR), which has 31 Members of Parliament,
was given eight ministerial portfolios. BN, which won 30 seats, has six
ministers. The DAP, meanwhile, has four ministers even though it has 40 MPs.
There
is “some unhappiness” with that, acknowledged DAP secretary-general Anthony
Loke, but he thinks his party’s “sacrifice” is for the good of the country.
“The alternative will be a government being led by Pas (Parti Islam
Se-Malaysia),” he said.
“So
I think … the Chinese community and, by and large, the non-Malays including the
Indian community supported our decision to be part of the government even with
the lesser representation in the Cabinet.”
Voon
Zhen Yi, the research director of think-tank KSI Strategic Institute, believes
it is clear that the DAP realised it “had to take a back seat” to “not
jeopardise” the unity government and that their supporters “are pragmatic
people” too.
There
are also other factors that could help Anwar keep his government together.
For
one thing, winning his vote of confidence from parliament cemented his hold on the
top job and brought the parties in the ruling coalition “under his wing”,
according to political scientist Chandra Muzaffar.
“To
work together and to show that they’ll keep working together, he needed a vote
of confidence,” said Muzaffar. “It’s also contributed towards stabilising the
position of his own party.”
Legislation
that took effect from October to prevent party-hopping might also prevent a
repeat of the machinations that had previously removed PH from power — because
MPs who now switch political affiliations would trigger a by-election in their
district.
And
as a sign that “the public doesn’t want to see things like this happen”, those
who were seen as orchestrators of the internal coup, such as Mohamed Azmin Ali,
lost in the last election.
“(Voters)
have had enough of that — three prime ministers in the course of four years,”
cited Muzaffar.
THE
ECONOMIC CHALLENGE
Whether
Anwar can keep his unity government together may also depend on how well he
governs. And he now must respond to the problems of a slowing economy and high
cost of living.
“People
want stability. People want their food on the table, their bread and butter to
be guaranteed. And they want a better life, a better job,” said Maszlee Malik,
the former education minister in PH’s first administration.
Take,
for example, Mohamad Zulkhairi Mohamad Adnan, who used to own a boutique
specialising in traditional Malay clothing in Johor. He also sold cooked meals
in bazaars and on government premises.
When
the pandemic hit sales hard, he had to close down his businesses and return to
his home town in Negeri Sembilan. He set up a roadside stall selling fried
chicken, but it is hard to sustain the business.
“When
(costs) go up, we can’t afford to raise our prices in a flash. Our regular
customers would be aware of it,” said the 49-year-old, who worries that they
may “find other alternatives”.
Malaysia’s
core inflation was 4.1 per cent year on year in December. Food continued to be
the main inflation driver, with prices up by 6.8 per cent compared to a year
earlier.
Beyond
addressing the rising cost of living, the new government must “show that
Malaysia has its own value proposition, its own offering”, as Voon put it.
“It
has to show everyone that investment in Malaysia will bring benefits to them,” he
said, flagging Vietnam and Indonesia as economies in the region that are
“catching up” and showing potential for “overtaking Malaysia very soon”.
To
deal with these challenges to the country’s post-pandemic recovery efforts, the
PM assembled a new economic team.
He
appointed PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli as economic affairs minister and
Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, the former finance minister, to helm the
International Trade and Industry Ministry.
“We
can see that … they’ve been involved in the corporate world. They’re young,
they’re hard-working, enthusiastic, and they know what they’re supposed to do
now,” said economist Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff of Putra Business School.
The
associate professor also thinks it helps that Anwar appointed himself as finance
minister, given that when he held the portfolio in the 1990s, he kept the
growth in Malaysia’s gross domestic product, on average, at 9.2 per cent.
“The
confidence factor is there,” said Ahmed Razman.
THE
RISE OF POLITICAL ISLAM?
A
bigger challenge facing the PM — if he is to not only unify the ruling
coalition but also unite the country — is the growth of identity politics.
In
a survey conducted by pollster Merdeka Centre, which reported the findings last
year, 82 per cent of the Muslim youth respondents agreed that the Quran should
replace the country’s constitution, up from 72 per cent in 2010.
The
survey also found that the proportion of Muslim youths attending religious
schools increased from 48 per cent to 60 per cent.
“There
are some elements of conservatism not only amongst youths but amongst the
Malays in general. We see that pattern. We see that happening in the
institutions as well,” said ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute senior fellow
NorshahrilSaat.
The
rise of Pas is partly due to these changing attitudes of Malays towards their
religion. The Islamic party defied expectations by winning 49 seats in
November, compared with 18 previously.
And
the identity politics have persisted after the elections.
One
of the reasons ZoolAmaliHussin left Umno was its leaders’ move to form the
government with PH’s multiracial coalition, which was “hard for (him) to
accept” as he saw it as a betrayal.
“We’d
been indoctrinated with the idea that the DAP is racist, the DAP is Umno’s
enemy,” he said. “But all of a sudden, they’re with the DAP. They’re saying
it’s part of the dynamics of politics.”
He
quit as Seremban Umno Youth chief to join Pas, “the party that really fights
for Islam and the Malays”, he said. And it has been reported that other Umno
members have followed in his footsteps.
The
question, then, is whether this shift in the political scene marks the rise of
political Islam, and what that bodes for Malaysia.
“Political
Islam has definitely gained momentum in this country,” said Voon. “It’s
matching global trends that we’re seeing — the rise of right-wing politics.”
From
a different perspective, the breakout success of Pas may not indicate the
growth of political Islam, but rather the growing tide of opposition to Umno.
“All
that’s happened is that the Malays have become disillusioned with Umno, and
they registered their disillusionment by supporting Pas, which they’ve done in
the past,” argued Muzaffar, citing what happened to Anwar in 1998, which
“discredited” Umno.
“Remember
the black eye issue? Because you had a (former) deputy prime minister
imprisoned, beaten in jail … people moved to Pas.”
In
the 1999 elections, Pas won 27 parliamentary seats, which was their best
electoral performance until last year.
The
latest groundswell of support for Pas “isn’t really” the rise of “political
Islam per se”, agreed Maszlee, who lost out to a BN challenger in November.
But
what motivates many members of the PN component party — who are “still pushing
a lot of content” over TikTok and other social media — is a mistrust of “the
others”, he said.
“(They’re)
stoking the racial sentiments … instigating the distrust (of) the others every
day,” he observed. “If the current government doesn’t do anything, the momentum
will keep rising.”
Are
the fissures in Malaysian politics today too wide too bridge?
PartiPribumi
Bersatu Malaysia Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Kamal, for one, does not
think his party’s coalition partner is “regarded as extreme”, since Pas was
part of the government before the recent election.
Source:ChannelNewsAsia
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Malaysia
expresses interest in recruiting 'security guards' from Bangladesh
Feb
5, 2023
Malaysia
today expressed its interest in recruiting "security guards" from
Bangladesh.
The
development came as Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail paid a
courtesy call to his Bangladesh counterpart Asaduzzaman Khan at the state guest
house Padma today afternoon.
According
to a press release, Ismail said his country will take security guards from
Bangladesh after Kamal requested him to recruit professional and trained Ansar,
and retired members of law enforcement agencies from Bangladesh to provide
security at different institutions in Malaysia.
Rohingya
repatriation, labor-related issues, training and exchange of knowledge and
information between the two countries' law enforcers were discussed during the
meeting.
MP
Benzir Ahmed, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the home
ministry, Aminul Islam Khan, senior secretary of the home ministry, Inspector
General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, additional IGP of Special
Branch, DMP commissioner, director general of Department of Immigration and
Passports, and Bangladesh high commissioner in Malaysia were present in the
meeting, among others.
Source:TheDailyStar
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Qatar
sends envoy to Kabul for talks with Taliban
February
6, 2023
KABUL:
An envoy for Qatar’s foreign affairs minister visited the Afghan capital on
Sunday and met the Taliban administration’s acting foreign minister, according
to an Afghan foreign ministry statement.
The
visit comes after the Taliban administration placed restrictions on women’s
education and NGO work, which Qatar labelled “deeply concerning” amid
widespread international criticism.
Mutlaq
Bin Majed Al-Qahtani, the special envoy of Qatar’s foreign minister, took part
in meetings with acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul, according
to Afghan foreign affairs spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi.
“Both
sides discussed political coordination, the strength of the relationship and
humanitarian aid,” Balkhi said.
No
foreign country has formally recognised the Taliban government, though both
China and Pakistan sent their foreign ministers last year and the UN deputy
special representative recently visited to discuss women’s rights and aid.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735584/qatar-sends-envoy-to-kabul-for-talks-with-taliban
--------
Pakistan
to approach Taliban chief Akhundzada, will beg Afghanistan to help control TTP
AjeyoBasu
February
05, 2023
Kabul:
With the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) carrying out a series of deadly attacks, the
Pakistan government has been left with no other option other than begging the
Taliban regime of Afghanistan to help control the Islamist militant group.
A
desperate Pakistan has sought Afghan Taliban chief Haibuttallah Akhundzada’s
help to rein in the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) – also known as the
Pakistani Taliban – which has carried out a wave of attacks against the
security forces in the country, including the recent suicide blast in a
Peshawar mosque that killed over 100 people, mostly policemen.
After
the Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) decided to end a truce with the Pakistan government
late last year, it has caused widespread carnage with almost daily attacks
against the security forces, mostly in the country’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province. The restive province of Balochistan and Punjab – the heartland of
Pakistan – have also witnessed several TTP attacks.
According
to ‘The Express Tribune’ newspaper, the military and civil leadership of
Pakistan had convened a meeting of the Apex Committee in Peshawar on Friday,
during which it was decided that Afghan Taliban chief Haibuttallah Akhundzada’s
intervention will be sought to control the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and
put an end to its hideouts in Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who was present during the Apex Committee on
Friday, claimed that the masterminds of the Peshawar mosque attack could be in
Afghanistan, adding that the federal government will raise the issue with the
Taliban rulers of Afghanistan.
While
acknowledging his government’s failure to avert the Peshawar suicide attack,
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for “national unity” to
tackle the TTP challlenge.
“There
is a need for unity across the political spectrum. This act of terrorism
managed to breach the security check post and reach the mosque. We should not
feel hesitant in admitting the facts,” Shehbaz Sharif said at the meeting.
According
to news agency PTI, the authorities in Pakistan have claimed to have made an
“important breakthrough” in the probe into the suicide blast in the Peshawar
mosque by identifying the suicide bomber through his DNA samples.
The
police informed the media that after the DNA test was conducted, the
investigators are trying to trace the family of the Taliban suicide bomber.
The
TTP, which is believed to have close links to al-Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban –
their Pashtun brethren across the Durand Line – has threatened to target the
top leaders of Pakistan’s ruling coalition which comprises Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s PPP if it
continued to implement strict measures against the militants.
Pakistan
had supported the Afghan Taliban with men and materials during its two decades
of war with the US-led NATO forces in the hope of gaining ‘strategic depth’ in
Afghanistan and using it against arch-rival India.
Source: Firstpost
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
China
committed to expand dealings with Taliban in Afghanistan: Report
5
February, 2023
Beijing
[China], February 5 (ANI): China is one of the few countries that are committed
to expanding dealings with the Taliban in Afghanistan, Hong Kong-based Asia
Times newspaper reported.
China
in mid-2021 welcomed a Taliban delegation. The country showed its willingness
to recognise the Taliban as the US signalled towards its planned withdrawal. In
early January 2023, a Chinese firm agreed to sign a 25-year contract for oil
extraction in Afghanistan.
There
is also the possibility that a Chinese state-owned company will be contracted
to operate a copper mine in the country.
According
to Asia Times, it is unsurprising that as western countries withdraw almost all
their links with Afghanistan, China is willing to increase its commercial
presence in the country. Although traditionally, its Afghan policy has not been
a diplomatic priority, it now sees opportunities.
The
Asia Times report said that greater active engagement with Afghanistan will
enable China to benefit in several ways. Afghanistan is one of the world’s most
resource-rich countries, but its security conditions have constrained the
development of the sector.
The
value of Afghanistan’s untapped mineral deposits, such as copper, iron and
lithium is estimated at almost a trillion US dollars. In terms of crude oil, it
has 1.6 billion barrels. As for natural gas, Afghanistan possesses 16 trillion
cubic feet and has access to 500 million barrels of natural gas liquids.
China’s
domestic energy supply is limited both by geology and energy density, and its
dependence on other countries leads to “energy security anxieties.”
Access
to Afghanistan’s natural resources, then, not only provides economic incentives
for China to increase its commercial presence in the country. It also has the
potential to help ease its growing demand for energy, according to Asia Times.
China
prioritises involvement with Afghanistan to meet its short-term energy
security.
Concerned
over the potential spillover of militants from Kabul into the country’s western
Xinjiang, China has stepped in and engaged with the Taliban, promising trade
and investment, Afghan Diaspora Network reported.
More
than a year after the United States and NATO pulled out of the Central Asian
country, China is one of the few countries that kept their embassies open in
Afghanistan even after the Taliban took over in August 2021.
It
is worth mentioning that the Taliban during its first rule in Afghanistan from
1996 to 2001 had harboured a number of foreign extremist groups, including
Uyghur militants.
Source:ThePrint
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Iraqis
protest after man kills YouTuber daughter
February
6, 2023
BAGHDAD:
Iraqi activists protested on Sunday to demand a law against domestic violence,
days after a YouTuber was strangled by her father in a killing that sparked
outrage in the conservative country.
Tiba
al-Ali, 22, was killed by her father on January 31 in the southern province of
Diwaniyah, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan had said on Twitter on Friday.
Maan
said there had been an attempt to mediate between the young woman and her
relatives to resolve a “family dispute”.
The
father later surrendered to the police and confessed to murdering his daughter.
On
Sunday, security forces prevented some 20 activists from demonstrating outside
the country’s Supreme Judicial Council, and they gathered instead at a road
leading to the building, a journalist said.
Some
held placards saying “Stop killing women” and “Tiba’s killer must be held to
account”.
“We
demand laws to protect women, especially laws against domestic violence,”
22-year-old protester Rose Hamid said.
“We
came here to protest against Tiba’s murder and against all others. Who will be
the next victim?” Another demonstrator, Lina Ali, said: “We will keep
mobilising because of rising domestic violence and killings of women.”
On
the sidelines of Sunday’s demonstration, human rights activist HanaaEdwar was
received by a magistrate from the Supreme Judicial Council to whom she
presented the protesters’ grievances.
The
United Nations mission in Iraq in a statement on Sunday condemned Ali’s
“abhorrent killing” and called on the Baghdad government to enact “a law that
explicitly criminalises gender-based violence”.
Ali
had lived in Turkey since 2017 and was visiting Iraq when she was killed, a security
official in Diwaniyah said.
In
Turkey, she had gained a following on YouTube, posting videos of her daily life
in which her fiance often appeared.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1735588/iraqis-protest-after-man-kills-youtuber-daughter
--------
Russia’s
Lavrov visits Baghdad to discuss bilateral relations, energy cooperation
05
February ,2023
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Iraq on Sunday for talks on energy
and food security in view of the Ukraine conflict, an Iraqi foreign ministry
spokesman said.
He
landed in Baghdad late on Sunday at the head of a large delegation that
includes “oil and gas companies and investors,” Ahmed al-Sahhaf told AFP.
On
Monday, Lavrov will meet his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, the state news
agency INA quoted Sahhaf as saying.
He
will also meet Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, President Abdul Latif
Rashid, and parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbussi.
INA
quoted Sahhaf as saying Lavrov’s visit “confirms Iraq’s openness to all of its
partners and friends.”
He
also underlined the importance of “attracting investment... notably in energy.”
Sahhaf
had previously told AFP that Lavrov and Hussein “will also discuss
transformations related to the security and stability of the region, and the
Iraqi point of view regarding military operations in Ukraine.”
He
noted that Baghdad favored “any dialogue making it possible to defuse this
escalation and alleviate crises... particularly in the food and energy
sectors.”
His
remarks came amid soaring food and energy prices on international markets since
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Muslim
Council of Elders commemorate signing of historic Document on Human Fraternity
05
February ,2023
The
Muslim Council of Elders commemorated the singing of the historic ‘Document on
Human Fraternity’ on Saturday, marking its four-year anniversary since it was
signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayeb.
The
Document, signed in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019, in the presence of the
United Arab Emirates’ then-Prime Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed intended to
create a lasting legacy of tolerance and understanding that is reflected in the
annual International Day of Human Fraternity worldwide.
“The
International Day of Human Fraternity is a great opportunity to uphold the
values of love, coexistence and reproachment and to maintain unity and
solidarity in the face of intolerance, chaotic hatred, isolationism and
extremism,” said the Grand Imam Dr. al-Tayeb.
“The
significance of this day is magnified in light of the serious humanitarian
challenges the world is currently facing.”
Grand
Mufti of the Caucasus and member of the Muslim Council of Elders,
AllahshukurPashazadeh, emphasized the importance of the Document in a statement
on Saturday, stressing that it promotes dialogue, coexistence, understanding,
and mutual respect, especially in these difficult times the world is facing.
Pashazadeh
remarked that the document has elevated Christian-Islamic dialogue to the
highest level adding that it is necessary to fight against extremism,
intolerance, bigotry, racism, and discrimination, which threaten global
stability and security.
He
also noted that the document recognizes human life and dignity as being among
the highest values given by God and should be preserved through moral
principles, not just laws and customs.
His
Eminence congratulated all people on the International Day of Human Fraternity
and called for further efforts to achieve peace, harmony, and human fraternity.
He quoted the Quranic verse from al-Ma’idah 2, “Cooperate with one another in
goodness and righteousness, and do not cooperate in sin and transgression.”
“We
congratulate ourselves and the whole world on the anniversary of the signing of
the Document on Human Fraternity, which carries a message of goodness, love,
and peace for all humanity,” said Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of
Elders, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam.
“Today,
as we celebrate the 4th anniversary, we have a real chance to apply the
Document’s principles and transfer them into a constitution, as a guide for
future generations to advance human coexistence.”
Since
the Document’s inception, it has received universal acclaim as a joint
declaration by the world’s two most prominent religious leaders.
The
International Day of Human Fraternity highlights the principles and values of
the Document on Human Fraternity, while advocating for world peace, peaceful
interfaith coexistence and explores good practices towards its implementation
as a pathway to building a more peaceful world, commemorating the Document.
On
December 21, 2020, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution,
co-sponsored by the UAE and Egypt, making February 4 the International Day of
Human Fraternity.
On
February 4th, 2021, the International Day of Human Fraternity was celebrated
for the first time. This coincided with the Document receiving a Guinness World
Record for its
“Human
Fraternity Messages” campaign, which was the most pledges received for a peace
campaign in 24 hours.
On
the same day in 2022, leaders such as Dr. Ahmed al-Tayeb, Pope Francis, and US
President Joe Biden celebrated the second International Day of Human
Fraternity.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
The
changing landscape of the Saudi design industry
NADA
AL-TURKI
February
05, 2023
RIYADH:
The first Designathon competition was recently held in Riyadh, gathering 500
designers and specialists to solve key issues facing the design industry,
including social impact, health and sustainability.
Organized
by the Architecture and Design Commission on Feb. 2-3, it brought together
local creators to compete for awards collectively worth more than SR500,000
($133,000).
Sumayah
Al-Solaiman, CEO of the commission, said: “It is the designer’s role to really
advocate for not just themselves but also society and the planet. We made sure
that we have that responsibility reflected within the three tracks.”
Coming
in first place in the wellness track was team “Sabeel,” followed by team
“Mumtir” in second place, and team “Khutwah bi Khutwah” in third.
The
sustainability design track’s winning teams were “Wasm” in first place, “Table Mo1”
in second place, and team “Waste No More” in third place.
Finally,
the social impact track awarded first place to team “Dreams,” second to “Rans
Team,” and the third winning spot to “Hayyak.”
The
initiative aims to encourage up-and-coming designers to consider real-life
modern design challenges that truly impact community members, create awareness
around participatory design concepts, and highlight the role of design in
resolving global issues. Participatory design is a cooperative method that
looks at solutions that involve all stakeholders, with a focus on the procedure
of design rather than the style itself.
“This
time, we will be learning from everything that happens. We want to use that
design methodology and hear from all the participants (regarding) their
experience…and how we can improve it for next editions,” Al-Solaiman explained.
One
of the participants, Huda Al-Qahtani, is a senior architecture student at
Prince Sultan University who is interested in the art behind design and its
role in enhancing the microclimate.
“I
actually was interested in the well-being track and the social impact track.
For well-being here in Saudi specifically, we don’t have any chances for
walkability or cycling. It’s very hard, whether you’re considering the width of
the streets or the climate,” she told Arab News.
Al-Qahtani
expressed her excitement at the new initiatives that cater to the growth of the
local design scene. “I feel very proud. Now I’m seeing more opportunities in
Saudi than...abroad,” she said. “It’s (expanding) very fast, which makes me
relieved…Even the architecture here in Saudi is gaining its identity back.”
Raghad
Fathaddin, one of the sustainability track mentors, told Arab News: “What (the
Designathon) is telling us all as citizens of this nation is that there (are)
new ways of thinking, and that’s what we’re calling upon in order to achieve
the Saudi Vision 2030 and sustainable development goals.
“I’m
very impressed by the ideas I’m hearing…Our nation shouldn’t be underestimated.
I’m excited for our future.”
Al-Solaiman
noted the possibility of expanding on the three tracks in the future,
increasing the number of participants, or even venturing into a different city.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2245286/saudi-arabia
--------
Saudi
FM meets Omani counterpart in Muscat
February
05, 2023
RIYADH:
Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Muscat on
Sunday.
He
was met at Muscat International Airport by his Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr
Al-Busaidi, and the Kingdom’s Ambassador to Oman Abdullah Al-Enaz.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2245396/saudi-arabia
--------
Bollywood
singer Kumar Sanu delights fans in Jeddah
SALEH
FAREED
February
05, 2023
JEDDAH:
Bollywood singer Kumar Sanu wowed the crowds on Friday night as the latest
celebration of Indian culture drew to a close.
Sanu
was the star of the show for the two-day music festival at the Equestrian Club
in Jeddah’s Al-Frosyah district, which was organized by Good Hope Events in
cooperation with the General Entertainment Authority.
Making
his first ever appearance in the Kingdom, Sanu thrilled the audience of mostly
Indian expats, serving up renditions of more than 20 songs.
“I
have been waiting to perform in Saudi Arabia and here we are in Jeddah for the
first time,” he told his adoring fans from the stage.
“We
have a great crowd and I am happy to see you enjoying the night.”
Also
on the bill were Rachna Chopra, Biplab and Afsal, who helped ramp up the crowds
with a host of Bollywood numbers.
“I
am amazed by the energy that flowed from you guys,” Chopra told the crowd.
Fan
Nadia Azmi, who went to the gig with friends, said: “We all are privileged to
have Sanu among us in Jeddah today. We all have grown up listening to his songs
since the ’80s and ’90s.
“It
is wonderful to listen to him live today. I want to thank Saudi Arabia and the
organizers for their efforts in making this possible.”
Junaise
Babu, chairman of Good Hope Events, said the festival had been a huge success.
“It
was a great feeling to see so many men, women, young and old, not only Indian
expatriates but also other Asians enjoying the various musicians we brought.”
AmrinaQaiser,
who introduced Sanu on stage, said: “It was an amazing experience hosting such
a mega event in Jeddah for the first time.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2245281/saudi-arabia
--------
OIC
holds meeting for 49th foreign ministers session
February
05, 2023
JEDDAH:
The preparatory meeting for the 49th session of the Council of Foreign
Ministers for member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation kicked
off in Jeddah on Sunday.
The
49th session will be held on March 16-17 in Nouakchott, Mauritania.
OIC
Secretary-General HisseinBrahim Taha said that the Palestinian cause — the
central cause of the OIC — has seen dangerous developments and was recently
discussed by the executive committee.
The
situation in Afghanistan was also discussed by the committee, which recommended
continued engagement with the de facto authorities in Kabul through Tariq Ali
Bakheet, the special envoy for Afghanistan, and the organization of a second visit
by a delegation.
Taha
said that the OIC and Youssef Al-Dobeay, the special envoy for Jammu and
Kashmir, are working to implement the action plan adopted by the liaison group
on the issue of the territory during its meeting in Islamabad on the sidelines
of the 48th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers.
Taha
said that the OIC is constantly providing support to Azerbaijan regarding the
issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. He stressed that efforts are also ongoing to
contribute to achieving peace, security, stability and development in Yemen,
Syria, Sudan, Libya, the G5 Sahel countries and Lake Chad Basin, as well as the
Central African Republic, Mozambique, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Somalia.
He
commended all efforts to support Iraq’s unity, territorial integrity and
reconstruction.
In
the humanitarian field, Taha emphasized that the OIC will continue coordinating
work in light of increasing challenges.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2245316/saudi-arabia
--------
Mideast
UN:
Israel Martyred at Least 31 Palestinians, Razed Scores of Palestinian
Structures in 3 Weeks
2023-February-5
The
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in
Palestine offered the grim data in its biweekly Protection of Civilians report
that covered the period between January 10 and 30, the official Palestinian
WAFA news agency reported on Saturday.
According
to the report, the fatalities included as many as 10 Palestinians who were
killed during a January 26 raid by Israeli forces on the city of Jenin and its
adjacent refugee camp in Northern West Bank. The death toll, which included two
children and one woman, was the highest to be caused in a single Israeli
operation since 2005, when OCHA began keeping a record of Palestinian
casualties.
Overall,
441 Palestinians, including 49 children, were injured by Israeli troops
throughout that period, the report noted, adding that 74 (18 percent) of those
injured were targeted with Israeli forces' live fire.
Israeli
settlers also injured 18 Palestinians, including at least one child, in nine
incidents, and caused damage to Palestinians' properties in another 42 instances.
During
the same period, Israeli authorities demolished, forced owners to demolish or
confiscated 88 Palestinian-owned structures throughout the occupied territory.
The
structures, which included 21 homes, were targeted for lacking Israeli-issued
building permits, which are almost impossible to obtain.
"As
a result, 99 Palestinians, including 54 children, were displaced, and the
livelihoods of more than 21,000 others were affected," the report said.
Among
the affected structures, 55 were located in West Bank's so-called Area C, which
is under full Israeli military control, and 26 were based in the occupied East
Al-Quds, including eight that were torn down by the owners themselves, so they
would not have to fund destruction of their buildings by Israeli forces.
More
than three million Palestinians live in the West Bank and East al-Quds, which
have been occupied by the Israeli regime since 1967, when it waged a
Western-backed war against Palestinians.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran's
Khamenei pardons thousands of prisoners, including protesters
Syed
Zafar Mehdi
05.02.2023
TEHRAN,
Iran
Iran's
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has agreed to mass amnesty for tens of
thousands of prisoners, including those arrested in recent anti-government
protests.
Khamenei
approved a proposal by judiciary chief Mohseni Ejei for a general pardon and
commutation of sentences for "a significant number” of convicts and
suspects, state media reported on Sunday
According
to Article 110 of Iran's Constitution, pardoning convicts or commuting their
sentences can take place if the judiciary chief makes the proposal and the
Supreme Leader approves it.
It
is not clear exactly how many prisoners would be released as part of this
amnesty, which comes after almost five months of protests triggered by the
death of a 22-year-old woman.
MahsaAmini's
death while in police custody in September last year led to massive protests
across Iran, during which thousands of people were arrested on various charges.
According
to Iranian authorities, at least 200 people were also killed during the deadly
unrest, although Western human rights groups have put the death toll at more
than 500, including civilians and security forces.
In
a letter to Khamenei, Ejei states that a number of young protesters were
"deceived by enemy propaganda,” and have expressed remorse over their
"wrong actions".
The
amnesty, however, comes with conditions and does not apply to those convicted
of "spying for foreign agencies", "affiliation with groups
hostile to the Islamic Republic", and "corruption on earth",
according to the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency.
The
mass amnesty, thus, would not apply to those sitting on death row or dual
nationals convicted of spying for foreign agencies.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
New
survey shows widespread opposition to Iran’s regime among Iranians
04
February ,2023
A
recent survey conducted by the Netherlands-based Group for Analyzing and
Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) revealed widespread opposition to the
Islamic Republic among Iranians both inside and outside the country.
The
survey, titled “Iranians’ Attitudes Toward the 2022 Nationwide Protests,” was
conducted between December 21-31, 2022 and received responses from 200,000
participants, with 157,000 from within Iran and 42,000 from outside. The
results were released on Saturday.
The
survey results showed that 81 percent of respondents inside Iran oppose the
Islamic Republic, while only 15 percent support it.
Of
the Iranian respondents abroad, 99 percent said they oppose the Islamic
Republic.
When
asked about their preferred form of government, the majority of those opposed
to the Islamic Republic said they would prefer a presidential republic.
The
survey showed that 80 percent of Iranians within the country and 99 percent
outside the country support the recent anti-regime protests, sparked by the
death of MahsaAmini in police custody.
The
survey also found that the majority of Iranians both inside (73 percent) and
abroad (96 percent) believe that Western countries should support protesters in
Iran by exerting pressure on the Islamic Republic.
On
the other hand, 19 percent of those within Iran opposed Western intervention,
according to the survey.
Regarding
measures the West could take against the regime, the survey showed that 73
percent inside Iran and 97 percent abroad support designating the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization; 74 percent inside
Iran and 92 percent abroad support expelling Iranian ambassadors from the West;
and 62 percent inside Iran and 89 percent abroad support ending negotiations
with the Islamic Republic aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
In
regards to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, 46 percent of respondents inside
the country and 56 percent abroad said they were happy about the Iranian
national football team’s loss to the US; 23 percent inside Iran and 8 percent
abroad said they felt sad; and 30 percent inside Iran and 36 percent abroad
said they were indifferent.
The
protests in Iran led to many Iranians turning against their national football
team and refusing to support them in the World Cup.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
opposition leader calls for referendum amid protests
Feb
5, 2023
DUBAI:
A long-detained opposition leader in Iran is calling for a nationwide
referendum about whether to write a new constitution for the Islamic Republic
amid nationwide protests shaking the country. Mir Hossein Mousavi's call,
posted late Saturday by the opposition Kaleme website, included him saying he
didn't believe Iran's current system giving final say to a supreme leader
worked any longer.
Those
under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have been cracking down on
demonstrators since the protests began in September after the death of
MahsaAmini, a Kurdish-Iranian woman earlier detained by the country's morality
police.
He
also called for the formation of a constitutional assembly of "real
representatives" to write a new constitution.
It
remains unlikely Iran's theocracy will heed the 80-year-old politician's call.
He
and his wife have been under house arrest for years after his disputed
presidential election loss in 2009 led to the widespread Green Movement
protests that security forces also put down.
However,
he himself had supported and served in Iran's theocracy for decades.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
MPs
reaffirm commitment to fundamentals of Islamic Revolution
February
5, 2023
MPs
and the Speaker of the Parliament, Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, also paid visits
to the tombs of the martyrs of the Islamic Revolution and the 1980-88 war,
renewing their commitment to the ideals of martyrs.
Ghalibaf
emphasized the need to uphold and carry out Imam Khomeini's principles.
“Imam
Khomeini, who was in exile, guided the Revolution with will, support, and
concern to the poor and oppressed,” said Ghalibaf.
Source:
Tehran Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey
says no threat to foreigners after IS suspects nabbed
February
5, 2023
ISTANBUL:
Turkish police said they had not found evidence of any concrete threat to
foreigners after detaining 15 Islamic State suspects accused of targeting
consulates and non-Muslim houses of worship, state media reported today.
Last
week, several European consulates in Istanbul were shut citing “security
reasons” and several western states warned citizens of a heightened risk of
attacks on diplomatic missions and non-Muslim places of worship in Turkey,
following a series of far-right Quran-burning protests in Europe in recent
weeks.
State-run
Anadolu Agency cited an Istanbul police statement saying the 15 suspects had
“received instructions for acts targeting consulates of Sweden and the
Netherlands, as well as Christian and Jewish places of worship”.
While
the suspects’ ties to the jihadist group were confirmed, no concrete threats
toward foreigners were found, the statement said.
Ankara
summoned nine ambassadors to criticise the coordinated closure of the European
consulates and Turkish officials later said the western nations had not shared
information to back up their claims of a security threat.
Turkey
suspended negotiations for Sweden and Finland’s Nato accession following a
protest in Stockholm during which a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran,
was burned.
Foreign
minister Mevlut Cavusoglu repeated yesterday Turkey’s frustration with what it
says is Sweden’s inaction toward entities Ankara accuses of terrorist activity.
Source:Free
Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Supreme
Leader Pardons, Commutes Sentences of Large Number of Convicts Arrested During
Iran's Unrest
2023-February-5
The
Supreme Leader on Sunday agreed to a request by Judiciary Chief Gholam Hossein
MohseniEje’i to pardon or reduce the sentences of inmates subject to mitigating
circumstances.
Ayatollah
Khamenei issued the approval on the occasion of the 44th anniversary of the
glorious victory of the Islamic Revolution and the birthday anniversary of the
first Shia Imam, Imam Ali (AS).
The
prisoners, who were granted clemency, had had their verdicts issued at courts
of common pleas and Islamic Revolution tribunals, the Judicial Organization of
the Armed Forces and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.
The
convicts to whom the amnesty applies should not be facing charges of espionage
for outsiders, direct links with the foreign intelligence services, murder or
intentional injuries, as well as vandalism or arson attack on governmental,
military and public sites, and also should not be involved in a suit filed by a
private plaintiff.
The
clemency, however, does not apply to certain types of convicts, including those
who have been sentenced for their role in the armed smuggling of narcotics,
arms trafficking, kidnapping, acid attacks, rape, armed robbery, bribery,
embezzlement, counterfeit money forgery, money laundering, disruption of
economy, smuggling of alcoholic drinks, and organized smuggling of commodities.
The
Leader regularly issues such verdicts on the occasion of religious festivities.
Iran's
Constitution grants the Supreme Leader the right to pardon or commute the
sentences of convicts upon a recommendation from the head of the judiciary. The
clemency, however, does not apply to all types of convicts, including those who
have been found guilty of armed fight against the country, armed or organized
drug trafficking, rape, armed robbery, arms smuggling, abduction, bribery and
embezzlement.
Protests
erupted in several cities across Iran over the death of MahsaAmini who fainted
at a police station in mid-September and days later was pronounced dead at a
hospital. The demonstrations soon turned violent.
An
official report by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization announced that Amini’s
controversial death was caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the
head or other vital body organs.
Iranian
officials blame Western countries for orchestrating the riots to destabilize
the country.
The
unrest has claimed the lives of dozens of people and security forces, while
also allowing acts of terror and sabotage across the country. Iran's Interior
Ministry has confirmed the enemy waged a hybrid war against the country to
weaken national solidarity and hinder the country's progress, stressing that
some 200 people lost their lives in the riots sparked by separatist and
terrorist groups.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tehran
Raps IAEA's Unprofessional, Unacceptable Attitude towards Iran's Nuclear
Program
2023-February-5
The
nuclear head made the remarks in an interview with the Iranian state TV on
Friday after the IAEA's Chief Rafael Grossi in a Wednesday report accused
Tehran of making an undeclared change to the interconnection between the two
clusters of advanced machines enriching uranium to up to 60% purity at its
Fordow plant.
He
said Iran objects to the political issues dictated by Grossi and has written a
"letter to the agency that an inspector... who has inspected our
facilities, has made a mistake and given an incorrect report".
"But
yet again the agency's director general released this issue to the media,"
the official added.
"This
is an unprofessional and unacceptable attitude and we hope that this practice
will not continue... because this is not acceptable for his reputation and that
of the agency," Eslami stated.
Back
in November, the AEOI said that Tehran has began enriching uranium to 60% purity
at Fordow nuclear site in a tit-for-tat move against a resolution adopted by
the IAEA Board of Governors against Iran.
The
AEOI added production of 60% enriched uranium had started for the first time in
Fordwo nuclear site, as the country is already enriching uranium to up to 60%
purity elsewhere.
The
atomic agency noted that a new generation of IR-6 centrifuges had replaced
older machines in Fordwo to enable a massive ramp-up in output.
Iran
has always had full cooperation with the IAEA and allowed it to visit the
country’s nuclear sites, but calls the nuclear agency's approach unconstructive
and destructive. But Tehran has asked the IAEA to avoid politicizing the issue
and focus on technical aspects in line with the organization’s mandate.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lead
Negotiator: Iran Not Relying on West Based on JCPOA Experiences
2023-February-5
Bagheri
Kani said in an interview with Press TV's Insight program on Saturday that Tehran
is a claimant in talks on reviving the 2015 agreement, known as the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the United States and the European
countries have reneged on their commitments under the deal.
"It
was the United States and its European allies that should prove their
commitment to the agreement and make up for their mistakes as soon as
possible," he added.
"As
of now, we are the claimant and the other side are the Americans. They are the
ones who should show their commitment in practice if they want to return to the
JCPOA, as they say, and show their commitment to the agreement and the same
goes for the Europeans. It is the Europeans who proved their non-adherence to
our nation through various excuses
during the period when the US withdrew from the JCPOA," the deputy
foreign minsiter continued.
The
senior diplomat went on to say the experience of the JCPOA has taught Iran not
to rely on foreigners and move forward on its own without waiting for the deal
to achieve its goals.
Bagheri
Kani added the US and its European allies have proved so far that when it comes
to their interests, they don't "honor their promises" and pay no
attention to moral principles.
Iran
has always adhered to its commitments within the framework of the JCPOA and expects
the other parties to the deal to adhere to their commitments as well, he
continued.
Bagheri
Kani stated Iran will not be indifferent to the other parties' non-compliance
but will not disrupt the process of reviving the agreement either. He also noted
Tehran is still seriously following the sanctions-removal talks and hopes the
efforts will bear fruit.
Tehran
and the five remaining parties to the nuclear deal have held several rounds of
negotiations since April 2021 to restore the agreement, which was unilaterally
abandoned by former President Donald Trump in May 2018.
The
talks remain stalled since August 2022, as Washington continues to insist on
its hard-nosed position of not removing all sanctions that were slapped on
Tehran by the previous US administration.
Iran
stresses it has not quit the negotiating table with the world powers, but will
not put all its eggs in the negotiation basket and will not wait for the United
States to return to its commitments under the 2015 agreement. Iranian officials
stress Tehran has maintained its constructive attitude towards a good, strong
and lasting agreement on the revival of the accord and arriving at a deal
requires the US pragmatic attitude.
Tehran
says it will not be able to trust Washington as long as President Joe Biden
continues the wrong policy of maximum pressure and sanctions practiced by Trump
against Iran. Iranian officials say the Biden administration has yet done
nothing but hollow promises to lift sanctions against Tehran. They blast the US
addiction to sanctions, and slammed the POTUS for continuing his predecessor's
policy on Iran.
In
quitting the agreement, Trump restored sanctions on Iran as part of what he
called the “maximum pressure” campaign against the country. Those sanctions are
being enforced to this day by the Biden administration, even though it has
repeatedly acknowledged that the policy has been a mistake and a failure.
Iranian
officials say the ball is in the US' court, and the Biden administration should
assure Tehran that it will not repeat Trump's past mistakes.
Diplomats
have also criticized Washington for raising excessive demands from Tehran
during the nuclear talks, and blocking efforts to reach an agreement on the
JCPOA. They emphasized that the US should lift unilateral sanctions, and assure
Iran that it will not repeat its past mistakes.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
FM Underlines Failure of US Sanction, Bullying Policies
2023-February-5
Amir
Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno
Rodríguez Parrilla in Havana on Sunday.
"The
United States' policy of [imposing] unilateral sanctions [on other countries]
and bullying is doomed to fail," Iran's minister noted.
The
top diplomat also condemned Washington's interventions in Cuba's internal
affairs and its attempt to stoke unrest in the Central American country in July
2022.
"The
US and some [other] Western countries pursue the hybrid policy of [imposing]
sanctions and intervention [in other countries' affairs] through stoking and
encouraging riots in independent countries of the world," he added.
The
foreign minister stated that political relations between Tehran and Havana are
at the highest level, as both countries share the same views and pursue similar
goals in their effort to remain independent and oppose unilateralism.
The
Cuban minister, for his part, welcomed the visit by the Iranian delegation to
his country, describing relations with the Islamic Republic as a priority for
Cuba.
He
also condemned unilateral sanctions and intervention in other countries'
affairs, while extending his gratitude to Tehran for the latter's support for
his country.
After
his arrival in Cuba, Amir Abdollahian, who has already traveled to Nicaragua
and Venezuela as part of his Central and South American tour, met with Cuba's
President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
During
the meeting, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest at bilateral
and international levels.
The
Iranian diplomat pointed to the two countries' historic and friendly relations,
reemphasizing Tehran's determination to further bolster and develop mutual
cooperation.
Amir
Abdollahian voiced Tehran's "categorical support" for Havana, while
condemning sanctions imposed on Cuba and foreign intervention in the country's
internal affairs.
Díaz-Canel,
for his part, said, "Despite all the existing pressures, Cuba is
determined to cooperate with friendly countries and work [with them] towards
the elimination of obstacles and challenges that lie ahead."
"The
US government only thinks about its own interests and does not care about
others," the Cuban president continued, adding, "We have earned our
political independence at a high price and will preserve it."
He
noted that the ongoing developments in Latin America and elsewhere in the world
are creating new opportunities for bolstering multilateralism.
Iranian
officials have noted that the US has been defeated in the maximum pressure
policy against Tehran, underscoring that sanctions have all failed to hamper
the progress of the country.
In
quitting the 2015 nuclear deal, former President Donald Trump restored
sanctions on Iran as part of what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign
against the country. Those sanctions are being enforced to this day by the Joe
Biden administration, even though it has repeatedly acknowledged that the
policy has been a mistake and a failure.
Tehran
says it will not be able to trust Washington as long as President Biden
continues the wrong policy of maximum pressure and sanctions practiced by Trump
against Iran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Woman,
three children on migrant boat from Turkey die off Greece
05
February ,2023
Three
children and a woman were killed Sunday after a boat carrying around 40
migrants from Turkey sank off the Greek island of Leros, Greece’s coastguard
said.
Three
rescue boats and a helicopter were continuing with search operations but were
being hampered by strong winds and choppy seas after the migrants’ inflatable
boat sank in the Mediterranean.
A
fisherman raised the alarm after discovering the lifeless body of the woman
floating at sea, according to local press reports.
A
total of 41 survivors were rescued, including six children and two adults who
were transferred to hospital in Leros, the coastguard said.
But
doctors were unable to revive three of the children hospitalized -- two boys
aged about five and a girl of four, Greece’s Ana news agency reported.
The
dead woman was around 20 years old, Ana said, adding that all the migrants
aboard were from Africa.
“Unfortunately,
once again we have innocent victims who have lost their lives because of the
criminal behavior of traffickers,” Greece’s Merchant Navy Minister Yannis
Plakiotakis said in a statement.
The
number of migrants requiring rescue has risen as more attempt to reach Greece
from Turkish shores on shoddy and overcrowded vessels despite the rough winter
seas.
In
December, a two-month-old baby died after a shipwreck off the Greek island of
Lesbos.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
ex-President Khatami, former PM Mousavi call for political change amid protests
05
February ,2023
Iran’s
former president Mohammad Khatami and former premier Mir Hossein Mousavi have
both called for political changes amid the protests triggered by the death in
custody of MahsaAmini.
As
the 44th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution approaches, one of the
country’s main opposition figures, Mousavi, called on Saturday for the
“fundamental transformation” of a political system he said was facing a crisis
of legitimacy.
And
on Sunday, Khatami, the leader of the reformist movement, in a statement said:
“What is evident today is widespread discontent.”
Khatami
said he hoped that the use of “non-violent civil methods” can “force the
governing system to change its approach and accept reforms.”
In
a statement carried by local media, Mousavi said: “Iran and Iranians need and
are ready for a fundamental transformation whose outline is drawn by the pure
‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement.”
He
was referring to the main slogan chanted in demonstrations sparked by the death
on September 16 of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd.
She
had been arrested by the morality police in Tehran for an alleged breach of the
Islamic Republic’s dress code for women.
Mousavi,
80, said the protest movement began in the context of “interdependent crises”
and proposed holding a “free and healthy referendum on the need to change or
draft a new constitution.”
He
called the current system’s structure “unsustainable.”
An
unsuccessful presidential candidate in 2009, Mousavi alleged large-scale fraud
in favor of populist incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, leading to mass protests.
He
has been under house arrest without charge in Tehran for 12 years, along with
his wife Zahra Rahnavard.
A
close confidant of the Islamic Republic’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini, Mousavi
was prime minister from 1981 to 1989.
“People
have the right to make fundamental revisions in order to overcome crises and
pave the way for freedom, justice, democracy and development,” Mousavi said in
his statement.
“The
refusal to take the smallest step towards realizing the rights of citizens as
defined in the constitution... has discouraged the community from carrying out
reforms.”
Khatami,
79, made similar remarks, warning that “there is no sign of the ruling system’s
desire for reform and avoiding the mistakes of the past and present.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
hiring crime gangs to assassinate dissidents in UK, West, officials say: Report
05
February ,2023
Iran
is hiring crime gangs to murder dissidents abroad in the United Kingdom and
other Western countries, the Times reported on Sunday citing security
officials.
Security
personnel are reportedly aware of Iranian spies attempting to enlist the
assistance of organized crime organizations in targeting those who are against
the regime in the UK.
This
comes after recent statements by the head of MI5 indicating that Iran attempted
to kidnap or assassinate UK residents on ten separate occasions in 2022.
Counterterrorism
police have warned London-based dissidents about Iran’s recent tactics, as the
regime tries to suppress widespread human rights protests sparked by the death
of a young Kurdish Iranian woman, MahsaAmini, who died in police custody last
September.
The
Iranian intelligence agency is believed to be forming closer connections with
criminal organizations as sanctions and increased scrutiny by security services
make it more difficult for them to operate their agents and assets in Britain
and other western countries, the Times reported, adding that the use of hired
“muscle” to carry out these assassinations could allow Tehran to deny
involvement as it seeks to maintain diplomatic ties with the West.
Iran’s
tactic of using criminals in “murder-for-hire” plots has been at the center of
an American case involving an Iranian-born US journalist and women’s rights
activist Masih Alinejad, who once studied in the UK.
US
authorities discovered one of the suspects near the victim’s New York home with
an AK-47-style rifle and charged three members of a European gang with the
attempted assassination of Alinejad. The gang member who was found near her
home allegedly acted on orders from Iran through an associate in the Czech
Republic.
In
Germany, the police suspect Iran’s involvement in orchestrating terrorist
attacks on two synagogues using the leader of a Hell’s Angels biker gang in
November last year.
During
the same month, the staff at Iran International, an opposition television
channel based in the UK, were warned of a credible threat to their lives by
Scotland Yard. This prompted the deployment of armored vehicles outside the
channel’s offices in Chiswick, west London.
The
director-general of MI5, Ken McCallum, recently described Iran as the “state
actor most frequently crossing into terrorism.”
He
stated that Iran poses a direct threat to Britain through its aggressive
intelligence services, including potential kidnappings or killings of British
individuals perceived as enemies of the regime.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
army intercepts ‘small aircraft’ over Gaza
05
February ,2023
The
Israeli army said Saturday it had “intercepted a small aircraft over the Gaza
Strip,” where witnesses told AFP they heard “explosions” near the border.
The
army stressed it was not rocket or other fire that posed a threat to Israelis.
“It was not a projectile launch. Full routine continues on the Israeli home
front,” it said in a statement.
The
army didn’t say where the aircraft had been heading or where it had come from.
Nor
was there any immediate claim of responsibility from any of the armed
Palestinian factions in Gaza.
Earlier
on Saturday, the Gaza-based Islamic Jihad group said its leader Ziad al-Nakhala
had travelled to Cairo to meet Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel.
It
said the two sides discussed “the situation in Jerusalem, and the West Bank,
especially Jenin,” a flashpoint city and refugee camp, where Israel last month
conducted its deadliest single operation in the West Bank in years, killing 10
people.
The
trip followed a visit by Kamel to the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday,
where he met Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to discuss the recent surge in
violence.
On
Thursday, Israel conducted air strikes on the Gaza Strip, hours after
intercepting a rocket fired from the Palestinian territory.
Since
the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives
of 36 Palestinians, including attackers, militants and civilians.
Six
Israeli civilians, including a child, and one Ukrainian civilian have been
killed over the same period.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkiye’s
President Erdogan says Western missions will ‘pay’ for closures
February
06, 2023
ISTANBUL:
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Western missions would “pay” for issuing
security warnings and temporarily closing consulates in Turkiye last week,
while police said there was no serious threat to foreigners after detaining 15
Daesh suspects on Sunday.
Ankara
summoned the ambassadors of nine countries on Thursday to criticize their
decisions to temporarily shut diplomatic missions and issue security alerts.
Turkish officials said the following day that Western nations, including the
United States and Germany, had not shared information to back up their claims
of a security threat.
“The
other day our foreign ministry summoned all of them and gave the necessary
ultimatum, told them ‘You will pay for this heavily if you keep this up,’”
Erdogan said during a meeting with youth that was pre-recorded and broadcast on
Sunday.
Alongside
the closures, several Western states warned citizens of a heightened risk of
attacks to diplomatic missions and non-Muslim places of worship in Turkiye,
following a series of far-right protests in Europe in recent weeks that
included several incidents of burning copies of the Muslim holy book, the
Qur'an.
Turkiye
suspended negotiations for Sweden and Finland’s NATO accession last month
following a protest in Stockholm during which a copy of the Qur'an was burned.
Erdogan
said that the Western states were “playing for (more) time” and that the
“necessary decisions” would be taken during Monday’s cabinet meeting, without
elaborating.
’NO
CONCRETE THREATS’
Earlier
on Sunday, police said they had not found evidence of any concrete threat to
foreigners in the detentions of 15 Daesh suspects accused of targeting
consulates and non-Muslim houses of worship, state media reported.
Anadolu
Agency cited an Istanbul police statement saying the suspects had “received
instructions for acts targeting consulates of Sweden and the Netherlands, as
well as Christian and Jewish places of worship.”
While
the suspects’ ties to the jihadist group were confirmed, no concrete threats
toward foreigners were found, the statement said.
Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu repeated on Saturday Turkiye’s frustration with what
it says is Sweden’s inaction toward entities that Ankara accuses of terrorist
activity. All 30 NATO members must ratify newcomers.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2245416/middle-east
--------
Yemen’s
Taiz mourns 2 children who committed suicide
SAEED
AL-BATATI
February
05, 2023
AL-MUKALLA,
Yemen: Security services of the southern Yemeni city of Taiz said that two
children committed suicide in two separate events on Saturday, leaving the
beleaguered population in shock and despair.
Police
in Taiz said in a statement that they were notified of two suicide victims in
the city on Saturday evening, citing the deaths as “dangerous precedents.”
Police
named the first child as 12-year-old Kareem Abdul Kareem from the Al-Jamhuria
neighborhood, who hanged himself inside his room on Saturday afternoon by tying
a scarf around his neck.
Ammar
Khaled, a 16-year-old who committed suicide on Saturday evening by wrapping a
rope around his neck and tying it to a door outside his family’s home, is the
second victim.
After
forensic investigators gathered photographs and evidence, his family requested
his burial on the same day.
Police
in Taiz pledged to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the
victims and have asked the community and professionals for assistance in
determining the reasons behind the suicides.
In
a statement, police urged both authorities and members of the public “to collaborate…in
order to provide the appropriate answers.”
Mohammed
Alawi, an investigator with police in Taiz, told Arab News that a team,
including social and psychiatric professionals, was looking into the cases and
would release their findings this week.
Initially,
Alawi ruled out the possibility of cyberbullying or even sexual harassment and
attributed the deaths of the two children to the mobile game PUBG.
“These
are risky games, and we advise parents to monitor their children’s mobile
devices to see what they are seeing or playing,” Alawi said.
He
also touched on other instances of suicide, which he blamed on psychological
suffering caused by the war.
“Women
and children in Yemen, particularly in besieged Taiz, have suffered emotionally
because of the war. We had never seen such crimes before the war,” he
said.
On
social media, the police statement and photographs of the two deceased children
have elicited condolences for the families and calls for an investigation into
the motivations behind the suicides and for the protection of children.
“You
should investigate with the family about the electronic games they played, such
as PUBG, and whether they have Facebook or WhatsApp accounts,” said Adnan Taha
on Facebook.
“All
communications should be reviewed, since (the children) may be vulnerable to
harassment and extortion,” Taha said.
Another
social media user, Muneir Al-Qaisi, urged local security agencies not to bury
the victims before autopsies are conducted to determine whether they consumed
anything poisonous.
“We
hope you will not hurry to bury them and (will) examine their bodies,” Al-Qaisi
said.
“It
is conceivable that the parents are unaware of beverages or meals being shared
among the children,” said Al-Qaisi.
Investigator
Alawi responded to accusations of a hasty burial by stating that one of the
boys was buried at the request of his family and only after investigators
examined both the corpse and the scene.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2245366/middle-east
--------
Israeli
forces arrest senior Islamic Jihad member in West Bank raids
05
February 2023
Israeli
forces have arrested nearly two dozen Palestinians, among them a senior member
of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, in raids across the occupied West
Bank.
Palestinian
Prisoner’s Media Office reported Sunday that the occupation troops had detained
Khader Adnan in his hometown of Arraba near the city of Jenin.
Adnan,
44, had been arrested after Israeli forces raided his home and terrorized his
family in the middle of the night, the Palestinian Wafa news agency reported.
The
Islamic Jihad member has been arrested several times in recent years and served
several prison sentences. He has also gone on hunger strike several times over
Tel Aviv's so-called policy of administrative detention.
Other
Palestinians, who were mostly young, were taken into Israeli custody in the
West Bank villages of Ajjah and Bir al-Basha and the towns of Bani Na'im and
Beit Fajjar.
The
Israeli military frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across
the West Bank under the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.
Over
the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities
throughout the occupied territories. As a result of these attacks, dozens of
Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested.
The
United Nations marked 2022 as the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West
Bank in 16 years.
Israeli
forces killed at least 171 Palestinians in the West Bank and occupied East
al-Quds last year, including more than 30 children. At least 9,000 others were
injured as well.
Moreover,
thousands of Palestinians are held in Israeli jails. Hundreds have been
imprisoned under the practice of administrative detention, which allows
incarcerating Palestinian inmates without trial or charge.
Israeli
jail authorities keep Palestinian prisoners under deplorable conditions lacking
proper hygienic standards. Palestinian inmates have also been subjected to
systematic torture, harassment, and repression.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/05/697629/Israel-arrest-Palestinian-Islamic-Jihad-Khader-Adnan
--------
Africa
Mali
junta expels UN mission’s human rights chief: govt
February
06, 2023
BAMAKO:
Mali’s ruling junta said Sunday that it was expelling the head of the human
rights division of MINUSMA, the UN mission there, giving him 48 hours to leave
the country.
The
decision comes after a Malian rights activist last month denounced the security
situation in the country in a speech to a UN gathering, and accused the
regime’s new Russian military partners of serious rights violations.
The
foreign ministry had declared Guillaume NgefaAtonodokAndali, head of MINUSMA’s
human rights section, persona non grata, said a statement issued by government
spokesman Col. Abdoulaye Maiga.
“This
measure comes after the destabilising and subversive actions of Monsieur
Andali,” added the statement, which was also read out on national television
news.
Andali
had taken it upon himself to decide who were the representatives of civil
society, ignoring the authorities and national institutions, the statement
added.
“Andali’s
bias was even more evident during the last review of the United Nations
Security Council on Mali,” the statement added.
On
January 27, Aminata Cheick Dicko criticized the regime at a special UN Security
Council briefing on Mali.
MINUSMA
was set up in 2013 to try to stabilize Mali in the face of the growing threat
from jihadist fighters.
Its
mission also included the protection of civilians, contributing to peace
efforts and defending human rights.
But
the security situation has continued to deteriorate in the west African
country.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2245406/world
--------
Sudan’s
army chief says not planning to turn against framework agreement
Adel
Abdel Rahim
05.02.2023
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
Sudan’s
army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has denied that the military was
planning to turn against a framework agreement with political parties for the
country’s transition.
“The
armed forces are not planning to turn against what has been agreed upon,”
al-Burhan said in a speech in the Nile River State in northern Sudan.
“Rather,
the army seeks to get the Sudanese unite together to cruise the country out of
the current situation and is trying to find solutions,” he added.
“The
army is not against any party and has signed the framework agreement to include
all parties,” the army chief stressed.
On
December 5, Sudan’s military and political forces signed a framework agreement
meant to resolve Sudan’s months-long crisis.
The
deal pledges a 2-year transition period and the appointment of a civilian prime
minister by the political parties that signed the agreement.
It
also calls for the reform of the military and defense sector, unifying the
military and integrating the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary force, into
the army.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Tunisia
thwarts 3 attempts to cross into Europe, arrests 239 migrants
Yamna
Salmi
05.02.2023
TUNIS,
Tunisia
Tunisia
said it had foiled three irregular immigration attempts to cross the
Mediterranean into Europe.
In
a statement, National Guard spokesman HosamEddin Al-Jababli said 239 irregular
migrants were arrested Saturday overnight while trying to illegally cross into
Europe by the sea in the eastern towns of Mahdia, Nabeul, and the southern city
of Sfax.
He
added that the migrants were from Tunisia and a number of African countries.
The
spokesman specified that another 16 Tunisians were arrested while planning to sail
surreptitiously toward Italy.
For
years, North African countries such as Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, and
Morocco have witnessed attempts by migrants – mainly from sub-Saharan Africa –
to reach Europe, hoping for a better life. While some of the migrants manage to
reach their destination, others often die during the journey.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
US
repeating flimsy Iraq War pretexts against Syria: FM Mekdad
05
February 2023
Syrian
Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad has lashed out at the United States over its
hostile policies against the war-torn country, saying that Washington and its
European allies are reusing the same flimsy pretexts they used for the 2003
invasion of Iraq against his country.
The
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons claimed in a report late
last month that investigators had “reasonable grounds to believe” the Syrian
air force had dropped two cylinders of chlorine gas on the town of Douma back
in 2018.
Syria
dismissed the statement on Thursday, saying the OPCW has been biased towards
“Western positions.”
On
April 14, 2018, the United States, Britain, and France carried out a string of
airstrikes against Syria after they alleged the Syrian government had used
chemical weapons on Douma, located about 10 kilometers northeast of the capital
Damascus.
The
alleged attack, strongly rejected by the Syrian government repeatedly, was
reported by the so-called civil defense group White Helmets, which published
videos showing them purportedly treating survivors.
The
Western media and governments have on numerous occasions accused the Syrian
government of using chemical weapons against its own citizens in the war
against terrorists.
This
is while Syria surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint
mission led by the United States and the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry. It has
also consistently denied using chemical weapons.
On
Sunday, Mekdad called on the international community to learn from the past,
and do not allow the United States and its European allies – particularly
France, Britain and Germany – to re-invent their flimsy pretexts in order to
justify interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and undermine
their security, stability and prosperity.
He
recalled that US Secretary of State Colin Powell “put on a ridiculous and
deceitful show” at the UN Security Council 20 years ago to justify the US-led
invasion of Iraq on the pretext that “Baghdad was in possession of weapons of
mass destruction.”
“Everyone
knows about the disastrous upshot of the military campaign, as well as the war
crimes and crimes against humanity that US military forces and their allies
committed in Iraq,” he said.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Europe
Rushdie
releases new novel, 6 months after knife attack
February
6, 2023
LONDON:
Six months after being stabbed, British author Salman Rushdie on Tuesday
publishes his new novel “Victory City”, an “epic tale” of a 14th-century woman
who defies a patriarchal world to rule a city.
Written
before the US knife attack that nearly took the Indian-born author’s life, the
novel purports to be a translation of a historical epic originally written in
Sanskrit.
The
much-anticipated work tells the tale of young orphan girl Pampa Kampana who is
endowed by a goddess with magical powers and founds the city, in modern-day
India, of Bisnaga, which translates as Victory City.
Rushdie,
75, will not promote his 15th novel due to his physical condition, although his
agent Andrew Wylie told The Guardian that his “recovery is progressing”.
He
was attacked as he was about to speak at a conference in Chautauqua in upstate
New York, near Lake Erie, on Aug 12.
The
author had lived in hiding for years after Iran’s first supreme leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordered his killing for what he deemed the
blasphemous nature of “The Satanic Verses”.
The
stabbing suspect, HadiMatar, a 24-year-old from New Jersey with roots in
Lebanon, was arrested immediately after the attack and subsequently pleaded not
guilty to the charges.
Words
‘the only victors’
Rushdie,
a naturalised American who has lived in New York for 20 years, lost the sight
in one eye and the use of one hand, Wylie said in October.
The
attack shocked the West but was welcomed by extremists in Muslim countries such
as Iran and Pakistan.
While
not personally promoting the book, Rushdie has begun to communicate via social
network Twitter, most often to share press reviews of his new novel.
Several
events are also planned to accompany its release, including a conference with
writers Margaret Atwood and Neil Gaiman that will be broadcast online.
An
icon of free speech since he was subjected to the fatwa that forced him into
hiding, Rushdie is still an outspoken defender of the power of words.
His
new work follows a heroine on a mission to “give women equal agency in a
patriarchal world”, according to publisher Penguin Random House’s summary.
The
book tells the tale of Pampa Kampana’s creation of a city and of its downfall.
“Over
the next 250 years, Pampa Kampana’s life becomes deeply interwoven with
Bisnaga’s, from its literal sowing from a bag of magic seeds to its tragic
ruination in the most human of ways: the hubris of those in power,” it added.
The
novel concludes with the statement: “Words are the only victors”.
A
‘triumph’
US
author Colum McCann wrote in The New York Times that his friend Rushdie was
saying “something quite profound” in Victory City.
“He’s
saying, ‘You will never take the fundamental act of storytelling away from
people.’
“In
the face of danger, even in the face of death, he manages to say that
storytelling is one currency we all have.”
The
Atlantic magazine called it a “triumph — not because it exists, but because it
is utterly enchanting.
“When
you think about it, Rushdie’s novels are a miracle,” it added.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Italy
withdraws tsunami warning after deadly earthquake hits Turkey, Syria
06
February ,2023
Italian
authorities said on Monday they had withdrawn a tsunami warning for the
country’s southern coast that was raised after a major earthquake struck
central Turkey and northwest Syria, killing hundreds of people.
Italy’s
Civil Protection Department had issued a statement recommending people to move
away from coastal areas but later reduced the alert and tweeted that it had
been withdrawn.
Train
traffic in the southern regions of Sicily, Calabria and Apulia had been
temporarily halted as a precaution but resumed in the morning, the agency said
in the statement.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ukraine,
Israel say are prepared to offer help to Turkey after devastating earthquake
06
February ,2023
Ukraine’s
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country was ready to provide
necessary assistance to “friendly” Turkish people in the aftermath of the
earthquake that struck the country earlier on Monday.
“Shocked
by the news about the death and injury of hundreds of people as a result of the
earthquake in Turkey,” Zelenskyy said on Twitter.
“We
extend our condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a
speedy recovery. We are in this moment close to the friendly Turkish people,
ready to provide the necessary assistance.”
Separately,
Israel on Monday said it was prepared to aid Turkey after the 7.8-magnitude
earthquake.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rescue
teams from Netherlands, Romania on way to Türkiye over powerful quake
Agnes
Szucs
06.02.2023
BRUSSELS
Rescue
teams from the Netherlands and Romania are already on the way to Türkiye to
bring help after “the devastating earthquake,” the EU commissioner for crisis
management said on Monday.
“The
EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre is coordinating the deployment of
rescue teams from Europe,” JanezLenarcic announced on Twitter.
“Teams
from the Netherlands and Romania are already on their way,” he added,
expressing solidarity with Türkiye "in the wake of the devastating earthquake."
At
least 284 people were killed and over 2,320 others injured after a strong
earthquake jolted southern Türkiye on Monday morning, according to the
country's disaster agency.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Islamophobic
graffiti trigger backlash from Bosnians
Mustafa
Talha Öztürk
05.02.2023
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Islamophobic
graffiti and murals painted in Capljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina triggered a
backlash from residents Saturday.
Threatening
articles such as "Kill Balija (an expression used to insult Bosnian
Muslims)" and "We will slaughter Muslim women and children,"
were written on the Franje Tudjman Bridge in Capljina, where the Croat
population is concentrated.
"The
murals were written by irresponsible people who aim to humiliate the Bosniak
population and spread hatred, intolerance and division among the residents of
Capljina. We hope that the perpetrators are found and the different
institutions react." said City Administration spokesperson Danijela
Nogolica.
She
urged residents to be responsible to themselves and others and added the city
government condemned the action and the graffiti was painted over.
Capljina
police said an investigation was launched to find and punish the perpetrators.
Vandals
attack a mosque last weekend in northeastern Bosnia Herzegovina that sparked
backlash and widespread criticism.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/islamophobic-graffiti-trigger-backlash-from-bosnians/2806428
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bjp-minority-morcha-sufi-ulema-muslim-community/d/129043
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism