New
Age Islam News Bureau
17
May 2023
Europe
• Dilapidated Former Church in Blackburn Undergoes
'Amazing’ Transformation into New Mosque, Masjid-e-Taqwa
• Russia’s Federal Security Service Sent Ex-Islamic
State Fighters to Infiltrate Ukraine, Turkey, U.S. – Report
• Turning away from the West, Russia seeks to strengthen
economic ties with the Muslim world
• Harlow Council issues statement over racially
aggravated assault near Harlow Islamic Centre'
• Prosecutor seeks 3 years jail for rape-accused scholar
Ramadan
• Musk reveals who he’d prefer to see as US president
• French ex-president’s conviction for bribery upheld
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Pakistan
• PTI blames intelligence agencies for violence
• Perpetrators of May 9 violence should never be
forgiven: PM Shehbaz
• PML-Q to hold rallies in support of army from today
• Business community condemns 9th May mayhem, supports
army
• US report slams blasphemy card against Imran
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India
• Muslim Congress MLA, Irfan Ansari, To Build Country’s
Largest Hanuman Temple in Jharkhand's Jamtara
• Ex-BJP MLA Issues Veiled Threats towards Muslim
Community, After His Defeat in the Karnataka Assembly Polls
• Neither love jihad will work, nor will we allow
vicious cycle of religious conversions: MP CM Chouhan
• BJP’s Muslim outreach in UP civic elections gets
favourable return
• Fadnavis orders SIT probe into Muslim group forcing
way into Trimbakeshwar temple, police file FIR
• 3 pleas seek ASI survey of entire Gyanvapi mosque
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Arab World
• Saudi Arabia committed to restoration of peace in
Sudan: Cabinet
• Saudi ambassador to UK discusses Vision 2030 with
Oxford university students
• Saudi Arabia sets example for green living in the
region
• Saudi Arabia ‘will remain resolute’ in anti-drugs
campaign, minister warns
• Saudi AI agency inaugurates center dedicated to the
technology, launches Arabic AI app
• Saudi Arabia sells $6 bln in two-tranche Islamic
bonds: lead manager
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South Asia
• How China Treats 3.5 Million Uyghur Muslims, Other
Minorities as Terrorists, Stuffs Them in 'Gulags'
• ‘Have legitimacy to serve the mission in India’:
Afghan envoy on Taliban appointing CDA
• Afghan National on FBI Terror List Arrested Crossing
Southern Border Illegally
• Bangladesh Rejects Fifth Freedom Rights To United Arab
Emirates Airlines
• Bangladesh Withdraws 'Extra Security' Protection for
Foreign Envoys of India, US and 2 Other Countries
• 875,000 Afghan Children Facing Acute Malnutrition:
Rights Group
• Two children killed in drone strike in Afghanistan’s
Khost
• Mawlawi Abdul Kabir Appointed as Acting Prime Minister
of Afghanistan
• India & Bangladesh launch ’50 Start-ups Exchange
Programme’
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Africa
• Kenya Religious Cult That Advocated Fasting To
"Meet Jesus": Police Dig Up More Bodies
• Namibia Recognises Same-Sex Marriages Contracted
Abroad
• Court Grants Bauchi Imam, Abdulaziz, Bail
• African peace mission to visit Ukraine and Russia
• Deaths as Senegal protests turn violent
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North
America
• US Voices Support for Freedom of Expression without
Any Violence in Pakistan
• Senate Dems Host Event Celebrating Islamic Terrorists
Killing Jews
• A section of NYC skateboarding ‘mecca’ Brooklyn Banks
reopens in Chinatown
• Rhiannon Giddens, Michael Abels on Winning Music
Pulitzer for Opera About Muslim American Slave: “People Are Ready for These
Stories”
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Mideast
• Islamic Jihad Leadership: Elimination of Our
Commanders Will Bring New, Better Ones
• Tunisia’s Moderate Islamist Leader Gets Year in Jail
after Trial Decried as Sham
• Jordan hands over ‘terrorist’ with Muslim Brotherhood
links to UAE
• Victim of Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket attack laid
to rest
• Muslim Devotees Mourn Imam Jafar Sadeq on Martyrdom
Anniversary
• Russia, Iran make progress on new oil and gas projects
in Islamic Republic
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Southeast
Asia
• Pig Heads, BBQs: Mosque Backlash Tests S Korea
Religious Freedom
• Kyungpook National University Students, Faculty to
March In Support Of Construction Of Mosque In Daegu
• Penang Islamic department wants apology over
'seditious' video
• Azalina: Umno ministers to raise ‘Allah’ appeal
withdrawal in Cabinet
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/british-muslim-film-kerala-uk/d/129797
------
British Film Board Green Lights Anti-Muslim Film the Kerala Story to Be Screened In UK Cinemas
16th May 2023
The British
Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has given the anti-Muslim Indian film The
Kerala Story the green light to be screened in UK cinemas.
The BBFC has
given the propaganda film, which is a favourite of Hindutva activists, an “18
certificate” and has warmed that “sexual violence is portrayed unflinchingly,
alongside other complex themes.”
Earlier this
week screenings of The Kerala Story were cancelled in the UK and tickets
refunded as the BBFC had still not given it the green light to broadcast.
Cineworld
responded to an inquiry by tweeting: “Hi, we are sorry that the upcoming
performances of ‘The Kerala Story’ have been cancelled. This is due to the film
not receiving an age rating in time for the scheduled release date, all
affected customers will be contacted and refunded. Apologies for any disappointment
caused.’’
The BBFC also
issued a statement, saying that the movie was still going through its
classification process. They tweeted: “Once the film has received a BBFC age
rating and content advice, it will be available to be screened in UK cinemas.”
The Kerala
Story is a Hindi-language drama which follows a group of Christian women from
Kerala who are converted to Islam and join ISIS. The film is premised on the
conspiracy theory of “love jihad,” and falsely claims that thousands of women
from Kerala are being converted to Islam and recruited into ISIS.
It has been
panned by reviewers who characterised it as propaganda, but has still become
the fourth-highest-grossing Hindi film of 2023.
It has also
received support from leaders of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP),
including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who praised it at a recent political
rally. Some party members have also hosted screenings and distributed free
tickets.
The filmmakers
say that The Kerala Story is based on true events and years of research, even
though credible estimates indicate only dozens of women at most from Kerala
have joined ISIS.
Two state
governments – Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, both governed by the BJP – have
made the film tax-free.
Others,
however, have accused it of demonising Muslims and peddling Islamophobia.
In Tamil Nadu
state, an association of multiplex owners said they would stop screening the
film, citing protests and low audiences. West Bengal, governed by the Trinamool
Congress, banned the film, saying it “could be dangerous to peace and order.”
Kerala is often
praised for its religious harmony. According to the last census in 2011, 27% of
Kerala’s 33 million people are Muslims and 18% are Christians.
Source: 5pillarsuk.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://5pillarsuk.com/2023/05/16/british-film-board-green-lights-anti-muslim-film-the-kerala-story/
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France: 5 Muslim Footballers Refuse To Play In Protest Over Wearing LGBT Colours
Fabian Ruiz
of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates his goal during the French League 1 soccer
match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and AC Ajaccio at Parc des Princes
Stadium in Paris, France on May 13, 2023 [Ibrahim Ezzat - Anadolu Agency]
------
May 16, 2023
Five Muslim
football players in France's top division, the Ligue 1, reportedly refused to
play in Sunday's fixture between Toulouse FC and Nantes in protest over a
campaign against homophobia, citing religious views.
According to
the Daily Mail, all Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 matches over the weekend had been
dedicated to the league's initiative against homophobia, with the numbers on
the back of players' shirts in rainbow colours.
However, a
report by La Depeche du Midi stated that many members of Toulouse's club did
not support the campaign and expressed their refusal to play. The players were
named as Zakaria Aboukhlal, Moussa Diarra, Fares Chaibi, Said Hamulic for
Tolouse and Nantes' Mostafa Mohamed. Logan Costa of Tolouse also did not want
to play, although both he and Chaibi were named on the team sheet, according to
AFP.
Mohamed, who
also plays for the Egyptian national team, tweeted: "I don't want to argue
at all but I have to state my position."
"I respect
all differences. I respect all beliefs and convictions. This respect extends to
others but also includes respect for my personal beliefs," he added.
"Given my
roots, my culture, the importance of my convictions and beliefs, it was not
possible for me to participate in this campaign. I hope that my decision will
be respected, as well as my wish not to argue about this and that everyone is
treated with respect."
French website
l'Equipe reported that Mohamed refused to wear the jersey and stayed in the
hotel during the game which ended in a 0-0 draw.
On his Instagram
account, Moroccan player Aboukhlal explained that he "made the decision
not to take part in today's game."
"First and
foremost, I want to emphasise that I hold the highest regard for every
individual regardless of their personal preferences, gender, religion or
background. This is a principle that cannot be emphasised enough,"
Aboukhlal said.
"Respect
is a value that I hold in great esteem. It extends to others, but it also
encompasses respect for my own personal beliefs. Hence, I don't believe I am
the most suitable person to participate in this campaign."
In a statement
on Sunday, Toulouse said: "Some players of the professional squad have
expressed their disagreement regarding the association of their image with the
rainbow colors representing the LGBT movement."
"Respecting
the individual choices of its players, and after numerous exchanges, the
Toulouse Football Club has chosen to exclude these players from the game,"
the Ligue 1 club added.
Source: middleeastmonitor.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20230516-france-5-muslim-footballers-refuse-to-play-in-protest-over-wearing-lgbt-colours/
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“Pakistan Is Passing Through Genghis Khan Times Nowadays”, ‘Time Has Come To Seek Freedom,’ Says Imran Khan
Imran Khan,
Ex_PM
----
May 17, 2023
LAHORE: In a
video message released on Tuesday evening, the PTI chief started with the
example of Genghis Khan, saying he used to carry out a massacre while
conquering a city and let a few ones alive to spread his tyranny and terror to
the rest of the world. As a result, he said, the terrified ones used to
surrender without resisting any further.
“Pakistan is
passing through a similar situation nowadays,” he stressed, adding the tale of
tyranny was being aired on television channels. Residences of the people are
being destroyed, and videos are uploaded on social media and aired through TV
channels.” The kind of oppression and violation being used against women in
Pakistan is unprecedented, and people on the street are being abducted and
thrown into jails, he continued.
“All types of
fear are being spread out simply to terrify the people so that no one could
dare to resist,” said Imran, adding the sole purpose of that oppression was to subjugate
the people.
“Time has come
to seek freedom,” he urged Pakistanis, saying it was only possible if they were
decisive in their resolve of not tolerating the oppressors to continue with
oppression and fight for the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.
The PTI chief
said people should make it clear to the oppressors that they want free and fair
elections as per the Constitution to choose their representatives and get rid
of the government of thieves.
“This would be
the moment of real independence,” he said, urging the people to break the idols
of fear. He has asked his followers to come out of their homes as and when he
gives a call for a protest ahead.
Source: brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40242535/time-has-come-to-seek-freedom-says-imran
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Radical Islamic Outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir Arrested Members Were Hindus, Forcibly Converted Girls to Islam: Madhya Pradesh ATS
Madhya
Pradesh ATS arrests Hizb ut-Tahrir group (PTI/FILE PHOTO)
-----
Ravish Pal
Singh
May 16, 2023
The Madhya
Pradesh ATS, which arrested radical Islamic organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, has
made big revelations about the group. During interrogations, the MP ATS found
that three of the arrested accused were earlier Hindus, however, they later got
converted to Islam. They also married girls belonging to other religions and
forcibly converted them to Islam.
Investigations
also revealed that one of the arrested accused used to run a coaching centre in
Bhopal, where people were brainwashed.
Converted To
Islam, Then Married Girls of Different Religions
Speaking to Aaj
Tak, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra confirmed some of the
arrested accused earlier belonged to other religions and later got converted to
Islam.
Mishra also
said one of the arrested accused was identified as Mohammad Saleem, whose real
name was Saurab Bharadwaj. One Devi Prasad Pandey had also changed his religion
and name to Abdur Rehman, he said.
One Accused Was
Professor at Owaisi's College
According to
Narottam Mishra, Mohammad Saleem was employed as a professor at a college owned
by Asaduddin Owaisi's brother, Akbaruddin Owaisi.
Commenting on
the arrests, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the
arrested accused used to work as gym trainers, auto drivers, tailors, etc.
"The
motive of these accused was to brainwash people and to push them into
terrorism," he said.
Meanwhile, all
the accused were sent to ATS remand till May 19, 2023.
The ATS is
likely to reveal more information about the organisation in the coming days.
Source: indiatoday.in
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/madhya-pradesh-ats-arrest-hizb-ut-tahrir-group-accused-converted-to-islam-married-muslim-girls-2379891-2023-05-16
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Saudi Experts Discover and Document 58 Archaeological Sites at Kingdom’s Royal Reserves
The Heritage
Commission and the reserve are working together on the restoration and
development of the site. (SPA)
------
May 17, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia’s Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority has
completed a research and documentation project designed to help protect and
restore historical and archaeological sites and develop the Kingdom’s heritage,
the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
During the
month-long project at King Khalid Royal Reserve and parts of Imam Abdulaziz bin
Mohammed Royal Reserve, 58 historical and archaeological sites were discovered
and documented.
The research at
the sites was part of the work the authority carries out to protect, preserve,
develop and raise awareness of national heritage, in cooperation with the
Heritage Commission.
The joint
efforts of the organizations, which have signed a memorandum of understanding
for cooperation, included the monitoring of archaeological sites in the royal
reserves by satellite and the use of other technologies, which revealed 58
archaeological sites, including the remains of stone settlements that had been
covered by sand, workshops in which stone tools were made, water installations,
ancient inscriptions dating back to the late Thamudic era more than 1,500 years
ago, and rock art.
The teams also
visited King Khalid Palace, which is considered one of the jewels of
contemporary Saudi architectural heritage. Built during the reign of King
Khalid between 1936 and 1938 outside of Riyadh, the two-story palace is made of
reinforced concrete, covers an area of 2,700 square meters, stands 12.58 meters
tall, and has a 180-square-meter swimming pool.
The palace is
included in the National Architectural Heritage Register, and most of the
available information about its history and architecture has been collected and
preserved. The Heritage Commission and the reserve are working together on the
restoration and development of the site.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2304856/saudi-arabia
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Europe
Dilapidated
Former Church in BlackburnUndergoes 'Amazing’ Transformation into New Mosque,
Masjid-e-Taqwa
17-05-23
A dilapidated
former church in Blackburn has been transformed into a new mosque following
major renovations.
The first
prayers at the Masjid-e-Taqwa in Pleckgate Road took place this week following
extensive renovations to the historic building, which was the home to St Chad's
Church.
The building
was unused for a number of years. There had been plans to turn it into housing
but this never transpired, until a team of dedicated volunteers stepped in to
save the building.
Funds were
donated locally and extensive work to the interior and exterior of the building
began a year ago.
The new mosque
aims to serve those living within the local vicinity.
The mosque
holds 180 worshippers and includes prayer space over two floors and an area to
complete the ablution (Wudu).
A small
entrance space with a stairwell area is where visitors take their shoes off.
There are no
other extensions to the building and the traditional window and doorway
features have been kept intact.
A spokesperson
for the mosque said: “We tried to keep to the original features of the building
and attempted to incorporate these into the new design.
“Most notably inside
the prayer hall the wooden beams make the up the most defining feature.
"This has
been complimented by anyone who has visited the mosque both Muslim and
non-Muslim.
“The doorways
and archways are also something that help to give the mosque its own unique
character.
“We invited
people who live in the area to see for themselves the transformation and we
were delighted to hear their comments.”
Outside the
mosque, a new car park, lighting and landscaping features have brought the
building back to life.
The much-loved
building had been left in disrepair for many years.
A local
resident, Brian, who visited the mosque said: “This is a really high-quality
building now and they have really improved this from what it was.
“It is beautiful.
I have never seen anything like it.”
Leader of
Blackburn with Darwen Council Cllr Phil Riley visited the mosque recently.
He said: “What
a wonderful building it is and what a tribute to the efforts everybody has put
in.
“This was a
semi-derelict building for a period of time and it is now an absolutely
beautiful building. The work has been done to such a high level. It really is
an impressive addition to the local community.”
St Chad’s was a
single-storey stone-built building constructed circa 1870. It later became a
day school and also had a Sunday School. It is understood that services
continued to be held in the building until the 1970s.
However it
later fell into disrepair and had an uncertain future.
Volunteers in
the area have been keen to support their neighbourhood over the years and have
led a number of litter picking and clean up campaigns.
Mosque
volunteers who help will help to maintain the building this week encouraged
people to walk to prayers add: “However, if you must arrive by car, please park
in the Masjid car park following instructions from the parking stewards.
“Please take
into consideration not to inconvenience the neighbours around the Masjid by
crowding and noise outside.”
Source: theoldhamtimes.co.uk
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/23524961.church-undergoes-amazing-transformation-new-mosque/
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Russia’s
Federal Security Service Sent Ex-Islamic State Fighters to Infiltrate Ukraine,
Turkey, U.S. – Report
17-05-23
Russia’s
Federal Security Service (FSB) has recruited former Islamic State fighters to
infiltrate Ukraine, Turkey and the United States, the independent Meduza news
website reported Tuesday, citing four recruited fighters.
The outlet said
an unnamed source close to the FSB confirmed regular but largely unsuccessful
attempts to penetrate Ukraine’s military circles.
Meduza
interviewed a former Russian Islamic State fighter who had served a four-year
prison sentence out of a maximum of 20 years in exchange for agreeing to work
for the FSB in Ukraine.
The fighter,
Baurzhan Kultanov, said the FSB ended up sending him to Turkey in the spring of
2022, where he said he was ordered to gather information about underground
efforts to send fighters to Ukraine.
In Ukraine, the
FSB reportedly targeted the head of a volunteer battalion fighting on the side
of Ukraine since 2014 that has Crimean Tatars and Chechens in its ranks.
“You’re our
eyes and ears there, but you’re not the only one,” Kultanov recalled the FSB
recruiters as saying to him.
“It would be
nice to make you a double and even triple agent so that other special services
would want to recruit you,” they continued.
“You don’t have
to invent anything...You’re really a terrorist and a Muslim who did time here.
Just tell them you don’t like Russia and the FSB and want to help. They’ll take
you in with open arms,” Kultanov recalled the officer, Alexander Gushin, as saying.
Ukraine said in
January 2023 that it had exposed more than 600 Russian agents.
Kultanov is
currently jailed in Turkey on charges of violating immigration rules. Meduza
said he had asked for political asylum on claims that he would be jailed and
killed if deported to Russia.
Meduza cited
another ex-ISIS fighter who had allegedly fought alongside Kultanov in Syria,
identified as Karim from Russia’s republic of Dagestan, as saying that Russia’s
recruitment efforts in Ukraine are an open secret.
“That’s why no
one trusts each other” among the Russian Muslim diaspora, Karim was quoted as
saying.
U.S.
authorities have detained around 50 Russians suspected of being FSB agents at
the U.S.-Mexico border since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Meduza
cited terrorism researcher Vera Mironova as saying.
“Most of them
say ‘I’m an activist or an NGO worker or a journalist. I attended protests and
now I’m being persecuted. Let me in’,” Mironova said, citing unnamed Department
of Homeland Security contacts.
Some turn
themselves in to U.S. border patrol as disaffected FSB agents sent to spy on
Russian opposition activists and journalists, Mironova added.
Meduza said an
unnamed Russian activist recalled attending a 2020 Kremlin meeting with Timur
Prokopenko, a senior official in charge of domestic policy, in which plans to
send the “fake activists” to the U.S. were discussed.
The FSB,
Ukraine’s security service SBU and the Kremlin did not respond to Meduza's
requests for comment.
Source: themoscowtimes.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/05/16/russias-fsb-sent-ex-islamic-state-fighters-to-infiltrate-ukraine-turkey-us-meduza-a81152
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Turning away
from the West, Russia seeks to strengthen economic ties with the Muslim world
16/05/2023
The
Russia-Islamic World Forum will begin in Kazan, southwest Russia, on Thursday.
The two-day event was first held in 2009 and aims to strengthen economic ties
between Russia and Muslim countries. In the wake of a rupture between Russia
and the West, these ties are now part of a shifting world order.
The decision to
hold the 2023 edition of the Russia-Islamic World forum in Kazan is symbolic:
the capital of Tatarstan, located some 800km east of Moscow, is seen by the
Russian state as a successful example of multiculturalism and peaceful
religious coexistence.
Russia is home
to some 15 million Muslim citizens “in the sense that they belong to ethnic
groups with cultural foundations linked to Islam. Not all are believers or
practising Muslims,” according to a report from the French Institute for
International Relations.
As a whole,
Muslims make up 10% of the Russian population, with most living in the Caucasas
– the area of land that separates the Caspian and Black Seas – and the
Volga-Ural region.
Muslims have
lived in Tatarstan, in the Volga district, for centuries and the Tatar
population (descended from largely Muslim Turkic ethnic groups) is Russia’s
largest ethnic minority group.
"Tatarstan
is one of the richest regions in Russia so also serves as an economic
showcase,” says Ivan Ulises Kentros Klyszcz, researcher at the International
Centre for Defence and Security in Tallinn, Estonia. “As Tatarstan attracts
investments and is a hub for industries it has an image that corresponds very
well with Russia’s pragmatic economic approach.”
The forum in
Kazan aims to strengthen economic, cultural and intellectual ties between
Russia and the 57 member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC), an organisation founded in 1969 to represent the “collective voice of
the Muslim world” and jointly protect member states’ interests.
Muslim identity
Although Russia
is not a full member of the OIC, in 2003, President Vladimir Putin was the
first head of state from a non-majority Muslim country to be invited to speak
at an OIC summit. Just three years into his first presidency Putin aimed to
improve Russia’s image in the Islamic world after wars against Muslim
populations in Chechnya (located in the Caucasas) and Afghanistan.
Two years
later, Putin scored a diplomatic victory when Russia was admitted to the OIC as
an observer state.
“The
integration of Russia into the organisation came in the context of new tensions
with the US, notably concerning Iraq, and was also a response to Saudi Arabia’s
desire to recalibrate its relationship with the US,” says Igor Delanoë, Deputy
Head of the French-Russian Analytical Center Observo (CCI France-Russia) in
Moscow.
It also allowed
Russia to claim a sense of belonging in the Muslim world, a position Putin has
always been keen to emphasise. The president has historically promoted Russia’s
religious and ethnic diversity as a foreign relations tool in order to position
the country as a key mediator between West and East.
‘Parallel
diplomacy’
In order to
maintain influence within Muslim countries, Russia created a “strategic vision
group” in 2006, led today by Rustam Minnikhanov, head of Tatarstan. The Arab
spring uprisings in the early 2010s saw the group’s work take a backseat but it
has increased activities since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the
sanctions from the West that followed.
This initial
rupture with the West sparked an increase in economic activity between Russia
and the Middle East that both parties welcomed. “Generational shifts among the
monarchies in the Gulf States allowed for closer ties – for younger heads of
state the wars in Afghanistan and Chechnya belong in the history books,” says
Delanoë.
Russian leaders
with Muslim backgrounds are often used as diplomatic “messengers” to foster
relationships, adds Delanoë. In March 2022, for instance, Minnikhanov met with
President Macky Sall on a visit to Senegal.
"This
parallel diplomacy is done in a coordinated way, in line with the Kremlin’s
political agenda,” says Klyszcz.
Chechen leader
Ramzan Kadyrov has also taken an active role in building relationships with
Gulf states in which shared religious identity plays a key role. In 2018 and
2022, he performed the Haj in Saudi Arabia, meeting with Saudi leadership
during both visits.
Fighting
‘side-by-side’
As the war in
Ukraine is reshaping international relations around the globe, it is sure to
influence the coming summit in Kazan. In Moscow there is a clear intention to
refocus strategic and economic partnerships away from the West. In March, the
Kremlin released a new foreign policy outlook featuring the word “Islamic” for
the first time and stating an intention to deepen ties with Muslim countries,
along with countries in Africa and South America.
After the Russia-Islamic
World Forum in May, the second ever Russia-Africa summit will take place in St
Petersburg in July.
This evolution
in foreign policy is part of “a narrative that these countries are important in
rearranging the world order” says Klyszcz.
To further
drive home the message, Russia has been taking pains to differentiate its
foreign policy approach from that of the West. Russian Foreign Affairs Minister
Sergei Lavrov has spoken repeatedly about Western “colonial” attitudes towards
the rest of the world, tapping into an undercurrent of discontent with the US,
in particular.
“Within the
Muslim world, Russia is certainly better perceived than the West, but this
positive impression has been exaggerated by propaganda,” says Klyszcz.
Anti-Western
sentiment is also contributing to misconceptions about realities in Ukraine, he
says. And the presence of a significant number of soldiers from the Caucasas on
the ground has helped to create an online narrative of Russia fighting
“side-by-side with Muslims”.
‘Undoing
gobalisation’
As many
countries around the world have been outspoken in their support for Ukraine,
others have remained silent, wary of making economic and diplomatic sacrifices
in the name of a distant, “imperial” conflict.
Some Muslim
countries refused to vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council in
April 2022, and the Global South has largely opted out of sanctions against
Russia decided on by the US and Europe.
It is the
Global South that Russia now seems intent on winning over – and the feeling may
be mutual.
“The break with
Russia may be considered a Western victory in Europe, but in the Global South
there is no Western victory. On the contrary, the war is accelerating
fragmentation, undoing globalisation and causing regionalisation of strategic
blocs and economic ties,” says the French Institute for International Relations
report.
“Regional
powers are learning from how the West is waging economic war against Russia and
are reinforcing their own independence from Western institutions.”
Source: france24.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20230516-turning-away-from-the-west-russia-seeks-to-strengthen-economic-ties-with-the-muslim-world
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Harlow Council
issues statement over racially aggravated assault near Harlow Islamic Centre'
Wed 17th May
2023
HARLOW council
has issued a statement following the report of a racially aggravated assault on
a man near the Harlow Islamic Centre.
A Harlow
Council spokesperson said: “We are concerned by the reports of a racially
aggravated assault on Paringdon Road on Sunday 14 May.
“This was a
cowardly act, and such attacks have no place in our town.
“Our thoughts
are with those who have been affected by this incident. Our Community Safety
team is stepping up patrols in the area to reassure the community.
“The police are
investigating, and we are urging anyone with any information to call Essex
Police on 101 quoting incident 971 of 14 May. Information can also be reported
online www.essex.police.uk.”
Source: yourharlow.com
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https://www.yourharlow.com/2023/05/16/harlow-council-issues-statement-over-racially-aggravated-assault-near-harlow-islamic-centre/Tue
16th May 2023
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Prosecutor
seeks 3 years jail for rape-accused scholar Ramadan
16-05-23
Swiss
prosecutors said on Tuesday they will seek a three-year sentence for scholar
Tariq Ramadan, a former Oxford University professor charged with rape and
sexual coercion.
“It would be
right to hand down a sentence of three years: 18 months imprisonment (to be
served immediately) and 18 months suspended,” lead prosecutor Adrian Holloway
told the three judges at the Geneva Criminal Court.
Ramadan denies
the allegations. He told the judges on Monday, the first day of his trial, that
he had let himself be kissed by his accuser but insisted there were no sexual
relations between them.
The
complainant, also Swiss, is a convert to Islam and says she has faced threats
and therefore wishes to be known under the assumed name of “Brigitte.”
In a calm and
confident voice, the complainant said she feared she would die when Ramadan
attacked. “I was beaten... and raped,” she said.
She was in her
40s at the time of the alleged attack on October 28, 2008.
In a Geneva
hotel room, Ramadan, 60, is accused of having subjected her to brutal sexual
acts accompanied by beatings and insults.
In court, a
screen was placed between Ramadan and Brigitte at her request, so that they
could not see each other.
Ramadan had
“acted to satisfy his sexual desire for a woman whom he used as an object. He
did not hesitate to make this nightmare last for several hours,” the prosecutor
said.
Holloway
stressed the “consistency” of the complainant’s remarks as well as the
evaluations of psychiatrists.
Ramadan
obtained his doctorate from the University of Geneva, with his thesis focused
on his grandfather, who founded Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood movement.
He was a
professor of contemporary Islamic studies at Britain’s prestigious Oxford
University until November 2017, and held visiting roles at universities in
Qatar and Morocco.
He was forced
to take a leave of absence when rape allegations surfaced in France at the
height of the “Me Too” movement, over suspected attacks in France between 2009
and 2016.
Source: english.alarabiya.net
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https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/05/17/Prosecutor-seeks-3-years-jail-for-rape-accused-Islamic-scholar-Ramadan
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Musk reveals
who he’d prefer to see as US president
17 May, 2023
Elon Musk, the
CEO of SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter, has said he would like to see “a normal human
being” with good managerial skills elected as the next US president.
During an
interview with MSNBC on Tuesday, the billionaire was asked if he regretted
voting for the incumbent Joe Biden at the 2020 election.
“I wish we
could just have a normal human being as president. That’s what I want,” he
responded.
“You know that
old saying of, like, ‘We’re better off being run by people picked at random
from a phone book than the Faculty of Harvard.’ I don’t know who said that, but
it was someone very wise,” he added.
The quote in
question is actually attributed to American conservative writer and political
commentator William Frank Buckley Jr. and originates from the early 1960s.
Speaking about
the qualities required for the person in the Oval Office, Musk said that “it
actually matters if they’re a good executive officer. It’s not simply a matter
of ‘Do they share your beliefs.’ But are they good at getting things done?
There’s a lot of decisions that need to be made every day. Many of them are
unrelated to moral beliefs.”
“You just want
a good executive ‘cause they’re the CEO of America. We want a good CEO of
America, don’t we?” he said.
The tech
entrepreneur was also grilled about his previous claim that the 2020
presidential election had not been entirely fair.
“I don’t think
it was a stolen election,” Musk clarified. However, he added that “if somebody
is going to say that there was never any election fraud anywhere, this is
obviously also false. If 100 million people vote, the probability that fraud is
zero is zero.”
“There was some
small amount of fraud, but there was not enough to change the outcome,” he
said, adding that this fact should be acknowledged.
Those who keep
insisting that the election was rigged, like Biden’s rival Donald Trump, will
be corrected if they share those beliefs on Twitter, Musk insisted.
Trump, who had
more than 88.9 million followers, was banned by Twitter after the US Capitol
riots on January 6, 2021. Following his purchase of the social media platform
last year, Musk allowed Trump to return, but the former president now prefers
to stick to his own Truth Social platform.
Source: rt.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.rt.com/news/576422-musk-us-president-biden/
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French
ex-president’s conviction for bribery upheld
17 May, 2023
The Paris Court
of Appeals has upheld former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for
corruption and influence peddling. In 2021, he was sentenced to three years,
two of them suspended.
The
68-year-old, who led France from 2007 to 2012, was embroiled in several legal
scandals after leaving office. The case reviewed on Wednesday involved bribing
a judge and peddling influence to gain access to privileged information
regarding an investigation into Sarkozy’s election campaign finances.
French law
enforcement wiretapped Sarkozy’s two official phone lines and discovered that
he had a third secret one, which he used to communicate with his former lawyer,
Thierry Herzog. Further investigation uncovered what prosecutors dubbed a
“corruption pact.”
During the
appeal hearings, which started in December last year, Sarkozy denied any
wrongdoing. The records of his conversations with Herzog were played in court
for the first time.
The original
conviction allowed Sarkozy to serve his term at home with an electronic
bracelet monitoring his compliance.
In a separate
trial in 2021, Sarkozy was sentenced to a one-year term for violating election
financing rules. Prosecutors accused him of spending nearly double of the
amount allowed under French law on his failed 2012 re-election campaign and of
hiring a friendly PR firm to cover up the wrongdoing.
Source: rt.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.rt.com/news/576423-sarkozy-corruption-conviction-appeal/
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Pakistan
PTI blames
intelligence agencies for violence
May 17, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
Former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party accused
intelligence agencies on Tuesday of being responsible for shootings and arson
during violent protests that followed his arrest last week.
“We have ample
amount of evidence to present to any inquiry that the arson and in some places,
shootings were done by (intelligence) agencies men who wanted to cause mayhem
and blame it on PTI so the current crackdown would be justified,” the party
said in a statement.
“PTI believes
that identification of elements involved in this unusual incident of violence
and chaos through a credible investigation is inevitable,” the statement said.
It did not
offer any evidence for the claim.
More than 7,000
people have been detained or arrested since the unrest broke out.
At least 19
senior PTI officials have been arrested, some in overnight raids on their
homes, after being accused of instigating the violence. The PTI statement came
a day after top commanders vowed to try those involved in damaging military
installations in military courts.
Source: brecorder.com
Please
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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40242562/pti-blames-intelligence-agencies-for-violence
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Perpetrators of
May 9 violence should never be forgiven: PM Shehbaz
May 16, 2023
Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that “perpetrators, planners and facilitators”
of May 9 violence should not be spared at any cost, Aaj News reported.
In his
televised address after chairing the meeting of the National Security
Committee, he underlined that “even the prime minister of Pakistan should not
be allowed to pardon the culprits.”
He was
referring to violence that broke out across Pakistan on May 9 following the
arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.
He regretted
that the culprits destroyed and burned the Jinnah House (Corps Commander House)
in Lahore.
“Jinnah house
is sacred and it was destroyed during the wave of violence,” said PM Shehbaz.
“The
perpetrators, planners, and facilitators of the attack fall under the label of
terrorism.”
Even the
enemies of Pakistan were not able to harm Jinnah House in the history of the
nation, he said.
“The martyrs
and armed forces were insulted,” the PM lamented. “The General Headquarters
(GHQ) and ISI office in Faisalabad were also targeted. It was a heart-wrenching
scene.”
Citing that the
government and people of Pakistan stood with the armed forces, he condemned the
violence that took place last week.
“We are
indebted to the armed forces and their families,” he said. “Perpetrators,
planners, and facilitators of the attack should not be spared. They will face
the law.”
They should be
punished to put an end to this activity once and for all, he said.
“We will punish
them according to the constitution,” the PM said.
Earlier on
Saturday, PM Shehbaz gave a 72-hour deadline to law-enforcement authorities to
arrest planners, attackers, and instigators of violence.
“We will create
an example out of the miscreants who vandalised and attacked state institutions
so that such an incident never takes place in Pakistan again”.
“Everyone is
saddened except for miscreants. They are no lesser than terrorists.”
Following
Imran’s arrest, protests erupted throughout Pakistan that transformed into
violence.
Nearly 2,000
people were arrested and at least eight were killed.
Hundreds of
protesters blocked highways and main entry, and exit routes to all major
cities, attacking and burning state buildings, police, and public vehicles and
rampaging through army installations.
The protests
dampened on Thursday after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the “immediate
release” of Imran.
Source: brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40242437/perpetrators-of-may-9-violence-should-never-be-forgiven-pm-shehbaz
--------
PML-Q to hold
rallies in support of army from today
May 17, 2023
LAHORE:
Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) on Tuesday announced to hold rallies in
all major cities of the country to express solidarity with Pakistan Army and
other state institutions.
The decision
was taken in a meeting, chaired by Chaudhry Salik Hussain. The meeting slammed
the attack on military installations.
The first rally
will be held in Lahore on May 17, followed by rallies in Quetta (May 18),
Karachi (May 19), Peshawar (May 20), Islamabad (May 21) and Gilgit on May 22.
Salik Hussain
said that attacks on national security institutions were intolerable. The PML-Q
will play a significant role in the development and stability of the country,
he added.
Source: brecorder.com
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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40242489/pml-q-to-hold-rallies-in-support-of-army-from-today
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Business
community condemns 9th May mayhem, supports army
May 17, 2023
LAHORE:
Business community leadership has expressed solidarity with Pakistan Army while
strongly condemning the incident of 9th May and attacks on army personnel and
sacred state installations.
Prominent
businessmen of Pakistan, including Gohar Ejaz, Mian Aamir, Mian Idris, Mian
Ahsan, Almas Haider, Khurram Mukhtar and others from Lahore, Karachi, Multan,
Faisalabad and other industrial hubs held a meeting in Lahore on Tuesday
evening to discuss the current scenario in the wake of tragic incidents of 9th
May.
They emphasized
the need of national consensus amongst all the stakeholders to address the
ongoing political instability at priority so as to restore public confidence,
reinvigorate economic activity and strengthen democratic process.
Talking to the
media, Gohar Ejaz said the business community has resolved to support all such
efforts to reach this much needed consensus. He said the incidents of 9th May
are highly condemnable and detriment to the national cohesion.
According to
him, the business community would call on the political leadership including
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former President Asif Zardari and PTI Chairman
Imran to mitigate their differences in the larger national interest. He said
the community leaders have resolved that Pakistan Army with the full support of
people of Pakistan will defeat all nefarious designs of the enemies of
Pakistan.
While taking
cognizance of the current political crises prevalent in the country, he said,
the participants discussed the current volatile situation arising out of
political chaos and instability which has brought the economy at the verge of
total collapse and likely to lead to a large scale unemployment and create
difficulties for common man, besides hampering the exports of Pakistan.
Speaking on the
occasion, Mian Aamir Mahmood apprehended that the ongoing situation would also
be a recipe for anarchy and God forbid, it will bring the country a permanent
loss. It was also discussed that the perception of Pakistan in the
international market has tarnished to a great level and negative news about the
country were bringing the exports and other perceptions about Pakistan to a
drastically low level beyond repair for a long time.
He stressed
that the overall situation must be promptly arrested to hold further downfall
before it’s too late. At the same time, leaders and representatives of the
business community showed complete solidarity towards the beloved nation and
were hopeful that if things are brought to order and start mending their ways
and all the stakeholders sit down, all the problems can be resolved.
Mian Idris
offered to sit down with all the political parties and all other stakeholders
and try to sort out the situation to the satisfaction of all because they felt
that this kind of a situation was very dangerous and any further deterioration
in this regard would be very bad for Pakistan and of course for the all the
businesses of Pakistan.
Expressing his
views, Mian Ahsan said the business community was too perturbed over the
ongoing situation, hence, all the stakeholders, particularly the political
parties must exhibit flexibility in the larger interest of the country as our
survival depends on the survival of our beloved motherland, hence, the entire
business community of Pakistan was eager to sit together with all political
parties and other stakeholders so that the issues could be amicably resolved.
Almas Haider
said the business community wants to strengthen all the institutions in every
possible manner so that they can resolve this problem. The business community
highly respects all the institutions including political parties, judiciary and
the armed forces of the country and would like to see all of them strengthening
and working collectively to save the country from plunging into further
disaster.
Khurram Mukhtar
said the business community has full confidence on Pakistan and they believe
that Pakistan is there to survive till the doomsday but everyone has to work
together with each other.
Source: brecorder.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40242538/business-community-condemns-9th-may-mayhem-supports-army
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US report slams
blasphemy card against Imran
May 17, 2023
WASHINGTON: An
annual US report has once again criticised the Pakistan Democratic Movement government
for using the blasphemy card against former prime minister Imran Khan.
The US report
on international religious freedom, which was released in Washington on Monday,
noted that several political leaders used inflammatory religious language to
attack their political rivals last year. The annual report covers 2022 events.
“On Sept 13,
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party leader Javed Latif, in a press conference,
accused former prime minister Imran Khan of ‘attacking the basic principles of
Islam’ by ‘supporting’ the Ahmadiyya community while he was in office,” the
report pointed out.
“Mr Latif
accused Khan of giving interviews to foreign media in which he promised that
Qadianis [Ahmadis] will be given religious freedom,” the report added.
The report also
noted that JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman tweeted messages on Sept 7
calling Mr Khan a “pro-Qadiani” and a “Jewish agent”. Leaders of the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf responded by accusing the government of “spreading religious
bigotry and hatred”, the report added.
Initial report
The US
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which compiles the
annual report, raised this issue in its initial report as well, which was
released on May 1, noting that “the new government under Prime Minister Shahbaz
Sharif, which took office in April 2022, weaponised the country’s blasphemy
laws against Mr Khan and his cabinet members”.
The issue was
also raised at a US State Department news briefing earlier this month when
Spokesperson Vedant Patel said the United States “strongly oppose(s) laws that
impede the ability of any individuals … to choose a faith, practice a faith,
change their religion, not have a religion, or tell others about their
religious beliefs and practices”.
The USCIRF
report, which is sent to Congress as an official document, noted that blasphemy
cases in Pakistan “remained a substantial threat to religious freedom, as did
the sort of mob violence that has long accompanied such accusations”.
It called on
Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy law, and until such repeal, enact reforms to
make blasphemy a bailable offence.
According to
the report, police in Pakistan “at times killed, physically abused, or failed
to protect members of religious minorities. And courts continued to enforce
blasphemy laws, punishment for which ranged up to the death penalty”. The
government, however, has never executed anyone for blasphemy, the report added.
Quoting reports
by various civil society organisations, USCIRF reported that at least 52
persons were accused of blasphemy or related religion-based criminal charges
during 2022, the majority of whom were Ahmadis.
At least four
individuals charged with blasphemy during previous years received death
sentences in 2022, two Christians and two Muslims.
The report
noted that individuals convicted and sentenced to death in well-publicised
blasphemy cases dating as far back as 2014, including Nadeem James, Taimoor
Raza, and Junaid Hafeez, remained in prison awaiting action on their appeals.
Ramzan Bibi
remained free on bail while awaiting trial for blasphemy.
In 2022, courts
overturned some blasphemy convictions upon appeal and acquitted or granted bail
to some individuals who had spent years in prison on blasphemy charges.
Those acquitted
or released on bail include Qamar Aqash, Nadeem Samson, Stephen Masih Salamat,
Mansha Masih, Mubasher Ahmad, Ghulam Ahmad, Ehsan Ahmad, Asim Aslam, and
Mohammad Shahid Khan.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1753759/us-report-slams-blasphemy-card-against-imran
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India
Muslim Congress
MLA, Irfan Ansari, To Build Country’s Largest Hanuman Temple in Jharkhand's
Jamtara
17th May 2023
By Mukesh
Ranjan
RANCHI: Elated
with the party’s historic victory in Karnataka Assembly polls, suspended Muslim
Congress MLA Irfan Ansari has announced to build the country’s largest Hanuman
Temple in his Assembly Constituency, Jamtara.
According to
Ansari, his faith in Lord Hanuman has increased after the party's thumping
majority win in Karnataka polls. He visited the Hanuman temple immediately and
expresses his gratitude. He believes that Lord Hanuman belongs to everyone.
Notably, Ansari
along with two other Congress MLAs were suspended by the Congress for hatching
a conspiracy to topple the JMM-led alliance Government in Jharkhand after being
arrested with 50 lakh cash in their vehicle in Kolkata.
“Though I am a
follower of Lord Hanuman since the beginning, but after the historic victory of
the Congress party in Karnataka polls, my faith in Lord Hanuman has further
increased and hence, I announce that I will build the country’s largest temple
of Lord Hanuman in Jamtara,” said Ansari. The temple to be built will be the
historical and largest of all the Hanuman temples in the country, he added.
Answering the query
about arranging funds for the construction, Ansari said even if he has to sell
his kidney, he will construct the temple.
Ansari also
warned those who are doing politics in the name of religion. He informed that
the land for the temple has already been identified as Satsal and construction
for the same will start very soon.
Incidentally,
Lord Hanuman had taken centre stage in the Karnataka elections after the
Congress in its manifesto said that it would ban the Bajrang Dal and popular
front of India if voted to power.
Responding to
it, BJP said that Congress’s proposal to ban Bajrang Dal was an attempt to lock
up Hanuman and his devotees who chant ‘Jai Bajrangbali.’ In all his public
meetings Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
made it a point to chant ‘Jai Bajrangbali.’
Retaliating,
Congress demanded PM Modi’s apology accusing him of hurting the religious
sentiments of devotees by “equating” Lord Hanuman with Bajrang Dal.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/may/17/muslim-congress-mla-to-build-countrys-largest-hanuman-temple-in-jharkhandsjamtara-2575969.html
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Ex-BJP MLA
Issues Veiled Threats towards Muslim Community, After His Defeat in the Karnataka
Assembly Polls
ByPriyanka
Rudurappa
May 17, 2023
A former BJP
MLA on Monday issued a veiled threat directed towards the Muslim community,
after his defeat in the Karnataka assembly polls.
Former Bhartiya
Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Hassan City constituency Preetham Gowda on
Monday issued a veiled threat directed towards the Muslim community, holding
them responsible for his defeat against Janata Dal(Secular) candidate HP
Swaroop in the recently concluded Karnataka assembly elections.
In a widely
shared video on social media, Gowda is heard threatening “one community” and
purportedly saying he would show “his power.”
“I have worked
for five years while others were sleeping. But people from that one community
have shown us. In the coming days, we’ll show what we are... I honestly tried
to take all communities along with love and faith...,” Gowda is heard saying in
the video, without taking any names.
HT could not
independently verify the veracity of the video.
In December
last year, another video of Gowda had gone viral, in which he was heard
threatening Muslim constituents to vote for him or else he “wouldn’t work for
them”. He went on to say that he treated Muslims with “love and affection”, but
the community has “ditched” him.
In the assembly
polls, HP Swaroop, who got the JD(S) ticket following differences within the
Deve Gowda family, defeated BJP MLA Preetham Gowda in Hassan with a margin of
7,854 votes. The region is considered a stronghold of JD(S). In the 2018
assembly elections, Gowda had defeated Prakash by 13,006 votes.
In the run-up
to the polls, the constituency attracted attention due to difference within
former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s family over finalising a candidate for
the seat.
Bhavani
Revanna, wife of former minister HD Revanna, had announced that the party
leadership had decided to field her from the constituency.
However, former
CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, had declared that he would field an
“ordinary party worker” from the seat.
The rift within
the Gowda family over the Hassan ticket had widened to the extent that
Kumaraswamy invoked the battle of “Kurukshetra” from the epic Mahabharata to
allege that some “Shakunis” — a character from the epic — were trying to
brainwash his brother Revanna.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/bengaluru-news/former-bjp-mla-from-hassan-city-threatens-muslims-for-defeat-in-karnataka-polls-101684266012618.html
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Neither love
jihad will work, nor will we allow vicious cycle of religious conversions: MP
CM Chouhan
May 16, 2023
Bhopal (Madhya
Pradesh) [India], May 16 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
on Tuesday said that the state government took the issue of 'love jihad',
'religious conversion' and promotion of 'terrorist activities' seriously and
will not allow such practices in the state.
CM Chouhan made
the remark while talking to the reporters about the recent action of Madhya
Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) against members associated with the radical
Islamic organisation Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HuT) in the state capital Bhopal on
Tuesday.
"We are
getting into the depth of the facts that have come to the fore in connection
with the HuT members. One thing is clear that we have taken the issue of love
jihad, religious conversion and promotion of terrorist activities very
seriously. I want to make it clear that neither love jihad will work, nor we
will allow the vicious cycle of religious conversion in the state," CM
Chouhan said.
He further
said, "Earlier also, we have destroyed SIMI's (Students' Islamic Movement
of India) network and will not tolerate such activities at any cost. The
investigation into the arrest of HuT members is underway. Madhya Pradesh ATS is
working along with the Central Agency."
The chief
minister also reacted about name of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik came to light
in connection with the religious conversion of one of the arrested HuT members
and said the investigation was going on, whoever is guilty would not be spared.
Notably, father
of one of the accused, Mohammad Salim (earlier Saurabh Raj Vaidhy), alleged
that his son underwent religious conversion and became Salim due to the influence
of Zakir Naik.
On May 9,
Madhya Pradesh ATS had arrested ten members associated with HuT from Bhopal,
one member from Chhindwara district and five members were arrested in Hyderabad
on the input of MP police. The team had also recovered anti-national documents,
technical equipment, radical literature and other materials from the accused.
Disclaimer:
This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications
to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
Source: lokmattimes.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.lokmattimes.com/national/neither-love-jihad-will-work-nor-will-we-allow-vicious-cycle-of-religious-conversions-mp-cm-chouhan/
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BJP’s Muslim
outreach in UP civic elections gets favourable return
May 16, 2023
LUCKNOW: The
Bharatiya Janata Party's Muslim outreach during the recently held urban local
body polls threw up some encouraging, if not spectacular, outcomes for the
party. It fielded Muslim candidates on 395 seats, including five Nagar Palika
Parishad (NPP) chairmen, 32 Nagar Panchayat (NP) chairmen, 80 corporators and
278 members for NPPs and NPs. According to the state election commission data,
61 of them emerged winners.
Although it
couldn't win any NPP chairman's post, the BJP won five NP chairman seats, two
corporators (one each in Lucknow and Gorakhpur) and 55 members in
Muslim-dominated pockets of NPP and NPs. Considering that the party success
rate on NP and NPP member seats, which are dominated by Independents, was 25%
and 19% respectively, the victory of 15% BJP Muslim candidates is a decent
start for a party which has just started experimenting with minority outreach,
says a political analyst.
UP BJP minority
morcha chief Kunwar Basit Ali maintained that the party would continue to make
consistent attempts of reaching out to the Muslim community in future also.
“The community is gradually showing its support for the BJP,” he said,
asserting that the community benefited considerably from the various welfare
schemes initiated by the Modi government and the Yogi government.
BJP lost NPP
chairman seats in Rampur, Tanda (both in Rampur), Afzalgarh (Bijnor),
Mubarakpur (Azamgarh) and Kakrala (Badaun). In Rampur, its candidate Musarrat
Mujib lost to Aam Aadmi Party candidate Sana Khanam by 11,000 votes. So was the
case in Tanda where BJP candidate Mehnaz Jahan lost her deposits. Sahiba
Sarfaraz, an independent, was the winner.
Likewise in
Afzalgarh NPP of Bijnor, BJP candidate Khatija Khatoon lost to independent candidate
Tabassum. BJP candidate in Azamgarh’s Mubarakpur NPP, Tamanna Bano, too, met
the same fate – she lost to independent candidate Saba Shamim. In Kakrala NPP
of Budaun, BJP candidate Margoob Ahmad Khan lost to Intekhab, an Independent.
The five NP chairman
seats on which BJP won included Dhaura Tanda in Bareilly where saffron party
candidate Nadeem-ul- Hasan defeated Vakil Ahmad of Samajwadi Party by a margin
of around 1,000 votes. Likewise, in Sultanpur Chilkana NP of Saharanpur, BJP
candidate Phul Bano defeated Akbar of BSP.
In Sirsi, BJP
candidate Kausar Abbas defeated Mohammad Wasim of BSP. SP candidate Musahib
Hussain Naqvi stood fourth. Similarly in Bhojpur NP of Moradabad district,
BJP’s Farkhanda Zabi humbled Mohsina of SP. In Gopamau NP of Hardoi, BJP
candidate Wali Mohammad defeated Naushad, an independent by a wafer thin margin
of 55 votes. But for Wali Mohammad and Kausar Abbas, the other three are
Pasmanda Muslims, a socio-economically backward community among the Muslims
which the BJP has been reaching out to.
The two Muslim
corporators of BJP who could register a win included Lubna Ali Khan who won
from Hussainbad ward in Lucknow and the Hakikun Nisha who won from the newly
constituted Baba Gambhirnath Nagar in Gorakhpur, the political backyard of CM
Yogi Adityanath.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Fadnavis orders
SIT probe into Muslim group forcing way into Trimbakeshwar temple, police file
FIR
May 16, 2023
Maharashtra
Deputy CM has ordered the setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe
the alleged attempt by a group of Muslims to enter the Trimbakeshwar temple.
The incident took place on May 13, when a group of Muslims tried to enter the
temple, which only allows Hindus to enter. Several videos of the incident have
been doing the rounds on social media platforms. The group was stopped by
security guards outside the temple.
Maharashtra
deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday ordered to set up a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) to probe an alleged attempt by a group of Muslims to
enter the Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik on May 13. In Trimbakeshwar,an FIR was
registered by police about the illegal gathering of a crowd at the main gate of
the temple.
Local police
officers said the incident took place on May 13, when a group of Muslims tried
to enter the temple. Several videos of the incident have been doing the rounds
on social media platforms. The group was stopped by the security guards outside
the temple. The group returned after the trust members also opposed their
entry.
As per the
temple management, only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple which has one of
the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva.
In a video
clip, five to six people can be seen trying to enter the temple carrying green
scarves.
The
instructions from Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, comes a day after
Nashik Rural superintendent of police (SP) Shahaji Umap attributed the incident
to a “misunderstanding”.
“The incident
seems to have happened due to a misunderstanding as the Muslims wanted to go
inside the temple premises when their procession was underway. We called the
group of Muslims who said they will not attempt to enter the premises if it is
not allowed,” Umap said on Monday.
Fadnavis’s
office tweeted about the incident on Tuesday morning. “Strict action to be
taken by registering an FIR on the alleged incident of a certain mob gathering
at the main entrance of the Trimbakeshwar temple. SIT will be formed under the
officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police to investigate the
incident. The SIT will not only probe this year’s incident, but also last
year’s incident, when a certain mob allegedly entered the Trimbakeshwar temple
premises through the main entrance,” his office said.
The
administrative officer of the Shri Trimbakeshwar Devasthan Trust sent a
detailed letter of the incident to the Trimbakeshwar police inspector.
According to the letter, during the procession of urus near the north gate of
the temple, certain participants attempted to enter the temple premises.
However, the security personnel promptly intervened and prevented the Muslims
from gaining entry.
Mateen Sayyad,
organiser of the urus clarified that they did not attempt to enter the temple.
“This is misinformation being spread by some. We only tried to offer incense
(through frankincense) from the doorstep of the temple because we also have
faith in Lord Shiva,” Sayyad told reporters. He also demanded that the
misinformation should be stopped as it can disturb social harmony.
Following the
incident, Nashik rural police conducted a ‘harmony’ meeting between various
religious people to maintain law and order situation in the district.
BG Shekhar,
Inspector General of Police (Nashik) said, “There is peace in Trimbakeshwar and
no problem in the law-and-order situation. We will proceed investigation as per
the rules and will take further action. Our police inspector in Trimbakeshwar
will conduct further investigation.”
Considering
this incident, the police will have enhanced security measures around religious
sites across Maharashtra to prevent any similar incidents in the future.
A case has been
registered at Tribakeshwar police station against accused Akil Yusuf Sayyad,
Salman Akim Sayad, Mati Raju Sayad and Salim Bakshu Sayad under sections of 295
and 511 of the IPC and further investigation is underway.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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3 pleas seek
ASI survey of entire Gyanvapi mosque
May 17, 2023
The three
applications were filed by nine applicants and will be heard by district judge
Ajay Krishna Vishvesha on May 22.
Three
applications were filed in the Varanasi district court on Tuesday seeking a
survey by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) of the entire Gyanvapi
mosque complex, including a disputed structure that Hindu sides call a Shivling
but Muslim groups say is part of a fountain.
The three
applications were filed by nine applicants and will be heard by district judge
Ajay Krishna Vishvesha on May 22. Seven petitions related to the Gyanvapi
Masjid matter were transferred to the district court in April. Lawyer Vishnu
Shankar Jain, who represents the Hindu side, said the district court asked the
Gyanvapi mosque management committee to file its reply to the pleas by May 19.
The first
application was filed by four plaintiffs – Rekha Pathak, Lakshami Devi, Sita
Sahu and Manju Vyas – who were among the five women whose plea asking for daily
worshipping rights inside the mosque complex led to a controversial survey last
year of a portion of the mosque complex. The last day of this exercise – which
was conducted by three advocate commissioners appointed by the court –
unearthed the structure that Hindu groups quickly claimed was a Shivling. The
area is currently protected on orders of the Supreme Court.
The second
petition was filed by Ram Prasad Singh, Ranjana Agnihotri, Shishir Chaturvedi
and Rakesh Kumar Agarwal, devotees of lord Shiva and petitioners who filed a
suit last year seeking permission for daily darshan and poojan of purported
Shivling, said Jain.
Meanwhile,
lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain along with four women plaintiffs and other devotees
on Tuesday offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Dham to mark one year of the
“discovery of the shivling” in the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
“On May 16 last
year, Baba was found in the Gyanvapi mosque complex. We offered prayers and
performed Rudrabhishek of Baba Kashi Vishwanath to celebrate his Prakatya
Diwas,” said Jain.
Mahant Shiv
Prasad Pandey, next friend and devotee of Bhagwan Adi Vishweshwar Virajman,
filed the third application, Jain added. Next friend is a legal representative
of someone incapable of maintaining a suit directly. “On behalf of the
applicants, we have filed three applications in the district court Varanasi, urging
that ASI survey of the entire Gyanvapi mosque complex should be done. The court
accepted the applications and fixed May 22 as next date of hearing,” Jain said.
“Under the dome
of the Gyanvapi complex, there is the remains of the pinnacle of the temple.
Also, the western wall of the mosque is the remains of the temple,” he added.
Jain said that
entire Gyanvapi complex should be surveyed by ground penetrating radar method,
dating and whatever other means were suitable so that its basic condition and
reality could be known. Rais Ahmad Ansari, the lawyer for the Anjuman Intezamia
Masjid committee that manages the Gyanvapi mosque, said “We will file an
objection in the district court.”
The development
came days after the Allahabad high court set aside a Varanasi court order that
rejected a demand for carbon dating of the disputed structure, and ordered a
scientific survey to determine its age.
The Gyanvapi
dispute dates back decades but in August 2021, five women filed a petition in a
local court demanding the right of unhindered worship at the Maa Shringar Gauri
Sthal, located inside the complex that houses idols of Hindu gods. In April
2022, the local court ordered a controversial survey of the complex, which
quickly ran into protests. The survey was finally completed in May, but not
before the Hindu side claimed that a Shivling was found in the final hours of
the exercise.
The petition
represents the most successful of a flurry of recent pleas filed by Hindu
groups and individuals in courts in Mathura, Agra and Varanasi, demanding
worshipping rights in Islamic holy sites.
Last year,
Ranjana Agnihotri, Ram Prasad Singh, Rajesh Agrawal, Shishir Chaturvedi asked a
Varanasi court, requesting permission to worship the structure.Pandey also
filed a similar suit in the civil court last year.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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Arab World
Saudi Arabia
committed to restoration of peace in Sudan: Cabinet
May 17, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia’s Cabinet on Tuesday reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to continue its
efforts until security and stability are restored in Sudan and its people, the
Saudi Press Agency reported.
Sudan’s warring
sides agreed, at Saudi-US brokered talks in Jeddah, to follow humanitarian law
and keep channels open for opportunities toward finding a permanent solution to
the conflict, which has now been raging for over a month.
The ministers
also welcomed the leaders of Arab League member states participating in the
32nd summit, which will be held in the Kingdom on Friday.
In a separate
agenda item, the Cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the Islamic Development Bank
Group annual meetings held in Jeddah, and highlighted the Kingdom’s
contribution to launching many regional and international initiatives aimed at
supporting economic recovery and facing development challenges.
Ministers also
praised the achievements of anti-narcotic initiatives which have thwarted
smuggling attempts by criminal networks in recent weeks.
Separately, the
government approved the application of health insurance for domestic workers
exceeding 4 persons, in accordance to rules to be set by a committee formed
under the chairmanship of the Council of Health Insurance.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi
ambassador to UK discusses Vision 2030 with Oxford university students
May 17, 2023
LONDON: Saudi
Arabia’s Ambassador to the UK Prince Khalid bin Bandar on Tuesday received a
number of students from the University of Oxford to discuss the Kingdom’s
transformation under its Vision 2030.
Prince Khalid
welcomed the university delegation at the embassy in the capital, London, which
included a number of students majoring in international relations, political
science and international security.
During the
meeting, the ambassador spoke about the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and its economic
goals, and plans for diversification by attracting foreign investment.
He also touched
on the Kingdom’s education sector and its development over the past fifty
years, as well as issues of regional and global concern to the Kingdom.
“It was a
pleasure to hear the students’ questions about the Kingdom and the region,”
Prince Khalid said in a tweet.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia
sets example for green living in the region
May 16, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia is setting guidance plans for sustainability with mega projects in NEOM,
Riyadh and other cities across the Kingdom.
The term
“sustainability” includes all efforts that humans take, either directly or
indirectly, to protect the environment and ensure their survival in the future,
according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. This concept is important
as humans are dependent on the environment and its natural resources for their
existence.
Sustainable
development as a concept became well known after 1972 when the UN highlighted
it at a conference in Stockholm on the human environment, according to the
Sustainable Development Commission.
In the
corporate world, for example, although the majority of executives believe in
sustainable importance, a little over half of them incorporate strategies that include
sustainable goals, said Talal Rafi, an economist and management consultant, in
his article on the World Economic Forum website.
Unlike the
corporate world, many nations are broadcasting their plans for maintaining
sustainability, and Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that is making efforts
toward a more flourishing society.
Due to the
harsh climate in Saudi Arabia, people previously weren’t as aware as they are
now about sustainability. The climate is generally dry and warm in Saudi
Arabia, making it challenging to form sustainable projects.
However, with
the Vision 2030 of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the Kingdom has taken a
new approach to promoting sustainability, which in return enhances the quality
of living in the country.
“Saudi Arabia
is not only focusing on sustainability, but it has also embraced the concept of
‘Race to Zero’ as part of its Vision 2030 plan, aiming to reduce its carbon
emissions and promote investment in renewable energy and green economy,” said
Dr. Mohammad Al-Surf, a senior adviser for sustainability and climate action at
Jacobs.
Al-Surf said
that such an ambitious goal would lead the country to focus on building
resilience to climate change and investing in green infrastructure, renewable
energy and sustainability.
“With a plan to
become a global leader in sustainability, Saudi Arabia’s ‘Race to Zero’ is an
important step toward a greener future.”
“The National
Program to Maximize the Utilization of Renewable Water Resources” is an idea
and methodology proposed by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and
Agriculture.
Through this
program, the ministry aims to ensure sustainability in water use for
agriculture and for national afforestation, Dr. Abdulaziz Alshaibani, deputy
minister for water at the Ministry for Environment, Water and Agriculture, said
in an article for SPA.
Dr. Faisal
Alfadl, an architect and founder of the Saudi Green Building Forum, said in an
interview with Rotana on Green Economy that more than 30 million trees have
been produced in Saudi Arabia. There is also the 10 million trees project in
Al-Ula, the biggest oasis in the world, and the Green Riyadh project, where
59,000 trees have been planted so far.
Saudi Arabia is
expanding its ambitions through even bigger projects such as The Line in NEOM,
a zero-car environment that is part of a 100 percent sustainable transport
system.
Dr. Sultan
Alshareef, an expert in sustainable development, told Arab News how sustainability
benefits several sectors, resulting in
overall development.
“It takes into
account financial sustainability and the diversity of non-oil sources of
income, which sets out to achieve economic, social, environmental and political
goals that make the Kingdom a role model for responsible and comprehensive
development that is based on the pillars of true sustainability,” he said.
With such
promising projects, sustainable development is thriving in the Kingdom.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia
‘will remain resolute’ in anti-drugs campaign, minister warns
May 16, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia’s campaign against illegal drugs is achieving dramatic results, with
major strikes against traffickers and smuggling operations, the Kingdom’s
Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif said.
Speaking during
a visit to the Central Operations Room at the ministry’s Riyadh headquarters, Prince
Abdulaziz said that although the campaign is still in its early stages, the
Kingdom “will remain resolute and not leave room for smugglers or dealers to
target our youth or tamper with security in any way.”
The minister
praised the efforts of security personnel in protecting the nation from the
dangers of illicit drugs, and urged citizens to play their role by reporting
traffickers and smugglers, saying that all reports will be dealt with
confidentially.
He received a
briefing from Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Bassami, director of general security, on
the results of recent anti-drug operations.
The meeting was
attended by Nasser Al-Dawood, deputy interior minister; Lt. Gen. Saeed
Al-Qahtani, assistant minister of interior for operations affairs; Hisham Al-Faleh,
ministry undersecretary; and Mohammed Al-Muhanna, the ministry’s undersecretary
for security affairs.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi AI agency
inaugurates center dedicated to the technology, launches Arabic AI app
May 16, 2023
RIYADH: The
Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, in cooperation with global
technology company Nvidia, on Tuesday inaugurated the Center of Excellence for
Generative Artificial Intelligence.
The authority
also launched a beta version of its AI chat application, Allam, which supports
the use of the Arabic language and is described as the first of its kind in the
region.
The opening of
the center of excellence is one of the results of a partnership between the
authority and Nvidia, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in
February.
The center is
an important step, officials said, as it includes an Academy of AI that will
help Saudis to develop their knowledge and skills in the field through
specialized training programs and courses for AI engineers, data scientists and
researchers, that will provide graduates with professional certificates. It
will teach subjects such as accelerated computing, deep learning, natural
language processing, image generation, and large language models, in both
English and Arabic.
The partnership
between the authority and Nvidia will additionally offer training, and research
and development in the AI field, officials said, and provide a platform for AI
projects at the local and regional levels. It also aims to promote the
development of neuro-linguistic models and machine learning, and allow the
authority to benefit from the expertise of the Nvidia Institute for Deep
Machine Learning.
The Data and
Artificial Intelligence Authority will also work with Saudi organizations and,
through high-performance computing, help them to develop the use of AI in
fields such as energy, health, education and the environment.
Through such
collaborations, the authority said it aims to position the Kingdom as a world
leader in the AI field and a global technology center, to help achieve the
goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 development and diversification plan.
Meanwhile, the
newly released Allam application is aid to be the first in the country to
include AI technology that can respond to Arabic queries. The current version
draws on hundreds of millions of source documents in Arabic and English to
answer questions in text or audio form using reliable sources of information
from the Kingdom and the wider Arab world, developers said.
The topics on
which it can answer queries include Saudi history, sports, health and
education. It can also help restore and color old photos, and summarize
documents.
Meanwhile, the
authority’s “Generative Artificial Intelligence Accelerator Hackathon”
challenge, organized in partnership with the National Technology Development Program
and the New Native accelerator, will take place from May 18 to 21. The
participants will work to create AI models.
And the
authority has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Education and
Training Evaluation Commission with the aim of developing generative AI
applications that use the capabilities of the Allam app to improve education
and training experiences, and integrating the technology into the services
provided by the commission.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia
sells $6 bln in two-tranche Islamic bonds: lead manager
16 May, 2023
Saudi Arabia
has raised $6 billion from the sale of Islamic bonds, or sukuk, a document from
a lead manager showed, returning to the debt markets for the second time this
year, amid continued pressure on global oil prices and a cloudy macroeconomic
outlook.
The kingdom
sold a $3 billion six-year tranche at 80 basis points (bps) over U.S.
Treasuries (UST) and another $3 billion in 10-year notes at 100 bps over UST,
tighter than guidance released on Monday, amid strong investor demand.
Order books for
the deal, open to investors in the United States, hit over $27 billion ahead of
the launch, according to a separate bank document seen on Monday.
Proceeds from
the sale will be used for general domestic budgetary purposes.
Saudi Arabia,
the world's top oil exporter, last tapped the public debt markets in January,
raising $10 billion.
High oil prices
helped the kingdom tilt to its first fiscal surplus in almost a decade in 2022,
but an uncertain demand outlook and macroeconomic headwinds have pushed prices
lower this year.
On Tuesday,
Brent crude was trading at around $75 per barrel at 1100 GMT, which is below
the estimated breakeven price of $80.9 per barrel Saudi Arabia needs to balance
its budget, according to the International Monetary Fund.
Saudi Arabia
said it would trim oil production by 500,000 barrels per day starting this month,
part of a surprise cut announced by the OPEC+ group in April.
Source: newarab.com
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South Asia
How China
Treats 3.5 Million Uyghur Muslims, Other Minorities as Terrorists, Stuffs Them
in 'Gulags'
MAY 17, 2023
Uyghur Muslims
in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), a forcibly occupied
territory in 1949, can’t follow any religious Muslim tradition. Dictated by the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP), children of the Uyghur population can’t get
religious education or follow religious practices. Around 3.5 million Uyghur
Muslims and other minorities of the Xinjiang province have been interned in
prison camps that the CCP calls re-education centres.
The population
of the Uyghur natives is down to half while the Han Chinese population from
mainland China is now almost equal to them and dominates the province’s
administration and income. XUAR is geographically the largest province in
China.
The Chinese
atrocities, described in detail in the 2022 ‘Report on International Religious
Freedom’, which was released by the US Department of State this week, adds to
the earlier investigative reports about the CCP’s cruelties in the province
that many outside China call genocide.
The report says
that as per US estimates, these re-education centres, which are described as
concentration camps or gulags by many analysts, saw over a million Uyghur
Muslims and other minorities of the province interned in the last six years. As
mentioned above, other reports keep this number at as high as 3.5 million
people jailed. Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) put the number of
such camps at 380 in September 2020 in its investigative report.
The CCP thinks
of Uyghurs of the province either as terrorists or terror sympathisers and
corners them in these camps that are established under the country’s
anti-terror operational mechanism. Entry into these camps means you are in a
prison facility established under China’s national counterterrorism and
regional counter extremism laws.
These Chinese
gulags have treated 3.5 million Uyghur Muslims and other minority civilians as
terrorists or suspected terrorists.
Uyghurs are arrested
and put in these concentration camps that the CCP calls vocational skills
education training centres with the sole purpose of ‘anti-extremist ideological
education’ that can be equated to torture, pushing for religious alienation
from Islam and political indoctrination towards Han Chinese culture and CCP’s
ideology.
Around 900,000
Uyghur children have been separated from their parents. Their indoctrination
begins early in life with them being trained in CCP ideology, Han culture, and
Mandarin language.
The sole aim is
to sinicise Xinjian absolutely. 2022 was the deadline.
In 1941,
Uyghurs were 80% of Xinjiang’s population while Han Chinese were just 5%.
Today, they are 42% of Xinjiang’s population, 37% up, while Uyghurs have seen
their share coming down by 35%, at 45%.
The UN Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) calls the Chinese treatment
of Uyghurs serious human rights violations. The OHCHR says this can be
categorised as international crimes targeting humanity. Forced disappearances,
forced sterilisation, torture, political indoctrination, and sexual abuse are
routinely observed. Adrian Zenz, a German research scholar on China, says the
forced sterilisation policy could cut up to 4.5 million Uyghur births in
future.
The CCP even assigns
fake relatives to the Uyghur population, to live with them inside their houses
to spy on them, the next step of Chinese surveillance on Uyghurs. These fake
relatives are either CCP members or administration officials of the province.
The administration
in the province has put up a mechanism that forces Uyghur neighbours to spy on
each other as well. They are under 24/7 surveillance, both physical and
virtual. They must update the Chinese authorities about their daily routine.
Their phones, their home decoration, their religious preference, everything is
governed by the CCP administration in Xinjiang. An Uyghur Muslim is jailed for
a long period of time for owning a Quran or growing a beard.
Most of the
Uyghur mosques are gone. According to the Washington-based Uyghur Human Rights
Project (UHRP), China destroyed 10,000 to 15,000 Uyghur mosques and religious
places between 2016 and 2019.
The country
carried out a massive exercise in June 2022 when it screened 23 million
Xinjiang minority residents for being terrorists. Those with international ties
were immediately arrested. Uyghur Muslims are also used as forced labour for
agriculture and industrial activities in the province. This is done through a
“widespread and systematic programme", says a report by the International
Labour Organization (ILO).
Source: news18.com
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‘Have
legitimacy to serve the mission in India’: Afghan envoy on Taliban appointing
CDA
By Shobhit
Gupta
May 16, 2023
Afghan
ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay on Tuesday strongly rejected the claims of
Taliban appointing the Charge d'Affaires to replace him as the envoy in India
and said that he was being appointed by a legitimately elected government and
has the legitimacy to serve in India.
While speaking
to news agency ANI, he said, "We categorically rejected the claims from
the Taliban that they have appointed the Charge d'Affaires at the mission in
India. I represent a republic or a government which no longer exists, but I was
appointed by a legitimately elected government. I do have that legitimacy
serving in this mission".
Claiming of
being Afghanistan's legitimate representative and an accredited diplomat in
India, he said that he has shared his concerns with the Indian government and
look forward to their response over the matter.
The Afghanistan
embassy in India on Monday said there is no change in its leadership following
the claims that the Taliban have appointed a charge d'affaires to head the
mission replacing incumbent Mamundzay.
Mamundzay was
appointed by the Afghanistan's then Ashraf Ghani government and has been
working as the envoy even after the Taliban acceded Afghanistan in August 2021.
"There has
been an individual working at the embassy who defected to the Taliban and
pledged allegiance to the Taliban. This incident has been weighing on since the
last three weeks while I was travelling outside India and as soon as I get to
know, I returned back to the mission", the Afghan envoy told ANI.
Mamundzay also
alleged that Taliban carries out such acts to make wider contacts within the
international community. "Taliban carries no legitimacy. No government has
recognised their regime. The motive behind taking over the mission in such a
way is to increase their contacts with the wider international community",
he said.
"Taliban
feel internationally alienated and isolated from the world. They need to form
an inclusive government and begin to respect the rule of law, extend the
required services and liberty to the people, especially women", he added.
India has not
recognised the Taliban rule yet and has been urging for the formation of an
inclusive government in Afghanistan.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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Afghan National
On FBI Terror List Arrested Crossing Southern Border Illegally
May 17, 2023
A group of
migrants and an Afghan national on the FBI’s terror watchlist were caught trying
to enter the U.S. illegally last week.
According to
U.S. Customs and Border Protection authorities, Fox News reported that the
suspect—who has not been publicly identified—was apprehended Wednesday while
attempting to cross the southern border at Otay Mesa in San Diego, California.
The FBI
launched an investigation after a fingerprint scan on the Afghan national
revealed that he was included in the Terrorist Screening Database.
“The FBI has no
comment on your specific inquiry. We are vigilant in our efforts to detect and
assess possible threats, and we work closely with our federal, state, and local
law enforcement partners to keep our communities safe,” a statement from the
FBI said, as quoted by CBS 8.
The suspect
terrorists’ names and the nature of their alleged crimes are unknown. The
incident occurred amid thousands of refugees’ asylum requests at the border.
“The lack of
having a comprehensive good immigration program, we are creating those masses
on the other side of the border by not having an understandable process,”
Supervisor Desmond said, as quoted by CBS 8.
With more than
70 non-US citizens on the FBI’s terror watch list already detained during CBP’s
most recent fiscal year, 2023 will probably see more arrests than the 98 made
in the previous year.
During the
Trump administration, the emergency measure made it easier for border officials
to deport people from specific countries, while after Title 42 expired,
thousands of migrants flocked to the border to request asylum in the U.S.
According to
Department of Homeland Security data, less than 5,000 of the 77,000 Afghans
resettled in the U.S. through a unique legal process have obtained permanent
legal status for themselves and their families, and efforts to make them
permanent residents are failing in Congress.
Tens of
thousands of Afghan refugees who fled to the U.S. since the regime change in
2021, their legal status at risk and losing their work permits and protection
against deportation this summer.
The Biden
administration intends to give these Afghan migrants the opportunity to apply
to stay and work in the country legally for at least another two years.
As a result of
the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decision, Afghan evacuees who were
resettled on a large scale in 2021 and 2022 will have the opportunity to renew
their temporary work permits and protections from deportation under the parole
immigration policy, CBS News reported.
Source: khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-national-on-fbi-terror-list-arrested-crossing-southern-border-illegally/
--------
Bangladesh
Rejects Fifth Freedom Rights To United Arab Emirates Airlines
Bangladesh's
aviation authority has rejected a proposal to grant fifth freedom rights to
airlines from the United Arab Emirates. Nonetheless, the two countries have
left the door open for a future agreement.
Fifth freedom
proposal denied
The Civil
Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and UAE officials held a bilateral meeting
this week to discuss the possibility of fifth freedom rights and increased
flight operations. Fifth freedom rights would permit UAE carriers to carry
passengers between Bangladesh and third countries.
Two days of
talks concluded without any major breakthrough, with Bangladeshi authorities
rejecting the request for fifth freedom rights amid concerns it would hinder
the growth of local airlines.
As reported by
BD News, the meeting was attended by 22 representatives from the UAE, including
officials from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Air Arabia,
Emirates, Etihad Airways and flydubai - Simple Flying has reached out to the
airlines and will update this story accordingly.
Flights to
remain the same
Another point
on the agenda this week was the prospect of boosting flights between the UAE
and Bangladesh, but this was also rejected - UAE-based airlines currently
operate around 130 weekly flights to Bangladesh and want to further their
presence in a growing aviation market.
Bangladesh's
main international airport - Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (DAC) -
serving the capital Dhaka, is currently developing a third terminal and doesn't
have the capacity to handle an increase in flights.
The CAAB added
that proposals to increase flights would be "reviewed subject to future
capacity expansion of airports." The third terminal is touted to open in
2024 - until that happens, the airport won't be able to handle a boost in
flight operations.
Fujairah
agreement, Wizz Air service
CAAB
spokesperson Mohammad Sohel Kamruzzaman said that Bangladesh had reached an
agreement with the Emirate of Fujairah to establish air service between the two
countries, dependent on their respective airport capacities.
Wizz Air Abu
Dhabi, the UAE-based offshoot of Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air, has also
been seeking rights to serve Bangladesh with flights. This has upset local
airlines, who believe it will harm national interests and claim they were not
consulted on the matter.
As reported by
Dhaka Tribune, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Managing director and CEO, Shafiul
Azim, commented,
Source: simpleflying.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://simpleflying.com/bangladesh-rejects-fifth-freedom-rights-united-arab-emirates/
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Bangladesh
Withdraws 'Extra Security' Protection for Foreign Envoys of India, US and 2
Other Countries
MAY 16, 2023
Bangladesh has
withdrawn the “extra security escort” provided to top diplomats of India and
three other countries, with foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday
terming the service redundant, costly, and discriminatory.
Policemen
equipped with riot gear used to escort in their vans the envoys of India, the
United States, the UK, and Saudi Arabia during their movements in the city and
an intensified security vigil for them was enforced following the July 1, 2016,
Islamist militant attack in a posh Dhaka restaurant.
The attack
killed 20 people — 17 foreigners including an Indian girl. Most of the other
foreigners killed in the attack were however Japanese and Italians.
“The additional
security protocol we were providing to ambassadors and high commissioners of
some particular countries has been withdrawn. But the normal security measures
for them are in place,” a diplomatic security division official of Dhaka
Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday.
The official,
who preferred anonymity, said the police gunmen will continue to accompany the
envoys during their movements and the personnel from the designated police unit
guarding the chancery complexes and residences of senior diplomats will also
remain as usual.
The foreign
minister said the existing law and order no longer required additional security
measures for a few envoys and the decision to withdraw the extra protocols was
taken as several embassies other than the four were demanding identical
security rituals.
“We have
decided not to provide additional security escort services to foreign
ambassadors of any country,” the minister told the media at the sidelines of an
event.
He added that
if any country felt the need for additional security measures, they might hire
the services.
Momen said many
countries were now asking for a similar protocol “but we will not give it to
anyone, because it is discriminatory (and) no one gives such benefits to our
ambassadors abroad".
Shortly after
Momen’s comments, Dhaka Police Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq told reporters
that the shortage of manpower prompted authorities to make the decision to
refrain from providing any additional protocol to certain diplomats.
A foreign
ministry official, familiar with the development, said a specialised unit of
para-police Ansar Force was made ready to provide VIP protection services in
exchange for payments and the foreign missions could hire them if they wanted.
Meanwhile, the
Public Diplomacy Section of the US embassy here in a statement said: “The
safety and security of our diplomatic personnel and facilities are of the
utmost importance." “In accordance with longstanding policy, we do not
disclose security details concerning the US Embassy. Per the Vienna Convention,
the host country must uphold its obligations to ensure the protection of all
diplomatic missions and personnel," Sean McIntosh, the counsellor in
charge of the US Embassy Public Diplomacy Section said.
The three other
embassies where envoys were getting the extra privilege made no comment on the
development so far.
Source: news18.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.news18.com/india/bangladesh-withdraws-extra-security-protection-for-foreign-envoys-7833019.html
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875,000 Afghan
Children Facing Acute Malnutrition: Rights Group
May 17, 2023
Kabul:
Afghanistan remains one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters as Human
Rights Watch in a recent report on Afghanistan said that two-thirds of the
country's population is food insecure, reported Tolo News.
"Afghanistan
has largely disappeared from the media, but it remains one of the world's worst
humanitarian disasters," said the HRW report.
As per the reports,
after the ban on women working for NGOs, the crisis has become more severe. It
said 875,000 children face acute malnutrition, reported Tolo News.
"Two-thirds
of the country's population is food insecure, including 875,000 children facing
acute malnutrition. Women and girls remain most at risk," said Human
Rights Watch.
According to
the Human Rights report, drastic loss of aid will leave many Afghans poorer and
hungrier, reported Tolo News.
"The
additional information I have is that the humanitarian situation remains
critical in Afghanistan and our operations also remain underfunded," said
Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres.
Earlier, World
Bank in its report had said that Afghanistan is among one of the seven
countries which face a catastrophic level of food crisis.
According to
the report, the seven food crisis-hit countries include Afghanistan, Burkina
Faso, Haiti, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
The number of
people experiencing food crises in these countries is the highest since the
Global Report on Food Crises started reporting data in 2017.
Meanwhile,
UNICEF has also warned that it is facing a lack of critical food aid in
Afghanistan due to a shortage of funding, amidst a widespread humanitarian
crisis in the country.
Melanie Galvin,
chief of nutrition at the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), in a video
message on Twitter, said that thousands of vulnerable children could die from
severe malnutrition in Afghanistan this year alone.
Galvin further
added the global food organization faces an urgent funding gap of USD 21
million to buy essential supplies for treating malnutrition and training health
workers around the country.
The
organization also faces a shortage of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), she
said. RUTF is considered an essential ready-made food supplement that can cure
children suffering from malnutrition, according to Khaama Press.
Years of
conflict, poverty, and the broken and donation-based economy have forced
ordinary people to suffer acute hunger and food shortage.
UNICEF in its
report highlighted that Afghanistan is home to one of the world's worst
humanitarian crises. More than 28 million people, including over 15 million
children, need humanitarian and protection assistance this year, a staggering
increase of 4 million people over 2022.
Since the
return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 2021, the economy has failed
to recover, keeping millions of people on the verge of starvation.
Source: ndtv.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/875-000-afghan-children-facing-acute-malnutrition-rights-group-4040632
--------
Two children
killed in drone strike in Afghanistan’s Khost
16 May, 2023
Kabul
[Afghanistan], May 16 (ANI): Two children were killed in a drone strike in
Afghanistan’s Khost on Tuesday, Khaama Press reported.
A house in the
Bahramkhel village of Ismailkhel and Mandozai district of Khost province was
the target of a drone strike on Tuesday.
Two children
were reportedly killed in the attack, while two others, including a woman and a
child, were injured.
Those injured
were transferred to the local hospital for medical treatment.
Shabir Ahmad
Osmani, the Taliban’s director of information and culture in Khost, did not
confirm the airstrike but said that a blast had occurred at a residential house
and the matter is under investigation.
Locals in the
Khost province reported that a drone had been hovering above the Ismailkhel and
Mandozai district since Monday night and threw a bomb on a residential house at
around 3-4 am on Tuesday, according to Khaama Press.
Several media
reported that since the regime change in Afghanistan in August 2021, unknown
drones have been flying in several regions of the country.
Officials in
Pakistan expressed concern about the Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) hideouts
across the Afghan-Pak border area, which were rejected by the Taliban
authorities. (ANI)
Source: theprint.in
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://theprint.in/world/two-children-killed-in-drone-strike-in-afghanistans-khost/1577503/
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Mawlawi Abdul
Kabir Appointed as Acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan
May 17, 2023
Taliban’s
Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in a special decree has appointed Mawlawi
Abdul Kabir as the acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan.
It is reported
that Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund the acting Prime Minister is ill and until
he recovers, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir will serve as the head of the Taliban
government, TOLOnews reported.
Mullah Mohammad
Hassan Akhund has served as the Prime Minister of the Taliban government since
the group’s return to power in 2021.
Although the
Taliban authorities have not provided any details about Mullah Hassan’s
illness, sources had previously said that he was suffering from heart disease.
Mawlawi Abdul
Kabir is from the eastern Paktika province and it is said he belongs to the
Zadran tribe. He served as the governor of Nangarhar province during the former
regime of the Taliban from 1996-2001.
It is said
after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, he then served as the head of the
Peshawar Council.
Mawlawi Kabir
is one of the senior members of the Taliban group who has played a significant
role in the Taliban’s negotiations with the US in Qatar, which resulted in the
signing of the Doha Agreement between the US and the Taliban.
After the
Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Mawlawi Kabir was initially appointed
as the assistant to the economic deputy of Mullah Hasan and later as the
political deputy of the Taliban’s Prime Minister.
Source: khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/mawlawi-abdul-kabir-appointed-as-acting-prime-minister-of-afghanistan/
--------
India &
Bangladesh launch ’50 Start-ups Exchange Programme’
May 17th, 2023
The initial
batch of 10 start-up companies participating in the 50 start-ups exchange
program between India and Bangladesh have returned to Dhaka after a successful
visit to India from May 8-12. These start-ups operate in various sectors,
including e-commerce, health, transport and logistics, energy, education, and
skill development.
The exchange
program facilitates visits between 50 start-ups from Bangladesh and 50
start-ups from India, aiming to foster partnerships, expand business relations,
share experiences and knowledge, and promote collaboration among young
entrepreneurs. The framework of this program was established during recent
bilateral summits between the Prime Ministers of both countries.
Other points of
the news:
While in India,
the participating start-up companies were familiarized with India’s ‘Start-up
India’ initiative. They engaged in interactive sessions that covered topics
such as setting up a start-up and developing a business model, the significance
of incubators, marketing strategies for projects and services, cybersecurity
and artificial intelligence with a focus on data protection, start-up
evaluation, and securing funding.
The High
Commission of India in Bangladesh organized an interactive session in Dhaka,
where the group of 10 start-ups who visited India participated. High
Commissioner Pranay Verma highlighted the vibrant start-up ecosystems in both
countries, emphasizing their focus on innovation and technology. He emphasized
the potential for Bangladeshi start-ups to enter the Indian markets,
particularly in the North-Eastern states. The High Commissioner also
highlighted the opportunity for collaboration between the start-up communities
of India and Bangladesh, exploring ways to enhance ease of doing business,
including trade settlement in local currencies and collaboration in digital
payment platforms.
This visit by
the 10 Bangladeshi start-ups to India marks the beginning of the 50 start-ups
exchange program. The program has the potential to boost cooperation in new and
emerging areas, cutting-edge technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation, as
stated in an official press release.
Source: currentaffairs.adda247.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/india-bangladesh-launch-50-start-ups-exchange-programme/
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Africa
Kenya Religious
Cult That Advocated Fasting To "Meet Jesus": Police Dig Up More
Bodies
17-05-23
The death toll
from the "Shakahola Massacre" in a forest in southeastern Kenya,
where a sect whose leader advocated fasting to "meet Jesus" was
meeting, has now risen to 201 after the discovery of 22 new bodies on Saturday,
the region's prefect announced.
Police believe
that most of the bodies discovered near the coastal town of Malindi are those
of followers of the sect of Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, a former cab driver,
self-proclaimed "pastor" of the Good News International Church that
he created.
The area
prefect, Rhoda Onyancha, said 26 people have been arrested so far, including
Paul Nthenge Mackenzie and a "gang of goons" responsible for making
sure no followers broke the fast or escaped from the forest.
Paul Mackenzie
had surrendered to the authorities on April 14, after the police discovered the
first victims in the Shakahola forest. About 50 mass graves have been
discovered since then.
Investigators
will pause the exhumations over the next two days to reorganize their
operations, which are expected to resume on Tuesday, Onyancha said.
Autopsies on
the first bodies indicate that most of the victims died of starvation, most
likely after following the preaching of Paul Nthenge Mackenzie.
Some victims,
however, including children, were strangled, beaten or suffocated, said the
head of forensic operations, Johansen Oduor, recently.
The massacre
has rekindled the debate over the regulation of religious worship in Kenya, a
predominantly Christian country with 4,000 "churches," according to
official figures.
President
William Ruto has set up a task force to "review the legal and regulatory
framework governing religious organizations".
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/16/kenya-religious-cult-police-dig-up-more-bodies/
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Namibia recognises
same-sex marriages contracted abroad
17-05-23
Namibia's
Supreme Court on Tuesday recognised same-sex marriages contracted abroad
between citizens and foreign spouses, a landmark ruling in a country where
homosexuality is illegal.
The decision
overturns a ruling reached last year by the High Court, which refused to accept
same-sex marriages concluded outside Namibia.
Two Namibian
nationals had sought recourse from the courts after the ministry of home
affairs and immigration refused to grant permits to same-sex foreign spouses
whom they had married outside the country.
"This
Court accordingly found that the approach of the Ministry to exclude spouses,
including the appellants, in a validly concluded same-sex marriage... infringes
both the interrelated rights to dignity and equality of the appellants,"
the ruling said.
Annette Seiler,
who is married to German national Anita Seiler-Lilles, brought the case along
with Namibian citizen Johann Potgieter and his South African husband, Matsobane
Daniel Digashu.
Their marriages
were respectively concluded in Germany and South Africa
Namibia has
seen a flurry of court cases on the rights of same-sex couples to marry, become
parents and immigrate.
Homosexuality
is illegal in Namibia under a rarely-enforced 1927 sodomy law dating to its
period under South African rule.
South Africa,
under its liberal post-apartheid constitution, is the sole African nation which
allows gay marriage, legalised in 2006.
In March this
year, the same paramount court overturned a decision by a lower court to grant
citizenship to a gay couple's four-year-old son who was born in neighbouring
South Africa through surrogacy.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/16/namibia-recognises-same-sex-marriages-contracted-abroad/
--------
Court Grants
Bauchi Imam, Abdulaziz, Bail
By Hassan
Ibrahim
Wed, 17 May
2023
A Bauchi Chief
Magistrate Court yesterday granted bail to the Chief Imam of Dutsen Tanshi
Jumaat Mosque, Dr Idris Abdulaziz, who has been arraigned by the police for
making comments capable of inciting public unrest in his sermon.
Chief
Magistrate Abdulfatah Sekoni, on Tuesday, granted him N1m bail with three
sureties in the like sum who must be his district head, a permanent secretary
in state service, and a renowned Islamic scholar in the state.
He said the
remand order earlier made on Monday was to allow the court to study the First
Information Report (FIR) and the circumstances surrounding the case.
The magistrate
explained that having meticulously gone through the case, it was ideal to grant
the applicant bail as to do otherwise would amount to injustice to him.
The court has
adjourned the case till May 24 for hearing.
Meanwhile, the
Students Committee of Imam Idris
Abdulaziz under the auspices of Dutsen Tanshi Majlis Foundation Nigeria has
appealed to his followers and other sympathisers to remain calm and not to
embark on protests or any act that might breach the peace in the state.
A statement
signed by the President of the Students Committee, Yau Idris, said that the
appeal became necessary in order to avert a development whereby the situation
would be hijacked by hoodlums.
Source: dailytrust.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://dailytrust.com/court-grants-bauchi-imam-abdulaziz-bail/
--------
African peace
mission to visit Ukraine and Russia
17-05-23
South African
president, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced on Tuesday that six African leaders are
planning to travel to Ukraine and Russia to help find a solution to the war.
Ramaphosa added
that Russian president Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy had
agreed to receive the African peace mission in their respective capitals.
"The two
leaders that I had occasion to speak to, that is President Putin and President
Zelenskyy, agreed that they would be willing to receive a mission of the
African heads of states in both Moscow and Kyiv. I agreed with both of them
that we would commence with the preparations for the engagements with these
African heads of state. The Secretary General of the United Nations was also
briefed and so is the African Union office also briefed", said the South
African president.
The initiative
was drawn up by Zambia, Senegal, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Egypt and South
Africa.
The
announcement came a day after Ramaphosa said South Africa had been under
"extraordinary pressure" to pick sides in the conflict, following
accusations from the United States that Pretoria supplied weapons to Moscow, a
move that would break with its professed neutrality.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/16/african-peace-mission-to-visit-ukraine-and-russia/
--------
Deaths as
Senegal protests turn violent
17-05-23
At least three
people died in Senegal during protests supporting opposition leader Ousmane
Sonko before he was supposed to attend a since postponed rape trial in a court
in Dakar on Tuesday.
The judge of
the criminal chamber of the Dakar high court postponed Sonko’s trial to give
lawyers for key witnesses time to go over the court files.
The delay came
after 24 hours of unrest linked to the case against the prominent politician in
the West African nation.
Two people were
found dead in Dakar and Ziguinchor after the protests, and one police officer
died when an armoured police car accidentally hit him, the interior ministry
said.
Buses were
burned, some shops were attacked and people clashed with police in the capital
Dakar and in Sonko’s hometown, Ziguinchor, during violent demonstrations on
Monday night.
“It’s politics
what’s going on,” said Abdoulay Sy, a Senegalese IT engineer and U.S. resident,
who was caught by surprise by the protests while visiting his family in Keur
Massar at the outskirts of Dakar.
“This is our
stuff, we pay taxes, this is our staff if they burn it, they are destroying our
things” the 35-year-old engineer said, adding that every time there were
elections, unrest and “bad things” happen.
He said a lack
of opportunities for young people further fuelled the demonstrations, and
called on all sides to restore peace.
Meanwhile Sonko
remained in Ziguinchor, where he is the mayor, and where the unrest started on
Monday when his supporters tried to protect him from a possible arrest to force
him to be present in court.
Sonko was
charged based on a woman's accusations that he assaulted her when she worked at
a massage salon.
He denies the
charges and said there was a plot to remove him from the presidential race.
If convicted,
Sonko faces up to 10 years in prison and would be barred from running for
president in 2024.
He recently
received a 6-month suspended prison sentence in a defamation case against the
Minister of Tourism Mame Mbaye Niang, who he should pay about $330,000.
The opposition
leader declared he would no longer respond to court summonses.
Sonko
challenged President Macky Sall in Senegal's 2019 presidential election and was
elected mayor of Ziguinchor last year.
Heavy police
presence was seen in Dakar, Ziguinchor and elsewhere in Senegal.
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/16/deaths-as-senegal-protests-turn-violent/
--------
North
America
US Voices
Support for Freedom of Expression without Any Violence in Pakistan
May 17, 2023
WASHINGTON:
Amidst domestic turmoil in Pakistan, the United States (US) has voiced support
for freedom of expression without any violence and reiterated that a strong,
stable and prosperous Pakistan is crucial to its ties with the country.
“Our belief is
that individuals should have the freedom to express themselves, but do so
without participating in any violence, violence that would put government
employees in government buildings in harm’s way. And specifically on the
arrest, I spoke a little bit to this last week,” US State Department’s Deputy
Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at his daily news conference in
Washington.
Responding to a
question on the ongoing developments in Pakistan, Vedant Patel said “The US
does not have a position on one political party or one candidate or other. Our
view is a strong, stable and prosperous Pakistan is crucial to US-Pakistan
relations and that for any arrest that such an individual is affronted basic
human rights in accordance to their laws.”
Asked about the
freedom of press in Pakistan, the State Department deputy spokesman said he is
not going to be prescriptive about the current situation.
“I do not have
an assessment to offer from here. But broadly, we are very clear about the need
for access for media and the access for information and the free flow of
information between the government and journalists,” he added.
Source: brecorder.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40242511/us-voices-support-for-freedom-of-expression-without-any-violence
--------
Senate Dems
Host Event Celebrating Islamic Terrorists Killing Jews
May 17, 2023
(May 17, 2023 /
JNS) In Israel, Inga Avramyan, 82, died under a collapsed ceiling. The elderly
immigrant from Armenia heard the sirens warning of an Islamic terror strike,
but did not reach a bomb shelter in time because she was trying to help her
disabled husband make it along with her.
Sergei, Inga’s
husband, had lost a leg in a car accident and needed a wheelchair to get
around. The rocket smashed through the side of the building, the ceiling
collapsed and Inga was killed.
Four days
before the Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket killed Inga, Senator Bernie Sanders
helped host an event in the Senate building promoting the terror group.
House Speaker
Kevin McCarthy had cancelled a House event by anti-Semitic politician Rep.
Rashida Tlaib commemorating “Nakba Day”—mourning the failed effort by invading
Muslim armies to exterminate Israel’s Jewish population.
“I think it’s
outrageous that Speaker McCarthy threw them out of a room they had reserved,”
Sanders fumed.
The socialist
senator then arranged to have the terrorist supporters host their event
promoting the destruction of the Jewish state by abusing his chairmanship of
the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee to use its
hearing room.
What does the
Senate’s oversight of pensions have to do with destroying Israel? Ask Bernie.
Inside the
event, Noura Erakat boasted, “It is of utmost importance to say that here
because we are within the very institution that has sustained the ongoing
Nakba.”
The institution
is the United States government, and the Nakba [“catastrophe” in Arabic] is the
existence of Israel.
In Canada,
Erakat had generated a political controversy when a Ontario New Democratic
Party (ONDP) politician retweeted her message calling dead Islamic Jihad leader
Khader Adnan a “martyr.” In the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington,
D.C., Erakat read a quote about “resisting,” a euphemism for terrorism, from
the dead terrorist.
Palestinian
Islamic Jihad is not just a problem for Israel. The terrorist group was spun
off from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islamic Jihad operation in Egypt. That terror
group, often described as Egyptian Islamic Jihad, to avoid confusion, became
part of Al Qaeda and eventually took it over.
In the months
before 9/11, Islamic Jihad and Al Qaeda became a single organization. When Al
Qaeda’s hijacked planes killed thousands of Americans, the U.S. Capitol,
suspected to be the target of the last plane, was rapidly evacuated.
Now Al Qaeda’s
stepbrother terrorists are hailed in the offices of the Senate.
Khader Adnan,
hailed in the offices of the Senate, has been described by the media as an
“activist,” “detainee” and a “hunger striker.” Those are long-winded ways of
saying terrorist. The “martyr,” whose hunger strike was a prolonged suicide,
can be seen on video at the funeral of another terrorist, urging the crowd on
to more attacks.
“Who among you
is Hassan Abu Zaid [the suicide bomber, who murdered seven people]?” he
demanded. “Who among you is the next martyrdom-seeker? Who among you has the
next explosive belt? Who among you will carry out the next shooting?”
The New York
Times responded by comparing the Islamic Jihad terrorist to Gandhi. And the
Senate allowed Sanders to hijack its facilities to hold an event promoting the
destruction of Israel and celebrating an Islamic terrorist.
There’s no room
in the Senate to discuss an 82-year-old woman crushed under a ceiling while
trying to help her amputee husband reach safety, but there’s always room to
praise terrorists.
Nor was it
Noura Erakat’s first time in Congress.
When Pelosi and
the Democrats took Congress, Erakat, a key BDS figure, became a legal counsel
for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. She attained this position
even though her uncle, Saeb Erakat, was a top official in the PLO terrorist
group. Her cousin, Ahmed Erekat, was killed while carrying out a terrorist
attack that injured a female Israeli officer.
This is the
murderous terrorism that House and Senate Democrats choose to enable.
Sen. Bernie
Sanders, who when politically convenient occasionally claims to be Jewish, was
not outraged over Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s murder of Inga Avramyan, but by
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy denying Rep. Rashida Tlaib space in which to
promote the terrorists trying to kill Jews.
The only reason
that Rep. Tlaib had to resort to the socialist senator’s assistance was that
Republicans held the House majority. Had Pelosi and the Democrats still been in
charge, there is no doubt that the event celebrating terrorism and attacking
Israel would have gone forward.
“People should
be allowed to congregate, to have discussions, to express their viewpoints and
ideas,” Rep. Pete Aguilar, the third ranking House Democrat, had complained about
Speaker McCarthy’s decision to cancel Tlaib’s Nakba event “That’s who we are.”
Supporting
Islamic terrorists killing Jews is who the Democrats are.
Senate
Democrats, who could have intervened and stopped this ugliness, carefully
ignored it. Senate Majority Leader Schumer’s allies claimed that he was
“totally unaware of this event.”
Sen. Bill
Cassidy, the Republican ranking member on the pension committee, condemned
Senate Democrats for allowing the hearing room to be used to “legitimize
anti-Semitic bigotry.”
Once
controversial, antisemitic House members like Rep. Tlaib and Rep. Omar have
been embraced by Biden and the Democrat establishment. When Speaker McCarthy
booted Rep. Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee, Democrats held the line in
supporting the antisemitic politician. The hate fest at the Dirksen Office
Building shows where the Democrats are headed.
Democrats
defiled the Capitol by turning into a haven for celebrating Islamic Jihad
terrorists, who are backed by Iran and closely related to Al Qaeda. They did it
while Islamic Jihad was firing rockets into Israel in a ruthless effort to kill
Jews.
Islamic Jihad
celebrated Inga’s murder by gloating that
“our Palestinian people raise their heads high with this blessed and
sacred response from the Palestinian resistance.”
What better way
for the Arab Muslim invaders to “raise their heads high” than with the “blessed
and sacred” murder of an 82-year-old Israeli woman.
Perhaps Sanders
can arrange to allow Rep. Rashida Tlaib to hold an event celebrating this
latest heroic “resistance” of the Islamic Jihad in the Senate office building.
Source: jns.org
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.jns.org/opinion/senate-dems-host-event-celebrating-islamic-terrorists-killing-jews/
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A section of
NYC skateboarding ‘mecca’ Brooklyn Banks reopens in Chinatown
MAY 16, 2023
Parts of a
long-neglected public space under the Brooklyn Bridge once known as the “mecca”
of New York City skateboarding will reopen this month. On Wednesday, May 24,
“The Arches,” a one-acre public space with basketball, pickleball,
shuffleboard, and seating under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, will
officially open after being shuttered for over a decade, Mayor Eric Adams
announced last week. The new park sits next to Brooklyn Banks, a haven for
skateboarders and BMX riders starting in the 1980s before closing in 2010.
The new park’s
opening coincides with the 140th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge and the
completion of the city’s renovation of the iconic overpass.
A majority of
the space underneath the bridge’s vehicle onramps has been closed to the public
since 2010 when DOT began work on the $800 million project. The bridge’s rehabilitation
included a comprehensive cleaning of its granite stones for the first time
since its construction and the replacement of mortar between stones.
The
reactivation of the Arches is part of Adams’ “Working People’s Agenda,”
announced during his 2023 State of the City address, which included an
investment of $375 million into the creation of new public spaces across all
five boroughs to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers.
The
revitalization also follows a recommendation set forth in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s
“Making New York Work for Everyone” action plan, which proposed a series of
public realm improvements in all five boroughs, including underneath and around
the Brooklyn Bridge.
“One hundred
forty years ago, we opened the Brooklyn Bridge and connected two islands. This
is a landmark 1883 moment for our communities, our public spaces, and our
city’s recovery,” Adams said.
“These kinds of
public spaces are a critical component of our administration’s strategy for an
equitable, inclusive, and prosperous economic recovery for New York City. And
we are delivering on that strategy with a $375 million investment and now two
new spaces for the Chinatown residents, the skateboarding community, and all
New Yorkers to enjoy.”
The Arches is
just one section of the larger Brooklyn Banks, an area that became an integral
part of the city’s skateboarding and BMX community from the 1980s through the
2000s, gradually becoming a favorite spot to ride due to its sloping brick,
stairs, benches, and railings for sliding, according to the New York Times.
The non-profit
organization Gotham Park envisions a sprawling nine-acre public park for the
area, with six outdoor sections from Park Row to South Street. The Adams
administration stated that it would host discussions starting this spring to
reevaluate other spaces around the Arches that could receive potential
upgrades, according to the Tribeca Citizen.
Tony Hawk’s
organization The Skatepark Project partnered with Gotham Park in an effort to
restore the Brooklyn Banks fully.
“Skating is my
passion, and it’s allowed me to stay active throughout my life. Everyone
deserves that opportunity, no matter who they are or where they live,” Hawk
said in a statement.
“The Brooklyn
Banks and the Arches will bring people of all backgrounds together, building
community through creativity, action sports, and outdoor play. I’m honored to
support this effort that will provide safe outdoor recreation for the tens of
thousands of New Yorkers living nearby.”
In 2020, two
students at Pace University started a petition to save the Brooklyn Banks,
which captured the local community board’s attention. Plans to revive the
iconic park moved forward in January when Adams expressed support for the new
public spaces under the Brooklyn Bridge in his State of the City address.
Source: 6sqft.com
Please
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https://www.6sqft.com/a-section-of-nyc-skateboarding-mecca-brooklyn-banks-reopens-in-chinatown/
--------
Rhiannon
Giddens, Michael Abels on Winning Music Pulitzer for Opera About Muslim
American Slave: “People Are Ready for These Stories”
MAY 15, 2023
Grammy-winning
singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens was taking a walk
after having dinner with her children and saw a tweet.
She had won the
Pulitzer Prize for music. “It was literally a total shock,” she tells The
Hollywood Reporter from Ireland, where she currently lives.
The work that
won her the prestigious prize alongside composer Michael Abels is Omar, the
opera about Muslim American slave Omar ibn Said. It is based on his
autobiography A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar ibn Said, which was
written in 1831 and is the only known memoir written by a slave in America in
Arabic.
“I was minding
my own business in my studio trying to be creative and my lawyer called me and
said without any hello, ‘You just won the Pulitzer Prize!’ And it took me the
rest of the call to be convinced that he wasn’t lying,” says Abels, who has
scored films like Get Out, Us and Nope. “My texts started to blow up, and I
knew that something was happening.”
Giddens and
Abels started composing Omar before the pandemic. Giddens also wrote the
libretto. Abels calls the collaboration “a relationship of deep trust” and
describes winning the Prize — which was announced last week — like “having a
dream where you’re flying.”
Omar was
commissioned by the Spoleto Festival U.S. in Charleston, South Carolina, and
premiered in 2022. It had its West Coast premiere at LA Opera and also visited
University of Chapel Hill at North Carolina and Boston Lyric Opera, where
performances wrapped this month.
“I think people
are ready for these stories,” Giddens says of Omar Ibn Said, who in 1807 was
captured and forced to leave his home in West Africa on a ship bound for Charleston,
where he was sold into slavery. “We’ve had this very simplified version of what
is the American story and who represents the American story. People who were
brought to the States during the time of slavery — there’s never this idea that
they were all different people from different places with different religions
and different languages, and that they all had these lives before they came to
the States.”
“I think people
are ready for that narrative that we’ve been given for so long to be gone,” she
continues. “There are a million and one stories of what it means to be in the
United States, whether through immigration, through slavery, through being
there as an Indigenous person. We really need to start telling many more of
them rather than the same ones over and over again.”
Omar is the
first opera both Giddens and Abels were fully immersed in. “When I was singing
operas, if you’d have said, ‘One day, you’re going to write one,’ I’d be like,
‘Yeah, you’re crazy,’” Giddens explains.
They say the
opera space is diversifying, and Omar is changing the landscape.
“Omar really
invites people into the opera house who have never been there before. There are
a lot of people who see Omar who have never experienced any opera, even La
bohème or The Marriage of Figaro,” says Abels. “And I think it also genuinely
works as a first opera for people in spite of the fact that it is, in some
ways, completely unique in the opera world. Opera’s been one of the most
exclusive spaces that we have artistically, and that is changing. And Omar is a
prime example.”
Giddens is
hoping to shift minds in the world of opera as she did in music. The performer,
who has been told “different was her genre,” emerged as a member of the
old-time string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she sang and played
banjo and fiddle. The group’s 2010 project, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy
for best traditional folk album. “The idea of Black people playing this music
that it turns out we actually co-created — I know there’s a whole generation now
of young Black people, young people of color who saw us onstage, and they were
like, ‘I can do that.’”
“That’s why we
wrote this opera,” she adds. “You can only change things by making new things.
It’s not enough to be like, ‘Oh, let’s make sure we have a Black Figaro and an
actual Japanese butterfly.’ It really is important to start putting our stories
onstage because that’s the only way we’re going to get the next generation in
any kind of numbers that make sense.”
Giddens reached
out to Abels because she heard the epic music he created for 2017’s Get Out and
knew they could bring Omar to life together. “I cold-emailed him. I was like,
‘Hey, you don’t know me, but do you want to write an opera with me?’”
He was game.
Abels was riding off the success of Us and Get Out, which won Jordan Peele the
Oscar for best original screenplay and changed the composer’s life. “I went
from being completely unknown to suddenly meeting a lot of people in the
industry,” he admits.
“In spite of
living in L.A. my whole life, I was profoundly unsuccessful at convincing
anyone I could score their film. Some of my concert music ended up on YouTube,
where it got a few dozen views — one of them turned out to be Jordan Peele, who
was looking for someone to score his first film back when he was known as ‘the
comedy guy,’” he explains. “He was looking for someone who could write in a
really scary, dissonant 20th-century orchestra style and someone who also
understood the African American experience. So, in that way, he was looking for
me.”
Us followed,
then came last year’s Nope. Both compositions were shortlisted at the Academy
Awards for the best original score. Abels also earned a pair of Emmy
nominations in 2021 for his work on the HBO docuseries Allen vs. Farrow.
In addition to
various projects, including a new album called You’re the One from Giddens in
August, the pair will continue to tell Omar ibn Said’s story. The opera will
head to the San Francisco Opera in the fall and eventually Lyric of Chicago.
“A lot of times
people also have gone, ‘Why opera? Why is Omar’s story an opera?’ And well,
first of all, I’m like, ‘Why not?’ And second of all, I’m like, ‘There’s
something about opera,’” Giddens says.
“[With
slavery,] we tend to focus on the violence and the violence was awful. To be
honest with you, I don’t know how useful that is. What is that doing? I think
movies are great, and they can do a lot of beautiful things, but there’s
something that an opera like this can do with that kind of material that I
think is better for the human psyche,” Giddens says.
“I think it’s
important for us to know how terrible it was, but it was terrible in a lot of
different ways, and I think we have a more holistic idea with opera. The
intention is that you go there, but then you are carried to a better place
before you walk out of that theater.”
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/rhiannon-giddens-michael-abels-winning-music-pulitzer-opera-muslim-american-slave-1235491925/
--------
Mideast
Islamic Jihad
leadership: Elimination of our commanders will bring new, better ones
May 16, 2023
Ziad
Al-Nakhala, the leader of the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, spoke with
the families of those who were killed in IDF air strikes in the Gaza Strip last
week, including senior commanders of the Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front and
the Mujahideen Brigades organizations.
Al-Nakhala
noted that “the blood of the shaheeds will continue to be the fuel of the
Palestinian resistance against Zionist terrorism", and added that it
strengthens the determination "to continue on the path of jihad and
fighting until the liberation of Palestine and the return of the
refugees."
Meanwhile,
Ahmed Al-Mudallal, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Jihad, said
that the Al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of the Islamic Jihad, and the other
Palestinian Arab organizations still have the military ability to strike deep
within Israel.
In an interview
with Al-Quds Al-Youm TV, Al-Mudallal said that Israel understands that the
elimination of a senior commander in the organization leads to the promotion of
another, more competent and sophisticated commander.
He claimed that
the most recent campaign, which the Palestinian Arabs titled the "Revenge
of the Free People", established a new equation in the rules of the game
with Israel, which believed that it could focus the fighting on the Islamic
Jihad only, but it encountered a united Palestinian Arab line and the bombing
of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and many other towns.
Al-Mudallal
pointed out that the last round of fighting advanced the Palestinian Arabs on
the way to victory over the "Zionist enemy and its removal from the
occupied land".
"The Prime
Minister of the occupation Benjamin Netanyahu did not estimate that there would
be five days of hell," Al-Mudallal claimed, adding that Netanyahu
"surrendered to the conditions of the Islamic Jihad."
Source: israelnationalnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371542
--------
Tunisia’s
moderate Islamist leader gets year in jail after trial decried as sham
By BOUAZZA BEN
BOUAZZA
16 May 202
TUNIS, Tunisia
(AP) — A court has sentenced moderate Tunisian Islamist leader Rached
Ghannouchi to a year in prison for allegedly referring to police officers as
tyrants in what his party said early Tuesday amounted to a sham trial.
Ghannouchi, 81,
founder of the Ennahdha party, has refused to be removed from his place of
detention for questioning or to attend Monday’s trial, considering that the
cases are “political settling of scores targeting opponents of the regime,”
lawyer Samir Dilou, a former party leader, said in an interview with The
Associated Press.
Ghannouchi, a
former speaker of parliament, is the most prominent critic of Tunisian
President Kais Saied. He has maintained that Saied’s move in 2021 to take all
powers into his hands amounted to a coup d’etat.
Ghannouchi was
detained in mid-April on the charge of plotting against the security of the
state. He has been called in numerous times for questioning on various matters,
but this was the first time he was not released.
Monday’s case
grew out of a complaint by a security union member claiming that Ghannouchi
used the word “taghout,” or tyrant, while eulogizing a member of his party at a
February 2022 funeral. According to a tweet by his daughter Soumaya, he said
that the deceased “did not fear poverty, ruler or tyrant.” Ennahda condemned
the decision to prosecute as “an unjust political ruling” and called for his
immediate release.
His party said
on its English-language Twitter account that Ghannouchi was charged with
conspiracy against state security and ordered to remain in prison pending
trial.
“Kais Saied is
making a mockery of the judiciary, using it as a tool for political revenge and
persecution,” his daughter tweeted.
About 20 other
people, including the director of the respected radio Mosaique, Noureddine
Bouttar, are currently detained on a variety of charges.
The crackdown
on opponents comes amid growing social tensions and deepening economic troubles
in Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring pro-democracy movement more than
a decade ago.
Source: timesofisrael.com
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/tunisias-moderate-islamist-leader-gets-year-in-jail-after-trial-decried-as-sham/
--------
Jordan hands
over ‘terrorist’ with Muslim Brotherhood links to UAE
17 May ,2023
Jordan handed
over a wanted man with links to the Muslim Brotherhood, Khalaf Abdul Rahman
Humaid al-Rumaithi, to the UAE.
The state-run
Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Wednesday that al-Rumaithi had been received
by the UAE authorities from Jordan.
He faces
charges in the UAE for “establishing a secret organization affiliated with the
terrorist Muslim Brotherhood that aims to oppose the foundational principles of
the UAE government,” according to the WAM report.
An arrest
warrant was reportedly issued against al-Rumaithi and the handover was carried
out based on the legal and judicial cooperation of the Arab Interior Ministers’
Council responsible for the prosecution of criminals who do not attend the
local legal proceedings.
According to
the UAE criminal law, al-Rumaithi will be retried on the same charges.
A court ruling
in 2013 sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in prison. Reports from then
placed al-Rumaithi in the company of nearly 100 Emirati nationals who were
charged on the grounds of sedition - plotting to overthrow the government.
“The UAE
reiterates maintaining its sovereignty and stability, and safety and security
of its citizens and residents, and that it will not hesitate to go after those
wanted for justice and prosecute them in fair judicial process,” the latest WAM
report said.
Source: english.alarabiya.net
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2023/05/17/Jordan-hands-over-terrorist-with-Muslim-Brotherhood-links-to-UAE
--------
Victim of
Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket attack laid to rest
(May 16, 2023 /
JNS) Inga Avramyan, who was killed by a Gazan rocket during “Operation Shield
and Arrow,” was buried on Monday at the Alternative Cemetery in Kibbutz Givat
Brenner.
Avramyan, 82,
was killed on Thursday when a rocket scored a direct hit on her home in
Rehovot, located 12 miles south of Tel Aviv.
The ceiling
collapsed in her apartment as she tried to help her paralyzed husband, Sergei,
who had not been able to reach a bomb shelter.
Avrayam was the
only Israeli fatality during the five-day conflict against Palestinian Islamic
Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
Five other
people were wounded in the rocket attack, including Sergei, who was lightly
hurt but has lost his primary caregiver.
Some 200 people
attended the funeral, including Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who
represented the government.
“Inga was murdered
by despicable terrorists who choose to indiscriminately fire at civilian
population centers,” said Chikli. “The murderous, wretched terrorists will not
succeed. Although we are forced to make sacrifices, we will never bow our heads
to evil or surrender to it.”
A Palestinian
man from Gaza who was killed by a rocket on May 13 while working in Israel was
recognized on Sunday as a victim of terrorism.
Israel’s
Defense Ministry and National Insurance Institute approved the measure, which
entitles the family of Abdullah Abu Jaba, 34, to state benefits. Abu Jaba was
killed by shrapnel from a rocket that hit an agricultural site near Moshav
Shokeda in the western Negev.
Source: jns.org
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.jns.org/victim-of-islamic-jihad-rocket-attack-laid-to-rest/
--------
Muslim devotees
mourn Imam Jafar Sadeq on martyrdom anniversary
May 16, 2023
The mourners
walked from the city’s Shohada Square to the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza, the
eighth Shia Imam, in the city on Tuesday.
The day was a
national holiday in Iran.
Here is a
selection of images from the procession in Mashhad.
Source: ifpnews.com
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https://ifpnews.com/muslim-devotees-mourn-imam-jafar-sadeq-on-martyrdom-anniversary/
--------
Russia, Iran
make progress on new oil and gas projects in Islamic Republic
17 May 2023
Russia and Iran
have made progress regarding the participation of Russian companies in new oil
and gas projects in Iran, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said
during talks with Iranian Petroleum Minister Javad Owji in Tehran, Trend
reports citing TASS.
"We are
implementing projects to develop oil fields in Iran and have outlined new
projects, where I expect progress soon," he said.
The Iranian
minister, in turn, said the Russian and Iranian delegations had spent several
hours at the negotiating table. Among other participants was Deputy Chairman of
Gazprom Management Committee Vitaly Markelov. According to Owji, the
delegations discussed issues related to oil and gas.
"I am
pleased to announce that major Russian companies have already arrived in Iran,
came to terms with Iranian companies, and contracts are already being
fulfilled," he said, expressing hope that more contracts will follow in
the future.
The sides also
discussed the construction of nuclear power plants in Iran and other electrical
power generation matters, Owji added.
Source: en.trend.az
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://en.trend.az/world/russia/3749173.html
--------
Southeast
Asia
Pig heads,
BBQs: Mosque backlash tests S Korea religious freedom
By Raphael
Rashid
17 May 2023
Daegu, South
Korea – When Muaz Razaq left Pakistan for the first time in 2019 to study for
his computer science master’s degree in South Korea, he never expected to
become the lightning rod of a bitter battle putting the country’s religious
tolerance to the test.
“South Korea
stands out as a leader in software engineering and Kyungpook National
University was my first choice owing to the positive things I had heard from my
seniors and the presence of a mosque nearby,” the 27-year-old, who is now
studying for a doctorate, told Al Jazeera.
“Some locals
were curious about my traditional attire and beard, which reminded them of
Korea’s past aristocrats, but I never felt animosity or direct discrimination.”
All that
changed when the university’s approximately 150 Muslims decided to renovate the
mosque they established in 2014 near the school’s west gate.
The dispute
over the plan has turned the construction site into a target of virulent
Islamophobia.
Officially
known as Dar-ul-Emaan Kyungpook and Islamic Centre, the mosque is located in
the Buk district of Daegu, South Korea’s third-largest city and a conservative
stronghold about 240km (149 miles) from the capital Seoul.
There are about
a dozen mosques around Daegu, mainly in the suburbs, catering to migrant labour
populations of practising Muslims.
Students raised
the funds to demolish their old building next to the university, which was too
cramped and lacked proper heating, and put up a new two-storey structure. To
secure the necessary planning permission, they had to buy the house next door,
which now serves as a temporary prayer hall.
Soon after the
new beams were erected in early 2021, the Buk district office abruptly issued
an administrative order halting construction, citing complaints from local
residents.
The concerns
were apparently related to the smell from the students’ cooking inside the
mosque, noise and obstruction of traffic – things Razaq says had not previously
been mentioned as problems.
Source: aljazeera.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/17/pig-heads-bbqs-mosque-backlash-tests-s-korea-religious-freedom
--------
Kyungpook
National University students, faculty to march in support of construction of
mosque in Daegu
May 17, 2023
A group of
Kyungpook National University students and faculty will be marching to protest
the opposition to building a mosque in the neighborhood.
The group will
march across the campus on Thursday and hold signs that condemn discrimination
against Muslims.
Faculty members
include professors Yuk Joo-won and Kim Yoo-kyeong.
The group has
been staging an hour-long march every Monday and Thursday since May 1. Around
20 to 50 students participated each time.
The march
follows the ongoing battle between residents and the Muslim community.
A house located
200 meters (656 feet) from the west gate of Kyungpook National University in
Buk District, Daegu, was to be turned into a mosque, with construction starting
in September 2020.
Construction
was halted in February 2021 due to residents filing complaints to the Buk
District Office, claiming the mosque would make the neighborhood crowded and
noisy. After years of conflict, construction resumed in April.
According to
the Kyungpook National University professors, the march will be held every
Monday and Thursday until May 29. The group plans to continue to hold marches
in the future if residents continue to oppose the construction.
Source: koreajoongangdaily.joins.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2023/05/17/national/kcampus/korea-university-kyungpook/20230517150925996.html
--------
Penang Islamic
department wants apology over 'seditious' video
17-05-23
The Penang
Islamic Affairs Department (MAIPP) regards a viral video claiming that a
condominium in the state has barred the use of loudspeakers for calls to prayer
(azan) as ill-intentioned.
Penang Deputy
Chief Minister Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman said the video is “confusing,
dishonest, and was publicised without good intentions, no matter what the
purpose.”
Zukiyuddin, who
heads MAIPP, said a meeting on July 2, 2015, has stated that loudspeakers were
allowed outside mosques and surau for the azan and religious talks.
He said the
condominium’s management has stated it was not against the loudspeakers or azan
and that the issue has been resolved.
“We regret the
role played by a TikTok user named Mohd Sophian Mohd Zain, who made and
publicised the controversial video on May 14, with a tone which angered the
Muslim community in the whole country,” said Zakiyuddin (above, right).
“The issue was
actually being managed in an amicable way by all sectors, including by most of
the community, the surau committee, and the condo management,” he added.
“We want
Sophian to apologise publicly for the seditious video which has angered the
Muslim community,” he stressed.
“We are looking
into the appropriate laws to deal with this matter.”
Issue since
last year
Zakiyuddin was
speaking at the Surau Saidina Umar in the Tri Pinnacle condominium in Tanjung
Tokong, which has come under the spotlight for allegedly interfering with the
volume of the loudspeakers for the azan.
The press
conference was called following a viral video of a man accusing the
condominium’s joint management committee (JMC) of banning the use of
loudspeakers for the azan.
Mohd Sophian
Mohd Zain
Sophian, who
uploaded the video, also vowed to lodge a police report on the matter.
A separate
video showed an argument with the JMC over the issue, with a man heard angrily
saying: “The azan is compulsory for us Muslim, don’t interfere.”
Surau
chairperson Mohd Nasir Abdul Majid said the incident happened on March 23
during the JMC’s annual general meeting.
He added the
issue has persisted since last year when, following complaints, the surau
management lowered the volume of the speakers.
However, Nasir
said they were unable to fulfil the JMC’s request to only allow loudspeakers in
the surau.
It was learnt
that Permatang Pauh PKR Youth chief Fahmi Zainol will also lodge a police
report on the matter.
According to
Sinar Harian, the police have called up the JMC personnel to be interviewed in
order to try and settle the “sensitive issue” amicably.
‘Show me the
sedition’
Sophian, who
was in the press conference with a group of supporters, refused to apologise
unless Zakiyuddin can pinpoint any part of his video that is seditious.
“Show me any
part of the video that is seditious and incites hatred between the races in the
country and I will apologise,” he said.
Throughout the
press conference, Sophian and his friends tried to intervene to ask questions
and tell their side of the story.
However, a very
patient Zakiyuddin told them to remain calm as their turn will come and they
would have a chance to speak.
Meanwhile, JMC
chairperson Alex Low apologised to the Muslim community for the controversial
issue.
JMC chairperson
Alex Low
He said there
was no intention on the part of the JMC to ban or disallow the azan and the use
of loudspeakers for it.
“We regret and
feel disappointed that a private meeting has been made viral to the public,”
said Low.
“The video
created confusion. We tried to manage and resolve the issue amicably with the
surau management team,” he added.
Also present at
the press conference was Penang Mufti Wan Salim Mohd Nor and PKR Kebun Bunga
assemblyperson Jason Ong.
The condominium
has three blocks, each with 48 floors. Block A, a low-medium-cost apartment,
has mostly Muslim residents.
Blocks B and C
are medium-cost apartments with mixed residency.
Source: malaysiakini.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/665377
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Azalina: Umno
ministers to raise ‘Allah’ appeal withdrawal in Cabinet
By Kenneth Tee
Tuesday, 16 May
2023
KUALA LUMPUR,
May 16 — Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said today said she and other Umno ministers
will seek a Cabinet discussion on the government’s withdrawal of the appeal
against the High Court ruling quashing a ban on Christian publications using
“Allah”, the Arabic word for God.
Azalina, who is
the Umno information chief, said more “in-depth research” must be conducted in
a manner fair to all parties, and the matter must be handled with care since it
involved religious sensitivities.
“A
comprehensive solution needs to be discussed and achieved, including a strong
legal approach.
“Umno will
continue to champion to uphold and defend Islam as the official religion of the
Federation while at the same time respecting the principle of freedom of
religion as enshrined in the Federal Constitution,” Azalina, who is the law and
institutional reform minister, said in a statement.
The appeal had
initially been scheduled for case management on May 19 but will no longer be
brought up in court as the government has dropped the entire appeal, with a
notice of discontinuance filed on April 18.
The move put an
end to the 15-year-long legal saga that began when the government seized a
Sarawak Bumiputera’s eight educational compact discs (CDs) that contained the
word “Allah” and were for her own use.
On March 10,
2021, the High Court ruled in favour of the Sarawakian Christian from the
native Melanau tribe, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, by granting three of the
court orders she had sought.
These included
the High Court’s declaration that a government directive issued by the Home
Ministry’s publication control’s division via a circular dated December 5, 1986
is “unlawful and unconstitutional”.
The 1986
directive by the Home Ministry said the word “Allah” cannot be used in all
Christian publications in Malaysia, and this was the government ban which the
High Court had found to be illegal.
On March 12,
2021, the Malaysian government and the home minister filed an appeal against
the High Court.
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/05/16/azalina-umno-ministers-to-raise-allah-appeal-withdrawal-in-cabinet/69500
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/british-muslim-film-kerala-uk/d/129797