Burundi's President Calls for Stoning of Gay Couples Amid Global LGBTQ (Plus) Rights Debate
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 December 2023
Burundi’s President Evariste
Ndayishimiye
------
·
Burundi's
President Calls for Stoning of Gay Couples Amid Global LGBTQ (Plus) Rights
Debate
·
Gaza
Bombing: Shahi Imam Of Delhi’s Jama Masjid Syed Bukhari Criticises Muslim World
·
'It's A
Holocaust Of 2023': Healthcare Workers, Journalists Hold Vigil In London For
Colleagues Killed In Gaza
·
20% Of
American Gen-Zers Share Positive View Of Osama Bin Laden - Poll
·
BNP, A
Terrorist Party, Has No Right To Do Politics In Bangladesh: PMSheikh Hasina
------
Africa
·
South
African Government Drags Israel To International Court Of Justice Over
‘Genocide In Gaza’
·
Plateau
Killings Planned To Cause Political, Religious Unrest; Human Lives Seem To Mean
Nothing
·
Zamfara
police rescue abducted security guard
-----
India
·
"Lord
Ram Doesn't Only Belong To Hindus; Revive Diminishing Brotherhood" Says
Farooq Abdullah
·
BJP Using
Ram Temple Event For Political Purposes: Indian Union Muslim League
·
J&K
BJP Chief Pledges ‘Big Punishment’ Over Murder Of Three Muslim Tribals In Poonch
·
5000 acres
grabbed through 'land jihad' freed: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami
·
Mirwaiz
barred from Friday prayers at Jamia Mosque
-----
Europe
·
German
chancellor discusses developments in Gaza with Israeli War Cabinet member
·
France to
deploy 90,000 police officers on New Year's Eve over alleged terror threat
-----
North America
·
One Of The
Largest Muslim Conventions In North America Kicks Off In Chicago
·
US Citizen,
Karrem Nasr, Inspired By Hamas Vowed Jihad Against America, Prosecutors Say
·
Biden
Administration OKs Emergency Arms Sale to Israel, Bypassing Congress
·
Suspect
wanted for vandalizing a mosque in West Philadelphia, police say
·
US defense
chief underscores importance of protecting Gaza’s civilians
·
US strike
near Syria-Iraq border kills fighters; resistance hits bases
-----
South Asia
·
Bangladeshi
activists warn of global threat posed by Israel’s onslaught on Gaza
·
Israel's
Attack Shows Cruelty, Inhumanity: Afghan Minister
·
UNSC
Adopts New Resolution To Appoint A Special Envoy For Afghanistan
·
Kazakhstan
Removes Islamic Emirate From Banned Group List
·
Bayat
Foundation distributes aid to hundreds of needy families in Kabul
-----
Pakistan
·
Islamabad
Turns Down Indian Call To Hand Over Hafiz Saeed
·
Ulema,
Mashaikh Observe ‘Children’s Protection Day’ Nationwide
·
Five
terrorists killed in North Waziristan IBO: ISPR
·
PTI
Officials Will Be Able To Meet, Consult Imran
·
IHC wraps
up case of released Baloch protesters
·
Jamaat-e-Islami:
JI Karachi chief opens overhauled fleet of vehicles
·
COAS
pledges to rein in mafias in unison with nation
·
Islamabad
to continue talks with Kabul, says Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry
-----
Mideast
·
Israel
Restricts Palestinians’ Access To Al-Aqsa Mosque For 12th Friday In A Row
·
Hamas
refutes Israeli claims about 'discussion of prisoner exchange'
·
Hezbollah
launches eight more anti-Israel attacks in support of Gaza
·
Israel Bombs
Gaza As Egypt Hosts Hamas To Discuss Truce Proposal
·
Three Gaza
brothers say they were beaten, mistreated in Israeli detention
·
Jordan
king demands global push for Gaza ceasefire during call with Canadian PM
·
Israel
assassinated IRGC advisor after failing in Gaza battleground: Quds Force cmdr.
·
Iran
executes four people for having alleged links with Israel’s Mossad security
service
·
'Exhausted'
Gazans desperate for war to end as Israel presses offensive
·
Israeli
Police Attack Palestinian Muslims in Occupied Jerusalem
-----
Southeast Asia
·
'End Of Israeli
Regime, US Has Begun', Malay Politician Says
·
PM Anwar Supports
Selangor Sultan's Decree On Islamic Affairs
·
Fahmi: No
govt New Year’s Eve celebration to show solidarity towards Palestine, flood
victims
·
Gov't
considers humanitarian aspect while handling Rohingya refugees
·
Religious
affairs minister rebuffs suggestion for non-Muslim experts to join in
determining states’ Shariah lawmaking powers
·
S'gor's
zakat management has benefitted many asnaf, emulated by other countries
-----
Arab World
·
Yemen's
Million-Man Marches Raise Ceiling Of Popular Demands Against Zionist Enemy
·
Yemen Warns
Foreign Military Forces Against Supporting Israel
·
KSrelief,
UNHCR sign $6m funding deal for displaced people in Sudan, South Sudan, Chad
·
Saudi
Arabia to plant 12m trees, shrubs in 2024
·
$53m manufacturing
plan announced at Saudi Arabia dates conference
·
Tariq
AbdulhakimCenter opens as celebration of Saudi music, culture
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/burundi-lgbtq-rights-gay-stoning/d/131423
------
Burundi's President Calls for Stoning of
Gay Couples Amid Global LGBTQ (Plus) Rights Debate
Burundi’s President Evariste
Ndayishimiye
------
December 29, 2023
Burundi's President EvaristeNdayishimiye
recently launched a virulent tirade against same-sex marriage, denouncing it as
an "abominable practice" and advocating for the stoning of gay
couples, citing religious reasons.
The President, known for his
conservative Christian views, previously called for homosexuals to be
"banished" and treated as outcasts. He criticized Western countries
opposing LGBTQ+ rights and defiantly rejected aid from those advocating such
practices, urging individuals embracing those beliefs to stay abroad.
This strong stance is in line with the
conservative Christian values prevalent in the Great Lakes country, where
same-sex relations are punishable by imprisonment.
This statement comes in reaction as the
global discourse on LGBTQ+ rights has seen some notable developments, such as
Pope Francis' declaration on December 18th regarding the blessing of homosexual
couples.
While this marks a symbolic shift in the
Catholic Church's stance, it's essential to note that the Church maintains a
clear distinction between homosexual and heterosexual marriages.
The Vatican's doctrine of the "one
true marriage" underscores its position that while marriage for all is
tolerated, it is not yet fully accepted within the Catholic religion.
However, implementing such changes
globally is a complex endeavour. Despite the Vatican's guidance, the ability to
enforce a shift in mentality and impose measures across all Catholic
communities proves challenging.
Several African churches have already
signalled their resistance to these advances. For instance, the bishops of
Cameroon explicitly rejected any change, stating, "We formally prohibit
all blessings of homosexual couples." Similarly, Togo has expressed
openness to individuals in same-sex relationships but encourages priests to
refrain from blessing such couples.
This dynamic reflects the ongoing
struggle within the Catholic Church to reconcile differing perspectives on
LGBTQ+ issues, illustrating the tension between global doctrinal shifts and the
autonomy of individual religious communities, particularly in conservative
regions like Africa.
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/29/burundis-president-calls-for-stoning-of-gay-couples-amid-global-lgbtq-rights-debate/
------
Gaza Bombing: Shahi Imam Of Delhi’s Jama
Masjid Syed Bukhari Criticises Muslim World
Shahi Imam
Syed Ahmed Bukhari offers prayers at Jama Masjid on the third Friday of the
holy month of Ramadan, during ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in old Delhi, Friday,
May 15, 2020. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav) (PTI15-05-2020_000242B)
-------
30th December 2023
December 29, 2023
New Delhi, Dec 29 (PTI) Shahi Imam of
Delhi's Jama Masjid Syed Ahmed Bukhari on Friday said the Muslim world has not
lived up to its responsibilities in the Israel-Palestine conflict and urged
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exert diplomatic pressure on Israel to put an
end to the war.
The war has already killed more than
21,300 Palestinians and sparked a humanitarian crisis that has left a quarter
of Gaza's population starving.
In a statement, Bukhari noted that the
Palestinian issue has reached a point where its immediate and permanent
solution should be attained in the light of the relevant resolutions of the
United Nations, Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council based on the
"two-state theory".
"The Muslim world has not lived up
to its responsibilities in this regard and is not doing what it should and this
is very unfortunate. In the end I hope that the prime minister of my country
shall, by virtue of his personal relations with the prime minister of Israel,
exert diplomatic pressure to put an end to the war and resolve issues," he
said.
India voted in favour of a draft
resolution in the UN General Assembly that demanded an immediate humanitarian
ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict as well as the unconditional release of
all hostages earlier this month.
Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas and
bring back more than 100 hostages still held by the militants after their
October 7 attack on southern Israel. The assault killed some 1,200 people,
mostly civilians.
Source: theweek.in
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/national/2023/12/29/des53-dl-bukhari-palestine.html
-----
'It's A Holocaust Of 2023': Healthcare Workers,
Journalists Hold Vigil In London For Colleagues Killed In Gaza
Commemoration
held in London for healthcare workers and journalists who lost their lives in
Gaza
-----
Aysu Bicer
30.12.2023
Health workers and journalists held a
vigil in front of 10 Downing Street to pay tribute to colleagues killed by
Israel in Gaza and demanded an immediate cease-fire in the ongoing conflict
Participants, including prominent
figures like Omar Adel-Mannan, a pediatric neurologist, and LemisAndoni, a
seasoned Palestinian journalist, not only paid respects but urged the
government to advocate for lasting peace.
'Holocaust of 2023'
Adel-Mannan, who had previously worked
in Gaza, delivered a stirring message to the "silent majority,"
urging them to "break their silence and take action in response to the
humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza."
"Shame on every single one of you.
Because you have seen children being decimated. You have seen mutilated bodies.
What more do you need? Stand up, have some courage, some humanity," he
said.
Expressing frustration with the lack of
collective response, Adel-Mannan emphasized the urgency of the situation.
"This is a basic humanitarian crisis. This is a genocide. This is a
holocaust of 2023 because that is the reality," he said, underlining the
severity of the atrocities occurring in Gaza.
He urged the silent majority to overcome
hesitations and actively contribute to efforts to address the crisis.
"There are many of us, there are large numbers of us. We are safe in our
numbers. When we have been attacked or threatened at work, in our homes, or in
our places of worship, there are plenty of us to understand that this is a
basic humanitarian crisis," he said.
'We find them as guilty as Israel'
Andoni held the British government
accountable for the ongoing violence.
"We hold Mr. Rishi Sunak personally
and the government of Britain to be responsible for the killing of everybody.
We find them as guilty as Israel. They're all guilty of these murders, murders
of the children," she said.
The veteran journalist called out
Western media and urged a commitment to justice. "There is no commitment
to journalism without commitment to justice,” she said and criticized the
distortion of facts and commended those in the Western media challenging the
official narrative.
A physiotherapist named Risa,
representing colleagues in Gaza, spoke with a heavy heart about the tragic toll
on health care workers. "Physiotherapists have been killed since the
seventh of October, some along with their whole families. They are not
numbered; they are like you and I, going to work to provide the best patient
care, knowing that they might not have a home to return to," she said.
Risa emphasized the incomprehensible
violence witnessed.
"I feel like I said this every
single time I have spoken, every event, every rally, but the violence that we
see unfolding in front of us is absolutely incomprehensible," said Risa.
The heartfelt pleas of health workers
and journalists echoed as the rally concluded, underscoring the urgent need for
a cease-fire and a lasting resolution to the devastating conflict.
Since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct.
7, Israel has continued relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least
21,507 Palestinians and injuring 55,915, according to local health authorities.
Israeli authorities claimed that the
Hamas attacks have killed around 1,200 Israelis.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in
ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly
2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and
medicine.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/its-a-holocaust-of-2023-healthcare-workers-journalists-hold-vigil-in-london-for-colleagues-killed-in-gaza-/3096001
------
20% Of American Gen-Zers Share Positive
View Of Osama Bin Laden – Poll
Osama bin
Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri (Photo credit: Store norske leksikon)
------
DECEMBER 29, 2023
Shocking J.L.L. Partners and
DailyMail.com poll results were revealed on Wednesday, illustrating that one in
five young Americans have a positive view of Osama Bin Laden, with a third of
Gen-Zers thinking that the views of the 9/11 perpetrator are a “force for
good.”
Another DailyMail.com poll taken in
October found that one in ten voters under the age of 30 had a positive view of
Hamas, despite its attack on October 7 in the south of Israel that killed more
than 1,300 men, women, and children, and took over 200 men, women and children
hostage.
Bin Laden was the mastermind behind the
2001 hijackings that killed 2,977 people and injured thousands at the World
Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
He was also behind multiple attacks that
have killed countless others around the world, as the leader of the terrorist
organization Al-Qaeda.
In this survey, a diverse array of 1000
people, of all races, ages, and education levels were asked questions regarding
Osama Bin Laden. The first question was whether they had a favorable opinion of
Osama Bin Laden. Among participants 18 to 29, 20% had at least a somewhat
positive view of him.
Among the participants between the ages
of 18 and 29, 31% believed that at least Osama Bin Laden's views were good,
while 8% said that his actions were also good. One-third of Black voters
believed that at least Osama Bin Laden's views were good, while 7% believed his
actions were also good. These groups were followed by Hispanic voters, 20% of
whom believed at least his beliefs were good.
Overall, 81% of American voters said
they had negative views of him, while 8% viewed him positively.
Fourteen percent said the terrorist
leader had some 'some good in terms of either his views, actions or both' while
70 percent said both his views and actions were bad.
After the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. was
united in tracking down Bin Laden and the terrorists responsible. In 2011,
shortly after he was killed, a poll of 22 countries found that 75% believed the
United States was justified in taking him out.
Stark change in attitudes towards Bin
Laden among Gen Z
These poll results reveal a stark change
in attitudes and follow worrying examples in recent months of younger Americans
questioning Bin Laden's evil.
In November, anti-Israel TikTok users
shared Bin Laden's 2002 'Letter to America' with his justification for 9/11
across the platform, making the terrorist’s words go viral. Many believed the
positive opinions of Bin Laden expressed in these TikTok videos were fringe,
however, these polling numbers reveal that a considerable chunk of Gen Z does
view Osama Bin Laden positively.
Earlier this month, a poll by YouGov/The
Economist found that 20% of individuals between 18 to 29 believe the Holocaust
is a myth. Only 7% of the entire population believes the Holocaust is a myth.
Of the same age group, 23% believe the Holocaust is exaggerated.
Source: jpost.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-780061
------
BNP, A Terrorist Party, Has No Right To
Do Politics In Bangladesh: PM Sheikh Hasina
People
gathered at the historic Bangabandhu Udyan in the divisional headquarters as
part of a rally marking PM Hasina's visit in Barishal on 29 December 2023.
Photo: Courtesy
------
Dec 29, 2023
Denouncing BNP as a terrorist party,
Awami league President Sheikh Hasina today said it has no right to do politics
in Bangladesh.
"BNP has no right to do politics in
Bangladesh because they burn and kill people," she said while addressing a
huge campaign rally at the historic Bangabandhu Udyan in Barishal city.
Her younger sister Sheikh Rehana was
also on the boat-shaped dais as the PM spoke to the cheering crowd.
She said that the politics of Awami
League is only for the welfare of the people.
But the politics of BNP and Jamaat is to
burn people, she said.
"Do people want them? No, people do
not want them. ... While we develop the country for the people, BNP-Jamaat
destroy it by unleashing arson attacks," she said.
In this connection she mentioned recent
arson attacks on trains killing a number of people, including a woman holding
her baby.
She also recalled BNP-Jamaat's arson
terrorism in 2001 saying they did the same in 2013 and 2014. Now they have
started the same arson terrorism right now.
"I condemn these acts of
BNP-Jamaat," she said.
Hasina said that Jamaat, which is the
ally of BNP, was involved in 1971 genocide, looting, rape, torture of people.
They shook hands with Pakistani occupation forces.
Some of their leaders had been convicted
as the war criminals and hanged for crimes against humanity.
"One party is terrorist, killer,
ten trucks arms smuggler, involved in money laundering, siphoned orphans'
money, and all types of misdeeds. And the other one is [the party] of war
criminals," she said.
Hasina said that BNP-Jamaat do not want
election.
"They want to foil it, let me urge
you that all of you will go to the polling centres early in the morning of
January 7. What will be your symbol? It will be boat," she said.
She again urged people to vote for boat
reminding them of how boat of Prophet Nuh saved the human race during the Great
Flood.
She added that Bangladesh got
independence as people voted for boat in 1970.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/bnp-has-no-right-do-politics-bangladesh-pm-3505931
-----
Africa
South African Government Drags Israel To
International Court Of Justice Over ‘Genocide In Gaza’
December 30, 2023
South Africa has filed an appeal before
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, alleging that Israeli
actions in Gaza amount to “genocide” and asking for “provisional measures” to
stop it, the top UN court announced on Friday.
The application claims “acts and
omissions by Israel... are genocidal in character, as they are committed with
the requisite specific intent… to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the
broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group,” the ICJ said in a statement
published on its website on Friday.
According to the statement, Israel’s
conduct towards the Palestinians in Gaza “is in violation of its obligations
under the Genocide Convention,” the government in Pretoria said. They also
accused Israel of having “failed to prevent genocide” and “failed to prosecute
the direct and public incitement to genocide” since October 7.
Israel has engaged in, is engaging in
and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in
Gaza.
South Africa also asked the ICJ to
“indicate provisional measures” in order to “protect against further, severe
and irreparable harm” to Palestinians under the Genocide Convention. The ICJ
also published the 84-page document that lists these measures in detail, first
of which is for Israel to “immediately suspend its military operations in and
against Gaza.”
Pretoria also demands of West Jerusalem
to stop any and all attacks on Palestinians, and to revoke any orders whose
goal is “the expulsion and forced displacement from their homes” or deprivation
of access to food, water, fuel, shelter, medical supplies and other
humanitarian needs.
The statement was titled: "The
Republic of South Africa institutes proceedings against the State of Israel and
requests the Court to indicate provisional measures."
It reads in part: "South Africa
today filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel before the
International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the
United Nations, concerning alleged violations by Israel of its obligations
under the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”) in relation
to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
According to the Application, “acts and
omissions by Israel . . . are genocidal in character, as they are committed
with the requisite specific intent . . . to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a
part of
the broader Palestinian national, racial
and ethnical group” and that “the conduct of Israel — through its State organs,
State agents, and other persons and entities acting on its instructions or
under its
direction, control or influence — in
relation to Palestinians in Gaza, is in violation of its obligations under the
Genocide Convention”.
"The Applicant further states that
“Israel, since 7 October 2023 in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and
has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide” and that
“Israel has engaged in, is engaging in
and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the
Palestinian people in Gaza”.
"South Africa seeks to found the
Court’s jurisdiction on Article 36, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the Court
and on Article IX of the Genocide Convention, to which both South Africa and
Israel are parties.
"The Application also contains a
Request for the indication of provisional measures, pursuant
to Article 41 of the Statute of the
Court and Articles 73, 74 and 75 of the Rules of Court.
"The Applicant requests the Court
to indicate provisional measures in order to “protect against further, severe
and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide
Convention” and “to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the
Genocide Convention not to engage in genocide, and to prevent and to punish genocide”.
"Pursuant to Article 74 of the
Rules of Court, “[a] request for the indication of provisional
measures shall have priority over all
other cases”.
Anyone who engages in “direct and public
incitement” to genocide or conspiracy to commit it must be brought to justice,
the appeal insists. South Africa demanded Israel submit a report on complying
with all these demands within one week.
Meanwhile, under the ICJ’s rules, South
Africa’s application has priority over all other cases, because of the request
for provisional measures, RT reports.
South Africa has previously sought to
charge Israel with war crimes before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
West Jerusalem is not a signatory party to the ICC, but the court – also based
in The Hague – has previously declared it had jurisdiction over Gaza and the
West Bank.
On the other hand, both South Africa and
Israel are signatories of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
the Crime of Genocide, which was first adopted in 1948, in response to the Nazi
mass murder of Jews during WWII.
Source: saharareporters.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://saharareporters.com/2023/12/30/south-african-government-drags-israel-international-court-justice-over-genocide-gaza
-----
Plateau Killings Planned To Cause
Political, Religious Unrest; Human Lives Seem To Mean Nothing Anymore In
Nigeria — Sultan-led Group, Jama'atulNasiril Islam
December 29, 2023
The Sultan of Sokoto-led group,
Jama’atuNasril Islam (JNI) has said the recent massive killings in Plateau were
orchestrated to set the state on political and religious turmoil.
The Muslim group urged security agencies
to intensify their efforts to arrest and prosecute those attackers while
expressing its condolences to the victims of the terrorist attacks in
BarkinLadi and Bokkos local government areas of the state, in a statement
released by its secretary, Professor Khalid AbubakarAliyu on Thursday.
The statement reads: “Jama'atuNasril
Islam (JNI) under the leadership of His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad
Abubakar, CFR, mni, expresses shock and displeasure over the inhuman attack on
citizens in certain towns and villages in BarikinLadi and Bokkos Local
Government Areas of Plateau State. It is indeed reprehensible and utterly
heartless, to say the least.
“It should be noted that after careful
introspection and critical perusal of the sad happenings of the recent
senseless killings of over one hundred unarmed citizens on the Plateau, the JNI
National Headquarters observed with dismay that the most recent attacks on the
Plateau were well-orchestrated with perhaps ulterior motives to set the state
on political and religious turmoil. May Allah forbids. Aamin.
“Nevertheless, JNI unequivocally
condemns with utmost sorrow and concern the dastardly acts of repeated killings
on the Plateau and calls on security agencies to intensify efforts in fishing
out the culprits and get them punished accordingly. It is pertinent to place on
record that such acts of killings call for concerted efforts in ending them
once and for all, as the recent past killings of over one hundred Tudun-Biri
worshippers in Kaduna State, and several others are becoming the new normal
particularly in the North and in Nigeria in general.
“Government should rise to the occasion
and act decisively, as human lives seem to mean nothing anymore in Nigeria and
that portrays Nigeria and Nigerians wrongly to the comity of Nations. JNI
reiterates that criminals MUST not be emboldened in whatever disguise;
otherwise, the Nigerian state will become a failed state, if acts of
criminalities are not adequately penalised.
“Plateau state should not be allowed to
return to dark days of unfortunate bloodbath, as human lives seem not to matter
to the disgruntled elements within the Plateau.
Why must the Plateau people allow
themselves to be used by miscreants and senseless humans at all costs? Plateau
people should tell the world that they prefer peaceful coexistence to anarchy.
Enough of the bloodletting, please!
“We nonetheless call on all the good
conscience to propagate the mission of peace, tranquillity, humility, and
humbleness, for no one has the right to live, over and above the other citizens
in Nigeria. Moreover, we cannot be humans without humanity. Life is sacrosanct
and must be seen to be so in Nigeria, and for sustainable peace to reign, there
MUST be retributive justice for all, regardless of whatever considerations. May
Allah, the Exceedingly Merciful restore peace, security and tranquillity on the
Plateau and Nigeria in general. Aamin.”
Source: saharareporters.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://saharareporters.com/2023/12/29/plateau-killings-planned-cause-political-religious-unrest-human-lives-seem-mean-nothing
------
Zamfara police rescue abducted security
guard
30th December 2023
The police in Zamfara have rescued a
52-year-old security guard, Hassan Abdullahi, who was abducted on December 29
in Gusau.
According to the police spokesperson,
Yazid Abubakar, the man was abducted around 1.30am on Friday when gunmen raided
a house he was working at in SabonGarinDamba.
In a statement on Friday, Abubakar said
that the armed men had invaded the house of one AlhajiKabiru Umar, a staff of
Zamfara College of Art and Science in Gusau, where they went away with the
security guard.
“On receiving the information, the
Divisional Police Officer of Damba Division mobilised a team of detectives for
a search and rescue operation.
“They intercepted the abductors at the
outskirts of SabonGarinDamba and on sighting the police, the hoodlums fired the
victim on his right hand and took to their heels with possible gunshot wounds
“The victim was rescued and taken to
YarimanBakura Specialist Hospital, Gusau, and is responding to treatment,” the
command spokesman added.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Mr
Muhammad Shehu, has commended residents for alerting the police on time about
the incident.
Shehu also commended the police
operatives for their timely intervention, which led to the immediate rescue of
the abducted victim.
He pledged that the command would
continue to pursue the war against bandits and other criminal elements in the
state until normalcy was restored.
Source: punchng.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://punchng.com/zamfara-police-rescue-abducted-security-guard/
------
India
"Lord Ram doesn't only belong to
Hindus; revive diminishing brotherhood" says Farooq Abdullah
Dec 30, 2023
National Conference Chief Farooq
Abdullah on Saturday congratulated the people who have put efforts into making
Ram Temple in Ayodhya, saying that brotherhood in India is diminishing and
there is a need to revive it.
Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India],
December 30 (ANI): National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah on Saturday
congratulated the people who have put efforts into making Ram Temple in
Ayodhya, saying that brotherhood in India is diminishing and there is a need to
revive it.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, the former
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said, "Ayodhya Ram Temple is about to be
inaugurated. I would like to congratulate everyone who made the effort for the
temple. It's ready now."
He further emphasised that Lord Rama
doesn't only belong to Hindus; he belongs to everyone in the world.
"I also want to say to the whole
nation that Lord Rama doesn't only belong to Hindus; he belongs to everyone in
the world. He is the Lord for all the people across the world. It's written in
the books," he added.
Abdullah further said that Lord Rama has
given a message of brotherhood, love, unity and helping each other.
"He (Lord Rama) has given a message
of brotherhood, love, unity and helping each other. He has always said to
uplift the fallen, irrespective of their religion or ethnicity. He has given a
universal message. Today, as this temple is about to be inaugurated, I want to
tell the people of the country to revive the brotherhood that is diminishing in
our country. I want to tell everyone to maintain that brotherhood," Farooq
said.
The consecration ceremony scheduled for
January 22 will witness the installation of the idol of Ram Lalla (Lord Ram in
his childlike form) at the grand temple. It is expected to be attended by
hundreds of officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The trust has also
invited 4,000 saints of all sects for the ceremony.
Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha
(consecration) ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya will begin on January 16, next
year, a week before the main ceremony.
A Vedic priest from Varanasi, Lakshmi
Kant Dixit, will perform the main rituals of the consecration ceremony of Ram
Lalla on January 22. From January 14 to January 22, Ayodhya will mark the Amrit
Mahautsav.
A 1008 Hundi Mahayagya will also be
organised in which thousands of devotees will be fed.Several tent cities are
being erected in Ayodhya to accommodate thousands of devotees, who are expected
to arrive in the temple town of Uttar Pradesh for the grand consecration of the
Ram Temple.
According to the Sri Ram Janambhoomi
Trust, arrangements will be made for 10,000-15,000 people.
The trust has decided to enthrone the
idol of Lord Ram at the sanctum sanctorum between noon and 12.45 pm on January
22. Lakshmi Kant Dixit, a Vedic priest, is scheduled to perform the main
rituals of the consecration ceremony on the day. (ANI)
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/lord-ram-doesn-t-only-belong-to-hindus-revive-diminishing-brotherhood-says-farooq-abdullah-101703923075979.html
------
BJP Using Ram Temple Event For Political
Purposes: Indian Union Muslim League
Dec 29, 2023
Malappuram : The Indian Union Muslim
League (IUML), a key ally of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala, accused the BJP on
Friday of exploiting the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya for
political purposes.
The IUML expressed hope that secular
forces would recognise this political manoeuvre of the BJP.
Amid increasing uncertainty in the
Congress’s Kerala state unit on the political stance the party should take
regarding the invitation to its national leadership for the Ram Temple
consecration ceremony on January 22, the IUML urged the Congress to take an
independent decision.
“The BJP is treating it as a political
inauguration for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The prime minister and others
have launched a political propaganda aimed at the next parliamentary election,”
IUML National General Secretary P K Kunhalikutty told reporters after the
party’s political affairs committee meeting.
Alleging that the saffron party is
politicising the event by differentiating between those who participate in it
and those who don’t, Kunhalikutty said, “The BJP government’s target is the
next parliamentary elections. The League highly respects the faith and freedom
of worship of the Hindu community. No comment on that. But the opening of the
Ram temple is being used politically.”
He said the issue is political, not
religious, and called on every political party, especially those with secular
views, to realise this and take independent decisions.
On the Congress’s stand, Kunhalikutty
said, “Congress has its own set up, leadership. They are facing a lot of
problems. Let them take an independent decision.”
IUML supremo Sadiq Ali ShihabThangal
added that the IUML supports the faithful on the issue but cannot accept the
attempt to turn it into a political agenda for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The IUML’s statement is seen as an
attempt to exert pressure on the Congress’s state unit, which is in a difficult
position regarding the invitation extended to its national leaders for the
consecration ceremony next month.
The ruling CPI(M) in the state has
already declared that its representatives will not attend the ceremony,
considering it a political move by the BJP ahead of the general elections that
are to be held in a few months. ( With PTI inputs )
Source: muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/bjp-using-ram-temple-event-for-political-purposes-muslim-league/
-----
J&K BJP chief pledges ‘big
punishment’ over murder of three Muslim tribals in Poonch
30.12.23
Muzaffar Raina
Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder
Raina has said the “culprits” who allegedly tortured three Muslim tribal Gujjar
men to death in Jammu’s Poonch district last week would get “big punishment”,
his party trying to make a fresh outreach to the beleaguered community seen
crucial to their electoral success in the Union Territory.
The army is accused of killing the three
men and critically injuring several others to avenge a militant ambush that
killed four soldiers in the area. The killings are seen as a setback to BJP
efforts to woo Gujjars.
Raina on Thursday visited TopaMastandara
village in Poonch to offer condolences to the victim families and broke down as
he wiped their tears. Ironically, the government on Monday allegedly prevented
former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti from visiting the village to offer her
condolences.
On Wednesday, defence minister Rajnath
Singh also visited adjoining Rajouri district where he sent a terse reminder to
soldiers that their obligation “was not just to defend the nation but also to
win the hearts of the people”.
“I have come here to offer condolences.
A painful incident happened here when three people lost their lives and others
were injured. The entire country stands with the people of this area,” Raina
told reporters in the village.
“The culprits who did this wrong will be
punished by the law. They will get a very big punishment because the country’s
law is bigger than anybody else’s. Nobody is above the law in the country and
those who took the law into their own hands, which caused loss in Topa Peer
(Mastandara), anybody who did the wrong, wronged big time.”
The BJP leader said he had come to the
village amidst their grief to offer condolences and assure them of justice.
The BJP-led government has been trying
hard to woo the Gujjars as it seeks to achieve its goal of installing a Hindu
chief minister in Jammu and Kashmir.
Though Gujjars have been supportive of
some of the army’s actions, the BJP has largely failed so far in cultivating a
significant vote-bank among the community, which forms around 8 per cent of
Jammu and Kashmir’s population — third after Kashmiris and Dogras.
In the 2014 Assembly elections, Abdul
GaniKohli, a Gujjar, was the only Muslim among the BJP’s 25 winners in the
polls, which earned him a ministerial berth.
Last year, the Centre nominated Gulam
Ali, a Gujjar Muslim, to the Rajya Sabha, which according to the party was the
first time that a person from the community in the region had been sent to the
Upper House.
Jammu and Kashmir, however, recently
faced massive anti-government protests by Gujjars against the Centre’s decision
to include Paharis into the Scheduled Tribe community.
Gujjars believe that Paharis, who are
the majority Muslims but also include a significant number of Hindus, will
encroach on their rights. Many high caste Peers (among Muslims) and Brahmins
and Rajputs (among Hindus) are members of the Pahari community — another group
that is top on the BJP’s priority in Jammu and Kashmir.
Paharis are the first linguistic group
in the country to make it to the ST list.
Gujjars had also fiercely opposed the
2019 scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status.
The community has been seething with
anger against the 2020 alleged custodial death of three Poonch youths in
Shopian.
Last month, the Armed Forces Tribunal
suspended the life sentence of an army captain — that was awarded by a court
martial — in the fake encounter, angering the community.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir-bjp-chief-pledges-big-punishment-over-murder-of-three-muslim-tribals-in-poonch/cid/1990283
----
5000 acres grabbed through 'land jihad'
freed: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami
Dec 30, 2023
DEHRADUN: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on
Friday said the Uttarakhand government has freed 5,000 acres of land encroached
in the state through "land jihad".
While attending a 'Ram katha' in Delhi's
IP Extension, Dhami said, "For the betterment of the Himalayan state we
had to take some tough decisions, an important one being removing encroachments
from government lands. We were successful in freeing land by getting rid of
land jihad and the drive shall continue till all illegal and forceful
possessions are removed."
Following repeated complaints of
encroachment on government land, the chief minister had directed the state
police and forest department to identify all illegal structures. According to
data provided by the state government, till May 2023, a total of 3,793 such
locations were identified by the state authorities. The maximum number of
encroachments with over 1,433 were found in Nainital district followed by 1,149
in Haridwar district. While Chamoli had 423 illegal structures, other districts
with high numbers include Tehri (209), Almora (192) and Champawat (97).
Majority of the encroachments were on forest land.
Since the launch of an anti-encroachment
drive earlier this year, close to 500 'mazars' (tomb shrines) and around 50
temples have been demolished in the state.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/5000-acres-grabbed-through-land-jihad-freed-cm-pushkar-singh-dhami/articleshow/106388858.cms
------
Mirwaiz barred from Friday prayers at
Jamia Mosque
Dec 29, 2023
In a statement, Mirwaiz said that after
his release on September 22 following four years of house detention since
August 2019, he was only permitted to go to the Jamia Masjid for three Fridays
The chief priest of Jamia Masjid and
Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was on Friday not allowed to offer
congregational prayers at the grand mosque in the old city. The prayers were
held at the grand mosque but the chief priest was not allowed to move out of
his house in Nigeen in the outskirts of Srinagar.
He denounced his “house detention” by
authorities. In a statement, Mirwaiz said that after his release on September
22 following four years of house detention since August 2019, he was only
permitted to go to the Jamia Masjid for three Fridays.
“Since then, every Friday, he has been
put under house arrest without any reason provided by the authorities,” the
statement added.
Since October 13, Friday prayers were
not allowed at the grand mosque for 10 weeks as security forces had
apprehensions that there could be protests in support of Palestine. “It was
only last week that people were allowed to offer Friday prayers there. The
duration of this permission remains uncertain while the ban on me continues,”
Mirwaiz said.
“The authorities whimsically open or
close the central Jamia Masjid to Muslims for prayers without accountability,
and no one can enquire about the reasons,” he alleged.
On December 22, Anjuman Auqaf of Jama
Masjid had said that authorities allowed Friday prayers at the historic mosque
after a gap of ten weeks. However, Mirwaiz alleged that he was being confined
to his home on Fridays.
“It mocks the authorities’ own
statements claiming things are great in Jammu & Kashmir, and I am a free
man who can go anywhere,” he added.
Mirwaiz claimed that control of any
kind, including on religious rights, cannot bring or maintain peace.
“Those in-charge of decision-making
should revisit this policy, considering historical precedents and adopting a
long-term perspective,” he said.
Mirwaiz has been leading the prayers and
delivering Friday sermons at Jamia Masjid as part of the Mirwaiz’s family
tradition.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/mirwaiz-barred-from-friday-prayers-at-jamia-mosque-101703866316816.html
-----
Europe
German chancellor discusses developments
in Gaza with Israeli War Cabinet member
BeyzaBinnurDonmez
30.12.2023
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed
developments in Gaza on Friday with Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz in a
telephone call.
Gantz informed Scholz about the current
situation in the besieged enclave and Israel's northern border and Scholz
underlined the continued "urgent need" to improve the humanitarian
situation for the people in Gaza and to "make every effort to protect the
lives of the civilian population," the German government said in a
statement.
The chancellor stated the importance of
preventing the conflict from spreading regionally and said he is continuing
diplomatic contacts.
Since Hamas’ cross-border attack on Oct.
7, Israel has continued relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip, killing at least
21,507 Palestinians and injuring 55,915, according to local health authorities.
An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman
revised the official death toll on Nov. 10 from the Hamas attacks, lowering the
figure to around 1,200. Tel Aviv has not provided any additional information
about the casualties.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in
ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and
nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water
and medicine.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/german-chancellor-discusses-developments-in-gaza-with-israeli-war-cabinet-member/3095975
----
France to deploy 90,000 police officers
on New Year's Eve over alleged terror threat
Nur AsenaErturk
29.12.2023
French police will deploy 90,000 police
officers on New Year's Eve over a 'high level of terror threat,' the nation's
interior minister said on Friday.
Gerald Darmanin visited the Paris police
department to inspect the preparations for Sunday, according to local
broadcaster BFMTV.
He thanked the national police for
ensuring security on Christmas Day and said France is under a "high level
of terror threat" due to the developments in Israel and Palestine.
French police plan to deploy 90,000
officers nationwide, including 6,000 in Paris, on the night that will mark the
end of 2023 and the start of 2024.
Tens of thousands of firefighters will
also be ready to intervene in case of emergency, the report added.
Local authorities also announced
additional measures to prevent any unfortunate events on Sunday night,
including the prohibition of alcohol consumption in public places and a ban on
fuel sales.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/france-to-deploy-90-000-police-officers-on-new-years-eve-over-alleged-terror-threat/3095739
-----
North America
One of the largest Muslim conventions in
North America kicks off in Chicago
DECEMBER 29, 2023
The 22nd Annual MAS-ICNA Convention, a
flagship event organised by the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Islamic
Circle of North America (ICNA), kicked off in Chicago on December 28, heralding
three days of spiritual enrichment, educational discourse and community
engagement.
One of North America's largest and most
diverse Islamic gatherings, the convention is a testament to the resilient
spirit of the Muslim community. Serving as a nexus for leading American Muslim
NGOs and tens of thousands of Muslims, the gathering fosters unity under the
overarching theme of "At the Crossroads: Faith, Vision &
Resilience" — reflecting a Muslim commitment to addressing contemporary
challenges with unwavering faith and resilience.
The opening speeches were centred around
Palestine, with Dr. Omar Suleiman delivering a poignant speech titled
"Since 1948 - When the truth unfolds."
From its humble beginnings in 2001, when
it welcomed 1,500 attendees, the MAS-ICNA Convention has evolved into a massive
annual congregation, attracting over 30,000 participants last year.
MASCON 2023
This year's convention boasts a rich
array of sessions covering diverse topics and addressing challenges faced by
Muslim Americans in education, work and family life.
Special emphasis is placed on the unique
struggles and triumphs of different age groups within the Muslim American
community. Renowned speakers — including Suhaib Webb, Dalia Mogahed and Yasir
Qadhi — will headline the convention.
Recognising the growth of
Spanish-speaking Muslim communities, the convention also features sessions
tailored to the unique experiences of converts, including discussions on
marriage and parenting. Additionally, it extends its reach to the global Muslim
community, shedding light on issues such as the Hindutva narrative in Kashmir
and Bangladesh and dedicating special sessions to the plight of Palestinians.
Designed as a family-oriented event, the
convention offers lectures, workshops and a sprawling bazaar with over 500
booths. A carnival for children and entertainment sessions further contribute
to a vibrant atmosphere.
As the convention unfolds, it not only
provides Muslims in North America with a platform for education and spiritual
growth, but also reinforces the importance of unity, diversity and resilience
within the Muslim American community — and beyond.
Source: trtworld.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.trtworld.com/us-and-canada/one-of-the-largest-muslim-conventions-in-north-america-kicks-off-in-chicago-16446903
------
US Citizen, Karrem Nasr, Inspired By
Hamas Vowed Jihad Against America, Prosecutors Say
December 29, 2023
NEW YORK — A U.S. citizen living in
Egypt sought to join the al-Shabab terrorist organization and wage jihad
against America and its allies in the wake of Hamas' October 7 attack on
Israel, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Karrem Nasr, 23, of Lawrenceville, New
Jersey, was arrested December 14 after flying from Egypt to Nairobi, Kenya,
where prosecutors say he was planning to meet with al-Shabab members before
traveling to train in Somalia, where the terror group is based.
Nasr was returned to the U.S. on Thursday
and was to appear Friday before a federal magistrate in Manhattan. He is
charged with attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign
terrorist organization. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Court records did not list a lawyer who
could speak on Nasr's behalf.
Nasr, also known as Ghareeb Al-Muhajir,
expressed his desire to join al-Shabab in online postings and communications
with a paid FBI informant who was posing as a facilitator for terrorist
organizations, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday.
Nasr told the informant "the No. 1
enemy is America," which he described as the "head of the
snake," the complaint said. He posted on X, formerly known as Twitter,
that jihad was "coming soon to a US location near you," the complaint
said. The post, under the name "Egyptian Muslim," included airplane,
bomb, and fire emojis.
Nasr, who moved to Egypt in July,
started communicating with the FBI informant in November via an encrypted
messaging app, according to the criminal complaint. He told the informant that
he had been thinking of waging jihad "for a long time" but that he
was "not capable of doing it" before Hamas attacked Israel, the
complaint said.
"After the October 7th events, I
felt that something has changed," Nasr told the informant, according to
the complaint. "To the better, I mean. I felt that pride and dignity came
back to the Muslims."
The U.S. designated al-Shabab a foreign
terrorist organization in 2008.
The group evolved from a coalition of
Islamic insurgents that fought Somalia's fledgling central government and
seized control of large swaths of territory in the early 2000s. It has been
blamed for myriad violence, including suicide bombings, a beheading and the
targeted assassinations of civilians and journalists.
Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh
Mohamud has pledged to wipe out al-Shabab within a year. The group has been
losing territory since the government, backed by local militias, African Union
troops and Western powers, launched an extensive offensive against it in May.
Source: voanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-citizen-inspired-by-hamas-vowed-jihad-against-america-prosecutors-say-/7418266.html
-----
Biden Administration OKs Emergency Arms
Sale to Israel, Bypassing Congress
December 29, 2023
WASHINGTON — For the second time this
month, the Biden administration is bypassing Congress to approve an emergency
weapons sale to Israel as Israel continues to prosecute its war against Hamas
in Gaza under increasing international criticism.
The State Department said Friday that
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Congress that he had made a second
emergency determination covering a $147.5 million sale for equipment, including
fuses, charges and primers, that is needed to make the 155 mm shells that
Israel already purchased function.
"Given the urgency of Israel's
defensive needs, the secretary notified Congress that he had exercised his
delegated authority to determine an emergency existed necessitating the
immediate approval of the transfer," the department said.
"The United States is committed to
the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to ensure
Israel is able to defend itself against the threats it faces," it said.
The emergency determination means the
purchase will bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military
sales. Such determinations are rare, but not unprecedented, when
administrations see an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting
for lawmakers' approval.
Blinken made a similar decision on
December 9, to approve the sale to Israel of nearly 14,000 rounds of tank
ammunition worth more than $106 million.
Both moves have come as President Joe
Biden's request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and
other national security needs remains stalled in Congress, caught up in a
debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. Some Democratic
lawmakers have spoken of making the proposed $14.3 billion in American
assistance to its Mideast ally contingent on concrete steps by Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza
during the war with Hamas.
The State Department sought to counter
potential criticism of the sale on human rights grounds by saying it was in
constant touch with Israel to emphasize the importance of minimizing civilian
casualties, which have soared since Israel began its response to the Hamas
attacks in Israel on October 7.
"We continue to strongly emphasize
to the government of Israel that they must not only comply with international
humanitarian law, but also take every feasible step to prevent harm to
civilians," it said.
"Hamas hides behind civilians and
has embedded itself among the civilian population, but that does not lessen
Israel's responsibility and strategic imperative to distinguish between
civilians and Hamas terrorists as it conducts its military operations,"
the department said. "This type of campaign can only be won by protecting
civilians."
Bypassing Congress with emergency
determinations for arms sales is an unusual step that has in the past met
resistance from lawmakers, who normally have a period of time to weigh in on
proposed weapons transfers and, in some cases, block them.
In May 2019, then-Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo made an emergency determination for an $8.1 billion sale of weapons
to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan after it became clear that
the Trump administration would have trouble overcoming lawmakers' concerns
about the Saudi and UAE-led war in Yemen.
Pompeo came under heavy criticism for
the move, which some believed may have violated the law because many of the
weapons involved had yet to be built and could not be delivered urgently. But
he was cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation.
At least four administrations have used
the authority since 1979. President George H.W. Bush's administration used it
during the Gulf War to get arms quickly to Saudi Arabia.
Source: voanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.voanews.com/a/7417946.html
-----
Suspect wanted for vandalizing a mosque
in West Philadelphia, police say
December 29, 2023
Emily Rose Grassi
Philadelphia police are investigating
after reports of vandalism at the Masjid Al-Jamia mosque in West Philadelphia,
officials said.
Police were called after leaders at the
mosque discovered biased statements spray painted on the facade of the building
located on the 4200 block of Walnut Street.
"The vandals wrote phrases
including “Give [peace sign] a chance” and other symbols, including a Star of
David, on the doors and walls of the mosque," CAIR-Philadelphia said in a
statement.
The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) is a civil rights organization and is urging the Muslim
community to increase security and stay safe.
“We are calling on Philadelphia
communities to stand united in the face of today’s hateful, dehumanizing
rhetoric against Muslims. The kind of violation Masjid Al-Jamia has seen is
unacceptable; this is the third mosque that has been defaced with bigoted
language in the last two months," CAIR-Philadelphia Executive Director Dr.
Ahmet Tekelioglu said.
The suspect was described as a man
wearing a red raincoat and blue jeans, police said.
Source: nbcphiladelphia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/suspect-wanted-for-vandalizing-a-mosque-in-west-philadelphia-police-say/3732563/
------
US defense chief underscores importance
of protecting Gaza’s civilians
DECEMBER 29, 2023
WASHINGTON : US defense chief Lloyd
Austin underscored the importance of protecting Gaza’s civilians during a
telephone call Thursday with his Israeli counterpart.
Austin and Yoav Gallant discussed
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, and accelerating humanitarian assistance,
according to a statement by the Pentagon.
“Secretary Austin and Minister Gallant
also discussed threats to regional security, including Hizballah’s
destabilizing activities in southern Lebanon, Iran-aligned militia attacks
against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and Houthi assaults against
international commerce in the Red Sea,” it said.
The US recently said Israel should do
more to reduce civilian casualties while fighting the Palestinian resistance
group, Hamas.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since
a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, leaving it in ruins, with half of the
coastal territory’s housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents
displaced within the densely populated enclave amid acute shortages of food and
clean water.
At least 21,320 Palestinians have since
been killed and 55,603 injured, according to health authorities, while nearly
1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack. — AA
Source: muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/us-defense-chief-underscores-importance-of-protecting-gazas-civilians/
-----
US strike near Syria-Iraq border kills
fighters; resistance hits bases
30 December 2023
At least five people have been killed
and several others killed after a site in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr
al-Zawr near the Iraqi border, where resistance fighters are based, came under
a strike by US military aircraft.
Sabereen News, a Telegram news channel
associated with Iraqi anti-terror Popular Mobilization Units – better known by
the Arabic name Hashd al-Sha’abi – reported that there were Lebanese nationals
among the victims of the attack that targeted a military installation in the
city of al-Bukamal early on Saturday.
Iraqi resistance fighters launched three
separate attacks against US military bases in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan
region and neighboring Syria over Washington’s support for the Israeli war on
the Gaza Strip.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an
umbrella group of anti-terror fighters, in separate statements published on its
Telegram channel claimed responsibility for the drone strike on al-Harir Air
Base, situated 45 kilometers (27.9 miles) north of the Erbil International
Airport, late on Friday.
The group noted that the airstrike was
carried out in retaliation for US support of Israel’s bloody war against
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
There were no immediate reports about
the extent of damage at the military facility, or possible casualties.
Iraqi resistance fighters have launched
two separate attacks against US military bases in western Iraq and neighboring
Syria over Washington’s support for the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, Iraqi resistance forces had
fired a barrage of rockets at an American military base in al-Shaddadi town,
located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Syria’s northeastern city of
Hasakah.
Another US-run facility in Kharab al-Jir
military base in the Yarubiyah district of the same Syrian province was also
hit with a number of rockets.
The strikes on the US-run military
installation in Iraq and Syria come amid growing anti-US sentiments over Washington’s
firm support for Israel’s war against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip,
which has killed at least 21,320 people, most of them women and children.
Another 55,603 individuals have been wounded as well.
The Israeli regime launched the war
after Gaza’s resistance groups conducted Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, their biggest
operation against the occupying entity in years.
Hadi al-Ameri says the only solution to
stop illegal and aggressive attacks by the US is the withdrawal of American
occupation troops from Iraq.
Since the onset of the war on October 7,
the United States has backed Israel’s ferocious attacks on Palestinian
territory as a means of “self-defense.”
The US House of Representatives on
November 2 passed a standalone $14.3-billion military assistance package for
Israel. The legislation, however, is yet to clear the Senate.
Washington has also vetoed United
Nations Security Council resolutions that called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/30/717276/Five-resistance-fighters-killed-in-US-strike-near-Syrian-Iraqi-border
----
South Asia
Bangladeshi activists warn of global
threat posed by Israel’s onslaught on Gaza
December 29, 2023
DHAKA: More than 2,000 people gathered
at a rally in Bangladesh on Friday to show solidarity with Palestine and warn
of the danger that Israel’s deadly onslaught on Gaza poses to the world.
The protest was organized by the
Palestine Solidarity Committee, Bangladesh, a group that was formed by
educators, writers and activists at Dhaka University earlier this month.
The committee is led by Prof. Serajul
Islam Choudhury, a prominent Bangladeshi public intellectual and literary
critic, who said the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, which have killed more
than 21,300 people since early October, were comparable to the Holocaust.
“The ancestors of today’s Israeli people
have witnessed the Holocaust,” he said in his speech at the rally. “The
Israelis are now conducting the same Holocaust on the Palestinian people.”
The protesters, holding banners reading
“Free Palestine” and “Stop Genocide,” gathered at Shabang Circle — the Dhaka
neighborhood that hosts Bangladesh’s most prominent educational institutions.
Prof. Anu Muhammad, committee member and
economist, told Arab News that “a genocide has been taking place every day in
Gaza” that disregards the UN and international law.
“One single country that is patronized
by the US and other colonial powers is committing this day after day. It’s a
danger and threat to the whole world and human civilization. If a country or a
group of nations (carries out) this sort of indiscriminate action, there should
be protests against it everywhere in the world,” he said. “We are holding today’s
protest to express our solidarity with the Palestinian people ... This sort of
(display of) public opinion and solidarity has some significance.”
Mohammad Salman, a schoolteacher, joined
the protest believing that people around the world should unite against the
Israeli military’s attacks on Gaza.
“Raise your voices against this
genocide. The killing of innocent people can’t be justified by any means,” he
said. “It’s a shame that we have seen some superpowers applying veto power
against any (UN) resolution over the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. How many lives
do Palestinians need to sacrifice to establish their rights to their own land?”
Tamanna Rahman, a homemaker who joined
the protest with her daughters, said that, in situations like this, people had
to stand up for others, as it could also potentially affect their own future
safety.
“I am a mother of two children. Seeing
the blood of children in Gaza shed every day on TV, I can’t hold my tears. If
the systematic killing in Gaza goes unpunished, then I can’t feel safe. It
might be that tomorrow I will face the same fate as the Gazans,” she told Arab
News.
“None of us will be safe in a world of
revenge. This genocide will only increase hatred and cause more destruction.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433611/world
-----
Israel's Attack Shows Cruelty,
Inhumanity: Afghan Minister
December 29, 2023
The acting Minister of Refugees and
Repatriation, Khalil Rahman Haqqani, called the Israeli attack on Palestine an
inhumane act and against all human norms.
Haqqani made the remarks at a graduation
ceremony for 62 students of a religious school in Paktia province.
"They [Israelis] have occupied the
Holy Jerusalem. They insulted our Islamic rituals. Don't we see the cruelty of
these infidels?” he said.
Abdul Latif Mansour, the acting minister
of energy and water, who also participated in the ceremony, said that all
religious scholars should not try to get jobs in the government.
He asked the religious scholars to serve
the society in madrasas and in mosques.
“If all the religious clerics join the
government, a gap will be created in our nation. When there is a gap, we will
be separated from the nation. Therefore, we should not leave the mosque empty
for anyone, nor the schools, nor the government,” Mansour said.
Meanwhile, Aziz Rahman Mansour, the
deputy minister of hajj and religious affairs, said many skilled workers around
the nation will complete the construction of major projects like the Qosh Tepa
Canal.
Earlier several residents had already
stressed the need of hiring specialists for technical and professional
positions.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186728
-----
UNSCAdopts New Resolution To Appoint A
Special Envoy For Afghanistan
Fidel Rahmati
December 30, 2023
The United Nations Security Council
approved a new resolution on Afghanistan on Friday. The resolution was adopted
with 13 votes in favour and two abstentions from Russia and China.
The resolution calls on the
Secretary-General of the United Nations to appoint a special envoy for
Afghanistan.
According to the resolution, the UN
Secretary-General is to appoint a new representative in consultation with the
Security Council, Afghan political actors, including Taliban officials, Afghan
women, civil society, and countries from the region and the world in a timely
manner.
The resolution also states that the UN’s
special representative will strive to implement the recommendations of the
independent assessment by FerudinSinirlioglu, the UN’s Special Coordinator for
Afghanistan, while also having strong expertise in human rights and gender
issues.
The proposed resolution by Japan and the
United Arab Emirates calls for member countries of the Security Council and
other organizations and countries involved in Afghanistan to cooperate in
implementing these proposals.
The resolution emphasizes that the goal
of pursuing these proposals should be a peaceful Afghanistan fully integrated
into the international community and adhering to its international commitments
and obligations.
The resolution also re-emphasizes the
essential role of women in Afghan society, emphasizing the importance of their
full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation in the community.
The resolution welcomes the decision of
the UN Secretary-General to convene the next meeting of special envoys and
representatives of countries on Afghan affairs, which took place for the first
time in Doha in May 2023.
The United Nations Security Council
resolution emphasizes that “a cohesive and integrated approach of all political
actors inside and outside the United Nations is vital to establishing and
maintaining peace in Afghanistan.”
The Council also requests the UN
Secretary-General appoint someone committed to human rights as the special
representative for Afghanistan to implement the organization’s intended
programs without undermining the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(UNAMA) mission.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/un-security-council-adopts-new-resolution-on-afghanistan/
-----
Kazakhstan Removes Islamic Emirate From
Banned Group List
NaweedSamadi
December 29, 2023
Kazakhstan ambassador to Afghanistan
Alim Khan Yasin Galdiev in a meeting with the acting foreign minister, Amir
Khan Muttaqi, said that his country has taken the Islamic Emirate off the list
of groups whose activities are banned in this country.
The deputy spokesman for the Foreign
Ministry, Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, quoted Alim Khan Yasin Galdiev as saying that
Kazakhstan wants to expand its economic and political relations with
Afghanistan.
"Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court has officially
removed the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from the list of banned groups whose
activities are banned in its territory and wants to expand its relations with
Afghanistan in the fields of trade and politics,” Zia Ahmad Takal said on X.
“Governments make decisions based on
their national interests at the international level. Kazakhstan's national
interests require that Afghanistan does not pose any threat to it and its
surrounding countries. Similarly, the Taliban also needs legitimacy,” said Shaker
Hayat, a political analyst.
The acting foreign minister praised this
decision of Kazakhstan, saying that it will be beneficial for the two
countries, and called for more cooperation between the two countries.
“It is more important that the neighbors
of Afghanistan should have mutual trust with Afghanistan like this. Kazakhstan
is a bit far away and its importance is less,” Tariq Farhadi, a political
analyst, told TOLOnews.
The US Department of Treasury on
December 8 said the Office of Foreign Assets Control designated “Fariduddin
Mahmood (Mahmood) and Khalid Hanafi (Hanafi) for serious human rights abuse
related to the repression of women and girls, including through the restriction
of access to secondary education for women and girls in Afghanistan solely on
the basis of gender.”
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186721
-----
Bayat Foundation distributes aid to
hundreds of needy families in Kabul
December 29, 2023
Bayat Foundation once again distributed
winter relief packages to hundreds of needy families in Kabul.
Foundation officials said the aid
packages of food and non-food items will reach all the provinces of the country
and will continue until the end of the winter season.
“In continuation of Bayat Foundation’s
winter aid, which we distributed in some provinces; fortunately, we are in
Kabul today and distributing food and non-food aid to a number of needy and
displaced people,” said Haji Mohammad Ismail, deputy head of Bayat Foundation.
The packages include flour, rice,
cooking oil and warm clothes.
The families who have benefited from
these donations ask other charitable organizations to help Afghans in need
during these difficult times.
Aid recipients have said that Bayat
Foundation’s assistance was provided when they faced various economic problems.
“I thank Bayat Foundation, may God bless
them, and may God reward them for helping people,” said an aid recipient.
“May God bless Bayat Foundation, which
helps needy families,” said another aid recipient.
Bayat Foundation has already distributed
much aid needed to hundreds of needy families in Kabul and other provinces,
along with deported immigrants from Pakistan.
Source: ariananews.af
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.ariananews.af/bayat-foundation-distributes-aid-to-hundreds-of-needy-families-in-kabul/
------
Pakistan
Islamabad turns down Indian call to hand
over Hafiz Saeed
December 30, 2023
Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Friday
officially declined India’s demand for the extradition of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD)
chief Hafiz Saeed after New Delhi announced it had formally requested Islamabad
to extradite him in a money laundering case.
Responding to media inquiries about
India’s extradition request, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch
pointed out that “no bilateral extradition treaty exists between Pakistan and
India”.
Saeed is currently serving a jail
sentence after being convicted of terror financing in multiple cases. He has
received various prison sentences, ranging from over 15 to 31 years.
Although India accuses him of being
behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Saeed has denied any involvement.
He was arrested in 2019 when Pakistan
was struggling to get out of the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list
comprising countries with strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering
(AML), counter-terrorism financing (CFT), and proliferation financing regimes.
FO says no extradition treaty exists
between both countries; New Delhi’s request follows Chinese reprimand over
‘double standards’ on terrorism
In 2012, the United States announced a
$10 million bounty on Saeed. Both the Lashkar-e-Taiba and JuD are banned
entities in the US and under UN sanctions.
Earlier on Friday, Arindam Bagchi, the
spokesperson for India’s External Affairs Ministry, emphasised at a media
briefing in New Delhi that the extradition request, delivered last week via the
Indian high commission in Islamabad, was accompanied by relevant documentation.
However, he acknowledged that the
request for Saeed’s transfer to India to stand trial was made despite the lack
of an extradition treaty with Islamabad.
‘Chinese reprimand’
India’s revelation of the request
followed a Chinese reprimand, on Wednesday, of New Delhi’s “double standards”
in dealing with terrorism.
It was referring to Pakistani reports of
a Baloch rebel’s surrender and his naming of India as the sponsor of the
group’s activities.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao
Ning said such a posture “benefits no one” and comes at the “expense of
international and regional security and will only backfire”.
Reports said Mao’s comments came in
response to claims by a former Pakistani militant commander, Sarfraz Bangulzai,
of the banned militant organisation Baloch National Army, according to a
transcript of a news conference released by the ministry.
She told reporters in Beijing: “To
support and use terrorist groups and let them thrive out of one’s selfish
interests at the expense of international and regional security benefits no one
and will only backfire.”
“China stands for strengthening
counterterrorism cooperation among all countries to jointly fight all forms of
terrorism,” stressed Mao.
She was responding to a question by the
China Daily newspaper that India “has been secretly supporting terrorist
activities in Balochistan and financing Balochistan separatist forces” as
alleged by Bangulzai.
“China firmly opposes double standards
on counterterrorism. To support and use terrorist groups benefits no one and
will only backfire,” the ministry posted on X with a link to a media report
with allegations by Bangulzai.
The announcement was made at a press
conference in Quetta, with provincial Information Minister Jan Achakzai also in
attendance.
Our correspondent in New Delhi also
contributed to this report
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1801793/islamabad-turns-down-indian-call-to-hand-over-hafiz-saeed
------
Ulema, Mashaikh observe ‘Children’s
Protection Day’ nationwide
December 30, 2023
ISLAMABAD -
Religious scholars and leaders representing various schools of thought,
on the call of Pakistan Ulema Council, on Friday observed ‘Children’s Protection
Day’ nationwide. The Ulema and Mashaykh, in their Friday sermons, urged urge
the public to ensure administration of polio vaccine their children, thereby
safeguarding them from potential lifelong disabilities.
PUC Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmoud
Ashrafi, Allama Ziaullah Shah Bukhari, Pir Naqibur Rahman, and others, in their
sermons, said it was imperative to emphasize that the administration of polio
drops was entirely lawful as they had no adverse impact on human structure and
did not induce weakness in children.
They said, “Islamic Shariah also
advocates avoiding risks to oneself and one’s children. Thus, it becomes a
parental responsibility to get administered polio drops, and those who neglect
this duty may, unfortunately, subject their children to the consequences of
polio. Such negligence would be viewed unfavorably by Allah and society.” The
scholars and leaders asserted that opposition or resistance to polio
vaccination in Pakistan was rooted in ignorance. Those who spread propaganda against
the vital campaign were, in essence, jeopardizing the health of children, they
added.
Historically, they said polio was
prevalent in different parts of the world, including America, Great Britain,
European countries, and India. “However, these nations dedicated relentless
efforts to control and eventually eliminate the disease. Today, they stand free
from its grip. Regrettably, Pakistan still grapples with polio,” they
maintained.
They said international health
organizations were diligently working to eradicate the disease by administering
vaccinations to children and Islamic scholars actively supported such
initiatives. Despite those efforts, they said, certain elements, driven by
ignorance or ulterior motives, continued to obstruct the progress in combating
polio. The religious scholars and leaders emphasized that vaccines were a form
of medicine, and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)
regarding the use of medicine were unequivocal. Polio was an ailment for which
there was no cure once contracted.
Source: nation.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.nation.com.pk/30-Dec-2023/ulema-mashaikh-observe-children-s-protection-day-nationwide
------
Five terrorists killed in North
Waziristan IBO: ISPR
December 30, 2023
Five terrorists including a terrorist
commander were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Mir Ali area
of district North Waziristan on Friday, the Inter-Services Public Relations
(ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday.
The military's media wing said security
forces conducted the IBO on the reported presence of terrorists on December 29.
"During the conduct of operation,
after intense fire exchange, five terrorists, including terrorist commander
Rahzaib aka Khuray, were sent to hell," the ISPR stated.
The killed terrorists, according to the
statement, remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against
security forces as well as extortion and target killings of innocent civilians.
"Weapons and ammunition were also
recovered during the operation," the ISPR added. It said locals of the
area appreciated the operation.
Meanwhile, sanitisation operation was
being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area, as the
security forces were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the
country, the military's media wing mentioned in the press release.
'2023 saw disturbing surge in suicide
attacks'
Pakistan, in 2023, saw a disturbing
surge in suicide attacks by terrorists, reaching the highest level since 2014.
The data gathered by PICSS stated that
security forces remained the primary targets of these terrorist attacks, with
civilians constituting the second-largest victim category.
At least 48% of deaths (157) and 58% of
injuries (340) were inflicted upon security personnel, the data stated. The
number of civilian casualties was closer to these statistics with 130 deaths
and 242 injured.
Source: nation.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.nation.com.pk/30-Dec-2023/5-terrorists-killed-in-north-waziristan-ibo-says-ispr
------
PTI officials will be able to meet,
consult Imran
Dec 30, 2023
Allowing erstwhile PTI chairman
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and others to hold talks with party founder Imran Khan
in Adiala Jail about award of PTI tickets to aspirants for the Feb 8 elections
in Pakistan, an Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge observed that creating
impediments to such meetings raised questions about the impartiality of the
caretaker government.
Hearing a petition filed by Barrister
Gohar through advocate Shuaib Shaeen, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb remarked
on Friday that the caretaker government should remain neutral and should not
take such steps that would derail the election process.
During the course of arguments, the
court was informed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had issued
the schedule for the upcoming elections and members of PTI's core committee
require frequent meetings with Imran Khan for selection of candidates and award
of tickets for the constituencies of national and provincial assemblies across
the country.
The counsel urged the court to grant
permission to Barrister Gohar, Hamid Khan, ShadabJafferi, Shuaib Shaheen and
IntizarPanjhuta to meet Imran Khan.
After an initial hearing, Justice
Aurangzeb issued notices to the jail superintendent.
Islamabad Advocate General Ayyaz Shaukat
and Additional Attorney General Munawar Iqbal Duggal opposed the request.
The court observed, "These two
gentlemen hold brief for a caretaker government, which is expected to be
impartial in the process leading up to the elections. Creating impediments in
the meeting between the former and the present chairman of a political party on
a matter as to the award of the tickets is a serious question mark on such
impartiality."
Justice Aurangzeb further observed that
"it ought to be realised that the status of the former chairman PTI with
whom the petitioner wants to confer is that of an under-trial prisoner. The
sentence awarded to him in one case has been suspended by this court."
The court also noted that deliberations
on award of tickets to the candidates "is a matter of a fundamental right
enshrined in Article 17 of the constitution, which is to take precedence over
any of the jail rules".
The court allowed Imran Khan's meetings
with the chairman and members of the PTI's core committee and stated that
"such meetings shall be under the supervision of the superintendent Adiala
Jail, Rawalpindi on such days and for such periods as he may reasonably
determine".
It may be mentioned that a similar
petition was filed by PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat. However, he was seeking
permission for Asad Qaiser and 13 members of the party to meet Imran Khan. That
petition could not be taken up since the registrar office had raised
administrative objections.
Gohar assails opponents
Later, Barrister Gohar assailed
political opponents for allegedly attacking the judiciary, instead of accepting
its decisions or adopting a legal course. He alleged that it was their history
to attack the courts.
He went on to warn that if elections
were not held in a free and fair manner, economy would suffer further. He
pointed out that restraining the aspirants from filing their nominations or
getting their forms rejected through returning officers did not happen in a
free and fair election.
He asked the opponents to respect the
judiciary, adding that the Peshawar High Court's decision to restore 'bat' as
PTI's election symbol was in accordance with the aspirations of the people of
Pakistan.
"Those making hue and cry over the
PHC's ruling regarding the PTI's electoral symbol are scared to face the
nation," Barrister Khan said, adding, "They were hatching
conspiracies to deprive the PTI of its iconic electoral symbol and even to oust
the PTI from the electoral race."
Gohar was addressing a news conference
at the National Press Club along with PTI leader Sardar Latif Khan Khosa,
Shuaib Shaheen and Panjhuta.
He regretted that the PHC's verdict was
criticised by several political leaders, including JUI-F emir Maulana Fazlur
Rehman and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif.
"These political parties were
attacking the judiciary after the PHC suspended the ECP's decision," he
said, adding that political leaders, whose defeat were imminent, were trying to
make the PHC's decision controversial.
It may be recalled that the ECP had on
Dec 22 stripped the PTI of its symbol and voided its intra-party elections.
Barrister Gohar said the Supreme Court
had settled that snatching of electoral symbol is equivalent to dissolving a
political party and this right only lies with the apex court according to
Article 17 of the constitution.
Gohar said he was a representative of
Imran Khan, who "was, is and will always remain our leader"
irrespective wherever he was.
He claimed that the highest number of
nomination papers had been filed by PTI candidates. "If you take away our
electoral symbol, will all of these candidates contest as independents? If this
happens, who will be responsible for horse trading after the polls?"
Barrister Khan asked.
"We have filed petitions in the ECP
against snatching of nomination papers of our candidates and detention of their
seconders and proposers," he pointed out.
He said judiciary should take notice of
these unlawful and unconstitutional measures at the earliest because of the
attempts aimed at pushing the PTI out of the election process.
He also requested the judiciary to look
into the issue of the maltreatment meted out to PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi
at the hands of the authorities.
Khosa lashed out at PML-N supremo Nawaz
Sharif, calling him a "fugitive" who has been facilitated from his
departure at Heathrow Airport to his landing at Islamabad airport.
"On one hand, Imran Khan was called
for biometrics and arrested in the high court room, on the other a biometric
machine was delivered to the airport for an ineligible person," he said,
referring to Nawaz Sharif.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/asia/south-asia/news/pti-officials-will-be-able-meet-consult-imran-3506396
------
IHC wraps up case of released Baloch
protesters
December 30, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC)
has wrapped up case of arrested Baloch protesters.
The administration released 34 Baloch
demonstrators under the order of the court.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard
the case on Friday.
Counsel Atta UllahKundi said, “I am
grateful to the administration that it released all arrested Balochs by upholding
their words. Only courts are ray of hope in the prevailing situation in the
country.”
Justice Miangul Hassan remarked, “The
courts are ray of hope. No we don’t know.”
Counsel Atta UllahKundi said what change
has come in their mood it has come due to implementation of law.
The court should see what illegal
actions were taken by police against the protesters.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb
remarked, “The court does not want such situation is created that aggression
may start against them due to us. Pray and hope that all become better.”
Counsel Atta UllahKundi said
administration should offer apology for keeping Baloch women detained for 24
hours.
The administration should clarify why
the Baloch women were arrested. At present it is good that all arrested persons
were released. Police should be warned that it should not take such illegal
step in future on any direction.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb
remarked, “If they have been released then it is good thing. We should hope for
good. SSP Sahb thank you for your cooperation with the court. This should be
done in future as well.”
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1143136-ihc-wraps-up-case-of-released-baloch-protesters
-------
Jamaat-e-Islami: JI Karachi chief opens
overhauled fleet of vehicles
2023-12-30
KARACHI: Hafiz Naeemur Rehman,
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi Chief on Friday opened an overhauled fleet of
vehicles in the city's model town locality, besides laying the foundation for a
plant necessary there.
Vehicles stood rusted which were
overhauled for different operations, he also gave away cheques of dues to some
28 retired employees at a small ceremony in the same town.
He lauded the engineers and town
officials for their efforts for restoring the abandoned vehicles to a new look.
He also directed the town chairman for an initiation process to promote the
employees from grade five to the next one.
"The JI has been delivering in all
the towns run by the party," he said. He said that the JI will begin a new
era of progress and development in the city after sweeping the polls on Feb 8,
2024 to form the government in Sindh.
Source: brecorder.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.brecorder.com/news/40281171/jamaat-e-islami-ji-karachi-chief-opens-overhauled-fleet-of-vehicles
------
COAS pledges to rein in mafias in unison
with nation
December 30, 2023
Army chief Gen Munir says social media
being used to create environment of chaos, despair, and panic giving impression
that State is losing its writ n Pakistan is endowed with immense potential and
abundant resources n PM says agriculture holds major importance for socio-economic
development.
ISLAMABAD - Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Syed Asim
Munir has said that social media is rife with fabricated claims against the
state of Pakistan and pledged to combat these mafias in unison with the nation,
underlining the critical importance of national unity and progress.
“Social media is being used to create an
environment of chaos, despair, and panic. Through fake news, an impression is
being created that the state is losing its [writ],” the army chief said in an
address to the National Farmers Convention here yesterday.
Like many countries, Pakistan is also
grappling with the growing challenge of fake news on social media, masquerading
as truths and spreading like wildfire. The reports, despite being unfounded,
are fuelled by emotional appeals and designed to existing societal divisions,
he said.
A detailed report issued earlier this
year by EU DisinfoLab showed that Indian media outlets have also been part of a
smear campaign against Pakistan by quoting non-existent organisations, journalists,
and bloggers.
The convention was also addressed by
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar while federal ministers,
agricultural experts and senior government officials were also present there.
Gen Asim Munir said that “rumours” and
“negative impressions” were being spread about Pakistan. “But you should know
that only two states were established on the bases of the Kalima: the state of
Madina and Pakistan,” COAS Munir said, emphasising divine backing to the
country.
“All types of mafia will be crushed
together with the nation,” the army chief added. The COAS, who was the chief
guest at the event, emphasised that the farmers were the backbone of the
country’s agriculture sector. “It’s your untiring hard work, toil and
determination that plays a pivotal role in ensuring food security for millions
of Pakistanis. You make us and the entire nation proud,” he added. He said that
the climate change and water scarcity were realities that challenged Pakistan’s
food security and necessitated use of technology and close government-public
collaboration as being done under SIFC. “Pakistan is endowed with immense
potential and abundant resources. Together, we will navigate through these
challenging times, by the grace of Allah, and attain our goals across every
sector, InshaAllah,” he added. The COAS said that the dividends of all
initiatives by SIFC would help Pakistan come out of the economic crisis.
“United, we as a resilient nation will lead Pakistan towards a progressive and
prosperous future, InshaAllah”, he added. In his address on the occasion, the
Prime Minister said that agriculture held immense importance for socio-
economic development of the country at the grassroots level. He appreciated the
collaborative work of ministries and departments for achieving various
milestones under the umbrella of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)
and stressed the need to expedite various initiatives, according to a press
release issued by the PM Office’s Media Wing.
Source: nation.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.nation.com.pk/30-Dec-2023/coas-pledges-to-rein-in-mafias-in-unison-with-nation
------
Islamabad to continue talks with Kabul,
says Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry
Fidel Rahmati
December 29, 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Pakistan says that it continues to engage in communications and negotiations
with officials of the Taliban government regarding border and security issues.
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson
for the ministry, stated on Thursday in a press conference that Islamabad wants
Afghanistan to be a hub of trade and energy connectivity in the region.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry
spokesperson added that Islamabad has repeatedly expressed its desire for a
peaceful, prosperous, stable, and connected Afghanistan to emerge as a
connecting line for trade and energy in the region.
He stated: “As a supporter of regional
efforts regarding the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan has participated in
meetings and negotiations to strengthen peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan remains
committed to negotiating and engaging with Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, the acting Foreign Minister
of the Taliban administration has recently stated that the Taliban regime
wishes to resolve all issues with Islamabad through dialogue.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign
Minister of the Taliban, raised this matter in conversation with Mushahid
Hussain Sayed, a Pakistani senator, on the sidelines of the Tehran conference
recently held concerning Palestine in Iran.
Muttaqi also told the Pakistani senator
that the Pakistani government had retreated from negotiations on the brink of
an agreement with the TTP.
He stated that in the negotiations
between the Pakistani government and the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), both sides
had come close to an agreement, but Islamabad withdrew from the negotiations.
According to this Pakistani official’s
claim, Muttaqi said that after a series of meetings between Pakistani officials
and the TTP leadership, most issues had been resolved, and both sides were
close to an agreement.
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan has
repeatedly claimed that the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) launches attacks in
the country from Afghan soil. The Kabul administration has always denied this
accusation.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/islamabad-to-continue-talks-with-kabul-says-pakistans-foreign-ministry/
-----
Mideast
Israel restricts Palestinians’ access to
Al-Aqsa Mosque for 12th Friday in a row
IkrameImaneKouachi
29.12.2023Israeli authorities barred
Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for
the 12th consecutive Friday.
A large number of Israeli police
personnel were deployed throughout the city to restrict worshipers’ access to
the mosque, witnesses told Anadolu.
For the 12th Friday in a row since the
beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza on Oct. 7, the Israeli police are imposing
severe restrictions that have prevented tens of thousands of people from
reaching Al-Aqsa Mosque to offer prayers.
Witnesses said that the Israeli police
set up barriers at the entrances to the Old City and allowed only the elderly
to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Israeli police also set up
checkpoints at the outer gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Hundreds of people performed Friday
prayers in the streets near the Old City, after they were prevented from reaching
the mosque.
A large number of police forces were
also deployed in the Wadi al-Jozneighborhood near the Old City, and prevented
worshipers from reaching the mosque, witnesses added.
Israel has launched air and ground
attacks on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas attack, killing at least
21,320 Palestinians, mostly children and women, and injuring 55,603 others,
according to health authorities in the enclave.
Authorities claim the Hamas attacks have
killed around 1,200 Israelis.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in
ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly
2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and
medicines.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-restricts-palestinians-access-to-al-aqsa-mosque-for-12th-friday-in-a-row/3095560
----
Hamas refutes Israeli claims about
'discussion of prisoner exchange'
29 December 2023
Hamas refutes the Israeli regime's
claims of taking place of "discussion of prisoner exchange" between
the Gaza Strip-based Palestinian resistance movement and Tel Aviv.
"There is no discussion of prisoner
exchange before stopping the aggression as Israel propagates," Osama
Hamdan, senior Hamas' representative in Lebanon, said on Friday.
"The occupation is attempting to
leak ideas that suit its narrative and are not true to alleviate internal
pressure," he added.
Gaza's resistance movements took
hundreds captive during an operation they staged against the occupied
territories, dubbed Operation al-Aqsa Storm, on October 7.
The regime began taking the coastal
sliver under an unrelenting genocidal war following the operation.
At least 21,320 people, mostly women and
children, have been killed during the Israeli military campaign so far.
During a Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated
temporary ceasefire that took effect earlier during the war, Israel released
240 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 105 people, who were released by Hamas.
Hamdan's remarks did not mark the first
time, when Hamas insists on complete cessation of the Israeli onslaught before
another exchange could take place.
A senior Hamas official says there will
be no more prisoner exchanges with Israel until the regime
"There is no concrete idea, but the
backbone is a complete and comprehensive cessation of aggression," he
noted, asserting, "We possess the tools and capabilities to force the
imposition of a ceasefire."
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian says Hamas has informed the Islamic Republic that it has
sufficient capabilities to continue the confrontation with Israel in Gaza for
months.
"The only way out of the Israeli
impasse is to stop the aggression and make concessions."
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/29/717265/Palestine-Israel-Hamas-prisoner-exchange-Hamdan-Gaza-war
-----
Hezbollah launches eight more
anti-Israel attacks in support of Gaza
29 December 2023
Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement
launched eight more attacks against Israeli military positions on Friday,
hitting bases as well as troops, in continuation of its support for
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Hezbollah said it launched an attack on
Israeli artillery bunkers in Khirbet Ma'ar, another on the Al-Marj site, and
one more on the Ruweisat Al-Qarn site. It also attacked the HadabYaroun site
two times.
The movement also hit gatherings of
occupation soldiers at Ramya site and another location between Zar'it barracks
and BirketRisha site.
Resistance fighters also hit a crane
carrying surveillance equipment and spy gear in Doviv farms.
According to the movement, the
operations were carried out "in support of the steadfast Palestinian people
in the Gaza Strip and solidarity with their courageous and honorable
resistance.”
Hezbollah fighters have struck Israeli
military positions after an Israeli airstrike on a southern Lebanese border
town killed three people.
Earlier, Israeli media reported 27
launches from Lebanese territories toward the Galilee region on Friday, in
addition to four warnings about drone intrusion, which led to no interceptions.
The Israeli military said it had struck
"Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon" after reporting rocket
fire from there.
The regime says it uses aircraft, tanks,
and artillery to strike Hezbollah sites in Lebanon.
‘Hezbollah ready for more whenever
necessary’
The fresh round of exchange of fire
comes as Israeli officials have stepped up threats against Hezbollah.
Benny Gantz, a member of the regime’s
war cabinet, said on Wednesday that Israel will restrain Hezbollah if the
international community and the Lebanese government don’t do that.
On Thursday, Hezbollah’s Deputy
Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem warned the regime they’re ready to
escalate militarily if Israel does.
"We are making the sacrifices that
the battle requires, and they are great, but we are also repelling a great
danger," Qassem said.
He added, "We are ready for more
whenever necessary. We are not intimidated by threats or warnings. We in the
field are clear that we are part of this battle."
The Turkish president says Israel’s
Benjamin Netanyahu is ‘no different’ from Adolf Hitler.
“If Israel goes too far, we will
retaliate twice. We will not fear either Israeli or American threats or
intimidation, because the future of the region now depends on this hope and
this sacrifice.”
Also, Hezbollah's Deputy Chief of the
Executive Council Sheikh Ali Daamoush said on Friday the resistance will
continue operations regardless of the pressures, threats, or sacrifices, as
long as the enemy does not retreat from its aggression against Gaza.
Since October 8, the day after the
Israel onslaught against Gaza started, the frontier between Lebanon and the
Israeli-occupied territories has seen deadly exchanges of fire, mainly between
the Israeli army and the Hezbollah movement.
Reports say Israel has repeatedly used
US-supplied internationally-banned white phosphorus munitions in its attacks on
Lebanon.
The fighting has forced the evacuation
of tens of thousands from the northern part of the Israeli-occupied
territories, which have been pummeled by rocket fire and shelling carried out
by Hezbollah and allied Palestinian groups.
Hezbollah has urged residents in
southern Lebanon to take their CCTV camera systems offline to prevent Israel
from hacking into those devices installed outside homes and shops in southern
Lebanon.
Hezbollah has already fought off two
Israeli wars against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006, forcing the regime’s forces to
retreat in both cases.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/29/717253/Hezbollah-launches-eight-more-anti-Israel-attacks-in-support-of-Gaza
-------
Israel bombs Gaza as Egypt hosts Hamas
to discuss truce proposal
December 29, 2023
GAZA: Israel pounded Gaza on Friday,
nearly 12 weeks into the war started by the October 7 attacks, as Egypt hosted
a Hamas delegation for talks aimed at ending the conflict that has devastated
much of the besieged Palestinian territory.
With vast areas of northern Gaza in
ruins and largely deserted, Israeli air strikes and ground combat have focussed
on central and southern districts, driving ever more displaced families into
crowded areas around Rafah near the Egyptian border.
Intense fighting around central Deir
Al-Balah and the biggest southern city, Khan Yunis, has driven about 100,000
newly displaced people into already-overcrowded Rafah, said the UN humanitarian
office, even as targets there were bombed too.
Rafah residents combed through rubble
for survivors and bodies after a deadly air strike Thursday.
One local man, Tayseer Abu Al-Eish, said
he was at home when “we heard a loud explosion and debris started falling on
us. My daughters were screaming.”
The relentless bombardment has caused
mass civilian casualties and sparked global calls for a cease-fire as alarm has
mounted over the dire fate of Palestinians enduring hunger and sleeping in
makeshift shelters in the cold winter months.
After another strike, in Deir Al-Balah,
one bereaved mother, Suhair Nasser, wept as she cradled the bodies of her twin
children, exclaiming that “the house was bombed and the debris fell on the kids
on December 28, their birthday.”
The military said it had “eliminated
dozens of terrorists” across Gaza over the past 24 hours and was “extending
operations in Khan Yunis,” the hometown of Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar.
Gunmen of Hamas, considered a
“terrorist” group by the United States and European Union, launched an attack
on October 7 that left about 1,140 people dead, mostly civilians, according to
an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
The Palestinian militants also took
about 250 people hostage, more than half of whom remain captive inside the war
zone, some of them believed dead.
Israel’s relentless military campaign
since then has killed at least 21,507 people, mostly women and children,
according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Israel’s army says 168 soldiers have
been killed inside Gaza.
Hamas’s military wing, the Ezzedine
Al-Qassam Brigades, said Friday it had launched a fresh barrage of rockets at
southern Israel.
An Israeli siege imposed after October
7, following years of crippling blockade, has deprived Gaza’s 2.4 million
people of food, water, fuel and medicine.
The UN says more than 80 percent of
Gaza’s population has been driven from their homes, with many now living in
cramped shelters or tents around Rafah.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees,
UNRWA, said 308 people seeking shelter in their facilities have been killed.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths
bemoaned “an impossible situation for the people of Gaza, and for those trying
to help them.”
“You think getting aid into Gaza is
easy? Think again,” he wrote Friday on X, formerly Twitter.
A UN aid convoy came under fire by the
Israeli military without causing casualties, UNRWA said.
The severe shortages have been only
sporadically eased by humanitarian aid convoys entering primarily via Egypt.
A truckload of fresh food, including
meat, eggs and fruit, reached a Rafah market Friday, bringing some relief.
“This is the first time eggs and some
types of fruit have entered Gaza from Egypt,” said vendor Muntasser Al-Shaer.
“All types of fruit are missing in the
markets. There are some types of vegetables but they’re really expensive.”
While Israel has repeatedly vowed to
destroy Hamas, Cairo has proposed a plan involving renewable cease-fires, a
staggered release of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and ultimately an end
to the war, say sources close to Hamas.
Speaking to AFP on condition of
anonymity, a Hamas official said the delegation would “give the response of the
Palestinian factions, including several observations” regarding the proposal Egypt
recently submitted to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Hamas would seek “guarantees for a
complete Israeli military withdrawal” from Gaza, the official said.
Looking at post-war Gaza, the proposal
provides for a Palestinian government of technocrats after talks involving “all
Palestinian factions,” which would be responsible for governing and rebuilding
the territory.
Israel is yet to formal comment on the
Cairo plan but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of hostages on
Thursday that “we are in contact” with the Egyptian mediators and promised that
“we are working to bring them all back.”
Egypt’s State Information Services chief
DiaRashwan said the plan was “intended to bring together the views of all
parties concerned, with the aim of ending the shedding of Palestinian blood.”
In Tel Aviv, hundreds rallied on
Thursday calling for a cease-fire.
“Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, Jews,
Christians — this is everybody’s home,” said one demonstrator, teacher
ItayEyal, 51, who stressed that all sides are entitled to “life, freedom,
sovereignty and dignity.”
He said “the atrocities committed by
Hamas on October 7 will never be pardoned and excused” but added that “if you
don’t see the historical context, then you’re condemned to repeat the same
tragedy over and over again.”
Tensions have also flared in the
occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian motorist who
had wounded four people in an alleged car ramming attack.
The Gaza war has also seen violence
flare elsewhere across the Middle East, where Israel has long waged a shadow
war with its arch foe Iran and armed groups allied with Tehran.
Israeli forces have traded heavy
cross-border fire with Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah since the Gaza war
erupted.
On Friday the army said it struck
“Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon” after rocket fire from there.
A US warship shot down a drone and an
anti-ship ballistic missile fired Thursday by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi
militia, the US military said.
The Houthis have repeatedly targeted
vessels in the vital Red Sea shipping lane with strikes they say are in support
of Palestinians in Gaza.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433531/middle-east
----
Three Gaza brothers say they were
beaten, mistreated in Israeli detention
December 30, 2023
GAZA: Three Palestinian brothers rounded
up by Israel in the Gaza Strip said they and fellow detainees were beaten,
stripped to their underwear, burnt with cigarettes and subjected to other forms
of mistreatment during their detention.
Sobhi Yaseen, his brothers Sady and
Ibrahim were among dozens of Palestinian men sheltering in a school in Rafah in
southern Gaza who spoke to Reuters about their treatment at the hands of
Israeli soldiers.
Reuters could not independently confirm
their accounts, which were consistent with descriptions from more than 20 other
former detainees who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson’s
office said in a written response that the Israeli military was operating “to
dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities” and rescue hostages captured by the
Palestinian militant group.
Detainees were treated in accordance
with international law, and were often required to hand over clothes to ensure
they were not carrying weapons or explosives, the office said.
The Yaseen brothers said they had been
taken from their homes in the north of the enclave, separated from their
families and held for up to two weeks at unknown locations including a military
barracks or camp.
Sobhi said he and his brothers were
detained in early December after the Israeli military encircled the area where
they lived and worked as day laborers in Gaza City’s Zeitounneighborhood.
He said four people beat him after he
was unable to climb onto a truck due to a leg injury sustained before his
arrest, and that he was then taken to an open area where captors were “smoking
and putting out cigarettes on our backs, spraying sand and water on us,
urinating on us.”
His brothers Sady and Ibrahim gave
similar accounts of mistreatment at the hands of Israeli soldiers. Reuters
could not independently confirm their accounts.
TREATMENT OF CIVILIANS
Israel launched its assault on the Gaza
Strip in retaliation for a shock cross-border incursion by Hamas militants on
Oct. 7 that Israel says left 1,200 dead. More than 21,000 Palestinians have
been killed in the Israeli campaign, according to authorities in the
Hamas-controlled territory.
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said
on Dec. 16 that it had received numerous reports of mass detentions,
ill-treatment and enforced disappearance of Palestinians in northern Gaza by
the Israeli military.
International humanitarian law requires
that civilians only be detained for imperative security reasons, and torture
and other ill-treatment of detainees is strictly prohibited, OHCHR said.
Images of detainees stripped to their
underwear in Gaza earlier this month triggered outrage from Palestinian, Arab
and Muslim officials.
UN rights chief Volker Turk has said
Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, its holding of hostages, and Israel’s “collective
punishment” and “unlawful forcible evacuation” of civilians, all constitute war
crimes.
The prosecutor of the International
Criminal Court (ICC), which has since 2021 been investigating possible war
crimes and crimes against humanity in the occupied Palestinian territories, has
called on Israel and Hamas to respect the international rules of war.
The ICC prosecutor’s office said it was
using all available means to ensure accountability for alleged crimes committed
in the Palestinian territories including Gaza, but could not comment on
specific allegations.
SCARS
The Yaseen brothers sheltering at Rafah
said the Israeli military had not made specific accusations against them. They
were rounded up together, then separated, as part of group arrests carried out
by Israel’s military in areas that it advances into.
Sady said he was placed with other
detainees in a truck containing garbage.
“They were beating us, and anyone who
raised their voice after the beating was beaten again. They searched us, took
our IDs, money, and phones,” he said, speaking among a group of about 20 men in
a tent at the Rafah school, most wearing grey tracksuits issued by the Israeli
military.
Some showed large scabs and raw skin on
their wrists where they said their hands had been bound or cuffed, and one
showed bruised streaks and a round red scar on his back. Another showed a
stitched scar on his thigh where he said he had been beaten.
The third Yaseen brother, Ibrahim,
described having his hands bound and being blindfolded as he was held for
interrogation.
“They didn’t let us sleep. We stood for
hours, as punishment,” he said.
Captors insulted the prisoners while banning
them from talking to each other or praying, Ibrahim said. “Then there would be
five soldiers who would hit you alternately in the head and body,” he added,
saying he had been beaten in the ribs and rolling up his sleeves to show
circular scars and scabs from where his wrists were bound.
The Israeli military dropped the
brothers off at different times at the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and
the Gaza Strip, as it has done with other batches of men detained during its
ground operation but no longer suspected of links to Hamas.
From there they said they walked several
kilometers to Rafah, where they relocated each other among the hundreds of
thousands of people have been displaced and are now living in overcrowded
buildings and tents.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433836/middle-east
-----
Jordan king demands global push for Gaza
ceasefire during call with Canadian PM
December 30, 2023
LONDON: Jordan’s King Abdullah II on
Friday received a phone call from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during
which he called for international pressure toward an immediate ceasefire in
Gaza, state media reported.
The king “stressed the importance of
protecting civilians and increasing humanitarian aid for Gaza, while
guaranteeing its sustained delivery, noting Jordan’s efforts in this regard,”
Petra news agency said.
The Jordanian monarch reaffirmed his
country’s rejection of attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians in the West
Bank and Gaza, and called on the international community to help counter
extremist settler violence in the West Bank.
King Abdullah “reiterated that security
and military solutions can never bring peace,” adding that the only way is to
“create a political horizon that leads to just and comprehensive peace based on
a two-state solution.”
Tens of thousands of fleeing
Palestinians sought shelter on Friday as Israeli tanks pushed through the
central Gaza Strip, with more than 180 people reported killed in 24 hours of
airstrikes and artillery barrages on the shattered enclave.
This brings the death toll to 21,507,
almost 1 percent of Gaza’s population, since the conflict began on Oct. 7
following a surprise attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel that killed
1,200 people and seized 240 hostages.
Almost all of the besieged territory’s
2.3 million population have been forced to flee their homes, some more than
once, while thousands more bodies are thought to be buried in the ruins of
neighborhoods.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433816/middle-east
------
Israel assassinated IRGC advisor after
failing in Gaza battleground: Quds Force cmdr.
29 December 2023
The commander of the Quds Force of
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
puts the Israeli regime's recent assassination of a senior IRGC advisor
in Syria down to the regime's failure in its ongoing war against the Gaza
Strip.
"You assassinate Martyr [Brigadier
General] Seyyed Razi Mousavi because you could not achieve anything in the Gaza
battleground," Brigadier General Ismail Qa'ani said on Friday, addressing
the Israeli regime.
Mousavi, a senior IRGC commander, was
martyred in a missile attack by the regime against the
SayyedaZeinabneighborhood of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday. He was
martyred while serving as part of Iran's military advisory mission in the Arab
country.
The atrocity came amid a war that the
occupying regime has been waging against Gaza since October 7 following an
operation staged by the Palestinian territory's resistance movements, dubbed
Operation al-Aqsa Storm. Qa'ani considered al-Aqsa Storm to be a response to
"the extensive atrocities that the Zionist regime had committed against
the Muslim people of Palestine."
At least 21,320 people, mostly women and
children, have been killed during the Israeli military campaign across the
coastal sliver.
Tel Aviv, however, has stopped short of
realizing any of its stated goals, including obliteration of the Gaza-based
resistance movement of Hamas, enabling release of the people who were taken
captive during al-Aqsa Storm, and prompting forced displacement of Gaza's
population to neighboring countries.
Qa'ani likewise noted that the Israeli
regime and the United States -- Tel Aviv's most dedicated ally, which has
thrown all-out military and political support behind the war -- had achieved
nothing throughout the aggression other than killing innocent women and
children.
He noted the US had been investing all
of its power in supporting the Zionists, but said Washington would eventually
be held accountable over its crimes.
As opposed to the Zionist regime, which
has been receiving maximal Western support, the people of Gaza have solely been
defended by the regional resistance front, Qa'ani, meanwhile, reminded.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian says Hamas has informed the Islamic Republic that it has
sufficient capabilities to continue the confrontation with Israel in Gaza for months.
'Israel hides true number of its
casualties'
The Iranian commander said the Zionist
regime had, so far during the war on Gaza, incurred a sizeable number of
casualties, including thousands of fatalities and as many as 500 cases of
blindness.
"They, however, are not man enough
to announce the number of their casualties," Qa'ani said.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/29/717263/Iran-commander-Israel-assassination-IRGC-Gaza-war-United-States
----
Iran executes four people for having
alleged links with Israel’s Mossad security service
30.12.23
Iran executed on Friday four people and
sentenced several others to prison for having alleged links with Israel’s
Mossad security service, local media reported.
Mizan, the news website affiliated with
the country’s judiciary, said three men and one woman were executed on Friday
morning. It identified the men as VafaHanareh, Aram Omari, Rahman Parhazo and
the woman as Nasim Namazi. The report didn’t say how the deaths were carried
out, but Iran usually applies hanging.
The four were charged with kidnapping
several Iranian security forces to extract intelligence information, Mizan
reported. They were also accused of setting fire to cars and apartments of some
of Iran’s intelligence agents.
The report also said several others —
working with the same group — were each sentenced to 10 years in jail, without
giving further details.
This came less than a week after an
alleged Israeli airstrike killed a high-ranking Iranian general in Syria.
Iran and Israel have long accused each
other of spying and waging a shadow war for years.
In November, UN chief Antonio Guterres
said Iran was carrying out executions “at an alarming rate”, putting to death
at least 419 people in
the first seven months of the year.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/iran-executes-four-people-for-having-alleged-links-with-israels-mossad-security-service/cid/1990306
-----
'Exhausted' Gazans desperate for war to
end as Israel presses offensive
Dec 30, 2023
After nearly three months of deadly
strikes, incessant displacements and sputtering humanitarian aid,
"exhausted" Gazans say they are desperate for an end to the fighting
as Israel's war against Hamas looks set to grind on into the new year.
The Israeli army kept up its campaign across
the length of the Gaza Strip on Friday in the face of mounting international
pushback, with UN chief Antonio Guterres reiterating his call for "an
immediate humanitarian ceasefire", and South Africa initiating a case
against Israel in international court.
The World Health Organization,
meanwhile, warned of the growing threat of infectious diseases as fighting
displaces more and more Gazans, forcing them ever further south towards the
already-overcrowded city of Rafah.
"Enough with this war! We are totally
exhausted. We are constantly displaced from one place to another in cold
weather," said 49-year-old Um Louay Abu Khater from a camp in the southern
border city.
"The bombs keep falling on us every
day and night. We expect missiles (at any moment), while others are preparing
for New Year's Eve celebrations."
The UN says more than 85 percent of
Gaza's 2.4 million people have fled their homes, with many now going hungry and
braving the winter rains in makeshift tents.
An Israeli siege imposed after October
7, following years of crippling blockade, has led to dire shortages of food,
safe water, fuel and medicine, with aid convoys offering only sporadic relief.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees
said Friday that one such convoy had come under fire from Israeli forces the
day before, without causing any casualties.
Ahmed al-Baz, 33, said the year drawing
to a close had been "the worst in my life".
"It was a year of destruction and
devastation," he said. "We went through hell and encountered death
itself."
"We just want the war to end and
start the new year at our homes, with a ceasefire declared," he added.
Negotiations
The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's
bloody October 7 attacks on Israel, which left about 1,140 people dead, mostly
civilians, according to an tally based on Israeli figures.
The Palestinian Islamist militants also
took about 250 people hostage, more than half of whom remain inside the war
zone, some of them believed dead.
Israel's relentless military campaign
since then has killed at least 21,507 people, mostly women and children,
according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
Israel's army says 168 soldiers have
been killed inside the territory.
A Hamas delegation was in Cairo on
Friday to discuss an Egyptian plan proposing renewable ceasefires, a staggered
release of hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and ultimately an end to the
war, sources close to Hamas say.
Speaking to AFP on condition of
anonymity, a Hamas official said the delegation would give
"observations" on the proposal and seek "guarantees for a
complete Israeli military withdrawal" from Gaza.
Israel has yet to formally comment on
the Cairo plan, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of hostages
on Thursday that "we are in contact" with the Egyptian mediators and
promised the captives that "we are working to bring them all back".
The US news outlet Axios and the Israeli
outlet Ynet, both citing unnamed Israeli officials, reported that Qatari
mediators had told Israel that Hamas was prepared to resume talks on new
hostage releases in exchange for a ceasefire.
In Rafah, 27-year-old Youssef Ahras told
AFP he hoped the negotiations could "stop the bloodshed... because the
price of war is so high".
"I don't know a lot about the
political aspects because as locals, we are busy with our essential
needs," he said.
'Genocide' claim
South Africa, meanwhile, filed an
application on Friday at the International Court of Justice to start
proceedings against Israel for what it said were "genocidal acts against
the Palestinian people in Gaza".
In its filing, it asked the court to
"protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the
Palestinian people".
Responding on the social media platform
X, Israeli foreign ministry spokesman LiorHaiat wrote that "Israel rejects
with disgust the blood libel spread by South Africa and its application".
South Africa has long been a vocal
supporter of the Palestinian cause, with the ruling African National Congress
(ANC) party often linking it to its own struggle against apartheid.
Pretoria has strongly condemned Israel's
response to the Hamas attacks and has recalled all its diplomats from the
country, with Israel in turn recalling its ambassador in South Africa.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/exhausted-gazans-desperate-for-war-to-end-as-israel-presses-offensive/articleshow/106393987.cms
------
Israeli Police Attack Palestinian
Muslims in Occupied Jerusalem
DEC 30, 2023
Israeli occupation police attacked
Palestinian worshipers who were denied entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old
City of occupied Jerusalem, causing dozens of injuries.
On Friday morning, Israeli occupation
police erected barriers surrounding the Old City of occupied Jerusalem and
prevented Palestinian worshipers from reaching the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
At dawn, police enforced strict military
measures preventing hundreds of citizens from entering to perform the dawn
prayer, searching them, and checking their identification.
Before the Friday prayer, police
permitted only a small number of elderly people and residents of the Old City
of Jerusalem.
Dozens of worshipers who were denied entry
into the Islamic holy site, were forced to gather near the Wadi
al-Jouzneighborhood, close to the Old City.
Occupation forces suppressed the
worshipers who were unable to reach the mosque, as they performed prayers in
the Wadi al-Jouzneighborhood.
Israeli police fired rubber-coated steel
bullets, tear gas canisters, and sprayed the worshipers with chemical
wastewater, causing dozens to suffer inhalation injuries.
Source: imemc.org
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://imemc.org/article/israeli-police-attack-palestinian-muslims-in-occupied-jerusalem/
------
Southeast Asia
'End Of Israeli Regime, US Has Begun',
Malay Politician Says
Dec 30, 2023
TEHRAN, Dec. 30 (MNA) – Today, what is
being witnessed is the beginning of the end of the Israeli regime, imperialism,
the United States, and the West, a senior Malaysian politician said while
commenting on the future of the Gaza war.
Speaking in an interview with Mehr News
Agency on the sidelines of the Tehran International Conference on Palestine,
Muhammad Khalil bin Abdul Hadi, Deputy Member of the Terengganu State Executive
Council (EXCO) of Malaysia stressed the need for unity of all Muslims in
support of Palestinians.
"When we talk about the Palestinian
issue, this common issue between Muslim countries and nations, whether you are
Iranian, Malay, Arab, Sunni or Shia, we have to unite," he said.
Hailing Iran's policy of supporting
oppressed Palestinian people, he noted, "Iran is a country that is
consistent on its policy towards the Palestinian issue since the victory of
Islamic Revolution in 1979."
He went on to say, "Since the
revolution, we recognized Iran and we worked together towards this issue."
Commenting on the future of war between
Palestinians and the Israeli regime, he said, "I think now what we see is
the beginning the end of the Israeli regime and imperialism, the United States
and the West."
"Because it is the first time that
we see that all nations of the world, not only the Muslim nations, are against
Zionism and the Americans' support for Israel," he underlined.
Responding to a question raised by other
reporters about the measures taken by the Malaysian government about the issue
of Gaza, he said, "At the moment the government and the people stand
united with Palestinian people and against the Israeli occupation."
"We are consistent in supporting
the Palestinian people to defend themselves from Zionism and Israel," he
concluded.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/209983/End-of-Israeli-regime-US-has-begun-Malay-politician-says
------
PM Anwar supports Selangor Sultan's
decree on Islamic affairs
30 Dec 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 ― Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim fully supports the decree issued by the Sultan of
Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah who reminded the people, especially the
non-Muslims, to respect and not to interfere in matters related to Islam in the
country.
Anwar also asked the non-Muslims to
write to the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) if they have
any concerns.
“...and to avoid any confusion,
non-Muslims can write to MKI to resolve any confusion in a harmonious and
civilised atmosphere,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Sultan Sharafuddin, who is the MKI
chairman, made the statement yesterday in response to the call made by Beruas
MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham for the government to include non-Muslim experts in the
Special Committee to Study the Competence of the State Legislative Assembly in
Enacting Islamic Laws.
In a post on the Selangor Royal Office
Facebook, the Sultan said MKI is entrusted with the responsibility to oversee
all matters related to the Muslim community, adding that the council comprises
of experts knowledgeable in various fields, particularly those involving
Islamic law and religion.
Therefore, Sultan Sharafuddin hopes that
politicians, especially those who are non-Muslims, refrain from interfering in
matters related to Islam. ― Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/12/30/pm-anwar-supports-selangor-sultans-decree-on-islamic-affairs/109832
-----
Fahmi: No govt New Year’s Eve
celebration to show solidarity towards Palestine, flood victims
29 Dec 2023
SHAH ALAM, Dec 29 — The federal
government has no plans to hold any New Year’s Eve celebration, Communications
Minister Fahmi Fadzil said.
He said the decision taken is a sign of
solidarity with the Palestinian people who are currently suffering from Israeli
aggression and brutality, and also to respect the victims affected by the
ongoing floods in several states.
“However, at the state government and
local authority levels, there may be celebration programmes suited to their
local environments,” he told the media after officiating the annual general
assembly of the PertubuhanKebajikandanDakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Pekida) here
tonight.
Earlier, it was reported that the
Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) will hold spiritual
programmes on the eve of the New Year this Sunday (December 31) at the National
Mosque in Kuala Lumpur, as well as the Putra Mosque and Tuanku Mizan Zainal
Abidin Mosque as an alternative for Muslims.
Meanwhile, on the status of 130
communication transmission stations affected by floods in Sabah, Kelantan,
Pahang, Selangor and Terengganu, he said to date, 53 stations have resumed
operations while the rest are still under repair.
“I hope in a day or two, this number
will decrease, and for the affected areas, we will assess whether they are
recurring areas in terms of damage to telecommunications towers or new areas,”
he said.
Fahmi said he would instruct the
affected areas to undergo site hardening by raising communication equipment to
higher levels to prevent recurring incidents. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/12/29/fahmi-no-govt-new-years-eve-celebration-to-show-solidarity-towards-palestine-flood-victims/109808
------
Gov't considers humanitarian aspect
while handling Rohingya refugees
30 Dec 2023
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Ministry of Law and
Human Rights' Director General of Human Rights, Dhahana Putra, stated that the
handling of Rohingya refugees in Indonesia should prioritize universal
humanitarian aspects while still considering the interests of local
communities.
"Seeing the resistance against
Rohingya refugees, it is necessary to intensify communication with IOM
(International Organization for Migration), UNHCR (the United Nations Refugee
Agency), and neighboring countries to avoid another issue arising in local
communities, especially in Aceh," Putra remarked in his statement on
Saturday.
He noted that the Indonesian government
has not ratified the 1951 Geneva Convention on refugees. Hence, based on
humanitarian grounds, Indonesia is still temporarily accommodating Rohingya
refugees that is also due to the non-refoulement principle recognized as
customary international law.
The principle prohibits a country from
refusing or expelling refugees from other countries from returning to their
country of origin or to a region where the refugees have the potential to face
threats and endanger their freedom of race, religion, nationality, social
group, or political opinion.
"The principle of non-refoulement
prohibits the country from returning or expelling refugees to their country of
origin or other countries that have the potential to persecute or torture
them," Putra explained.
Hence, he emphasized that Rohingya
refugees will only stay temporarily in Aceh.
"They will be here (in Indonesia)
temporarily until UNHCR determines their status as refugees and will be placed
in third countries or countries receiving Rohingya refugees," he stated.
During their stay in Indonesia, they are
obligated to follow laws, regulations, and local wisdom values that apply in
Indonesia to avoid social problems that cause disturbances, Putra remarked.
"We hope that all parties can
refrain from provocative actions that could worsen the situation in handling
those refugees," he noted.
Meanwhile, acts of violence against
Rohingya refugees have become the focus of the international community. Several
international media organizations have reported on the incident at the BaleeMeuseuraya
Aceh.
"We hope such things will not
happen again in the future," he stated.
Source: antaranews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://en.antaranews.com/news/302061/govt-considers-humanitarian-aspect-while-handling-rohingya-refugees
-----
Religious affairs minister rebuffs
suggestion for non-Muslim experts to join in determining states’ Shariah
lawmaking powers
29 Dec 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 — The proposal by
Beruas Member of Parliament Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham for the government to appoint
non-Muslim legal experts into the special committee to study issues related to
the competencies of state legislative assembly in enacting Islamic laws was
unfounded.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk MohdNa’im Mokhtar said the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) would always refer matters related to
Islamic affairs to the Malaysian National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs
(MKI) chaired by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, and also
to the state Islamic authorities.
“Therefore, all parties are urged not to
make any statements that could cause public concern. All parties must have full
confidence and give space to the special committee to carry out its role
professionally and effectively,” he said in a statement today.
He said the findings of the study, as
well as views, and suggestions proposed by the special committee, will be
presented to MKI and the Conference of Rulers.
The special committee, which convened
its first meeting on December 5, was chaired by former Chief Justice TunZakiTun
Azmi.
MohdNa’im said that all appointed
members of the special committee have expertise in the Federal Constitution,
and civil and Shariah laws, qualifying them to conduct studies, provide
opinions, and make recommendations.
“This is to ensure that the best and
harmonious solutions can be made to resolve all issues arising in this matter
to elevate and empower Shariah laws and judiciary system in the country,” he
added. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/12/29/religious-affairs-minister-rebuffs-suggestion-for-non-muslim-experts-to-join-in-determining-states-shariah-lawmaking-powers/109765
-----
S'gor's zakat management has benefitted
many asnaf, emulated by other countries
29-12- 2023
SHAH ALAM: Innovation in the management
of zakat collection and distribution in Selangor has proven to be successful,
particularly benefitting the ‘asnaf’ (zakat recipients) group in the state.
The effectiveness of zakat management in
Selangor has garnered attention and served as an example to several foreign
countries, including Indonesia and Thailand.
In the Friday sermon titled “Zakat
PayungAsnaf” by the Sermon Unit under the Mosque Management Division of the
Selangor Islamic Religious Affairs Department, it was highlighted that the
zakat management in Selangor, particularly by the Selangor Zakat Board (LZS),
was widely trusted in the state, and that the ability to distribute RM1.05
billion and collect RM1.07 billion in zakat last year was a testament to this
trust.
The congregation was informed that,
thanks to zakat funds, 6,000 asnaf individuals in Selangor have been able to lift
themselves out of poverty and become entrepreneurs.
Zakat aid has also been channelled
towards education, ranging from pre-school to university, producing
professionals in various fields from the target group.
The sermon also highlighted Assoc Prof
Datuk Dr Farid Ravi Abdullah as an exemplary figure among the asnaf zakat
recipients in Selangor.
Dr Farid Ravi, currently serving as the
Vice Chancellor of Universiti Islam Selangor, was cited as an example of a
revert who received assistance from the beginning of his conversion to Islam.
Despite facing challenges, he succeeded
in elevating his status and became a source of inspiration for many,
demonstrating that support provided through zakat could contribute to an
individual's success.
The sermon said that in line with the
30th anniversary of LZS next year, its management was aware that the key to
success was to consistently provide the best service, especially in terms of
zakat distribution, to ensure zakat payers were satisfied, encouraging
continued fulfillment of the fifth pillar of Islam.
To sustain success, the sermon said
ongoing support from all parties was essential, urging individuals to report to
LZS if they identified deserving parties in need of help. –Bernama
Source: thesun.my
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://thesun.my/local_news/s-gor-s-zakat-management-has-benefitted-many-asnaf-emulated-by-other-countries-GL11921326
------
Arab World
Yemen's million-man marches raise
ceiling of popular demands against Zionist enemy
[30/December/2023]
SANA'A December 30. 2023 (Saba)- Every
week, the capital, Sana'a, and the Yemeni governorates witness massive,
multi-million marches to express solidarity, victory, and strong support for
the Palestinian people, and the jihad and resistance movements against the
usurping Zionist enemy entity.
Every Friday, the Yemeni masses come out
in millions, filling the squares and chanting with their roaring voices as an
expression of anger and absolute rejection of the injustice, killing and
starvation that the Arab Muslim people of Palestine are exposed to at the hands
of the enemies of humanity, the Zionists and the Americans.
These masses also chant the chant of
innocence and the cry in the face of the arrogant people, with this bold and
clear slogan that expresses the responsible position of the Yemeni people.
Through their massive outing to the
squares of the governorates and districts, the Yemenis confirm the solidity,
principle and steadfastness of their position towards the Palestinian issue.
They demand that the revolutionary
leadership and the Supreme Political Council move forward in taking all
possible and available options and measures to strike the criminal Zionist
entity, whether by launching ballistic missiles and drones or by preventing its
ships towards crossing the Red and Arab Bahrain, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of
Aden until it stops its aggression and siege on Gaza.
Never before have the Yemenis been
unanimous in an opinion or issue as they are today in the unity of their
position towards supporting the people and the Palestinian cause, and
authorizing the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council to
take all possible decisions and operations of deter for the Zionist enemy.
The ongoing popular outburst in such a
large format in all arenas represents evidence that the Yemeni people, like no
other, have the longevity of steadfastness, and confrontation of the enemy’s
machinations.
Based on this great popular position,
the leader of the revolution, al-Sayeed Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi,
affirmed in his historic speech on the twentieth of December, that the Yemeni
people clearly expressed, through their millions of people attending, their
strong position on practical steps to support and support the Palestinian
people and their courageous resistance.
The leader of the revolution made it
clear that the Yemeni people moved and took the correct position at all levels
and announced the provision of all possible forms of support to the Palestinian
people, and moved from the standpoint of faith, moral and religious
responsibility to declare war on the Zionist enemy.
What distinguishes this strong position
is that it does not concern a specific group of the Yemeni people, but rather
it is an official and popular movement that expresses the will of the people
even in the occupied provinces controlled by the aggression coalition.
That is why the revolution leader
described the position and popular movement in Yemen as “unparalleled at the
Arab and Islamic level and even at the world level.”
He also described the position of the
Yemeni people as an honorable and correct position that is consistent with
faith and humanitarian responsibility.
Thanks to these honorable positions of
its sincere and courageous leadership and its free and proud people, Yemen has
become the title of the stage and an inspiration for all the peoples of the
Islamic nation to restore their glory and dignity.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3292021.htm
-----
Yemen warns foreign military forces
against supporting Israel
Dec 29, 2023
TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) – Yemen's defense
minister warned tarns-regional military forces against offering support to the
Israeli regime and securing passage of Israel-owned ships or vessels bound to
Israeli ports in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea waters.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony of
Yemeni cadets in the country’s western coastal city of Hudaydah on Thursday,
Major General Mohammed al-Atifi, warned the forces “against various movements
in support of the Zionist entity in the maritime theatre that spans between the
Arabian Sea and the Red Sea.”
He noted that Yemeni Armed Forces “are
closely and rigorously monitoring the movement of American, British and French
military forces in both bodies of water.”
He underscored that the Ansarullah
resistance movement, the Sana’a-based National Salvation Government, the Yemeni
nation, and security forces will stand unwaveringly by the side of Palestinians
until they liberate all their occupied lands, and establish a sovereign
independent state with holy al-Quds as its capital.
Yemen's Armed Forces in a statement on
Tuesday announced targeting a ship as it was heading towards the occupied
territories as well as regions deep inside those areas in support of
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who are subject to an unrelenting genocidal
Israeli war.
The Yemeni Navy conducted a missile
strike against the vessel, which it identified as “commercial ship MSC United,”
the statement read.
“The targeting of the ship came after
the crew, for the third time, ignored calls from the naval forces, as well as
repeated fiery warning messages,” it added.
The Armed Forces also reported striking
the port of Eilat in the southernmost part of the occupied territories as well
as “other areas in occupied Palestine.”
The attacks, the statement said, were
carried out “in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people who continue
to face killing, destruction, siege, and starvation.”
Yemenis have declared their open support
for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime
launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s
Palestinian resistance movements carried out a surprise retaliatory attack,
dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.
The relentless Israeli military campaign
against Gaza has killed at least 21,320 people, most of them women and
children. Another 55,660 individuals have been wounded.
Reports revealed that Israeli shipping
companies have already decided to reroute their vessels in fear of attacks by
Yemeni forces.
Yemeni forces have also launched missile
and drone attacks on targets in the Israeli-occupied territories after the
regime’s aggression on Gaza.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/210076/Yemen-warns-foreign-military-forces-against-supporting-Israel
----
KSrelief, UNHCR sign $6m funding deal
for displaced people in Sudan, South Sudan, Chad
December 30, 2023
RIYADH: The Saudi aid agency KSrelief
has signed a $6 million cooperative agreement with the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide shelter and non-food support for
displaced people and returnees in Sudan, South Sudan and Chad through 2024.
The document was signed by Ahmed Ali
Al-Baiz, KSrelief’s assistant supervisor general of operations and programs,
and Khaled Khalifa, senior adviser to the UN refugee agency and its
representative to the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433791/saudi-arabia
----
Saudi Arabia to plant 12m trees, shrubs
in 2024
December 30, 2023
RIYADH: The National Center for
Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification is preparing to
plant 12 million trees and shrubs in 2024 across Saudi Arabia.
This is according to Khaled bin Abdullah
Al-Abdul Qadir, CEO of the NCVC, who said that recycled water would be used for
all the projects.
Al-Abdul Qadir made the comments at a
ceremony in Buraidah Oasis recently to mark the completion of a 1 million
tree-planting project.
“Implementation of the first phase of rehabilitation
of the floodplains and meadows will witness rehabilitating 1,000 floodplains
and meadows by planting 12 million trees and shrubs and scattering seeds, and
the use of rainwater-harvesting techniques,” he said.
The center would be working with the
nation’s royal reserves to ensure the initiative is successful, he added.
Qassim’s Governor Prince Faisal bin
Mishaal, inaugurated in February 2020 the Green Oasis project in Buraidah, at a
cost exceeding SR77 million ($20.5 million), over an area of 28 million square
meters.
The NCVC has signed several agreements
with the King Salman, King Abdulaziz, Imam Turki bin Abdullah,
Imam Abdulaziz bin Muhammad, and the King Khalid royal reserve authorities.
The area targeted for rehabilitation
covers 225,000 hectares of degraded lands in a single area, and 1.9 million
hectares of floodplains and meadows.
These efforts are part of the Saudi
Green Initiative’s goal to plant 10 billion trees in the country.
The NCVC has also implemented several
other projects, including planting 1 million trees in Al-Khafs Meadow in the
King Abdulaziz royal reserve, and 400,000 saplings of local trees in the Imam
Turki bin Abdullah reserve.
In addition, the NVC supplied the King Salman reserve with 1.2 million seedlings, and 600,000 trees
and shrubs were planted in the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed
reserve.
Talal Al-Harigi, CEO of the Imam
Abdulaziz bin Mohammed reserve, and Al-Abdul Qadir had signed the agreement to
implement the initiative.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433761/saudi-arabia
------
$53m manufacturing plan announced at
Saudi Arabia dates conference
December 29, 2023
RIYADH: More than 25 local and
international agreements were signed at the recent International Dates
Conference and Exhibition in Riyadh.
Investment plans to establish a SR200
million ($53 million) manufacturing facility and SR70 million service center
were also announced at the event, which was organized by the National Center
for Palms and Dates recently.
A total of 21 companies selling dates
and their derivatives signed a deal with the Alibaba Group to export dates to
China and other countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
The Khalas Dates Packaging Company
signed a SR16 million agreement with the Baladna Company in Germany and another
deal with the Galaxy Foods Company in the US worth SR7.5 million.
The NCPD organized the event jointly
with King Saud University and the ByPalma Association from Dec. 5-14.
More than 1,300 people from Saudi Arabia
and around the world joined in person and remotely to discuss industry
developments, and opportunities and challenges facing the sector.
On the sidelines of the conference, a
“World of Dates” exhibition highlighting the Kingdom’s significant role in the
industry attracted more than 93,000 visitors.
Saudi Arabia is the leading exporter of
dates worldwide, with sales of more than SR1,280 billion. More than 36 million
palm trees in the Kingdom yield an estimated 1,600 million tons of dates sent
to 116 countries each year.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433651/saudi-arabia
-----
Tariq AbdulhakimCenter opens as
celebration of Saudi music, culture
December 29, 2023
JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Culture on
Thursday officially unveiled the Tariq AbdulhakimCenter at a grand opening
ceremony.
The center aims to preserve and
celebrate the Kingdom’s rich musical and intangible cultural heritage.
Located in Al-Balad, Jeddah’s historical
area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the center features a museum dedicated
to Saudi composer and musician Tariq Abdulhakim, who died in 2012. During his
life he played a crucial role in shaping the Kingdom’s musical identity,
including founding the Saudi military band during his time as a soldier.
The exhibits include rare artifacts and
personal belongings donated by his family, including costumes, musical notes,
photographs and posters, as well as video and audio footage of Abdulhakim
performing his compositions and interviews with prominent cultural figures who
knew him.
“The objective of the center is to
preserve the musical heritage of Saudi Arabia, particularly the intangible
cultural aspects. Tariq Abdulhakim was a prominent figure, a musician,
researcher and artist who greatly contributed to the development of Saudi
Arabia’s national music identity,” said AbdulrahmanAlmotawa, a spokesperson for
the ministry.
“In coordination with his family, the
Ministry of Culture acquired his personal collection and belongings to
establish the Tariq AbdulhakimCenter, which comprises a museum and a music
archive and research center.”
The archive and research center, located
in a different part of the city, is home to a vast collection of books,
studies, articles and media related to the Kingdom and wider region, and
provides a resource for researchers from around the world keen to learn more
about Saudi culture and music.
Abdulhakim’s granddaughter, RashaKhayat,
attended the opening ceremony and expressed her delight at the new venue.
“As a family, we are deeply honored by
this extraordinary museum that has surpassed all our expectations,” she said.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to
the Ministry of Culture for bringing my grandfather’s dream to life. This
museum holds immense significance for us and our happiness knows no bounds.
Through this museum, we not only celebrate my grandfather’s legacy but also
honor the legacy of our nation. He was a passionate collector of the things he
held dear and they hold great value for our Kingdom.”
She also encouraged all young people and
especially aspiring musicians to “dream big” and never give up on their
ambitions.
The opening ceremony featured live music
from a number of performers, including Lebanese singer HiyamYounes.
As well as helping to preserve Saudi
Arabia’s musical heritage, the Ministry of Culture said it hoped the new center
would “enrich the local artistic and cultural scene.”
This will include hosting festivals,
exhibitions and rooftop performances of the music of Abdulhakim and other local
and regional artists.
Also, from February, people will be able
to take classes in playing an instrument unique to the center called a laser
qanun.
Deema Mohammed, who attended the opening
ceremony, said: “The ceremony and museum were truly incredible, offering an
immersive experience that allowed us to delve into the fascinating world of
music and Tariq Abdulhakim’s journey … which left us inspired.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433616/saudi-arabia
-----
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/burundi-lgbtq-rights-gay-stoning/d/131423