Dubai Ruler Abused Ex-Wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, To ‘Exorbitant Degree’: A UK Judge Ruled
New Age Islam News Bureau
25 March 2022
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with his then
wife Princess Haya walk through the parade ring after looking at their horses
on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting in Ascot, England,
Tuesday, June 18, 2013. — AP/ File
---------
• Ministry of External Affairs: Pakistan is a Manipulator
of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an Irrelevant Organisation
• UN Official Uses ‘Apartheid’ For First Time To
Describe Plight Of Palestinians
• Muslim Americans Sue US Government Over Alleged
Religious Targeting At Border
• Iran Condemns 7 Years of Violation of Int'l Laws,
Human Rights in Yemen by Saudi-Led Coalition
Arab
World
• US announces $64 mln in emergency food aid for
struggling Lebanon
• Blinken to meet Abu Dhabi Crown Prince during trip
to Morocco: State Department
• Lebanese military court charges Christian politician
Geagea over Beirut violence
• Saudi Arabia, US conclude series of joint Air Force
exercises
--------
India
• Allow Muslim Girls To Wear Dupatta And Attend Exams,
Says Karnataka Opposition Leader Siddaramaiah
• No Link Between Hijab And Exam, Don't Sensationalise
The Issue: CJI
• ‘All Muslims, Christians Will Be With RSS In
Future,’ Claims Karnataka BJP Leader, Congress Objects
• HC to resume hearing on Kashi temple-Gyanvapi Mosque
issue from March 29
-----
Europe
• Chechen and Tatar Muslims take up arms to fight for
Ukraine
• Chechen leader says his forces ‘liberated’ Mariupol
city hall
• ‘Turkiye-France-Italy group to become functional
again’
• Allies' restrictions on Turkiye's defence industry
should be lifted: Turkish president
• Bosnia marks 6th anniversary of verdict against
'Butcher of Bosnia' Karadzic
• Turkish president meets with UK premier at NATO
leaders' summit
• Turkish president meets Estonian premier at NATO
leaders' summit
• Turkish president meets Italian premier at NATO
leaders' summit
--------
North
America
• Facilities manager killed in Florida mosque attack
hailed as hero, credited with saving children's lives
• US ‘troubled’ by presence of Iranian military
officials at Doha Defence Show
• ‘US only now coming to terms with Afghan situation’
--------
Mideast
• Human Rights Groups Urge UN To Keep Watch On Iran’s
‘Dire Situation’
• FM: Agreement in Vienna Needs US Realism
• Iranian Envoy Censures Israel for Baseless Comments
against IRGC
• Iran Reiterates Need for Holding Referendum to End
Zionist Regime
• Yemeni general’s son died alongside father in Aden
bombing
• Iran calls for intra-Yemeni dialogue 'away from
foreign interference'
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation Accused of Ignoring
Uyghur Muslims in China
• Minister says actor Zul Ariffin under probe for
posting ‘steamy’ love scene on social media
• A fractured opposition cannot win the next general
election
• Malay unity a myth, says Gerak Independent
co-founder
--------
South Asia
• Taliban Want To Replace Conventional Banking System
With Islamic Banking
• Afghanistan: Taliban’s schoolgirl ban condemned in
the Middle East
• Afghanistan Won’t Be Threat To Any Country: Home
Minister Of Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan To Russia’s Special Representative
For Afghanistan
• Afghan Taliban deny replacing Prime Minister Mullah
Hasan Akhund
• Hamid Karzai meets Russian envoy Kabulov, discusses
strengthening ties
• China says willing to extend CPEC to Afghanistan
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan: Opposition Seals Deal With Key Imran Khan
Ally Ahead Of No Trust Vote
• Islamic State militant killed in Peshawar operation:
CTD
• TTP Sindh chief shot dead in Kandahar
• JUI-F allowed to hold rally in Islamabad: report
• Four soldiers lay down their lives in countering
infiltration bid from Afghanistan
--------
Africa
• Ethiopia Declares Truce To Allow Aid Into Tigray
• Sudan riot police fire tear gas at protesters in
Khartoum
• Investors pledge over $22B to South Africa at
conference: President
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Dubai Ruler Abused Ex-Wife, Princess Haya Bint Al
Hussein, To ‘Exorbitant Degree’: A UK Judge Ruled
March 25, 2022
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with his then
wife Princess Haya walk through the parade ring after looking at their horses
on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting in Ascot, England,
Tuesday, June 18, 2013. — AP/ File
------------
LONDON: The ruler of Dubai abused his ex-wife on an
extraordinary scale, a UK judge ruled on Thursday, ending a lengthy legal
battle between the couple over their two children.
The abuse by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum,
72, of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, 47, was “conducted on a scale which is
entirely outside the ordinary circumstances of cases heard in the family court
in this jurisdiction”, judge Andrew McFarlane said.
The sheikh “consistently displayed coercive and
controlling behaviour with respect to those members of his family who he
regards as behaving contrary to his will,” he added in a ruling at London’s
High Court.
Princess Haya will now have sole responsibility for
their two children, daughter Jalila, 14, and son Zayed, 10, with regards to
their medical care and schooling.
Princess Haya gets custody of children
“The decision to afford the mother sole responsibility
for these important matters is justified by the need to reduce the potential
for continuing harm to the children,” McFarlane said.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the vice president and
prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, is allowed to contact their
children indirectly, such as through phone calls.
His behaviour towards his ex-wife through “threats,
poems, coordinating press reports, covertly arranging to purchase property
immediately overlooking hers, phone-hacking or in the conduct of this
litigation, has been abusive to a high, indeed exorbitant, degree”, the judge
ruled.
Princess Haya studied at the University of Oxford and
represented Jordan at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a show jumper. The couple
married in 2004 in Sheikh Mohammed’s second official marriage. He divorced her
under Sharia law in 2019 without her knowledge. She and her children live in a
London house near Kensington Palace and on an estate west of the capital that
she inherited from her father, the late king Hussein of Jordan.
The high court ruled in 2020 that the sheikh had
submitted her to a “campaign of fear and intimidation”, forcing her to flee to
London.
In December, he was ordered to pay his ex-wife and
children around $725 million in what is thought to be the highest divorce
settlement set by an English court. The sheikh, who operates stables in Britain
and other countries, has had a close relationship with Queen Elizabeth II,
sharing her love of horse racing. Princess Haya said in a statement after the
ruling that the “last few years have been a frightening journey” and thanked
the court.
Source: Dawn
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original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1681709/dubai-ruler-abused-ex-wife-to-exorbitant-degree-court
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Ministry of External Affairs: Pakistan is a
Manipulator of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an Irrelevant Organisation
24th March 2022
By Yeshi Seli
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi (Photo | ANI)
-----------
NEW DELHI: India has taken a stern view of the
resolutions passed in the recent meeting of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad and labelled them as irrelevant.
"The statements and resolutions adopted at the
meeting demonstrate both the irrelevance of the OIC as a body and the role of
Pakistan as its manipulator," said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
India has objected to Pakistan's narrative on Kashmir,
comparisons to Syria and Palestine and also to China's Foreign Minister saying
India has been fighting an armed rebellion in Kashmir.
"References have been made to India that are
based on falsehoods and misrepresentation. The absurdity of this body
commenting on the treatment of minorities, that too at the instance of a serial
violator of human rights like Pakistan, is so evident," Bagchi said,
adding that nations and governments that associate themselves with such
exercises should realise the impact it has on their reputation.
India also came down heavily on China saying that they
share the same hope as OIC on Kashmir.
"We reject the uncalled reference to India by the
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his speech at the Opening Ceremony of
OIC. Matters related to the Union
Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are entirely the internal affairs of India.
Other countries including China have no locus standi to comment. They should
note that India refrains from public judgement on their internal issues,"
MEA has said.
Source: NewIndianExpress
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UN official uses ‘apartheid’ for first time to
describe plight of Palestinians
March 24, 2022
Palestinian boys look at the belongings of a
Palestinian family after their home was demolished by Israeli forces, south of
Hebron. (File/AFP)
----------
NEW YORK: An investigator appointed by the UN has
accused Israel of the crime of apartheid in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. It is the first time an official from the organization has used
the term to describe what other international watchdogs have said is a struggle
for equal rights rather than a dispute over land.
Michael Lynk is a special rapporteur, an independent
expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, tasked with investigating human
rights abuses in Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
“There are now five million stateless Palestinians
living without rights, in an acute state of subjugation and with no path to
self-determination or a viable independent state, which the international
community has repeatedly promised as their right,” Lynk said ahead of the
publication of a full report on his most recent investigations.
The two-tier justice system that Israel operates in
the West Bank has cemented oppression of Palestinians that can no longer be
seen as an unintended consequence of temporary occupation, he added.
“The differences in living conditions and citizenship
rights and benefits are stark, deeply discriminatory and maintained through
systematic and institutionalized oppression,” Lynk stated in his report.
It describes a situation in which Israeli Jews and
Palestinians in the Occupied Territories live “under a single regime which
differentiates its distribution of rights and benefits on the basis of national
and ethnic identity and which ensures the supremacy of one group over, and to
the detriment of, the other.”
This system “endows one racial-national-ethnic group
with substantial rights, benefits and privileges while intentionally subjecting
another group to live behind walls, checkpoints and under a permanent military
rule. (This) satisfies the prevailing evidentiary standard for the existence of
apartheid.”
Other international watchdogs have previously accused
Israel of implementing policies of “domination and oppression” in the Occupied
Territories that amount to apartheid.
Amnesty International is the latest rights advocate to
accuse Israel of operating an apartheid system by embracing laws and practices
that are intended to maintain a “cruel system of control over Palestinians,
have left them fragmented geographically and politically, frequently
impoverished, and in a constant state of fear and insecurity.”
Although Palestinian and Israeli human rights
organizations have described the situation in the Occupied Territories as
“apartheid” for many years, in recent months the term has increasingly become
part of the international discourse about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
During a recent meeting of the UN Security Council, Palestinian UN envoy Riyad
Mansour wore a black mask emblazoned with the words “end apartheid.”
“This council may not be ready to use the word but
apartheid is, and has been for a while now, our reality,” he told the members
of the council.
Israeli authorities have repeatedly accused the UN of
producing biased reports. They have said that it is unfair to apportion blame
to Israel without taking into account the security challenges it faces and the
daily threats to its citizens from armed Palestinian groups.
Source:ArabNews
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2049866/middle-east
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Muslim Americans sue US government over alleged
religious targeting at border
By Umar A Farooq
24 March 2022
Three Muslim American citizens filed a lawsuit against
federal immigration authorities on Thursday alleging that nearly every time
they returned to the US from abroad they were stopped and questioned about
their religion.
The three US citizens alleged they would be subject to
secondary screenings by border officers, during which they were asked questions
including whether they were Muslim, whether they were Sunni or Shia, which
mosque they attend, and how often they pray.
The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties
Union (ACLU) in a district court in Los Angeles, claims their treatment amounts
to religious discrimination under the Constitution, as it violates the First
Amendment's right to freedom of religion - because other faiths are not
similarly targeted with such questioning.
It also calls on the US Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) agency to expunge the records of the three individuals, which the ACLU
says are to be held in a database for up to 75 years and are accessible to US
law enforcement agencies.
"Just as border officers may not single out
Christian Americans to ask what denomination they are, which church they
attend, and how regularly they pray, singling out Muslim Americans for similar
questions is unconstitutional. Plaintiffs are entitled to full and equal
membership in American society," the lawsuit says.
"By targeting plaintiffs for religious
questioning merely because they are Muslim, Defendants' border officers
stigmatize them for adhering to a particular faith and condemn their religion
as subject to suspicion and distrust."
One of the plaintiffs, Abdirahman Aden Kariye, who is
an imam at a mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota, said "whenever I travel
back home to the United States, I'm anxious".
"I'm constantly worried about how I will be
perceived."
During the occasions where Kariye was stopped and
detained, he said he was asked questions by order officers including whether he
was Salafi or Sufi, where he studied Islam, and what his views were on the 13th
century Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah.
As a result, Kariye said that he now no longer wears
his Muslim prayer cap to the airport.
"It's terrible to feel you have to hide an
essential part of who you are from your own government. I shouldn't be
questioned because of my religion," he said in a statement.
The lawsuit says Kariye has also been put on a US
government watch list.
"Religious questioning by border officers is
unconstitutional, and it's past time for the government to be held to
account," said Ashley Gorski, senior staff attorney with the ACLU's
National Security Project. "This invasive questioning serves no legitimate
law enforcement purpose, and conveys the harmful and stigmatising message that
the US government views Muslims as inherently suspicious."
A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson
told Middle East Eye that, as a matter of policy, it did not comment on pending
legislation.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to
MEE's requests for comment on the lawsuit.
Discrimination against Muslims
Muslim Americans have accused the government of
targeting their communities since the 9/11 attacks. Informants have been sent
to surveil local mosques, arbitrary watchlists have been created which
restricted individuals' freedom of movement, and discrimination based on faith
has been enshrined into policy.
Entire neighbourhoods in New York City were subject to
raids and Muslims faced being arrested in the middle of the night, and being
stopped and searched at "random" in the streets.
Many policies were also put forward to target
individuals based on their Islamic faith, such as the National Security
Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), a programme created a year after 9/11
which targeted foreign nationals from 25 Muslim-majority countries.
Nearly two decades later, Muslim Americans and civil
liberties groups are working to dismantle many of these discriminatory
policies.
In 2019, a federal district judge ruled the US
government's terrorist watchlist, which rights groups say listed as many as one
million people, was unconstitutional.
Then, in 2020, the US Supreme Court ruled that Muslim
Americans who were placed on the FBI's no-fly list were allowed to sue
individual FBI agents who allegedly violated their religious freedoms.
In another Supreme Court case earlier this month, the
nation's highest judicial body ruled narrowly in favour of the FBI in a case
where three Muslim men from the state of California accused the agency of
conducting illegal surveillance of them and their community after the 9/11
attacks.
However, the court did not rule broadly on whether the
government could throw out the case using its state secrets privilege, allowing
the case to continue at a lower level.
The ACLU's latest lawsuit similarly aims to remove a government
practice it claims is unconstitutional.
"It is and always has been wrong to force
Muslims, or any person of faith, to divulge their religious beliefs and
practice to border officials," said Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney
with the ACLU Foundation of Southern California.
"The government's longstanding, discriminatory
scrutiny of Muslim travellers must end now."
Source:MiddleEastEye
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original story:
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Iran Condemns 7 Years of Violation of Int'l Laws,
Human Rights in Yemen by Saudi-Led Coalition
2022-March-24
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian foreign ministry in a
statement on the anniversary of the start of the Saudi-led coalition war
against Yemen deplored 7 years of violation of international laws and human
rights in the poor Arab country
------------
The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any practical
efforts to lift blockade, establish a ceasefire and start Yemeni-Yemeni talks
without foreign interference, the foreign ministry said in the statement on
Thursday.
The destructive war and cruel blockade of Saudi-led
coalition against the Yemeni people enters its eighth year as Yemen has faced
with the greatest human catastrophe of the century and civilians, women and
innocent children directly and indirectly have mostly been targeted as a result
of war in Yemen. This war has led to the destruction of vial infrastructures
and facilities of health, economic and education sectors of this country, it
added.
The Saudi aggressor coalition has not been satisfied
with bombardment of Yemen in the last seven years and is imposing the worst
economic war by using inhuman and illegal blockade as a leverage to gain
political and military concessions, the statement said.
This inhumane crime of Saudi-led aggressor coalition
continues to violate all international law and human rights under the shadow of
the continued sale of weapons by Western and American supporters and the
application of double standards and a biased view in the UN Security Council,
it added.
The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any fair and
practical efforts and initiatives to lift the blockade, establish a ceasefire
and start Yemeni-Yemeni talks without foreign interference in the light of the
UN Special Representative's efforts, the statement concluded.
The Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) confirmed earlier
this week that the Saudi-led war coalition has confiscated yet another
emergency fuel ship bound for the Red Sea port of Hudaydah, a lifeline for
millions of Yemenis which has been tightly controlled by Saudi Arabia.
The company announced that the vessel was impounded
despite being inspected and holding entry permits from the United Nations,
Yemen’s Al-Masirah news network reported on Tuesday.
Over the past one and a half years, the Saudi-led
coalition has held dozens of ships, blocking Yemen’s much-needed fuel imports
amid a crippling siege.
The act of maritime piracy has deteriorated the
humanitarian situation in Yemen, while much of the country’s vital sectors,
including hospitals as well as electricity and water services, have already
come to a halt.
More than 23 million Yemenis face hunger, disease, and
other life-threatening risks as the country’s basic services and economy are
collapsing, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Coordination (OCHA).
Saudi Arabia launched the devastating war against
Yemen in March 2015 in collaboration with a number of its allies and with arms
and logistics support from the US and several Western states.
The objective was to return to power the former
Riyadh-backed regime and crush the popular Ansarullah resistance movement,
which has been running state affairs in the absence of an effective government
in Yemen.
The war has stopped well shy of all of its goals,
despite killing tens of thousands of Yemenis and turning entire Yemen into the
scene of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Yemeni forces have continued to grow stronger in the
face of the Saudi-led invaders, advancing toward strategic areas held by
Saudi-led mercenaries, including Ma’rib province, and conducting several rounds
of counterstrikes against Saudi Arabia and the UAE in recent months.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Arab World
US announces $64 mln in emergency food aid for
struggling Lebanon
24 March ,2022
A worker stands near freshly baked bread at a bakery
in Beirut, March 8, 2022. (Reuters)
-------------
The US on Thursday announced more than $60 million in
emergency food assistance to Lebanon, which continues to struggle with an
unprecedented economic disaster that has been exacerbated by the Russian war on
Ukraine.
“In response to growing food security needs in
Lebanon, the United States, through the US Agency for International Development
(USAID) is providing nearly $64 million in additional humanitarian assistance
to help feed vulnerable people in Lebanon,” the US Embassy in Lebanon said in a
statement.
The new aid will help more than 740,000 people in the
country.
Rice, chickpeas, pasta, lentils, and other
non-perishable items, in addition to vouchers for purchasing food staples from
local markets, will be included in the latest round of US assistance.
Apart from the ongoing economic crisis due to decades
of corruption, clientelism and mismanagement, Lebanon is still suffering from
the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the devastating port blast in 2020.
“This situation is exacerbated by Putin’s war against
Ukraine due to Lebanon’s reliance on imported wheat, primarily from Ukraine,”
the US Embassy said.
The Embassy warned that the increasing prices of
staple foods and fuel in Lebanon “will worsen food insecurity.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Blinken to meet Abu Dhabi Crown Prince during trip to
Morocco: State Department
24 March ,2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed next week as he makes stops in
Israel, Palestine, Morocco and Algeria, the State Department said Thursday.
Blinken will start his trip in Israel and Palestine,
where he’ll meet top officials from both sides.
He will underscore Washington’s commitment to Israel’s
security while discussing the need to preserve the possibility of a two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
State Department Spokesman Ned Price said Blinken
would also discuss Iran’s destabilizing activities.
US President Joe Biden’s campaign promise to reopen
the US consulate in Jerusalem will “certainly be a topic of discussion” in his
meetings in Israel and Palestine, Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern
Affairs Yael Lampert told reporters in a phone call Thursday.
Blinken will then fly to Morocco to meet with the
country’s top officials.
“While in Rabat, the Secretary will also meet Crown
Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss regional
security and international developments,” Price said.
For her part, Lampert said that Iran, Yemen, Syria,
global energy markets and Ethiopia would be among the topics Blinken would
discuss with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince.
“This is a valued and really important, strategic
relationship for us. And it's an opportune moment for this meeting; there's a
lot to discuss,” Lampert said.
On the last leg of his trip, Blinken will head to
Algeria. While in Algiers, Blinken will inaugurate the United States as the
Country of Honor at the Algiers International Trade Fair, the largest trade
show of its kind in Africa.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Lebanese military court charges Christian politician
Geagea over Beirut violence
24 March ,2022
A Lebanese military court has charged Christian
politician Samir Geagea over deadly clashes in Beirut last October, a judicial
source and broadcaster Al Jadeed said on Thursday, a move that could stoke
political tension two months before an election.
An official in Geagea’s Lebanese Forces party said the
charge against him was political, and the investigation into the violence had
been political from the start.
Judge Fadi Akiki told Al Jadeed he had charged Geagea
two days ago based on “new information” relating to the Teyouneh events, a
reference to Beirut’s deadliest street violence in a decade. Reuters could not
immediately reach Akiki for comment.
Seven people, all of them followers of the Iran-backed
Hezbollah and its Shia ally the Amal Movement, were killed in the Oct. 14
clashes near an old frontline of the 1975-90 civil war.
Any attempt to arrest Geagea would likely be resisted
by his party, creating the potential for trouble just two months before the
parliamentary election, said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East
Center.
Geagea was summoned to a hearing at military
intelligence last October over the violence, but did not attend.
The Oct. 14 violence began as people were gathering
for a protest called by Hezbollah against the judge investigating the 2020
Beirut port blast.
Hezbollah, which is heavily armed and backed by Iran,
accused the LF of mounting an ambush and perpetrating the killing to try to
drag the country to a civil war.
Geagea, a strong critic of Hezbollah who has good ties
with Saudi Arabia, has strongly denied this, along with Hezbollah accusations
that the LF - which had a powerful militia in the civil war - had established
one again.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia, US conclude series of joint Air Force
exercises
24 March ,2022
The Royal Saudi Air Force and its United States
counterpart have concluded a series of joint exercises, the official Saudi
Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
The Saudi Air Force took part in the drill with F-15
C/SA jets while the US Air Force brought the F-16 and F-18 fighters.
The joint venture helped in “developing their
capabilities” and in “raising efficiency and enhancing cooperation to face
challenges,” SPA reported.
Saudi Arabia, under various agreements, has been
holding join military exercises, the last reported between the Kingdom and
Pakistan.
Called ‘al-Samsam 8,’ the military exercise between
the Royal Saudi Land Forces (RSLF) and Pakistan Army, reportedly kicked off in
Pakistan on February 21.
In December last year, the Royal Saudi Land Forces and
the Pakistani Army conducted a similar exercise titled ‘Al Kaseh 3.’
Earlier 2021, Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) combat
aircraft and crew members arrived in Pakistan’s Mushaf Air Base to participate
in the Air Excellence Center Exercise.
This serial sortie was conducted alongside their US
counterparts.
Saudi Arabia also participated in a huge US-led naval
exercise in the Middle East, which saw the country publicly join Israel as part
of a 60-country maritime exercise. Saudi Arabia and Israel share no diplomatic
ties.
Source: Al Arabiya
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India
Allow Muslim girls to wear Dupatta and attend exams,
says Karnataka opposition leader Siddaramaiah
Mar 24, 2022
BENGALURU: Opposition leader Siddaramaiah on Thursday
afternoon, at the legislative assembly, urged the state government to allow the
Muslim girls to wear "dupattas" and attend their examinations to
ensure that they do not lose an academic year.
At the assembly, while debating on the law and order
situation in the state, Siddaramaiah said that on Wednesday evening several
Muslim clergymen met him along with a few minority legislators to impress upon
him the need for the children to attend their exams, while at the same time not
compromising on their faith.
"This is a suggestion which came from the
clergymen, that the girls will wear uniforms but allow them to wear dupattas.
Burqa is different, Hijab is different and Dupattas are different. As far as I
understand this will be within the courts rulings. I would urge the government
to allow this in order to ensure that the women get their education and do not
violate their fundamental right," said Siddaramaiah.
However, responding to the suggestion, primary and
secondary education minister B C Nagesh sarcastically suggested that perhaps
the opposition leader must personally make an appeal to the girls who refuse to
attend the classes by accepting the uniform as approved by the HC.
Siddaramaiah said the suggestion came in the wake of a
lot of anxiety over women studying in minority institutions being forced out of
the examination centres which will be outside their educational institutions.
Source: Times Of India
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No link between hijab and exam, don't sensationalise
the issue: CJI
Mar 25, 2022
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to
bite the "impending examination and loss of academic year" bait
thrown by a Muslim girl student to seek urgent hearing on her plea challenging
a Karnataka HC verdict upholding ban on wearing of hijab to schools and
colleges.
Appearing for petitioner Aishat Shifa, senior advocate
Devadatt Kamat informed a bench of CJI NV Ramana and Justice Krishna Murari
that his client's first year pre-university final examinations are starting
from March 28 necessitating an urgent hearing because she faces the prospect of
losing an academic year as she is not allowed to enter the college wearing
hijab along with the prescribed uniform.
CJI Ramana refused to fix a date for hearing on the
appeals. "Examinations have nothing to do with the issue (hijab). Do not
sensationalise (the issue)," he said.
The CJI also did not permit solicitor general Tushar
Mehta, appearing for Karnataka government, to put forth his arguments. The CJI
said many appeals have been filed which would be listed before an appropriate
bench as soon as possible.
Seeking permission to write the exams commencing from
March 28 wearing the headscarf of the same colour as the school uniform, Shifa,
a student of Government PU College at Kundapura in Udupi district, said the
hijab ban imposed by the state in educational institutions and the decision of
the HC militate against her fundamental rights guaranteeing choice of dress,
voluntary adherence religious faith and customs and the right to privacy.
Branding the BJP government in Karnataka as
'majoritarian' and accusing it of trampling on the fundamental rights of Muslim
girls to wear hijab, the petitioner through advocate Javedur Rahman requested
the SC "to restore the fundamental rights which the HC has failed to
protect against a majoritarian government that is trampling on them with
impunity for its own vested political considerations."
Shifa said she had absolutely no objection in wearing
the prescribed uniform, but is seeking to wear a hijab matching in colour with
the uniforms "to make it compatible with her religious beliefs".
"Wearing of a head scarf does not by any stretch of imagination impinge on
any other person’s fundamental rights nor does it cause any disturbance,"
she argued.
She said the government order banning hijab and the HC
verdict would aid the attempts "to create a regime of 'coerced uniformity'
to further marginalise what has historically been an educationally and socially
disadvantaged minority community and impede their access to education."
Source: Times Of India
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‘All Muslims, Christians will be with RSS in future,’
claims Karnataka BJP leader, Congress objects
Mar 25, 2022
Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party leader KS Eshwarappa
on Thursday claimed that Muslims and Christians will associate themselves with
the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in the future, leading to strong objections by
the Congress, The Indian Express reported.
Eshwarappa made the comments in the state Assembly in
the context of a debate on the law and order situation in Karnataka. Earlier
during the debate, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah made a reference to the
RSS while saying that personal relationships came before political differences.
To this, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri asked the
Congress leader why he was “feeling troubled by our RSS”. Congress MLA Zameer
Ahmed Khan then questioned why he referred to the Hindutva organisation as “our
RSS” while being the Speaker.
Kageri, however, stuck to his remarks and said that
“you’ll all say RSS in the coming days”, ANI reported.
Later, Eshwarappa, who is the state rural development
minister, criticised the Congress and said that “all Muslims and Christians
will also say RSS in the future”. Siddaramaiah, however, criticised the BJP and
asserted that he would “never ever be a part of RSS and say its name”.
State Revenue Minister R Ashoka said that all top
political posts in the country were occupied by people from the Hindutva
organisation, whether one liked it or not. Congress MLAs, however, said that
this was the “country’s misfortune”.
As the acrimonious exchange of words continued,
Speaker Kageri later adjourned the Assembly till the afternoon.
This is the second time in recent months that Kageri
has defended the RSS in the Karnataka Assembly.
On February 22, Kageri had objected to the Congress
shouting anti-RSS slogans in the House, according to Deccan Herald.
Source: Scroll
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HC to resume hearing on Kashi temple-Gyanvapi Mosque
issue from March 29
Mar 24, 2022
PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court on Thursday
adjourned till March 29 the cases relating to Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath
Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex, directing that the arguments shall continue
thereafter on regular basis till their conclusion in all connected matters.
During the course of hearing on Thursday, the temple's
counsel submitted that it is clear from the averments of the plaint that the
property in question, i.e., the temple of Lord Visheshwar has been in existence
since ancient times and Swayambhu Lord Visheshwar resides in the disputed
structure. "Therefore, the aforesaid land in dispute is itself integral to
Lord Visheshwar."
He argued that the ground-floor cellar of the temple —
a structure built before 15th century — is still in His possession. It is
argued that the religious character of the place of worship remained the same
as on August 15, 1947, therefore, the provisions of Place of Worship Act, 1991,
cannot be applied.
The section 4 of the Places of Worship (Special
Provisions) Act, 1991, bars filing of suit or any other legal proceedings with
respect to conversion of religious character of any place of worship, existing
on August 15, 1947.
Hearing a petition filed by Anjuman Intazamia Maszid
of Varanasi, Justice Prakash Padia fixed March 29 as the next date of hearing
of this case.
To recall, civil judge (senior division), fast-track
court (FTC) of Varanasi had directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)
on April 8, 2021, to conduct a survey of Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi
Mosque complex in order to find out whether a temple was demolished to build
the mosque.
Source: Times Of India
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Europe
Chechen and Tatar Muslims take up arms to fight for
Ukraine
Monir Ghaedi
24.03.2022
The number of these fighters deployed to Ukraine is
unknown, but their reputation for brutality and ruthlessness in enforcing
domestic rule is well-known, and their presence has raised memories of grisly
urban combat and guerilla fighting from the Chechen wars in the 1990s and early
2000s.
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, known as
one of the most loyal allies of President Vladimir Putin, announced on his
Telegram channels that his men would be fighting in the "hottest hotspots
in Ukraine."
However, some military analysts have cast doubt on
whether his braggadocio on social media has accurately reflected his troops'
performance on the battlefield.
Across the frontlines, another group of Chechens has
also joined the war — but they intend to defend Ukraine against the Russian
invasion.
"Dear Ukrainians, please do not see those people
as Chechens," said Adam Osmayev, an exiled Chechen leader, in a video
published on social media, referring to Kadyrov's soldiers. "They are
traitors … puppets of Russia."
"Real Chechens are standing with you, bleeding
with you, as they have in the past eight years," he said, holding a gun
and standing next to three other armed men with masked faces.
Osmayev leads the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion, named
after the late Chechen rebel leader. The group is one of the two publicly known
Chechen volunteer groups fighting against Russian-backed separatists and
Russian forces in Ukraine since 2014. The other one is called the Sheikh Mansur
Battalion and is headed by a commander called Muslim Cheberloevsky.
The identity and the exact number of the Chechen
volunteers are unknown. But most of them are believed to be people who left
Chechnya either after the end of the war there in 2003 or who have escaped
Kadyrov's despotic rule over the past years.
In 2013, the Ukrainian government, then a Moscow ally,
imprisoned Osmayev for plotting to assassinate Putin — an accusation he denies.
When he was released a year later, he went to the Donbas region to fight the
pro-Russian separatists.
Both Russian and Western media have reported alleged
links between the Sheikh Mansur
Battalion and the "Islamic State."
When Putin's army began marching toward Kyiv, leaders
of both battalions, along with thousands of other foreign volunteer fighters,
announced they would continue to defend Ukraine against "their common
enemy."
Their determination to assist Ukraine amid the ongoing
Russian invasion stems from similarities they see between what Ukrainians are
going through and their own fate.
A long, violent history
Chechnya, now a Russian republic, is home to a
majority-Muslim population and has a complicated and often violent history with
Moscow.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia waged
two devastating wars to keep Chechnya from becoming independent, a goal to which
it had been aspiring since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The first conflict
broke out in 1994 when Russia sent troops to the Chechen Republic to quash its
attempt to break away. Fighting paused only two years later, in 1997, following
the signing of a peace agreement in August 1996.
But in 1999, the Russian army returned after a series
of deadly terror attacks organized by Chechen warlords on the territory of
Russia. A new war erupted, lasting 10 years and culminating in the siege of
Grozny by the Russian troops, resulting in enormous destruction and tens of
thousands of civilian casualties.
The first two years of that war coincided with Putin's
ascension to power. The active phase of the war was over in April 2000. Two
months later, Putin appointed Akhmad Kadyrov as head of the Chechen Republic,
who would rule until he was assassinated by Islamist rebels in 2004.
His son Ramzan Kadyrov became Chechen leader in 2007
and has remained in office ever since.
Under Kadyrov's rule, human rights have deteriorated
as critics, activists and journalists face clampdowns. He is suspected of
having been involved in the killings of several critics outside Chechnya,
including Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a former military commander gunned down in
Berlin in 2019.
"It is safe to say that a great majority of the
Chechen diaspora left their homeland after Kadyrov came to power, not during
the war," Marat Iliyasov, a researcher at Lithuania's Vytautas Magnus
University, told DW.
Bringing back Chechen memories
For many exiled Chechens, Putin is treating Ukrainians
the way he treated them.
"Moscow's attempts today to impose its control
over independent Ukraine resonates in the hearts and minds of many Chechens who
remember their struggle for independence against the Russian colonizing
machine," Albert Bininachvili, a professor of political science at Bologna
University, told DW.
Putin aspires to expand Russia's domination to the
Soviet borders, he explained, but without the intention of bringing back the
Soviet system, "which in effect leaves us with nothing but Russian
colonialism."
"Chechens consider the war in Ukraine as a
continuation of the war in Chechnya," Iliyasov said. "So they want to
contribute to eventual victory against this perceived evil — something not
achieved on Chechen soil."
"That's alongside another motivation, which is a
kind of moral obligation to help people who are in such situations, and showing
solidarity with them," he added.
Cheberloevsky, the head of the Sheikh Mansur
Battalion, also considers the latest fighting as part of a much longer
conflict. He said in an interview with Radio Free Europe's Caucasus service,
"We have been fighting in Ukraine since 2014 to beat our common
enemy."
Akhmed Zakayev, the head of the Chechen separatist
government in exile, encouraged all Chechens living abroad to fight alongside
the Ukrainian government in a video shared on social media.
Discrediting Putin's propaganda
Chechens are not the only Muslim group assisting
Ukrainians.
Said Ismagilov, one of Ukraine's top Islamic leaders,
who is of Tatar origin, posted a picture of himself in a military uniform
beside the members of the Territorial Defence Forces in Kyiv. In another video,
he called on the Muslims in the world to stand in solidarity with Ukraine.
The Crimean Tatars, a Muslim ethnic minority
indigenous to Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, have been resisting Russian occupation since
2015, with some of them fighting in the Ukrainian armed forces.
In a video widely shared by Ukrainian media, Ayder
Rustemov, the head of Crimea's Muslim community as recognized by Ukraine, urged
Ukrainian Muslims to defend their country and called on Russian Muslims to
denounce Russia's aggression.
Kadyrov, who adheres to Sufism, a moderate sect of
Islam with deep historical roots in Chechnya, tried to brand the battles in
Ukraine as jihad, the Islamic term for holy war. "We have an order, we
have jihad!" He wrote on his Telegram channel on March 4.
Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have said
Kadyrov’s paramilitary forces have a long record of terrorizing, torturing and
killing political dissidents claiming they were Islamic rebels.
Source: DW
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.dw.com/en/chechen-and-tatar-muslims-take-up-arms-to-fight-for-ukraine/a-61174375
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Chechen leader says his forces ‘liberated’ Mariupol
city hall
24 March ,2022
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Thursday that
forces from his Russian region had taken control of the city hall in Ukraine’s
besieged southeastern port of Mariupol and hoisted the Russian flag.
Kadyrov posted on Telegram a video of a phone
recording in Chechen, which he said was Russian parliamentary lawmaker Adam
Delimkhanov speaking to “our valiant men.”
“The guys are radioing to say that they liberated the
building of the Mariupol authorities and put up our flag over it,” the Chechen
leader said on his Telegram, which has more than 1.4 million subscribers.
“Bandits who remained alive did not risk it and
abandoned their positions... and fled,” he wrote, adding that “other units are
moving in parallel through the city and clearing it of Azov filth,” referring
to Ukraine’s far-right Azov Battalion.
“God willing, soon Mariupol will be completely
cleansed,” he wrote.
In the besieged southern port, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says nearly 100,000 people are trapped without food, water
or power and enduring fierce shelling by Russian forces.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry tweeted that Moscow had
“launched a new phase of terror against Mariupol” by forcibly deporting about
6,000 residents to Russian camps.
Kadyrov said on March 1 that Chechens had been killed
in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, there are already losses among the
natives of the Chechen Republic. Two died, six more were injured to varying
degrees,” Kadyrov said on Telegram.
Source: Al Arabiya
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‘Turkiye-France-Italy group to become functional
again’
Barış Seçkin
24.03.2022
ROME
After Thursday's talks with the Turkish president, the
Italian premier said they decided to make the cooperation platform among
Turkiye, France, and Italy functional again, adding that the three countries
will meet soon.
Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday on the sidelines of an
extraordinary NATO leaders' summit in Brussels.
The closed-door meeting at the NATO headquarters
lasted 45 minutes.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/-turkiye-france-italy-group-to-become-functional-again-/2545189
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Allies' restrictions on Turkiye's defence industry
should be lifted: Turkish president
Rabia Iclal Turan and Seda Sevencan
24.03.2022
Lifting of restrictions that some of Turkiye's
"allies" had placed on the country's defense industry is a
"common interest," the president said after the NATO leaders' summit
on Thursday.
Speaking at a news conference in Brussels after the
extraordinary summit, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "While the success of the
Turkish defense industry products are evident, there can be no reasonable
justification for the obstacles we face in this field."
"It is in our mutual interest to lift the
restrictions on our defense industry that have been implemented by some of our
allies themselves," he added.
"Secret and open embargoes among allies"
should not even be raised for discussion, let alone implemented, he stressed.
Noting that he had conveyed Turkiye's expectations on
this issue with allied leaders attending the summit, Erdogan said Ankara would
continue contributing to NATO's deterrence and defense measures but expects the
same solidarity in return.
Regarding the leaders' summit, Erdogan said: “It is
noteworthy that NATO has once again given messages of unity and solidarity
after the virtual summit on Feb. 25."
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan said Turkiye’s
strong support for Ukraine’s "territorial integrity and sovereignty"
has been "known by everyone" since 2014, adding that his country
"has never recognized and will never recognize Crimea’s annexation."
"The destruction and humanitarian tragedy caused
by the war are evident. The war-torn cities, hospitals, schools, and houses
that have nearly turned into wrecks, and weeping refugees who packed all their
assets in one suitcase have all reminded us once again of the bitter face of
wars," he said.
“As the conflicts continue, the destruction of the
war, unfortunately, increases as well for both sides,” he added.
The Turkish president said he is in close contact with
the leaders of both Ukraine and Russia with a "view to putting an immediate
end to the war."
Erdogan noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy wants Turkiye to mediate in talks with Moscow.
He added that Russia also viewed the Turkish mediation
in a positive light, stressing that Ankara continued to be in "intense
contact" with both Ukraine and Russia to end the war "as soon as
possible."
"If there is a demand for Turkiye's mediation
role, we're ready for it," he noted.
Saying his country's main aim was to reconcile the
parties, Erdogan added that "any method of approach to the Russia-Ukraine
crisis that doesn't prioritize peace will result in disaster."
The trilateral meeting of Turkish, Russian, and
Ukrainian foreign ministers in Antalya was a "turning point," he
said, noting: "We believe that the final solution should be based on a
reliable formula to be accepted by both countries and the international
community."
"Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence must be
the main priority," he stressed.
Erdogan said he sees some progress in negotiations
"with cautious optimism," while also adding that Turkiye is using its
powers under the 1936 Montreux Convention to reduce tensions between the two
sides.
He also said NATO must act realistically and
strategically while maintaining political and practical support for Ukraine in
the current war environment.
Repeating his long-time call for reform in the global
security architecture, the Turkish president said the UN Security Council in
particular "must inevitably be subject to serious reform."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Bosnia marks 6th anniversary of verdict against
'Butcher of Bosnia' Karadzic
Ahmet Nurduhan, Almir Terzic, Kemal Zorlak
24.03.2022
BELGRADE, Serbia
Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday marked the sixth
anniversary of the guilty verdict against ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan
Karadzic for genocide and crimes against humanity during the 1990s Bosnia war.
Considered to have spearheaded the most severe war
crimes committed in Europe since World War II, Karadzic was sentenced to 40
years in prison and has been jailed since 2008 for his deeds that left tens of
thousands dead.
A UN tribunal in The Hague found Karadzic guilty on 10
counts out of a total of 11 charges.
He faced two counts of genocide, but while the court
convicted him of his role in the Srebrenica massacre in 1995, he was found not
guilty of genocides in the Bosnian municipalities of Bratunac, Foca, Kljuc,
Prijedor, Sanski Most, Vlasenica, and Zvornik.
Ramiz Salkic, vice president of Republika Srpska, and
military expert Berko Zecevic, who witnessed the Karadzic case first-hand, told
Anadolu Agency about the former Serb leader and his ideology.
"Karadzic's ideology lives on in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. This ideology is adopted by almost all politicians and therefore
the people of Republika Srpska," Salkic said.
In 1995, the Dayton Peace Agreement ending the war in
Bosnia created a new federal government system with two entities: the Republika
Srpska and the Croat and Bosniak-populated Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Salkic added that Karadzic's ideology is being kept
alive in school books, media, and institutions in Republika Srpska.
"We see the greatest example of this in the
history books. Karadzic and similar war criminals are portrayed as heroes in
history books in Republika Srpska. This shows the general situation of Bosniaks
living in Republika Srpska," he said.
For his part, Zecevic said no prison sentence could be
commensurate to the sorrows that the victims of Karadzic's ideology had to
endure.
"The experiences of a murdered or raped woman, a
murdered child, a young person, a soldier, regardless of whether they are Serb,
Croat, or Bosnian, can't be measured by any prison sentence," said
Zecevic.
He underlined that history would not write the number
of years that Karadzic was sentenced, but rather that he was found guilty for
his crimes and that genocide was committed in Srebrenica at his command.
- Bosnian war and Karadzic's role
Bosnia gained independence on March 1, 1992 months
after Slovenia and Croatia broke away from the former Yugoslavia.
In 1992, a referendum on independence for Bosnia and
Herzegovina was held, on which 64% of its people participated and voted 99.44%
in favor.
A month later, the EU and the US announced their
recognition of the state.
However, the then-political leader of Bosnian Serbs,
Karadzic, launched an ethnic cleansing campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina,
triggering a war that led to a massive catastrophe for Bosniaks.
In November 1995, Bosniaks -- amid international
pressure -- stopped the war with the Dayton accord.
Karadzic was the president of the self-styled Bosnian
Serb Republic and supreme commander of its armed forces between 1992 and 1995,
when around 100,000 Bosnians died as Yugoslavia descended into ethnic
bloodshed.
Karadzic -- who has been dubbed Butcher of Bosnia --
was first indicted in July 1995 for the shooting of unarmed civilians in
Sarajevo and taking UN peacekeepers hostage. Four months later, he was accused
of orchestrating the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men and boys after Serb forces
seized the UN’s Srebrenica “safe area” in eastern Bosnia.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Turkish president meets with UK premier at NATO
leaders' summit
Zafer Fatih Beyaz
24.03.2022
BRUSSELS
Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday
met with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as part of his bilateral talks at
the extraordinary NATO leaders' summit in Brussels.
The closed-door meeting at the NATO headquarters
lasted 40 minutes.
Also joining the meeting were Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Justice and
Development (AK) Party spokesperson Omer Celik, head of the Turkish delegation
to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Osman Askin Bak, Communications Director
Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, and Turkiye's NATO
Ambassador Basat Ozturk.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Turkish president meets Estonian premier at NATO
leaders' summit
Zafer Fatih Beyaz
24.03.2022
BRUSSELS
Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Prime
Minister Kaja Kallas of Estonia on Thursday on the sidelines of an
extraordinary NATO leaders' summit in Brussels.
The closed-door meeting lasted 40 minutes at NATO
headquarters.
Erdogan was joined in the meeting by Turkish Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and
presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin.
Kallas wrote on Twitter that she met Erdogan “to
discuss the need for NATO forward defense and support to Ukraine.”
She said Ukraine needs “long-term help,” and added:
"Appreciate Turkey's efforts in this regard.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Turkish president meets Italian premier at NATO
leaders' summit
Zafer Fatih Beyaz
24.03.2022
BRUSSELS
Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi on Thursday on the sidelines of an
extraordinary NATO leaders' summit in Brussels.
The closed-door meeting at the NATO headquarters
lasted 45 minutes.
Also joining the meeting were Turkish Foreign Minister
Mevlut Cavusoglu, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Justice and
Development (AK) Party spokesperson Omer Celik, head of the Turkish delegation
to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Osman Askin Bak, Communications Directorate
head Fahrettin Altun, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, and Turkiye's
NATO Ambassador Basat Ozturk.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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North
America
Facilities manager killed in Florida mosque attack
hailed as hero, credited with saving children's lives
By Jamiel Lynch
March 25, 2022
Authorities are hailing the facilities manager at a
Florida mosque as a hero who gave his life and potentially saved children at
the center's school and daycare.
Seminole County deputies responded early Thursday
morning to the Husseini Islamic Center in Sanford after a woman called 911 and
said there was an injured, potentially deceased person on the property,
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said at a news conference.
According to the 911 caller, when she arrived for work
at the center, she saw a pair of pants at the front door. Inside she found
signs of an altercation: Chairs were thrown around, a table moved and a window
had been smashed with a propane tank, Lemma said. The woman saw a body on the
back porch and called the police, he said.
Deputies found the body of the 59-year-old facilities
manager on the porch. He had been bludgeoned and beaten with a shovel, Lemma
said.
Authorities believe the suspect entered the mosque
after breaking the window with the propane tank. The deadly altercation
happened when the victim came in for the day, Lemma said.
"You can just imagine for one moment, if it
wasn't for the heroic efforts of our victim trying to confront this threat,
struggle there and prevent any of those other people who may have been coming
in just minutes later from experiencing similar fate," Lemma said.
The name of the victim has not been released.
The Islamic Center's president praised the employee
for saving others at the center, which serves as a school and daycare during
the day.
Mahmood Dhalla said, "He will be memorialized
forever in our community. He saved our children's lives."
Dhalla remembered the facilities manager as the
"heart and soul" of the center who wore many hats at the mosque --
from arranging furniture, to maintenance and security.
"He was an amazing person. He always said, 'I
will protect this place with my life,' and I think he did just that,"
Dhalla said.
During their investigation, authorities discovered
that the suspect was not known to anyone at the center.
The suspect indicated on social media posts that he
believed he was a descendant of Julius Caesar and he needed to defend Caesar's
property, the sheriff said.
"Clearly this location was targeted," Lemma
said. "Not targeted based upon it being a mosque. It was targeted because
the murderer believed this was Caesar's home."
The suspect allegedly left the center in the victim's
vehicle. Law enforcement officers were looking for the vehicle when it was seen
on a license plate reader in Indian River County, Sheriff Eric Flowers said in
a news conference.
Deputies stopped the vehicle in a Sam's Club parking
lot. The suspect got out of the vehicle but would not comply when asked to put
his hands up. At one point, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his
hands, pointing them like guns at the deputies, according to body camera video
released by the department.
Source: CNN
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/24/us/sanford-florida-mosque-attack-hero/index.html
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US ‘troubled’ by presence of Iranian military
officials at Doha Defence Show
Servet Günerigök
25.03.2022
WASHINGTON
The US expressed discontent Thursday over the presence
of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers at the Doha
Defense Show in Qatar.
The US is “deeply disappointed and troubled” by the
presence of Iranian military officials and IRGC officers, said US State
Department spokesman Ned Price in a statement.
“We utterly reject their presence at the show and its
maritime defense exhibit, as it is Iran that is biggest threat to maritime
stability in the Gulf region,” Price said.
He said transactions related to Iranian weapons,
terrorism and weapons of mass destruction are sanctionable under multiple US
authorities.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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‘US only now coming to terms with Afghan situation’
March 24, 2022
There was ‘surprise and frustration’ in Washington
when Kabul fell to the Taliban but gradually, they understood the situation,
says Pakistan’s US Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan.
“Obviously, it came as a surprise for everybody,
contrary to the intelligence estimates here and earlier than anybody had
expected,” said the outgoing ambassador, explaining why Washington reacted so
strongly to the fall.
Ambassador Khan, the longest serving Pakistani
diplomat in the US, leaves for Islamabad on Thursday from where he will head to
Brussels as his country’s new envoy for the European Union, Belgium and
Luxembourg.
He served as Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington from
Jan 7, 2019, to March 24, 2022. He has also served in Washington as the deputy
chief of mission for four years and spent six years in New York, including as a
diplomat at Pakistan’s UN Mission.
Asked to define the most difficult issue he handled in
Washington, Mr Khan acknowledged that the Afghan issue was difficult but
pointed out that “both sides have never shied away from addressing problems”.
And this (US-Pakistan) “has never been an easy relationship,” he added. The United
States and Pakistan, he said, have had a “clear convergence” in Afghanistan
because “the US is as much interested in peace and stability in Afghanistan as
we are”.
Mr Khan represented Pakistan in Washington during much
of the Doha talks between the United States and the Taliban that were
facilitated by Pakistan. The talks ended on a peace deal that led to the US
withdrawal from Afghanistan and consequently to Kabul’s fall to the Taliban.
“Our job was to articulate and convey our national
position to Washington and to listen to the concerns expressed here and explain
how Islamabad looked at developments in Afghanistan,” he said.
The embassy, however, was not involved in arranging
the visits of Taliban officials to Doha as that was handled by Islamabad, he
added.
Ambassador Khan said that Pakistan’s key role in
facilitating the evacuation of those wishing to leave Afghanistan also helped
improve bilateral ties after the fall of Kabul.
“We saw appreciation for Pakistan’s positive
contribution during the peace process and dealing with the aftermath of the
Taliban takeover,” he said. “People understood that the international community
must come together to stabilise Afghanistan as Pakistan alone cannot do this.”
Ambassador Khan hoped that the Ukrainian crisis would
not drive the world’s attention away from the humanitarian challenges in
Afghanistan.
Asked if the embassy was ever asked to arrange a
telephone call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Imran Khan,
Ambassador Khan said: “You don’t make formal phone call requests. Leaders do
get in touch on issues and such possibilities are explored. But it is dependent
on the convenience of the leaders.”
Source: Pakistan Today
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of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/03/24/us-only-now-coming-to-terms-with-afghan-situation/
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Mideast
Human rights groups urge UN to keep watch on Iran’s
‘dire situation’
March 24, 2022
LONDON: Leading human rights advocacy groups have
urged UN member states to renew the mandate of a UN special rapporteur
responsible for monitoring what they describe as a “dire situation” in Iran.
The groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty
International and dozens more, wrote to member states: “We, the undersigned
Iranian and international human rights organizations, call on your country to
support the renewal of the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in Iran at the 49th session of the Human Rights
Council.
“The renewal of this mandate is essential in light of
the persistent pattern of serious human rights violations and international
crimes committed by Iranian authorities, as extensively documented by civil
society monitors and by the special rapporteur.”
The special rapporteur is a voluntary position
appointed by the UN, responsible for working on and highlighting a given topic,
such as torture, freedom of expression, or on specific troubled locations, such
as Iran.
In a recent report, the current special rapporteur
said that in Iran “discrimination in law and practice remains pervasive and
perpetuates violence against women and girls,” as well as “persons belonging to
ethnic or linguistic minorities, including Ahwazi Arabs, Azerbaijani Turks,
Baluchis, Kurds and Turkmen.”
The report added that repression also extends to
“persons belonging to religious or belief minorities, including Baha’is,
Christian converts, the Yarsan (Ahl-e Haq), Sunni Muslims, atheist beliefs and
nonbelievers.”
Long-standing patterns of human rights violations have
been facilitated by what the special rapporteur described as “institutional
impunity” due to “the absence of a system for accountability.”
“Obtaining accountability for human rights violations
is arbitrary at best and impossible at worst,” the special rapporteur said.
The groups’ letter concluded: “We urge your government
to support the renewal of the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on the
situation of human rights in Iran at this session and to press Iran to give the
expert unfettered access to the country.”
Source: Arab News
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FM: Agreement in Vienna Needs US Realism
2022-March-24
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks after a meeting with
his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mikdad in Damascus on Wednesday.
He said the two diplomats discussed the latest
developments surrounding the Vienna talks and other issues of mutual interest.
“If the American side acts realistically, we are ready
to finalize an agreement in the near future in the presence of the foreign
ministers of the member states of the Joint Commission of the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” Amir Abdollahian said.
“We have explicitly stated to the American side that
we will not [abandon] our red lines,” he said, meantime voicing optimism about
the prospects of reaching a deal.
“We believe that today, more than ever, we are closer
to reaching and finalizing an agreement in Vienna,” Amir Abdollahian said.
“We offered our last proposals to the US through the
EU coordinator to reach a definite point on [finalizing] the agreement.”
The Vienna talks began almost a year ago with the aim
of bringing the US into full compliance with the JCPOA, commonly known as the
Iran deal and removal of sanctions against Iran. The US left the JCPOA in 2018
under former president Donald Trump and re-imposed the sanctions that the deal
had lifted.
The administration of Joe Biden has rebuked Trump’s
withdrawal from the accord and insisted on re-entering the deal, all while
dragging the talks via its failure to provide Iran with guarantees that
Washington will not exit the JCPOA again.
Throughout the talks, Iran has pressed the US for the
guarantees as well as the establishment of a verification mechanism on the
removal of sanctions.
Amir Abdollahian said on Monday that settlement of the
few highly important issues remaining in Vienna talks on removal of sanctions
needs the US good faith.
"We are close to the final stage of the
agreement. For the few remaining very important issues, we have presented initiatives
to the United States through the EU Coordinator. It is now up to the American
side to show its good faith in action," Amir Abdollahian said in a phone
conversation with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.
Also, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security
Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said earlier this month that his country will
remain in Vienna talks until it earns a strong agreement.
"All pillars of the Iranian state - in spite of
all external and internal hype - work hard to preserve and advance Iran's
national interests," Shamkhani wrote on his twitter page.
"We will remain in the Vienna talks until we
reach a 'strong agreement' that meets all our legal and logical demands",
he added.
Shamkhani warned that the Vienna talks are growing
even more complicated because the US continues to avoid making the necessary
political decisions.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010104000145/FM-Agreemen-in-Vienna-Needs-US-Realism
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Iranian Envoy Censures Israel for Baseless Comments
against IRGC
2022-March-24
Baqayee Hamaneh made the remarks after representative
of the Zionist regime to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), in a speech that
had nothing to do with the agenda of the summit, referred to the IRGC's recent
missile attack against the Israeli centers in Iraq’s Erbil, claiming that the
IRGC destabilizes the region.
In reaction, Baqayee Hamaneh reiterated that Zionism
essentially relies on "destabilizing" its surroundings for
preservation and development, and this is what one famous scholar, Mohammad
Shahid Alam, calls "logic of Zionist stabilization".
Referring to recent reports by international
organizations and the Human Rights Council rapporteur on the introduction of
Zionist regime as an apartheid and racist regime, Baqayee Hamaneh stated that
logic and ideology of Zionism is necessarily promoter of a racist structure
that sees itself as justified in massacring innocent Palestinians, seizing
their lands, and destroying their homes.
He reminded the truth raised in Resolution 3379 of
November 10, 1975, which considered Zionism ‘racism and apartheid’.
With due observance to the said issue, it is not
surprising that they, Zionists, are angry with the IRGC, as the most determined
force that seeks to defeat ISIL, violent extremism and terrorism in the region,
Baqayee Hamaneh said.
In a statement earlier this month, the IRGC claimed
responsibility for a missile attack against Israel's strategic center for
conspiracy and evil, warning Tel Aviv that any wrong move will not go
unanswered.
In reaction to the event, Iranian Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Iran will never tolerate existence of a
center of plotting on its borders.
IRGC Spokesman General Ramezan Sharif announced that
the IRGC will not hesitate to strike other Israeli bases in Iraqi Kurdistan
Region if its officials do not dismantle them.
“If Iraqi officials do not take action to remove other
bases of the Zionists in that country while our security continues to be
threatened from this region, we will respond without hesitation," General
Sharif said.
He reiterated that "the Zionists had admitted
themselves that their drones" which flew over a military base in Iran’s
Kermanshah Province had taken off from their bases in Erbil (capital city of
the Iraqi Kurdistan Region).
"It is our natural right to destroy any base from
which any attack is carried out against the security of Iran and this is a
redline for us," General Sharif said.
He pointed out that Iranian ambassador to Iraq Iraj
Masjedi had on several occasions warned the Iraqi Kurdistan Region about the
presence of the Mossad base, which was recently attacked by the IRGC.
Last week, Scores of ballistic missiles hit secret
Mossad bases in Erbil, reportedly leaving several Israeli operatives dead.
Citing security sources, Iraq’s Sabereen News reported
that two Mossad training centers were targeted by ballistic missiles in the
early hours of Sunday.
Al-Mayadeen said a Mossad base on the Masif-Saladin
street in Erbil was “fully razed to the ground and a number of Israeli
mercenaries were killed or injured”.
In a relevant development last week, Iranian lawmakers
in a statement voiced support for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps' strong
and eye-catching attack on the Zionist regime of Israel.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran Reiterates Need for Holding Referendum to End
Zionist Regime
2022-March-24
Instability in the West Asia region is deeply rooted
in the issue of Palestine and the systematic occupation of Palestinian
territories by the Zionists, said Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
who represents Iran in the 48th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Pakistan, in a statement on
Wednesday.
He described the Israeli regime as the only example of
“apartheid” in today’s world, and emphasized that the OIC was founded on the
cause of Palestine, adding that the return of all Palestinian refugees to their
homeland and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds
as its capital should remain the highest priority of the organization.
He also censured the Arab countries that normalized
their relations with the Israeli regime, saying the normalization of Israel’s
ties with Islamic countries is a “colonial policy” pursued by Israel and its
main sponsor, the US.
“This is happening while the OIC has always firmly
rejected any form of normalization of relations with this apartheid regime,” he
said.
“Therefore, the OIC should emphasize its permanent
position on the firm opposition to any form of compromise against the
advancement of the sinister policy of normalization and take tangible steps
against this plague for unity and the welfare of the Islamic Ummah (community),
and prohibit further infiltration of the Zionist regime in the Islamic world,”
Khatibzadeh added.
He then reiterated Iran’s proposal called “Holding a
National Referendum in Palestine” so that the people of Palestine would be able
to decide their destiny.
“We believe that the end of the Zionist regime is
achievable not through the military solution or the implementation of already
failed political initiatives, but through holding a genuine referendum,
involving all inhabitants of occupied Palestine and all Palestinian expatriates
driven out from their homeland, with every religious or political background,”
the Iranian spokesman said.
By failed political initiatives, Khatibzadeh was
apparently referring to the so-called two-state solution.
Elsewhere in his statement, he referred to the issue
of Afghanistan, saying the country is facing political, social, economic,
security, and humanitarian crises which are the immediate result of failed
policies and irresponsible, miscalculated, and unilateral actions of the US
during the past two decades.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran views the stability in
Kabul as the stability in Tehran and has spared no efforts it could to bring
peace and tranquility in Afghanistan, before and after the fall of the former
government in the country,” he remarked.
According to Khatibzadeh, Western countries have caused
calamitous damage to Afghanistan by adopting a policy of famine and hunger
through their sanctions and seizure of the Afghan nation’s assets, which “led
to the mass migration to the neighboring countries, especially the Islamic
Republic of Iran.”
“We express our concern towards the dire economic and
humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and view this as a proper ground for the
recruitment of terrorist combatants by terrorist groups, in particular the
ISIL, in Afghanistan,” he added.
Concluding his remarks, Khatibzadeh wished that the
meeting would unify Muslim nations to isolate and ultimately defeat the
occupying Israeli regime and also take effective steps to “alleviate the
problems and sufferings of our Afghan brothers”.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Yemeni general’s son died alongside father in Aden
bombing
24 March ,2022
A car bomb that rocked Yemen’s southern port city of
Aden this week and killed a major general also took the life of his son, a
junior military officer, and three guards, a media spokesman said Thursday.
The bombing on Wednesday targeted the convoy of Major
General Thabet Jawas, a senior commander in southern Yemen, who was killed.
Initial reports said at least four others also died.
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the
attack in Aden. The city has been rocked by several bombings in recent years
blamed on local affiliates of al-Qaeda and ISIS. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi
militia has also targeted the city with ballistic missiles and explosives-laden
drones.
On Thursday, Qaed Nasr, a military spokesman for
Jawas’ division, said that the major general’s son, Nabil Jawas, a 26-year-old
military officer who was accompanying his father, also died.
The two were driving home after attending a relative’s
funeral when a parked car exploded as Jawas’ convoy passed near a fuel supply
facility, according to security officials speaking on condition of anonymity
because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
Three guards were also killed, the officials said,
while five civilian passers-by who were wounded in the bombing are in hospital
and getting medical treatment.
Images from the scene showed fire with charred bodies
on the ground. An investigation was underway.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran calls for intra-Yemeni dialogue 'away from
foreign interference'
Ahmed Asmar
24.03.2022
SANAA, Yemen
The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday called for
launching an intra-Yemeni dialogue "away from foreign interference"
to settle the crisis in the country.
"The destructive war and the cruel blockade of
the (Saudi-led Arab) coalition against the people of Yemen is entering its
eighth year as it has led to this resilient country facing the worst humanitarian
catastrophe of the century," a ministry statement said on the seventh
anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition.
It added that Iran "supports any sort of fair and
practical effort and initiative for the removal of the blockade, establishment
of truce and beginning of Yemeni-Yemeni negotiations."
On March 17, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
invited Yemeni parties for talks in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on March 29 to
discuss comprehensive peace in war-torn Yemen.
While the Yemeni government welcomed the invitation,
the Houthi group conditioned any dialogue to be in a neutral country.
The Saudi-led Arab coalition has been fighting Houthis
since 2015, one year after rebels overran much of Yemen, including the capital,
Sanaa.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Southeast
Asia
Organization of Islamic Cooperation Accused of
Ignoring Uyghur Muslims in China
March 25, 2022
Asim Kashgarian
A U.S. declaration that China has committed genocide
and crimes against humanity against its mainly Muslim minority in western
Xinjiang province appears to have had little impact on the 57-nation
Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which this week honored Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi at a high-level forum.
Invited by host Pakistan, Wang attended the 48th
session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad as a special guest
and spoke at the summit opening. He followed up Thursday with a surprise visit
to Afghanistan, whose Taliban-led interim government is eager for Chinese
investment and support.
The confluence of events was distressing to the
Campaign for Uyghurs, a Washington-based rights group, which condemned both
Wang’s attendance at the summit and OIC’s silence on China’s treatment of its
Uyghur minority, including mass incarceration in so-called reeducation camps.
“It was appalling to see that Pakistan invited Wang Yi
as a ‘guest of honor,’ while Uyghur Muslims do not have the right to identify
as Muslims or practice Islam,” Campaign for Uyghurs said on its website.
According to Hasan Askari, an international affairs
analyst, Pakistan’s invitation to the Chinese foreign minister at the OIC
summit as an observer is part of an OIC tradition that allows the host country
to invite high level diplomats from non-member OIC countries.
The U.S. accused China of genocide and crimes against
humanity in the Muslim majority Xinjiang region in western China, including
forced labor, sterilization of Muslim women and arbitrary detention of more
than 1 million Uyghur Muslims in internment camps.
Beijing denies the allegations and says people of all
ethnic groups live happily in Xinjiang.
The OIC summit addressed the plight of Rohingya
Muslims as well as Muslims in Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Jammu and
Kashmir and elsewhere, but mostly ignored the Uyghur genocide in China, the
Campaign for Uyghurs said.
Only Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu brought
it up.
“In China, Uyghurs and other Muslims have difficulties
protecting their religious rights and cultural identity,” Cavusoglu said at the
OIC meeting. “Is it right to ignore the situation of the Uyghurs?"
Turkish politicians are usually the most outspoken
defenders of Uyghur rights among Muslim politicians, said Robert Bianchi,
professor of international law at the University of Chicago, because of their
ethnic and cultural ties throughout Central Asia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party “is
particularly sensitive to demands from right-wing nationalists who are junior
partners in his governing coalition,” Bianchi said. “He can’t survive without
their support, so he often agrees to accept more Uyghur refugees and to speak
out against Chinese repression.”
At the summit, Wang said that his country pledged to
provide 300 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Islamic countries.
According to Abdulhakim Idris, executive director of
the Washington-based Center for Uyghur Studies, many Muslim-majority countries
receive billions of dollars from China in the name of financial investment.
Source: VOA News
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Minister says actor Zul Ariffin under probe for
posting ‘steamy’ love scene on social media
22 Mar 2022
BY SHAHRIN AIZAT NOORSHAHRIZAM
KUALA LUMPUR, March 22 — The authorities are
investigating popular actor Zul Ariffin who recently uploaded a “steamy” love
scene from a yet-to-be aired show he starred in for alleged violation of
network facilities.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar
Musa made the announcement on his official Twitter account this morning.
“The legal process is underway. Actor Zul Arifin will
be investigated under Section 233 of the CMA for a YouTube post that violates
the law,” the minister wrote.
Section 233 under Communication and Multimedia Act
concerns the improper use of network facilities, which is a vague and sweeping
law that makes it an offence for anyone who shares content that is regarded as
“obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with intent to
annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person”.
Those charged and found guilty can be punished with a
maximum fine of RM50,000 or jailed up to one year, or both.
Annuar also said the scene — reportedly from the pilot
of a local drama titled Perempuan Itu (That Girl) — will not be screened
whether during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan which starts in April, or
any other month.
“Please watch our values and culture,” he added.
Perempuan Itu is a 30-episide Malay drama series that
was slated to be aired next month but its fate is now unknown as local
broadcasting station, TV3 said it had not discussed nor approved the scene in
the video clip posted by the actor and that it is not suitable for broadcast.
The 35-year-old actor had issued an apology on his
Instagram stories after widespread public backlash.
Minister in charge of Islamic Affairs Datuk Idris
Ahmad took to Facebook after the video clip went viral, saying he would be
contacting the parties involved to resolve the matter .
Annuar had previously warned television company
operators not to display any scenes that touch on religious and other
sensitivities in the country.
Source:MalayMail
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A fractured opposition cannot win the next general
election
March 25, 2022
Politically, the best option for the nation is to have
a two-party or two-coalition system. Voters can make a choice between the two.
This though may not happen when there are too many political parties in the
country with each being ambitious about winning in elections.
The 15th general election will most likely see a few
political coalitions and parties contesting in Peninsular Malaysia – BN (Barisan
Nasional), PN (Perikatan Nasional), and PH (Pakatan Harapan). There will also
be other parties such as Pejuang, Warisan, and Muda joining the fray.
The real contest however would be among the three
coalitions – BN, PN and PH – unless the opposition parties are able to form a
united front against BN. A fractured opposition will be advantageous to BN as
votes for the opposition parties will be split giving little chance for PN and
PH to trounce BN.
The political league
BN consists of Umno, MCA, MIC and Sabah-based PBRS. In
the recent Melaka and Johor state elections, BN triumphed even though the
coalition did not garner more than the combined votes obtained by PN and PH in
many seats. The split votes between PN and PH gave a comfortable victory to BN.
As for grassroots support, ostensibly Umno has more
advantage, as it is a long-established party claiming to have over 3 million
members. BN can also bank on MCA and MIC, as Umno has pretty well dumped MN
(Muafakat Nasional) – a political coalition that was formed with PAS, an
Islamic party, against the then-ruling PH coalition which had come into power
after the 2018 general election.
If PAS collaborates with BN, it will push non-Malay
voters away from the coalition. MN’s quietus is not a great loss to Umno, as
this time around, the non-Malays would have no qualms voting for BN. Another
forte of BN is that the Malays, Chinese and Indians are formally represented by
Umno, MCA and MIC respectively in the coalition. Umno has also extended its
membership to non-Malay Bumiputeras which makes the party fairly acceptable in
Sabah.
PAS’s electoral base is in Peninsular Malaysia’s rural
and conservative north and east coast. The party with its flip-flop “Islamic
agenda” has found it difficult to penetrate the west coast states, Sabah and
Sarawak and is generally disliked by the non-Muslim electorate.
PN is a political coalition comprising Bersatu, PAS,
STAR, SAPP and Gerakan. Though PN seems to be united as a coalition it may not
be able to rout BN. PN not only has to contest against BN, it also has to face
PH. This is where votes will be further split to the advantage of BN.
PN, however, is a new coalition and has not really
found a sturdy base at the grassroots level. Only PAS in PN has some 800,000
members, as claimed, and Bersatu plus the non-performing Gerakan have to depend
on PAS to get substantial votes. But again, PAS has a relatively strong
foothold in only three states – Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah. The party is
not popular in many other states including Sabah (with 25 seats) and Sarawak
(31) where 56 parliamentary seats are up for grabs.
PAS, for that matter, is now perceived to be at its
lowest ebb politically. Gerakan is perceived as another weak link in PN and may
find it almost impossible to win significant votes in Chinese majority seats.
As such, PN may not be able to bank on PAS and Gerakan to drub BN and capture
Putrajaya. Bersatu has lost its clout as the party’s supremo is no longer the
prime minister. Voters still have the perception that PN is a beleaguered front
and a newcomer that has not made much impact in the country’s political
landscape. This leaves PN in a limbo.
PH is a grouping of PKR, Amanah, DAP and Upko. The
coalition will have an arduous task ahead in the next general election compared
with its strength in the 14th general election. The recent Melaka and Johor
state elections saw the poor performance of PKR, Amanah and even DAP to an
extent, due to rash and inconsistent strategies. For PH to win as a coalition
it has to be propped up with talented leaders and new formulas. It should even
look forward to working with more political parties to form a bigger tent.
Malay support is crucial for the coalition but Amanah on its own is not able to
draw substantial Malay votes for the coalition. PKR and DAP on the other hand
are multi-racial parties.
GPS in Sarawak comprises PBB, SUPP , PRS and PDP. The
four parties are former component parties of BN. GPS is presently supportive of
PN but is really more neutral in its stand. GPS would most likely support any
coalition that controls Putrajaya.
A fractured Opposition
BN will most likely face a fractured opposition in the
15th general election. In politics, voter perception matters. Voters may see
the fractured opposition as being unable to bring political stability to the
country. The campaign mantra of BN and GPS of late has been “stability”. Fed up
with the political instability in the country, voters would prefer a front that
is cohesive.
GPS won 76 of the 82 Sarawak state seats recently,
leaving the fractured opposition with only six seats. PH suffered a crushing
defeat, with DAP winning only two seats for the coalition, experiencing a
decline from seven seats in 2016. Its other component parties, PKR and Amanah
lost in all seats contested. It shows that voters want a stable government and
rightly chose GPS to govern the state.
The Melaka and Johor state elections saw BN win big
leaving the opposition in tatters. Voters could not accept PN as an alternative
despite the coalition being part of the incumbent central government.
The 14th general election saw a united opposition
front comprising PKR, DAP, Amanah and Bersatu, contesting under one logo
against BN. Bersatu has since left the front and some other MPs have left to
form Pejuang and Muda, further splitting the opposition.
The ‘Big Tent’
The opposition coalition needs to go beyond PH or PN
to gain the acceptance of the people in the 15th general election. Cooperation
between the larger opposition parties is seen as a pragmatic strategy, as the people
would support a more united team.
Only by having a single pact can the opposition make
an impact in GE15. It was the one-umbrella strategy that had worked for the
opposition in the 14th general election. And to strengthen the support of the
Malays and Bumiputeras, there must be cooperation with those parties that
represent this group of voters and the involvement of more credible figures.
The results of GE14 in 2018 saw Malay voters’ support
for the opposition bloc represented by PH increase to 14% compared with 8% in
GE13. PH had 25-30% of the Malay votes. At that time, BN lost about 20% of the
Malay votes it had obtained in GE13.
The results of the Melaka and Johor state elections
show that PH failed to sustain the Malay support it received in GE14. After
Bersatu left PH, the Malay votes for PH declined. It cannot be denied that from
the countries’ demographic point of view Malay votes are significant to win
elections.
Source:Free Malaysia Today
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Malay unity a myth, says Gerak Independent co-founder
March 25, 2022
PETALING JAYA: Malay unity has been proclaimed as the
Holy Grail of Malaysian politics, but this is a myth, says Gerak Independent
co-founder Tawfik Ismail.
In a statement yesterday, he said “there is no such
thing (as Malay unity) in the psyche of the Malay population”.
“The Kelantan Malay has little in common with the
Johor Malay, except for religion and, sadly, even that serves to divide because
of the political use of religion by the Malay parties that are mass-based,” he
said.
Tawfik said various coalitions in the country had
tried in some way to push for Malay unity, citing the “Umno-Malay,
Mahathir-Bersatu, Anwar Ibrahim, Najib Razak and Tengku Razaleigh type
leaderships”.
“And this leads me to think that future coalitions
should define and select the type of Malay that suits the coalition’s
philosophy,” he said.
He suggested that a future coalition should consider
the type of Malay portrayed by himself and co-founder of Gerak, Siti Kasim, as
an alternative.
“We both bring a new approach to the otherwise stale
politics promised by other Malay leaders, based on integrity and honesty,
straight talk on Islam and other issues that worry the Malays,” he said.
He said Gerak also wanted to propose a Commission for
Future Generations to vet all legislations tabled for parliamentary approval.
Source:Free Malaysia Today
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South
Asia
Taliban want to replace conventional banking system
with Islamic banking
March 25, 2022
Law students and lawyers in Afghanistan are filing
reports with JURIST on the situation there after the Taliban takeover. Here, a
Staff Correspondent for JURIST in Kabul reports on recent changes to laws
affecting the banking and financial sector of Afghanistan.
For privacy and security reasons, we are withholding
our Correspondent’s name. The text has only been lightly edited to respect the
author’s voice.
The Taliban-led Central Bank of Afghanistan has
established a committee to review and amend the Central Bank Law and the
Banking Law of Afghanistan. According to the Central Bank, a seven-member
committee is set up to study and propose amendments to the Central Bank Law.
The committee has to adjust the legal framework of the
Central Bank with the Islamic banking system and eliminate the conventional
banking system.
The Central Bank Law is almost sixty years old and
does not provide any grounds for an Islamic banking system. Instead, the
Banking Law provides mechanisms through which Islamic and conventional systems
can be implemented.
The commercial banks have special windows for Islamic
banking which are regulated by the Central Bank-issued regulatory framework.
Source:PakObserver
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Afghanistan: Taliban’s schoolgirl ban condemned in the
Middle East
By Ali M Latifi
Published date: 24 March 2022
The Taliban’s decision to once again delay the return
of teenage girls to school has been met with condemnation and disappointment in
the Middle East, with Qatar and Turkey urging the Afghan group to reconsider
its decision.
On Wednesday morning, thousands of teenage girls
across Afghanistan headed to school based on repeated promises by the Taliban
that they would be allowed to return to the classroom at the start of the new
school year.
However, that decision, which the Taliban had been
touting in the media and during meetings with foreign officials for weeks, was
reversed at the last minute. Local media was flooded with footage of teenage
girls in tears as they headed back home with their books in hand.
The move was quickly denounced by governments around
the world. In the Middle East, Qatar, where several Taliban officials have been
based for more than a decade, was among the first to express its dismay.
Within hours of the news breaking, the Qatari foreign
ministry said the Taliban government's decision was of “great concern and
disappointment” to Doha.
“As a Muslim country where women enjoy all their
rights, including the right to education, Qatar calls on the caretaker
government of Afghanistan to revisit its decision in line with the teachings of
Islam in relation to women rights,” it added.
Doha’s rebuke was similar in tone to a September statement,
when Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani also criticized
the Taliban’s policy towards schoolgirls, stressing that as a Muslim country,
Qatar has “women outnumbering men in workforces, in government and in higher
education”.
Qatar itself has been criticised for draconian and
opaque guardianship laws that critics say place severe restrictions on Qatari
women.
Middle East Eye recently reported on the case of Noof
al-Maadeed, a prominent Qatari women's rights activist who disappeared for
three months after returning home to the Gulf country from the UK, where she
had sought asylum.
Masuda Sultan, an Afghan-American entrepreneur who has
worked with organisations trying to aid Afghanistan’s women, agreed with Doha’s
assertion that the Islamic Emirate should look towards other Muslim-majority
countries as models.
“Qatar is a nation which observes Sharia and also
happens to have equal access to education for females… Qatar shows what’s
possible for women even in a conservative Muslim society,” Sultan said.
Last month, when representatives from six
member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council met with the Taliban’s acting
foreign minister in Doha, they too stressed the need for the full inclusion of
women and girls in a Taliban-run Afghanistan.
The representatives from Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the
United Arab Emirates, Oman and Saudi Arabia, all countries whose laws are based
on Sharia, called on the Taliban to create a reconciliation plan for
Afghanistan that “respects basic freedoms and rights, including women’s right
to work and education”.
Though there have been reports that some teenage girls
have been able to return to the classroom in the western province of Herat, a
female teacher in the province of Kunduz told Middle East Eye that girls’ high
schools in her area are still closed.
The teacher, who did not wish to be named due to
security concerns, said: “In Kunduz all schools beyond the sixth grade remain
closed. Girls who went to their schools on Wednesday were turned away.”
Long-term impact
Turkey, which invited Taliban representatives to a
security conference earlier this month, also criticised the Afghan government’s
failure to live up to its word and reopen secondary schools for girls.
“It is essentially the expectation of the majority of
Afghan people themselves that all students, including girls, continue their
education with the new school term,” a statement issued by the Turkish foreign
ministry read.
Ankara, which has said the Taliban’s caretaker
government should have an opportunity to be heard by the rest of the world,
went on to say the Islamic Emirate should “allow girls of all ages to partake
in education in an inclusive manner as soon as possible”.
Researcher Orzala Nemat worries about the emotional
toll that the continuation of the ban on the education of teenage girls will
have on adolescent girls at such a key period in their development.
“Banning girls from education kills their spirit. It’s
un-Islamic and inhuman,” Nemat told MEE.
Nemat, who spent years advocating for women’s rights,
said the ban, which has drawn widespread criticism in Afghanistan and among the
international community, “only benefits those who want to keep Afghanistan in a
dark state of ignorance”.
Source:MiddleEastEye
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Afghanistan Won’t Be Threat To Any Country: Home
Minister Of Islamic Emirate Of Afghanistan To Russia’s Special Representative
For Afghanistan
25 Mar 2022
Acting Minister of Interior Affairs of the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan Sarajudin Haqqani met with Russia’s special
representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and pledged that Afghanistan will
not threaten any country.
Sarajudin Haqqani said that the Taliban are committed
to their pledges in terms of not allowing the soil to threaten other countries.
Interior Ministry in a press release said, Zamir
Kabulov leading a Russian delegation said that his country can fulfill the
needs of the Taliban and can assist the interim government.
The press release added that Haqqani has also met
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and pledged his country will not threaten
other countries’ security.
As per the statement, Wang Yi has said that they will
continue the friendship with Afghanistan and that they will establish a base
for political trust.
Wang Yi and Zamir Kabulov visited Kabul on Thursday,
March 24, 2022, and met with the Taliban officials.
A statement of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
reads that Wang Yi in his meeting with Deputy PM Mullah Baradar concentrated on
strengthening security cooperation while appreciating positive developments of
the Taliban.
Baradar has said to be committed to real cooperation
and has asked the Chinese FM to begin extracting cooper in Mis-e-Ainak of Logar
province.
Source: Khaama Press
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Afghan Taliban deny replacing Prime Minister Mullah
Hasan Akhund
March 24, 2022
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on
Thursday denied rumours that the group's Prime Minister Mullah Hasan Akhund has
been replaced by his deputy.
Earlier in the day, reports of the Taliban
government's Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar replacing Akhund
started doing rounds on social media. Subsequently, Mujahid, in a tweet,
clarified that media reports of any reshuffle of the prime minister and changes
in the cabinet were untrue.
Zabihullah Mujahid refutes rumours in a tweet. —
Twitter
"There has been no change in the cabinet of the
Islamic Emirate or anywhere else," he added.
In September, the Taliban appointed Akhund as its new
head of state. Prior to his ascension to the top office, Akhund was the head of
the Taliban's Rehbari Shura or leadership council. He hails from Kandahar and
is also said to be one of the founders of the movement.
The rumours of Akhund being replaced emerged after
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, for the first time since the Taliban
takeover, arrived in Kabul unannounced on Thursday morning.
The visit comes a week before Beijing hosts a two-day
conference — on March 30-31 — comprising Afghanistan's neighbours on how to assist
the Taliban government. Pakistan and Iran had earlier hosted similar meetings
after the Taliban takeover.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1681618/afghan-taliban-deny-replacing-prime-minister-mullah-hasan-akhund
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Hamid Karzai meets Russian envoy Kabulov, discusses
strengthening ties
Mar 25, 2022
KABUL : Former Afghan president Hamid Karzai on
Tuesday met Zamir Kabulov, Russia's special envoy for Afghanistan and discussed
further strengthening ties between both countries.
Karzai also met Dmitry Zhirnov, Russian Ambassador to
Afghanistan.
"Former president Hamid Karzai met with Zamir
Kabulov, Russia's special envoy for Afghanistan, and Russia's ambassador,
Dmitry Zhirnov, and they discussed relations between the countries and further
strengthening ties," TOLOnews reported.
The meeting comes amid the conflict between Russia and
Ukraine. The conflict between the two countries continues to escalate as the
Ukraine-Russia war enters the second month.
Russia launched its invasion last month after
recognising the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as
"independent republics." Russia has since continued to maintain that
the aim of its operations has been to "demilitarize" and
"de-nazify" the country.
Meanwhile, the situation of human rights in
Afghanistan has also worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and
the Taliban's return to power in August last year.
Although the fighting in the country has ended,
serious human rights violations continue unabated.
Source: Times Of India
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China says willing to extend CPEC to Afghanistan
March 25, 2022
KABUL: Beijing welcomes Afghanistan’s active
participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure plan
proposed by China, and is willing to push for extending the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said
on Thursday as he made a surprise visit to Kabul.
Wang met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan
Muttaqi to discuss political and economic ties, including starting work in the
mining sector and Afghanistan’s possible role in China’s Belt and Road
infrastructure initiative, according to a statement from an Afghan foreign
ministry spokesman.
China was willing to promote the extension of CPEC to
Afghanistan, making the latter a bridge for regional connectivity, Wang said on
Thursday .
He also said China hoped Afghanistan would fulfil its
commitment of not allowing any external forces to use its territory as a tool
to oppose neighbours, or harm the security of other nations.
Wang visited Kabul on Thursday, a spokesman for
Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said, the highest-level visit by a Chinese
official since the Taliban took power last year and a day after many in the
global community were angered by the group’s closure of girls’ high schools.
China is among just a handful of countries, including
Pakistan and Qatar, that has sent a minister to Afghanistan since the Taliban
took over the country in August.
Foreign governments, including Beijing, have held back
on formally recognising the Taliban administration, with many saying the
Taliban need to prove their commitment to human rights, counter-terrorism and
inclusive governance.
The visit came after widespread global condemnation of
the Taliban administration a day earlier, when it unexpectedly ordered girls
home from high school, an abrupt U-turn on policy after having said earlier in
the week school would be open to all students.
China will host a meeting of regional foreign
ministers later this month, and the statement said Muttaqi would also
participate in the meeting.
Earlier in September, Pakistan also discussed
Taliban-led Afghanistan joining the multibillion-dollar CPEC infrastructure
project.
“Regional connectivity is an important element of our
discussion with Afghan leadership and our way forward for our economic
interaction with Afghanistan,” said Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s envoy to
Kabul, in an interview with Reuters at the time.
“This important project — China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor ... provides good opportunities, good potential for providing
infrastructure and energy connectivity between Afghanistan and Pakistan ...
(and) also connecting South Asia to the Central Asian region.”
Mr Khan said that discussions had been held with the
Taliban-led administration on this and other ways to develop the country’s
economy.
“I think there has been deep interest in terms of
developing economic connectivity of Afghanistan with Pakistan through CPEC and
with other neighbouring countries including Iran, China, Central Asian
countries.”
Under CPEC, Beijing has pledged over $60 billion for
infrastructure projects in Pakistan, much of it in the form of loans.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1681738/china-says-willing-to-extend-cpec-to-afghanistan
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Pakistan
Pakistan: Opposition seals deal with key Imran Khan
ally ahead of no trust vote
25 March, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 25 (ANI): Ahead of the
National Assembly session on no-confidence motion against the ruling Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Bilawal Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party
(PPP) on Thursday announced that matters had been settled with key government
ally, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and that the ruling coalition
member will vote in favour of the motion to oust Imran Khan, local media
reported.
MQM-P is the largest ally of the ruling PTI coalition
with seven members in the National Assembly.
“Talks have been held with the MQM today (Thursday)
and matters have been settled. It is also possible that some ministers will
also be with the opposition,” PPP secretary general Farhatullah Babar told
reporters outside Zardari House after the party’s parliamentary party meeting,
The Dawn reported.
MQM-P had demanded “share in jobs” as well as the
opening of their party offices in Karachi and Hyderabad, the report said,
citing sources, adding that the two sides had also agreed to form a committee
to jointly suggest changes to the Sindh local government law.
Talking to a TV channel, MQM leader Waseem Akhtar said
their demands and issues were related to the Sindh province and it was good
that both Asif Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had agreed to most of them.
He said they also had had a good meeting with the government’s teams on
Wednesday.
In a rapidly developing situation ahead of the crucial
National Assembly session today, Opposition leaders also began speculations on
the post-Imran Khan scenario.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reached the
official residence of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif
where they were also joined by Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana
Fazlur Rehman.
Later, in an interview, Rehman said that the joint
opposition had yet to decide on several matters ahead of the no-confidence
motion.
Asked about speculations that Shehbaz Sharif had been
picked as the opposition’s choice for the premiership after Imran Khan’s
ouster, Rehman said: “We will decide on all matters after the success of the
no-trust move.”
The Pakistani National Assembly has a total strength
of 342 members, with the majority mark being 172. The PTI led coalition was
formed with the support of 179 members, with Imran Khan’s PTI having 155
members, and four major allies MQM-P, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q),
Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) having seven,
five, five and three members respectively.
Source: ThePrint
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Islamic State militant killed in Peshawar operation:
CTD
March 25, 2022
PESHAWAR: The law-enforcement personnel killed a
terrorist belonging to the militant Islamic State group in an
intelligence-based operation in Urmar area of the provincial capital on
Thursday.
In a statement, the Counter-Terrorism Department said
that the operation was carried out by the police, CTD and intelligence
personnel.
It said that the law-enforcement agencies raided a
hideout of militants in Urmar area on the outskirts of city on an intelligence
report that terrorists identified as Khalid, Daniyal, Hassn Shah and others
were hiding there.
The statement said that exchange of fire between the
LEAs and militants continued for about two hours. It said a terrorist
identified as Daniyal was killed in exchange of fire with police while two to
three others escaped.
It said the slain terrorist was a member of IS-K and
involved in the Kocha Risaldar suicide attack, which resulted in the death of
67 people.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1681700/islamic-state-militant-killed-in-peshawar-operation-ctd
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TTP Sindh chief shot dead in Kandahar
Baqir Sajjad Syed
March 25, 2022
ISLAMABAD: A counter-terrorism official on Thursday
confirmed that the chief of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Sindh
chapter, Abdul Wahab Lark, had been killed in Afghanistan.
Wahab was killed in Kandahar city on Tuesday by
unidentified gunmen. His killing was initially reported by the Afghan media on
Wednesday.
The counter-terrorism official said he was shot dead
around 10.30am by two unknown attackers. Wahab — who was also known by aliases
Hakeem Ali Jan, Hakeem Saleh, Khushi Mohammad and Khanushi Badosh — had joined
the TTP in July/August 2020 and was currently leading its Sindh chapter.
He previously belonged to Usman Saifullah Kurd’s group
of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a sectarian outfit, and had later joined the TTP along
with a number of LeJ militants. He had pledged allegiance to the group’s emir
Noor Wali Mehsud.
The TTP had on Aug 5, 2020, announced that Wahab had
merged his faction of LeJ with it. The TTP had included him in its folds for
reinforcing its operational capacity. The official said his name was written in
the Red Book which contains the names of high-profile terrorists.
He was reportedly involved in the Jan 30, 2015,
suicide attack on Shikarpur Imambargah in which 53 people were martyred and the
Aug 15, 2014, attack on PAF Samungali Base, Quetta, and Army Aviation Base
Khalid.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1681732/ttp-sindh-chief-shot-dead-in-kandahar
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JUI-F allowed to hold rally in Islamabad: report
March 24, 2022
The Islamabad administration has allowed the JUI-F to
hold its rally in the federal capital on March 25, a news outlet reported on
Thursday.
According to the report, the district administration
has asked the party to re-submit its application regarding this matter.
The administration has also directed the party to
follow the relevant standard operating procedures (SOPs). “Srinagar Highway
will not be closed under any circumstances,” said the administration.
According to the SOPs, no public and private
properties should be harmed and the traffic flow should not be affected in any
way.
“No one carrying a stick will be allowed in the
premises and the attendees will not be allowed to go outside.”
Source: Pakistan Today
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https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/03/24/jui-f-allowed-to-hold-rally-in-islamabad-report/
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Four soldiers lay down their lives in countering
infiltration bid from Afghanistan
March 24, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Four soldiers Wednesday night laid down
their precious lives in countering an infiltration bid from Afghanistan.
According to the ISPR, a group of terrorists on
midnight 23/24 March attempted to infiltrate inside Pakistan from Afghanistan
in Hassan Khel, North Waziristan District. However, due to alertness and timely
response of own troops, the infiltration attempt was foiled.
Terrorists retaliated with fire which was reciprocated
in a befitting manner. The terrorists having failed, fled away and as per
intelligence reports, suffered heavy casualties.
However, during intense exchange of fire, four
soldiers, having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat. Shaheeds include Lance
Havaldar Wajahat Alam, 34, resident of Ghizer, Gilgit Baltistan; Sepoy Sajjid
lnayat, 25, resident of Sheikhupura; Sepoy Maqbool Hayat, 32, resident of
Ghizer, Gilgit Baltistan; and Sepoy Sajjid Ali, 22, resident of Skardu.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Africa
Ethiopia
Declares Truce To Allow Aid Into Tigray
Andrew
Wasike and Addis Getachew
25.03.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya/ ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
on Thursday declared “an indefinite humanitarian truce effective immediately”
in its northern Tigray region, halting its 16-month war with rebel forces
there.
The
Government Communication Service said in a statement that there is a need to
expedite the provision of humanitarian aid to people in need in Tigray, which
has a population of 5.5 million.
“Currently,
thousands from the Tigray region are trekking into neighboring regions in
search of assistance. The government believes that the situation warrants
urgent measures to ensure that those in need are able to receive aid in their
localities,” the statement said.
With
utmost priority to alleviating the plight of those affected by the conflict,
the statement said the government is committed to exerting maximum effort to
facilitate the free flow of emergency humanitarian aid into Tigray.
“Cognizant
of the need to take extraordinary measures to save lives and reduce human
suffering, the Government of Ethiopia hereby declares an indefinite
humanitarian truce effective immediately,” the statement said.
Ethiopia
called on the donor community to redouble its generous contributions to
alleviate the situation and reiterated its commitment to working in
collaboration with relevant organizations to expedite the provision of
humanitarian assistance to those in need.
Northern
Ethiopia has been rocked by armed conflict since November 2020, with government
forces fighting the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) in a war that has
claimed thousands of lives, with the UN accusing both sides of targeting
civilians.
The
statement called on “the other side,” referring to the TPLF, to reciprocate the
declaration of the humanitarian truce just declared.
World
Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a past
statement said the government of Ethiopia is blocking aid to the rebellious
Tigray region
-
Probe Tigray war crimes by Ethiopia government
The
government statement did not comment on a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW)
released Thursday by its regional office in Kenya’s capital Nairobi accusing
Ethiopian government forces of calling for an airstrike on a school compound
hosting thousands of displaced people in northwestern Tigray.
HRW
said the Ethiopian government had committed a war crime with the airstrike on
Jan. 7 this year, which killed at least 57 civilians and wounded more than 42
others.
It
pointed out that a drone dropped three bombs on the compound in the town of
Dedebit.
Laetitia
Bader, Horn of Africa director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement, said that
“the Ethiopian drone struck the Dedebit school compound three times, killing
and maiming displaced Tigrayans, mainly older people, women, and children, as
they slept in plastic-sheeted tents and a school building.”
“Using
guided bombs without evidence of any military target indicates that this was an
apparent war crime,” she added.
Citing
the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, HRW said that between
Nov. 22 and Feb. 28, the UN Human Rights Office had documented that 304 people
died and 373 were injured from aerial attacks in Tigray – including two strikes
in the town of Alamata in December and a strike in January that hit the
Mai-Aini refugee camp hosting Eritrean refugees – and to a lesser extent in the
Afar region.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/ethiopia-declares-truce-to-allow-aid-into-tigray/2545399
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Sudan
riot police fire tear gas at protesters in Khartoum
24
March ,2022
Sudanese
riot police fired tear gas on Thursday at thousands of protesters who were
rallying in Khartoum against the country’s military rulers and demanding an
immediate handover of power to civilians.
It
was the latest in dozens of rallies since the October military coup upended
Sudan’s transition to democracy after nearly three decades of authoritarian
rule under President Omar al-Bashir.
Protests
erupted also elsewhere on Thursday, including in Khartoum’s twin city of
Omdurman and in the cities of Madani, Nyala and Atbara. Videos of protesters
beating drums, waving Sudanese flags and chanting anti-military slogans
circulated on social media.
There
were also videos showing protesters hurling stones at police in the capital,
Khartoum, as riot police fired tear gas.
There
were no immediate reports of any casualties Thursday. Around 90 people,
including 15 children, have been killed since the coup, according to Sudan
Doctors Committee, which tracks protester casualties.
The
protest was called by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association and the Forces
for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, an alliance of political parties and
groups which spearheaded the uprising that culminated in al-Bashir’s ouster in
2019.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Investors
pledge over $22B to South Africa at conference: President
Hassan
Isilow
25.03.2022
JOHANNESBURG
South
Africa received 80 new investment pledges Thursday totaling 332 billion rand
($22.83 billion) during the country’s fourth investment conference, said
President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“Four
years ago, we set ourselves an ambitious target of raising 1.2 trillion rand
(around $100 billion at the exchange rate of the time) over a five-year
period,” Ramaphosa said.
He
said with the pledges received Thursday, the total level of investment pledged
at the four Investment conferences since 2018 has now reached 1.14 trillion
rand ($82.6 billion).
South
Africa’s investment conferences are aimed at marketing the country as a great
investment destination by offering investors a glimpse of what it has to offer
and discussing challenges that investors face and how these can best be
resolved.
Ramaphosa
said his country has reached 95% of the initial ambitious target set in 2018
with barely a year left to the target deadline.
“We
are now only (around) 60 billion rand ($4.13 billion) short of our target,” he
said in his closing remarks.
“I
expect that by next year, we will not just reach our target – we will exceed
it. The investment commitments that have been made here today are impressive.”
Ramaphosa
revealed that some of the investment commitments were made by companies based
in South Africa, Turkiye, Belgium, Canada, China and the Czech Republic.
They
also came from companies based in Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, the United
Arab Emirates, the US and the UK, among others.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/dubai-princess-pakistan-islamic-uk/d/126650