Erdogan’s Agenda: Neo-Ottoman Ambition or Pan-Islamist Zeal?
New Age Islam News Bureau
28
Jun 2020
• Erdogan’s
Agenda: Neo-Ottoman Ambition or Pan-Islamist Zeal?
• Some
Foreigners Acted as Virus Carriers: Police on Delhi Tablighi Jamaat Event
• UNESCO
Warns Turkey: Converting Hagia Sophia Into Mosque Is Illegal
• Muslim
Council of Elders Pledges Its Support to Al Sayyed Ali Al-Amine in Face of
Targeted Smear Campaign
• 4
Police Officers in San Jose Put on Leave Over Racist, Anti-Muslim Facebook
Posts
• Russian
Intelligence Unit Paid Taliban To Target U.S. Troops in Afghanistan
• Malaysian
PM Calls for Global Consensus to Counter West Bank Annexation
• Boko
Haram Enjoying Media Patronage Without Paying
• Christchurch Mosque Attack: Gunman Brenton Tarrant Interviewed To 'Provide Answers To The New Zealand Public'
-----
Mideast
• Erdogan’s
Agenda: Neo-Ottoman Ambition or Pan-Islamist Zeal?
• Hamas,
Islamic Jihad preparing response to annexation - Palestinian media
• ShafeiJameh
Mosque: a place of worship notable for atmospheric interior design
• 'I
never imagined it': Hanan Ibrahim reflects on being one of few Muslim models to
wear a hijab on the runway
• Iran
Appreciates Pakistan’s Stance on Unity of Islamic Ummah
• Iran
official says MKO still planning anti-Islamic Republic sabotage
• Is
Iran having trouble managing its Shia proxies in the Middle East?
-----
India
• Some
Foreigners Acted as Virus Carriers: Police on Delhi Tablighi Jamaat Event
• Covid-19:
52 People Arrested for Flouting Norms by Gathering at Mosque In UP's Shamli
• Centre
trying to change Muslim majority character of J&K through domicile rules
alleges PDP
• First
Covid, now hunger, Bhagalpur migrants start packing — again
• Employment
avenues declining for JK youth: Dr Farooq Abdullah
• Search
operation launched in several villages near LoC in Rajouri after reported
suspicious movement
-------
Europe
• UNESCO
Warns Turkey: Converting Hagia Sophia Into Mosque Is Illegal
• YouTube
Channel Set Up by Burton Nursery Boss Has Cartoons to Educate on Islam
• Hundreds
March in Berlin Against Racism
• Italians
Protest Against Israel's Annexation Plan
• Police
name man shot by officers during Glasgow attack
• Brits
will have to live with it, says Merkel while Johnson repeats threat to walk
away
------
Arab
world
• Muslim
Council of Elders Pledges Its Support to Al Sayyed Ali Al-Amine in Face of
Targeted Smear Campaign
• Worshippers
at Mosques 'Ecstatic' As Egypt Allows Public Prayers
• Saudi
Press: Saudi Arabia Targets 100 Million Visitors Annually By 2030
• Muslim
World League aims to promote religious tolerance, understanding: Al-Issa
• Islamic
banking entities provide financing of OMR4.1 billion
• Jeddah
bids fond farewell to iconic airport terminal
• Egypt
executes Libyan militant al-Mesmari, 2017 terrorist attack mastermind: Ministry
-------
North
America
• 4
Police Officers in San Jose Put on Leave Over Racist, Anti-Muslim Facebook
Posts
• US
Envoy Urges Condemnation of Muslim Brotherhood’s Call to Kill Gays
• Joe
Biden Attacks Trump Over ‘Outrageous’ Report Russia Paid Afghan Militants to
Kill US Soldiers
• Locked
Down? Open Up To ‘Ramy,’ A Religious Muslim Who Orthodox Jews Understand
• Huge
cluster of shipwrecks in small Maryland bay gives rise to a "wildlife
mecca"
• AI
Gleaned Information About Emerging Threats, Future Plots From bin Laden Raid
-------
South
Asia
• Russian
Intelligence Unit Paid Taliban To Target U.S. Troops in Afghanistan
• Explosion
in Kabul city leaves 2 dead including a woman
• 4
Taliban militants killed, 3 arrested in Jawzjan province
-------
Southeast
Asia
• Malaysian
PM Calls for Global Consensus to Counter West Bank Annexation
• Reject
politics of deception, says Anwar
• Ismail
Sabri denies involvement in new party
• Dr
Mahathir supports nomination of ShafieApdal as opposition’s PM candidate
-------
Africa
• Boko
Haram Enjoying Media Patronage Without Paying
• Nigerian
Military Says ‘Scores’ of Militants Killed in Air Raids
• Genocide
in Nigeria: Calling it what it is
• Mahmoud
Dicko: Mali Imam Challenges President Keïta
• Alhaji
Kouanda installed Asere Muslim Chief
• As
it reopens its air, land and sea borders, Tunisia announces its categorization
plans – Libyans watch eagerly
-------
New
Zealand
• Christchurch
Mosque Attack: Gunman Brenton Tarrant Interviewed To 'Provide Answers To The New
Zealand Public'
------
Pakistan
• Govt
Working on Chinese Seed Technology for Yield-Enhancing: Fakhar Imam
• FM
Qureshi inaugurates rebuilt mosque at foreign ministry
• NA
Speaker revives dormant Balochistan committee
• Asad,
Sindh governor meet Pagara ahead of voting on budget
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL; https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/erdogans-agenda-neo-ottoman-ambition/d/122234
------
Erdogan’s
agenda: Neo-Ottoman ambition or pan-Islamist zeal?
By
LELA GILBERT
JUNE 28, 2020
Turkish
President Reçep Tayyip Erdoğan addresses a meeting of his ruling AK Party in
Ankara on July 26
(photo credit: CEM OKSUZ/TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
-----
Turkish
aggression in at least five countries has been headlined in international news
reports just this month, June 2020. These accounts focus on President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s latest intrusions into Israel, Libya, Iraq, Syria and Greece.
Meanwhile,
it is noteworthy to those of us who focus on international religious freedom
that whenever Turkey moves in, religious freedom moves out. There can be no
lasting freedom of worship for any faith unless it conforms with Turkey’s
Islamic practices.
In
Israel, an article was released on June 15 by the Jerusalem Center for Public
Affairs reporting that Turkey is working nonstop to gain influence on the
Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem and in eastern Jerusalem
neighborhoods.
Writer
Nadav Shragai points out, “In the second decade of the 21st century, Turkish
nonprofit associations – and sometimes the Turkish government itself via the
governmental aid agency TIKA [Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency] –
have funneled tens of millions of dollars into various initiatives that have
enhanced Turkey’s influence... ”
Shragai
says, “In many of the locations, the activity has been done in cooperation with
activists ideologically linked to the Muslim Brotherhood movement in east
Jerusalem... ”
Informed
observers already know what the Muslim Brotherhood and its cohorts think about
Jews and Judaism – on the Temple Mount and elsewhere.
In
Libya, Seth Frantzman reported for The Jerusalem Post on June 20 that Egypt and
Turkey might come to blows over Turkish aggression in the ongoing Libyan Civil
War. Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Russia, along with others,
back General Khalifa Haftar. Turkey and Qatar back the GNA.
Frantzman
explains that the Government of the National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli, “is a loose
confederation of different groups, some of whom are linked to the Muslim
Brotherhood and Turkish backing.” GNA is also rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood
movement.
In
Iraq, Turkey has recently bombed Sinjar Mountain, where countless Yazidi
refugees have taken shelter. On FRC’s Washington Watch broadcast, Michael
Rubin, a scholar and expert on the Middle East, explained that Erdogan’s
primary goal is his continued ethnic cleansing of Kurdish groups.
However,
Rubin went on to say that many Yazidis have returned to live on Sinjar
Mountain, “... the refugees, the women, the girls who have been returning from
Syria, liberated from ISIS. They’re trying to get their life together.
“And
it’s not clear why the Turks are insisting on bombarding them. It really undercuts
the development and it raises questions about whether Turkey is waging
counter-terrorism, and it’s clear they’re not, or whether they’re pursuing a
religious agenda – an intolerant religious agenda, said Rubin.”
In
Syria, the Washington Kurdish Institute reported, “During the first days of
June 2020, around 20 different human rights organizations signed a petition to
raise awareness on crimes carried on by the many Turkish-backed militias in
Afrin, Syria and asked for international intervention.
“In
areas under Turkey’s control,” Genocide Watch reported following that deadly
incursion, “civilians have been subjected to horrific crimes against humanity
committed by Turkish forces and Turkish supported militias. Kurdish towns have
been bombed and destroyed... Hundreds of civilians have been summarily
executed. Kurdish and Yazidi women have been kidnapped and subjected to sexual
slavery... ”
THOUSANDS
OF Christians fled the invasion of Afrin; few remain. And now minorities in
Northeast Syria are once again fearful because of Turkish threats.
In
Greece, Arabic news reported on June 14, “In an escalating war of nerves
between Athens and Ankara, bilateral relations have deteriorated, sparking
fears of a military confrontation between the two NATO allies. Greek Defense
Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos recently highlighted the country’s ‘readiness
for military conflict with Turkey.’”
Greece
has protested Turkish drilling in more than 20 sites in the Mediterranean Sea
that it claims as its own territory. A confrontation also took place between a
Greek naval vessel and a Turkish military escort in recent days. Even rumors of
an impending Turkish invasion of Greece have been reported, although
unverified.
Even
today, Greek Orthodox properties in Turkey are confiscated and desecrated.
Christian refugees from Syria and Iraq – Syriac, Protestant and Orthodox alike
– who fled to Turkey from ISIS have been deprived of their ability to support
themselves and dare not practice their faith. Kidnappings and murders have been
reported.
In
its most recent report, the US Commission on International Religion Freedom
recommended that the US government “Include Turkey on the US Department of
State’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of
religious freedom pursuant to the International Religious Freedom Act.
“...
Government officials and politicians continued to propagate expressions of
antisemitism and hate speech, and no progress was made during the year to
repeal Turkey’s blasphemy law... In several instances in 2019, Armenian,
Assyrian, and Greek religious and cultural sites, including numerous
cemeteries, faced severe damage or destruction ..., ”stated the report.
Erdogan’s
reckless, ruthless intrusion into country after country is believed by some to
reflect his vision of a glorious, neo-Ottoman Empire. Other scholars are more
inclined toward viewing his motivation as strictly religious, demanding
pan-Islamist conquest. Certainly the two dreams are not mutually exclusive.
Meanwhile,
the US government has been exceedingly – even excessively – tolerant of
Erdogan’s widespread human rights abuses. Perhaps the time has come time for
reevaluation and restoration of a US policy that was not compromised toward
Turkey. It needs to reflect indiscriminate justice and equality – including
uncompromising demands for religious freedom for all.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/erdogans-agenda-neo-ottoman-ambition-or-pan-islamist-zeal-633040
-----
Some
Foreigners Acted as Virus Carriers: Police on Delhi Tablighi Jamaat, Event
June 28, 2020
Delhi
Police has filed around 59 chargesheet in Delhi Islamic Sect event. (File)
-----
New
Delhi: Delhi Police, in its chargesheets filed against foreign members of
Tablighi Jamaat, said that they have disobeyed the regulation and lockdown,
most of them had arrived from countries where COVID-19 infection was already
creating havoc, and some acted as carriers of the highly infectious
coronavirus.
"An
international gathering of Tablighi Jamaat Muslims on Indonesia's Sulawei
Island was cancelled on March 18 over concern about the spread of the
coronavirus, which had already killed 25 people and infected 309 in the
country," the police said in its chargesheet.
The
foreign Tablighi Jamaat members have disobeyed the regulation and lockdown
despite being asked repeatedly by the local police and other authorities to do
so.
The
chargesheet further added that various precautionary directions were not
followed by the Markaz organizers at the Banglewali Masjid, Hazrat Nizamuddin,
Delhi. The authorities of Markaz at Tablighi Jamaat Headquarters were contacted
by Delhi Police on March 21 and Mufti Shahzad of the Markaz was asked to take
immediate action for preventing the spread of this disease. Police had directed
the organisers to send the foreign devotees back to their respective countries
and other Indian persons to their respective native places.
"The
foreigners who are accused in this case have caused a situation where a highly
infectious disease such as coronavirus infection may spread and threaten the
lives of the inmates and the general public at large. They have failed to
follow the lawful directions of the above authorities, which makes them liable
to be prosecuted and punished under section 3 of the Epidemic Disease Act,
1897," the chargesheet said.
The
police also chargesheeted them under Sections 51 of the Disaster Management
Act, 2005 as the accused persons, in this case, have refused to comply with
lawful directions of the authorities, resulting in the loss of lives.
During
the investigation, foreigners accepted that they had participated in the
Tablighi Jamaat Markaz for the purpose of professing and propagating the
principles and doctrines of the Tablighi Jamaat and had remained at the
Banglewali Masjid for some period.
A
similar gathering by Tablighi Jamaat in Malaysia, between February 27 to March
1, led to more than 500 COVID-19 cases in that country, including three
Indonesians, the police said.
"A
large number of foreigners from Indonesia, Malaysia and other countries had
then arrived in India and had participated in the Tablighi Jamaat Markaz event
at the Banglewali Masjid, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Delhi. It is needless to point out
that some of these foreigners have acted as carriers of the highly infectious
coronavirus and had thus brought over the infection from their respective
countries to India," the chargesheet said.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-india-some-foreigners-acted-as-virus-carriers-police-on-delhi-mosque-event-2253391
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UNESCO
warns Turkey: Converting Hagia Sophia into mosque is illegal
Jun 27, 2020
“UNESCO
has been investigating the issue regarding the conversion of Hagia Sophia into
an Islamic mosque since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made such an announcement,”
-----
“UNESCO
has been investigating the issue regarding the conversion of Hagia Sophia into
an Islamic mosque since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made such an announcement,” said
Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, in an
interview with the Greek newspaper Ta Nea.
The
Chilean official said that UNESCO had sent a letter to the competent Turkish
authorities since the beginning of June, but they had not received any reply.
At the same time, he told the newspaper Ta Nea that the World Heritage
Convention stipulated that before taking any decision regarding the status of a
Cultural Heritage Monument, such as Hagia Sophia, a decision of the UNESCO
Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural
Heritage is required.
“We
are waiting for a reply to a letter that we have sent in which we raise a
series of questions to the competent authorities in Turkey. When a member state
(Greece) submits a request to our organisation about a specific monument of
World Cultural Heritage, the matter must be addressed to the state in which the
monument is located (Turkey) and after that, we wait for a reply,” he said.
He
added, “We will continue to send letters until we receive a reply. The matter
will be assessed at the next meeting of the Committee for the Safeguarding of
Intangible Cultural Heritage. In fact, the Convention stipulates that a report
must be sent to the competent authorities for any changes in the status of a
site that belongs to the 1,241 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.”
The
matter has come to the attention of UNESCO following the intervention of
several “third parties”, said the senior official. He referred to the requests
submitted by the Greek government to the international organisation but also to
a relevant letter sent by a citizens’ organisation.
https://orthodoxtimes.com/unesco-warns-turkey-converting-hagia-sophia-into-mosque-is-illegal/
-----
Muslim
Council Of Elders Pledges Its Support To Al Sayyed Ali Al-Amine In Face Of
Targeted Smear Campaign
28-06-2020
ABU
DHABI, 27th June, 2020 (WAM) -- The Muslim Council of Elders is closely
monitoring the recent smear campaign targeting one of its members, His Eminence
Al Sayyed Ali Al-Amine, who is considered a symbol of moderateness in his home
country of Lebanon and the Arab and Muslim worlds alike.
The
Council reiterates its deep regret at such vicious smear campaigns which have
targeted notable Muslim and Christian leaders in Lebanon. The Council
recognises these campaigns seek to sow discord within Lebanon through the
silencing of moderate calls for unity and coexistence.
The
Council reaffirms its commitment and solidarity with His Eminence Al Sayyed Ali
Al-Amine as well as prominent personalities facing such smear campaigns within
Lebanon. The Council is confident that the people of Lebanon will reject these
irresponsible actions and will not allow it to divide and inflame tensions
within their country.
The
Muslim Council of Elders, under the Chairmanship of His Eminence Dr Ahmed
El-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar maintains that tolerance and co-existence
for all citizens are the only ways to ensure a continued advancement of
nations. History has proven that nations can only continue to advance with the
entirety of its peoples, and that Lebanon will continue to be a symbol for
tolerance, moderateness as well as an essential component of dialogue
communication in the world.
http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302851615
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4
police officers in San Jose put on leave over racist, anti-Muslim Facebook
posts
June
28, 2020
Four
police officers in San Jose, California, have been placed on leave while the
department says it is investigating alleged racist and anti-Muslim posts on
Facebook.
The
investigation apparently grew out of a blog post Friday on Medium by an
anonymous author who claims to be "the partner of an active law
enforcement officer in a San Francisco Bay Area police department."
The
Medium article includes screenshots of alleged posts by active and retired San
Jose officers, including some that the author says were posted to a private
Facebook group of both retired and current officers in the city.
The
screenshots include an alleged post by a retired officer who lambastes Black
Lives Matter protesters as “racist idiots,” “un-American” and “enemies.”
Another screenshot, allegedly of a post by a current officer in San Jose, says,
“Black lives don’t really matter.”
The
article also includes screenshots of anti-Muslim posts allegedly made in the
private Facebook group, including one comment saying, “I say re-purpose the
hijabs into nooses.”
Officer
Gina Tepoorten, a spokesperson for the San Jose Police Department, said an
administrative probe into the comments is underway, and "four of our
officers have been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is
conducted."
Asked
why the department has not identified the officers put on leave, she said,
"The department is conducting an Internal Affairs investigation and
therefore we cannot comment on personnel matters."
Police
Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement, “While I have no control over what
former employees post online, I can voice my outrage after hearing about these
comments made online."
"Any
current employee involved with bigoted activity online will promptly be
investigated and held accountable to the fullest extent in my power. We have no
place for this," Garcia said.
San
Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said he is demanding a full investigation into the
incident and expects "that racist, anti-Muslim or menacing comments
expressed by any current SJPD Officer will be met with termination."
"I
want to be crystal clear. There is no place in our police department or our
union for racists or bigots or for those who enable them by not speaking up
when you see those types of behaviors," he said. "And I say this to
anyone who participated, the San Jose Police Officers' Association will provide
you no shelter, no protection. We will not represent you because you do not
represent us."
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/4-police-officers-san-jose-put-leave-over-racist-anti-n1232344
-----
Russian
intelligence unit paid Taliban to target U.S. troops in Afghanistan
27
Jun 2020
A
unit of the Russian intelligence service paid the Taliban group militants to
carry out attacks against the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, it has been reported.
A
Russian spy unit paid members of Afghanistan’s Taliban movement to conduct
lethal attacks on U.S. troops in that country, according to a classified
American intelligence assessment, cited in a report by Fox News.
The
report further added that the assessment of the role played by Russia’s
military intelligence agency, the GRU, in fostering attacks on American
soldiers, comes as President Trump is pushing the Pentagon to withdraw a
significant portion of U.S. forces from Afghanistan and as U.S. diplomats try
to forge a peace accord involving the Taliban and the U.S.-backed Afghan
government.
The
intelligence assessment regarding Russia’s actions in Afghanistan was delivered
to the White House earlier this spring, and until recently had been known only
to a handful of officials, a person familiar with it said.
According
to fox News, its contents were reported earlier Friday by the New York Times.
It
couldn’t be determined whether Russian bounties paid to Taliban fighters
resulted in any American combat deaths in Afghanistan.
https://www.khaama.com/russian-intelligence-unit-paid-taliban-to-target-u-s-troops-in-afghanistan-08924/
-----
Malaysian
PM calls for global consensus to counter West Bank annexation
June
28, 2020
Malaysian
Prime Minister called for a global consensus to counter the West Bank
annexation plan.
Speaking
at the opening ceremony of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
summit via videoconference, Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
called on the international community, especially the UN Security Council to
condemn the Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
According
to Yassin, the international community must act to ensure that the plan to
annex the part of the West Bank is not implemented.
The
Malaysian prime minister went on to say that his country is deeply concerned
about the future of the Palestinian people, as the annexation plan will
escalate tension in the Middle East.
He
further said that this illegal and unilateral move by the Israeli regime raises
questions regarding its fake sincerity towards a peaceful and lasting solution
to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
https://en.abna24.com/news//malaysian-pm-calls-for-global-consensus-to-counter-west-bank-annexation_1050806.html
------
Boko
Haram enjoying media patronage without paying
28
June 2020
Sir:
They said war doesn’t decide who is right but who is left. Narratives of media
reports on counter insurgency in northeastern part of Nigeria is another threat
of cyber terrorism and counter- inflicting technique of the dread sect, the
system of reports and technique of media narratives are basically incomplete.
And by media, I mean social media inclusive. The Nigerian army has come under
intense criticism in recent weeks following days of attacks against civilians.
Criticism in itself is not bad when justified, what’s dangerous though is that
the vast majority of criticisms leveled against the Nigerian army’s handling of
the war and calling for a periodic Messiah is politically-motivated. Nigerians
are playing a guerilla GameStop.
Boko
Haram can only look at the cruelty of the criticisms against the military by
Nigerians and embolden them further. The fact that the most acidic criticism
and condemnation against the President are coming from southerners shows that
Boko Haram is benefiting from two powerful dynamics: the growing unpopularity
and anger among Nigerians against Buhari administration, and the toxic
political climate, where the ruling party is doing all it can to highlight the
success of the military, and opposition camp using every opportunity to create
a false narrative of a successful Boko Haram and a defeated Nigerian military.
Politicising the security situation without thinking about the consequence is
playing with fire.
Nigerians
should put politics aside and consider the security implications of what they
are doing. Nigerians in the South not living under a constant threat of being
blown to pieces or stepping on landmines should be supporting the military.
Instead many Nigerians and media houses want the military to fail so they can
say I told you so. It is Nigerians who are calling for sanctions against
Nigeria under trumped up allegations of genocide against Christians as evident
of the brutality of the Nigerian army by a corrupt state. The Nigerian
government underestimated how powerful media and social media can be.
The
persistent criticisms are fueling external interference. Well, it didn’t take
long for Boko Haram to abandon its fight with the military and cowardly train
its guns against defenseless and innocent Nigerian civilians irrespective of
religious affiliations. The new kid on the block, the self-proclaimed bandits
are nothing but a hybrid jihadist group funded by certain powers to take the
heat off Boko Haram. Certain interest groups are alarmed at the speed in which
Boko Haram is being decimated. They figure that by opening multiple fronts an
already overstretched Nigeria security will be hard pressed to continue its
blistering offensives against Boko Haram if troops have to be diverted to other
areas.
Boko
Haram is not a formidable force regardless of what the media say. They are not
brave warriors. They are a cowardly sect whose strategy for survival depends on
hitting those unable to fight back and ideological support from a foreign
government for quasi self-determination. Nigerians should stop this knee jerk
reactionary approach towards the Nigerian military and think with their head
and not their sentiments. The catalyst of this is that the neighbour next door
might be enjoying the show today but if all hands are not on deck, we might be
sharing a bed tomorrow in an unknown location.
https://guardian.ng/opinion/boko-haram-enjoying-media-patronage-without-paying/
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Christchurch
mosque attack: Gunman Brenton Tarrant interviewed to 'provide answers to the
New Zealand public'
28-06-2020
The
Royal Commission into the Attack on the Christchurch Mosques says it has
interviewed the shooter as part of its efforts to provide the public with
answers about the tragic shooting.
In
March this year, the offender pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40
charges of attempted murder and a charge of engaging in a terrorist act and was
convicted on every count.
Royal
Commission chair, the Honourable Justice Sir William Young, said much of the
material for the investigation has come from police and other agencies but the
interview with the offender would "help with some areas of
uncertainty".
"In
addition, the Terms of Reference and the Inquiries Act 2013 require the Royal
Commission to observe the principles of natural justice in respect of any
person who may be the subject of adverse comment in the Royal Commission's
report. That includes the individual," Justice Young said.
Commissioner
Jacqui Caine said the interview was done as part of the commission's promise to
the public that it would leave no stone unturned.
"This
was a carefully considered decision driven by the need to observe natural
justice and the ultimate goal of providing answers to the New Zealand public
through an authoritative final report."
The
interview with the individual was done in private at Auckland Prison,
Paremoremo. The content of the interview is strictly confidential at this
point, the commission said.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/06/christchurch-mosque-attack-gunman-brenton-tarrant-interviewed-to-provide-answers-to-the-new-zealand-public.html
------
Mideast
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad preparing response to annexation - Palestinian media
JUNE
27, 2020
By
JERUSALEM
Palestinian
newspaper al-Quds reported on Saturday afternoon that the military arms of
several Gaza-based organizations have begun taking steps in the field in
response to any Israeli move to implement the annexation plan, which is
scheduled for early July.
Sources
close to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said there is full coordination between
the organization, Hamas and other factions regarding the steps that would be
taken, both politically and on the ground, against Israel's plans.
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/hamas-islamic-jihad-preparing-response-to-annexation-palestinian-media-632985
-----
ShafeiJameh
Mosque: a place of worship notable for atmospheric interior design
June
27, 2020
TEHRAN
– Photos show the lavishly-decorated prayer hall of ShafeiJameh Mosque, which
stands tall in the ancient city of Kermanshah in western Iran.
Graced
with eye-catching architecture, the Sunni Muslims’ place of worship, is
predominantly notable for having atmospheric hypostyle halls, intricate stucco,
and sets of faience. The latter is a form of different-colored tiling
sandwiched together to create the design.
The
mosque was completed in 1945 under the auspices of Sunni benefactors. In fact,
its interior design is in some ways like its Turkish counterparts. Verses of the
Holy Quran have been inscribed on the stucco. The ceilings are impressively
adorned by geometric patterns while encircling arched windows and letting in
the sunlight during the day.
The
mosque, however, has somehow modest exterior when it comes to extravagant use
of ornamentation. It has several modest domes and two minarets.
Visitors
to the mosque can also revel in the nearby Tarikeh bazaar, a traditional
marketplace stretched along labyrinth alleys. Kermanshah is a cradle of
civilization due to its antiquity, rich culture, and Neolithic sites that
yielded rich collections of stone tools and fossil bones.
https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/449305/Shafei-Jameh-Mosque-a-place-of-worship-notable-for-atmospheric
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'I
never imagined it': Hanan Ibrahim reflects on being one of few Muslim models to
wear a hijab on the runway
27
June 2020
She
became Melbourne Fashion Festival's first Muslim model to wear a hijab on the
runway last year.
And
Hanan Ibrahim told The Sunday Telegraph's Stellar magazine that she never
envisioned a career in the industry.
The
27-year-old who previously worked as a full-time radiation therapist said: 'I
never imagined that a woman who wears a hijab would - or could - be used as a
model.'
'I
never imagined it': Hanan Ibrahim (pictured), 27, reflected on being one of few
Muslim models to wear a hijab on the Australian runway, in The Sunday
Telegraph's Stellar magazine +6
'I
never imagined it': Hanan Ibrahim (pictured), 27, reflected on being one of few
Muslim models to wear a hijab on the Australian runway, in The Sunday
Telegraph's Stellar magazine
Two
years ago, Hanan's fate was sealed when she attended a runway show and was
approached by a talent scout.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-8466157/Muslim-model-Hanan-Ibrahim-wearing-hijab-runway.html
-----
Iran
Appreciates Pakistan’s Stance on Unity of Islamic Ummah
Jun
27, 2020
TEHRAN
(FNA)- Iranian ambassador to Karachi Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini welcomed the
recent remarks of Pakistani Premier Imran Khan with regards to the interests of
the Islamic Ummah.
"We
appreciate and support the statements of Prime Minister Imran Khan about the
interests and unity of Muslims," Hosseini tweeted in Urdu on Friday.
In
relevant remarks on June 24, Pakistan's new Ambassador to Tehran Rahim Hayat
Qureshi said that his country supports Iran at international forums and
prioritized expansion of trade ties with the country.
The
Pakistani envoy described Iran as a very important and influential country in
the region, and said, "Relations with Iran are of great importance to
Pakistan and all Pakistani officials emphasize the development of these
relations.”
The
new Pakistani ambassador said the development of trade and economic relations
with Iran was one of his priorities, adding that the situation of trade borders
between the two countries will soon return to pre-coronavirus conditions.
During
the meeting, Rouhani emphasized the need to reopen borders and expand trade and
goods exchanges between Iran and Pakistan, and stressed the need for the two
countries to implement their agreements.
He
stressed the need to develop and deepen bilateral relations and relations with
Pakistan in all fields, and said, "I hope that the cooperation between the
two countries in ensuring the security of the common borders will continue and
expand."
Referring
to the restrictions imposed on border crossings between Iran and Pakistan due
to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the Iranian president expressed hope that
the borders will be reopened soon in accordance with health protocols so that
border market activities will be further promoted to contribute to trade
exchanges between the citizens of the two countries.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990407000160
------
Iran
official says MKO still planning anti-Islamic Republic sabotage
Jun
27, 2020
Kashan,
June 27, IRNA - Head of Plan and Budget Organization of Iran Mohammad
BaqerNobakht says that the terrorist group of Mojahedin-e Khalgh Organization
(MKO) are sill making planning for hurting the Islamic system.
Nobakht
made the remarks in this central Iranian city on Friday evening in his address
to a ceremony in commemoration of the 1981 victims of a terrorist attack on
building of the Islamic Republic Party in Tehran that led to killing of Chief
Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti and 72 others.
About
the conditions created in the country after the sanctions and the coronavirus
pandemic, Nobakht said the government endeavors to breeze through the problems,
tackle the shortages and defend the Islamic system.
He
highlighted Iran's power in the region regarding its national capabilities in
the areas of peaceful nuclear energy and aerospace.
In
April, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps's (IRGC)
Nour-1 during an operation from Dasht-e Kavir- great desert in central Iran-
was successfully placed into orbit 425 km above the Earth's surface.
Elsewhere,
he talked of the death of a black man- George Floyd- in the hand of the US
police, and said that the United States does not even care about its own
citizens, let alone the other nations.
The
MKO whose name is on the black list by many Governments as a terrorist
organization ran from Iran in 1986 to Iraq where they were given a camp by
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
https://en.irna.ir/news/83835064/Iran-official-says-MKO-still-planning-anti-Islamic-Republic-sabotage
-----
Is
Iran having trouble managing its Shia proxies in the Middle East?
Jun
27, 2020
Iran
is gradually reducing its presence in the Middle East in the face of Israeli
attacks and an economic crisis triggered by the pandemic and sanctions.
Iran-backed
Shia forces dominated the Middle East's political landscape, covering Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq and Yemen, building Tehran's influence from the Mediterranean Sea
to Central Asia.
The
Iranian footprint in the region expanded since the US invasion of Iraq in 2002.
But that dynamic could change as Iran suffers from the effects of a deadly
pandemic, which has killed more 10,000 of its citizens, and grapples with
crushing US sanctions, while on the other hand the Israeli army has been
continuously hitting Iran-affiliated forces across Syria and Iraq.
“Iran
has no money anyway and its Shia militias are not welcomed,” said Kamal Alam, a
military analyst on Middle Eastern history and politics.
“Russia
is now restructuring the Syrian army, getting rid of the Shia militias. Some
are leaving and their numbers are reducing there. But it will take a while,
depending on the security partnership between Damascus and Tehran,” Alam told
TRT World.
According
to several Israeli officials, there is considerable evidence that Iran is
reducing its presence in Syria due to relentless Israeli air strikes and rocket
attacks.
Firstly,
Alam thinks that Iran’s revolutionary ideology does not resonate well with the
Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad’s Baath Party members. For decades the
Damascus-Tehran axis has mainly stayed intact due to “security factor”
according to Alam.
“As
a result, Iran has little room to maneuver through Syria’s domestic politics
[as Assad gradually secures its political position],” Alam said.
“Syria
prefers Russia in every way as an ally to Iran. Russia and the Syrian
government themselves do not see a major role for Iran in the country’s post
war period,” Alam said.
“Damascus
realises that a continued Iranian presence in Syria is a certain hindrance to
redevelop its connections with Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain
and Egypt. They are stepping up slowly to come to Syria and this will
automatically balance out Iran in the long run,” the analyst observes.
But
he still thinks that Iran will remain an important ally of Damascus though in a
different role and with a lower physical presence.
While
Syria is a Sunni-majority country led by an Alawite family, which has strong
connections with Iran’s Shia ideology, Iraq is a Shia-majority country. But
Shia-majority Iran is also having serious problems in Iraq, where it has been a
dominant power since the 2002 US invasion.
Most
recently, more than a dozen members of a powerful Iranian-backed Shia militia
have been arrested by Iraqi security forces in the country’s capital Baghdad,
shocking Tehran again after its top general Qassem Soleimani’s assassination by
American forces in January and continuing widespread protests against Iran.
“With
the raid, Iraqi and US security forces seized four rockets, which were
initially planned to be launched to American forces, inside the group’s
headquarters,” Bulovali told TRT World.
Last
month, the US and Iraq began a crucial negotiation process to settle a
strategic pact, which aims to strengthen relations between Baghdad and
Washington, reducing Iran’s influence over Iraq.
Bulovali
thinks that some Iran-backed forces, which are particularly tied to hardliner
Revolutionary Guards, want to sabotage that process, increasing their rocket
attacks to US bases since then. The recent joint US-Iraq raid over the Shia
militia base appeared to be a response to Iran.
Iran
still does not do much because there is an internal power struggle between
moderate forces in the government and radicals in the country’s Revolutionary
Guards, according to Bulovali.
“While
the Guards defend an aggressive approach by immediately escalating tensions in
the Middle East, the foreign ministry advocates a wait-and-see policy until the
US elections to see whether Trump will stay or leave,” the Iraqi analyst said.
Under
US support, Israelis are preparing themselves to occupy the West Bank, one of
the two remaining Palestinian enclaves. Iran’s resistance front opposes the
move.
https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/is-iran-having-trouble-managing-its-shia-proxies-in-the-middle-east-37632
------
India
Covid-19:
52 people arrested for flouting norms by gathering at mosque in UP's Shamli
Jun
27, 2020
MUZAFFARNAGAR:
Fifty-two people were arrested in a town in Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh
for gathering at a mosque for Friday prayers, violating orders that prevent
large assemblies to combat the spread of Covid-19, police said here.
They
were arrested as assembly of more than five people at religious places in the
state is prohibited in view of the outbreak, SHO Yashpal Dhama said on
Saturday.
A
case was registered under various sections of the law, the SHO said, adding
that all of them were later released on bail.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/meerut/covid-19-52-people-arrested-for-flouting-norms-by-gathering-at-mosque-in-ups-shamli/articleshowprint/76661713.cms
-----
Centre
trying to change Muslim majority character of J&K through domicile rules
alleges PDP
June
26, 2020
The
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday accused the centre of trying to change
the Muslim majority character of Jammu and Kashmir by introducing the domicile
rules. In a statement, the PDP voiced its stern opposition to the domicile
rules, reiterating that through such underhand means, the government of India
intends “demographic flooding in Jammu and Kashmir while plundering people of
their identity and constitutional guarantees”.
PDP
spokesman said that the objective of population replacement in J&K is to
change the Muslim majority character of the state at a time when everything in
the country is viewed through the prism of religion.
“As
the agenda unfolds it becomes clear that along with the intended demographic
change, the target is also the jobs, natural resources, cultural identity and
everything that the people of Kashmir had tried to save by acceding to India
with firm constitutional guarantees,” said the spokesman.
He
added that the scrapping of Article 370 was a “constitutional fraud” which
disregarded even larger national interest for the communal agenda of the ruling
party, as is now becoming evident by events in and around J&K and Ladakh.
“It is time that the government of India recognized the fallacy of its actions
in J&K and reverses its “communally driven agenda” and see the pain that it
has caused to people here as it threatens to hurtle the entire region into an
era of unending instability,” said the PDP spokesman.
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/centre-trying-change-muslim-majority-character-jk-domicile-rules-alleges-pdp-1502903943.html
-----
First
Covid, now hunger, Bhagalpur migrants start packing — again
June
28, 2020
by
Dipankar Ghose
They
had dreamt of Bhulni. Their green fields, mango trees and families. It is what
kept them going even as hungry in the special trains, or on the back of trucks,
for days and nights. But now that they are here, that dream is falling apart,
infected by reality. Bihar’s villages have no work, no sustenance. It was why they
left. And it is why, despite the yearning to be home at a time of crisis, they
will have to leave again.
With
63,962 returning migrants, a rising Covid curve, and a town full of
aspirations, Bhagalpur is a microcosm of Bihar — where the system is tottering
under the weight of numbers and the scale of unemployment.
Bhagalpur
is also the focus of a month-long assignment by The Sunday Express to track how
lives and livelihoods in smalltown India are coping with the unlockdown.
In
a small courtyard in Bhulni panchayat’s Mehesleti village, 20 men share their
stories, each echoing the other. No one wears a mask, and social distancing has
been thrown to the wind, even though the district, with 430 cases, is second in
the state behind Patna, with 557. There are no officials to check, and the
residents themselves gave up long ago. Here, fear of the virus has been
replaced by fear of hunger.
First
Covid, now hunger, Bhagalpur migrants start packing — again In a small
courtyard in Bhulni panchayat’s Mehesleti village, 20 men share their stories,
each echoing the other. (Express photo by Dipankar Ghose)
Rakesh
Ranjan Singh left home during his teens in 2004. He was last in Andhra
Pradesh’s Kurnool, earning Rs 400 as a daily wage labourer. “I got back by
train in the middle of May, and was told by officials that I would get a job.
They registered my name at the railway station, and the Hajipur quarantine
centre. It has been a month, and there is no work,” he says.
So
far, all that he has received is a message on his small feature phone: a number
and a message of congratulations, saying he has been registered with the
Industries Department. “What do I do with this message?” Singh asks.
Over
the past month, Mehesleti has seen promises made on TV, in newspapers, and on
WhatsApp for those with smartphones. They read that the state would give Rs
1,000 to returning migrants under a Corona Sahayata scheme, or that MNREGA
would be expanded. But not one of them has received the money, or a rural job
card. The refrain: “Where will we go to ask? Everything is shut.”
First
Covid, now hunger, Bhagalpur migrants start packing — again The walls of the
panchayat building in Chara Badgaon village are freshly painted in yellow, and
the trees around show signs of manicure. (Express photo by Dipankar Ghose)
About
a kilometre away, the walls of the panchayat building in Chara Badgaon village
are freshly painted in yellow, and the trees around show signs of manicure. The
foundation stones proclaim that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the
building on January 9, 2020. But by May, parts of the block were used as a
quarantine centre which, like many others in Bihar, was shut by June 15.
At
11.30 am on a bright morning last week, there was a lock on the Panchayat
Bhavan. Inside a complaint box was a pack of torn playing cards. Across a newly
built pond, an MNREGA bhavan was open, and manned by Sharan Dev Singh, who
identified himself as a “pratinidhi”.
He
said MNREGA work was on the rise, but didn’t have the numbers. In front of him,
four labourers were digging up dirt for the pond. They were MNREGA workers who
had never left the village.
In
Bhagalpur, the number of households that worked under MGNREGA declined to
40,118 in May this year in comparison to 43,431 during the same month last
year. The number of persondays generated, too, came down to 7.55 lakh against
last year’s 9.16 lakh.
In
the absence of work, conversation turns to the future. Anil Singh earned Rs 600
a day as a mason in Delhi. More than a month ago, he paid Rs 3,500 to be one of
70 people, squashed in the back of a truck for three nights and two days. He
ate one packet of biscuits and six bananas over that time. But now?
“Chorikarenge (We will steal),” he says, half in jest, half in pain. Then, his
eyes begin to well up, “They say soil is gold here. Is the soil more fertile in
Punjab than here? There, they put up industries. Here, they put up nothing.”
There
is comfort in family, and the fields provide some food. Yet, the residents are
buying fewer soap bars and lesser salt; fewer vegetables and no fruit; and, no
shampoo. “There is also the weight of debt,” says Diwakar Kumar who worked in
Rajkot, and has taken a Rs 50,000 advance on his salary. Others have taken from
Rs 4,000 to Rs 5000 from their employers.
For
now, these are loans interest-free. “But if there is a medical problem, or
something else, where will the money come from? The mahajans (money lenders)
will give you money at an interest of five per cent per month. Nobody survives
that,” says a resident.
“We
must go back to our jobs and earn,” he says. Rakesh Ranjan Singh and Kailash
Prasad will stay for a month, until paddy transplantation is over. Some others
will hold out till “Chhat Puja”, and perhaps the state elections. But Ranjit,
21, is clear: “I will leave soon.” He worked in an advertising company in
Ranchi, fixing billboards. “The company owes me Rs 15,000, and I am afraid I
will lose that money,” he says. He is afraid of Covid, too. And when he had set
off for his village on a motorcycle, he was beaten by policemen, several times,
he says. “All I want is to stay home and work here. But I can’t. Every day, I
tell myself, I will leave tomorrow.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/first-covid-now-hunger-bhagalpur-migrants-start-packing-again-6479585/
------
Employment
avenues declining for JK youth: Dr Farooq Abdullah
June
28, 2020
National
Conference President and MP from Srinagar Dr. Farooq Abdullah Saturday
expressed concern over “declining employment opportunities” for the youth of
J&K.
Expressing
concern over the “burgeoning unemployment rate” and “shrinking avenues” for
educated youth in public as well as private sector, the Party President said,
“It is entrepreneurship that will act as an antidote to current unemployment
crisis, will inevitably provide limitless opportunities to our youth and will
provide much needed boost to our ailing economy.”
“Ours,”
he said, “is a state which has numerous opportunities in agriculture,
handicrafts, food processing, and other untapped resources in the service and
hospitality sector but unfortunately most of the avenues haven’t been leveraged
due to a number of reasons.”
The
NC leader in a statement said that at a time when entrepreneurship is much
touted to provide employment to JK youth and boost the economy, “young and
budding entrepreneurs continue to suffer due to lack of support from government
and financial institutions,”
“Merely
providing financial and infrastructural support to the budding entrepreneurs
won’t suffice; measures for skill development are also needed. We ought to
create an environment where in our academic institutes, entrepreneurship
development centers, and district industrial centers work hand in hand under a
strong and multifarious youth friendly policy framework,” he said while calling
for an entrepreneur friendly taxation regime, speedy and single window
clearance for all startups.
The
NC President said that there is a great deal of confusion “festering the minds
of our youth about starting their own ventures which needs to be allayed. It
can be achieved through counseling in schools, colleges and universities. Media
too has a role to play in this regard.”
Meanwhile,
the NC President inaugurated a popular franchisee of a food joint at Sangramal
Shopping Complex in Srinagar. On the occasion he congratulated the proprietor
of the franchise Ashiq Rafiq Khan and wished him good luck.
He
was accompanied by the party’s Additional General Secretary Dr Sheikh Mustafa
Kamal.
https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/front-page-2/employment-avenues-declining-for-jk-youth-dr-farooq-abdullah/
-----
Search
operation launched in several villages near LoC in Rajouri after reported
suspicious movement
Sumit
Bhargav
June
28, 2020
Army
and police on Sunday morning launched a search operation in several villages
near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kalsiyan area of Nowshera after reports of
some suspicious movement, officials said.
An
official said that Kalsiyan, Bhawani, Ganya and other adjoining villages have
been cordoned off the security forces after reports of presence of suspected
persons.
“All
these villages fall within a radius of around one to two kilometres from
Kalsiyan and Baba Khori sub sectors of Nowshera sector,” he said.
They
claimed that the forces have received information of suspected movement in the
area after which the entire area has been cordoned off.
“Teams
of security forces are on job. We cannot comment much on this at this point of
time as the operation is underway,” said a senior police officer.
An
infiltration bid was foiled by the army on May 28 in Kalal area, which is
around six kilometers from Kalsiyan. Three militants were killed and as many
pushed back, army had claimed.
https://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/jammu/search-operation-launched-in-several-villages-near-loc-in-rajouri-after-reported-suspicious-movement/
------
Europe
YouTube
channel set up by Burton nursery boss has cartoons to educate on Islam
27
JUN 2020
ByAdnan
Rashid
A
Burton woman has launched a YouTube channel aimed to educate the Muslim and
non-Muslim community on Islam.
Serina
Yates has set up Burton Dawah Channel, a YouTube channel where she will post
regular narrations based on Islamic history and stories about Muslim prophets
in the form of short animated movies.
Mrs
Yates, who lives in Branston Road said: "The aim of the YouTube channel is
to integrate the community by running motivational Islamic lectures.
"I
want to air programs to promote the understanding of the true essence of Islam
and not to judge Islam by how it is portrayed in the current climate.
"Through
the animation videos we will highlight role models and promote their cause and
deliver purposeful videos for both children and adults.
"We
will invite individuals to submit their blogs which they feel will benefit the
community and look to review products and services that can benefit the
community.
"Ultimately
the message is to bridge communities into one big family, have conversations on
events happening in the world and look to contribute to our society in a
positive and impactful way."
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/youtube-channel-set-up-burton-4259600
------
Hundreds
march in Berlin against racism
June
28, 2020
AhlulBayt
News Agency (ABNA): A Black Lives Matter rally drew hundreds in Berlin on
Saturday afternoon.
A
police spokesman estimated around 1,100 people took part.
Placards
included slogans like "Police Violence Kills", "I Can't
Breathe" and "Racism Has A System Here Too".
Music
was played on a stage, and most participants complied with coronavirus health
measures such as social distancing and the use of a face covering.
https://en.abna24.com/news//hundreds-march-in-berlin-against-racism_1050832.html
------
Italians
protest against Israel's annexation plan
June
28, 2020
Rallies
in protest against plans by Israel to annex parts of the West Bank have been
held in several Italian cities. Many fear such a move will further inflame
tensions in the region.
Rallies
against Tel Aviv's unilateral plan to annex large swaths of the occupied West
Bank and Jordan Valley were held in 18 Italian cities, including Rome, Milan,
Naples and Bari.
In
the Italian capital, thousands of people gathered in Campidoglio, the seat of
the mayor's office and of the town administration, to have their voices heard
on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's annexation push.
Protesters
at the rally on capitoline hill argue that an annexation of parts of occupied
West Bank would not only violate international law but it would likely inflame
tensions in the already volatile region.
The
rally was called by a number of regional Palestinian communities and supported
by hundreds of groups, including left-leaning political parties, Italy's three
major unions CGIL-CISL and UIL, the National association of partisans ANPI and
dozens of charitables and humanitarian organizations.
Over
1,000 European parliamentarians denounced Israel's annexation plan in past days
saying the move would be fatal to the prospects of Israeli-Palestinian peace.
https://en.abna24.com/news//italians-protest-against-israels-annexation-plan_1050805.html
------
Police
name man shot by officers during Glasgow attack
June
27 2020
Police
have named the man shot by officers during an attack in Glasgow on Friday as
BadreddinAbadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan.
In
a statement on Twitter, Police Scotland said the identity is “based on
information the deceased provided to the Home Office earlier this year”.
In
a statement on Twitter, Police Scotland said it “will continue to investigate
the circumstances surrounding the incident in Glasgow”.
It
added: “The police discharge of firearms resulting in a fatality will also
continue to be fully investigated by the Police Investigations and Review
Commissioner (PIRC).
“Both
of these inquiries, which take place under the direction of the Lord Advocate,
are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to speculate either about the
events or the outcomes of these investigations.”
Constable
David Whyte, 42, was one of six people injured during the incident at the Park
Inn Hotel in West George Street on Friday, in which a male suspect was shot and
killed by police.
In
a statement posted on Twitter by Police Scotland, Mr Whyte said the scene
officers attending the incident were confronted with is something he will never
forget.
The
officer, who remains in a stable condition, thanked his colleagues who “put
themselves in harm’s way to contain this incident and assist with the vital
treatment given to myself and others at the scene by other emergency services”.
Mr
Whyte added: “Despite suffering serious injuries myself, I know that the swift
actions of colleagues saved lives and prevented a far more serious incident.
“I
would like to thank the medical staff at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital
for their outstanding care in the hours following this incident.
“Finally,
I would like to thank the public for all their kind messages of support and for
the good wishes from all at Police Scotland. It means a lot and has brought
both myself and my family great comfort at this difficult time.”
Police
Scotland, which has said the attack is not being treated as terrorism, has
launched an appeal for any witnesses to come forward.
Following
an update from Police Scotland on Saturday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
tweeted: “My thoughts today remain with Constable Whyte – whose bravery we are
all deeply grateful for – and the other people who sustained injuries in
yesterday’s terrible incident. I wish them all a full and speedy recovery.”
“I
reported him to the hotel reception and then the next day, yesterday morning,
the housing manager talked to me and I said to him everything he (the attacker)
said to me. And in the afternoon, it happened.”
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/uk/police-name-man-shot-by-officers-during-glasgow-attack-39321555.html
------
Brits
will have to live with it, says Merkel while Johnson repeats threat to walk
away
Patrick
Daly
June
28 2020
British
prime minister Boris Johnson has repeated his threat to walk away from trade
talks with Brussels after German chancellor Angela Merkel warned Britain would
have to "live with the consequences" of abandoning close ties.
During
a conversation with Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki yesterday, Downing
Street confirmed Johnson reiterated his position that the UK was prepared to leave
on "Australia terms" if no agreement was forthcoming.
Australia
has no bespoke trade deal with the European Union, leading Brexit critics to
describe the proposals as akin to leaving on no-deal terms, albeit with a
number of mini-deals put in place to allow vital sectors, such as air travel,
to continue.
A
No 10 spokeswoman, issuing a read-out of a phone discussion with Morawiecki,
said: "On the UK's future relationship with the EU, the prime minister
welcomed the agreement on both sides to an intensified process of negotiations
in July.
"He
said the UK would negotiate constructively but equally would be ready to leave
the transition period on Australia terms if agreement could not be
reached."
The
remarks come after Merkel warned Britons would have to "live with the
consequences" of Johnson rejecting predecessor Theresa May's plan to
continue close economic links with Brussels after Brexit.
Merkel
spoke with European newspapers ahead of Germany assuming the rotating
presidency of the EU council on July 1, and a day after Johnson's senior Brexit
adviser had signalled that the next phase of talks with the bloc would be
tough.
Negotiations
are still deadlocked after months of virtual talks - which have been held by
teleconferencing due to the Covid-19 pandemic - with fishing rights and EU
calls for a so-called "level playing field" proving to be major
stumbling blocks.
Merkel
said: "With prime minister Boris Johnson, the British government wants to
define for itself what relationship it will have with us after the country
leaves.
"If
Britain does not want to have rules on the environment and the labour market or
social standards that compare with those of the EU, our relations will be less
close."
Merkel
(65), who has led Germany since 2005 and will retire from politics when her
fourth term as chancellor ends next year, also insisted that a no-deal Brexit
would not be a personal defeat for her.
Johnson
has continually insisted that the UK would reject an EU offer to extend the
Brexit transition period beyond the end of the year.
He
also said that what he called some of the EU's more "unrealistic
positions" would have to change in order to achieve progress.
Frost
said he was looking forward to the resumption of face-to-face talks on Monday
in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. He said: "These meetings will be
smaller and focused on seeing whether we can begin to make genuine and rapid
progress towards an agreement."
https://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/brits-will-have-to-live-with-it-says-merkel-while-johnson-repeats-threat-to-walk-away-39321892.html
------
Arab
world
Worshippers
at mosques 'ecstatic' as Egypt allows public prayers
Hamza
Hendawi
June
27, 2020
The
suburban Cairo mosque was full soon after the call for the noon prayers rang
out on Saturday, forcing some worshippers to pray on the plaza or the lawn
outside. But that was not because their numbers were more than the opulent
mosque could ordinarily hold; social distancing meant that each one required
more space.
In
times of grave crisis, such as the deadly Covid-19 pandemic that has menaced
Egypt for the past five months, religious practices ordinarily observed are
sometimes shelved in good faith. The oft repeated Quranic verse and saying of
the Prophet Mohammed that urges Muslims to stand shoulder-to-shoulder during
war and prayers, like a wall whose bricks are closely cemented together, has
become somewhat perilous to apply.
“It
was a very difficult time for all of us, but we are back and we offer our
thanks to Allah,” said the imam, whose call for the prayers did not include
“pray at home”, the phrase inserted when mosques were closed in March.
“Contrary
to what many believe, our religion is very flexible,” said the young imam after
he led up to 100 men in prayer at a mosque that could easily accommodate 500 to
600. “We have missed the houses of God and we are back now. It’s a blessing for
which we are filled with gratitude and we should try and keep it by observing
rules,” he told worshippers who showed up wearing blue surgical masks and carrying
their own prayer rugs as part of precautions against the coronavirus.
Egypt
on Saturday reopened mosques for worshippers for the first time since it
ordered them shuttered three months ago, ending one of the most debated and
emotionally charged measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Ironically,
the decision to reopen the mosques along with churches, restaurants, cafes,
cinemas and theatres came as the country of 100 million people is gripped by
the worst stretch of the pandemic, with new cases of Covid-19 numbering well
above 1,000 every day.
As
of Friday night, authorities had reported 62,755 cases and 2,620 deaths. Of
these, 36,203 cases and 1,565 fatalities – more than half of the total – were
recorded this month.
The
government maintains that Egyptians must learn to live with Covid-19 as best
they can until a vaccine is developed, but they must also adhere to preventive
measures such as social distancing, wearing masks in public and adopting
hygienic practices like frequent washing of hands.
The
aim, argues the government, is to prevent a continuing lockdown from causing an
economic meltdown that would wipe out hard-won gains made over years of harsh
reforms to overhaul the economy such as removing state subsidies on basic goods
and services and introducing new taxes. But the grim numbers of Covid-19 cases
and fatalities have led some to question the wisdom of reopening the country
now.
Some
Egyptians are using social media to warn that it is too soon to return to
business as usual, urging their compatriots to stay home if they can,
especially in the greater Cairo area, home to some 25 million people and more
than half of all fatalities and cases since the coronavirus outbreak began in
mid-February.
They
also warned against frequenting cafes and restaurants, although authorities
have instructed owners to operate at just 25 per cent of capacity, the ratio
also applied to cinemas and theatres. A nighttime curfew has been lifted and
July 1 will see the reopening of airports and the resumption of international
and domestic flights. Public beaches and parks, deemed too dangerous, will
remain shut.
Amid
the debate about the timing of returning life to normal, the reopening of
mosques appears to be the one move that is winning almost universal approval in
this overwhelmingly Muslim nation. However, the traditional Friday sermon, like
the Sunday liturgies, remain banned.
“I
was happy to go back today,” said Sayed Mohammed, a 67-year-old businessman who
offered the dawn prayers on Saturday at a downtown Cairo mosque frequented
mostly by fundamentalist Salafi Muslims. “Some of the men brought their young
children, something that’s only done during Ramadan or the major religious
holidays. You could see that everyone was ecstatic,” he said.
Facing
possible fines or loss of licence if they flaunt the regulations, most cafes in
Cairo restricted seating to pavements outside their establishments and
diligently enforced the limit on patrons and the mandatory use of masks
indoors.
”We
are back, and that’s really good, but with 25 per cent capacity, sales will be
pretty low,” said a waiter at a coffee house belonging to an international
chain.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/worshippers-at-mosques-ecstatic-as-egypt-allows-public-prayers-1.1040148
------
Saudi
Press: Saudi Arabia Targets 100 million Visitors Annually by 2030
2020/06/28
Riyadh,
June 28, 2020, SPA -- Saudi newspapers highlighted in their editorials today a
number of issues, at local, regional, and international arenas.
Al-Riyadh
newspaper said in its editorial that the tourism industry in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia is witnessing a significant development, and targeting 100 million
visitors annually by 2030.
The
paper pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism has announced its plans to
increase the number of tourist sites by more than 150% in less than two years
only, confirming the government’s keenness to develop this sector and achieve
its full goals.
The
paper concluded that supporting tourism industry in Saudi Arabia aims to
increase its contribution to the Kingdom's GDP from 3 to 10 percent, and most
importantly, to secure one million new job opportunities.
Al-Yaum
newspaper said in its editorial that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the
founding and active countries in the United Nations General Assembly and
playing important roles in many of its specialized organizations and agencies.
The
paper said that the efforts of Saudi Arabia are including in financial and
logistical support to the United Nations Center for Combating Terrorism, and
commit to promote international principles and the rule of law.
The
paper cited the statement of the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Muallami,
in the virtual ceremony to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the
signing of the United Nations Charter held yesterday, who emphasized the
supportive position of Saudi Arabia for every option to restore peace and
harmony, as it beliefs in the principles of the United Nations Charter.
https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewfullstory.php?lang=en&newsid=2102955#2102955
------
Muslim
World League aims to promote religious tolerance, understanding: Al-Issa
27
June 2020
The
Muslim World League (MWL) and its campaigns aim to build bridges between different
sects of Islam and promote the values of tolerance, understanding and
friendship with other religions, Mohammad al-Issa, MWL Secretary General told
Al Arabiya.
Al-Issa
said that the MWL campaigns aim “highlight the high values of Islam and to affirm
its positive openness, and that our religious understandings accept God
almighty’s choice in variation and diversity.”
“The
conversation builds bridges for understanding, promotes friendship and
brotherhood among all, which is the portal for trust and collaboration that all
of humanity needs,” he added.
Al-Issa
highlighted the “Mecca Document Conference” which took place in May 2019 and
brought together religious scholars from 27 sects of Islam.
The
document detailed Islamic principles and promoted tolerance while repelling
hate preachers and any sect which considered another sect as “inferior”.
Al-Issa
stressed that MWL’s work had no political agenda and no other goals other than
to promote “peace and harmony amongst all.”
He
also emphasized that the MWL cooperates with Saudi Arabia as a leader in all
efforts to combat “extremist ideas, specifically in the Muslim world.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/06/27/Muslim-World-League-aims-to-promote-religious-tolerance-understanding-Al-Issa.html
-----
Islamic
banking entities provide financing of OMR4.1 billion
June
27, 2020
Muscat:
The Islamic banking entities provided financing of OMR4.1 billion at the end of
April 2020, recording a growth of 8.9 per cent over that a year ago.
Total
deposits held with Islamic banks and windows increased by 7.7 per cent to
OMR3.5 billion.
The
total assets of Islamic banks and windows stood at OMR4.9 billion and
constituted about 14 per cent of the banking system’s assets as of end-April
2020.
https://timesofoman.com/article/3016416/business/islamic-banking-entities-provide-financing-of-omr41-billion
-----
Jeddah
bids fond farewell to iconic airport terminal
RAWAN
RADWAN
June
28, 2020
JEDDAH:
Jeddah’s international airport is bidding a fond farewell to its distinctive
south terminal, known for its unique triangular tent-shaped exterior and large
glass facade, as flight operations move to a new base.
Inaugurated
by King Khalid in April 1981 after transferring all operations from its
previous location near Jeddah’s Al-Sulaimania district, King Abdul Aziz
International Airport (KAIA) has become one of the main gateways into the
Kingdom not only for travelers but for millions of pilgrims.
For
many worshippers, the airport’s south terminal has been their first stop on a
journey of a lifetime to perform Hajj or Umrah at the Grand Mosque in Makkah or
visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
Inaugurated
by King Khalid in April 1981 after transferring all operations from its
previous location near Jeddah’s Al-Sulaimania district, King Abdul Aziz
International Airport has become one of the main gateways into the Kingdom not
only for travelers but for millions of pilgrims.
With
its iconic high ceilings that resemble the inside of a tent, it has served
millions of passengers and is one of the busiest air terminals in the Kingdom.
It also serves as the headquarters for Saudi Arabia’s national airline Saudia.
The
first direct flight to New York City took off from KAIA in June 1981 and other
international destinations were added that year.
It
was recently reported that KAIA accounts for 36 percent of the total number of
passengers in the Kingdom.
The
closure of the south terminal and the moving of all operations to the airport’s
newly opened T1 terminal — inaugurated by King Salman last September and
capable of handling 30 million passengers a year — is aimed at ensuring the
airport remains a key link between the East and West and continues to serve the
city’s residents and welcome pilgrims.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1696511/saudi-arabia
------
Egypt
executes Libyan militant al-Mesmari, 2017 terrorist attack mastermind: Ministry
27
June 2020
Egypt
has executed Libyan militant Abdelrahim Mohamed al-Mesmari, the mastermind
behind the 2017 terrorist attack in the western desert area Wahat, the Ministry
of Defense announced on Saturday.
Al-Mesmari
was captured in 2017 during a raid on a group blamed for a deadly attack in
which authorities have said 16 policemen were killed. The Military Criminal
Court in 2019 sentenced the Libyan national to death and another 32 individuals
were sentenced to life in prison for their role in the attack. Twenty others
were found to be innocent.
A
group called Ansar al-Islam claimed responsibility for the attack, posing a new
threat to Egyptian security forces who were battling a stubborn ISIS insurgency
in the Sinai Peninsula since 2013.
Upon
being captured, al-Mesmari told authorities that he adopted extremist ideas
following the revolution on former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. He later
joined a group in Egypt headed by former Egyptian army officer
EmadeddineAbdulhamid, also known as Sheikh Hatem. Both men were reportedly
working for officer-turned- extremist Hesham Ashmawi, who was executed in Egypt
in March 2020.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/06/27/Egypt-executes-Libyan-militant-al-Mesmari-2017-terrorist-attack-mastermind-Ministry.html
-----
North
America
US
envoy urges condemnation of Muslim Brotherhood’s call to kill gays
By
BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
JUNE
27, 2020
The
former US ambassador to Germany and high-profile member of the Trump
administration on Friday urged that all American agencies and officials condemn
a Muslim Brotherhood member for declaring that homosexuals should be murdered.
Egyptian
TV host Hala Samir said on June 16 in a monologue on her show on Watan TV
(Turkey-based Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood) that
"Ibn Abbas quoted the Prophet Muhammad as saying: 'If you find men
engaged in a homosexual act – kill the active one as well as the passive one.'
Don't start asking: 'Are you active or passive?' Just kill both.”
The
NGO The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) first reported Samir’s
anti-gay comments and translated her remarks into English.
According
to MEMRI, “She explained that Muhammad's companions had disagreed only with
regard to the method of killing the homosexuals and she elaborated that some of
these methods include burning them alive, throwing them off a high place, and
stoning them. In addition, Samir said that lesbianism is also prohibited by Islamic
law.”
After
Grenell, who was the first openly gay member of a presidential cabinet when he
served as acting director of national intelligence, posted his tweet, he wrote
that “Twitter launched an investigation of me for this tweet calling it unacceptable
to kill gay people. But they allow the Muslim Brotherhood”s video calling for
the death of gay people to continue. @jack.”
The
Jerusalem Post asked on Twitter if the German Social Democratic State Minister
Michael Roth plans to condemn the Muslim Brotherhood’s lethal homophobia.
Roth
tweeted on Saturday: ”On 1 July, Flag of Germany will assume the EU-Presidency
for 6 months. We thus bear a special responsibility for our Flag of European
Union. There is no place here for homophobia, racism, antisemitism or
antiziganism. We will actively support equal opportunities and equality for
LGBTI people. Globalpride.”
He
added that “Let’s stand shoulder to shoulder with human rights activists. Let's
show our support in particular where LGBTI people are under pressure,
marginalised, discriminated+persecuted. Thanks to all those who work for a
world where we can celebrate our differences without fear. #pride.”
Roth’s
Social Democratic colleague at the Foreign Ministry, Niels Annen, has
previously celebrated Iran’s regime. Iran’s regime, according to a 2008 British
WikiLeaks dispatch, executed between 4,000-6,000 gays and lesbians.
Roth
has previously not responded to Post queries about the accusation that he
represses free speech on Twitter. The German Journalist Tobias Huch is pursuing
claims against Roth for blocking him on Twitter.
Huch
wrote on Twiter on Saturday: “He (Staatsminister [State Minister] Michael Roth,
#SPD) blocked me on twitter, because I wrote an article about
the@AuswaertigesAmt[Foreign Ministry.] He hates the freedom of press.”
After
Huch criticized the German foreign ministry for failing to help German citizens
in Kurdistan during the coronavirus crisis, Roth blocked him.
In
2019 Annen blocked this Jerusalem Post reporter in connection with critical
reports about his allegedly pro-Iran policy. A legal claim filed by the German
lawyer Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel resulted in Annen lifting the block in 2019.
The
right to view Twitter accounts of German government officials, politicians and
diplomats is considered by German media freedom advocates to be part of basic
freedom of the press protections in Germany.
https://www.jpost.com/international/us-envoy-urges-condemnation-of-muslim-brotherhoods-call-to-kill-gays-633022
------
Joe
Biden Attacks Trump Over ‘Outrageous’ Report Russia Paid Afghan Militants to
Kill US Soldiers
28.06.2020
A
New York Times report has claimed, citing officials with knowledge of
intelligence, that Trump had known for months but ignored briefings that Russia
had offered cash rewards to Afghan militants for killing US troops. Both Russia
and the Taliban denied the report, and the White House said Trump had not been
aware of the information.
Joe
Biden has slammed Donald Trump over a report that the US president failed to
act on intelligence “findings” about an alleged Russian plot against US troops
in Afghanistan.
“The
truly shocking revelation that if the Times report is true…is that President
Trump, the commander in chief of American troops serving in a dangerous theatre
of war, has known about this for months, according to the Times, and done worse
than nothing”, Biden said during a virtual town hall on Saturday.
The
presumptive Democratic nominee, who was among those senators who authorised
Bush to invade Iraq, called the report a “betrayal of the most sacred duty we
bear as a nation — to protect and equip our troops when we send them into
harm’s way”.
Biden
added that he was “quite frankly outraged” by the report, promising to confront
Russia and “impose serious costs” on the country if he gets elected.
According
to The New York Times, American intelligence officials concluded months ago
that Russia had offered bounties to kill US troops in Afghanistan amid peace
talks between the Trump administration and the Taliban last year.
The
story claimed that the National Security Council discussed the matter in March
and that Trump had been personally briefed but did not react. Democratic
Senator Tammy Duckworth has called for a hearing into the report, claiming that
Trump has “encouraged Russia to interfere in our democracy”.
The
United States started a war in Afghanistan, then controlled by the Taliban, in
2001 in response to the 9/11 attacks that were blamed on Osama bin Laden, who
was supposedly hiding out in the Central Asian country.
More
than 111,000 Afghans and over 2,400 US troops have been killed since the
invasion, which ousted the Taliban from power but failed to completely end the
insurgency. The Trump administration signed a peace deal with the militants
this February, following 18 months of on-and-off negotiations, although ongoing
attacks against both troops and civilians have brought the viability of that
deal into question.
The
NYT quoted a spokesman for the Taliban as denying the claims about Russian
rewards and calling the report an attempt to defame the movement. “These kinds
of deals with the Russian intelligence agency are baseless — our target
killings and assassinations were ongoing in years before, and we did it on our
own resources”, the spokesman said. “That changed after our deal with the
Americans, and their lives are secure and we don’t attack them”.
Russia
also denied the accusations and said that employees at its US Embassy had
received threats after the publication.
“This
blunt story vividly illustrates the low intellectual abilities of US
intelligence's propaganda staff, who instead of making up something more elaborate
has come up with such nonsense”, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said
on Saturday, adding: “What else one can expect from the intelligence that has
miserably failed to succeed in the 20-year war in Afghanistan”.
The
White House did not address the veracity of the bounty intelligence, but
maintained that neither President Donald Trump nor Vice President Mike Pence
were briefed on it.
https://sputniknews.com/us/202006281079739053-joe-biden-attacks-trump-over-outrageous-report-russia-paid-afghan-militants-to-kill-us-soldiers/
------
Locked
down? Open up to ‘Ramy,’ a religious Muslim who Orthodox Jews understand
28-06-2020
NEW
YORK (JTA) — The ink had not yet dried on my color-coded, scheduled-by-the-hour
Shabbat plan when my phone chimed.
I quickly
shelved my dream of a proper eight hours of sleep, set my Spotify to rousing
Hasidic music, and got to work transforming vegetables, oils and spices into
mezze that would hopefully round out the meal.
The
rhythms of religiously observant life are misunderstood, even to those inside
of it. It is not about dogma, nor about checking off a series of obligations
and avoiding violations. For the individual, it requires a slow ego death.
“Homo
religious is a romantic who chafes against concrete reality and tries to flee
to distant worlds that restore his spirits with their purity and pristine
clarity,” Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik wrote in his 1944 book “Halakhic Man.”
“Halakhic man, however, takes up his position in this world and does not move
from it. He wishes to purify this world, not to escape from it.”
An
observant life does not scoff at transcendence, nor at secular wisdom. But it
views the individual’s role not as enlightening the self, but as bringing
transcendence into the real world around them. To the Orthodox, this is the
meaning of existence itself, and the power by which we change our world. In
2020, living this way is more challenging than ever.
The
award-winning Hulu series “Ramy” provides a masterful look into the challenges
of balancing tradition, modernity, aspirations and desires through the eyes of
Ramy Youssef, an American-born child of Muslim Egyptian immigrants. The first
season is mostly about him trying to find himself. The second season, released
by Hulu on May 29, is mostly about him trying to find God.
I
have found myself describing the show to friends as a portrait of “a Modern
Orthodox Muslim” — referencing Modern Orthodox Judaism, the broad term for the
movement that mixes Jewish law and tradition into the modern world. Ramy doesn’t
drink or do drugs, he prays five times a day, he fasts on Ramadan. He struggles
to refine his beliefs and balance his culture with his modern ethic. He
believes premarital sex is wrong and has it anyway — leaving a trail of
increasing destruction as he goes.
The
show will feel familiar, if not intimately so, to American Jewish audiences —
especially Modern Orthodox ones. It has the Middle Eastern cultural
touchpoints, the superstitions, the feeling of being too American for your
family and not quite American enough for your fellow Americans, the
quasi-Birthright trip to Egypt, the pick-and-choose approach to religious law,
the zealous convert characters, the search for meaning and the newly religious
who take it upon themselves to criticize others for choices they themselves
would have made only months ago.
Parts
of ‘Ramy,’ such as the suburban New Jersey setting, are based on creator Ramy
Youssef’s real life. (Screenshot from YouTube/via JTA)
“I
don’t want desires. I don’t want anything. I just want God,” Ramy says in one
episode after having a particularly rough go at it. But as his sheikh Ali Malik
tells him in another context, “Islam is like an orange — the rind without the
flesh is bitter and useless. The flesh without the rind will wither and rot.” Rules
preserve us. But rules are far from what it’s all about.
“Ramy”
thus provides us with a lens into the full range of challenges of a modern
religious life. It’s not easy to find a community, to battle one’s baser
instincts, to juggle being the “other” while also blending in too much for the
liking of earlier generations and having friends that don’t share your path.
It’s hard today to give back to others in a selfless way, to find a mentor, to
find a partner with the same values.
Herein
lies the paradox: observant religious life, whether Muslim or Jewish, requires
a lot from the individual. But ultimately, it isn’t about the “I” at all — it’s
about the world we build together.
You
think, “I do these things and I don’t do these things and that’s who I am. But
it’s a trick of the devil, you know?” a recent convert to Islam tells Ramy in
season 1.
The
show gives us plenty to cringe at, plenty to root for and plenty to grapple
with as we attempt our own balance of ancient tradition and modern life.
As
Soloveitchik might put it: Ramy, with “his glance fixed upon the higher realms,
forgets all too frequently the lower realms and becomes ensnared in the sins of
ethical inconsistency and hypocrisy…[he has] been so intoxicated by [his]
dreams of an exalted supernatural existence that [he has] failed to hear the
cries of ‘them that dwell in the houses of clay.’”
Ramy’s
biggest weakness is his lofty ideals. He crashes and burns, time and again. He
gets so close! And you’ll be rooting for him to the bitter end.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/locked-down-open-up-to-ramy-a-religious-muslim-who-orthodox-jews-understand/
------
Huge
cluster of shipwrecks in small Maryland bay gives rise to a "wildlife
mecca"
June
27, 2020
Kayakers
who take to the Potomac River as the weather gets warmer could find themselves
immersed in floating history, if the tide is right. An ill-fated fleet of
wooden steam ships has been rotting away in the brackish water of Mallows Bay
in Maryland for nearly a century.
"It's
the largest collection of shipwrecks in the western hemisphere … just in this
tiny bay," Joel Dunn, Chesapeake Conservancy president told CBS News'
Christina Ruffini.
Joel
Dunn took CBS News' Christina Ruffini through a trio of ships known as the
"three sisters," a triangular area where the old boats have become
floating forests. CBS NEWS
The
ships were commissioned over a century ago in 1917, when President Woodrow
Wilson needed more ships to fight German U-boats. The goal was to build 1,000
in less than two years — prioritizing quantity over quality.
"They
were built quickly, inexpensively, with green wood," Maryland's underwater
archeologist Susan Langley said. "Initially these were gonna be just
expendable, and so they didn't put a lot of effort in."
The
war ended before even one of the ships made it across the Atlantic. Eventually,
they were gathered, stripped for salvage and abandoned in the bay.
The
once-endangered osprey is one of the many species of wildlife making a home
among the shipwrecks CHRIS
MADDALONI/ROLL CALL/GETTY IMAGES
"That
ship has now become a wildlife sanctuary, a wildlife mecca," Dunn
observed. "It's got plants and animals that are thriving as a result of
the structure the hull of the ship provides."
In
addition to wildlife, the ships also bring tourism to the area. Dunn said he
hopes they will get people "on the water" and "inspired to take
part."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shipwrecks-potomac-mallows-bay-wildlife-mecca/
-----
AI
Gleaned Information About Emerging Threats, Future Plots From bin Laden Raid
JUNE
26, 2020
On
May 2, 2011, U.S. Navy special operators carried out a Central Intelligence
Agency-led operation to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, the founder of
al-Qaida, the group responsible for many terrorist activities, including the
9/11 attacks. The raid on the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, owned by OBL,
as he was called, was launched from Afghanistan.
The
operators that entered the compound gathered a treasure trove of documents
explained Brian Drake, Defense Intelligence Agency's Science and Technology
director of artificial intelligence, as he spoke via a webcast discussion
yesterday. The webcast, titled "Human Machine Team: The Intersection of
Diverse Skill Sets" was sponsored by Defense One.
DIA's
National Media Exploitation Center, working with the CIA, the National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and others, collaborated on this, Drake said.
The
media that was captured was flown to NMEC, where rudimentary artificial
intelligence was able to exploit the data to discover future al-Qaida plans.
NMEC
invested early in AI capabilities across the board, he said, in things like
text recognition, object detection, machine translation and audio and image
categorization that allowed them to go through petabytes of data that they get
from document exploitation.
The
result was tens of billions of pieces of relevant data that allowed analysts to
quickly delve into the terrorist organization. The data alerted them to future
plots, emerging threats and a greater understanding of mysteries they didn't
understand before, he said.
Had
AI not been used in that instance, it would have taken the entire federal
workforce to piece the puzzle together and it still probably wouldn't have
succeeded, he noted.
AI
can enable analysts not only to discover what they're looking for, but also
enable them to gain insights from things they don't know they're looking for
but are relevant and important, he added.
The
speed of AI analyzing the media after the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in
Abbottabad, Pakistan, was approximately a couple of hours. Today, AI can
deliver the same information analysts need in mere milliseconds, he said.
Jane
Pinells, the chief of test/evaluation of AI for the Defense Department's Joint
Artificial Intelligence Center, who also spoke, said that AI will soon deliver
an even greater competitive advantage to warfighters.
Part
of that effort, she said, will be done with interdisciplinary teams from such
fields as neuroscience, education and experimental psychology, who can
understand how the human-machine teaming with AI can be best integrated with
the warfighters.
Communications
will be especially key, she added. "Operators need to understand how the
technology works, and what the limitations and risks with AI systems are."
Another
important piece of AI is ethics in using these systems. If AI cannot be
employed in a responsible way on the battlefield "then we will not use AI
for that mission," she said. Everyone at the JAIC is responsible for
ensuring this.
https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/2234142/ai-gleaned-information-about-emerging-threats-future-plots-from-bin-laden-raid/
------
South
Asia
Explosion
in Kabul city leaves 2 dead including a woman
27
Jun 2020
An
explosion in Kabul city killed civilians including a woman, the officials in
Kabul Police Headquarters said.
FerdawsFaramurz,
a spokesperson for Kabul Police Headquarters said an explosion killed two
civilians in the vicinity of 12th district of Kabul city.
According
to Faramurz, the incident took place at around 7:45 am local time in the
vicinity of Pul-e Charkhi area of Kabul city.
He
also added that a magnetic bomb, planted in a civilian vehicle, went off,
killing at least two civilians, including a woman.
Meanwhile,
the sources in Afghanistan Human Rights Commission confirmed that two employees
of the commission were killed in an explosion in Kabul city earlier today.
No
individual or group including Taliban has so far claimed responsibility for the
incident so far.
https://www.khaama.com/explosion-in-kabul-city-leaves-2-dead-including-a-woman-08926/
------
4
Taliban militants killed, 3 arrested in Jawzjan province
27
Jun 2020
The
security forces killed 4 Taliban militants and arrested 3 others following
clash in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan.
The
209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said a clash broke out between security
forces and Taliban militants in Chupli Tapa Village of Khamab district on
Friday night.
The
statement further added that the security forces killed 4 Taliban militants
during the clash and arrested 3 others.
The
security forces also confiscated some weapons and munitions following the
clash, the 209th Shaheen Corps added in its statement.
The
Taliban group has not commented regarding the incident so far.
https://www.khaama.com/4-taliban-militants-killed-3-arrested-in-jawzjan-province-08925/
------
Southeast
Asia
Reject
politics of deception, says Anwar
JUNE
28, 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR: PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for the rejection of
what he described as the politics of deception.
In
a posting on his Facebook page last night, the Port Dickson Member of
Parliament said politics was not just about the struggle for power but also how
it would be translated.
“In
the current situation, there are people fishing in troubled waters, suddenly
wanting to be a hero. But what I want to stress is — let’s get back on track.
“This
is not a venue for politicians to use tactical manoeuvres to grab power.
Politics is about governance, matters concerning the people.
“What
are the policies to be put forward? Are they to maintain a dilapidated and
corrupt administrative style that oppressed, as has happened now or before?” he
said in the video titled ‘Reject Politics of Deception’.
Anwar
did not mention any names but his posting came in the wake of a statement by
former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that several opposition leaders
had nominated PartiWarisan Sabah (Warisan) president Datuk Seri MohdShafieApdal
as the opposition’s prime minister candidate.
https://ww.theborneopost.com/2020/06/28/reject-politics-of-deception-says-anwar/
------
Ismail
Sabri denies involvement in new party
JUNE
28, 2020
PEKAN:
Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has refuted speculations
about him joining or being involved in the establishment of a new party
purportedly known as ‘PartiReformasi Bersatu Negara’, which has gone viral on
social media since Friday.
Ismail
Sabri, who is a Senior Minister (Security Cluster), stresses that he is loyal
to Umno, which he joined more than three decades ago, apart from not being
engaged in discussions with several leaders linked to leading the new party.
“I
live and die with Umno. If I were to stop being in politics, I would also stop
being in Umno. There is no issue of me joining another party as the news is
only to confuse the people.
“I
only came to know about it yesterday when asked by people…I do not know whose
party it is, or who and how my name is in it,” he told reporters after
attending a ‘People’s Gathering’ in FeldaChini 3 here yesterday.
Ismail
Sabri also did not rule out the possibility of the issue of setting up a new
party by quarters who wanted to create a false perception that there was a
problem in the Perikatan Nasional (PN)-led government.
He
was commenting on allegations that his name was listed as the deputy president
of the party, which would be chaired by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin
Yassin, apart from a list comprising several ministers and leaders of other
political parties.
In
another development, Ismail Sabri reminded voters of Chini state constituency
to come out to vote for Barisan Nasional (BN), which was seen as facing ‘an
easy task’ in retaining the seat.
“Even
though we are being challenged by only independent candidates, we should not
take it easy, as a contest is still a contest. Do not be indifferent on the
matter as this is our stronghold,” he said.
Ismail
Sabri was also optimistic that Chini residents would favour BN’s candidate, as
the performance of the PN-led government had been proven over its capability in
steering the country, as Malaysia emerged as one of best countries in handling
the Covid-19 pandemic.
Apart
from that, the spirit of Muafakat Nasional between Umno and PAS was also seen
as a factor for a BN victory in the Chini by-election considering the series of
wins in by-elections since forging the cooperation in early 2019.
Polling
for the Chini by-election on July 4 will see BN’s MohdSharim Md Zain, 41, being
challenged by two Independent candidates – businessman Tengku Datuk Zainul
Hisham Tengku Hussin, 64, and Mohd Shukri Mohd Ramli, 49, who is blog writer.
The
by-election was necessitated following
the death of incumbent Datuk Seri Abu Bakar Harun, 60, on May 7 in Kuala Lumpur
Hospital, due to heart attack.
In
the 14th general election, Abu Bakar representing BN won with a 4,622-vote
majority after obtaining 10,027 votes to defeat Mohd Fadhil Noor Abdul Karim of
PAS who received 5,405 votes while Mohamad Razali Ithnain of PKR garnered only
1,065 votes. — Bernama
https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/06/28/ismail-sabri-denies-involvement-in-new-party/
------
Dr
Mahathir supports nomination of ShafieApdal as opposition’s PM candidate
JUNE
28, 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said he fully
supported a proposal by Amanah, PartiWarisan Sabah (Warisan) and DAP to
nominate Warisan president Datuk Seri MohdShafieApdal as the prime minister
candidate of the opposition.
Dr
Mahathir, who is the member of Parliament for Langkawi, said the decision to
nominate MohdShafie, who is also Sabah Chief Minister, as the prime minister
candidate was reached at an informal meeting he had with his allies at
RumahTetamu Sabah here on Thursday (June 25).
The
meeting also agreed to nominate PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the
candidate for Deputy Prime Minister 1 and former deputy president of Bersatu
Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir for the post of Deputy Prime Minister 2, he said.
“During
the discussions, I was open to any suggestions including excluding me as a
candidate for the post of prime minister. Among the proposals was the
nomination of Datuk Seri MohdShafieApdal as prime minister (candidate).
“We
unanimously agreed that Datuk Seri MohdShafieApdal be named as the prime
minister candidate. I fully supported this proposal. It is important that we
have a firm stand so that the people will know our stand,” he said in a
statement yesterday.
He
said Mukhriz and MohdShafie were at the meeting, which was also attended by
Amanah present Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.
Dr
Mahathir said he believed that if this move was realised, it would further
strengthen ties between peninsular Malaysia, and Sabah and Sarawak.
Meanwhile,
in a separate statement, Mohamad Sabu and Lim Guan Eng said Amanah and DAP took
note of Dr Mahathir’s statement after the informal meeting two days ago and the
proposal to name MohdShafie as the opposition’s new candidate for prime
minister if the opposition recaptured Putrajaya.
They
said Amanah and DAP viewed this as a new option to realise efforts to restore
the people’s mandate which was given to Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Warisan in the
14th general election. (GE14).
However,
this proposal needs to be discussed at the central leadership level of Amanah
and DAP before it is taken to the PH presidential council for a joint decision,
the two leaders said.
Prior
to this, PH partners Amanah and DAP had asked Dr Mahathir and Anwar to find
common ground on the opposition’s prime minister candidate. This was after PKR,
the other component in PH, stood firm in rejecting Dr Mahathir to be the
opposition’s choice to be prime minister if they came back to power.
Dr
Mahathir, who was PH chairman, quit as Malaysia’s seventh prime minister after
PH lost its majority in Parliament in February. PH took over Putrajaya after
winning GE14 in May 2018.
Bersatu
president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin then teamed up with Umno-led Barisan
Nasional, PAS and a few other parties to form the new government called
Perikatan Nasional.
https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/06/28/dr-mahathir-supports-nomination-of-shafie-apdal-as-oppositions-pm-candidate/
-----
Africa
Nigerian
Military Says ‘Scores’ of Militants Killed in Air Raids
June
27, 2020
Nigerian
forces attacked Boko Haram bases in the Tongule and BukarMeram communities in
the northeastern Borno State and killed “scores of their fighters,” the West
African nation’s military said.
The
air strikes went ahead on June 25 after about 35 militants were spotted at a
settlement shielding the Islamist insurgency in Tongule, John Enenche, a
military spokesman, said in emailed statement on Saturday. Others were spotted
at BukarMeram, where “several” insurgents were killed, he said.
Boko
Haram has waged a violent campaign since 2009 to impose its version of Islamic
law in Africa’s most populous country. Nigeria is almost evenly split between a
mainly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-27/nigerian-military-says-scores-of-militants-killed-in-air-raids
-----
Genocide
in Nigeria: Calling it what it is
JUNE
27, 2020
In
terms of lives lost, families separated, people imprisoned, and churches shut
down, the 21st century has, so far, been the worst period of persecution
against Christians in recorded history. Among the hottest persecution hot-spots
is Nigeria. According to religious freedom watchdog Open Doors USA, Nigeria
ranks at #12 worldwide for persecution of Christians.
Islamic
terrorist organization Boko Haram is the known villain in Nigeria, and
justifiably so. They are among the most brutal Islamist radical terror groups
in the world. Just last week, attacks in northeastern Nigeria by a Boko Haram
splinter-group left dozens of soldiers and civilians dead. Back in January, the
group beheaded Nigerian pastor LawanAndimi. Kidnapped from his village and
forced to negotiate for his release with the government, Andimi wouldn’t break.
Instead, he turned his hostage video into a stunning testimony to Christ.
Still,
as bad as Boko Haram is, much of the recent bloodshed in Nigeria has been
perpetrated by militant Hausa-Fulani herdsmen. This largely Muslim ethnic group
specializes in night raids on Christian villages in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. In a
statement last June, Nigerian Christian leaders claimed that “over 6,000
persons—mostly children, women and the aged—[have been] maimed and killed in
night raids by armed Fulani herdsmen.” They also described the “continuous
abduction of under-aged Christian girls by Muslim youths” for forced marriages.
According
to Open Doors, these attacks are essentially “religious cleansing,” attempts
“to eradicate Christianity” from the region. According to Nigerian Christians,
the more appropriate word is genocide.
As
I pointed out last March, genocide has been carefully defined by the
International Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, and the
word should not be tossed around carelessly. Genocide is action intended to
destroy in whole or in part “a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.”
Clearly,
genocide is what Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsman are after in Nigeria.
Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari, however, denies this. In a recently issued
statement, he insisted that “false allegations of persecution of Christians”
are “a most misleading campaign.” President Buhari, by the way, is the son of a
Fulani chief.
Thankfully,
there are international voices taking the plight of Nigerian Christians
seriously. The U.K. Parliament released a report putting the G-word front and
center. Entitled, “Nigeria: Unfolding Genocide?” the report issues a stirring
call to Britain and the world “to speak out on behalf of all the survivors and
victims of violence,” and “to highlight the seriousness of the situation and
the level of injustice that Nigerian Christians face.”
Describing
the report in Forbes (and by the way, good for Forbes for covering this story),
one human rights activist called for “comprehensive investigations and
prosecutions” by bodies like the International Criminal Court. But, she
insisted, the first step has to be that the world admits “the nature and
severity of the atrocities. The crimes must be recognized for what they are and
‘a most misleading campaign’ is not that name.”
Edifi
is a powerful app that aggregates thousands of the best Christian podcasts in
one place. Cut through the noise and grow your faith by diving into the world’s
top Christian podcasts. Find entertainment and inspiration. Download the FREE
app today!
The
U.S. must lead the way. Earlier this month, an executive order by President
Trump made religious freedom a foreign policy and national security priority.
It’s now time to make act on those words. Nigerian Christians can’t afford to
wait.
Besides
calling this crisis what it is, a genocide, the U.S. could ease the process for
asylum-seekers and immigrants from Nigeria. Nigeria was among the six countries
President Trump added to the travel and immigration ban in February and,
currently, Nigerian refugees hoping to flee to the United States must prove
their need by submitting an exhaustive stack of paperwork. Those in danger
should not have to go to so much trouble to demonstrate what the world should
already know.
Please,
consider supporting Open Doors and other organizations that raise awareness,
advocate for, and offer support for the persecuted. Even so, as important as
political and financial assistance are, Christians in Nigeria need one thing
from us above anything else: our prayers.
https://www.christianpost.com/voices/genocide-in-nigeria-calling-it-what-it-is.html
------
Mahmoud
Dicko: Mali imam challenges President Keïta
By
Paul Melly
June
28, 2020
Corruption
and cronyism, weak public services and national leadership, electoral
malpractice and the government's inability to bring an end to inter-communal
and jihadist violence have fuelled popular frustration.
Opposition
political parties have joined together to organise demonstrations, but theirs
has not been the decisive voice that has repeatedly brought tens of thousands
out on to the streets in a display of public anger unprecedented for decades -
and which has now forced MrKeïta and his ministers to negotiate.
He
is the central player in this challenge to a president who looks complacent and
bereft of energy and ideas in the face of the huge problems that continue to
pile up for Mali, despite the presence of close to 15,000 international troops
and constant injections of external aid.
He
has been a major player in public life for at least a decade, but today more
than ever he is demonstrating his clout. In April 2019 he organised protests
that forced the sacking of then prime minister SoumeylouBoubeyeMaïga.
This
year's huge protest, on 5 June during Friday prayers, was confined to the
capital Bamako and Sikasso, a city in the south.
But
two weeks later crowds were also out in Kayes in the west, Ségou in
south-central and even in the ancient desert city of Timbuktu, on the fringes
of the Sahara. And the movement could spread further still.
International
mediators too - from the UN peacekeeping mission to Mali, the European Union
(EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) - have also
taken care to sound out Imam Dicko.
He
came to prominence in 2009 as head of the High Islamic Council, leading a campaign
of mass protest that forced Mali's then President AmadouToumani Touré to water
down a reform of family law that would have bolstered the rights of women.
Born
in the mid-1950s in the Timbuktu region, Imam Dicko was originally a teacher of
Arabic, who studied in Saudi Arabia and became the religious leader of the
mosque in Badalabogou, a leafy riverside suburb of Bamako.
He
was also secretary of the main government religious organisation until the end
of the one-party regime and establishment of democracy almost three decades
ago.
He
is really an advocate of traditionalist West African Islam, conservative in his
view of family issues but a strong defender of Mali's pre-Muslim cultural roots
and pluralistic religious culture and reverence for mysticism. Timbuktu, for
example, is known as "the city of 333 saints".
Imam
Dicko has always opposed both the imposition of harsh physical punishments in
the name of Islam and the ideology of violent jihad.
When
Islamist militants took over the north of Mali in 2012, he tried to reach a
solution through talks, even meeting jihadist commander Iyad Ag Ghaly.
And
when the militants abandoned dialogue and launched a new offensive, threatening
to break through to the south and advance towards Bamako, Imam Dicko welcomed
France's military intervention of January 2013, arguing that its soldiers were
rescuing Malians who were "in distress" after being abandoned by
fellow Muslim countries.
Yet
for Imam Dicko, welcoming the French intervention that saved Bamako from the
jihadists never meant also buying into some wider liberal modernity agenda.
Yet
he has always stuck to his conservatism. He said the militants responsible for
a 2015 attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako had been sent by God to
punish Malians for homosexuality, imported from the West.
And
his nationalist sentiments show through when he accuses France of ambitions to
re-colonise his country. In that he is like many compatriots - delighted to be
rescued back in 2013 but now tiring of a French military operation that has
still not managed to shut down the jihadist armed groups.
Back
in the 2013 election he endorsed MrKeïta, who was running for president on a
waffly slogan of restoring national pride after the crisis of the previous two
years.
But
today the president is under political siege while MrCissé is a hostage in the
hands of jihadist militants, after being kidnapped on the rural campaign trail
for parliamentary elections this March.
As
for Imam Dicko, he abandoned President Keïta in 2017 and last year stepped down
from the High Islamic Council to form his own Islamist political movement, the
Coordination des Mouvements, Associations et Sympathisants (CMAS).
He
has been involved in attempts to develop a new dialogue with Ag Ghaly and other
jihadist leaders still pursuing the armed struggle, an avenue that MrKeïta is
also attempting to pursue.
His
opposition allies are secular and the current protests are fuelled by anger at
all the things that have gone wrong rather than any broad popular appetite for
transforming Mali into an Islamic republic.
Besides
the relentless security crisis across the north, there have been a string of
corruption scandals, while a teachers' strike had already shut many schools
long before the virus lockdown.
But
he might agree to retreat into a more titular role, while the opposition joins
a unity government that moves real power out of his hands.
Could
that leave the field open for Imam Dicko to emerge as the standard bearer of a
nationalist tradition exasperated with the deal-making of the conventional
political class?
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-53176083
------
Alhaji
Kouanda installed Asere Muslim Chief
Jun
26 , 2020
The
Asere Divisional Council of the Ga Traditional Council has installed Alhaji
MassudKouanda as the Asere Muslim Chief.
At
a colourful but short ceremony at the Asere Palace on Thursday, June 25, this
year, NiiAyi Moshe I was taken through all the prescribed rituals in installing
a chief in the Asere Divisional Council by the Chief of Asere, NiiAsereBoi VII
and his elders and other chiefs in the area.
With
the playing of traditional drums and the firing of musketry, NiiAyi Moshe I,
dressed in a beautiful white Muslim attire, danced his way to the inner court
of the palace where the chiefs in the area together with some selected guests
had gathered.
In
a brief remarks after his installation, NiiAyi Moshe I, expressed his gratitude
to the chiefs and elders of the Asere area for selecting him as the Muslim
chief in the area.
For
his part, the Chief of AsereNiiAsereBoi VII, called on all to give the newly
installed chief the needed support to enable perform his duties.
He
expressed the hope that NiiAyi Moshe I would collaborate and corporate with
other chiefs in the area to bring the needed development to the people.
Alhaji
MassudKouanda has lived in Sowutoum Auntie Aku for over 30 years where he had
also been installed the Ga Moshe Chief of Auntie Aku by the chiefs in the area
with the stool name, NiiAdotey I.
NiiAyi
Moshe I, a businessman, is married to two wives— Heidi kouanda and
HajiaNamawuMassudKouanda with whom he had eight children.
https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/alhaji-kouanda-installed-asere-muslim-chief.html
------
As
it reopens its air, land and sea borders, Tunisia announces its categorization
plans – Libyans watch eagerly
By
Sami Zaptia.
27
June 2020:
With
a close eye by many Libyans on its reopening of its air, land and sea borders
today, last Wednesday, Tunisia announced new measures for the entry of visitors
to its territory.
The
measures will be based on the epidemiological classification of the Coronavirus
situation in other countries. Initial reading of the categorization suggests
that Libyans with a place of residence in Tunisia will be allowed in – but will
be forced to undergo 14-day isolation upon arriving in Tunisia.
For
the majority of Libyans who have no place of residence in Tunisia, it looks as
if as long as Libya is ranked as a country with a high spread of Coronavirus –
they will not be allowed into Tunisia.
In
its government statement, Tunisia classified the Coronavirus status of
countries into three distinct groups. The first group includes countries with
low epidemic prevalence; the second includes countries with medium epidemic
spread, while the third is made up of countries characterised by high spread of
the virus.
Libyans
will be watching where Tunisia classifies their country. Tunisia’s decision
will have great ramifications for Libya – and western Libya specifically. Tunis
and Istanbul airports are Libya’s (western Libya’s) most important transit
airports. They are the most used airports by Libyans to travel to Tunisia and
Turkey – and the most used transit points.
Libyans
have been optimistically speculating – and hoping – that economic needs will
encourage Tunisia to classify Libya in the second group – which would allow
them access. This will also depend on Libyan authorities lifting their curfew
and reopening their borders – which are currently closed until 7 July.
Tunisia
has announced that travellers from the first group of countries will not be
subject to specific preventive measures. While arrivals from the second group
of countries where the spread of the virus is medium will have to present a
screening test (RT-PCR) carried out 72 hours earlier, and not exceeding 120
hours, upon arrival in Tunisia.
For
travellers coming from these two groups of countries, (Tunisians or tourists)
who wish to stay in a hotel, Tunisia has stressed the need to go to the hotel
on board tourist buses that respect the provisions of the Tunisian tourism
health protocol, in supervised groups.
These
groups will be subject to the requirements of “supervised residence” in hotels
and are called upon to respect the health protocol of Tunisian tourism.
Supervised
groups of tourists and residents in hotels are allowed to visit museums,
monuments and archaeological tourist sites while respecting the health protocol
of each site, according to the communiqué.
Arrivals
wishing to leave the supervised residence may carry out, at their own expense,
an RT-PCR analysis at the request of the person concerned or at the request of
the country of residence, from the sixth day of the date of entry into Tunisia.
Today,
with Libya’s Coronavirus cases increasing to 713, Libya may be categorised in
the third group of countries deemed to be of the high spread of the
Coronavirus.
For
the third group which covers Tunisians residing abroad or foreigners from
countries in the third group, and those who have a place of residence in
Tunisia, these will be required to undertake in writing to self-isolate for 14
days and to undergo another screening test if symptoms of the disease appear.
The
RT-PCR analysis is carried out at the request of the person concerned if he or
she wishes to leave the self-isolation, at his or her own expense, and from the
sixth day of entry into Tunisia.
For
the third group of countries, with a high epidemic prevalence, the opening of
borders will be limited to Tunisians residing in these countries, provided that
they present a screening test (RT-PCR) carried out 72 hours before arrival in
Tunisia and not exceeding 120 hours upon arrival.
This
is coupled with the need to observe a mandatory quarantine for a period of 7
days at the expense of the person concerned, and to submit to another
laboratory analysis at the expense of the State, while undertaking to observe a
self-quarantine period of a further 7 days after this test.
The
Prime Ministry has indicated that travellers to Tunisia will be asked to fill
in a health data form before leaving the airport, port or border post of the
country of residence, specifying that this procedure could be carried out
electronically.
Tunisia’s
National Observatory for New and Emerging Diseases will determine the
epidemiological situation in the various countries that have ended the general
lockdown period and announced the opening of their borders, on the basis of
internationally agreed scientific and epidemiological criteria.
https://www.libyaherald.com/2020/06/27/as-it-reopens-its-air-land-and-sea-borders-tunisia-announces-its-categorization-plans-libyans-watch-eagerly/
-----
Pakistan
Govt
working on Chinese Seed Technology for yield-enhancing: Fakhar Imam
June
27, 2020
Minister
for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam says technological modernization
can increase cotton yield in the country.
He
was talking to a two-member delegation of Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association
who called on him in Islamabad today [Saturday].
They
discussed the cotton production situation in Pakistan.
Acknowledging
the concerns of the delegation, the Minister assured that the government is
working on Chinese Seed Technology for yield-enhancing and securing funds to
lower the cost of production to make cotton production a profitable business.
Syed
Fakhar Imam further said that his Ministry would take up the Taxation issue
with Finance Division and leave no stone unturned to get relief for the ginning
sector.
https://www.radio.gov.pk/27-06-2020/govt-working-on-chinese-seed-technology-for-yield-enhancing-fakhar-imam
-----
FM
Qureshi inaugurates rebuilt mosque at foreign ministry
June
27, 2020
ISLAMABAD,
Jun 27 (APP):Minister for Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Saturday inaugurated Al-Noor Mosque rebuilt at the foreign affairs ministry.
The
minister unveiled the plaque of the mosque and reviewed the reconstruction
work.
Director
General Headquarters of the ministry apprised the minister of the project.
On
the occasion, the foreign minister especially prayed for the elimination of
COVID-19 pandemic and progress and prosperity of Pakistan.
Foreign
Secretary Sohail Mahmood and senior officers of the ministry were also present.
https://www.app.com.pk/fm-qureshi-inaugurates-rebuilt-mosque-at-foreign-ministry/
-----
NA
Speaker revives dormant Balochistan committee
June
28, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
It was almost two weeks after the decision of the Balochistan National
Party-Mengal (BNP-M) to quit the ruling coalition and failure of a government
team to woo the party head Sardar Akhtar Mengal that National Assembly Speaker
AsadQaiser on Saturday finally revived a dormant special committee on the
Balochistan issues which he had constituted some four months ago.
BNP-M
MNA Agha Hassan Baloch represented party chief Akhtar Mengal in the maiden
meeting of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan which was held at
the Parliament House and presided over by the speaker himself.
According
to a handout issued by the National Assembly Secretariat after the meeting, the
members of the committee decided to form a four-member sub-committee under the
convenership of Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza to
prepare “comprehensive terms of reference (ToR), encompassing all the issues
relating to Balochistan”.
It
was also decided that a representative of the BNP-M and Defence Minister
PrevezKhattak, who is the head of the government negotiating team, would be
especially invited to assist the sub-committee while it developed the ToR.
Representing
the BNP chief Akhtar Mengal, MNA Hassan Baloch contended that the Balochistan
issues had been getting intense since 2006 and needed to be addressed
forthwith. He suggested examining the recommendations formulated by the
parliamentary committee headed by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain after meeting Nawab
Akbar Bugti.
He
suggested that the committee looked into the issue of missing persons besides
meeting with their families to hear their grievances, especially in Baloch
dominating districts. He said the BNP also demanded that the details of the
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Balochistan should be made
public.
The
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government had suffered a setback on June 17
when the BNP-M announced its decision to quit the ruling coalition at the
centre ahead of the vote on the federal budget, putting the ruling party at the
mercy of six other smaller allies due to its fragile majority in the National
Assembly.
The
decision had been announced by BNP-M chief Akhtar Mengal on the floor of the
National Assembly while taking part in general debate on the budget.
MrMengal
had accused the PTI of having a “non-serious attitude” towards Balochistan
problems and complained about its failure to implement two agreements reached
with his party at the time of the formation of the government soon after the
general elections in 2018.
The
BNP-M and the PTI had signed a six-point memorandum of understanding in August
2018 for an alliance at the centre. The six points were: recovery of missing
persons, implementation of the National Action Plan on terrorism, observance of
six per cent job quota for Balochistan in federal government departments, immediate
repatriation of Afghan refugees and construction of dams in the province to
resolve acute water crisis.
Later,
a two-member government team comprising Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and
Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar held talks with MrMengal, but the
talks ended without making any headway.
Speaking
at the parliamentary committee meeting, NA Speaker AsadQaiser said the
parliament and public representatives were the best option to put forth the
solution of the socio-economic issues faced by Balochistan and its people.
The
speaker said Balochistan and its issues had always been the top priority of the
government which resolved that Pakistan’s development and its progress was
attached with peace and progress of the province.
He
said issuance of an executive order regarding immediate implementation of
Balochistan’s six per cent employment quota in federal departments expressed
the seriousness of Prime Minister Imran Khan for addressing the issues of
Balochistan.
He
said the parliamentary committees in the parliamentary system across the world
had recommendatory role to play and this committee would make its all-out
efforts to recommend best possible solution of the issues faced by Balochistan.
The
speaker said the CPEC emanated from Gilgit-Baltistan and culminated in
Balochistan increasing significance of the province, therefore, ensuring
transfer of the real benefits of CPEC to the local people needed to be looked
into by the parliamentary committee.
Deputy
Speaker Qasim Suri, who is also a member of the committee and belongs to
Balochistan, said that the government was seriously looking into the resolution
of issues confronting peace and development in the province.
IPC
Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza said Balochistan and resolution of its issues had
always been the top priority of the parliamentarians across the country. She
pointed out that comprehensive TOR were essential to make this committee more
effective.
Pervez
Khattak said that the government had taken various steps for mitigating the grievances
of the people of Balochistan and assured continuation of that resolve in future
too.
The
members of the special committee stressed that the parliament should play its
role in resolution of the genuine issues of the province rotting since decades.
They said that the CPEC was undoubtedly a game changer for Pakistan and
Balochistan, thus government should ensure deliverance of their right to the
people of the province. They expressed confidence that the committee under the
stewardship of the speaker would take the lead.
In
a related development, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal
Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday talked to BNP-M chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal over
telephone. Besides discussing the current political situation in the country,
Mr Bhutto-Zardari discussed his plan of convening a multi-party conference
(MPC) of the opposition parties next week with MrMengal.
According
to a statement issued by the PPP Media Centre, Mr Bhutto- Zardari while talking
to the BNP-M chief said the present budget was harmed the interests of the
people and therefore it could not be accepted.
“(Prime
Minister) Imran Khan is attacking the constitution of Pakistan by criticising
the 18th Constitution Amendment. The Covid-19 pandemic has spread everywhere in
the country due to the incapability of Imran Khan and his government,” the PPP
chairman was quoted to have told MrMengal.
They
also talked about the government’s actions with regard to the National Finance
Commission award and the MPC scheduled for next week.
Mr
Bhutto-Zardari said the “selected” had no compassion for the poor people of the
country. People did not get the benefit of decrease in petroleum prices due to
shortage of oil in the market but now the increase of petroleum prices would
further increase inflation, he said.
“Every
day of this selected prime minister is increasing the problems for them,” the
PPP chairman concluded.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1565695/na-speaker-revives-dormant-balochistan-committee
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Asad,
Sindh governor meet Pagara ahead of voting on budget
Imran
Ayub
June
28, 2020
KARACHI:
Caught in a challenging position as its allies are becoming disgruntled, the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government on Saturday tried to woo its partner
— the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), an umbrella organisation of several
parties in Sindh — when federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar
and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail called on Pakistan Muslim League-Functional
(PML-F) president Syed Sibghatullah Shah Rashidi, better known as PirPagara, ahead
of Monday’s crucial voting to pass the federal budget.
Though
both sides came up with an impression that the meeting was a routine exercise
and termed it a sitting to discuss matters of mutual interest, sources privy to
the development said that the PTI side had in fact come to extend fresh
assurances to the GDA leader to address his party’s concerns ahead of Monday’s
session of the National Assembly where the GDA has three votes.
When
asked about the motive and agenda of the visit of Mr Umar and the governor to
PirPagara’s residence Kingri House, they both called it a goodwill gesture and
expressed confidence about smooth passing of the budget on Monday.
“There
is no reason for any disagreement [with the GDA],” Mr Umar said in reply to a
question after the meeting. “You would see our partnership is going smooth with
understanding. I don’t know that any of the GDA’s members are unhappy. We are
not here to convince anyone. It’s not that we are facing any challenge regarding
the budget. There would be voting [on the federal budget 2020-21] on Monday and
you would see there would be no problem.”
Only
on Thursday, Ayaz Latif Palijo, the president of QaumiAwami Tehreek — a member
of the GDA — publicly criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan and called him a
“reserved” leader while comparing him with previous rulers of the country.
“Benazir,
Musharraf and Zardari were always found attached with their allies,” MrPalijo
tweeted. “Though Nawaz Sharif always ignored Sindh, he was always loyal with
his allies Fazlur Rehman, Achakzai and Bizenjo. Imran Khan always stays
reserved with other parties and his allies. He has never met any promise,
neither offered any authority. You all now are seeing the results.”
However,
after Saturday’s meeting, Governor Ismail also insisted that they had good
relations with the GDA and brushed aside the impression of any differences
between the PTI government and its ally.
“There
is no difference [between the government partners],” the governor said. “PirPagara
always guides us and helps us to evolve our strategy and policy. We briefed him
about ongoing and upcoming federal-funded projects in Karachi and other parts
of Sindh. He has always been very kind and supportive. We believe that this
partnership would go a long way.”
Syed
Sadaruddin Shah Rashidi, a senior leader of the PML-F, also made a positive
gesture and to a query about the promises made by the PTI government at the
time of their alliance some two years ago, he blamed the 18th Amendment for being
the “key bottleneck in several initiatives”.
“We
are all aware of the system under which the governments are being run both at
the Centre and in the province,” he said. “But let me tell you that under the
18th Amendment of the Constitution, the centre cannot show any effective
performance [in a province] or prove its loyalty. Once the budget is passed, we
have requested the federal government to look into this issue and demanded
audit of funds spent by the provincial government during all these years in the
name of devolution and development.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1565670/asad-sindh-governor-meet-pagara-ahead-of-voting-on-budget
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/erdogans-agenda-neo-ottoman-ambition/d/122234