Five Former Chiefs Of Staff And Other Veterans Sound Alarm On Hate Speeches And Genocide Calls, Write Open Letter To President, PM And Chief Justice Of India
New
Age Islam News Bureau
01
January 2022
Sant
Kalicharan
----
• Man
Sells Ten-Year-Old Daughter In Western Afghanistan To Feed Family
• Fireworks
Show, Celebrity Performers Planned Across The UAE On New Year’s Eve To Ring In
2022
• Ottoman
Society, Culture, And Politics: Ottoman-Era Turkish Newspapers Endorse
Hindu-Muslim Unity In India
• Germany
Strips Israeli Historian Of Award Over Muslim Genocide Denial
India
• Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind moves Supreme Court Against
The Repeated Instances Of Hate Speeches Against Muslims
• UP: Muslim Man, Ehesan Rao, Faces Community
Boycott For Chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'
• Gurugram: Muslims Offer Namaz In Open Without
Disruption From Right-Wing Groups
• AMU
faculty Chandnibi wins award for book on Devadasis
--------
South Asia
• Taliban
prevent fences erection by Pakistan in Nimroz
• Iranian
president asks for inclusive government in Afghanistan
• India
providing Afghanistan with one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines
--------
Arab World
• Islamic
State Cells Impose Levy On Oil Investors In Northeastern Syria
• 'Grave
crime': Probe launched after 20 family members killed in Iraq operation
• Bahrain
appoints 1st ambassador to Syria in 10 years
--------
Mideast
• Senior
Cleric Vows Punishment of Trump for Assassination of Anti-Terror Commander
General Soleimani
• President
Raeisi says a decent global system needs rationality, justice, spirituality
• Ceremony
held in Denmark to commemorate Martyr Gen. Soleimani
• Iran:
US Bears Definite Int'l Responsibility for Assassination of Anti-Terror
Commander General Soleimani
• Rockets
fired from Hamas-ruled Gaza land off central Israel’s coast
• Israeli
troops kill knife-wielding Palestinian in West Bank town, army says
--------
Europe
• British
Muslim Hiking Group Say Public Response To Islamophobic Abuse 'Heart-Warming'
• Sweden
grants over 27,000 citizenships to Syrians in 2021
--------
Pakistan
• Chief
of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan: Islamic World Must Counter US Economic Terrorism
Through Joint Strategy
• Shia-Sunni
Muslims attend Islamic unity summit in Lahore, Pakistan
• Pakistan
Foreign Minister Shoe Point’s At Saudi Envoy; Angry Pakistanis Call It ‘‘Un-Islamic’
• Pakistan
Saw Increase In Militant Attacks Following Taliban Offensive In Afghanistan:
Report
• What
Is It About Ahmedi Beliefs That Bothers The Pakistani Mainstream So Much?
Omicron
feared to loom within mosques
• Taliban
prevents border fencing with Pakistan meant to divide Pashtuns: Report
• Pakistan:
One dead, 17 injured in celebratory gunfire on New Year's eve
• Pak,
China vow to tap full potential of strategic Gwadar Port
• PITB
signs MoU to promote Pakistan’s startups in Sweden
• Four
soldiers martyred in exchange of fire with terrorists in North Waziristan: ISPR
--------
Southeast Asia
• Putrajaya
Suspends Umrah Trips From Jan 8 Over Omicron Concerns After Returnees From Saudi
Arabia Cause Clusters
• No
Happy New Year for Uyghurs in hiding
• Johor
DAP’s Dr Boo rebuts deputy chief’s response to his allegations, calls for
state’s top leadership to be accountable
• Key
court judgments that made headlines in 2021
--------
Africa
• Kaduna
Shuts Two Islamic Schools As 50-Year-Old Teacher Impregnates Minor
• Tunisia’s
Ennahda party says senior official detained by security forces
• Somalia's
military, spy, police chiefs seek to steer clear of political row
• 4
killed, 200 injured in protests in Sudan: Doctors group
--------
North America
• US
Muslim Community Shaken By ‘Spying’ Incidents, Call For Action
• US
to put more liquidity into Afghan economy, says Blinken
• Israel
signs $3.1 billion deal with US for helicopters, refuelling jets
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hate-speeches-genocide-president-pm-cji/d/126079
--------
Five
Former Chiefs Of Staff And Other Veterans Sound Alarm On Hate Speeches And
Genocide Calls, Write Open Letter To President, PM And Chief Justice Of India
Sant
Kalicharan
----
01.01.22
Five
former chiefs of staff and several other veterans have written an open letter
to the President expressing concern about the implications that hate speeches
and genocide calls hold for national security, warning that any breach of peace
and harmony within the nation would “embolden inimical external forces”.
The
letter, sent on Friday, apprehends a threat to the social fabric of the
country.
Copies
have been sent to the Chief Justice of India, Vice-President, Prime Minister,
Lok Sabha Speaker, defence and home ministers, all political party chiefs and
the three service chiefs, besides the national security adviser.
The
signatories include four former chiefs of naval staff — Admirals L. Ramdas,
Vishnu Bhagwat, Arun Prakash and R.K. Dhowan — a former chief of air staff, Air
Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi; several senior veterans, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson
Rajmohan Gandhi and many retired bureaucrats and civil society activists.
Referring
to the Dharma Sansad (religious parliament) in Haridwar and a meeting in Delhi
where calls were given to establish a “Hindu Rashtra” and pick up weapons to
kill Muslims, the signatories have called for urgent action against those who
made such provocative statements.
“We
cannot allow such incitement to violence together with public expressions of
hate — which not only constitute serious breaches of internal security, but
which could also tear apart the social fabric of our nation,” the letter says,
underscoring the signatories’ disgust at some of the speakers urging the
uniformed services to join the proposed genocide.
“In
view of the current situation on our borders, any breach of peace and harmony
within the nation will embolden inimical external forces. The unity and
cohesiveness of our men and women in uniform, including the CAPFs (central
armed police forces) and police forces, will be seriously affected by allowing such
blatant calls for violence against one or the other community in our diverse
and plural society,” the letter adds.
Underlining
that the Constitution provides for the free practice of diverse religions, the
veterans have said: “We urge you, Mr President and Mr Prime Minister, to take
immediate steps to curb such attempts, and urge you to condemn such incitement
to violence in no uncertain terms.”
In
the week since videos of the calls for genocide surfaced, no one in the
government has said a word against these hate speeches. Only one religious
leader seen spewing venom in the videos has been arrested, by police from
Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, while cases have been registered and notices
issued to a few others after seven days had passed since the events.
The
veterans and other signatories to the letter have urged the leaders of all
political parties to condemn the calls for a genocide of Muslims. “They must
restrain their own cadres and thereby set examples of their commitment to
Secularism, Fraternity and Justice for all,” the letter says.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Man
Sells Ten-Year-Old Daughter In Western Afghanistan To Feed Family
Afghan
girl sold by father
----
01
Jan 2022
A
family that was displaced due to conflicts in Herat province sold their
ten-year-old daughter to save other family members from starvation, Associated
Press reported.
The
minor girl has been named to another family and the father has received the
money in return.
Azizagul,
the mother of the daughter was not informed about her daughter being given to
someone else in return for money.
The
girl will reportedly be married off to the family.
“I
told my husband to bring foodstuff as my five children had nothing to eat, he
would regularly bring food. I asked him from he brought the foodstuff, he
answered that a family is giving him food on daily basis in return for their
ten-year-old daughter.” Said Azizagul.
The
story of Afghan families selling their children has become to some extent a
normal in Afghanistan as over half of the population starving after the foreign
aids stalled and millions of people left unemployed.
On
Friday, December 31, 2021, residents of northern Badakhshan province stopped a
man from selling his two children due to extreme poverty.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/man-sells-ten-year-old-daughter-in-western-afghanistan-to-feed-family-346346/
--------
Fireworks
Show, Celebrity Performers Planned Across The UAE On New Year’s Eve To Ring In
2022
United
Arab Emirates’ key landmarks on New Year’s Eve as revellers set to ring in
2022.
----
31
December ,2021
A
host of firework displays are set to light up the skies at some of the United
Arab Emirates’ key landmarks on New Year’s Eve as revellers set to ring in
2022.
In
Dubai, there will be a total of 36 firework displays across 29 locations as the
emirate.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
End-of-year
celebrations will take place at Dubai’s iconic Burj Al Arab, with the landmark
to host a musical line-up and a fireworks display, and the annual fireworks
extravaganza at the Burj Khalifa where visitors can also expect to see
pyrotechnics And spectacular light shows.
Dubai’s
Global Village is also set to host eight different firework shows, according to
the Dubai Media Office, while Dubai’s Atlantis hotel will ring in the New Year
with a 30-band live performance, fireworks and a special guest appearance from
international singing star Robbie Williams.
At
Ain Dubai, in Dubai’s Bluewater’s, residents can watch fireworks, drone shows
and several performances.
At
Expo 2020 Dubai, spectators can enjoy a drone countdown to 2022, and two
firework displays, earmarked for midnight and at 3am.
Billed
as the longest New Year celebration in the world, spanning the time zones of
all participating countries at the event, the Expo festivities will take place
at various locations across the site over a 13-hour period.
At the
site, 12 international and Dubai-based DJs are lining up to give 2021 a
record-breaking send-off, with acts including, Armin van Buuren, DJ Skip,
Kanika Kapoor, Anyasa and Dimitri Vegas.
There
will also be a Time-Square-style ball drop at al-Wasl Plaza ahead of the clock
chiming midnight.
Dubai
Festival City Mall is also hosting a New Year’s Eve spectacular with a laser,
light and fountain show, fireworks and live entertainment, with Dubai’s La Mer
is also scheduled to put on a firework display at midnight.
In
Abu Dhabi, the emirate is attempting to break three Guinness World Records as
part of the Sheikh Zayed Festival’s New Year’s eve celebrations, including a
40-mimute firework display and a gigantic drone show at al-Wathba, with the
emirate’s Yas Island will close 2021 with firework displays and live music.
Abu
Dhabi’s Corniche will host a New Year’s Eve celebration with a firework
display, while at al-Maryah Island, with Arab pop stars Hussain al-Jassimi,
Balqees and Elissa are to perform at a concert ahead of a fireworks show.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Ottoman
Society, Culture, And Politics: Ottoman-Era Turkish Newspapers Endorse
Hindu-Muslim Unity In India
Turkish
newspapers from the Ottoman era support Hindu-Muslim unity in India.
-----
Omair
Anas
31.12.2021
ANKARA
The
digitized form of newspaper files of the late Ottoman Empire era, made public
by the Turkish government and Turkish non-governmental organizations, adds new
knowledge on Ottoman society, culture, and politics.
Among
many late Ottoman newspapers, the Sebilurresad is one of the most popular
publications which had closely covered and followed Indian affairs. The
fortnightly magazine was first started in 1908 as Sırat-ı Mustakim by Ebul‘ula
Zeynelabidin and H. Esref Edip with Mehmet Akif as the chief editor.
Forced
several times to stop publication or change its name, it became Sebilurresad in
1912. Mehmet Akif, who actively participated in Turkey's national struggle, and
would, later on, write the national anthem of Turkey, was the editor in chief
of Sebilurresad. The editorial team of Sebilurresad had widely traveled to
South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe to mobilize awareness and support for
Turkey.
When
Sebilurresad was started, British-Ottoman relations had already started
declining. Parts of Turkish territories were under the control of allies after
World War I.
The
status of the two holy mosques of Mecca and Medina was the biggest source of
disquiet for the Muslim community worldwide, including the large Muslim population
in the Indian subcontinent. They had already set up an organization like
Anjuman Khuddam-e-Kaba (Assembly of Servants of Kaba) and the Indian Khilafat
Movement, to demand the protection of Islam's holiest sites.
Long
list of political issues concerning India, Turkey
When
the correspondents of Sebilurresad started covering Indian affairs, they found
a long list of political issues that concerned the future of India and Turkey.
Abdurreshid
Ibrahim, SM Tevfik, Ahmed Halil, Ashraf Edip, Omer Riza Dogrul can be seen
among the frequent contributors on Indian affairs in Sebilurresad. The
pan-Asianist Abdurresid İbrahim had traveled to India, en route to Japan in
1908 and had published his observations both in the Sirat-i Mustakim" and
then in the Sebilurresad, when the name was changed.
In
one of his letters from India, he writes: "If I say India is the world's
most sacred place, it will not be wrong. Prophet Adam is said to have landed
near India in Srandip (Sri Lanka). Abdirresid Ibrahim's Arabic biographer Salim
Muhammad underlines his suggestion that India's independence had to be fought
together by both Muslims and Hindus.
Abdurresid
Ibrahim wrote a long article in 1922 to analyze India's independence struggle.
In this article, the Ahmedabad session of the Indian National Congress in 1921
got his attention, for it was held under its Muslim President, Hakim Ajmal
Ahmad Khan. He found this a strong message of unity of all Indians against
British rule.
In
this article, he wrote: "India is a country of the greatest diversity of
religion, languages, and faiths; however, their disunity will spoil their
dreams of independence. The unity which Indians of all faiths had shown in the
Indian Khilafat Movement was an example."
After
Abdurresid Ibrahim, SM Tevfik had extensively traveled to Indian cities from
1912-1913 and published his travelogue in 37 parts titled Hind Yolunda (On Way
to India).
Sebilurresad
is said to be a magazine of conservative late Ottoman politicians. This makes
it a unique understanding of the complex relationship between Islam,
nationalism, and Muslim identity. Their generous admiration for Indian leaders
and India's Islamic scholars, including Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi,
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Shaukat Ali, Shibli Nomani, and
many others speaks volumes of the unique understanding.
Praise
for Maulana Azad
Sebilurresad,
while covering Indian affairs, had no clue that India could ever be partitioned
some two decades later on religious lines. For them, Maulana Azad was not only
a politician but also a great Islamic thinker who had inspired a new awareness
among global Muslims. The articles and speeches of Maulana Azad were
immediately translated and published in Sebilurresad and other magazines. In
this period, the magazine started covering Indian affairs more actively.
The
famous speech of Maulana Abul Kalam at a court in the city of Calcutta (now
Kolkata) received much attention and was published in Sebilurresad and other
magazines. His address was translated into Ottoman Turkish and was later
published in book form. In addition, events from small Indian cities, like
Rampur, Lucknow, Hamirpur, and other citizens, got the journal's attention.
From
1908 to1925, around 500 articles, news items, or translations of India-related
materials were published in Sebilurresad. Among the earliest articles are the
reports of Abdurresid Ibrahim, who had visited Bombay, Hyderabad, and other
cities in 1908. Abdurresid Ibrahim was the first Turkish journalist and
activist who had introduced his Turkish readers to Indian political affairs.
His writings helped the Ottoman politicians understand Indian politics more
closely, and, as a result, the Ottoman/Turkish interest in Indian affairs
increased rapidly.
In
these years, Indian Muslims were helped with the Hijaz Railway project of the
Ottoman government and the construction of ports in Turkey. Indian activities
in Iran found special attention in the newspaper.
There
is a possibility that Abdurresid Ibrahim had also met Rabindranath Tagore and
Subash Chandra Bose during his stay in Japan.
Since
the start of World War I in 1914, the magazine covered affairs related to the
War, especially the position of Indian Muslims. The issue of British politics
towards the Ottoman Khilafat and the two Holy Mosques of Mecca and Medina
received special attention. In that tumultuous time, Khilafat Movement had also
started. In 1924, when Rabindranath Tagore reached Japan, Abdurresid Ibrahim
was already there, and he closely followed the lectures of Tagore and published
his reports about Tagore's lectures in four parts.
Khilafat
movement finds coverage
One
of the most widely covered subjects in these papers is India's independence
struggle. Then the Khilafat movement found significant coverage in these
papers. The subjects of India's history, culture, and society were also widely
covered in many issues of Sebilurresad. Japanese politics, Pan-Asianism, Hijaz
railway, British policy towards Mecca and Medina, centers of Islamic
scholarship in India like Deoband, Nadwatul Ulama, and works of Maulana Abul
Kalam Azad, and Allama Shibli Numani found significant mention.
The
travel of Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh and the results of Tagore also received
their attention. Interestingly, news from small towns like Azamgarh, Rampur,
Hamirpur, Lucknow, Kanpur has also got the magazine's attention. Even the
prevalence of Perso-Arabic traditional medicine known as Unani medicine in
India also received the attention of SM Tevfik, who published a long report
about its prevalence in India in issue number 257 of 1911.
Among
political issues, the Indian Khilafat Movement, Indian National Congress,
Gandhi, Azad, British conferences about India received much attention.
According to a report published in Sebilurresad's issue number 528 of 1920, the
Indian Khilafat Movement offered to mediate between the Arabs and Turks to sort
out their differences.
In
the issues of 551-552, detailed articles on Muhammad Ali Jauhar and Shaukat
Ali, famously known as Ali Brothers, were published. The report also noted that
Ali Brothers had a huge support of all Muslims and non-Muslims in their
anti-British politics. For Ali Brothers, like Maulana Azad, the support for the
Ottoman Khilafat in the time of the British occupation of Istanbul and other
Islamic holy places, Mecca and Medina, was not different from their struggle
against British colonial rule in India.
Interesting
expectations
In an
article published in the issue of 286, in February 1913, about Indian Muslims’
expectations from Turkey, the visiting correspondent of the Sebilurresad, SM
Tevfik, includes two interesting expectations. One Ottomans should closely
observe and learn from the rise of Japan. Second, Turkey should establish close
trade relations with India and all Asian countries, even if the trade volume is
small.
In
the issue of 292, in 1913, Tevfik observed that the failure of the first war of
India’s independence in 1857 had made the Indian masses more sensitive and
aware, especially Hindus.
They
found that modern education is necessary to compete with the West. For these
reasons, Hindus in Calcutta opened schools and colleges and sent their children
to Europe for advanced education in science and mathematics.
He
writes that the nationalist sentiments are getting stronger among Hindus, to
the extent that a Hindu working with any British office is publicly laughed at
and humiliated. Those who work for British authorities now hide their identity
or resign from their jobs.
These
nationalist sentiments are reflected in their political struggle in the Indian
National Congress. This year, they chose a Muslim, Syed Muhammad Khan as their
president at the Karachi session of 1913. In the issue of July 11, 1911, the
magazine introduced a Paris-based magazine Vande Matram founded by freedom
fighter Madam Bhikaji Kama.
In a
report on the happiness of Indians over the return of Edirne back to the
Ottoman rule, SM Tevfik introduced the Vande Matram magazine and translated the
motto of the magazine which read: "Life is nothing without independence.
There is no difference between the dead people buried in their graves and the
people without freedom."
On
Hindu-Muslim riots
Tevfik
found that any Indian in possession of this magazine would have to lose
everything.
The
issue of July 25, 1913, carefully covered the Kanpur riots. The writers said
that the British authorities had misused the communal violence to weaken the
Hindu-Muslim unity against British colonialism. SM Tevfik noticed that Hindu
and Muslim businessmen in Madras (Chennai) had unitedly set up a chamber of
commerce.
After
reporting from many cities, SM Tevfik announced that he would write a detailed
introduction of Hinduism to Turkish readers. In most reports, Sebilurresad
always underlined the unity among various Indian religions for the sake of
their common political future. The coverage of India in the magazine shows
Turkey’s humanist worldview towards Indian affairs by appreciating India’s
diversity and its leaders’ efforts to make India a country of pluralist ideas
and values.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Germany
Strips Israeli Historian Of Award Over Muslim Genocide Denial
A
woman cleaning the grave of her husband near Srebrenica, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, in 2015. (Reuters/File Photo)
----
December
31, 2021
LONDON:
The German government has reversed its decision to honour an Israeli Holocaust
historian in response to his alleged denial of Bosnian Muslims in 1995.
Berlin
had come under harsh criticism for its decision to award Gideon Greif, an
expert on the history of the Auschwitz concentration camp, with a high-level
award.
“The
proposal to award Professor Greif the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of
Germany was withdrawn. This was done by the previous federal government,” the
German Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday, referring to the
government of former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The
Foreign Ministry pointed to work conducted by the commission on Srebrenica —
where the massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims was carried out — on behalf of the
Serbian semi-autonomous region within Bosnia and Herzegovina. That commission’s
conclusions, the Foreign Ministry said, “contradict the case law of the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International
Court of Justice and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of
Genocide.”
In a
letter sent to a Bosniak Islamic scholar and cited in Bosnian-language media,
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier linked the award reversal to Greif’s
position as head of the commission, which is said to have minimized the death
toll of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide by Serbian nationalists.
The
commission also contested claims that the Srebrenica killings constituted an
act of genocide. Swathes of the ethnically diverse Balkan region descended into
vicious communal violence following the dissolution of the Yugoslavian Republic
in 1992.
Berlin’s
decision to strip Greif of his award, added the Foreign Ministry, “does not,
however, reduce the recognition of the services that Professor Greif has earned
in researching the Holocaust and the German Jews who emigrated to Israel.”
Greif
told Israeli newspaper Haaretz Thursday that he had been unofficially informed
he would not be receiving the award — and said Bosnian Muslim Brotherhood
members were responsible for ruining his reputation.
“The
fact that I am Jewish and an Israeli scholar is the reason for such violent,
vicious personal attacks,” he said, blaming “Islamic Brotherhood organizations”
in Bosnia for orchestrating a smear campaign against him.
“It’s
a black stain on Germany. They are murdering the Holocaust victims for a second
time,” the historian added.
The
award reversal was welcomed in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.
Bosnian
Foreign Minister Bisera Turkovic told Haaretz in a statement that “no one
should be allowed to minimize events that have been judicially and legally
established in international courts.”
She
added: “Denial of the Holocaust and the Srebrenica genocide empowers
perpetrators, which results in the glorification of the convicted war criminals
and threatens the repeat of the most horrendous events in our history.”
Menachem
Rosensaft, associate executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress,
told Haaretz: “The German government’s decision not to honor Gideon Greif with
the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is wholly appropriate.
“Gideon
Greif has emerged as the poster child for Srebrenica genocide denial, and
honoring him, even with respect to his prior academic work … would have been
tantamount to endorsing his wholly specious and both morally and
jurisprudentially offensive distortion of the facts regarding the slaughter of
Bosniak Muslims.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1996071/world
--------
India
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind moves Supreme Court Against The Repeated Instances Of Hate Speeches Against Muslims
DECEMBER
31, 2021
It
cites instances dating back to as early as 2018
The
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has approached the Supreme Court against the repeated
instances of hate speeches against Muslims across the country.
The
plea filed by Jamiat national president Maulana Mahmood A. Madani said hate
speech feeds into a system of political and social discrimination and has a
cumulative effect on the dignity of a group/community.
In a
statement released to the media about the filing of the petition, Jamiat, a
socio-religious organisation, narrated various instances of derogatory remarks
and calls for violence against the community since 2018.
The
petition cited inflammatory speeches made by Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati,
priest of Dasna temple, the anti-Muslim slogans made at the Jantar Mantar rally
in August this year, the campaign and protests against Friday ‘Namaz’ in
Gurugram where protesters disrupted congregations at designated plots by
spreading cow dung and issuing threatening slogans, rallies held in Tripura in
which derogatory slogans were made against the Prophet, speeches made by Suraj
Pal Amu and Santhosh Thammaiah, etc.
The
petitioners, according to the statement, also highlighted a report of Uttar
Pradesh Police arresting over 100 Muslims for holding a protest against the
remarks of Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati.
Recently,
76 Supreme Court lawyers wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India seeking
suo motu action against the conclave where genocidal calls were made against
Muslims.
Saying
that the police authorities did not take any action against the instances of
anti-Muslim hate speeches, the petitioners voice concerns about law enforcement
agencies “succumbing to non-state actors” and failing to protect the rights of
the minorities.
Seeking
immediate judicial intervention, the petitioners have highlighted that
derogatory remarks and abusive speeches against Muslims have resulted in
violence and even the killing of individuals.
Source:
The Hindu
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UP:
Muslim Man, Ehesan Rao, Faces Community Boycott For Chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'
Jan
1, 2022
MEERUT:
Farmer Ehesan Rao, 22, lived an uneventful life in Deoband, until December 2
when he attended a joint rally by CM Yogi Adityanath and Union home minister
Amit Shah. That day he clambered on the barricades and started chanting “Bharat
Mata Ki Jai” and “Jai Shri Ram”.
After
a video of Ehesan in a skull cap went viral on social media, it became
difficult for him to leave his house. From threats to boycotts, he is fighting
to make the point that he should be given the liberty to decide what's good for
his own life.
Ehesan
said, “I was overwhelmed by the charged atmosphere during the rally and I, too,
chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’. I didn’t notice that someone was recording it.”
After
the video went viral, his childhood friend was the first to call him saying all
ties between them stand severed. Later, Ehesan’s uncles and cousins also
boycotted him.
“My
sister called me and asked me why I had done it. She told me that her in-laws
were putting pressure on her to break ties with me and my family,” said Ehesan,
who has six sisters (all married) and three brothers.
Soon,
Ehesan -- who was a student at Darul Uloom Deoband but dropped out – started
getting threat calls accusing him of being un-Islamic. Deoband ulema Maulana
Mufti Asad Qasmi raised objections to Ehesan’s act and demanded an apology from
him.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gurugram:
Muslims Offer Namaz In Open Without Disruption From Right-Wing Groups
Dec
31, 2021
Members
of the Muslim community said they prayed in the open in Shankar Chowk, Udyog
Vihar, Palam Vihar, and sectors 12, 29, 44, and 45 without any disruption on
Friday, the first time Namaz was offered without protests from right-wing
groups in nearly four months.
Some
members of Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, an umbrella body of Hindu right-wing
groups, which is leading the protests against namaz in open spaces, did gather
at Shankar Chowk before the namaz congregation, but were turned away by police
teams deployed at all the spots, police said.
Rajiv
Yadav, assistant commissioner of police, said that Muslims offered prayers
peacefully on Friday. “Some members of the right-wing group gathered at one of
the sites, but we warned them of action, following which they went away.
Muslims gathered at seven sites, including Udyog Vihar, and offered namaz
peacefully,” he said.
On
December 10, Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had said offering namaz
at public places cannot be tolerated, even as the district administration
withdrew permission for Friday namaz at 20 designated sites amid protests by
members of Hindu outfits who parked vehicles and organised programmes to
prevent Muslims from offering namaz.
“Today,
we offered Friday prayers in several places peacefully after months. But
right-wing groups who were disrupting Friday namaz and, most recently,
Christmas celebrations in the Millennium City have reached a new low by hailing
Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse. Such vigilante groups are disturbing
the communal harmony of this city,” said Altaf Ahmad, spokesperson, Gurgaon
Muslim Council.
Kulbhushan
Bhardwaj, legal advisor of Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, said that the group
met Friday morning and decided not to disrupt namaz on the last day of the
year. “But this was the last time we allowed them to offer prayers. From 2022,
we will not let them use any public place for offering namaz,” he said.
Meanwhile,
some members of the right-wing group said on Friday that they could not protest
at the spots where namaz was offered as they were busy protesting against the
arrest of Hindu seer Kalicharan Maharaj.
The
seer was arrested from Madhya Pradesh on Thursday for allegedly making
derogatory remarks against Mahatma Gandhi during a religious gathering in
Chhattisgarh earlier this month.
Praveen
Yadav, a member of the Samiti who has been leading the protest against Friday
namaz in Sirhaul, Sector 37, Sector 22 and Udyog Vihar, confirmed the group was
busy protesting the seer’s arrest. “Muslims are taking advantage of the
situation. The administration will have to take some serious action or else
they will continue to encroach upon public places,” he said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
AMU
faculty Chandnibi wins award for book on Devadasis
31st
December 2021
Aligarh:
Prof S Chandnibi, Department of History, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has
won the ‘Arumuzhi Award’ of the Chola Historical Research Sangam of Tamil Nadu
for her book, ‘Kalvettukalil Devadasi’. It is a commentary on the history
Devadasis—who were dedicated to worship and ‘serve’ deities for their lifetime
in Southern India and rest of the Country.
She
was bestowed with the award by former Justice of Madras High Court, N
Kirubakaran in a special ceremony held at Tanjore, Tamil Nadu.
Her
book which was released earlier this year by Lok Sabha MP, M K Kanimozhi at
Sahithya Academy in New Delhi is about the extraordinary story of Devadasis in
the ancient and medieval period.
As
per the provisions of an Act, any person who performs, promotes, takes part in
or abets the performance of any ceremony or act for dedicating a woman as
Devadasi or any ceremony or act connected therewith is punishable. The woman,
who is dedicated, however, shall not be punishable.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/amu-faculty-chandnibi-wins-award-for-book-on-devadasis-2251046/
--------
South Asia
Taliban
prevent fences erection by Pakistan in Nimroz
31
Dec 2021
Local
affiliates of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the western Nimroz province
said that they have stopped the Pakistani military from erecting barbed wire
and outposts.
The
Pakistani military personnel reportedly wanted to build their outpost on
Afghanistan soil in Chahar Burjak district of Nimroz province.
Eyewitness
and residents of the bordering district say that the Pakistani military
exceeded up to 15 kilometers into Afghanistan’s soil and wanted to build check
posts.
Neither
IEA officials nor Pakistani officials have commented on the issue yet.
It
comes over a week after the provincial head of the General Directorate of
Intelligence (GDI) of IEA destroyed barbed wire of the Pakistani military in
eastern Nangarhar province and warned them of repercussions in case they build
fences on Afghan soil.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-prevent-fences-erection-by-pakistan-in-nimroz-467456/
--------
Iranian
president asks for inclusive government in Afghanistan
01
Jan 2022
President
of Iran Ibrahim Raeesi said that his country’s all efforts are for the
formation of an all-inclusive government in Afghanistan that embraces all
people of the country, Fars News Agency reported.
Speaking
on Friday, December 31 the Iranian President said that security in Afghanistan
will ensure security in Iran and that insecurity in the war-torn country is
equal to insecurity in Iran.
Earlier,
Raeesi’s special representative to Afghani Hosein Kazemi Qomi had said that
they are ready to mediate talks between the IEA and other fractions in
Afghanistan to reach an agreement and ultimately form an inclusive government.
“All
our efforts are for a government in Afghanistan that people feel belongs to all
Afghan groups and ethnics and assures peace in the country,” said the Iranian
president.
The
cry for an inclusive government in Afghanistan comes as the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan have always defended their interim government to be inclusive.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/iranian-president-asks-for-inclusive-government-in-afghanistan-97976/
--------
India
providing Afghanistan with one million doses of COVID-19 vaccines
01
Jan 2022
Indian
officials have told CNN that the country will provide Afghanistan with one
million doses of Covaxin produced in India by Bharat Biotech.
This
will be the first time India donates COVID-19 vaccines after the Taliban
regained power in Afghanistan.
The
first shipment of the one million doses of vaccines that contains 500,000 doses
has already arrived in Mahan of Iran and is expected to reach the Afghan
capital today (Saturday, January 1, 2022).
Meanwhile,
the second consignment comprising the same number of jabs will reach Kabul on
the second week of January.
The
made-in-India Covaxin has been approved by WHO for emergency use and is now
being administered in more than 20 countries of the world.
Earlier,
Afghanistan had received COVID-19 vaccines from the US, China, and COVAXIN.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Islamic
State cells impose levy on oil investors in northeastern Syria
Dec
31, 2021
Islamic
State operatives stormed Dec. 15 into the Syrian Democratic Forces-affiliated
Subaihan oil field in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor province and
threatened to kill the field workers if the investors did not pay a fine for
oil production, which amounts to about 20% of the oil production.
On
Dec. 3, an IS explosive device targeted a bus carrying workers on their way
back home in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor from the Kharata oil field, located
20 kilometers (12 miles) southwest of Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria, which is
controlled by the Syrian government. The attack killed 10 people and wounded
others.
Al-Sharqiya
24 network reported Oct. 29 that IS operatives stormed into the Abu Habba oil
field in the northern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, after requesting oil
investors to pay them a share of the oil investment in the field.
In
October, IS launched an attack on the Syrian regime forces in al-Taym oil field
in the south of Deir ez-Zor province, firing with RPGs and heavy machine guns.
This
was followed by violent clashes with machine guns between the Syrian government
forces that were present in the field and IS militants, which resulted in
several deaths and injuries in the regime ranks.
In
July, IS operatives attacked the Daas oil field located in the northern
countryside of Deir ez-Zor, beating the guard and threatening them to force the
investors to make the payment.
Ahed
Slebi, a journalist working with the Naher Media Network covering news from
eastern Syria, told Al-Monitor, “IS militants did not only impose levies on oil
investors, but they have been threatening and chasing down all the area’s rich,
traders and workers in the Autonomous Administration’s institutions, in a bid
to establish a logistic supply base in terms of oil and funds. The oil fields
are IS’ main focus because they are lucrative.”
The
areas of northeastern Syria have recently witnessed an uptick in IS attacks,
killing dozens of regime forces soldiers, and militants affiliated with Iran
and the SDF.
On
Nov. 14, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 18 members of the
regime forces were killed including a brigadier general and four soldiers, in
addition to 13 members of al-Shaitat clan that is loyal to the Syrian regime in
several areas in the Syrian desert, in attacks launched by IS cells on sites
and local groups affiliated with the clan.
The
spokesman for the international coalition said in exclusive statements to North
Press that IS cells have escalated their attacks against civilians to undermine
stability in northeastern Syria.
Orabi
Abdel Hay Orabi, an expert on Islamist groups, told Al-Monitor, “The military
operations launched by IS in northeastern Syria target the control of the areas
on their ground and figures close to them.”
He
said, “Despite being fought by all sides, IS appears to be making progress
because the group has managed to regain the element of surprise in its attacks.
IS militants are very familiar with this vast area with many mountains, valleys
and caves. They have also recently been keen on following the raid strategy in
combat, which means moving small groups and using light weapons, and strike and
withdraw immediately.”
Orabi
added, “This is not to mention the planting of mines around the regime’s vital
sites such as oil wells, phosphate sites, military sites and main camps that
include supply and transportation bases, which turned these locations into
dangerous areas.”
In
October 2019, the US Department of Defense announced that it planned to
strengthen its military presence in northeastern Syria to protect the oil
fields there from falling again into the hands of IS.
Washington
considers the oil fields in Syria as a major source of revenue for the
terrorist organization.
Newsweek
magazine quoted a high-ranking official in the Pentagon as saying that the
United States intends to send 15 Abrams tanks for the protection of oil fields
in eastern Syria, pending White House approval.
It
appears that IS found the Pentagon’s statement as reflecting the United States
unwillingness to continue to protect the oil wells, which means an opportunity
for the organization to finance its activities once more.
Abbas
Sharifa, researcher at Jusoor Center for Studies, said the uptick of IS
operations in northeastern Syria is the result of SDF reluctance in cracking
down on IS operatives and turning a blind eye to their activities because their
presence is directly related to the project of fighting terrorism.
Source:
Syriahr
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.syriahr.com/en/232782/
--------
'Grave
crime': Probe launched after 20 family members killed in Iraq operation
Ali
Jawad
31.12.2021
BAGHDAD
An
investigation has been started in Iraq after 20 family members, including women
and children, were killed in a security operation in the city of Babylon.
The
civilians died in a shoot-out on Thursday between security forces and a suspect
wanted on terrorism charges, according to the Iraqi army’s Babylon Operations
Command.
Hassan
al-Mandeel, the governor of Babylon, termed the loss of innocent lives “a grave
crime that cannot be tolerated.”
He
said in a statement that an investigative committee has been set up to “probe
the reasons that led to this massacre,” vowing that the people responsible will
“receive the appropriate punishment.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Bahrain
appoints 1st ambassador to Syria in 10 years
Khaled
Taj
31.12.2021
Bahrain
has appointed its first ambassador to Syria in a decade after it downgraded
diplomatic ties with Damascus in 2012.
According
to the official Bahrain News Agency, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa issued a
royal decree on Thursday, appointing Waheed Mubarak Sayyar as the kingdom’s
ambassador to Syria.
In
2012, Bahrain and Oman lowered their diplomatic representation in Syria in
response to the Bashar al-Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on protests which
erupted in 2011, while countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar,
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait cut ties with the regime.
The
UAE, however, reopened its embassy in Damascus on Dec. 27, 2018 and appointed a
charge d'affaires. Oman also returned its ambassador to Damascus on Oct. 5,
2020.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/bahrain-appoints-1st-ambassador-to-syria-in-10-years/2462114
--------
Mideast
Senior
Cleric Vows Punishment of Trump for Assassination of Anti-Terror Commander
General Soleimani
2021-December-31
Addressing
a congregation of people at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla
(congregational prayers site), Ayatolallah Khatami said, "Our final
revenge is that all the perpetrators of the assassination of General Qassem
Soleimani and the criminal Trump will be punished."
General
Soleimani, his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of
Iraq’s PMU, and ten of their deputies were martyred by an armed drone strike as
their convoy left Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020. The attack
was ordered by then US President Donald Trump.
To
date, Iran’s chief civilian prosecutor has indicted tens of individuals in
connection with the assassination, among them former president Trump, the head
of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie Jr., and former US Secretaries
of State and Defense Mike Pompeo and Mark Esper.
The
file remains open to the further addition of individuals that Tehran determines
to have played a role in the killing.
Both
commanders were highly popular because of their key role in fighting against
the ISIL terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
Back
in January 2020, two days after the assassination, the Iraqi parliament passed
a law requiring the Iraqi government to end the presence of the US-led foreign
forces in the Arab country.
Earlier
this year, Baghdad and Washington reached an agreement on ending the presence
of all US combat troops in Iraq by the end of the year.
The
US military declared the end of its combat mission in Iraq this month, but
resistance forces remain bent on expelling all American forces, including those
who have stayed in the country on the pretext of training Iraqi forces or
playing an advisory role.
Since
the assassination, Iraqi resistance forces have ramped up pressure on the US
military to leave their country, targeting American bases and forces on
numerous occasions, at one point pushing the Americans to ask them to “just
leave us alone”.
Iran
and Iraq in a joint statement earlier this month underlined their determination
to identify, prosecute and punish the culprits behind the assassination of
General Soleimani and al-Muhandis.
Iran
and Iraq have issued a joint statement on an investigation into the “criminal
and terrorist” assassination by the US of top anti-terror commanders of the two
countries in Baghdad early last year, Iranian Judiciary Deputy Chief and
Secretary-General of Iran's Human Rights Headquarters Kazzem Qaribabadi said.
He
added that the statement was issued during the second session of a joint
Iran-Iraq committee investigating the murder of General Soleimani and
al-Muhandis.
Qaribabadi
said that in the statement, Iran and Iraq stressed that the assassinations were
a “violation of the rules of international law, including relevant
international conventions on the fight against terrorism”.
“In
addition, the two countries reaffirmed their serious and firm determination to
identify, prosecute and punish all those involved in deciding, planning and
implementing this criminal act,” he emphasized.
Qaribabadi
noted that the two countries have exchanged documents and reports about the
case.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
President
Raeisi says a decent global system needs rationality, justice, spirituality
31
December 2021
Iran’s
President Ebrahim Raeisi says security and destiny of all human beings are
intertwined with each other, stressing that a decent international system is in
dire need of rationality, justice and spirituality.
“Global
developments, especially the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, have shown
that security and destiny of human beings are interdependent,” Raeisi said in
separate congratulatory messages to world Christian leaders on the occasion of
the New Year.
“Cooperation
among countries in this crisis, particularly in the field of [COVID-19]
vaccination, in the face of some countries' move to withhold sending essential
items in the field of health and imposing sanctions on nations, clearly showed
that a decent international system is in dire need of rationality, justice and
spirituality.”
He
expressed hope that all global problems would be settled and nations'
resistance to achieve their rights would bear fruit in the New Year by
resorting to the moral virtues of the Abrahamic religions and in light of joint
efforts by countries.
The
Iranian president once again extended his sincere congratulations over the
birth anniversary of Jesus Christ, adding that the Prophet is a manifestation
of resistance against the oppressors and inspiration for freedom-seeking
efforts in the struggle against the arrogant powers.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ceremony
held in Denmark to commemorate Martyr Gen. Soleimani
January
1, 2022
A
commemoration ceremony was held in Denmark on the occasion of the second
martyrdom anniversary of Iran's Lt. Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
The
ceremony held at the Iranian Embassy in Copenhagen was attended by Muslims
including the Iranians living in Denmark.
Iran's
Ambassador to Denmark Afsaneh Nadipour recalled at the ceremony the US state
terrorism in the assassination of General Soleimani and said: "Martyr
Soleimani's actions belonged to the whole humanity and the influence of his
actions transcended the geographic borders."
There
at the ceremony also the representatives of the Palestinian, Iraqi, and
Lebanese communities also praised the effective role of General Soleimani and
his courageous actions.
Source:
ABNA24
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran:
US Bears Definite Int'l Responsibility for Assassination of Anti-Terror
Commander General Soleimani
2021-December-31
In
the statement released on Friday, the foreign ministry said Washington's
criminal act of assassinating General Soleimani is an example of a terrorist
attack that was organized and operated by the then-US administration and is now
the responsibility of the White House.
"Under
international and legal standards, the US government has definitive
international responsibility for this crime," read the statement.
The
full text of the Iranian foreign ministry's statement is as follows:
On
the eve of the second anniversary of the martyrdom of the valiant General of
Islam, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the Islamic Republic of Iran commemorates this immortal martyr who spent his
blessed life in sincere service to Iran, Islam and peace and security.
Martyr
General Soleimani invariably played a role in line with the principled policies
of the Islamic Republic of Iran to help establish peace and stability at the
regional and international levels, and adopted various measures and devoted a
great deal of efforts to combat international terrorism and growing terrorist
outfits across the region.
For
this reason, he has rightly and proudly been titled the Hero of the Fight
against Terrorism and the General of Peace. Despite this role and position, the
US government, through applying double standards and false claims like that of
countering terrorism, in a criminal act that violates the rules and principles
of international law, planned and carried out a terrorist attack against Martyr
General Soleimani as one of the highest-ranking officials of the Islamic
Republic of Iran on the territory of Iraq as the host country.
The
move by then US officials to publicly assassinate the International Counter
Terrorism Hero is in itself a message of support for terrorist groups that
explicitly expose the lies of counter-terrorism claimants.
The
martyrdom of General Soleimani, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes and their great
companions, not only did not diminish the capacity of the Axis of Resistance,
but on the one hand imbued the domestic environment of Iran with national
cohesion and unity, and on the other hand further highlighted the strategy and
discourse of the Resistance.
In
response to this assassination, the prompt and effective action of the Armed
Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in slapping the American troops
stationed at the Ain al-Assad base in Iraq in the face, along with the
spiritual effects of the blood of Iranian and Iraqi martyrs, upset the
equations and brought about the failure of US regional strategy. The US fleeing
from Afghanistan, the beginning of the process of withdrawal from Iraq and the
change in the strategy of the US military presence in the geostrategic region
of Persian Gulf showcase a small part of such impacts and consequences.
Undoubtedly,
the criminal act of the United States in martyring general Soleimani is a clear
manifestation of a "terrorist attack" that was orchestrated and
carried out in an organized manner by the then US government for which the
White House is now responsible.
According
to international and legal standards, the US government bears "definitive
international responsibility" for this crime. In this context, all the
agents, instigators, contributors and perpetrators of this terrorist crime are
responsible. Therefore, in cooperation with other agencies and the Judiciary of
the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has adopted a
number of measures from the very beginning based on the legal principle of
"combating the impunity of criminals" to hold such individuals and
entities accountable before the courts and will continue on this path until the
final result is achieved.
The
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken numerous measures with the aim of
following up the issue at all domestic, bilateral, regional and international
levels, the reports of which have been presented to the great Nation of Iran at
various points to the extent possible. This pursuit of this path will continue
vigorously and comprehensively.
These
measures have been taken in the political, legal, international and public
diplomacy dimensions. In this regard, in the foreign and international arena,
special efforts were made to prevent the distortion of truth by the United
States and its manipulation of the situation. The moral, political, and legal
condemnation expressed towards the US government on an international level for
committing this crime has been one of outcomes of such efforts.
In
following up this issue, it is necessary to point to the continuation of
endeavors by the Joint Judicial Committee between the Islamic Republic of Iran
and the Republic of Iraq.
The
Islamic Republic of Iran has always taken effective and active measures to
establish peace and stability in the region. Now, according to the approaches
of the 13th government, which reaches out to the neighbors of the Islamic
Republic of Iran for extensive and stable engagement and cooperation, the
groundwork for the development and strengthening of relations among the
countries of the region is laid more firmly than before.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Rockets
fired from Hamas-ruled Gaza land off central Israel’s coast
01
January ,2022
Rockets
fired from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday landed in the Mediterranean
Sea off central Israel, the Israeli military said.
It
was not immediately clear whether the rockets were meant to hit Israel, but
Gaza-based militant groups often test-fire missiles toward the sea. There were
no reports of casualties.
Apart
from a single incident in September, there has been no cross-border rocket fire
since a cease-fire ended an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in May.
In a
statement, the Israeli army said the rockets fell off the coast of the Tel Aviv
Metropolitan Area. “According to protocol, no sirens were sounded and no
interception took place,” it added.
Witnesses
in Gaza said they woke up to the sound of outgoing missiles around 7 a.m. and
pictures circulated on social media showed whiffs of white smoke from the
launching area.
The
cease-fire, brokered by Egypt and other mediators, has been fragile.
The
Hamas group says Israel did not take serious steps to ease the blockade it
imposed on Gaza with Egypt’s help when the militant group seized control of the
coastal enclave in 2007.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
troops kill knife-wielding Palestinian in West Bank town, army says
31
December ,2021
Israeli
troops shot dead a knife-wielding Palestinian assailant in the occupied West
Bank on Friday, the army said.
Citing
an initial investigation, it said in a statement that the man had arrived at a
junction near the Jewish settlement of Ariel in a car, got out and “armed with
a knife, ran toward the bus station where civilians and IDF soldiers were
standing.”
The
Palestinian health ministry identified the dead man as a resident of Qarawet
Bani Hassan, a nearby village.
The
Israeli army said it was pursuing whoever else was in the vehicle, which had
fled the scene.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
British
Muslim Hiking Group Say Public Response To Islamophobic Abuse 'Heart-Warming'
31
December, 2021
British
Muslim hikers who faced a tirade of Islamophobic abuse after posting photos and
videos of their walk in a popular English highland destination have described
the support they have received since as "heartwarming".
A
group of 130 hikers, organised by athlete Haroon Mota from Coventry, faced
backlash after posting content from their Christmas walk in the Peak District
on social media.
"We’ve
had people saying hello are you the group that started in Syria and walking
through Calais... an awful thing to say especially considering you have a
refugee plight at the moment," Mota told ITV News.
They
were also accused without evidence of not walking properly and leaving the area
a mess.
The
group, called Muslim Hikers, was started to make outdoor exercise more
accessible for anyone who wanted to participate.
Mota
said many of the hikers had taken up the activity for the first time.
"There
is a huge level of underrepresentation from our communities in the outdoors and
it’s also our south Asian communities, Muslim communities are also affected by
the greatest health inequalities as well."
"Unsurprisingly
our participation levels in the outdoors are low as well so it's important we
get outside."
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/british-muslim-hikers-defiant-face-islamophobic-abuse
--------
Sweden
grants over 27,000 citizenships to Syrians in 2021
Atila
Altuntas
31.12.2021
STOCKHOLM
Sweden
granted at least 27,340 citizenships to Syrians in 2021, the country’s
migration agency said on Friday.
According
to a Swedish Migration Agency’s report, 85,000 people were granted Swedish
citizenship during the year.
At
least 4,067 Somalis and 3,471 Eritreans also received Swedish citizenship.
A
migrant with a residence and work permit in Sweden is entitled to
naturalization within five years.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/sweden-grants-over-27-000-citizenships-to-syrians-in-2021/2462491
--------
Pakistan
Chief
of Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan: Islamic World Must Counter US Economic Terrorism
Through Joint Strategy
January
1, 2022
Chief
of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Pakistan terming the role of Islamic Republic of Iran
and Pakistan vital in Islamic world said the US is imposing economic terrorism
against Muslim countries especially Iran so the Islamic world should form a
joint strategy to counter such challenges.
Siraj-ul-Haq
leader of top Islamic party expressed these views while addressing an Islamic
Unity conference with the presence of the Secretary General of the World Forum
for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought Hojjatoleslam Shahriari in eastern
city of Lahore.
He
said that the colonial powers had divided Ummah in order to maintain control
over the vast reserves of Islamic countries and to sell their weapons.
He
said that Jamaat-e-Islami as a religious and political movement was playing a
role in uniting the Muslim world.
Siraj-ul-Haq
said that the defeat of the United States in Afghanistan is a great news for
the entire Muslim world.
He
added that Pakistan and neighboring Islamic countries should form an economic
market together. The curriculum of the Islamic world should be uniform and
there should be a joint defense force.
“We
seek good ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and their differences would
benefit the enemies of Islam and arrogant powers,” noted the JI chief.
He
added the United States imposed economic terrorism on Afghanistan after its
defeat in the country. Iran is also a victim of US economic terrorism.
“The
unity of the Ummah is the solution to all problems. The problems of Kashmir and
Palestine can be solved immediately if the Islamic countries raise their voice
with full force. Jamaat-e-Islami is the advocate of unity of the Ummah, efforts
will continue,” said Siraj-ul-Haq.
Molavi
Nazir Ahmad Salami, a member of Iranian Assembly of Experts; Morteza Frati, the
deputy consul general of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Lahore; and Jafar
Ronas, the director of Iranian Culture Center also attended the conference.
The
participants in this conference discussed and exchanged views on Islamic unity
from the perspective of the Holy Quran, the model of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in
strengthening unity among Muslims, and commonalities between Islamic religions.
The
need for Muslims to unite against common enemies and create an atmosphere free
of conflict and dialogue between Islamic sects exposing the divisive
conspiracies of the enemies of Islam and promoting moderation were important
topics of the conference.
The
secretary general of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of
Thought and the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan on the occasion also
condemned insult to Islamic sanctities in Western societies.
Hojjatoleslam
Shahriari appreciated the Jamaat-e-Islami Party's efforts in holding the
Islamic Unity Conference and the effective approach of the Pakistan National
Solidarity Council in discussing rapprochement and interaction between the two
countries' religious elites.
He
added cooperation and interaction between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey will
prevent the greed of common enemies because in case of such interaction, there
is no need for enmity, confrontation and turmoil.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Shia-Sunni
Muslims attend Islamic unity summit in Lahore, Pakistan
January
1, 2022
Jamaat-e-Islamic
(Islamic Congress) has held Islamic unity summit in Lahore attended by
delegation from Iran’s prominent Islamic unity center on Thursday.
Participated
by visiting Iranian delegation from Iran, Islamic Congress of Pakistan held
summit in Lahore as Shia and Sunni scholars from both countries discussed their
views on the challenges faced by the world of Islam.
Secretary
General of World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought,
Hujjat-ul-Islam Hamid Shahriari, met with head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Siraj-ul-Haq
ahead of a meeting between religious leaders and renowned figures from the
different Islamic denominations.
Molavi
Nazir Ahmad Salami, Sunni scholar and representative of Iran’s Sisitan and
Baluchistan province in the Assembly of Experts, Morteza Forati, deputy of
Iran’s consulate in the Islamic Republic of Iran in Lahore and Jafar Ronas,
director of Iran’s House of Culture in Lahore were among the Iranian
participants to the Islamic unity event.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Foreign Minister Shoe Point’s At Saudi Envoy; Angry Pakistanis Call It
‘‘Un-Islamic’
AMOGH
ROHMETRA
31
December, 2021
New
Delhi: Saudis and Pakistanis are good old friends. It’s a
‘friend-in-need-is-a-friend-indeed’ relationship where Saudi Arabia is giving
hefty loans to its fellow nation. Although such an arrangement is not new to
the world, in a recent meeting between Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi and Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, it looks
like ‘respect’ and ‘culture’ went for a toss.
Pakistan’s
foreign minister can be seen pointing his shoe towards Saudi Arabia’s
ambassador, while the ambassador sits comfortably without taking any offence.
But Pakistanis on Twitter seem to have taken it as an ‘embarrassment’,
‘disrespect’ and ‘un-Islamic’.
Former
ISESCO Director, GeneraI Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, while taking offence and
calling it ‘disrespect as per Islam’ like many other Twitter users, wrote: “The
behaviour of the Minister of Foreign Affairs by raising his leg in the face of
the Saudi ambassador is totally unacceptable. It is the etiquette of Islam to
respect and honour the guest.” To which another embarrassed user whose Twitter
bio says he is a “proud Pakistani”, replied: “Sorry to All our Saudi Friends
What our foreign minister did is unacceptable Here in Pakistan we are demanding
him to apologise”.
While
Pakistan’s foreign minister was called out in both countries, some users also
targeted the Saudi ambassador for sitting comfortably and not taking offence.
They said that he “made a mistake if he did not warn him and express his
displeasure”. The Saudi Twitter handle also said that “We are a country of
pride and dignity, and we do not accept bad manners, as the foreign minister of
Pakistan made a mistake”.
Pakistani
users also seem to think that the foreign minister needs to learn a lot more.
He is in a “dire need of learning literature”, they said, while pointing out
the offensive manner in which the minister is seated, adding, “Pakistan begs
from Saudi Arabia every year”.
Mocking
Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s “hospitality”, another user took a dig at the minister:
“Pakistani Foreign Minister receives Saudi ambassador in Pakistan with
matchless hospitality”. Twitter users from both countries agreed that it was
not very polite on Qureshi’s part to be seated in such a way.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
saw increase in militant attacks following Taliban offensive in Afghanistan:
report
January
1, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The rise in militant attacks in Pakistan coincided with the Afghan Taliban’s
military offensive that started in May 2021 and reached the highest point in
August 2021 with the takeover of Kabul, said a study conducted by the Pakistan
Institute for Conflict and Security Study (PICSS).
The
highest number of attacks in a single month in 2021 was recorded in August when
45 attacks were carried out by militants, the institute said in its report.
Despite
a one-month ceasefire from November 10 to December 10, the overall number of
militant attacks could not drop.
The
average number of militant attacks per month in Pakistan rose from 16 in 2020
to 25 in 2021, which was the highest after 2017.
PICSS
militancy database showed that Balochistan turned out to be the most turbulent
province where 170 deaths were recorded in 103 attacks. The highest number of
injured were also reported from Balochistan where more than 50pc of the total
injured (331) were recorded.
The
tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the second most affected region of
the country which though witnessed a similar number of attacks as Balochistan
(103). However, the number of deaths was lesser than Balochistan - 117 compared
to 170 in Balochistan) - and 103 were injured.
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, other than the tribal districts, was the third most affected
region which witnessed 59 militant attacks in which 63 people lost their lives
and 59 were injured.
In
Sindh, 15 militant attacks were recorded in which 23 people were killed and 29
injured. In Punjab, militants carried out 10 attacks in which 10 people were
killed and 87 injured.
Islamabad
witnessed three militant attacks claiming the lives of three while one person
was killed in a single attack in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The
militant attacks went up in 2021 in almost all administrative regions of the
country except Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Balochistan
saw 110pc while KP tribal districts 27pc and KP an 111pc rise in militant
attacks during the year 2021.
In
the wake of the escalating terror threat, security forces also stepped up their
operations against militants. A 40pc increase in security forces’ actions was
recorded compared to 2020. In total, security forces conducted 205 reported
actions/operations against militants in which 188 militants were killed and 220
arrested.
The
highest number of security forces actions was reported from Sindh where 92
suspected militants were arrested and five killed in 57 actions.
At
least 72 militants were killed in the tribal districts of KP and 13 were
arrested in 48 actions. KP (other than the tribal districts) witnessed 38
security forces actions in which 21 militants were eliminated and 43 arrested.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
What
Is It About Ahmedi Beliefs That Bothers The Pakistani Mainstream So Much?
by
Junaid Jahangir
December
30, 2021
Pakistanis,
it seems, hate Ahmadis so much that even in the UK there have been cases of
incitement to murder through “Kill Ahmadis” leaflets at a mosque. A British
Ahmadi shopkeeper, Asad Shah, was murdered in 2016 – his killer was made into a
hero for the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Pakistan. The social media
accounts of some Pakistanis in Western countries show derogatory remarks
against the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement. Additionally, among some
Pakistani student associations in Western universities, space and resources are
restricted for individuals other than mainstream Muslims. While Pakistanis
express their religious identity and sensibilities, they deny the same right to
Ahmadis. Similarly, while they raise concerns against Islamophobia and uphold
their narrative on the human rights violations in Kashmir, they conveniently
sideline the discrimination and persecution of Ahmadis at the hands of their
own communities.
This
necessitates the question of why Pakistanis hate Ahmadis so much that they
would even take such hatred along with themselves to Western countries.
‘Purification’
ritual?
One
possible explanation lies in the observation that this level of hatred is not
seen in the Pakistani diaspora against Jews or Hindus, for whom conspiracy
theories are rife in Pakistan. What this means is that we hate that which is
closest to us. Indeed, the religious practices of Ahmadis are closest to Sunni
Muslims – in contrast to Shia Ithna Ashari, Ismaili, or Bohra practices.
Sometimes, it is discovered that those who vociferously rail against Ahmadis
have had personal or family involvement in the Ahmadiyya community. Much like
the Christian and Jewish converts to Islam who imported their anti-Semitism,
some Ahmadi converts to Sunni Islam bring their own bias. Therefore, to erase
their past, former Ahmadis or affiliates engage in a “purification” ritual.
Iqbal’s
affiliation
One
example of this is the poet philosopher Iqbal (d. 1938), who according to
Ahmadi sources, praised the Ahmadiyya movement, and shared public platforms with
Ahmadi leaders – until he changed his position, perhaps just four years before
his death. To put this into context, the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement,
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, died in 1908. Iqbal’s father and his teacher, Sayyid Mir
Hasan (d. 1929), were admirers of Ahmad. His elder brother had formally joined
the Ahmadiyya movement, and Iqbal himself pledged allegiance to Ahmad in 1897.
Iqbal also sent his eldest son Aftab Iqbal (d. 1979, to be educated at the
Ahmadiyya community school in Qadian.
In
1900, he praised Ahmad as the most profound theologian among modern Indian
Muslims. In 1910, two years after Ahmad’s death – and despite Ahmad’s claims
which irritated the orthodox clergy – Iqbal referred to the Ahmadiyya movement
as a true model of Islamic life. He would also consult the first Ahmadi Caliph,
Hakim Nuruddin (d. 1914), on matters of Islamic law. Even in 1935, he mentioned
that the Ahmadi beliefs on the death of Jesus and the interpretation of the
second coming of Jesus provide the Ahmadiyya movement with a rational basis.
He
also deemed it permissible to use the terms nabi or paighambar (prophet) in a
metaphorical sense for non-prophets in poetry. Additionally, he referred to a
true believer as imbued with the spiritual qualities of prophets and the
archangel Gabriel. In his Armaghan-e-Hijaz, he says: “By the one to come, is it
meant the original Jesus or a Mujaddid possessing the attributes of the son of
Mary?” which seems to be compatible with Ahmadi beliefs. However, he expressed
his disagreement and opposition to the ideas of a new prophethood.
Thus,
it seems that having affiliated with the Ahmadiyya movement for a substantial
part of his life, Iqbal later became disillusioned with it, and in a
‘purification’ ritual wanted to disassociate himself from it. Although given
his Sufi leanings, it seems that he was not necessarily opposed to the Ahmadi
beliefs per se, but rather the intensity with which they were expressed. That
is, he was not as concerned with the claims of a promised Messiah or a Mahdi,
as he was with the claims of a new prophethood or the Ahmadi-inspired
excommunication of those who didn’t accept the new prophethood.
Probing
doctrinal differences
The
proximity of Ahmadis to Sunni Muslims necessitates exploring the doctrinal
difference that has allowed Muslims to push the ‘exceptional’ case against
Ahmadis. Generally, and crudely without any nuance, the majoritarian
understanding is that Ahmad claimed prophethood, rejected the doctrine of jihad
and was a British stooge. Such claims are often projected as sound bites
instead of the original writings of Ahmad, which are banned. Often, the level
of hate speech approaches where Hitler had books burned and people were fed
false dogma against Jews prior to the Holocaust.
Now
if we want to know about Ahmadi beliefs instead of hearsay, we have to go to
the source material, which is banned. This is partly because we cannot rely
entirely on conversations with Ahmadi colleagues, just as a vast majority of
Sunni Muslims do not always have the textual references on their beliefs. Based
on the source material presented in the Ahmadiyya case, it becomes clear that
the secondary issues of the virgin birth, the death of Jesus, the doctrine of
jihad, being a British stooge, and kufr fatwas on mainstream Muslims are all a
tempest in a teapot. However, these secondary issues collectively exacerbate
the response to the primary issue of prophethood.
Therefore,
addressing these issues first would go a long way when it comes to addressing
the main issue. This would also allow people to recognise how prejudice impedes
a rational examination of the issue and compounds what should have been a
simple difference of opinion.
The
doctrine of jihad
So
far as the doctrine of jihad is concerned, the teachings of many Muslim
scholars including Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, Maulana Wahiduddin
Khan and others are not that different from those of Ahmad. Generally, Muslims
of the 19th century expressed loyalty to the British government: a point that
must be underscored when we use our decolonization lens to look at those times.
In terms of jihad, such Muslim scholars restrict it to collective defensive
action and with restrictive stipulations when the Islamic faith and practice is
endangered by an aggressive power. The 19th-century Muslim scholars and elders
rejected the 1857 rebellion, as they opined that they were allowed to freely
practice their faith under the British government.
Among
others, Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi (d. 1831) expressed that jihad was not feasible against
the British, as they were neither oppressing Muslims nor preventing them from
religious practices, while Nazir Husain (d. 1902) viewed the 1857 rebellion to
be a breach of covenant and declared it sinful to participate in it. Similarly,
Muhammad Husain Batalvi (d. 1920) opined that the age of sword is no more and
that Muslims who participated in the 1857 rebellion were like beasts. Sanaullah
Amritsari (d. 1948), who staunchly opposed the Ahmadiyya movement, opined that
the ulema (clerics) declared jihad with the sword as rebellion and prohibited
it. Muhammad Iqbal (d. 1938) mentioned that this was the age of the pen, not
the sword.
Likewise,
contemporary Muslim scholars like Ghamidi and Khan focus on tazkiyya nafs
(purification of the soul). Thus, exaggerating the mainstream’s opposition to
Ahmadi beliefs on the doctrine of jihad is logically unjustified.
Jesus
– virgin birth and death
As
far as the virgin birth is concerned, despite the mainstream position, many
Muslim scholars and elders believed that Jesus was not born of a virgin and
that he had a father. Such Muslims include Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (d. 1898) and
Ghulam Ahmed Pervez (d. 1985). Muhammad Asad (d. 1992) expressed that neither
the Qur’an nor the tradition inform us about the chain of causes of Jesus’s
birth and that the relevant verses allude to Mary remaining chaste by marriage.
In a similar vein, Daryabadi (d. 1977) mentioned that interpreting the verses
to understand that obstacles to Mary getting pregnant by her husband were
removed did not constitute kufr (disbelief).
Among
other scholars, Ghamidi believes in the death of Jesus and does not put much
stock in Hadith texts that depict his second coming. Generally, Ghamidi rejects
such eschatological texts, which strengthens his case against the Ahmadiyya
movement. By rejecting such texts, he rejects any coming of a promised Messiah
or Mahdi.
It
is, therefore, interesting to note that those who insist that Jesus is alive or
that he would come again, open themselves to scrutiny on not just the
supernatural nature of their claims but also on the charge that they might not
recognise Jesus on his return, especially when religious texts are replete with
examples of how people awaited prophets only to ostracise and spurn them.
Regardless, the issues of the virgin birth and the death of Jesus, and any
difference on such issues, does not seem to be sufficient to constitute heresy
– at least if we examine the mainstream disagreements on it.
The
Ahmadis’ own fatwas of kufr
Often,
mainstream Muslims claim that Ahmadis deem other Muslims kafirs, and do not
pray behind non-Ahmadi imams. Indeed, some claim that the first foreign
minister of Pakistan, Zafarullah Khan, an Ahmadi, refused to pray at Jinnah’s
funeral. Such allegations are uncalled for, contradictory and reminiscent of
the saying “ulta chor kotwal ko dante” (the thief rebuking the jailer). This is
because if mainstream Muslims deem Ahmadis as kafirs and socially ostracise
them, then why should they expect Ahmadis to open their marginalised spaces to
them? Moreover, historically, going against the environment in which rival
Muslim groups profusely excommunicated one another, Ahmad condemned the
practice of takfir. In his work Tiryaq–u– Qulub from 1902, he expressed that it
was not his creed to call any Muslim kafir and that no one becomes a kafir by
denying his claim. Similarly, in Haqiqat al Wahy from 1907, he highlighted what
he saw as the dishonesty of Muslims who branded Ahmadis kafirs but then accused
them of calling all Muslims kafirs.
However,
Ahmad deflected kufr fatwas on him through the Hadith that the kafir epithet is
returned to the one who uses such labels. He also emphasised that the imam
leading prayers could not be someone who had passed takfir on Ahmadis, for one
could not pray behind someone who, according to the Hadith text, had the charge
of kafir deflected back on him. In his work Al Hakam from 1904, he referred to
Muslims who remained neutral to him as belonging to “our own category.” Thus,
the issue of Zafarullah Khan not praying at Jinnah’s funeral has to be viewed
in this context, and the scrutiny is better placed on why Jamaat-e-Islami
leaders, including Maulana Maududi, refused to pray – when they were clearly
not as disadvantaged as Khan.
In
short, the focus is better placed on majoritarian Muslims, who have rabidly
engaged in takfir and compared each other with Ahmadis. For instance, where
Maulana Izaz Ali (d. 1955) deemed Maududi’s party more harmful for the Muslim
faith than Ahmadis, Maududi’s affiliate Islahi deemed Ghulam Ahmad Pervez’s
ideology as a heresy worse and more extreme than that of Ahmadis. In essence,
focusing on Ahmadi refusal to pray behind those who deem them kafirs is simply
unwarranted.
Where
do we go from here?
What
should have been a simple difference of opinion has been turned into a needless
political issue that has led to the persecution of Ahmadis. Consider for
instance, how several past Muslims, despite holding different opinions, were
able to praise Ahmad for his valiant defense of Islamic beliefs against
Christian missionaries and the Hindu proselytising Arya Samaj movement.
For
instance, on Ahmad’s death, Abul Kalam Azad (d. 1958) expressed that “In spite
of our strong differences with Mirza sahib in respect of some of his claims and
beliefs […] the literature produced by Mirza sahib in his confrontation with
the Christians and the Aryas has received the seal of general approval […] (and
that) it is not likely that a man of this grandeur will be born again in the
religious world of the Indian subcontinent.” Similarly, Zafar Ali Khan’s (d.
1956) father Sirajuddin Ahmed Khan wrote for the Zamindar paper in 1908 that
“though we personally did not have the honour of believing in his claims or
revelations, nonetheless, we consider him to be a perfect Muslim.” Likewise,
Sayyid Mumtaz Ali (d. 1935) wrote that, “although we do not believe him to be
the promised Messiah, his guidance and teaching was indeed messianic for the
spiritually dead.”
However,
with constant political agitation and vested political interests over the
decades, each subsequent generation of Pakistanis has been expected to jump on
the hate bandwagon. This hatred has become inter-generational and one that
seems to spread to Western countries, as Muslims immigrate their hatred along
with themselves. All of this reduces Islam to a zealously guarded cult or a
Coca Cola-type brand instead of a universal umbrella of inclusion.
Source:
The Friday Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Omicron
feared to loom within mosques
Aamir
Khan
January
01, 2022
KARACHI:
As
Omicron cases begin to pile and the city gambles with its fifth coronavirus
wave, Karachi’s mosques continue to remain a potential hotspot for the next
viral spread. Owing to abandonment of state-prescribed precautionary measures
including social distancing and use of facemasks, in addition to lack of
screening for vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, experts fear that
uncontrolled congregations at places of worship could catalyse another viral
outbreak.
Although
the provincial government acknowledges the contribution of ulemas and mosque
committees in controlling Covid-19 during early pandemic stages, it also
believes that a much higher level of corporation is required this time around;
to keep Omicron from gaining momentum.
Per
orders issued by the Sindh Home Department at the behest of the National
Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), unvaccinated persons are to no longer be
allowed within mosques, while all mosques are to remove carpeting from their
premises.
However,
none of that seems to have had any effect on the operations of local mosques,
where most mosque committees have turned a blind-eye to the virus at large,
letting worshippers go unchecked, unmasked and unvaccinated.
Addressing
the issue, Haji Saif, a local mosque committee member from Liaquatabad, said
that it was the drop in Covid-19 numbers in the last few months that encouraged
mosques to relax their anti-coronavirus restrictions.
“It
is true that sanitisation gates and thermal guns have been removed from most
mosque entrances, in addition to missing sanitisers from ablution areas.
Worshippers don’t adhere to social distancing or wearing a facemask anymore.
One of the main reasons for this is that people who have been vaccinated think
that they are now safe from the virus and the general impression is that the
pandemic has died down in Karachi,” he corroborated.
Similarly,
Nadeem Akhtar, administrator of another local mosque, also maintained that the
relaxation of SOPs in places of worship is tied to the relaxation in
enforcement of SOPs by the government itself. “People don’t wear masks or
observe social distancing on the streets, busses or public spaces, now that a
majority are vaccinated. So they don’t feel the need to do that at mosques
either,” the administrator Talking about the home department’s latest order
however, Akhtar said that it is an entirely unviable option.
Read
More: Balochistan reports 30 suspected cases of Omicron variant
He
believes that it would be impossible for mosque committees to screen
worshippers and close forcibly close doors for unvaccinated persons. “This
would create an unnecessary mess but if the government still wants to stop
people, it can do it on its own. But if it instead considers consulting local
scholars and draft a more applicable policy, then there might be some chances
of fixing this,” he added.
On
the other hand, Sultan Akbar, who is a committee member at a Kemari mosque,
commended the government’s decision directing mosques to immediately remove all
carpeting. “This is something doable and would also make it easier to maintain
cleanliness on a daily basis,” he opined.
According
to prayer leader Imam Hafiz Muhammad Yasir however, now that a fifth wave is
feared, mosques have started re-enforcing SOPs that had previously been
relaxed. He shared that most mosques in the city have already removed all
carpeting and have started spraying disinfect at least twice a day, while
prescribing social distancing to worshippers. “The sanitiser gates will also be
reactivated if necessary and the clergy, in consultation with the government,
will leave no stone unturned in implementing all Covid-19 SOPs,” he conveyed.
Source:
The Tribune Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2336597/omicron-feared-to-loom-within-mosques
--------
Taliban
prevents border fencing with Pakistan meant to divide Pashtuns: Report
Jan
1, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The recent incidents on the Afghan-Pak border has brought to light the age-old
issue of Durand Line that Pakistan had hoped to resolve with the Taliban
holding the reins in Kabul.
On
Friday, the Khaama Press news agency reported a second such incident in the
recent past when Taliban's local affiliates said that they stopped the
Pakistani military from erecting barbed-wire fences and outposts in
Afghanistan.
The
Pakistani military personnel reportedly wanted to build their outpost on
Afghanistan soil in Chahar Burjak district of Nimroz province. The Pakistani
military went up to 15 kilometres inside Afghanistan and wanted to build check
posts, said eyewitnesses and residents of the bordering district, according to
reports.
Similarly,
on December 22, the Afghan Taliban had disrupted the fence constructed by
Pakistan in the Nangahar Province on the Durand Line.
A
Toronto-based think tank, International Forum For Rights And Security (IFFRAS)
said that this is an illustration of one festering wound that continues to
engage Afghanistan and Pakistan bilaterally.
The
fencing of the 2,600-km long Durand Line has remained a contentious issue
between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Ashraf Ghani government had objected to
the fencing of the border and the Afghan side had even then tried to stop
Pakistan from erecting a fence.
However,
Pakistan went ahead with the fencing. Pakistan media reports say that 90 per
cent of the border with Pakistan now stands fenced. "The fencing is part
of the border mechanism Pakistan has been working on for years, not just to
regulate the movement of people but also to deny terrorists the chance to move
across the border freely," IFFRAS said.
According
to the think tank, the real reason for Pakistan to fence the border is to divide
the Pashtuns.
The
Pashtuns as an ethnic group straddle between the Pak-Afghan border. In
Afghanistan, they constitute 42 per cent of the population. Meanwhile, in
Pakistan, the population of Pashtuns is 25 per cent.
Highlighting
the irony of how Pashtuns live on both sides of the border, the think thank
argued that Pakistan has chosen to divide these peoples by building a fence
across the stretch of the border.
"Pakistan
has chosen to recognise the Durand Line while Afghanistan, both in the past and
currently refuses to recognise it as the international border between
Afghanistan and Pakistan," IFFRAS said.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan:
One dead, 17 injured in celebratory gunfire on New Year's eve
Jan
1, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
At least one was killed and 17 people suffered bullet injuries on New Year's
eve during the "celebratory gunfire" in Pakistan's Karachi, local
media reported on Saturday.
Karachi
reverberated with gunfire and fireworks on Friday night, despite a restriction
on celebratory firing, Geo News reported.
Though
the authorities had warned of attempted murder charges against the violators,
the number of casualties this time was higher than the previous year, when only
four individuals were injured in the metropolis, said the Pakistani
publication.
Citing
the hospital reports, Geo News reported that a total of 18 people were rushed
to hospitals after being struck by stray gunshots.
An
11-year-old boy succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in Khwaja
Ajmer Nagar, police said.
Six
were transferred to the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center in Korangi, four to
Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, three to Civil Hospital, and two to Sindh Government
Hospital.
Iqra,
a 10-year-old girl who was shot and injured by a stray bullet near Kohistan
Chowk in North Nazimabad, was among the injured.
Haris,
14, was shot near the Ghaas Mandi area in the Napier neighborhood, Geo News
reported.
Asmatullah
sustained injuries in Jauharabad, Farooq sustained injuries in
Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Ali Akbar sustained injuries in Baldia Town, and Rehan got
injured in Malir.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pak,
China vow to tap full potential of strategic Gwadar Port
Dec
31, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
All-weather allies Pakistan and China have agreed to use the full potential of
the strategic Gwadar Port in Balochistan province, a major project under the
CPEC that provides the Communist-giant an opening to the Arabian Sea, according
to a media report on Friday.
The
CPEC is the flagship project of China's ambitious $60 billion Belt and Road
Initiative (BRI) and it links China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan's Gwadar
port in Balochistan province.
The
decision to tap the full potential of the Gwadar Port was taken during a
meeting between Pakistani and Chinese officials on Thursday via video link, the
Dawn newspaper reported.
The
sixth session of the Joint Working Group on Gwadar reviewed the implementation
of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects in Gwadar and also
deliberated upon the future course of action with regard to development of
Gwadar city, port and the free zone, it said.
The
two sides reviewed the progress made on various projects, including full
operationalisation of the Gwadar port and its inclusion in the Afghan Transit
Trade route and vowed to redouble efforts to tap the full potential of the
Gwadar Port.
The
meeting also noted the completion of the project Gwadar Free Zone Phase-1, and
start of work on the bigger Phase-II, covering an area of 2,221 acres, the
report said.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PITB
signs MoU to promote Pakistan’s startups in Sweden
January
1, 2022
LAHORE:
The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and Sweden-based Nutty Ventures
AB have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work in collaboration for
the promotion of local startups.
Punjab
Minister for Higher Education and Information Technology Raja Yassir Humayun
Sarfraz presided over the ceremony held at Arfa Software Technology Park on
Friday. PITB Chairman Azfar Manzoor, PITB Joint Director Hammad Bin and Head of
Freelancing Wing Ahmad Islam Syan were also present.
PITB
DG e-Governance Sajid Latif and Nutty Ventures AB Strategic Adviser Naimulabad
signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.
Under
the agreement, PITB and Nutty Ventures will collaborate to provide increased
exposure to Pakistani startups in Sweden, create tailor-based coaching
opportunities for Pakistani startups, strengthen acceleration programmes and
build opportunities for international investors and venture capital funds for
Pakistani startups.
Mr
Sarfraz said: “The government envisions technology as an engine of economic
growth as ICT interventions are opening new frontiers every day especially for
freelancers and aspiring entrepreneurs.”
“Our
aim is to provide best-in-class coaching to startups so that they can compete
at an international level for visibility and necessary funding for accelerating
growth.”
He
said the partnership would provide exciting opportunities to local startups
besides strengthening existing programmes in entrepreneurship and freelancing
domains.
He
said they were fully committed towards inculcating the culture of tech
entrepreneurship and achieving sustainable growth by grooming early stage
startups to transform into commercially viable technology companies.
He
said a number of initiatives aimed to empower young entrepreneurs, startups and
freelancers through programmes such as Plan 9, National Freelance Training
Programme, e-Rozgaar and e-Earn were running.
Mr
Manzoor said Pakistani startups had made their mark in the global arena which
was manifested through an increase of over 300 per cent in the funding raised
by local startups during 2021.
He
said entrepreneurship and freelancing programmes were not only facilitating the
youth of Punjab through incubation and skills development programmes but also
helping in creating the much-needed linkages with foreign investors and venture
capitalists.
“It is
worth mentioning that the PITB is running a range of successful incubation and
freelancing programmes not only in Punjab but in other provinces as well,” he
added.
The
Nutty Ventures AB, which is currently running a Sweden-wide accelerator
programme, has an extensive experience and network in the Swedish startup,
impact and funding ecosystems.
“Since
we are experiencing rapid change in global trends in the entrepreneurship
ecosystem, we need to eliminate traditional hierarchies and structures which
are huge bottlenecks. Nutty Ventures will leverage the power of global best
practices to create meaningful impact for PITB-backed startups,” said Nutty
Ventures AB founder and CEO Mehkar Sheikh.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1666857/pitb-signs-mou-to-promote-pakistans-startups-in-sweden
--------
Four
soldiers martyred in exchange of fire with terrorists in North Waziristan: ISPR
December
31, 2021
Four
soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in a gun battle with
terrorists during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Mir Ali area of
North Waziristan tribal district, the military’s media wing stated on Friday.
The
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces revealed that an IBO
was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists in the area.
As
per the details, an intense exchange of fire ensued between the terrorists and
the troops, as a result of which four soldiers embraced martyrdom.
The
martyred soldiers were identified as Havaldar Munawar, Sepoy Zaka Ullah, Sepoy
Farhan and Sepoy Sheraz.
Separately,
the security forces conducted another operation in the Tank area following
reports of terrorists’ presence in the vicinity.
During
the operation, two terrorists were killed, who were later identified as Shahzeb
alias Zakir and Daniyal. The forces also recovered weapons during the raid.
“These
terrorists were involved in multiple terror activities including attacks
against security forces, targeted killings and kidnapping for ransom,” the ISPR
statement said.
Earlier
on December 24, two soldiers embraced martydom, when terrorists attacked a
security forces check post in Balochistan’s Kech district.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Putrajaya
suspends umrah trips from Jan 8 over Omicron concerns after returnees from
Saudi Arabia cause clusters
01
Jan 2022
BY
KENNETH TEE
KUALA
LUMPUR, Jan 1 — The Health Ministry today announced an indefinite halt to all
Muslim pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia from January 8 after hundreds who returned
to the country following their umrah were infected with Covid-19.
The
suspension affects all new flight bookings for umrah from today.
Health
Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said large-scaled gatherings involving Muslim
pilgrims from various countries during their stay in Saudi Arabia had exposed
them to higher risk of Covid-19 infections, including the highly infectious
Omicron variant.
This,
he said, made it difficult for the pilgrims to comply with standard operating
procedures (SOP) set by the Malaysian government.
He
cited a total of 966 out of 1077 Covid-19 samples obtained from international
travellers between December 21 and December 29 last year had displayed
“presumptive Omicron” after screening by the Institute for Medical Research
(IMR).
Of
the 966 samples, Khairy said 750 or 77.6 per cent involved samples obtained
from travellers arriving from Saudi Arabia.
“This
temporary postponement in umrah activities is expected to help reduce the risk
of Omicron infections within the country and decelerate the rise of Covid-19 cases.
“Moreover,
this move would also provide the opportunity and room for the government to
carefully plan and prepare in the management of umrah pilgrimage before they
are allowed to resume once again,” he told a press conference here.
To
date, a total of nine clusters involving umrah pilgrimage have been identified
with five of them having been confirmed as Omicron variant index cases.
According
to Khairy, there is almost 100 per cent certainty that cases flagged as
presumptive Omicron from RT-PCR tests will be confirmed as the new variant from
genome sequencing.
“As
you can see, it has spread among close contacts. We don’t know to what extent
the community spread result is yet,” Khairy said.
He
said that the infected overseas returnees had failed to follow home quarantine
rules; instead of keeping themselves isolated, they had visited family members
or neighbours, thereby exposing others to the virus.
He
explained that the returning pilgrims could have been infected prior to leaving
Saudi Arabia but tested negative during the virus’ incubation period.
“The
number of arriving pilgrims, between 800 to 1,000 daily (using four special
flights), also heightened the risk of imported Covid-19 and its Omicron variant
into the country,” Khairy said.
He
said several agencies in charge of umrah management held a meeting yesterday
that was chaired by Senior Minister for Defence Datuk Seri Hishammuddin
Husssein and decided on the suspension.
“I
must perform my duties based on the data and statistics that have been presented.
There is no Malaysian minister that wants to do this. I know how important this
is, there are no Muslim ministers who wants to postpone the pilgrimage, but
this is a serious matter, this is your life,” he said.
Khairy
said pilgrims who are scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia today until January 7
can proceed with their planned trip but will be quarantined at a government
designated location upon their return.
Those
returning to Malaysia from January 3 will also be required to self-isolate for
seven days at a designated quarantine facility or at a hotel.
They
must also get tested with RT-PCR two days before departure and on arrival,
self-test with antigen rapid tests if symptomatic during quarantine, and get
tested with RT-PCR on Day Five of quarantine.
An
individual will only be released from quarantine on Day Eight if there is no
extension of quarantine and if the RT-PCR test on Day Five is negative.
Khairy
had last week said that Malaysia is expected to see a surge in new cases
involving the highly transmissible Covid-19 Omicron variant.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
No
Happy New Year for Uyghurs in hiding
Reshna
Reem Ganesan
January
1, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Alone, afraid and in anguish. Such a state of mind is typical of many
Uyghurs living in Malaysia, according to one of them.
We
shall call him Brother because he does not want to be identified for fear of
the consequences his family in Xinjiang might suffer.
Since
2014, Uyghur Muslims fleeing persecution in China have been passing through
Malaysia to seek refuge in countries such as Turkey, but a small group still
remains here.
However,
Brother was not fleeing his home when he came.
“I
came in 2014 to study English after graduating in architecture in Xinjiang,” he
told FMT. “But I can’t return to China because it is no longer safe for me.
Also, my legal documents have expired.”
He
said he was constantly looking over his shoulder, worrying that Chinese authorities
would locate, extradite and transfer him to an internment camp in Xinjiang.
He
said he had repeatedly attempted to renew his documents but to no avail.
The
Uyghurs, who are predominantly Muslim, now make up less than half of the
population in Xinjiang, which many of them refer to as East Turkestan.
In
recent decades, according to human rights groups, there have been mass
migrations of Han Chinese into Xinjiang province, allegedly orchestrated by the
state to dilute the Uyghur population.
Time
and again, China has been accused of committing atrocities against the Uyghurs,
such as compulsory sterilisation of women, forced labour and sexual violence.
But
China has denied the claims.
Brother
said he came to Malaysia with his wife, who subsequently gave birth to a girl.
However, his wife and two-month-old daughter went back to China in 2018.
“The
last I heard, my wife has been detained and sent to an internment camp, and I
am not sure where my daughter is,” he said.
“My
daughter is four years old now and I will probably never hear her call me papa.
“I
don’t know what happens in the camp my wife is in and it breaks my heart
thinking about her suffering.”
But
he has hope. “Call me naïve,” he said, “but I still believe that I’ll be able
to see my family again. It keeps me fighting for another day.”
Although
Brother is temporarily undocumented and residing in Malaysia, he feels he will
not be extradited because of Malaysia’s stand on Uyghur issues.
Malaysia4Uyghur
president Zuhri Yuhyi said Malaysia was attempting to find a balance between
maintaing good relations with the superpower and meeting the public’s
expectations.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Johor
DAP’s Dr Boo rebuts deputy chief’s response to his allegations, calls for
state’s top leadership to be accountable
31
Dec 2021
BY
BEN TAN
JOHOR
BARU, Dec 31 — In what is seen as a sharp rebuttal to Johor DAP deputy chief
Teo Nie Ching’s response yesterday, Dr Boo Cheng Hau has refuted her reply to
his allegations on the party’s state chief Liew Chin Tong’s alleged lobbying
for a senatorship post.
He
called on Liew to explain publicly in person as to the reasons why he bypassed
the Johor DAP state committee in nominating himself as a senator in Dewan
Negara under the state quota.
“I
would like to thank Teo (Nie Ching) for verifying the fact that Liew sought
nomination for a senatorship under the Johor state quota and would like to
advise her not to be Liew’s human shield, unless she was aware of the incident
and agrees with the particular incident.
“Liew,
as a respectable leader, should be accountable for what he did and needs to
personally explain the reasons he bypassed the Johor DAP state committee in
nominating himself as a senator for Johor.
“This
includes clarifying that he had no hidden agenda in the senatorship nomination
and that there were no personal deals with the Barisan Nasional (BN)-Perikatan
National (PN) government back in August this year,” said Dr Boo in a statement
issued today.
His
comments came after yesterday’s response to his earlier allegation against Liew
who he claimed had misused his power in an attempt to lobby the BN-PN
government for a senator’s post.
Dr
Boo, a former Johor DAP chief and also state Opposition Leader, hit out at
Teo’s claim that Johor could see a snap state election soon.
“As a
seasoned politician, Teo should not try to find a scapegoat and she should have
realised that any undue pressure on the ruling BN-PN administration by
Opposition members for any government-linked corporation (GLC) positions would
trigger a snap state election for them to seek a bigger majority,” he said,
adding that he maintains that the timeline for the events was before August 16
just before former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down.
At
that point of time, the composition of the Johor state assembly was 29 from
BN-PN and 27 from Pakatan Harapan (PH) at that point of time.
Since
the collapse of the previous PH state government in 2020, Johor has been under
the BN-PN ruling coalition with only a slim majority. At present it is led by
BN’s Datuk Hasni Mohammad.
Dr
Boo pointed out that the mere act for Liew in getting himself nominated for the
senator post without the knowledge of Johor DAP state committee and the party’s
state assemblymen would also have become one of the sparks for a snap state
election.
“I would
like to advise Teo as the Johor State Deputy chairperson not to be an
“all-yes-lady” for the state chief.
“Teo
should have advised Liew otherwise for breaching the party’s democratic
conventions, including seeking the state committee’s approval before nominating
him for senatorship,” he said.
Dr
Boo also sought to explain on the claim that nomination for Liew’s senator post
in Dewan Negara is decided by DAP’s national candidature committee and not by
the state committee.
He
said that even though the party constitution states that the appointment of
election candidates and government positions are the Central Executive
Committee’s (CEC) ultimate prerogative, the central leadership has always
sought branches’ and state committees’ feedback on any such appointments and
nominations.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Key
court judgments that made headlines in 2021
31
Dec 2021
BY
KENNETH TEE
KUALA
LUMPUR, Dec 31 — Like so many other sectors this year, the pandemic impacted
Malaysia’s justice system, disrupting hearings in both civil and criminal
matters.
However,
thanks to the judiciary’s embrace of a hybrid system that saw judges sit in
courtrooms while lawyers and their clients made their cases remotely online,
hearings were able to proceed to judgment in 2021.
Among
them were several high profile criminal prosecutions and constitutional matters
such as citizenship issues and the Undi18 vote that led to the government
finally gazetting the move to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 – which means
youths in that age group can take part in the 15th general election, widely
anticipated to be held in 2022.
Here
are 10 civil and criminal cases that caught the public eye where judgments were
delivered in 2021, in chronological order:
1.
Former Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad’s corruption conviction
Mohd
Isa was found guilty of nine corruption charges involving RM3 million by the
High Court on February 3.
He had
claimed trial to receiving the gratification from one Ikhwan Zaidel, a board
member of Gegasan Abadi Properties Sdn Bhd (GAPSB), through his former special
political officer Muhammad Zahid Md Arip.
The
gratification was for helping to approve the purchase of the Merdeka Palace
Hotel & Suites (MPHS) in Kuching, Sarawak, by Felda Investment Corporation
Sdn Bhd (FICSB) from GAPSB for RM160 million.
Outcome:
Mohd Isa was sentenced to six years in jail and fined RM15.45 million.
2.
Malaysiakini fined for contempt of court
For
facilitating five readers’ remarks against the judiciary on the news portal’s
website, Malaysiakini’s operator Mkini Dot Com Sdn Bhd was found guilty of
contempt on February 19 and sentenced to a fine of RM500,000.
The
decision was handed down by the Federal Court in a 6-1 decision.
In
explaining the “not too lenient” fine, the judges said their decision was based
on “public interest” and to discourage others from committing a similar
offence.
The
offensive comments that five Malaysiakini readers had made against the
judiciary had included criticism against the courts over the acquittal of
former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman of 46 corruption and
money-laundering charges.
Outcome:
RM500,000 fine for contempt of court. However, Malaysiakini editor-in-chief
Steven Gan was found not in contempt.
3.
Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s RM2m graft case conviction acquittal
The
Putrajaya MP was freed on July 16 from one count of receiving for himself a RM2
million bribe in his capacity as former Federal Territories minister.
He
was previously sentenced to 12 months’ jail and a RM2 million fine by the High
Court.
The
Court of Appeal in a 2-1 majority decision held that the RM2 million cheque
that Tengku Adnan received from businessman Tan Sri Chai Kin Kong was a
political donation to Umno.
Outcome:
Tengku Adnan’s conviction and sentence of 12-month imprisonment and RM2 million
fine quashed. Prosecutors later withdrew its appeal against his acquittal.
4.
Implementation of Undi18
Considered
one of the most significant decisions handed down by the judiciary in relation
to a constitutional amendment, the High Court in Sarawak ruled on September 3
that the federal government and Election Commission (EC) must take steps to
implement Undi18 by the end of 2021.
The
court had ruled that the EC and federal government had acted “illegally” and
“irrationally” when they decided to delay the Undi18 implementation – enabling
Malaysians aged 18 onwards to vote in the next elections instead of waiting
until they turn 21 – from the promised date of July 2021 to September 2022.
The
proposed amendments had been approved at the second meeting of the second
session of the 14th Parliament in July 2019.
The
federal government later said that it will not be appealing the High Court’s
decision.
Outcome:
The EC and government’s decision to delay the implementation of Undi18 quashed.
The government later gazetted the Bill on November 25 which took effect on
December 15.
Despite
the gazette, 18-year-old Sarawakians were unable to cast their votes in the
state election on December 18.
Full
implementation has been fixed for January 3, with the government explaining the
gazettement was made so as to meet the deadline of December 31 as ordered by
the High Court.
5.
Malaysian mothers win right to apply for citizenship for their overseas-born
children
On
September 9, the High Court made a historic decision that recognised Malaysian
women have an equal right to Malaysian men under the Federal Constitution to
pass on citizenship automatically to their children born overseas.
The
landmark judgment held that Malaysia’s citizenship laws in the Federal
Constitution should not be interpreted in a way that discriminates against
Malaysian women.
Later
on December 22, the Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed the Malaysian
government’s application to stay or temporarily suspend issuance of citizenship
– even before the appeal proper is heard in March 2022.
Outcome:
Government must issue citizenship-related documents upon application to
children born overseas to Malaysian mothers that were married to foreigners
pending an appeal fixed for 2022.
6.
Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan’s acquittal of money laundering charges
The
Umno secretary-general was previously charged with failing to declare RM2
million which he had received from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to the Inland
Revenue Board (IRB) and giving false statements to the Malaysian Anti
-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The
prosecution said it was withdrawing the two charges after Ahmad consented to
and agreed to pay a compound of RM1.1 million, with the Umno leader later
discharged by the High Court on September 29.
According
to Ahmad’s law firm, the process of resolving the case included several
representations sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers over a year’s period.
The
MACC later stated that the RM1.1 million compound issued against Ahmad was a
punitive act and a form of asset recovery under the country's anti-money
laundering law.
Outcome:
Ahmad acquitted of his charges. He will not be prosecuted again for the same
offence.
7.
The Marine cadet officer Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain murder trial
Six
former National Defence University of Malaysia students that caused the death
of Zulfarhan in 2017 were convicted by the High Court but escaped the gallows
following a protracted trial which lasted some three years.
All
six were found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the
November 2 decision.
The
court had then said while the prosecution successfully proved that Zulfarhan
was harmed by the six accused, it failed to prove their intention for murder.
Another
12, charged with voluntarily causing hurt to Zulfarhan to extort a confession
from him over a laptop theft, were also found guilty by the court.
Outcome:
All six were sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment from the date of their arrest.
The other 12 accused were sentenced to three years’ imprisonment each.
8.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s RM42 million SRC International conviction appeal
Possibly
the most significant and highly anticipated verdict made this year was
delivered via video-conferencing on December 8.
The
Court of Appeal had in a unanimous decision affirmed Najib’s conviction and
sentencing involving the misappropriation of RM42 million belonging to SRC
International.
n
their 317-page full judgment, the court ruled that Najib's conduct in relation
to the SRC case could not be said to have served national interests as it had
turned out to be a national embarrassment.
Najib
was appealing the High Court’s decision from July 28, 2020, which found him
guilty of all seven charges relating to SRC’s RM42 million.
However,
he was granted a stay of execution despite his appeal failure. Najib has since
filed an appeal at the Federal Court seeking to overturn the Court of Appeal’s
unanimous ruling.
Outcome:
Najib’s conviction and his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine remain
even though he is free to walk about pending the apex court’s hearing and
disposal of his appeal.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Kaduna
shuts two Islamic schools as 50-year-old teacher impregnates minor
Godwin
Isenyo
31
December 2021
The
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has ordered that the closure of two
Islamiyah schools following the alleged rape of a six-year-old girl and the
impregnation of a 12-year-old girl by a 50-year-old teacher.
The
two Islamiyah schools are Madrasatul Ulumul Deeniya wa Tahfizul Qur’an, located
at Rigasa in the Igabi Local Government Area of the state where the
six-year-old girl was raped while the second school, Tsohon Masallacin Juma’a
in Kachia, Kachia Local Government was where the 12-year-old girl was allegedly
impregnated by the teacher at the school took place.
The
Overseer of the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority, Idris Aliyu,
disclosed this on Friday.
Aliyu
said the governor directed that the two Islamic schools be closed for proper
investigation and the prosecution of perpetrators of the two unfortunate
incidents.
According
to the Overseer of the KSSQA, the six-year-old girl was violated within the
school premises located at Rigasa area of the state and the “school authority
covered it up and claimed ignorance of the incident.”
Aliyu
added that the information before the Ministry of Education showed that the survivor’s
grandmother went to the school authority to complain but was allegedly beaten
by the students and teachers of the Islamiyah.
He
noted that it was against this background that El-Rufai ordered that the
Islamiyah be shut down indefinitely until investigation is concluded and the
culprit produced.
“The
individuals responsible for the violence against the grandmother, especially
the headmaster, will also be prosecuted.
Source:
Punchng
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://punchng.com/kaduna-shuts-two-islamic-schools-as-50-year-old-teacher-impregnates-minor/
--------
Tunisia’s
Ennahda party says senior official detained by security forces
31
December ,2021
Tunisian
security forces have detained a senior official from the biggest party in the
suspended parliament for the first time since President Kais Saied seized
governing powers in July, the party said.
The
moderate Ennahda, which accuses Saied of a coup for freezing the parliament and
accumulating powers, said plainclothes agents seized Noureddine Bhairi on
Friday morning and took him away.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It
called the arrest a dangerous precedent.
The
government and security services were not immediately available to comment.
Saied
has promised to uphold rights and freedoms won in Tunisia’s 2011 revolution
that ushered in democracy and triggered the Arab Spring uprisings across the
region.
However,
he has brushed aside the democratic 2014 constitution and given himself powers
to rule by decree during a transitional period in which he will offer a new
constitution to public referendum.
Ennahda,
which has the largest number of seats in the suspended parliament, was banned
before the revolution but then became the most consistently influential party
afterwards and a member of successive coalition governments.
However,
as Tunisia’s economy stagnated and its political system ground to paralysis in
recent years, support for the party waned and although it came first in the
2019 parliamentary elections it won far fewer votes than in previous years.
Since
Saied’s July intervention, several senior politicians and business leaders have
been detained or subjected to legal prosecution, often involving cases of
corruption or defamation.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Somalia's
military, spy, police chiefs seek to steer clear of political row
Mohammed
Dhaysane
31.12.2021
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Seeking
to ease concerns of armed conflict amid Somalia’s political gridlock, the
country's military, police, and spy agency heads said that they will not get
involved in politics or be used as political tools.
Somali
police chief Abdi Hassan Mohamed late Thursday said the police will stay out of
the political conflict and focus on overall security and the nation’s parliamentary
elections, which began on Nov. 1 but have yet to be completed.
The
National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), which has been accused of
entanglement with the country's politics, issued a statement warning against
the politicization of the armed forces.
The
agency “is committed to maintaining security … (and) warns against politicizing
the Armed Forces as well as politicizing the mandate of the Armed Forces,"
said an statement on Twitter.
Brig.
Gen. Odawa Yusuf Rageh, Somalia’s military chief, told his officers that the
military should stay out the row between the country’s president and prime
minister.
The
current standoff emerged after the country's electoral body ousted its chairman
and President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed suspended Prime Minister Mohamed
Hussein Roble, a move Roble rejected.
"It
appears that the army is under intense pressure from Somalia's international
partners, such as the US and UK," Osman Mohamed, a retired army colonel
and analyst, told Anadolu Agency.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
4
killed, 200 injured in protests in Sudan: Doctors group
Adel
Abdelrahim
31.12.2021
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
At
least four protesters were killed and hundreds injured demanding the restoration
of civilian rule in Sudan, a doctors group said Friday.
At
least four protesters were killed Thursday by live munition in Omdurman, the
twin city of the capital Khartoum across the White Nile River, while 200 were
injured, the Central Committee of the Sudanese Doctors said in a statement.
“Thursday's
repression of the demonstrations is known as a full-fledged crime against
humanity, as the authorities launched a fierce war against peaceful
demonstrations,” the committee said.
It
added: “We detected about 200 injuries during Thursday's demonstrations,
including about 40 injuries from live bullets, some of which are critical.”
On
Thursday, protest rallies took place in several areas in the capital Khartoum,
Kasala, and Port Sudan in the country's east, as well as the northern city of
Atbara, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground.
Protesters
called for democratic civilian rule and decried a recent political deal between
the military and Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
Internet
services on Thursday were down in the capital and other areas prior to the
demonstrations, as providers cut mobile services, with only landline
connections remaining available.
On
Wednesday, security authorities closed multiple bridges and overland routes,
installing concrete barriers and barbed wire on roads leading to the
presidential palace.
The
calls for protest were made by the Sudanese Professionals Association, which
rejected the deal signed last month and called for full civilian rule.
Sudan
has been in turmoil since Oct. 25 when the Sudanese military dismissed Hamdok's
transitional government and declared a state of emergency.
Hamdok,
however, was reinstated on Nov. 21 under an agreement with army chief Abdel
Fattah Al-Burhan in a move rejected by Sudanese political and civil forces as
an "attempt to legitimize the coup."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/4-killed-200-injured-in-protests-in-sudan-doctors-group/2462122
--------
North America
US
Muslim Community Shaken by ‘Spying’ Incidents, Call for Action
2021-December-31
The
two shocking incidents were reported earlier this month by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), sparking fresh concerns over spying in the
American Muslim community.
“Community
members were shocked and saddened to learn about this specific situation, but a
lot of people were also not surprised that an anti-Muslim hate group was
targeting CAIR and spying this way,” Whitney Siddiqi, community affairs
director at CAIR-Ohio, was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera.
The
CAIR chapter in Ohio on December 15 said it had fired Romin Iqbal, its
executive and legal director in the Columbus-Cincinnati area, for “egregious
ethical and professional violations”.
He
was accused by the organization of passing confidential information to the
Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT), a group that the Southern Poverty Law
Center (SPLC), a civil rights organisation that tracks hate groups in the US,
has said was founded by an “anti-Muslim activist”.
A
forensic investigation by a third-party expert found "conclusive evidence
that Iqbal had spent years secretly recording CAIR network meetings and passing
confidential information regarding CAIR's national advocacy work to a known
anti-Muslim hate group", CAIR-Ohio said then.
In a
separate incident, CAIR’s office in Washington on December 21 said a volunteer
at a US mosque had revealed that he was paid by Steven Emerson, IPT’s executive
director, to leak information on the community.
“Community
update: a second IPT ‘spy’ has voluntarily come forward, confessed and agreed
to cooperate with us. He was not part of CAIR. He was an active volunteer in a
large mosque who was invited to national community meetings & events,” CAIR
said in a Twitter thread last week.
“We
are gathering and vetting additional information from this individual. We have
also been directly alerting Muslim leaders and organizations he targeted. We
will publicly release his name and additional information after we finish this
process, God willing,” it added.
Siddiqi
was quoted as saying by Al-Jazeera that one of the aims of the spying is to
create “fear and distrust in our own communities”, while adding that CAIR is
moving forward “with transparency” in its fight against the menace of
Islamophobia.
Muslim
Americans have faced increased surveillance and discriminatory policies since
the events of 9/11, with hate crimes and spying activities seeing an alarming
surge in recent years, mostly with the active involvement of law enforcement
authorities.
Between
2002 and 2014, the New York Police Department assigned an entire unit to spy on
the city’s Muslim population.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US to
put more liquidity into Afghan economy, says Blinken
Anwar
Iqbal
January
1, 2022
WASHINGTON:
Outlining US foreign policy goals for 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken
has promised to look ‘intensely’ at options to put more liquidity into the
Afghan economy.
At a
year-ender news conference on Thursday afternoon, the US foreign policy chief
identified “Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program, and
China’s efforts to challenge the rules-based international order” as some of
the major challenges of 2022.
Responding
to a question about Afghanistan, he pointed out that the US has participated in
the release of about $280 million recently in the Afghan Trust Fund. “And we
are looking intensely at ways to put more liquidity into the Afghan economy, to
get more money into people’s pockets,” he added.
The
United States, he said, was doing that with other countries and partners and
their goal was to “put in place the right mechanisms to do that in a way that
doesn’t directly benefit the Taliban but does go directly to the people.”
The
United States is the largest single provider of humanitarian assistance to
Afghanistan and has already contributed about $500 million to these funds.
The
US assistance, however, goes through UN agencies and international institutions
as Washington refuses to provide direct assistance to the Taliban regime.
Mr.
Blinken said that such restrictions aimed at ensuring that the Taliban make
good on the expectations of the international community. He reminded Kabul’s
new rulers that they need to reform their policies if they want recognition.
The suggested measures include upholding human rights, allowing freedom of
movement, stopping reprisal attacks and countering terrorism, he added.
Earlier
this week, the Biden administration appointed two special envoys for defending
women’s rights in Afghanistan. Secretary Blinken said the envoys will work
closely with him on issues like “fundamental freedoms of women, girls, and
other at-risk populations.”
The
appointment followed the imposition of new restrictions in Kabul, forbidding
women from traveling long distances without a male companion or attending
colleges and universities on their own. The restrictions violate the pledges Taliban
made after their Aug 15 takeover.
The
Biden administration has also retained a series of sanctions against Taliban to
persuade them to change their regressive policies.
Secretary
Blinken said that despite these concerns, the Biden administration has issued
multiple general licenses to ensure that “other countries, institutions, feel
free to move forward with their assistance (to Afghanistan) and not be
concerned about the application or implementation of sanctions against them.”
The licenses also allow US officials to deal directly with Taliban and the
Haqqani Network.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1666920/us-to-put-more-liquidity-into-afghan-economy-says-blinken
--------
Israel
signs $3.1 billion deal with US for helicopters, refuelling jets
31
December 2021
Israel
has signed a multibillion-dollar deal with the US government to "buy"
a number of helicopters and refueling planes under Washington's policy of
maintaining Tel Aviv's so-called military edge in the Middle East.
The
Israeli ministry of military affairs said in a statement on Friday that Tel
Aviv would buy 12 Lockheed Martin Corp CH-53K helicopters and two Boeing Co
KC-46 refueling planes as part of a $3.1 billion deal signed with the United
States.
The
ministry statement said the deal was aimed at beefing up Israel’s air force and
included an option to buy six additional helicopters.
The
first helicopters are due to arrive in Israel in 2026, while the refueling
planes would not be delivered before 2025, with the Israeli military officials
saying they were trying to bring forward the delivery of the KC-46s.
The
US State Department approved the sale of up to eight KC-46 tanker aircraft and
related equipment to Israel last March, marking the first time that Washington
has allowed Tel Aviv to buy new tankers.
With
a range of 11,830 kilometers and the capacity to carry 207,000 pounds of fuel,
the KC-46 is claimed to enable refueling over 64 different types of aircraft
and allow dozens of jets to remain airborne for up to 12 hours.
The
United States signed an agreement in September 2016 to give Israel $38 billion
in military assistance over the next decade, the largest such aid package in US
history.
The
tax payer money granted to consecutive Israeli regimes is a lightning rod for
criticism in the US, which ultimately goes to the coffers of American arms
manufacturers, but also lubricates Tel Aviv's war machine.
US
military aid to Israel has skyrocketed over the past several years while the
regime’s forces are engaged in blatant human rights violations against
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and aggression against Syria, Lebanon and other
countries.
At
least 260 Palestinians, including 66 children, were killed in the Israeli
bombardment of Gaza in 11 days of war back in May. Israel’s airstrikes also
brought widespread devastation to the already impoverished territory.
US
President Joe Biden reaffirmed the US’ support for Israel at that time and
pledged to help it replenish its so-called Iron Dome system, resisting pressure
at home to take a tougher stance against Israeli aggression.
Donald
Trump, Biden’s predecessor, recognized al-Quds as Israel’s capital in December
2017 and signed a proclamation in March 2019 recognizing Israeli sovereignty
over the occupied Golan Heights, Syrian territory.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/12/31/673770/Israeli-regime-deal-US-helicopters-refueling-planes-
--------
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