France Honours 'Hero' Teacher Killed For Showing His Students Cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed
New
Age Islam News Bureau
14
October 2021
Samuel Paty's violent death sent shockwaves
through France. (File)
-----
•
Pakistan Supreme Court Asks KP Govt. to Recover Rs33m from Culprits Involved In
Vandalising Temple
•
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Creates Commission to Expel Those Who Misuse the
Name of the Taliban and Have Nasty Backgrounds
•
Love Jihad Case in Gujarat: Victim Sought Quashing Of the Charges and Requested
Bail
Europe
•
Religious leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia meet in Moscow
•
Putin Says Battle-Hardened Militants From Iraq And Syria Entering Afghanistan
•
German Far-Right Party Opposes Mosque’s Call to Prayer in Cologne
•
Extremists entering Afghanistan from Syria, Iraq; situation in Afghanistan is
not easy: Putin
--------
Pakistan
•
Islamic Sharia Prohibits Forced Conversion, Marriages: Ashrafi
•
Parliamentary Panel Rejects Anti-Forced Conversion Bill amid Protest by
Minorities’ Lawmakers
•
First Transgender Protection Centre opens in Islamabad
•
Imran Khan wants ISI chief Faiz Hameed to continue amid differences with Pak
Army
•
KU professor Dr Iqbal Choudhary honoured with top Muslim world science award
--------
South Asia
•
Afghan refugee children in South Korea welcome new life away from war,
restrictions
•
A number of FMs to visit Kabul, Afghan FM to leave Qatar for Turkey
•
Afghan Shia scholars demand probe into Kunduz terrorist attack
•
Taliban’s record so far shows why the G20 is reluctant to help
•
Taliban asks Iran to facilitate Afghan dry fruits export to India via Chabahar
--------
India
•
International Union of Muslim Scholars To Voice Support For India, Kashmir
Muslims
•
Muslims Will Get Respect Only When They Can ‘Make or Break’ Govt: Top Shia
Cleric
•
Indore Garba Ruckus: Kin of Arrested Muslim Student Mulls To Move HC
•
Kashmiri Pandit leader says his appeal to mosques to reassure minority
communities got good response
•
Kashmir will remain part of India even if I am killed: Farooq Abdullah
•
Wanted Jaish commander shot in J&K gunfight, 5 held in NIA raids on terror caucus
•
PM Modi’s understanding of human rights is flawed: Owaisi
•
Jammu and Kashmir will never become a part of Pakistan: Farooq on Kashmir
killings
--------
Arab World
•
UAE’s Abdullah Bin Zayed Meets US, Israel FMs, Plans to Bolster Religious
Coexistence
•
Expo 2020 Dubai: Arabic singing sensations to put on musical showcase
•
Qatar advises West not to isolate Taliban
•
Israeli air strike kills four in central Syria: Monitor
•
US troops staying put in Iraq and Syria: Officials
•
Turkey says will do ‘what is necessary’ after cross-border attacks from Syria
•
Arab coalition destroys two explosive-laden boats used by Houthis
--------
Southeast Asia
•
Piety or Noise Nuisance? Indonesia Tackles Call to Prayer Volume Backlash
•
Prosecution: Zahid’s lawyers ‘fitting square peg in round hole’, charity’s
RM10.3m cheques to companies not for poverty eradication
•
Annuar Musa: Umno supreme council will only decide Melaka election stance
tonight
•
Indonesian CG discusses Indonesia– Pak education cooperation
--------
Mideast
•
Muslim World Needs To Return To Values Promoted By Holy Prophet: Yemeni Official
•
Turkey detains 22 Islamic State suspects in nationwide raids
•
Islamic Jihad inmates stage hunger strike in Israeli jails
•
Iran Arrests 10 Spies in Southern Province
•
IRGC Operates Its Domestically-Built Qods Radar for 1st Time in Drills
•
Turkey detains eight people, thwarting attempt to kidnap former Iranian soldier
--------
Africa
•
Mosque Attack in Western Niger Leaves 10 Dead
•
Erdogan to begin diplomacy tour to 3 African countries on Sunday: Sources
•
Man who confessed to killing 10 children in Kenya escapes from police cell
•
Kenya rejects ICJ ruling over maritime dispute with Somalia
--------
North America
•
Biden Admin Plans To Exempt Some Taliban-Era Afghan Civil Servants from US Terror-Related
Entry Restrictions
•
US warns of ‘other options’ if diplomacy fails on Iran nuclear program
•
US maintains course on de facto Palestinian embassy despite Israeli pressure
•
US rules out normalizing with Syria’s Assad
•
US will weigh all options if Iran will not resume nuclear deal: Special envoy
Malley
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/france-samuel-paty-cartoons-mohammad-pbuh/d/125572
--------
France
Honours 'Hero' Teacher Killed For Showing His Students Cartoons of the Prophet
Mohammed
Oct
13, 202
Samuel Paty's violent death sent shockwaves
through France. (File)
-----
PARIS:
A year after the brutal murder of a French teacher, beheaded for showing his
students cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, schools are struggling with how to
teach core French values without inflaming tensions with young Muslims.
Samuel
Paty, who was 47, was killed after leaving the middle school where he taught
history and geography in the tranquil Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
on the evening of October 16, 2020.
His
killer, 18-year-old Chechen refugee Abdullakh Anzorov, who had been living in
France for years, claimed the attack as revenge for Paty showing his class the
Mohammed cartoons in a lesson on free speech.
On
Saturday, several ceremonies will be held in memory of the popular teacher
hailed by President Emmanuel Macron as a "quiet hero" of the French
republic.
In
Conflans, the ceremonies will include the unveiling of a monument of an open
book, while in Paris a square opposite the prestigious Sorbonne university will
be renamed in his honour.
Paty's
violent death sent shockwaves through France, where it was seen as an attack on
the core values drilled by teachers into generations of schoolchildren,
including the separation of church and state and the right to blaspheme.
For
sociologist Michel Wieviorka, it was an attack on the idea, long cherished by
the French, "that children leave their differences at the door when they
enter school".
Students
are expected to embark on the path to "modernity, progress, civilisation
and knowledge" in the classroom, he added.
In
scenes reminiscent of the rallies held after the 2015 killing of a group of
Charlie Hebdo cartoonists -- whose drawings Paty showed his class -- thousands
of people marched across France in defence of free speech after the teacher was
killed.
At
least three towns went on to name schools after Paty, including the
multi-ethnic eastern Paris suburb of Valenton.
Despite
the show of defiance, some teachers say Paty's murder has caused them to
exercise a form of self-censorship.
A
teacher in a town near Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, who did not want to be named,
told AFP she "holds back more" now when discussing religion with her
class.
In
an interview with Liberation newspaper, one of Paty's colleagues said she too
had grown more guarded.
"I
weigh every word I say now," the woman, who was also not named for
security reasons, told the paper.
She
said she feared that her remarks could be "misinterpreted by the students
and widely shared (outside the school), as happened with Samuel".
Paty's
decision to show students aged 14-15 two cartoons of Mohammed, one featuring
the prophet naked on all fours, unleashed a vicious online smear campaign
started by the father of a student who falsely claimed that Paty had asked
Muslims to leave the classroom.
The
campaign caught the attention of Normandy-based extremist Anzorov, who traced
Paty to his school and paid some of his students to point him out as he was
walking home from work.
Anzarov
was himself shot dead later that day by police.
The
attack came in the midst of a heated debate over Macron's campaign against what
he called "Islamist separatism" in immigrant communities, where
conservative Muslims are accused of rejecting secularism, free speech and other
values taught in school.
Macron
was accused by leftist critics at the time of stigmatising Europe's biggest
Muslim community and pandering to the far-right ahead of 2022 elections.
But
on the right, voters and politicians have long been urging tougher action to
restore the state's authority in what a group of teachers described in a 2015
book as the "lost territories of the Republic".
They
include controversial media pundit Eric Zemmour, a possible candidate for the
presidency in next year's vote, who has declared Paty's murder proof that
France is in a "civil war" with radical Islamists.
The
anti-Islam commentator, whom polls show closing in on Marine Le Pen for the
leadership of the far-right, stresses the need for immigrants to assimilate
into French society.
For
Wieviorka, however, the notion that newcomers should renounce the customs and
culture of their countries of origin is not tenable.
"That's
the old French model which no longer really works," he said.
He
contrasted the tough rhetoric from ministers on secularism with the reality in
schools, where teachers are being challenged daily by students about laws
protecting the right to mock people's faith, which many Muslims see as chiefly
targeting Islam.
"They
(the teachers) are not prepared for that," he said.
To
help them provide answers, the education ministry has developed a series of
educational tools, including a "republican guide" sent to each school
and a series of posters explaining secularism.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Supreme Court Asks KP Govt. to Recover Rs33m from Culprits Involved In
Vandalising Temple
Nasir
Iqbal
October
14, 2021
Policemen inspect the burnt-out Hindu shrine in
Karak district on Jan 1. — AFP/File
-----
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued directives to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
government to collect Rs33 million from culprits involved in vandalising and
torching of a century-old Samadhi (shrine) of a Hindu saint in the Teri village
of Karak district.
A
three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed, issued
the directive to the provincial government while hearing the case pertaining to
vandalism incidents in Hindu temples when Advocate General for Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Shumail Butt apprised the bench that over Rs33m was spent on the
rehabilitation and restoration of the temple, which was built before 1920.
The
apex court had taken notice of the Karak incident of Dec 30, 2021 when over
1,000 people led by some local elders of a religious party held a protest and
demanded demolition of the temple before attacking it.
In
a report submitted to the Supreme Court, Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC) chief Dr
Ramesh Kumar Vankwani alleged that getting encouraged with complete silence of
the district administration over previous court rulings to recover the
restoration cost, the miscreants led by Qari Faizullah, who was released on
bail by an anti-terrorism court in Kohat, had raised objection to the word
“Mandir” written on the Samadhi wall. The suspect demanded that instead of the
word ‘temple’, the wall be inscribed with the word ‘shrine’.
AG
files three-page report on vandalism of century-old Hindu saint’s shrine in
Karak
The
PHC report stated: “It is really beyond comprehension whether the holy site
such as Mandir, Ashram, Gurdwara, Krishn Dwara, Marhi, Darbar, Tikaano, Teerath
or Samadhi would be decided by these miscreants, emboldened by pathetic
approach of administration.”
The
KP advocate general explained to the Supreme Court that the accused involved in
the vandalism were still facing trial, wondering what would transpire if
someone from whom the restoration cost was recovered later was found to be
innocent.
In
its three-page report filed in the court, the KP government stated that the
culprits had been arrested without wasting time but they were granted bail by
courts. The SC was further informed that notices for the recovery of the cost
were served to all the detained suspects on Feb 12, 2021 through the Kohat jail
superintendent.
The
official report highlighted that a week before the incident, the Teri peace
committee and an advocate, Rohit Kumar, had agreed the Hindu community could
use a piece of land purchased a year ago to build residence, car park and
courtyard etc. But the bone of contention was the extension in the prayer area
of the shrine as the Muslim population was against any extension in the Samadhi
area, according to the report. Undoing of a separating wall between the Samadhi
and additionally purchased land could be taken as extension of the Samadhi
area.
The
KP government in its report explained that it had restored the Samadhi at its
original site but could not include construction of any additional structure at
any additional site at the state expense. It added that once the Samadhi was
taken over by the Hindu community, they could raise residential quarters and
other facilities at the additional land as per their agreement with the local
peace committee.
The
Hindu council, however, questioned how the assertive miscreants could be
allowed to decide or interfere in the matters pertaining to the mandir. The PHC
in its report demanded that all the commitments made by the KP chief minister
during his meeting of Jan 1, 2021 with Dr Shoaib Suddle-led Commission of the
Supreme Court for Minorities Rights be implemented without any delay.
The
council also urged the apex court to ensure that the mandir was provided with
all the facilities for comfortable stay of the pilgrims, including women,
children and senior citizens, who visited the place from Sindh.
At
the hearing, Rehmat Salam Khattak, one of the suspects facing the allegation of
being involved in the vandalism, told the bench that around 100 men were
rounded up after the incident, pleading that he was innocent as he played no
role in vandalism of the temple.
The
court adjourned further proceedings for a month.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1651908/sc-asks-kp-govt-to-recover-rs33m-in-karak-temple-case
--------
Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan Creates Commission to Expel Those Who Misuse the Name of
the Taliban and Have Nasty Backgrounds
13
Oct 2021
Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan has created a special commission to expel those who
misuse the name of the Taliban, do not treat people well, and have nasty backgrounds.
The
commission which has been named “filtration commission of forces” is composed
of representatives from the defense ministry, interior affairs ministry, and
high directorate of intelligence and was officially announced on Wednesday,
October 13.
Spokesperson
on the ministry of interior affairs Saeed Khostai said that the commission will
get functional in all provinces of the country and heads of the intelligence of
the provinces will be leading the provincial offices of the commission.
Saeed
Khostai though did not disclose details of the unfavorable people, said that
these are some people who stand against the government and Islamic system.
The
IEA created the commission after gunmen started entering the houses of people
pretending to be the Taliban fighters.
Earlier,
it was said the IEA will also send back to provinces the Taliban fighters who
are not trained enough to deal with people of Kabul especially the women.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-creates-commission-to-expel-unfavorable-members-568658568/
--------
Love
Jihad Case in Gujarat: Victim Sought Quashing Of the Charges and Requested Bail
Oct
14, 2021
Ahmedabad:
Nearly four months after the first complaint under the newly enacted ‘love
jihad’ laws was filed at Gotri police station in Vadodara, the four accused
persons — the victim’s husband, the priest who solemnized the marriage and two
persons who stood witness to the marriage — were granted bail by the Gujarat
high court on Wednesday.
During
a hearing on Tuesday, Justice I J Vora said he was thinking of granting bail to
the accused husband Sameer Qureshi, the priest Islamuddin Shaikh and two
witnesses to the marriage, Naushad Shaikh and Irshad Shaikh. The judge
commented that the cleric and two witnesses appeared innocent in this case, but
were behind bars for long. On Wednesday, the judge granted bail to all four of
them. The accused’s lawyer said they will be released after a copy of the court
order is made available.
The
FIR was lodged on June 17, two days after the Gujarat assembly amended the
Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act and inserted sections making religious
conversion by interfaith marriage a punishable offence. The victim first
levelled allegations of forced conversion and then went on to level charges of
rape, sodomy and caste atrocity.
There
are eight accused persons in this case, of whom seven were arrested. The courts
had granted bail to the husband’s parents and sister.
All
seven accused and the victim herself moved the high court in August seeking
quashing of the charges and requesting bail as well. The victim alleged that
police officials were “overzealous” and inserted the offence punishable under
anti-conversion laws into her complaint. The cops, on the other hand, refuted
the allegations and asserted that the victim herself had levelled the charges
by way of a written complaint.
There
is one more accused in this case, Meher Malek, who has been charged with
abetment. She had also approached the court to get the charges against her
quashed.
The
HC stayed police from taking coercive action against her and from filing a
chargesheet against her until the court passes further orders, said her
advocate, Hitesh Gupta.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Religious
leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia meet in Moscow
Elena
Teslova
13.10.2021
MOSCOW
Patriarch
Kirill of Moscow, Chairman of Caucasian Muslims Office in Azerbaijan
Allahshukur Pashazade, and Armenian religious leader Catholicos Karekin II held
a trilateral meeting in Moscow on Wednesday.
Opening
the meeting, Patriarch Kirill said religions have the potential to bring peace
between ethnic groups, “no matter how difficult relations between Azerbaijan
and Armenia are at this stage.
"We
believe that faith and love for God will heal the wounds caused by the tragic
conflict that has lasted for many years," he said, referring to
Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan
but was under Armenian occupation since 1991.
New
clashes erupted on Sept. 27 last year, which lasted for 44 days. The two
countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement in November 2020 to end the
fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.
Recalling
that the Caucasus has always been famous for its diversity of peoples,
languages and cultures, Kirill claimed there is no other future for the
Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples than living together.
"Today
it is especially important to restore people's trust in each other, to learn
again to perceive a neighbor with respect and readiness for mutual
assistance," he said.
Kirill
stressed on the importance of respecting religious sites, historical monuments
and graves, and religious feelings of people of different faiths.
"Religious
leaders are called upon to use their authority to create and maintain an
atmosphere of good neighborliness between religions and peoples," he
added.
Kirill
urged to find out what happened with missing people in the region, to release
prisoners of war and civilians, and to refrain from the use of weapons.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Putin
says battle-hardened militants from Iraq and Syria entering Afghanistan
13
October ,2021
Russian
President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that battle-hardened militants from
Iraq and Syria are “actively” entering Afghanistan.
“The
situation in Afghanistan is not easy,” Putin said during a video conference
with security service chiefs of ex-Soviet states.
“Militants
from Iraq, Syria with experience in military operations are actively being
drawn there,” he said.
“It
is possible that terrorists may try to destabilize the situation in neighboring
states,” he added, warning that they could even try “direct expansion.”
Putin
has repeatedly warned about members of extremist groups exploiting political
turmoil in Afghanistan to cross into neighboring ex-Soviet countries as
refugees.
While
Moscow has been cautiously optimistic about the new Taliban leadership in
Kabul, the Kremlin is concerned about instability spilling over into Central
Asia where it houses military bases.
In
the wake of the Taliban takeover, Russia held military drills with ex-Soviet
Tajikistan -- where it operates a military base -- and in Uzbekistan. Both
countries share a border with Afghanistan.
Tajikistan’s
national security chief, Saimumin Yatimov, for his part told the video
conference that he had registered an “intensification” of attempts to “smuggle
drugs, weapons, ammunition” from Afghanistan into his country.
Afghanistan
has long been the world’s largest producer of opium and heroin, with profits
from the illicit trade helping fund the Taliban.
Earlier
Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted Tajikistan’s leader Emomali
Rakhmon in Paris, vowing to help the Central Asian state maintain stability.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
German
far-right party opposes mosque’s call to prayer in Cologne
13.10.2021
BERLIN
Germany’s
far-right AfD party stepped up criticism of Cologne’s mayor Henriette Reker for
allowing mosques to broadcast call to prayer (Azan) on Fridays.
“This
gives the impression that Germany is not a Christian country, but a Muslim one.
This is not the case,” Matthias Buschges, the AfD’s deputy spokesman in
Cologne, said in a statement.
Cologne
is one of Germany’s biggest cities, and home to more than 120,000 Muslims,
nearly 12% of the city’s entire population.
Its
mayor Reker announced last week that nearly 30 mosques in the city will be
allowed to broadcast muezzin’s call for Friday prayers over loudspeakers.
“Cologne
is a city of religious diversity and freedoms. Allowing muezzin’s call to
prayer is for me a sign of respect,” she stressed.
But
Islamophobic movements and the far-right AfD party heavily criticized Reker for
her decision, arguing that this was another sign of “Islamization of Germany”.
Beatrix
von Storch, the deputy federal spokeswoman of the AfD, said her party strongly
opposes this decision.
“The
muezzin call is not an expression of religious freedom, and tolerance, and
diversity. It is an expression of a political claim to rule, of submission and
Islamization,” she said on Twitter.
According
to an agreement between the city of Cologne and the local Muslim community,
mosques now can broadcast call to prayer on Friday afternoons for up to five
minutes.
Germany’s
constitution guarantees freedom of religion, but broadcasting call to prayers
from mosques have been controversial in some municipalities, due to different
legislative frameworks.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Extremists
entering Afghanistan from Syria, Iraq; situation in Afghanistan is not easy:
Putin
14
Oct 2021
Russian
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, October 13 said that battle-hardened
militants are actively entering Afghanistan and acknowledged that the situation
is not easy in Afghanistan.
The
Russian president was talking to a virtual conference of the security service
chiefs of the ex-soviet states.
Putin
is apparently meant by ISIS fighters the ones that have not been taken
seriously by the Taliban. The former is believed not to be a big threat to the
de-facto government in Afghanistan because the group-ISIS-K- does not have
international or regional support.
Putin
said that it is possible that the extremists might destabilize the situation in
the neighboring countries and might even seek direct expansion.
Though
the Kremlin has been optimistic about the Taliban leadership in Kabul, it is
concerned about instability spilling over into central Asian countries.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Islamic
Sharia prohibits forced conversion, marriages: Ashrafi
October
14, 2021
ISLAMABAD
- Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle
East Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Wednesday said that Islamic Sharia strictly
prohibited forced marriages and forced conversions adding no Muslim could think
contrary to the teachings of his religion.
Speaking in a seminar titled “The Rights of Minorities and Women in
light of Seerat-e-Taiba of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon
Him)”, Ashrafi said there is no concept of forced marriages or conversion in
Islam. Referring to forced conversion
cases in Sindh, he said tribal traditions must not be portrayed as Islamic
traditions.” We must not put the stamp of Islam on our own thinking, actions
and tribal traditions.” Islam did not prohibit female education. Brushing aside
the claim of a right group about per annum 1,000 forced conversions in
Pakistan, he said he contacted the right group and asked them to give addresses
and names of 100 of the non Muslims who were forcefully converted in Islam in
Pakistan but the group had failed to prove their claim. One of the main
purposes of the advent of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) was to give respect to women
folk. Islam taught the lesson of love, peace and the Constitution of Islamic
Republic of Pakistan protected the rights of marginalized segment of society.
Source:
The Nation
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://nation.com.pk/14-Oct-2021/islamic-sharia-prohibits-forced-conversion-marriages-ashrafi
--------
Parliamentary
panel rejects anti-forced conversion bill amid protest by minorities’ lawmakers
Nadir
Guramani
October
13, 2021
A
parliamentary committee on Wednesday rejected the anti-forced conversion bill
after the Ministry of Religious Affairs opposed the proposed law while
lawmakers from minority communities protested the decision.
The
bill came under discussion during a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee to
Protect Minorities from Forced Conversions, where Religious Affairs Minister
Noorul Haq Qadri said the "environment is unfavourable" for
formulating a law against forced conversions.
He
warned that forming a law on forced conversions would deteriorate peace in the
country and "create further problems for minorities". "They (the
minorities) will be made more vulnerable," the minister said.
Stating
that the provincial governments, the National Assembly speaker and the Prime
Minister's Office may take other measures to end forced conversions, he
reiterated that legislation on the matter could lead to a melee.
Minister
of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan said the issue of forced
conversions had already been raised before the prime minister, who had formed a
special parliamentary committee on the matter.
"We
are serious about [addressing] the problem of forced conversions," he
said. He added that the law on the subject, however, was to be formed to
address the issue "and not for getting appreciation from an international
organisation or a non-governmental organisation".
He
further stated that legislation on the subject was being opposed as setting an
age limit with regards to forced conversions "goes against Islam and the
Constitution of Pakistan".
The
minister informed the committee that Law Minister Farogh Naseem had called him
to his office and cautioned him against legislating on the matter, terming the
move "dangerous".
"He
(Naseem) said to me that [being given] ministries is of little value as they
come and go, but we should not go against Islam," Khan added.
Jamaat-i-Islami
Senator Mushtaq Ahmed also opposed the bill, denying that the problem of forced
conversions existed in Pakistan. "This bill is anti-Islam," he
remarked.
Criticising
the government for proposing the law in the first place, the senator said,
"It is due to the incumbent government's wrong policies and neglect that
not just Pakistan, but the entire Muslim world and minorities are also facing
difficulties."
The
opposition to the bill irked PTI MNA Lal Chand Malhi, who said the remarks by
the ministers who had spoken earlier gave the impression that forced
conversions were not a problem in Pakistan.
"You
are cornering minorities and such decisions [rejecting the bill] will make life
a living hell for minorities in this country," he said.
Malhi
claimed that the bill had not been rejected by the Ministry of Religious
Affairs or the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) but had been dismissed on the
instructions of Mian Mithu. Mithu, the pir of Bharchundi Sharif, has been
blamed for the alleged forced conversions of Hindu girls in rural Sindh.
In
response to allegations by Malhi, Khan accused him of making false and
political statements.
An
angry Senator Ahmed added, "No matter what happens, we will not allow
anyone to go against Islam."
Another
committee member, Maulvi Faiz Ahmed, also said the bill was against Islam and
Shariah. "And we will not allow any legislation in this country that is
against Islam," he added.
This
led to a protest by members from minority communities, who decried that young
people from their communities were being kidnapped in broad daylight and
forcibly converted to Islam, while also lamenting the fact that Muslim members
had taken the stance that forced conversion was not a problem in Pakistan.
PTI
lawmaker Ramesh Kumar said that while they were not opposing willful
conversions, many Hindus were promised money and marriages in order to lure
them into converting to Islam.
"And
when they are not given what they are promised, they return home. This means
that they did not convert of their own free will," he added.
He
went on to say that opposing legislation against forced conversion indicated
that the "government is worried about [the reaction by] elements
involved" in the problem.
Clerics
had expressed reservations over the bill in August, calling it a conspiracy and
suggesting that the government should not fall into the trap of the West by
taking it to parliament.
At
a meeting, chaired by Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairperson Dr Qibla
Ayaz, they had reviewed the draft bill and objected to several clauses,
including the minimum age of conversion.
Draft
bill
A
copy of the draft bill, which is available with Dawn, shows that any
non-Muslim, who is not a child, and is able and willing to convert to another
religion will apply for a conversion certificate from an additional sessions
judge of the area where he or she is residing.
The
draft law highlights that the application will have to include the name of a
non-Muslim who is willing to change the religion, age and gender, CNIC number,
details of parents, siblings, children and spouse (if any), current religion
and the reason to convert to the new religion.
The
draft law states that the additional sessions judge will set a date for
interview within seven days of receipt of an application for conversion, and on
the date the judge will ensure that the conversion is not under any duress and
not due to any deceit or fraudulent misrepresentation.
The
proposed law states that the “Judge may award a time period of 90 days to the
non-Muslim to undertake a comparative study of the religions and return to the
office of the Additional Sessions Judge.”
After
satisfaction, the judge will issue the certificate of change of religion.
The
proposed law also awards punishment between five to 10 years and a fine from
Rs100,000 to Rs200,000 to any person who uses criminal force to convert a
person to another religion.
Source:
Dawn
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First
Transgender Protection Centre opens in Islamabad
October
14, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari inaugurated the first Transgender
Protection Centre in the country in H-9/4 on Wednesday.
Speaking
at the event, Dr Mazari said similar centres would be established in other
cities to ensure the rights of the transgender community, emphasising that
members of the community should be provided the same employment and health
facilities as other citizens of the country.
She
said the PTI government had included the transgender community in the Ehsaas
Programme and health card initiatives with the aim to provide them
opportunities for development.
The
Transgender Protection Centre would provide legal aid, basic health facilities,
psychological counselling and temporary shelter as well.
The
participants at the event were informed that the Ministry of Human Rights had
taken various initiatives for effective implementation of the Transgender
Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, with the aim to ensure protection,
rehabilitation and fundamental rights of the transgender persons as guaranteed
by the Constitution to all citizens.
They
learnt that under Section-6(a) of the Transgender Protection Act, the ministry
had set up a Transgender Protection Centre at a cost of Rs35.8 million, which
would protect and rehabilitate transgender persons in need.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1651873/first-transgender-protection-centre-opens-in-islamabad
--------
Imran
Khan wants ISI chief Faiz Hameed to continue amid differences with Pak Army
Oct
13, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan informed the federal cabinet that he
had told Pakistan Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa that he
wanted Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed to continue as Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
director general for some time due to the critical situation in neighbouring
Afghanistan, Dawn reported.
Reports
about lack of consensus between the civil and military leadership over the
matter had been making rounds on social media for the last few days, but after
it appeared on regular media on Tuesday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry
was compelled to clarify the government's point of view.
Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief whip in the National Assembly Amir Dogar said Prime
Minister Khan and Gen Bajwa held a detailed meeting late Monday night on the matter.
The
meeting was also confirmed by Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry during his
presser after the cabinet meeting, stating that the issue of appointment of new
ISI DG Lt. Gen. Nadeem Ahmed Anjum had been resolved and that the PM enjoyed
the authority to appoint the chief of the country's premier spy agency in
accordance with law and Constitution.
Also
sharing details of the meeting, Pak PM's aide on political affairs Amir Dogar
said the premier wanted Lt. Gen. Hameed to stay as DG ISI in view of the
situation in Afghanistan, adding that Prime Minister Khan and Gen. Bajwa
enjoyed relation of respect and dignity, the report said.
Khan
was of the opinion that the government wanted to take all institutions on
board, Dogar said. "The body language of the prime minister was quite
positive and he seemed confident," he added.
The
PTI's chief whip said the prime minister had told the cabinet that he was an
elected prime minister and chief executive of the country.
"The
prime minister has the authority to appoint the DG ISI and he held a detailed
meeting with Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa in this
regard," Chaudhry told the press conference.
Source:
Times of India
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KU
professor Dr Iqbal Choudhary honoured with top Muslim world science award
October
13, 2021
Pakistani
Professor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary has been named a 2021 Mustafa Prize
Laureate for his services in the field of bio-organic chemistry, it emerged on
Wednesday.
The
Mustafa Prize, a top science and technology award, is granted biennially to the
top researchers and scientists from the Islamic world in four categories: Life
and Medical Science and Technology, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Information
and Communication Science and Technology, and all areas of science and
technology.
The
prize was established in 2012 as a symbol of scientific excellence at the
international level, and is regarded as the Nobel Prize of the Muslim world, a
news release said.
Five
scientists from Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Morocco have been
awarded the 2021 Mustafa Prize in their respective fields of study.
The
laureates in each category will be awarded $500,000, a medal and a certificate,
according to the Mustafa Prize website.
Prof
Dr Iqbal Choudhary, the director of the International Centre for Chemical and
Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi, is a world-renowned
medicinal chemist. He has published 1,175 research papers in the fields of
organic and bio-organic chemistry in international journals, 76 books and 40
chapters in books published by major US and European press. He has secured 40
US patents so far.
Dr
Iqbal's work has been cited by researchers from around the world — 27,407 times
in total — and his h-index is 70. As many as 94 local and international
scholars have completed their PhD degrees under his supervision so far.
Dr
Iqbal, who holds DSc, PhD, and CChem degrees, has been awarded by different
Pakistani governments with the Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz and
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
He
has been elected a fellow by renowned academies including the Academy of
Sciences for the Developing World, Islamic World Academy of Sciences, Pakistan
Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Chemistry, and Chemical Society of
Pakistan.
Source:
Dawn
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South Asia
Afghan
refugee children in South Korea welcome new life away from war, restrictions
Oct
13, 2021
SEOUL:
For one young Afghan refugee girl, her new home in South Korea has already
brought simple freedoms she would otherwise be denied.
"In
Afghanistan, you can't do activities as freely as men do, and it's satisfying
to do Taekwondo without a hijab in Korea right now," the girl told
reporters after a Taekwondo class on Wednesday.
She
is one of nearly 400 Afghan evacuees who arrived in Seoul in August under a
special programme that aims to grant long-term residency to Afghans and their
families who provided special service to South Korea.
Along
with other refugees who spoke to reporters, the girl was not identified by age
or name under an agreement with South Korean government officials.
The
ministry of justice said it was giving the refugees Korean language classes as
part of a "Social Integration Program," and all had received alien
registration cards.
They
were currently residing in processing facilities, officials said.
Source:
Times of India
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A
number of FMs to visit Kabul, Afghan FM to leave Qatar for Turkey
14
Oct 2021
Foreign
ministers of a number of countries are due to visit Kabul who is said to be
from the Islamic nations.
The
foreign ministers are said to be discussing the problems and limitations
towards women especially their education.
Names
of the foreign ministers are not disclosed yet but the visit of the foreign
ministers of Turkey and Indonesia are confirmed.
Earlier,
Turkish foreign minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu had said that he is planning to visit
Kabul along with foreign ministers of a number of countries.
In
the meantime, the spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs Abdul Qahar
Balkhi said that the afghan acting foreign minister Amir Khan Motaqi to leave
Qatar for Turkey on Thursday, October 14.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/a-number-of-fms-to-visit-kabul-afghan-fm-leaves-qatar-for-turkey-745747/
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Afghan
Shia scholars demand probe into Kunduz terrorist attack
October
14, 2021
Afghanistan
Shia Council called on Taliban to bring the perpetrators of the terrorist
attack against Kunduz Shia mosque which left nearly 300 people killed or
injured.
Shia
scholars in this statement said," Followers of certain denomination or
ethnicity have systematically targeted by terrorist groups in recent years in a
way that some social researchers have categorized that as "genocide."
The
statement in another part denounced the Friday terrorist attack against Shia
worshippers in Kunduz mosque which left scores of the Shia Muslims dead or
injured.
Afghan
Shia scholars also demanded the Taliban to endeavor for security of all Afghan
citizens and bring the perpetrators of the terrorist attack to justice.
This
is while Seyyed Hussein Alemi Balkhi, Shia cleric in Afghanistan called the
terrorist attack against Kunduz mosque as the most painful incident following
Taliban takeover of the country demanding serious investigation into the crime.
Source:
ABNA
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Taliban’s
record so far shows why the G20 is reluctant to help
Oct
14, 2021
KABUL:
Leaders of the world’s top economies failed to agree on how to deal with the
Taliban at an extraordinary summit, pledging only to channel aid through the
United Nations as a humanitarian crisis looms. The group’s track record since
taking power helps explain the reluctance.
While
the US and its Western allies held formal talks with Taliban officials in the
lead-up to the Group of 20 summit on Tuesday, they have repeatedly emphasized
that the new Afghan government will be judged by actions rather than words. And
politically, it’s not easy for them to convince voters the Taliban deserves a
bunch of cash -- if even an economic collapse could bolster extremist groups.
The
Taliban have insisted they’ve changed, pledging to form an inclusive
government, let women continue to study and work, prevent Afghanistan from
being used for terrorist activities and allow the safe passage of citizens with
valid travel documents.
Here’s
how the Taliban have fared since sweeping to power in August:
Terrorism
prevention
The
Islamic State continues to be one of the biggest threats to the Taliban,
carrying out at least three major attacks since the US evacuation. The latest
came last weekend, when a suicide bomber attacked a crowded Shia mosque in
northern Kunduz province.
The
Taliban have said they don’t need assistance from the US, particularly after
they fought a 20-year war to eliminate foreign soldiers from Afghanistan. The
group also has enough incentive to fight the Islamic State: The rival jihadist
group poses the biggest political threat, as more conservative Islamists look
to lure away Taliban fighters who want an even stricter Sharia-based system.
Still,
the US is worried about the Taliban’s ongoing ties with key al-Qaeda figures.
The Afghan cabinet includes senior members of the Haqqani Network, a group
linked to al-Qaeda that has been designated by the US as a terrorist
organization. And that group was instrumental in sidelining Mullah Abdul Ghani
Baradar, a moderate figure who led peace talks with the US, in a dramatic
shootout at the presidential palace last month.
Women’s
rights
Women
have seen their lives upended since the Taliban took over. The group has
ordered female government workers to stay at home until offices can ensure
gender segregation -- and it’s unclear when that will happen in most cases.
Private
universities have resumed segregated classes for men and women, but public
universities are yet to open due to the “budgetary, logistical, and technical
issues” to separate the students, according to Daud Samim, an assistant
secretary to the minister of higher education. Schools also remain shut for
girls from the sixth grade onwards in most cities, but boys are back in school.
UN
Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday acknowledged the Taliban’s lack
of progress in this area, appealing to the group to stop breaking its promises
and allow women to work and girls to have access to all levels of education.
Inclusive
government
The
Taliban’s interim cabinet announced in early September included no female
leaders, while the group disbanded the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Many
prominent Afghan women leaders have either fled the country or are in hiding.
The
cabinet also avoided any officials who took part in successive US-backed
administration, including key leaders from the Tajiks, the second largest
ethnic group, and other minorities such as Hazaras and Uzbeks that collectively
make up almost half of the population. Rather, it consists almost exclusively
of loyalist hard-liners and from the Pasthun ethnic group.
What’s
more, Higher Education Minister Abdul Baqi Haqqani said on October 4 there’s no
space in the government for workers who received diplomas and degrees in the
past two decades, saying their training lacked proper Islamic values. That
could further cut the ranks of diverse voices in the bureaucracy.
Source:
Times of India
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Taliban
asks Iran to facilitate Afghan dry fruits export to India via Chabahar
Oct
13, 2021
NEW
DELHI: The Taliban has been realising that governance is a tough nut to crack.
To restart the export of fresh and dry fruits, a major revenue earner, they
have approached Iran for help.
Iran's
Tasnim News is reporting that Tehran has agreed to evaluate Taliban's proposals
for the transportation of Afghanistan's trade cargoes and export of fresh and
dried fruits to India via the Chabahar route. The Taliban submitted the
detailed plan last week when representatives of both countries signed a
comprehensive trade agreement. Iran and the Taliban have agreed to maintain
round-the-clock operation at the Islam Qala-Dogarun border crossing and take
practical measures to improve and develop the land routes at the border crossing.
In principle, Iran has agreed to allow Afghan traders to export fresh and dried
fruits to India via Dogarun-Chabahar route which was closed after Taliban's
capture of Afghanistan.
This
year, exporters have to exclusively rely on land routes to ship their products
as there are no air cargo flights available yet. Most of the Afghan traders
have been using this route to Afghanistan through the 7200-km long
International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which passes through
neighbouring Iran. Cargoes are then shipped from Chabahar port, Iran to western
ports such as Mumbai. But that route was closed in July by Iran citing security
concerns. After the Taliban came to power, they banned the export and imports
to India. But now, under enormous economic pressure, the new regime has decided
to rethink its stance. India imports around 85 per cent of its dry fruits from
the war-torn country.
Afghanistan
has witnessed a bumper dry fruit harvest this year. As a result, Afghan
exporters are in constant touch with Indian buyers despite the current
situation in their country. Generally, exports of dry fruits start in
September, just before the beginning of the festival seasons of Durga Puja and
Diwali.
Afghan
exports to India include dried raisins, walnuts, almonds, figs, pine nuts,
pistachios, dried apricot and fresh fruits such as apricot, cherry, watermelon,
and a few medicinal herbs.
Earlier,
the Afghan fresh fruits traders were using the India and Afghanistan air cargo
corridor, which was stopped due to the political uncertainty in the country.
Afghan traders were also using the country's Torkham and Chaman borders routes
to Wagah border via Pakistan, but since July, these routes have become not
feasible specially for perishable fresh fruits cargo.
The
opening of these borders depends on the moods of Pakistani authorities, and
they have also raised the bribe money for allowing the trucks to cross the
border, says Bias Ibrahim Despite the bumper fruit crops, hundreds of tons of
fresh fruits have remained stranded at the border crossing points with Pakistan
for eventual exports for weeks and finally got rotten.
Source:
Times of India
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India
International
Union of Muslim Scholars to voice support for India, Kashmir Muslims
October
14, 2021
International
Union of Muslim Scholars has scheduled to hold conference on the plight of the
Muslims in India and Kashmir.
The
international union will hold the meeting in cooperation with a number of
institutes and Islamic associations with the theme of "Muslim Scholars,
Aid Indian Muslims".
A
number of prominent scholars from across the globe will attend the virtual meeting
on Thursday October 14 to be broadcasted live on the Facebook and satellite
channels.
Ali
Qaradaghi, secretary general of the Muslim scholars condemned the systematic
violence, abuse and massacre of Muslims in India.
He
denounced the abuse of Muslims rights in India describing that as "state
terrorism."
Source:
ABNA
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Muslims
will get respect only when they can ‘make or break’ govt: Top Shia cleric
Oct
14, 2021
Muzaffarnagar:
Prominent Shia cleric and senior member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board
(AIMPLB) Maulana Kalbe Jawad has said that Muslims should tie up only with
parties that can give enough seats to members of the community.
“When
Muslims have enough seats to be able to make or break the government, only then
will they get the desired respect,” he said in Deoband on Wednesday.
Blaming
Mohammad Ali Jinnah for the Partition, Jawad said, “In 1947, Jinnah made the
biggest mistake of partitioning the country. If there was no Partition, there
would have been 60 crore Muslims in India and no political party would have
dared to point fingers at them.”
Jawad
said political parties had failed to do anything for the Muslim community.
“Congress, SP, BSP have done nothing for Muslims even though Congress ruled the
country for 55 years. BJP also wants to keep only the majority community
happy,” he said.
Source:
Times of India
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Indore
garba ruckus: Kin of arrested Muslim student mulls to move HC
14th
October 2021
BHOPAL: Alleging their son was arrested from a garba
venue in Indore under pressure from Bajrang Dal activists, the family of
21-year-old BCom student Adnan Shah is planning to move the high court.
Four
youths from the minority community were arrested from Oxford International
College after Bajrang Dal activists barged into the garba venue at the college
on Sunday evening and created ruckus over the presence of non-Hindus.
Adnan
claimed he was roped in as a volunteer for the event. "I'm a student of
the Oxford College and was among the 25 volunteers (all students). I was not
even present inside, but was supervising the vehicle parking outside. Suddenly
100-150 men claiming to be from Bajrang Dal barged in and started enquiring
about the identities of all those present. Despite showing them my volunteer
card, they told me that being a Muslim, I could not be present at the
garba," Adnan said.
Source:
New Indian Express
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Kashmiri
Pandit leader says his appeal to mosques to reassure minority communities got
good response
By
Tariq Bhat
October
13, 2021
Sanjay
Tickoo, who heads the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti (KPSS), an organisation
that represents the Pandit community in Kashmir, said the response to his
appeal to mosques to make public announcements to reassure the minorities in
Kashmir after the killing of members of minority communities has been
encouraging.
Tickoo
said seven to eight mosques have responded to his appeal and made
announcements, reassuring the minorities living in their respective areas.
“Seven to eight mosques have responded after I made an appeal on my Facebook
page three days back,’’ he said. He said he had urged the mosques to tell the
minorities that they have no reason to be scared.
He
said he is hopeful that on Friday when the congregational prayers are held in
the mosques, this message of reassurance will be delivered.
Tickoo
said he made the appeal not because of the death of a Pandit of Sikh, but in
view of all civilian killings. “If we look at the figures, 21of the 28
civilians killed this year belong to the majority community,” he said.
He
said he made the appeal after sensing fear among people.
“M.L.
Bindroo was killed 18 years after non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits were killed at
Nadimarg in 2003,’’ he said, and added that they were not expecting an attack
on Kashmir Pandits who stayed back.
Tickoo
said the majority community must reach out to the minorities living in their
areas. He sought to know why media from India and abroad rush to Kashmir only
when minority community members are targeted.
“My
concern is not for the minority alone but for all the civilian killings in
Kashmir,’’ he said, adding, “my security has always been my neighbour.”
Source:
The Week
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Kashmir
will remain part of India even if I am killed: Farooq Abdullah
Oct
13, 2021
SRINAGAR:
Kashmir will never become Pakistan as we are a part of India and will remain so
even if I am killed, National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah said
here on Wednesday.
Speaking
at a condolence meeting for Supinder Kaur – the fallen principal of a
government school in Eidgah who was shot dead by terrorists on October 7 – at a
gurdwara here, Abdullah said the people of Kashmir have to be courageous and
fight the killers together.
“We
have to fight these beasts. This (Kashmir) will never become Pakistan, remember
it. We are a part of India and we will remain a part of India come what may.
They cannot change it even if they shoot me,” Abdullah, the Member of Lok Sabha
from Srinagar, said.
Expressing
grief over Kaur's killing, he said the Sikh community did not leave the Kashmir
valley in the 1990s when others left due to fear and appealed to them to not
get scared now.
We
have to keep our morale high and be courageous, he said.
“We
all have to fight them together with courage and not be afraid. You (Sikhs)
were the only community which remained here when everyone left. I am proud of
the fact that you did not leave from here. Killing a teacher who was teaching
young students does not serve Islam. They were serving the devil,” he said.
Talking
to reporters outside the gurdwara, the NC president said: “They (militants)
will never succeed and will fail in their plans. But, we all – Muslims, Sikhs,
Hindus, Christians -- have to stand together to fight them”.
Source:
Times of India
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Wanted
Jaish commander shot in J&K gunfight, 5 held in NIA raids on terror caucus
Oct
14, 2021
SRINAGAR:
A wanted Jaish-e-Mohammed commander whose journey from timber smuggler to
terror merchant spanned two decades of bloodshed in J&K was shot dead in an
encounter with security forces at Tral in south Kashmir's Pulwama on Wednesday,
two years after he joined the Pakistan-based outfit full-time.
The
killing of 45-year-old Shamsuddin Sofi, alias Sham Sofi, coincided with the
National Investigation Agency (NIA) arresting five more overground operatives
of various outfits as part of a crackdown on Kashmir's terror ecosystem that
has supposedly spawned new threats hiding in plain sight.
Sofi
was part of a group of terrorists cornered by a joint team of the police, the
Army's 42 Rashtriya Rifles and CRPF in the Waggad area of Tral, where BJP
councillor Rakesh Pandita was killed last June by an offshoot of the proscribed
Lashkar-e-Taiba.
"We
launched a cordon-and-search operation in that area after receiving information
from Awantipora police about terrorist movement there. The hiding ultras fired
at the advancing forces, triggering a gunfight in which one of them was killed.
The slain terrorist turned out to be Jaish commander Sofi," a police
official said.
Sofi,
a resident of Satura Tral in Pulwama district, had found his moorings in
terrorism as an overground worker providing logistical and other support to
Jaish terrorists from Pakistan. He had been arrested in 2004 under the Public
Safety Act, but continued his association with Jaish after his release, mainly
by way of arranging shelter for terrorists in the Tral area. He joined the
Jaish fold as a commander in 2019, carrying out a series of attacks on security
forces and civilians, IGP (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said.
Sofi,
whose brother Nazir used to assist Hizbul Mujahideen till he switched loyalty
to Jaish, was also known to radicalise and recruit local youth for the outfit.
He is the eighth ultra to be gunned down by security forces in J&K since
Monday, when five Army personnel were killed fighting terrorist infiltrators in
the frontier district of Poonch in Jammu.
Weapons,
ammunition and various incriminating material were found at the Tral encounter
site, IGP Kumar said.
Source:
Times of India
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PM
Modi’s understanding of human rights is flawed: Owaisi
13th
October 2021
Hyderabad:
“Atmanah pratikulani paresham na samacharet” (What is not good for me cannot be
meted out by me to others. What is not good for me would not be good for others
also, because others are like me in every respect) remarked Prime Minister
Narendra Modi at the 28th foundation day of National Human Rights Commission.
The
quote in question is an extract from the Hindu religious text, Mahabharata
which is controversial considering how people have bemoaned the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party’s slant towards the Hindutva ideology.
The
Prime Minister’s speech was meant to shed light on the importance of human
rights in keeping with the event organised by NHRC. However, Modi has been
receiving significant flack from various groups including All India
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
MS
Education Academy
In
a series of tweets on Twitter, Owaisi pointed out how PM Modi’s speech
represented a flawed understanding of human rights. Owaisi remarked that while
there was only one passing mention of the constitution, “references to
‘tradition’, ‘culture’ & religion could be found throughout.”
The
Prime Minister spoke about how India was advancing vis-a-vis individual and
human rights and spoke about how Muslim women were granted dignity after the
abolition of the “triple talaq” law and also spoke about how the Transgender
persons (protection of rights) act, passed in 2019, aided members of the trans
community.
PM
Modi, in his speech, further argued that small scale farmers, residents of
Jammu and Kashmir and the citizens of Northeastern states were fairing better
owing to the Indian government’s policies.
In
a series of tweets, Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Prime Minister for the
Center’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic which witnessed the colossal
loss of lives as a result of oxygen cylinder shortage. He also remarked that no
Muslim beneficiary of PMAYG in UP has gotten a house since 2019.
Source:
Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/pm-modis-understanding-of-human-rights-is-flawed-owaisi-2207357/
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Jammu
and Kashmir will never become a part of Pakistan: Farooq on Kashmir killings
Oct
14, 2021
National
Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday visited a gurdwara in
Srinagar where a prayer ceremony for slain school principal Supinder Kour, who
was killed by suspected militants on October 7, was held.
Abdullah
said that Jammu and Kashmir will never become a part of Pakistan, even if the
“killers pump bullets into him”.
“We
have to fight these beasts. Never will this place become Pakistan. We are part
of India and will remain so, whatever the circumstances,” the former J&K
chief minister said at Shaheed Bunga Sahib gurdwara in Baghat.
Kashmir
has been restive since October 3 owing to the targeted killings of seven
persons, including three belonging to Pandit and Sikh communities of the UT and
forth one a non-local.
On
October 7, suspected militants had shot dead two teachers of a government
school in Srinagar’s old city. The duo were killed two days after Makhan Lal
Bindroo, a 68-year-old chemist, street vendor Virender Paswan from Bihar’s
Bhagalpur, and Muhammad Shafi Lone, a taxi driver, were shot dead in Srinagar
and Bandipora districts on October 5.
On
October 3, two persons were killed in two separate incidents in Srinagar.
Abdullah
reminded that when people left from J&K, Sikh community remained here.
“It
was you. We have to live here and die here. And I am proud of that. You gave me
confidence that time,” he said.
He
said that the killers did not serve any religion by killing innocents. “A
teacher would teach our children and show them the path. Killing her and then
thinking that they are serving Islam. No, they are definitely serving the
devil,” he said.
“The
devil will go into hell and they will also go into hell,” he said.
The
senior leader said that the whole country is “burning”. “Attempts are being
made to divide us . But those who are doing this won’t be successful. For some
time we will get a setback but the almighty won’t allow them to succeed. Those
who are doing it will get some benefit for the time being but will ultimately
perish ,” he said.
Later
while talking to media persons on the targeted killings, Abdullah said that all
the Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians have to fight the perpetrators
together.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Arab World
UAE’s
Abdullah bin Zayed meets US, Israel FMs, plans to bolster religious coexistence
14
October ,2021
Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation for the United Arab Emirates, said the UAE, US and Israel have
agreed on establishing two new working groups; with one focusing on religious
coexistence and the other on water and energy issues.
The
UAE top diplomat made the statements as he met in Washington DC the Secretary
of State Antony J. Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, state news
agency Wam reported on Thursday.
The
meeting covered the progress achieved one year following the signing of the
Abraham Accords Peace Agreement by the UAE and Israel as well as the prospects
of consolidating bilateral cooperation in several areas of common interest.
The
three top diplomats also explored a number of regional and international
developments.
Sheikh
Abdullah said the three-way meeting reflects the US’s commitment to build
bridges of cooperation between two nations that are “committed to achieving
advancement and development.”
“Our
presence here today reaffirms our commitment to the necessity of changing the
prevailing conditions in the region in the right direction,” Sheikh Abdullah
noted.
“We
have succeeded in establishing a nation that respects values and recognizes
tolerance and co-existence,” he said, stressing that the Abraham Accords Peace
Agreement is a catalyst for establishing peace in the region.
He
added that he would soon visit Israel at the invitation of the Israeli Foreign
Minister.
“I
will visit Israel soon in order to meet our friends and partners. We need to
not only celebrate this bilateral relationship, but also to look forward to
wider prospects of cooperation between the two nations.’’ He added that there
could be no talk of peace in the Middle East if Israel and the Palestinians
were not “on talking terms”.
“Therefore,
we’re happy to see over the past weeks Israeli officials meet with their
Palestinian counterparts. We have to continue encouraging them to do so. We
believe that the UAE-Israeli relations have enabled us to be frank with each
other and helped us to encourage others whenever there are something we can
do.”
“We’re
impressed with the growing relationship with Israel. We always rely on our friends
in the US of America. This is an important thing for us. And we need to look
forward to wider prospects of cooperation between the UAE and Israel in several
fields.”
On
Yemen, Sheikh Abdullah said that the UAE is always discussing the conditions in
the country. “We should recall that it’s the lack of commitment on the part of
Houthis that drew us to the situation in Yemen. We’re working hard and
diligently with our friends to put an end to the Yemeni crisis and to ensure
Yemenis will enjoy a better life.”
He
emphasized that the UAE will never accept a Hezbollah-style entity on the
borders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “The Houthis have managed to
increasingly reinforce their presence in a manner similar to that of Hezbollah.
We certainly want to put an end to this dispute and to work with the
international community on a plan to ensure reconstruction of Yemen. Neither do
we want to see in Yemen a situation similar to that in South Lebanon,” he
continued.
For
his part, the US Secretary of State emphasized his country’s strong support for
the Abraham Accords Peace Agreement between the UAE and Israel, noting the
importance of working for delivering a bright future for the peoples of the
Middle East region.
He
underlined the importance of ensuring peaceful coexistence in the region,
noting that diplomacy will remain the preferred option to end all conflicts.
The
US top diplomat lauded the UAE’s 2050 net-zero initiative as well Israel’s
endeavors to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent by 2050 as well.
The
Israeli Foreign Minister said his country is seeking to make the peace
agreements signed recently a source of inspiration for other nations to follow
suit, noting that the Israeli-UAE partnership is based on co-existence,
economic prosperity and countering terrorism and extremism.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Expo
2020 Dubai: Arabic singing sensations to put on musical showcase
14
October ,2021
Arabic
singing sensations Nancy Ajram and Ragheb Alama are set to raise the stage as
they co-headline a concert at Expo 2020 Dubai next month in a musical
extravaganza to be streamed to the world.
Lebanese
singer, dancer, composer, television personality, and philanthropist Ragheb
Alama will bring to life music from his 30-year career in a crowd-raising
performance on November 12.
Expo
organizers said the performance “will highlight how music connects all humans,
from all corners of the world, and encourage people across the globe to connect
and engage in collaborative experimentation”, in line with Expo’s Mobility
subtheme.
“I
want to mix cultures together,” Alama was quoted as saying. “I want their
audience to hear me, and I want my audience to hear them. I have always liked
opening doors, and Expo’s Infinite Night Series is the perfect platform to make
this happen.”
Singer
and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Nancy Ajram will perform her biggest hits at the
Al Wasl Plaza dome, the world’s largest 360-degree projection screen, which
will enable spectators to experience an immersive audio and visual display of
the featured live performances.
Personifying
Expo 2020’s subtheme of Sustainability, her show will convey a message of how
human values and attitudes need to change to shape a more resilient future.
“When
we all work together and collaborate, we can build a better society. I cannot
wait to be part of Expo 2020’s incredible journey,” Ajram said. “I hope my show
will inspire positivity among young people everywhere, building bridges to
connect with one another regardless of culture, background or belief.”
An
illustrious line-up of global and regional performers is headlining the
six-month Infinite Nights Series, beginning with the “Caesar of Arabia,” Kadim
al-Sahir, on October 15. Shows will be streamed live from the Al Wasl Plaza,
the pulsating heart of Expo 2020 and home to the world’s largest 360-degree
projection surface.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Qatar
advises West not to isolate Taliban
October
14, 2021
DUBAI:
Qatar’s foreign minister said isolating Afghanistan and its new Taliban rulers
will never be an answer and argued on Wednesday that engaging with the former
insurgents could empower the more moderate voices among them.
Sheikh
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani spoke amid a flurry of diplomatic meetings
taking place in Qatar, where the Taliban have maintained a political office for
years in the lead-up to their takeover of Afghanistan in August.
The
world has been looking to see how the Taliban transition from two decades of
insurgency and war to governance after they seized control of Kabul and the
rest of Afghanistan as US and Nato forces withdrew from the country.
This
week, the United States, 10 European nations and European Union representatives
held face-to-face talks with Taliban leaders in Doha, the Qatari capital the
first such meetings since the Taliban blitz.
Al
Thani told an audience of counter-terrorism specialists in Doha that Qatar
believes the international community should urge the Taliban to take the right
steps and to incentivise” that rather than talking only of penalising them for
negative steps.” We see that its very important to provide guidance for them,”
he said. This will create an incentive for progress and for the way forward.”
This will help the moderate power (voices) to also provide an incentive to be
more influential and more effective in their government, Al Thani added.
US
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Washington has made it clear in
talks with the Taliban this week that the group will be judged by their actions
on issues related to combating terrorism and protecting human rights.
He
declined to discuss various carrots and sticks approaches related to
Afghanistan’s central bank reserves, currently frozen abroad and inaccessible
to the Taliban leadership.
We
engaged on a practical and pragmatic basis with the Taliban, as we have done in
recent weeks, focusing on security and terrorism concerns, Price told reporters
in Washington on Tuesday. The Taliban and US share common concern about the
militant Islamic State group in Afghanistan, but the Taliban have ruled out
cooperation with the US in fighting IS.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1651899/qatar-advises-west-not-to-isolate-taliban
--------
Israeli
air strike kills four in central Syria: Monitor
14
October ,2021
An
Israeli airstrike in central Syria killed one Syrian soldier and three
pro-Iranian fighters on Wednesday, a Britain-based war monitor said.
The
Syrian state news agency SANA had earlier quoted a military source as saying
that the attack near the city of Palmyra in Homs province had killed a soldier
and wounded three others.
“At
around 23:34 (2034 GMT) the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial aggression...
on the area of Palmyra targeting a communication tower and several positions in
its vicinity,” the source told SANA.
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor, said the attack
targeted several Iranian positions, among them the communication tower, near
the T4 airbase east of Palmyra.
It
reported that the attack killed one Syrian soldier and three pro-Iranian
fighters, but their nationality was not immediately clear.
Seven
others, among them three Syrian soldiers, were wounded.
Last
week, an Israeli missile strike on the same airbase killed two pro-Iranian
foreign fighters, the Observatory reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
troops staying put in Iraq and Syria: Officials
13
October ,2021
American
troops deployed to Iraq and Syria are “going nowhere,” US officials and
diplomats said, despite arguments that the US was disengaging from the Middle
East following its quick Afghanistan withdrawal.
Last
year, the Trump administration reduced the troop presence in Iraq by almost
half. That left around 3,000 American forces in the country, which are there at
the invitation of the Iraqi government to help in their fight against ISIS.
The
removal of a sizeable chunk of American forces came after Iraq’s parliament
passed a law calling on all foreign troops to leave the country. And with the
elections last weekend in Iraq, Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, an anti-US figure,
cemented his party’s representation in parliament.
It
remains unclear how quickly a new government in Iraq will be formed, but the
influence of Sadr and other anti-US figures could see more legislation passed
to push for a complete withdrawal of US troops.
But
US officials say their troops are staying put.
“We
remain committed to maintaining the US military presence in Iraq at the invitation
of the Iraqi government to support the Iraqi security forces and Kurdish
Peshmerga as they lead in the fight against ISIS,” Pentagon Spokesperson
Commander Jessica McNulty said in an email.
An
adjustment of troop status was announced during the summer after Iraqi PM
Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with US President Joe Biden. The former had come under
increasing pressure from pro-Iran groups over foreign troops inside Iraq. This
was exacerbated by the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and the
deputy chief of an Iran-backed militia in Iraq.
On
the back of this, the announcement that US troops would end their “combat
mission” and shift to an advising role was made.
“We
will fulfill the commitments we made in the joint statement following the July
US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue and continue to work toward that objective with our
Iraqi partners. We continue to coordinate with our Iraqi partners on the
transition to a training, advising, assisting, and intelligence-sharing role,”
McNulty said.
Analysts
said at the time it was a move to help ease pressure on Kadhimi.
It
also came when the US began its complete withdrawal from Afghanistan, raising
eyebrows because the view was that Washington was ending its interest and
presence in the Middle East.
“We’re
not going anywhere for the time being. Afghanistan is completely separate, and
it has nothing to do with our troops in Syria and Iraq,” a US official told Al
Arabiya English.
A
US diplomat source reaffirmed the conviction that the Biden administration had
no intention of scaling back any of its military posture in the region.
Executive
Editor at Washington-based Defense One Kevin Baron said there was “far less”
political pressure or need to pull US troops from Iraq or Syria. “In fact,
there’s an even greater US security argument for keeping them there,” he told
Al Arabiya English.
Baron
pointed to US strategic and geopolitical interests, including deterring Iran,
Russia, Turkey and Assad from “turning that human tragedy of their own making
into something worse.”
Baron
added that any decision to withdraw or reduce the number of US troops would
likely depend more on Baghdad than Biden. “We’ve seen this story in Iraqi
elections before. I don’t expect it to end any differently this time.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Turkey
says will do ‘what is necessary’ after cross-border attacks from Syria
13
October ,2021
Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday Turkey would “do what is necessary
for its security” and said the United States and Russia bore responsibility
over cross-border attacks by Syrian Kurdish YPG militia.
President
Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that an attack that Ankara blamed on the
US-backed YPG that killed two Turkish police officers was “the final straw” and
that Turkey was determined to eliminate threats originating in north Syria.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
coalition destroys two explosive-laden boats used by Houthis
13
October ,2021
The
Arab Coalition destroys two explosive-laden boats used by Yemen’s Iran-backed
Houthis, the Coalition announced in a statement on Wednesday.
“The
Houthis continue to threaten shipping lines and international trade in the Bab
al-Mandab strait and the southern Red Sea,” the Coalition said.
It
added that the Houthis violated the Stockholm Agreement “by launching attacks
from the Hodeidah Governorate.”
The
channel did not give indications about the target of the attempted attack.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Piety
or noise nuisance? Indonesia tackles call to prayer volume backlash
Oct
14, 2021
JAKARTA:
Every night at 3:00 am, Rina is jolted awake by blaring speakers so loud she
has developed an anxiety disorder: she can't sleep, she's too nauseous to eat
-- but she is also too scared to complain because doing so could see her jailed
or attacked.
The
noisy neighbour is the local mosque in her Jakarta suburb, and the clamorous
sound is the call to prayer.
Both
are so sacred in Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim majority nation, that
criticising them can lead to accusations of blasphemy, a crime punishable by as
much as five years imprisonment.
"None
dares to complain about it here," says Rina, a 31-year-old Muslim woman
who is using a pseudonym in case of reprisals.
"The
loudspeakers are not only used for call to prayer but they also use it to wake
people up 30-40 minutes before the morning prayer time," she tells AFP,
adding that she is at breaking point after enduring the noise for six months.
Online
complaints about noisy loudspeakers are increasing, but the lack of anonymity
and fear of a backlash means there are no reliable official statistics. Aware
of the growing discord, the Indonesian Mosque Council (IMC) is deploying teams
to tackle mosque sound systems around the nation -- but it's a delicate
subject.
The
Southeast Asian archipelago was once hailed for its religious tolerance with
people of many faiths living alongside each other, but there are concerns its
moderate brand of Islam is coming under threat from hardliners.
In
2018, a Buddhist woman was jailed after saying the call to prayer "hurt my
ears", and earlier this year actress and influencer Zaskia Mecca, who has
19 million followers on Instagram, was condemned online after the hijab-wearing
Muslim criticised mosque speaker volume during the holy month of Ramadan.
Around
the Islamic world, the broadcast of the call to prayer and sermons via external
loudspeakers are regarded as a key pillar of Muslim identity, but the issue is
deeply divisive.
In
June, authorities in Saudi Arabia ordered mosques to limit the volume of their
external loudspeakers to one-third of their maximum capacity, citing concerns
over noise pollution. There was an immediate backlash.
There
are around 750,000 mosques across Indonesia -- a medium sized venue could have
at least a dozen external loudspeakers that blare the call to prayer five times
a day.
For
Rina the nightly interruptions are impacting her health.
"I
started having insomnia, and I was diagnosed with anxiety disorders after
always being woken up. Now I am trying to make myself as tired as possible, so
I can sleep through the noise," she explains.
Indonesian
Mosque Council chairman Jusuf Kalla estimates around half the nation's mosques
have poor acoustics, which exacerbates the noise problem.
"There
is a tendency to set the volume high so that the call to prayer can be heard by
as many worshippers as possible from far away because they consider it a symbol
of greatness in Islam," explained the IMC's acoustics programme
coordinator Azis Muslim.
The
organisation is battling to minimise community tension with a free door-to-door
service to repair sound systems and offer training -- some 7,000 technicians
work on the project and have already fixed the audio at more than 70,000
mosques.
Although
the programme is not mandatory, Jakarta's Al-Ihkwan mosque chairman Ahmad
Taufik used it because he wanted to ensure social harmony.
"The
sound is softer now. That way it will not disturb people in the neighbourhood,
not to mention we have a hospital behind the mosque," he says.
But
it has long been a contentious issue.
Then
vice president Boediono, who like many Indonesians uses one name, faced
condemnation when he suggested the volume of the call to prayer be restricted
in 2012.
Five
years ago, hundreds of protesters torched nearly a dozen Buddhist temples in
North Sumatra's Tanjung Balai after Meiliana, who is of Chinese descent and
also goes by one name, criticised the volume of the call to prayer.
The
mother-of-four was jailed for 18 months in 2018.
More
recently in May this year, angry mobs marched to a luxury housing complex near
Jakarta after a resident asked for the local mosque's loudspeakers be turned
away from his house.
Source:
Times of India
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Prosecution:
Zahid’s lawyers ‘fitting square peg in round hole’, charity’s RM10.3m cheques
to companies not for poverty eradication
13
Oct 2021
BY
IDA LIM
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 13 — Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s lawyers had been trying to
justify his use of Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds to give out RM10 million to a coal
supplying company and RM360,000 to a voter registration firm, but these
companies ultimately do not fit within the charity’s aims of eradicating
poverty, the prosecution told the High Court today.
The
prosecution was responding to Ahmad Zahid’s lawyers’ attempts to explain the
use of Yayasan Akalbudi cheques to pay out money to the two companies, as well
as to give RM1.3 million to the Persatuan Bola Sepak Polis Diraja Malaysia or
the police football association.
These
cheques form part of the criminal breach of trust charges that Ahmad Zahid is
facing, where the former deputy prime minister is accused of having dishonestly
misappropriated Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds that were entrusted to him as the
charity’s trustee.
Lead
prosecutor Datuk Raja Rozela Raja Toran today said that Ahmad Zahid’s lawyers
had tried to cite minor or secondary objectives in Yayasan Akalbudi’s company
constitution, but argued that they had ultimately failed as the use of the
foundation’s money would still have to meet the main purpose of helping the
poor.
“My
observation is that the defence picked on random words that appear in the
incidental objects they pick on the word ‘training’, the word ‘loan’, they pick
on the word ‘investment’. And they used these random words which appeared in
incidental objects to justify the use of the cheques.
“My
submission is that, My Lord, what they are actually doing is trying to fit in a
square peg into a round hole.
“And
to do that, My Lord, would result in inevitable failure because the thing is
this — the incidental objects appearing in the Articles of Association must be
read in line with the main object, which is eradicating poverty and enhancement
of the welfare of the poor,” she said.
She
pointed out that Yayasan Akalbudi’s company constitution had stated “to this
end” after listing poverty eradication and enhancing the welfare of the poor
before listing down the incidental objectives allowed for the use of its funds.
Raja
Rozela had pointed out that “gifting or lending money to a businessman such as
Armada Holdings or a football team or political consultancy firm is not
charity” by any stretch of imagination, and that such use of Yayasan Akalbudi’s
funds would further not be considered as a “means to eradicate poverty”.
RM10m
loan not for poverty eradication, prosecution says
Ahmad
Zahid’s lawyers had previously sought to explain their client’s RM10 million
payment in December 2015 using Yayasan Akalbudi’s cheque to company Armada Holdings
as both a loan and investment for the charitable foundation, as the company had
repaid the RM10 million along with interest. (Armada Holdings CEO Datuk Wasi
Khan @ Wasiyu Zama Israr had previously told the court that the company had in
February 2016 repaid the RM10 million along with a four per cent interest
totalling RM69,722.65 as he felt responsible after being told that Yayasan
Akalbudi’s funds were for the poor and orphans.)
Ahmad
Zahid’s lawyers had also cited an ancillary objective of Yayasan Akalbudi to
justify the RM10 million cheque, namely the secondary purpose of using the
foundation’s money — which it does not immediately need — to “invest in
Malaysia” from time to time in such
manner as its board of trustees may think fit.
Raja
Rozela however did not mince her words in saying that this RM10 million cheque
was actually a loan and which ultimately goes against Yayasan Akalbudi’s
purpose of doing away with poverty.
“Giving
a loan and to be paid back surplus interest — that is not investment, that is
money lending. It does not fall, by any measure, within the ambits of the
objects of the foundation,” she said, highlighting that dishonest intention is
established once it is shown that a person has used money they were entrusted
with outside of the purpose intended.
She
pointed out that Armada Holdings Sdn Bhd itself is a business set up to import
and supply coal to Tenaga Nasional Berhad and that it has “absolutely nothing
to do with poverty” or for poverty eradication, and ultimately argued that
Ahmad Zahid had committed criminal breach of trust in relation to the RM10
million given to this company.
“There
was misappropriation by the accused made with dishonest intention to use up
RM10 million of Akalbudi’s amount.
“The
fact it was paid back, the so-called interest — if that is to be translated as
a profit to Yayasan Akalbudi — does not work in this sense, My Lord. Because
the main thing is that Akalbudi cannot give a loan to a business entity like
Armada Holdings, it does not sync with the objects and establishment of Yayasan
Akalbudi,” she said.
Firm
helping to register voters, not to end poverty
As
for the total RM360,000 given in two cheques in 2015 and 2016 using Yayasan
Akalbudi’s funds and bearing Ahmad Zahid’s signature which were given to TS
Consultancy & Resources, Raja Rozela noted that Ahmad Zahid’s lawyers had
tried to argue that this company was not set up for registration of voters as
the Companies Commission of Malaysia’s records show its business to be
organising training including for motivational purposes.
“Now
even though SSM (Companies Commission of Malaysia) records state so, in
reality, however, TS Consultancy was a political arm of the then ruling
government and it was established specifically to assist in registration of voters
in certain areas,” Raja Rozela said of the company that was set up in February
2015 but became defunct in May 2017.
Ahmad
Zahid’s lawyers had claimed that the giving of RM360,000 to the company was not
wrongful as Yayasan Akalbudi’s incidental objectives include providing
“facilities” including for “training”, Raja Rozela noted that the charity’s
objectives would include training only for poverty-linked matters while TS
Consultancy & Resources is a political consultancy firm unrelated to poverty
matters.
“TS
was set up to help voters, TS was not set up to help eradicate poverty,” she
said, adding that the Yayasan Akalbudi’s incidental objectives could not be
read so widely to the point that it ignores the main objective of the
foundation’s establishment to eradicate poverty.
Among
other things, Raja Rozela had highlighted the previous court testimony given by
Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, who was both the former Election Commission (EC)
deputy chairman and the special officer to two deputy prime ministers — Tan Sri
Muhyiddin Yassin and subsequently Ahmad Zahid.
Raja
Rozela said Wan Ahmad had as the 18th prosecution witness told the court that
Muhyiddin had asked him to set up TS Consultancy to help Barisan Nasional
register voters in certain areas, and that the company’s budget was decided in
a special meeting at Umno headquarters chaired by then deputy prime minister
Muhyiddin and attended by Umno leaders such as Ahmad Zahid.
“What
is most obvious here is this, that the accused was well aware of TS Consultancy’s
role when he was present at the special meeting back then with then with then
DPM about the role, about the management costs, wages, operating costs in TS
Consultancy,” she said, adding that the fact that Ahmad Zahid’s lawyers had
never challenged the statement regarding his presence at the special meeting
meant that he had “knew all along” what the company was for.
Raja
Rozela also said Wan Ahmad’s words regarding the company must surely “carry
some weight” as he was a special officer to two deputy prime ministers.
Raja
Rozela highlighted that Ahmad Zahid’s lawyers had also sought to rely on Wan
Ahmad and TS Consultancy’s co-owner Sabri Said’s agreement that some of the
RM360,000 was used to provide food and transportation for the company’s staff
and voters in order to suggest that this amounts to “acts of charity” and falls
within Yayasan Akalbudi’s objects of being a charitable foundation.
Raja
Rozela said however that the defence was merely zeroing in on any words that
they could use to justify the use of Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds, saying: “Your
Lordship will see on one hand, the defence says TS Consultancy is not for
registration of voters, but on the other hand, they happily accepted the fact
that TS Consultancy was indeed helping voters to register. So My Lord, our
contention is that the defence’s challenge is weak and does no damage to the
prosecution’s case.”
Source:
Malay Mail
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Annuar
Musa: Umno supreme council will only decide Melaka election stance tonight
14
Oct 2021
BY
KEERTAN AYAMANY
KUALA
LUMPUR, Oct 14 — The Umno supreme council is yet to decide if the party, along
with the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, will compete alone in the Melaka
state election, according to council member Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
Annuar
said that, to his knowledge, the matter will be discussed and decided at a
supreme council meeting tonight.
“I
think Umno needs to be more careful before putting out a statement, because
sometimes statements are put out as individual opinions and can bring problems
to the party,” he told reporters in Putrajaya today.
He
was responding to Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s announcement
yesterday that the party and BN will be standing alone in the Melaka polls,
without PAS or Bersatu, who had been its allies before.
Annuar
added that Umno was now leading the government through Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and the party must not forget how important it is for
the prime minister and other leaders to win the cooperation of others.
“If
we reject people, then if people reject us, we will be on the losing end,” he
said, adding that Umno now only holds 37 seats out of 114 parliamentary seats,
meaning it requires the support of other parties to maintain power.
Source:
Malay Mail
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Indonesian
CG discusses Indonesia– Pak education cooperation
October
14, 2021
KARACHI
- On Monday, 11 October 2021, Consul General for the Republic of Indonesia in
Karachi Dr June Kuncoro Hadiningrat hosted a meeting with six universities in
Karachi to promote education cooperation between the two countries.
The
meeting was facilitated by Prof. Iqbal Chaudhary from the International Center
for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), University of Karachi, and was
attended by University of Karachi, Sir Syed University, Sindh Madressatul Islam
University, Indus University, Iqra University, and NED University. There was
also a virtual participation from the Department of International Cooperation
and faculty members of Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) Indonesia. During his
opening remarks, Consul General Dr. June highlights the importance of education
cooperation as one of the instruments in promoting bilateral relations between
Indonesia and Pakistan, especially in terms of people-to-people contact.
While
expressing his keen interest in facilitating the meeting, Prof. Iqbal Chaudhary
further proposed the academia of both countries to also consider developing
cooperation within the scheme of Reverse Linkage Capacity Development by the
Islamic Development Bank, as both Indonesia and Pakistan are members of OIC and
are two of the largest Muslim countries in the world.
The
meeting highlights several proposal for cooperation from each universities,
namely scholarship programs, faculty exchange, research supervision, workshops,
and seminar/conference across different fields of study such as science,
engineering, medicine, business and managements, as well as arts and culture.
Furthermore, there was also a special interest in developing Indonesian
language course in some universities in Karachi.
Source:
The Nation
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Mideast
Muslim
world needs to return to values promoted by Holy Prophet: Yemeni official
October
14, 2021
A
senior Yemeni official underlined that what the Muslim world needs the most
today is returning to the values and concepts promoted by the Holy Prophet
(PBUH).
Speaking
Wednesday night at an event held to mark the anniversary of Yemen’s liberation
from British colonialism, President of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council Mahdi
al-Mashat added that it is very important in the current conditions as the
Muslim Ummah (community) is facing wars, acts of terrorism and extremism.
Now
that the enemies of Islam (are smearing the Islamic Ummah by creating and
supporting terrorist groups), “it is our urgent need to counter them with the
introduction of the Seerah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH),” he stated.
Al-Mashat
hailed the Yemeni nation for holding glorious ceremonies to celebrate the birth
anniversary of the Prophet (PBUH) in recent days and congratulated Muslim and
Arab nations on the auspicious occasion.
He
also referred to the Saudi-led coalition’s years-long aggression on Yemen,
saying Sana’a has always sought peace provided that the aggression ends.
Sana’a
is at the forefront of fighting terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and Daesh and
defending the security and interests of the Yemeni nation, he went on to say.
“We
will liberate every inch of our occupied land at any cost,”al-Mashat
underlined.
Yemen
has been beset by violence and chaos since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia and
its allies—emboldened by political support and a steady stream of arms from the
United States—launched a devastating war against the poorest West Asian country
to reinstall Yemen’s overthrown government of Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in Sana’a
and crush the Ansarullah resistance movement.
Source:
ABNA
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Turkey
detains 22 Islamic State suspects in nationwide raids
13
October, 2021
Turkish
security forces detained 22 people suspected to have links to the Islamic State
group in a number of simultaneous operations carried out across the country,
Turkish state media has reported.
Turkish
police arrested 11 suspects after Ankara prosecutors issued arrest warrants
across nine provinces over allegedly providing assistance to the extremist
group, according to Anadolu Agency.
Seven
IS suspects who had illegally entered Turkey from Iraq were also detained in
the southern province of Adana.
Four
more IS suspects, all of whom were foreign nationals, were detained in central
Kayseri province on suspicion of being active members of the militant
organisation.
Turkey
has been active in the capture of IS suspects both domestically and in
neighbouring Iraq and Syria.
Three
Iraqi security sources said on Tuesday that Turkish intelligence helped Iraq
capture a senior IS leader who had been hiding out in northwestern Syria, in an
operation that points to closer cooperation against remnants of the group.
Source:
The New Arab
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https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/turkey-detains-22-islamic-state-suspects-nationwide-raids
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Islamic
Jihad inmates stage hunger strike in Israeli jails
Awad
al-Rujoub
13.10.2021
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
Around
250 Palestinian detainees from the Islamic Jihad group began an open-ended
hunger strike Wednesday to protest Israel’s punitive measures against inmates,
according to a Palestinian NGO.
“Around
100 of the prisoners will stop drinking water after one week,” said Palestinian
Prisoner Society head Qadura Fares at a news conference in the West Bank city
of Ramallah.
“The
hunger strike is part of protests by the detainees to defend their rights,”
added Fares.
He
said detainees from other Palestinian factions will later join the strike.
There
are around 400 Palestinian detainees from the Islamic Jihad group in Israeli
prisons.
Prison
authorities have imposed punitive measures against Islamic Jihad prisoners
after six inmates tunneled out of the high-security Gilboa prison last month in
northern Israel.
Five
were from the Islamic Jihad group.
The
prisoners were captured by Israeli forces almost one week after their escape.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Iran
Arrests 10 Spies in Southern Province
2021-October-13
"The
intelligence forces have arrested 10 people who were linked to foreign
intelligence services in the Southern part of the country," the
Intelligence Ministry said in a statement today.
It
pointed out tha the arrested spies were working for the intelligence services
of some regional countries that are allied to the global arrogant powers.
The
statement said that they were identified and arrested in the Southern province
of Bushehr.
In a relevant development in mid-September,
Iranian security forces identified and disbanded a terrorist cell affiliated to
the foreign spy agencies.
The
security and intelligence forces dismantled the terrorist team in an operation
while it was attempting to carry out acts of sabotage and terrorist attacks
against Iran’s vital and sensitive centers, the intelligence ministry announced
in a statement.
It
added that more information about the terrorist team will be provided to people
in the near future.
In
a relevant development in July, the Iranian security forces had also dismantled
a terrorist group affiliated to the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, and captured
its members.
“A
network of agents of the Zionist regime (Mossad) has been dismantled and
captured along with a large shipment of weapons and ammunition after arriving
at the western border posts of the country,” the director-general of the
Intelligence Ministry for Counter-Espionage Operation said.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000720000847/Iran-Arress-0-Spies-in-Shern-Prvince
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IRGC
Operates Its Domestically-Built Qods Radar for 1st Time in Drills
2021-October-13
Qods
Radar is able to monitor targets at a 500km range and altitude of over 90,000
feet. Tactical and single-vehicle capability, domestic software, the ability to
deal with electronic warfare in various techniques, friend-enemy detection
system and the ability to link with defense systems are among the
characteristics of Qods radar system.
Iranian
Army and the IRGC started large-scale aerial drills aimed at enhancing
preparedness for defending the country’s skies against threats.
The
operational phase of the joint large-scale drill, codenamed Modafe’an-e
Aseman-e Velayat 1400 (Defenders of Velayat Skies 1400), began on Tuesday
morning in the central desert areas of Iran.
The
units of the Iranian Army's Air Defense Force, the IRGC Aerospace Force and the
Army’s Air Force are taking part in the exercises.
The
drill is aimed at boosting the combat preparedness, strengthening deterrent
power, evaluating the homegrown air defense systems in countering various
threats, full defense against electronic warfare and cyberattacks, improving
knowledge and skill of the units and boosting coordination among the Army and the
IRGC’s command and control centers.
The
participating units are employing combined, indigenous and creative tactics and
techniques which would be implemented in proportion to threats.
The
use of modern technology is among leading features of this maneuver.
In
a relevant development in June, Commander of Khatam al-Anbia Air Defense Base
Brigadier General Qader Rahimzadeh said that the country’s air defenses work as
an integrated network, which provides full protection for Iran’s entire
airspace, guaranteeing complete security for all authorized aircraft.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Turkey
detains eight people, thwarting attempt to kidnap former Iranian soldier
13
October ,2021
Turkish
authorities have detained eight people, including two alleged Iranian agents,
who attempted to abduct a former Iranian soldier back to Iran, Turkey’s
state-run agency reported on Wednesday.
The
Anadolu Agency said the eight were caught in the eastern province of Van, which
borders Iran, in a joint operation by Turkey’s police and intelligence agency
on Sept. 24.
A
Turkish government official confirmed the arrests on Wednesday but did not
elaborate.
Anadolu
said the Iranian agents were sent to Turkey with the purpose of creating a
“network” that would kidnap and smuggle the soldier back to Iran. The group
reportedly offered money to the soldier’s wife to help them kidnap him and
threatened to harm family members in Iran if she refused.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Africa
Mosque
Attack In Western Niger Leaves 10 Dead
James
Tasamba
14.10.2021
At
least 10 people were killed when suspected militants attacked a mosque in
western Niger, the country’s defines minister said Wednesday.
The
attack took place Monday in the village of Tizigorou in a region where Niger,
Mali and Burkina Faso meet.
“The
assailants, riding on motorcycles, attacked a mosque during prayer time in the
prefecture of Banibangou in the Tillaberi region. The victims were praying,”
Issoufou Katambe told the media.
Since
early this year, attacks by suspected militants have intensified in the area
around Banibangou and nearby towns in the region.
Targeting
civilians and the army, they are blamed on Daesh in the Greater Sahara and an
Al-Qaeda-affiliated group.
Since
the beginning of the year, more than 500 deaths have been recorded, according
to official data, and thousands have been displaced fleeing the violence.
Meanwhile,
local authorities on Wednesday reinstated a ban on motorbikes in several parts
of the Tillaberi region following persistent security threats.
The
ban, first imposed last year to combat militant attacks carried out by gunmen
on motorbikes, had been lifted on Sept. 1 following a relative containment of
the security situation by government forces.
Various
militant groups operating in the area most often use motorbikes to attack
civilian populations as well as army positions.
The
initial decree also regulated the sale of fuel and shut down markets suspected
of hiding informants and feeding the armed groups.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/mosque-attack-in-western-niger-leaves-10-dead/2391475
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Erdogan
to begin diplomacy tour to 3 African countries on Sunday: Sources
Mumin
Altas
13.10.2021
The
Turkish president will leave on Sunday for a four-day diplomatic tour to three
African countries, diplomatic sources have told Anadolu Agency.
Recep
Tayyip Erdogan has officially visited 28 African countries to date, and will
now tour Angola, Nigeria and Togo.
The
trip is significant as Turkey is hosting two important events in Istanbul: a
two-day Turkey-Africa 3rd Economy and Business Summit on Oct. 21, and a two-day
Turkey-Africa 3rd Partnership Summit on Dec. 17.
Turkey's
African policy, which encompasses political, humanitarian, economic, and
cultural spheres, is part of its multidimensional foreign policy.
Turkey
aims to contribute to the economic and social development of the continent with
peace and stability, as well as to develop bilateral relations on the basis of
equal partnership and mutual benefit.
To
this effect, the number of Turkish embassies in Africa has increased from just
12 in 2002 to 43 in 2021.
Turkey's
trade with Africa was $5.4 billion at the end of 2003, which climbed to $25.3
billion by 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
According
to sources, Erdogan is expected to meet his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourencho
as well as attend a forum with businesspeople from both the countries.
Erdogan
hosted Lourencho in July, and the two leaders inked agreements of cooperation
on air transport, mutual promotion of investments, hydrocarbons and mining,
renewable energy, and visa exemptions.
Sources
said Erdogan will also meet Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and attend the
Turkey-Nigeria Business Forum on his second visit to the West African country.
Steps
will be taken to harness the true potential of the two countries' relations
during the talks, which will include bilateral economic and regional
developments. Three agreements in the fields of hydrocarbons, mining, and
energy are also expected to be signed.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Man
who confessed to killing 10 children in Kenya escapes from police cell
Andrew
Wasike
13.10.2021
A
serial killer who confessed to killing 10 children has escaped from police
custody days after leading homicide detectives to four crime scenes where some
of the murders occurred.
Police
confirmed to the media on Wednesday that the 20-year-old Masten Wanjala Milimu
escaped either late Tuesday or early Wednesday from the Jogoo Road Police
Station in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. He was waiting to face over 10 counts of
murder.
It
is still unclear how the serial killer escaped but police, led by Nairobi police
boss James Mugera, say that they have cast their dragnet in major cities in
search of the killer.
Policemen
who were taking the routine morning roll call raised the alarm Wednesday
morning after they found that one of the prisoners was missing.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Kenya
rejects ICJ ruling over maritime dispute with Somalia
Andrew
Wasike
13.10.2021
Kenyan
President Uhuru Kenyatta Wednesday rejected a ruling by the International Court
of Justice that gave Somalia a large chunk of territory in a maritime border
dispute.
Kenya
said while it is not surprised at the decision, it is profoundly concerned by
the impact of the decision and its implications for the Horn of Africa region,
and international law generally.
“At
the outset, Kenya wishes to indicate that it rejects in totality and does not
recognize the findings in the decision,” Kenyatta said in a statement.
Kenyatta
said Kenya, as an avid supporter of the rule of law, accepted the court’s
jurisdiction through a declaration in 1965, with an objectively clear outline
of certain excluded matters.
“At
the time, Kenya never imagined that the ICJ would violate the declaration to
the extent of imposing its mandate over expressly excluded matters,” Kenyatta
said.
Kenya
withdrew its participation in the public hearings on March 14 citing
“substantive and persistent procedural unfairness from a biased bench, and the
denial of the right to a fair hearing”.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/kenya-rejects-icj-ruling-over-maritime-dispute-with-somalia/2390548
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North America
Biden
admin plans to exempt some Taliban-era Afghan civil servants from US
terror-related entry restrictions
14.10.2021
EXCLUSIVE:
The Biden administration is planning to allow some Afghan civil servants who
were employed by the 1996-2001 Taliban government to be exempt from
terror-related bans on entering the United States, according to a draft
document obtained by Fox News. The administration continues to bring in tens of
thousands of Afghans as part of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The
draft U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) planning document,
reviewed by Fox News, outlines how the Department of Homeland Security is
planning on issuing a memorandum to allow Afghan civil servants who worked
during the Taliban regime to be exempted from terrorism-related inadmissibility
grounds (TRIG) if they fulfill other background and screening requirements.
TRIG
places limits on individuals who are members of a terrorist organization or who
have engaged in terrorism, making them inadmissible to the U.S. and ineligible
for immigration benefits. The USCIS website says that the definition of
terrorism-related activity "is relatively broad and may apply to
individuals and activities not commonly thought to be associated with
terrorism." It means that TRIG
would likely rule out those who worked under the Taliban regime, which ruled
from 1996 until its ouster by the U.S. in 2001 due to its harboring of al Qaeda
after the 9/11 attacks.
"Many
individuals who worked in civil service positions before the declaration of the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in 1996 continued to do so after the
declaration," the document says in justification of the application.
"Some did so under duress or other situations of hardship."
"Some
used their positions in humanitarian capacities to mitigate the repressive
actions of the Taliban regime, often at great personal risk. Some of these
civil servants later worked for or helped the International Security Assistance
Force, the U.S. government or the Afghan government that was established in
Dec. 22, 2001," it adds.
The
Taliban has regained control of Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal,
and the Biden administration has been bringing tens of thousands of Afghans
into the U.S., including those who helped the U.S. mission and those deemed
"at risk." The administration has estimated it will bring in
approximately 95,000 Afghans during this fiscal year.
The
TRIG exemption authority for Afghan civil servants was finalized in the final
days of the Obama administration in January 2017, but it was never published or
applied to any refugees, the document says. USCIS says the guidance is being
applied now as it anticipates increased filings from Afghan nationals. The
authority allows USCIS officers to exempt terror-related inadmissibility
grounds that result from employment by the Taliban as civil servants between
Sept. 1996 and Dec. 2001.
An
administration official emphasized to Fox News that the memo would not change
the screening and vetting process in existence and that each individual would
still be screened, evaluated and cleared by law enforcement and
counterterrorism officials before being admitted into the U.S. The official
also said that similar exemptions have been made with refugees from countries
like the Soviet Union and Cuba, and that, without an exemption, Afghans who
worked as teachers or in health care could be excluded from entering the U.S.
"The
effect [of the memo] is that people who worked as doctors, grade school
teachers, civil servants or low-level government employees wouldn’t
automatically be barred from ever entering the United States because they
worked in those professions," the official said.
The
official told Fox News that the move's status is "pre-decisional."
The
planning document also notes that TRIG exemptions have occurred periodically
and that exemptions have included those who offered material support under
duress for voluntary provisions of medical care and membership of a number of
groups. It also says that an individual will only be considered for an
exemption if the evacuee has passed "all background checks and pose[s] no
danger to the safety and security of the United States, and other threshold
requirements."
Source:
Fox News
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US
warns of ‘other options’ if diplomacy fails on Iran nuclear program
13
October ,2021
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Wednesday that Washington had “other
options” if diplomacy failed on Iran’s nuclear program, as his visiting Israeli
counterpart said they reserved the right to use force.
Blinken
told reporters that he had hoped for the success of talks with Iran, but “the
runway that we have left to do that is getting shorter and shorter.”
Referencing
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s threat to use force, Blinken said without
elaborating: “We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn’t change
course.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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US
maintains course on de facto Palestinian embassy despite Israeli pressure
Michael
Hernandez
13.10.2021
WASHINGTON
The
US is intent on opening its de facto embassy to Palestinians, Secretary of
State Antony Blinken said Wednesday despite stalwart opposition from Israel.
"We
will work closely with Israel, deepen our diplomatic ties with the
Palestinians, and consult with partners in the region and beyond who have a
common interest in supporting efforts to advance a lasting peace," he told
reporters during a news conference with his Israeli and Emirati counterparts.
"As
I said in May, we'll be moving forward with the process of opening a consulate,
as part of deepening those ties with the Palestinians," added Blinknen.
Israeli
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid previously warned that reopening Washington's
consulate general in West Jerusalem, which has traditionally served as the US'
diplomatic headquarters for the Palestinians, is a "bad idea."
The
move, he said, “will send the wrong message, not only to the region, not only
to the Palestinians, but also to other countries, and we don’t want this to
happen.”
The
building, which was built before the creation of the state of Israel, was
closed by former US President Donald Trump in 2019 when he moved the American
Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized the contested city as
Israel's capital. The consulate’s functions were folded in to those of the
embassy.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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US
rules out normalizing with Syria’s Assad
14
October ,2021
Secretary
of State Antony Blinken renewed US opposition Wednesday to normalization with
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has seen growing acceptance from Arab
nations that have concluded he won the brutal civil war.
Meeting
with his Israeli and UAE counterparts, Blinken said that President Joe Biden’s
administration’s policy on Syria was largely focused on humanitarian relief.
“What
we have not done, and what we do not intend to do, is to express any support
for efforts to normalize relations or rehabilitate Mr. Assad,” Blinken told a
joint news conference, not referring to Assad as president.
The
United States has not “lifted a single sanction on Syria or changed our position
to oppose the reconstruction of Syria until there is irreversible progress
toward a political solution, which we believe is necessary and vital,” Blinken
said.
A
US law known as the Caesar Act came into force last year that punishes any
companies that work with Assad as he seeks to rebuild after a decade of war.
The
Caesar Act, accompanied by a slew of US sanctions on Syrians close to Assad,
aims to force accountability for human rights abuses and to encourage a
political solution in Syria.
The
United Arab Emirates has earlier said that the Caesar Act made it difficult for
Syria to return to the Arab League.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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US
will weigh all options if Iran will not resume nuclear deal: Special envoy
Malley
13
October ,2021
The
United States is ready to consider all options for how it would deal with a
world in which Iran were not willing to return to the constraints of the 2015
nuclear deal, US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said on Wednesday.
“We
will be prepared to adjust to a different reality in which we have to deal with
all options to address Iran’s nuclear program if it’s not prepared to come back
into the constraints,” of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers,” he
said in a virtual appearance at a Washington think tank.
In
rare public remarks, Malley adopted a more coercive rhetorical stance toward
Tehran if it were unwilling to resume compliance with the deal, under which
Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment program -- which is a
possible pathway to fissile material for a weapon -- in return for sanctions
relief.
Among
other things, Malley said the United States and Israel, which has previously
struck both Iraqi and Syrian nuclear sites, are united in their opposition to
Iran developing a nuclear weapon, and he spoke of enforcing US sanctions
designed to prevent Iran from selling its oil abroad.
Rob
Malley, who led indirect talks with Iran earlier this year, said that President
Joe Biden’s administration still felt it was best to return to the deal that
was trashed by former president Donald Trump.
“We
feel like coming back would still be the best outcome but we’re realistic,”
Malley said at an event at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“We
know that there’s at least a good possibility that Iran is going to choose a
different path and we need to coordinate with Israel and with our other
partners in the region,” Malley said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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