Iconic Logo of IIM Ahmedabad Inspired By Mosque ‘Siddi Saiyed Mosque Jaali’ Redesigned, Faculty Protests
New Age Islam News Bureau
01 April 2022
Logo of IIM Ahmedabad
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• Temple Of Lord Krishna, Where around 200 Muslim
Artisans of the Taj Mahal Clan Worked, To Be Opened On May 3
• Muslim Nations Tilt towards China as US Influence
Fades and Uighurs Ignored
• Canada Extends Anti-Islamic State Mission in Iraq and
the Middle East To 2023
• Major Steps Ongoing To Normalize Ties with Saudi
Arabia: Turkish Foreign Minister
India
• Iconic Logo of IIM Ahmedabad Inspired By Mosque
‘Siddi Saiyed Mosque Jaali’ Redesigned, Faculty Protests
• Temple Of Lord Krishna, Where around 200 Muslim
Artisans of the Taj Mahal Clan Worked, To Be Opened On May 3
• BJP Slams Industrialist’s ‘Communal Exclusion’
Warning; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Asks to “Resolve Growing Religious Divide”
• Bajrang Dal Launches Karnataka Anti-Halal Drive,
Muslim Vendor 'Thrashed'
• Loudspeaker Ban at Mosques: Petitioner Wants To
Withdraw PIL
• One terrorist killed in encounter in J&K's
Shopian
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Southeast
Asia
• Religious affairs minister: Saudi Arabia yet to set
Haj quota for Malaysia this year
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North
America
• US rabbi says Israeli president's visit to Turkiye
shows strong Washington-Ankara ties
• UN chief appeals for $4.4B 'unconditional' funding
for Afghanistan
• Turkiye to provide additional $5 million in aid to
Afghanistan
--------
Mideast
• IRGC Commander Warns Certain Arab States Not to fall
in Israeli Regime's Trap
• Forces on Highest Alert Ahead Of Temple Mount Friday
Prayers, Start Of Ramadan
• Palestinians hope for a calm Ramadan in Jerusalem
amid tensions
• Iran Blasts Unilateral Sanctions against Russia
• Iran Blasts US for Continued Violation of UN
Resolution 2231
• FM: Iran Pays Heed to Expansion of Ties with
Uzbekistan
--------
Europe
• Russia Accredits Taliban Envoy, Voices Concern over
Militants
• France to open diplomatic mission in Iraq's Mosul
• Calls by Turkish community for 'transparent' census
in North Macedonia 'ignored': Turkiye
• Armenia says ‘ready’ for peace with Azerbaijan ahead
of talks in EU capital
• UN chief calls for accountability by Mali, military
‘partners’
--------
Pakistan
• No Truth to Claims: US on Imran Allusion to
‘Conspiracy’
• No Accord with MQM-P on New Provinces, Says Karachi
Administrator
• PM Imran says KP rejected 'traitors' as PTI leads in
second phase of local govt polls
• Security agencies have reported plot to assassinate
PM Imran: Fawad
• Strong reply to be delivered to US, says NSC
• TTP member found missing in Rawalpindi
• Under-reconstruction Jain Mandir in Lahore all set
to reopen
• Trust vote: China says expect political parties to
uphold Pakistan’s interests
• Pakistan Army not only defeated terrorism but also
kept five times larger Army at bay: Air Chief
--------
South
Asia
• Acting Minister of Interior Affairs, Islamic Emirate
of Afghanistan, To Griffiths: We Want Strong Interaction with World Community
• US announces nearly $204 million in aid for
Afghanistan
• 49th Session UNHRC: Afghan panel discusses impact of
Taliban rule in Afghanistan
--------
Arab
World
• Turkish Prosecutor Seeks Transfer of Khashoggi Case
to Saudi Arabia
• UNHCR, IIFA Release Annual Report on Islamic Philanthropy
in Jeddah
• Houthis still welcome to join Yemen consultations in
Riyadh: GCC official
• Saudi Arabia blacklists 25 individuals, entities for
easing financing of Houthis
• American English instructor mesmerized with Saudi
Arabia’s social reforms
--------
Africa
• Ramadan Will Be Difficult, We Can’t Even Buy Oranges
– Zamfara Residents Cry Out
• Turkish charity to distribute 2,500 food packages to
families in Sudan
• Tunisian anti-terror unit summons 30 MPs: Ghannouchi
• Tunisia’s president rules out early elections after
dissolving parliament
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/logo-iim-siddi-saiyed-mosque/d/126706
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Iconic Logo of IIM Ahmedabad Inspired By Mosque ‘Siddi
Saiyed Mosque Jaali’ Redesigned, Faculty Protests
Logo of IIM Ahmedabad
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Apr 1, 2022
AHMEDABAD: The iconic logo of IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is
perhaps as famous as the premier B-school itself. Adopted in 1961, the logo was
copyrighted in 2020. But the same logo - inspired by the iconic Siddi Saiyed
Mosque jaali representing Ahmedabad - is reportedly getting an overhaul amid
open displeasure from a dozen-odd faculty members.
In a letter dated March 8 addressed to the director
and Board of Governors (BoG), the faculty members wrote that the academic
council met on March 4 and approved the change in the logo design. "This
comes as a total surprise to us as a new set of logos has been approved by the
IIM-A board without informing or involving the faculty members in the
process... till we do not understand the reasons for the same, we consider them
as violation of existing practices which were built on the premise of faculty
governance," stated the letter.
An email to IIM-A officials on the institute's stand
about the issue remained unanswered as of Thursday night. While sources
confirmed a letter was sent to the BoG, the institute neither confirmed nor
denied either the move or the receipt of the said letter.
"The directors of the institute have always
respected faculty views and adopted proposals only after following a due
process of consultation. However, in the recent past, we have noticed that
there have been lapses and there have been repeated instances of process violations
and bypassing of established faculty governance norms and practices,"
stated the letter, further adding that the BoG has not met the faculty members
as a group for more than two years. The letter stated that the change in logo
will have "far-reaching implications and long-term consequences on the
institute's brand and stakeholders".
"The new logo does not recognize IIM-A's
heritage, core purpose, and core objective," mentioned the letter,
indicating that one of the logos does not carry its motto 'Vidya Viniyogat
Vikas'. These will be used as international and domestic identities,"
indicated the letter.
Sources said that the process started with
re-designing of the website according to 'international standards'. Several
persons associated with the institute have expressed shock and disbelief at the
move.
Faculty members unhappy
There is growing dissent among faculty members against
the way that IIM-A is functioning, said sources close to the development. In
the first instance, two senior faculty members were reportedly asked to get
permission from the director’s office before approaching the media. In another,
the institute reportedly sent a notice to a faculty member for recovery of a
sum. The faculty member took the institute to court on the same matter where
the hearing is pending, said sources. A retired professor also got involved in
a spat with a senior functionary in an online group, said sources
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Temple Of Lord Krishna, Where around 200 Muslim
Artisans of the Taj Mahal Clan Worked, To Be Opened On May 3
SKCON temple, in Patna.
Spread over almost 3 acres the Krishna Temple is the first such temple in Bihar
and Jharkhand. The ISKCON, with international footprints, has around 100
temples in India. (HT Photo)
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Mar 31, 2022
By Ruchir Kumar
PATNA: The sprawling temple of Lord Krishna in Patna,
where around 200 Muslim artisans from Rajasthan worked day and night for almost
five years to give it the finishing touch, will be thrown open to the public on
May 3, said Devki Nandan Das, the zonal secretary of the International Society
for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Tuesday.
The uniqueness of the temple is the fine carving on
stone by the Muslim artisans, who belong to the same clan, which worked at
Agra’s Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders in the world. Also, the marble at
the temple is from Rajasthan’s Makrana, used to build the Taj Mahal, said Das.
Calcitic in nature, Makrana marble is regarded as the
oldest and of the finest quality and requires specialised craftsmanship.
“The Muslim artisans engaged in the construction were
involved in cutting, carving, designing, and pasting of marble and sandstone at
our temple,” said Nand Gopal Das, the local spokesperson of the ISKCON temple.
“In perfect religious harmony, the Muslim sculptors
would offer namaaz at our temple during their stay of almost five years, while
they worked on the stones. Contractor Raju Khan’s team has now moved to work on
a temple project in Dubai,” added Das.
Almost 40% of the total cost of construction was used
in its finishing, which included payment to the Muslim artisans for their
craftsmanship, said Srikrishna Kripa Das, president of ISKCON, Patna Chapter.
The 108-feet tall earthquake-resistant temple has 84
pillars, five metres apart, like the ones at Dwarka and Gokul. “The 84 pillars
symbolise the 84 lakh creatures,” said Das.
It has taken almost 15 years for the completion of the
project after Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar attended the sod-turning
ceremony in July 2007.
The inflation in the last 15 years and more recently
the Covid pandemic delayed the project, said Kripa Das.
“From an initial budget of ₹51 crores, it led to almost
100% cost escalation, and we ran short of funds, delaying the execution of the
project. It was due to the tireless efforts of the LN Poddar, the chairman of
our temple construction committee, we could mobilise around ₹100 crore,
generated through public donation for the construction of the temple,” said
Das.
The three-storied temple has as many multi-purpose
halls on each floor, including an auditorium, where at least 1,000 devotees can
partake ‘prasad’ (God’s offering), besides the sanctum sanctorum, which can
accommodate 5,000 people; a restaurant where “Karma-free food” (dishes prepared
without onion and garlic) will be served, and a 70-room guest house in the
backyard for ISKCON life members.
Spread over almost 3 acres (1, 30,680 sq. ft), this is
the first such temple in Bihar and Jharkhand. The ISKCON, with international
footprints, has around 100 temples in India.
“The temple in Patna will be among the top 10 in
ISKCON’s chain of temples in India. The upcoming temple in Mayapur (West
Bengal), which will be the world’s biggest on 700-acre land of which 50-acre is
for the temple, is expected to be complete in 2024,” said the zonal secretary.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Muslim Nations Tilt towards China As US Influence
Fades And Uighurs Ignored
A Chinese flag flies next
to a minaret in the city of Kashgar in China's Xinjiang region (AFP)
------
By Sal Ahmed
31 March 2022
The attendance of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at
last week’s Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Pakistan is a
clear signal that many countries in the Muslim world are moving away from their
traditional alliances with the US, analysts have told Middle East Eye.
The conference of OIC foreign ministers in Islamabad
concluded with a familiar resolution, condemning the oppression of Muslims in
Palestine and Indian-administered Kashmir and rising Islamophobia in western
countries.
But the statement made no mention of China’s
persecuted Uyghur minority, drawing condemnation from Uyghur activists already
irked by the organisation’s invitation to Wang to address the conference as a
special guest.
It is not unusual for hosts of OIC conferences to
invite leaders from the non-Muslim world for their own strategic reasons. In
2019, the United Arab Emirates invited then-Indian Foreign Minister Sushma
Swaraj as it lobbied for greater Indian investment.
Pakistan's invitation to China came with Pakistani
Prime Minister Imran Khan seeking to use the OIC conference to bolster his own
position ahead of a parliamentary vote of no confidence on his leadership next
week by courting the support of his country's powerful neighbour.
Diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Washington
have soured under Khan's leadership. Khan has not spoken to US President Joe
Biden since his inauguration last year, and the US was widely reported in
Pakistani media this week to be behind an alleged conspiracy - dismissed as
"baseless" by the US State Department - to topple Khan.
No wonder then, analysts said, Khan has moved towards China
instead.
“China has hundreds of billions of dollars of
investments in Pakistan," Haroon Aslam, a retired senior military general
and political analyst, told Middle East Eye.
"That makes them a serious stakeholder in the
country. Political stability means economic stability, and when it comes to
Imran Khan, he definitely sees a better future for his country when aligned
with Russia and China."
Moving away from the West
But Wang’s invitation to Pakistan reflected a
unanimity of interest among most leading OIC member states, analysts said.
“Geopolitically and economically, the Muslim bloc is
fast moving away from the West,” Umer Karim, a visiting fellow at the Royal
United Services Institute think tank in London, told MEE.
“More recently the pressure from the broader West to
support Ukraine hasn't gone down well. But there is real history between many
of the Muslim countries and the West, and much of its all is too recent to
forget.”
Karim said the withdrawal last year of US missile
defence systems from Saudi Arabia, which has been targeted with missiles and
drones by Houthi militants in Yemen, had led some OIC countries to review their
own security situations.
“Pulling out Patriot missile defence batteries from
Saudi Arabia last year, a leading OIC member will naturally see other members
lose trust in the US's security guarantees,” said Karim.
Reports last week said the US had transferred an
unspecified number of Patriot systems back to Saudi Arabia in what was widely
interpreted as a move to ease tensions with its long-time Gulf ally.
Tallha Abdulrazaq, an academic at the University of
Exeter, says the OIC’s tilt towards China can be seen as pragmatism on the part
of its member states.
“The reason behind the shift is to face up to new
geopolitical realities. OIC member states are largely (with notable exceptions)
still within the West's orbit, but they aren't blind,” he told MEE.
“They can see that China is a rising power that will
eventually be able to challenge western hegemony across not only economic, but
also political and possibly military domains.”
The US may also be paying a price for its legacy of
interventions in the region, said Abdulrazaq.
“Generally, the US doesn't enjoy a good reputation in
the Middle East and that is largely due to its legacy of wars and occupation,
especially the wars against Iraq in 1991 and 2003 and the disastrous aftermath
of the occupation there.”
Karim cited conversations with several Middle Eastern
officials and leaders in which they had pointed to the hypocrisy of Western
nations.
“The wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, proxies in Syria,
bombings in Libya, Kashmir and the regular bombardment of Palestine, besides
the unrelenting support, both financial and militaristic, for Israel, has
deeply dented the credibility of the US and European countries,” he said.
'Ancient civilisations'
China is well aware of rising anti-West sentiment
across the Muslim world and Wang chose his words carefully in Islamabad,
appealing to shared history, mutual political leanings and the prospect of economic
partnerships with the Muslim world.
“Both Chinese and Islamic civilisations are ancient
civilisations with important influence in the world,” he said.
“China will continue to support Islamic countries in
drawing on Islamic wisdom to solve current hotspot issues such as those related
to Palestine, Afghanistan and Ukraine, and firmly holding the key to
maintaining stability and promoting peace in their own hands.”
In the buildup to the conference, China also
co-sponsored an OIC-backed resolution proposed by Pakistan at the United
Nations General Assembley to create an international day to combat
Islamophobia.
Karim said distrust towards the West is allowing China
more space to manoeuvre in the Muslim world.
“The US moved out of the Middle East to focus on
China, but with the Russia-Ukraine conflict serving as a distraction, China is
fast strengthening its strategic base and making new friends,” he said.
“This OIC conference has allowed China a platform to
reach out to the broader Muslim bloc and push itself as the OIC's leading
economic partner. That’s why many Muslim states are changing their foreign and
security policy outlook to be more in line with that of China.”
For China, closer engagement with the Muslim world
also presents further economic opportunities and privileged access to a 1.5
billion-strong market.
According to the International Monetary Fund’s
Direction of Trade Statistics, over the last 20 years, China has overtaken the
US in becoming the leading trade partner with the entire Muslim world.
“China has a lot to offer to the Muslims, especially
in terms of trade, energy exports for fossil fuel-rich Muslim countries, trade
routes, access to its Belt and Road initiative, and as a way of diversifying
away from US hegemony, especially at a moment in history where Washington seems
to care less and less for its more traditional 'allies' in the Muslim world,”
said Abdulrazaq.
“By moving closer to China, it could trigger a
reaction and force the US to engage more as a point of competition between
great powers. If Muslim countries are canny, they will balance both powers off
each other to better serve their interests.”
With Pakistan alone, China has diverse partnerships
ranging from the energy sector to defence industries, infrastructure
development, and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a proposed series of
interconnected trade routes running west which include a road link between the
Uyghur-majority province Xinjiang and Gwadar, a port city on the Arabian Sea.
“BRI serves China's strategic interests, in case
certain powers in the world decide to block China's shipping routes in the
South China Sea. BRI is the fallback option; this puts Pakistan in a crucial
position,” said Karim.
Muslim countries which have either endorsed the BRI or
committed in some form to partnering with it include Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan also has comprehensive defence partnerships
with China, said Karim, including deals for fighter jets, naval frigates and
tanks.
“As relations have deteriorated with the West,
Pakistan's dependence on Chinese military equipment has reached unprecedented
levels. All branches of Pakistan's Armed Forces remain fully reliant on China
in their pursuit to maintain credible deterrence against India.”
Arms and oil
With Iran, in direct contravention of current US
sanctions, China is set to invest nearly $400bn in the country's energy,
banking, telecom, shipping and railways sectors.
Beijing is already the largest buyer of oil from Gulf
nations – and they too have returned the favour.
Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund signed a lucrative
deal with China's artificial intelligence firm, SenseTime, which develops
facial recognition software, to base its regional research and development
headquarters in the emirate.
Pushing back on pressure from the US, Saudi Arabia,
the UAE, and Kuwait have contracted Chinese telecom giant Huawei to build their
5G telecoms infrastructures.
In terms of cultural and linguistic alignment,
countries like Pakistan and Saudi Arabia now teach Chinese as a third language
in public and private schools.
However, Abdulrazaq said, closer economic links with
China were being forged even as China’s oppression of the Uyghurs was mostly
being ignored by Muslim leaders.
Abdulrazaq said this position was “indefensible but
understandable”.
“Some Muslim countries like Pakistan are in a very
difficult position regarding this issue and they are powerless to do much about
it due to their circumstances and economic weakness. But other countries such
as the UAE have no excuse.
“While relations with China would of course be welcome
to such wealthy states, they don't immediately need them, yet they choose to
throw the Uyghurs under the bus for political reasons.”
Source: Middle East Eye
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Canada Extends Anti-Islamic State Mission in Iraq and
the Middle East To 2023
Canadian Special Forces
man an observation bunker in Northern Iraq, Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. Defence
Minister Anita Anand says Canada is extending its military mission in Iraq and
the Middle East until 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
------
April 01, 2022
Canada is extending its military mission in Iraq and
the Middle East for another year.
Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the 12-month
extension on Thursday evening, only hours before the current mandate was set to
expire.
It comes even as Canada has steadily reduced its
military footprint in the region as the focus in Iraq, in particular, has
shifted from defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to countering
Iran’s growing influence.
The Canadian Armed Forces, which first deployed troops
to Iraq in October 2014 as ISIL threatened to take over the country and
neighbouring Syria, previously had a high of more than 800 soldiers in the
region.
The Canadian mission at different times included
fighter jets, transport and surveillance aircraft, helicopters as well as
military trainers and special forces troops working alongside Kurdish and Iraqi
forces as they fought ISIL.
But the mission has since shrunk in size and
prominence as concerns about ISIL have been replaced with fears about Iran’s
growing influence in Iraq and the region, and as other crises and threats such
as Russia, China and the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged.
Canada in February had only about 300 Armed Forces
members assigned to what is known as Operation Impact, with about 250
intelligence, logistics and command staff in Kuwait, 50 trainers in Jordan and
Lebanon, and only a handful of troops in Iraq.
“The Canadian Armed Forces have been working with
partners and allies since 2014 to improve Iraqi security forces’ capabilities,”
Anand said in a statement.
“The Canadian Armed Forces have also been providing
training and capacity-building assistance to the Jordanian Armed Forces and the
Lebanese Armed Forces.”
The decision to extend Canada’s military mission in
Iraq comes as the Armed Forces is being asked to contribute additional troops
and equipment in eastern Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,
and as it struggles with personnel shortfall.
It also coincides with a political deadlock in Baghdad
over repeated failures to elect a new president and escalating tensions between
the United States and Iran, with the latter having launched ballistic missile
attacks in the region in recent weeks.
Bessma Momani, one of Canada’s top Middle East experts
at the University of Waterloo, said the decision to extend the mission comes at
a critical time for Iraq as the country teeters toward collapse amid a proxy
war between the United States and Iran.
While Canada’s contribution is largely symbolic at
this point, Momani said, “this is not a time to pull out. It just sends all the
wrong messages. Iraq’s just way too fragile to pull out at the moment.”
Canada’s mission has largely slipped from public view,
but it has seen its share of controversies over the years. Those include
questions about whether Canadian troops were in combat, and concerns about the
screening of Iraq troops trained by Canada.
The Liberals were also criticized for withdrawing
Canadian fighter jets after taking power in 2015, while Canada’s partnership
with Iraq’s Kurdish minority put this country into an awkward position when
faced with Kurdish calls for independence from Iraq.
One Canadian soldier was killed while serving on
Operation Impact. Sgt. Andrew Doiron died after Kurdish forces mistakenly shot
the Canadian special forces member. Three other Canadians were injured in the
“friendly fire” incident.
Source: The Globe And Mail
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Major Steps Ongoing To Normalize Ties with Saudi
Arabia: Turkish Foreign Minister
Foreign Minister Mevlüt
Çavuşoğlu (R) meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al
Saud in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 22, 2022. (DHA)
-----
Basak Akbulut Yazar
31.03.2022
ANKARA
Important steps are ongoing to normalize relations
with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye's foreign minister said on Thursday.
"We didn't have a negative attitude towards Saudi
Arabia in terms of normalizing relations, either commercially, economically, or
politically," Mevlut Cavusoglu told Turkish news broadcaster A Haber in a
televised interview.
Underlining that steps are being taken to revive ties
between the two countries, he said: "I can say that concrete steps will be
taken on this issue in the coming period."
Cavusoglu added that progress had been made in
cooperation between the two countries' judicial institutions, despite a
previous lack of constructiveness on the Saudi side.
Request for transfer of Khashoggi murder case
A Turkish prosecutor pursuing the 2018 murder trial of
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul asked the court on Thursday to
finalize proceedings in Turkiye and transfer the case to Saudi judicial
authorities.
The 26 fugitive defendants, who have arrest warrants,
did not attend Thursday's hearing at the Istanbul High Criminal Court.
Postponing the hearing, the court decided to ask the
Turkiye's Justice Ministry for its opinion on the transfer.
Turkiye and Saudi Arabia had seen their ties
deteriorating in recent years over foreign policy. Tensions increased following
Khashoggi's 2018 murder in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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India
BJP Slams Industrialist’s ‘Communal Exclusion’
Warning; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Asks to “Resolve Growing Religious Divide”
Apr 1, 2022, 01.22
BENGALURU/ NEW DELHI: Industrialist Kiran
Mazumdar-Shaw’s tweet flagging “communal exclusion” in Karnataka as a danger to
the country’s standing in information technology on Thursday led BJP to accuse
her of imposing “personal, politically coloured opinion, and conflate it with
India’s leadership in the ITBT sector”.
BJP’s IT department in-charge Amit Malviya’s reaction
was in contrast to Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai’s reciprocal response to the
Biocon chief’s appeal to “resolve this growing religious divide”. He urged all
sections of society to exercise restraint before going public on social issues,
saying “sensitive” issues could be resolved through discussions.
While Mazumdar-Shaw didn’t directly mention any
specific instance, Malviya posted on Twitter a page from the Karnataka Hindu
Religious Institutions and CE Rules, 2002, that says “no property, including
land, building or sites situated near the institution shall be leased out to
non-Hindus”.
Biocon chief draws Malviya ire
Amit Malviya pointed out that the Karnataka Hindu
Religious Institutions and CE Rules, 2002 rules were framed when Congress was
in government in the state.
“Good to see Kiran Shaw wake up to the religious
divide in Karnataka. Did she speak up when a belligerent minority sought to
prioritise Hijab over education or Congress framed rules excluding non-Hindus
from Hindu institutions. She helped Congress draft their manifesto. Rahul Bajaj
once said something similar for Gujarat, it is today a leading automobile
manufacturing hub. Go figure,” Malviya tweeted.
Mazumdar-Shaw’s appeal to Bommai on Wednesday came
against the backdrop of the hijab row, the call to disallow Muslim vendors near
temples and right-wing organisations calling for a ban on halal meat.
“Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not
allow such communal exclusion-If ITBT became communal it would destroy our
global leadership. @BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide,” she
said.
Responding to the appeal, CM Bommai said, “Several
issues have come up for discussion in the public domain in the state in recent
times. Everyone should cooperate to maintain peace and order in the state by
showing restraint, as Karnataka is known for peace and progressiveness. It is
possible to resolve social issues that arise through peaceful talks.”
In Koppal, state home minister Araga Jnanendra said
those who do not respect the Constitution and honour court verdicts should be
taught a lesson. “We are telling them (Muslims) sincerely that you should not
function this way in this country. Nobody hates you, and we have to live like
brothers,” he said.
His remark came even as a section of Muslims called
for a statewide bandh against the Karnataka high court’s verdict on the hijab
debate. The minister accused intellectuals of lecturing only Hindus and not
others. “Why was BJP blamed by some for the campaign, which is related to
faith, sentiments, and individual choices?” he said.
BJP national general secretary CT Ravi echoed
Jnanendra when he said the halal meat business was a kind of “economic jihad”.
Source: Times Of India
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Bajrang Dal launches Karnataka anti-halal drive,
Muslim vendor 'thrashed'
Apr 1, 2022
SHIVAMOGGA/CHIKKAMAGALURU: A chicken shop owner was
allegedly assaulted by a group of pro-Hindu activists at Bhadravathi in
Shivamogga district over the halal meat row, resulting in a complaint being
filed at Hosamane Shivaji Circle police station.
The incident occurred on Wednesday and according to
the complaint, Sayyed Ansar and his relative Tousif were assaulted by 10–15
members who demanded non-halal meat. BM Laxmi Prasad, Shivamogga SP, told TOI
six or seven people had visited the chicken centre in Hosamane and demanded
non-halal meat. An argument ensued and the Hindu activists allegedly thrashed
Tousif. In another incident in Old Bhadravathi, police said Hindu activists
allegedly threatened a hotelier.
A separate complaint has been registered against the
activists on the charge of abusing the hotelier. Police said they interrogated
five Hindu activists. Meanwhile, members of Hindu organisations have launched a
campaign seeking a ban on halal meat in the main thoroughfares of Shivamogga
and Chikkamagaluru districts. Bajrang Dal workers went on a door-to-door
campaign and distributed leaflets, urging people to buy groceries and meat only
from ‘Hindu shops’. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday had said his
government will “look into serious objections” raised over halal meat.
He said various organisations are doing their own
campaigns. “We know what to respond to and what not to,” he said, when asked
for clarity on the boycotthalal meat issue. However, BC Nagesh, primary and
secondary education minister, said there is little the government can do on the
matter. “It’s a religious practice, and some people believe in it. Halal is not
a subject that comes under the purview of the government,” he said. Home
minister Araga Jnanendra, speaking in Koppal town, also claimed the government
has a limited role to play on the issue.
Source: Times Of India
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Loudspeaker Ban At Mosques: Petitioner Wants To
Withdraw PIL
Apr 1, 2022
Ahmedabad: More than a month after the Gujarat high
court sought the government’s response to a PIL seeking a ban on the use of
loudspeakers for the Azam at mosques, the petitioner on Thursday told the court
that he wants to withdraw the litigation. When the lawyer for Gandhinagar
doctor Dharmendra Prajapati sought permission to withdraw the PIL, the bench of
Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri asked the litigant to
file an affidavit first stating his intention to withdraw the PIL. The doctor,
who runs a hospital at Sector 5C in the state capital, complained that though
not many persons turn up to pray in the mosque in his neighbourhood, the
muezzin use the loudspeaker five times a day to recite the Azam, causing great
inconvenience and disturbance to people living nearby and demanded prohibition
on the use of loudspeakers in mosques across the state. tnn
Source: Times Of India
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One terrorist killed in encounter in J&K's Shopian
Apr 1, 2022
SRINAGAR: One unidentified terrorist was killed in an
encounter between the terrorists and the security forces that started in the
Turkwangam area of Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, said the police on
Friday.
"One terrorist killed. The operation is in
progress. Further details shall follow," tweeted Jammu and Kashmir police.
Earlier on Thursday, an encounter between the
terrorists and the security forces started in the Turkwangam area of Jammu and
Kashmir's Shopian district
Source: Times Of India
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Southeast
Asia
Religious affairs minister: Saudi Arabia yet to set
Haj quota for Malaysia this year
31 Mar 2022
KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — The Saudi Arabian government
has yet to set the Haj quota for all countries for this year’s Haj season, said
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Idris
Ahmad.
Idris said he was aware of the concern of Muslims in
the country following newspaper reports that there might be no increase in the
Haj quota for Malaysians this year.
“I would like to clarify that no official decision (on
Haj quota) has been made and it does not only involve Malaysia but other
countries as well,” he said in a post on Facebook today.
Idris said he was optimistic that Muslims in the
country would be able to perform the Haj pilgrimage this year based on Lembaga
Tabung Haji’s (TH) excellent performance in the management of pilgrims.
“I certainly hope that the quota will be increased to
give more opportunities to Muslims in Malaysia to fulfill (the fifth) pillar of
Islam,” he said.
Meanwhile, Idris said he had the opportunity to see
for himself the preprations to welcome the arrival of pilgrims made by the
Saudi Arabian government during his recent official working visit to the
kingdom.
Source: Malay Mail
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North
America
US rabbi says Israeli president's visit to Turkiye
shows strong Washington-Ankara ties
Betul Yuruk
01.04.2022
NEW YORK
Rabbi Marc Schneier, a prominent leader of the Jewish
community in the US and former schoolmate of Israeli President Isaac Herzog who
assisted in his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkiye,
said the two leaders' summit demonstrated that Washington and Ankara have
strong relations
Rabbi Schneier, the head of the Foundation for Ethnic
Understanding, who was in Ankara during Herzog's two-day official visit on
March 9, spoke to Anadolu Agency in New York on Thursday on Turkiye-Israel and
Turkiye-US relations.
He and Herzog have known each other since their school
days, when the president's father was posted as Israel's ambassador to the US.
Noting that he developed good relations with Murat
Mercan, the Turkish ambassador to the US, and that their efforts paved the way
for the Turkish and Israeli presidents' meeting in Ankara, he said the summit's
main achievement was stronger relations between Turkiye and the US.
Fixing bilateral ties with Israel will significantly
contribute to re-establishing relations with the Jewish community in the US and
the American administration, according to Schneier.
In Ankara, the rabbi was in contact with US Ambassador
to Turkiye Jeff Flake, who said that Washington was closely monitoring the
Turkish-Israeli meeting as well as the peace process between Turkiye and
Armenia and Ankara's mediation efforts to end Russia's war in Ukraine.
The meeting with his Turkish counterpart left the
Israeli president deeply impressed, he remarked.
In terms of future political developments, he
indicated that the foreign ministers of the two countries intended to meet in
Israel after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan to discuss a myriad of
subjects, including the natural gas pipeline project.
According to the rabbi, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali
Bennett may pay a visit to Turkiye following Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu's visit to Israel.
He believed that the improvement in Turkish-Israeli
relations will have an impact on Ankara's relations with Washington and that
President Joe Biden may invite Erdogan to the US in the near future as a
tangible indicator of how relations are developing and an important first step
toward better ties.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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UN chief appeals for $4.4B 'unconditional' funding for
Afghanistan
Servet Gunerigok
31.03.2022
WASHINGTON
The UN secretary-general on Thursday warned the
humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated over the past months and
appealed for "unconditional" $4.4 billion in aid for the war-stricken
country.
"Together with our partners, we aim to reach 22
million people with food, water, health care, protection, shelter, education
and other forms of life-saving aid," said Antonio Guterres at the
Afghanistan Conference 2022, a virtual UN high-level pledging conference.
The UK, Germany and Qatar are hosting the conference
in solidarity with the people of Afghanistan.
The requested funding is the world’s largest appeal
for a single country.
"So far, the appeal is currently less than 13%
funded. I appeal to you to provide unconditional and flexible funding as soon
as possible," said Guterres.
"I also call for all those with influence to use
it to ensure continued safe, rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian staff
– women and men alike – to all parts of Afghanistan," he added.
Guterres said Afghans are struggling to feed their
families, and warned that without immediate action, "we face a starvation
and malnutrition crisis in Afghanistan."
"People are already selling their children and
their body parts, in order to feed their families," he added.
Speaking at the event, UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth
Truss said Afghanistan is the scene of the world's largest humanitarian crisis
after the Taliban took over the country.
More than 20 million people are in dire need of
humanitarian support, and over 1 million children are at risk of dying from
hunger, said Truss.
"Now is the time to dig deep by pledging to
support the Afghan population, particularly those most in need.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Turkiye to provide additional $5 million in aid to
Afghanistan
Servet Gunerigok
31.03.2022
WASHINGTON
Turkiye will provide an additional $5 million in aid
to Afghanistan, the Turkish deputy foreign minister announced Thursday, saying
Ankara will continue to stand with the Afghan people.
Speaking at a UN high-level pledging conference, Sedat
Onal said it is in the common interest of all nations to stabilize Afghanistan,
warning that "spillover effects from mass migration to terrorism will be
felt widely."
Onal said Turkiye dispatched three charity trains
containing humanitarian aid worth $15 million and contributed an additional $3
million to UNDP's special trust funds to support health and education.
"While absolutely crucial, humanitarian aid alone
cannot turn the tide. Functioning institutions and economy are essential for
stability," said the diplomat.
Turning to the Taliban's restrictions on girls'
education, Onal reiterated Ankara's call for the interim government to reverse
"this unfortunate decision and allow girls of all ages to take part in
education in an inclusive manner."
He urged “gradual engagement with the interim
government and try to steer them in the right direction. We should also try to
reach out to Afghan people directly," he added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Mideast
IRGC Commander Warns Certain Arab States Not to Fall
in Israeli Regime's Trap
2022-March-31
"Unfortunately, some regimes to the south of the
Persian Gulf have established political and security relations with the Zionist
regime, which poses a serious threat to the security of the region and
especially those regimes," General Salami said while referring to the
security situation in the Persian Gulf region, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea
of Oman.
"We explicitly declare and warn that the
continuation of such relations are not acceptable at all, and they should know
that the existence of the evil Zionist regime everywhere is a cause of
insecurity," he added.
In relevant remarks last week, General Salami had
warned Israel that repetition of its mischiefs against Iran will be retaliated
crushingly.
Iran will retaliate because Iranians will not accept
terrorism against their forces; so, retaliation is a real and serious message,
General Salami said, addressing a ceremony in the Southwestern city of Dezfoul
in Khuzestan province on Wedneday.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Forces on highest alert ahead of Temple Mount Friday
prayers, start of Ramadan
April 01, 2022
Israeli forces were on the highest alert ahead of
Friday prayers at the flashpoint Temple Mount in Jerusalem and the start of the
holy month of Ramadan, and amid a wave of terror attacks.
Police brought in hundreds of reinforcements to the
city and set up a special joint command, while the Israel Defense Forces has
deployed an extra 12 battalions in the West Bank, where a series of large
protests are planned.
On Friday morning, Defense Minister Benny Gantz
ordered the voluntary call-up of Border Police reservists to bolster officers.
Three companies — in total 300 officers — of reservists from the paramilitary
police unit are to be brought in.
The precautions come after 11 Israelis were killed in
three terror attacks over the last 10 days, the deadliest period since the
Second Intifada.
Last May, tensions around Ramadan and Jerusalem
escalated into an 11-day war with the Gaza Strip’s Hamas rulers and the worst
internecine clashes in decades between Jewish and Arab Israelis.
Ramadan begins Saturday in Israel.
Despite the terror attacks, Israel has decided not to
limit attendance at Friday prayers at the Temple Mount’s Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Mount is considered holy to both Jews and Muslims
and Jews. The site is revered by Jews as their holiest site, where both
biblical Temples stood, and is the third holiest site in Islam.
At a cabinet meeting Wednesday in the wake of the
terror attacks, ministers reportedly heeded calls by the heads of the various
security agencies not to impose collective punishments on Palestinians by
reversing plans aimed at calming tensions around the holy month of Ramadan.
Some ministers had suggested Israel place the West Bank on lockdown or take other
measures to restrict Palestinian access to Jerusalem’s Old City.
Instead, Israel will issue additional entry permits
for elderly Muslim worshipers to pray at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, expand the hours
of such permits, and implement other measures aimed at easing freedom of
movement for Palestinians, according to an Israeli official.
Police predicted that any reversal on already
announced plans would spark more unrest, the Kan public broadcaster reported,
though the report also said that police signed an order banning certain Hamas
members from visiting the Old City and other areas of Jerusalem during the holy
month.
Jordan’s King Abdullah, who visited the West Bank this
week, has also warned that calm will only be maintained so long as freedom of
movement for Muslims at the Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan is not curtailed.
Learning the lessons from last year, police have set
up a joint control room with representatives of the Shin Bet, the crime
prevention bureaus and various intelligence agencies that will deal with online
incitement, the Walla news site reported.
“We are heading into a complex month,” said Jerusalem
police commander Doron Turgeman. “There won’t be a single TikTok that I won’t
deal with,” he added.
Security officials told Walla that in recent days
social media sites had been flooded with Palestinian calls to come to the
Temple Mount for prayers and there were fears there could be violence.
In the run-up to last year’s war, Jerusalem saw
several days of violence, including a number of assaults on Jews that were
filmed and later uploaded to the TikTok video-sharing app, including one of an
East Jerusalem teenager slapping two ultra-Orthodox boys on the light rail.
These were met with attacks on Arabs, including chants of “Death to Arabs”
heard during the assaults.
“We are making major efforts to ensure freedom of
worship, but we don’t intend to accept violence,” a security official told
Walla. “There is an effort by Hamas and other groups inciting to set the West
Bank on fire.”
However, the official said the major concern was with
Friday prayers next week, the first of the month of Ramadan.
Police were reinforcing their presence at sites that
have been frequent flashpoints and on major roads over a fear that “lone-wolf”
or “copycat” attacks could take place like the ones in Beersheba, Beni Brak and
Hadera over the last week.
Also of concern, Palestinians are planning three large
protests in the West Bank and the fear is that mass casualties at the
demonstrations could lead to widespread unrest, the official said.
Tensions at the Temple Mount were further raised when
extreme-right MK Itamar Ben Gvir made a visit to the Temple Mount on Thursday.
Ben Gvir said he had received death threats from the
Hamas spokesman ahead of the visit, “and I advise [the spokesman] to shut up. I
don’t know why the Israeli government doesn’t eliminate him in a targeted
strike. He’s a terrorist,” he said.
Source: Times Of Israel
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Palestinians hope for a calm Ramadan in Jerusalem amid
tensions
31 March ,2022
With gallons of soap, ornate lanterns and fresh paint,
Palestinian Muslims are sprucing up Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa compound in the week
leading up to Ramadan, hoping that this year the holy month will be peaceful
despite political tensions.
Old and young volunteers arrived from Israel, the
occupied West Bank and Jerusalem to prepare Islam’s third holiest site ahead of
Ramadan’s expected start on Saturday.
Last year saw nightly clashes between Palestinians and
Israeli police during the fasting month.
Threats of Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem,
police raids at al-Aqsa mosque compound and a ban on evening gatherings at
Damascus Gate led in part to an 11-day conflict between Israel and Gaza that
killed more than 250 Palestinians in Gaza and 13 people in Israel.
“God willing Ramadan will be peaceful and better than
last year, without any problems,” said Fatima Diab, a resident of Jerusalem’s
Old City.
A Palestinian gunman killed five people in a Tel Aviv
suburb on Tuesday, the latest in a string of fatal attacks that has stoked
fears of wider escalation.
Palestinians have been reporting a rise in violence
across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in a 1967 war.
“Jerusalem is experiencing a difficult political
situation given the constant friction with the occupation and with the
settlers,” said Amar Seder, a Palestinian resident of the Old City.
He said he hopes the decorations can bring people joy
during this time.
In a historic summit with Israeli President Isaac
Herzog on Wednesday, Jordan’s King Abdullah called for calm. The royal family
has custodianship of holy sites in the eastern part of the city, an area
controlled by Jordanian forces from 1949 to 1967.
After two years of COVID-19 restrictions, worshippers
are expecting easier access to the holy site this year.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran Blasts Unilateral Sanctions against Russia
2022-March-31
Amir Abdollahian and Lavrov held a bilateral meeting
in China on the sidelines of Afghanistan meeting in Tunxi city on Wednesday.
"Tehran opposes the imposition of sanctions and
unilateral measures against Russia, while welcoming progress in political talks
over Ukraine," Amir Abdollahian said during the meeting with Lavrov.
The Iranian foreign minister expressed his happiness
with the meeting with Lavrov which took place in a matter of few weeks after
their meeting in Moscow recently, and said,
"We are happy that the relations between Iran and Russia are on the right
path. I would like to emphasize once again that we oppose the imposition of
sanctions and unilateral measures against Russia."
"I was informed that progress is being made in
the developments in Ukraine towards political dialogue. I hope to inform you
about various issues in tonight's talks and to hear the latest developments
from you as well," Amir Abdollahian told Lavrov.
The Russian foreign minister, for his part, expressed
his happiness with the meeting, and added, "We are interested in
increasing all-out cooperation in all fields with our neighbors, specially
Iran."
The Russian Foreign Minister went on to say that in
relations with neighbors and friends, "we are trying" to condemn
these unilateral and illegal sanctions in the first place, and secondly to take
effective measures.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010110000722/Iran-Blass-Unilaeral-Sancins-agains-Rssia
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Iran Blasts US for Continued Violation of UN
Resolution 2231
2022-March-31
"This action is another sign of the US
government's malice towards the Iranian people that is in continuation of the
failed Maximum Pressure Campaign against Iran," Saeed Khatibzadeh said in
a statement on Thursday in reaction to newly- imposed sanctions by the US on
several Iranian entities who allegedly are involved in developing Iran's
missile program.
"It clearly proves the fact that the current US
administration, contrary to its claims, uses every opportunity to make baseless
accusations and put pressure on the Iranian people," he added.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman further said
that while the US claims it's ready to return to JCPOA it continues to
blatantly violate the deal and Resolution 2231.
In relevant remarks last week, Iranian Foreign
Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian underlined that the US' lack of resolve to
remove unlawful sanctions on Iran is the main obstacle on the way of reaching a
deal in Vienna talks.
Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a meeting with
visiting EU Deputy Foreign Policy Chief Enrique Mora on Sunday night.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010111000355/Iran-Blass-US-fr-Cnined-Vilain-f-UN-Reslin-223
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FM: Iran Pays Heed to Expansion of Ties with
Uzbekistan
2022-March-31
During the meeting in Tunxi city, Amir Abdollahian
expressed the hope that the continuation of holding the Joint Economic
Commission of Iran and Uzbekistan results in further expanding Tehran-Tashkent
relations.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran attaches special
importance to relations with Uzbekistan," he added.
Amir Abdollahian is in China to attend the third
meeting of Afghanistan's neighbors is hosted in Tunxi city. The second round of
the event was held in Iran on October 27. Pakistan hosted the first meeting of
Afghanistan's neighboring states online.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010111000419/FM-Iran-Pays-Heed-Expansin-f-Ties-wih-Uzbekisan
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Europe
Russia accredits Taliban envoy, voices concern over
militants
April 1, 2022
MOSCOW: Russia has accredited a diplomat from the
Taliban to engage with the new Afghan government but remains concerned about
the threat of militant groups spilling over into Russia via Central Asia,
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
Russia hosted an international conference on
Afghanistan last year to try to reach a peace deal and curb violence between
the Taliban and the then Afghan government. Russia has labelled the Taliban a
“terrorist organisation” but has welcomed their members on numerous occasions
for talks.
Since Russia’s mediation efforts, the United States
and its allies withdrew their troops from Afghanistan after 20 years there and
the Taliban seized power in August as the US-backed government collapsed.
Speaking at an Afghanistan-focused conference in
China, Lavrov said that growing trade and economic ties between Afghanistan and
countries in the region was contributing to the potential international
recognition of their administration.
He said a Taliban envoy was already active in Moscow.
“I would like to note that the first Afghan diplomat
who arrived in Moscow last month and was sent by the new authorities has
received accreditation at the Russian Foreign Ministry,” he said.
Russia is worried about the potential for fallout in
the wider region and the possibility of militants infiltrating the former
Soviet republics of Central Asia, which Russia views as its southern defensive
buffer.
“The plans of the militant Islamic State group and its
supporters to destabilise Central Asian states and export instability to Russia
are of particular concern,” Lavrov said.
“The build-up of detachments of Jamaat Ansarullah and
the Islamic Movement Uzbekistan around the Afghan-Tajik and Afghan-Uzbek
borders are an alarming sign.”
Since the Taliban takeover last year, Moscow has held
military exercises in Tajikistan and bolstered hardware at its military base
there.
UN seeks $4.4bn in ‘unconditional’ aid
The United Nations appealed for $4.4 billion in
“unconditional” humanitarian aid for Afghanistan on Thursday, saying 9 million
people faced famine and that families were selling children and organs to
survive.
The humanitarian situation has “deteriorated
alarmingly” since the Taliban takeover in August and the economy has “all but
collapsed”, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, opening the high-level
pledging conference.
But in a nod to donors’ concerns, he also called for
the reopening of schools for all students in Afghanistan “without
discrimination”, after the Taliban's decision to ban girls from secondary
education.
“Some 95 per cent of people do not have enough to eat.
Nine million people are at risk of famine. Unicef estimates that a million
severely malnourished children are on the verge of death, without immediate
action,” he said in a video message.
“People are already selling their children and their
body parts in order to feed their families,” Guterres said, drawing on a report
earlier this month by the World Food Programme.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, speaking from Doha
after talks in Kabul this week, said: “I had the firm impression that the door
for dialogue with authorities remains open, they want to find a constructive
way to work with us.
“They don’t necessarily know how to work with the
international community, including the complex question of girls’ education. I
hope we can resolve this problem in the future.” At Indira Gandhi Children’s
Hospital in Kabul he had seen tiny malnourished children and newborns sharing
ventilators. The level of human suffering left him “speechless”, Griffiths
said.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1682818/russia-accredits-taliban-envoy-voices-concern-over-militants
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France to open diplomatic mission in Iraq's Mosul
Ekip
31.03.2022
By Shweta Desai
PARIS (AA) - France announced Thursday the opening of
a diplomatic mission in the former stronghold of the Daesh/ISIS terror group in
the Iraqi city of Mosul.
“The upcoming return of a French Consulate General to
Mosul is an important milestone in our historic and strategic partnership with
Iraq,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Consulate staff will be operational in the embassy in
Baghdad beginning in June and a permanent mission will be opened in the
northern Iraqi city of Mosul by 2023.
The consulate will facilitate assistance in
humanitarian, culture, education and research fields as well as strengthen ties
with civil society in the Nineveh governorate, the statement added.
President Emmanuel Macron pledged to reopen the
consulate and French-speaking Christian schools in the region during a visit to
Mosul last August.
The ministry said France had a continuous presence for
several centuries in Mosul -- which has been home to an Arab Christian
population, particularly via a consulate that stood from 1828 to 1956.
The majority of the Christian population has dwindled
because of continuous conflict and persecution.
Following the emergence of Daesh/ISIS in the region in
2014, there was a mass exodus of minority groups including Christians and
Yazidis.
The terror group killed thousands of civilians,
vandalized ancient artifacts and caused large-scale destruction in the historic
city.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/france-to-open-diplomatic-mission-in-iraqs-mosul/2551911
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Calls by Turkish community for 'transparent' census in
North Macedonia 'ignored': Turkiye
Handan Kazanci
31.03.2022
ISTANBUL
Turkiye on Thursday expressed regret that North
Macedonia "ignored" calls by the Turkish community for the
"fairly and transparent" conduct of a census in the Balkan country.
"The representatives of the Turkish community in
the country had made various calls during the process that the census should be
conducted fairly, transparent, and without causing any doubt.
"The results of the census demonstrated that
those calls, unfortunately, had been ignored," Tanju Bilgic, the
spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, said in a written statement.
He also said it is important that North Macedonian
authorities consider the statement made by the Macedonian Turks National Census
Coordination Committee following the release of the census results.
"We support the legitimate demands of the Turkish
community, who have taken root in this geography for centuries and who are
among the equal and constituent people of North Macedonia striving for the
welfare and development of the country, to protect their rights and
interests," it added.
On Wednesday, North Macedonia announced the results of
the census conducted in September 2021.
The Balkan country's population has shrunk by nearly
9.2 % since 2002 when the last census was conducted. The country’s total
population is now around 1.8 million.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Armenia says ‘ready’ for peace with Azerbaijan ahead
of talks in EU capital
Handan Kazanci
31.03.2022
ISTANBUL
Ahead of a meeting in the EU capital Brussels next
week, Armenia’s prime minister voiced readiness to work for a peace deal with
its neighbor Azerbaijan, according to local media.
“I once again express the readiness of the Republic of
Armenia to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan,” said Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan following a Cabinet meeting, Armenpress reported.
“Armenia is ready to immediately launch peace talks,”
he added.
“I hope to discuss and agree at that meeting with the
president of Azerbaijan (Ilham Aliyev) all issues relating to the launch of
peace talks,” he said.
The leaders of the two Caucasus nations are set to
meet next Wednesday in Brussels with Charles Michel, head of the European
Commission.
Relations between the former Soviet republics have
been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh,
also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of
Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, and during the
six-week war, Azerbaijan retook several cities and 300 settlements and
villages.
The conflict ended in November 2020 in a
Russia-brokered deal that saw Armenia cede chunks of territory it had occupied
for decades.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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UN chief calls for accountability by Mali, military
‘partners’
April 01, 2022
UNITED NATIONS, United States: The UN
secretary-general has called for Mali and its “bilateral partners” to respect
their international obligations as concerns grow over human rights violations
by the West African country’s military in its battle with militants.
While acknowledging “widespread attacks by
extremists,” Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council that Mali’s
counter-terrorism efforts also had “disastrous consequences for the civilian
population” in a confidential report obtained Thursday by AFP.
“I emphasize the duty of the State to do everything in
its power to promote accountability and ensure that its military operations,
including those carried out with its bilateral partners, are carried out in
accordance with its international obligations,” the UN chief said.
The term “bilateral partners” is believed to be an
implicit reference to mercenaries allegedly deployed in the country by the
Russian Wagner Group, reputedly close to the Kremlin.
“Some of the operations carried out by the national
security forces to counter the violent activities of these extremist groups —
apparently alongside foreign security personnel — have been the subject of
allegations of serious human rights violations,” Guterres said.
The secretary-general’s report specifically cites the
late-January execution of “at least 20 people” in the country’s Bandiagara
region, and civilian deaths attributed to a February airstrike carried out by
the military.
His report is the first submitted to the Security
Council since a mid-February announcement that French and European military
missions previously assisting in Mali’s years-long fight with a bloody militant
insurgency were being withdrawn.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2054901/world
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Pakistan
No truth to claims: US on Imran allusion to
‘conspiracy’
Apr 1, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Soon after Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s speech
on Thursday, in which he seemed to be pointing a finger at the US as the
foreign conspirator behind the no-confidence motion against him, US reacted to
diatribe. “There is no truth to these allegations,” a state department
spokesperson said, reports Omer Farooq Khan.
Imran said the alleged conspirators knew of the
no-trust move even before it was tabled in parliament. “It means they (the
opposition parties) were connected with those abroad. They say they are angry
with Pakistan… they make this excuse. They say they will forgive Pakistan if
the no-trust move against Imran Khan succeeds. But if it fails, then Pakistan
will have face grave consequences,” he said.
“We are a nation of 220 million and another country is
threatening us without any reason,” he claimed, explaining that trigger was him
deciding to visit Russia on his own.
Imran claimed “foreign forces” had conveyed to Pak’s
envoy that it had no issue with people who would replace him.
Source: Times Of India
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No Accord with MQM-P on New Provinces, Says Karachi
Administrator
Tahir Siddiqui
April 1, 2022
KARACHI: Sindh government spokesperson and Karachi
Administrator Murtaza Wahab said on Thursday that the Pakistan Peoples Party
made no agreement with the Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan regarding creation
of new administrative units in the province.
Speaking at a press conference at the Sindh Assembly
building, he said that the next city administrator should be from Karachi, who
could work better for the uplift of the city.
“My party appointed me to this post. So far I have not
received any instruction to resign from [administrator post]. I am performing
my duties as per the instructions of the party,” he added.
He said that the main objective of the agreement
reached between the PPP and MQM-P was not to get big positions, but to work for
the betterment of the city and the province.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1682750/no-accord-with-mqm-p-on-new-provinces-says-wahab
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PM Imran says KP rejected 'traitors' as PTI leads in
second phase of local govt polls
Sirajuddin
April 1, 2022
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday congratulated his
party for "overwhelming success" in the second phase of local
government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying "people of KP have
emphatically rejected the traitors who sold out to foreign masters".
The premier's felicitation came after initial results
from 41 councils showed PTI emerging victorious in at least 20 tehsil councils.
On the remaining 21 slots, Jamiat Ulama-i-Islam – Fazl
(JUI-F) leads in eight councils, followed by independent candidates in four,
Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) in four, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in
two, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) in two and Awami National Party (ANP) in one council,
according to data obtained from returning officers. However, official
notifications are yet to be issued.
Jamaat-i-Islami, which had suffered a setback in the
2018 general elections in one of its strongholds of Lower Dir, appeared to be
gaining lost ground as its candidates, according to initial results, emerged
victorious in at least two out of seven tehsil councils.
Also read: PM Imran tells CM to unite PTI to win next
phase of KP polls
The results on 24 seats are awaited. Polling was held
for the slots of chairman and mayor in a total 65 tehsil councils.
In his tweet, the premier termed his party's visible
success as an "early warning to all traitors", saying "this is
what awaits them in their constituencies."
Planning Minister Asad Umar also tweeted that the
PTI's "landslide victory" in the KP elections proved that the nation
stood by its leader.
"Now the real decision will not be made through
the no-confidence motion. The question is whether Pakistan's future will be
decided by its people or a few sold-out politicians and their foreign
masters," he said.
According to unofficial results, the PTI secured
victory in six out of seven tehsil councils of Swat. One seat was bagged by a
JUI-F candidate.
Likewise, PTI is leading in all three councils of
Chitral and Malakand, as per the unofficial results.
In the Shangla district, PTI won in three councils out
of four while one seat was secured by ANP.
Abdullah Khan, the brother of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief
Minister Mahmood Khan, also won a seat in his ancestral Matta tehsil.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan,
elections for mayor and chairman slots were held in 65 city and tehsil councils
as well as for various seats of 1,830 village and neighbourhood councils.
A total of 28,020 candidates were in the run, out of
whom 651 contested for the seats of city and tehsil council mayor and chairman.
Besides, 12,980 candidates were vying for the general
seats of village and neighbourhood councils, 2,668 for reserved seats for
women, 6,451 for peasants, 5,213 for youth and 57 for minority seats.
Source: Dawn
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Security agencies have reported plot to assassinate PM
Imran: Fawad
April 1, 2022
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Friday
that a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Imran Khan had been reported by
security agencies.
"After these reports, the prime minister's
security has been beefed up as per the government's decision," he said.
Earlier this week, PTI leader Faisal Vawda had made
similar claims, stating that a conspiracy was being hatched to assassinate the
prime minister over his refusal to "sell the country".
Vawda had made the remarks on ARY News show "Off
the Record" in response to a question about a letter PM Imran brandished
at the PTI's March 27 power show in Islamabad, claiming it contained
"evidence" of a "foreign conspiracy" to topple his
government.
Vawda said there was a threat to the prime minister's
life but remained evasive when asked whether the purported conspiracy to
assassinate the premier was mentioned in the letter.
He also said that the prime minister was told multiple
times that bulletproof glass needed to be installed before his dais at the
March 27 rally. "But as always and as usual, he said my [death] will come
when Allah wills. Don't worry about it," Vawda quoted him as saying.
The news also comes a day after the premier, during a
nearly hour-long live address to the nation, vowed to foil "an
international conspiracy" hatched against his government by opposition
leaders and their alleged handlers ahead of the no-confidence vote in the
National Assembly.
In an apparent slip of the tongue, he had revealed the
name of the United States as the country behind the “threat letter”. However,
reacting to the prime minister's address, opposition parties had declared him
to be a "security threat".
On Wednesday, the premier had shared the letter with
his cabinet members in a hurriedly called meeting, which was not attended by
PTI's two major allies — Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and
Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) — despite being invited. It has been learnt that
the letter was shown to the cabinet members on a TV screen.
PM Imran had also called a selected group of TV
anchors and informed them that "the language of the letter was threatening
and arrogant" and that Pakistan would face dire consequences if the
no-confidence motion failed.
However, the premier did not show the letter to the
media.
This rush to share the document with the cabinet and
some journalists came after it became clear that the prime minister had lost
his majority in the National Assembly following the MQM-P's decision to support
the joint opposition in the no-trust resolution against the prime minister.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682878/security-agencies-have-reported-plot-to-assassinate-pm-imran-fawad
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Strong reply to be delivered to US, says NSC
Baqir Sajjad Syed
April 1, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The National Security Committee (NSC) on
Thursday expressed “grave concern” over US meddling in Pakistan’s internal
affairs and decided to lodge a strong protest.
The meeting was convened to discuss Prime Minister
Imran Khan’s claim that a foreign country, which he later in an apparent slip
of tongue in his televised speech identified as the US, had sent a threatening
message through Pakistan’s envoy.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central
Asian Affairs Donald Lu had reportedly in a meeting with Ambassador Asad Majeed
warned that there could be implications if Prime Minister Khan survived the
opposition’s no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Office spokesman in a brief
statement issued late in the night said that as per the NSC decision, the
“demarches have been made through diplomatic channels”.
The NSC, which is the top civil-military forum, after
deliberating on the contents of the US message conveyed by Pakistan’s
ambassador through a cable on March 7, expressed “grave concern” over it.
The statement by the Prime Minister Office on the
meeting did not name any country, but after Mr Khan’s gaffe it became obvious
that the unnamed state was none other than US.
The NSC members described the language used by the
“foreign official” as “undiplomatic”.
According to the statement, the committee viewed the
message as “blatant interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan” and
underscored that such action was “unacceptable under any circumstances”.
There was no direct mention of the opposition’s
no-confidence motion in the statement, but a minister, asking not to be named,
insisted that the committee’s reference to internal matters was about the
proceedings against the prime minister initiated by the opposition. He
contended that the NSC’s statement was a clear endorsement of Mr Khan’s
position on the cable saga.
The prime minister’s critics, however, saw the statement
in a different way and claimed that the committee did not agree with Mr Khan
that the message was threatening and a proof of foreign conspiracy.
The NSC decided that a “strong demarche” would be
delivered to “the country in question”. The protest note will be handed over to
US Charge d’ Affaires in Islamabad and State Department in Washington.
The statement noted that the course of action decided
by the NSC was in keeping with diplomatic norms.
“Participants also endorsed the Cabinet’s decision
[reached] in the Special Cabinet meeting held on 30th March, 2022 under the
Prime Minister’s chairmanship to take the parliament into confidence through an
in-camera briefing of the National Security Committee of the Parliament,” it
added.
The opposition boycotted the meeting of the
parliamentary committee on the pretext that its leaders had not been timely
intimated about it.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the
opposition had not received any notification for the national security
committee meeting.
“This meeting should not have been called. Imran’s
attempt to polarise and scandalise the national security forums and
institutions is outrageous,” he said.
“Our information is that one of the ministers got this
letter written and posted to him. Then that minister showed this letter to
Imran Khan. Imran waved this letter in a public gathering and now he is trying
to use it in his favour to run away from the constitutional process. Imran is
trying to pressurise and make the institutions disputed,” he claimed, adding
that Mr Khan’s action not only hurt the foreign policy but also the national
interest.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682833/strong-reply-to-be-delivered-to-us-says-nsc?preview
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TTP member found missing in Rawalpindi
April 1, 2022
RAWALPINDI: A member of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP), who had been placed on the watch list, was booked under the
Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) after he was found missing from his home in Rawat.
Police said Mohammad Ijaz, alias Pappu, had been
placed on the 4th schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 by the Punjab Home
Department. He was an active member of the TTP and had been directed to report
to the relevant police station whenever he left or returned to his house.
However, he was found to have been missing from his
home for the last seven days and had not informed the police when he left.
Therefore, the police registered a case against him under section II-E of the
ATA.
Based on intelligence and police record, an individual
suspected of having ties or membership with proscribed groups is put on the
fourth schedule under the ATA 1997.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682783/ttp-member-found-missing-in-rawalpindi
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Under-reconstruction Jain Mandir in Lahore all set to
reopen
Sheharyar Rizwan
April 1, 2022
LAHORE: The city’s historic Jain Mandir located at a
busy intersection, aptly named after the temple, is going through a
well-deserved reconstruction and rehabilitation.
One of merely handful of Jain temples in town, it was
attacked and damaged in 1992 — along with many other temples in Lahore — a
couple of days after hordes of right-wing Hindu activists razed to the ground
the 16th century Babri Mosque in the Ayodhya city of India. The historic mosque
was one of the structures built during the rule of the first Mughal emperor,
Babur.
The temple’s canopy was the only piece of the original
structure that survived. Its ruins lay neglected for the next over two decades,
until in 2016 it was enclosed behind a boundary wall and the remaining site
given away to the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT).
In Dec 2021, a day before the 19th anniversary of the
Babri Mosque demolition, the then chief justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed
ordered immediate restoration of the temple, as well as the one in Neela
Gumbad.
Punjabi author Iqbal Qaiser, who researched the
forgotten remains of Jain heritage in Pakistan and compiled more than 20 of the
important temples in the country in his book, titled Ujray Daran De Darshan (A
Peek into the Deserted Doors), told Dawn the Jain Mandir near Anarkali had been
constructed by a woman with her own resources in 1940.
It remained active till the Partition and had been
lying abandoned since then until it was destroyed in 1992.
Mr Qaiser also pointed out two other major Jain
temples in Lahore, one of which was located in Bhabra. The second existed in
the narrow lanes of Bhati Gate, Lahore, built by Emperor Akbar, and was
reconstructed during the British era. It was later demolished in 1940 where now
stands the Jain Hall.
Just weeks after the SC’s orders, the Evacuee Trust
Property Board (ETPB) initiated reconstruction of the temple, lying right
opposite an enormous OLMT station, and now expects to complete it in just over
a month. If one passes by the under-construction temple, scaffoldings fixed to
the top of its cone-shaped structure could be seen with labourers busy
reconstructing it.
ETPB Deputy Secretary Faraz Abbas told Dawn that the
ongoing rehabilitation of Jain Mandir, being undertaken with approximately
Rs5m, will take around a month or so, as over 70pc of the work has been
completed.
“After creating a foundation, the surviving portion of
the temple was lifted through a crane and placed on three-four feet high
platform.”
Elaborating on the work undertaken, the official said
a sewerage line had been laid, CCTV cameras set up, new gates installed on the
premises, walls plastered, landscaping done, pigeon holes restored, and the
finishing was currently under way.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682779/under-reconstruction-jain-mandir-in-lahore-all-set-to-reopen
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Trust vote: China says expect political parties to
uphold Pakistan’s interests
April 1, 2022
BEIJING: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of
China said Beijing expected the political parties in Pakistan will stay united
and uphold the supreme interest of the country’s development and stability.
While responding to a question about the no-confidence
motion moved against the prime minister, Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the
Chinese foreign ministry, said: “China is committed to non-interference policy,
adding that as an all-weather strategic cooperative partner and friendly
neighbour of Pakistan, it is our sincere hope that all parties in Pakistan will
stay united and uphold the major interest of country’s developments and
stability.”
The comment came as Imran Khan accused the United
States of meddling in Pakistan’s politics — a claim quickly denied by
Washington — as a debate on the no-confidence motion against him in the
National Assembly was postponed.
No prime minister has ever seen out a full term, and
Khan is facing the biggest challenge to his rule since being elected in 2018,
with opponents accusing him of economic mismanagement and foreign-policy
bungling.
The government is also battling to contain a rise in
militancy by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which on Wednesday announced
an offensive against security forces during Ramadan, due to begin within days
with the sighting of the next new moon.
Fighting for his political life, Khan addressed the
nation late Thursday, appearing to blunder when he named the United States as
the origin of a “message” he said showed meddling in Pakistan’s affairs.
“America has — oh, not America but a foreign country I
can’t name. I mean from a foreign country, we received a message,” he said.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pakistan Army not only defeated terrorism but also
kept five times larger Army at bay: Air Chief
March 31, 2022
KAKUL: Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu has
said that Pakistan Army has not only defeated the menace of terrorism and its manifestations
but also has also kept a five times larger Army at bay.
“Our armed forces are a true reflection of Quaid’s
Pakistan, with no distinction of caste, creed, gender, religion, status,
geography or beliefs,” said the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) while addressing here
at MPA Kakul.
“PMA Kakul is indeed one of the best military
academies of the world, where our nation’s most motivated youth volunteer to
join the ranks and lead the best. We live in challenging times in the wake of
evolving global and regional environment. Let it be known that Pakistan is a
peace loving nation and wishes to maintain friendly ties with all countries,
especially our neighbors,” he said.
However, the Air Chief said that the desire for peace
of Pakistan must be understood on the right direction.
“Let me make it clear that there can be no peace
without a just settlement of the Kashmir issue. We condemn the grave human
rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. I urge the
international community to play their role in ending human rights violation and
atrocities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.
“We also believe that peace and stability in
Afghanistan is imperative not only for the progress of Pakistan but the entire
region. Sacrifices by Pakistanis and our efforts for peace in the region speak
for themselves,” asserted the Air Chief.
Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu said that
while we would not like to indulge in an arms race, the armed forces of
Pakistan would continue to enhance their capability to deter any aggression.
“I am proud that armed forces of Pakistan are
professionally competent and well trained to cope with all internal and
external challenges. Our brave warriors have always displayed great courage
during testing times and upheld Nation’s trust. We are Alhamdulillah equipped
and trained in line with the dictates of modern warfare and are ready to face
any challenge. We are also cognizant of the challenges and opportunities of
future technologies,” he said.
“I can say it with confidence that all three services
are working jointly, more than any time in the history, to develop expertise
and capabilities in unison and full synergy. I must appreciate Pakistan Army
for its role to create this environment of true jointness amongst the armed
forces”.
Source: Pakistan Today
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South
Asia
Acting Minister of Interior Affairs, Islamic Emirate
of Afghanistan, To Griffiths: We Want Strong Interaction with World Community
31 Mar 2022
Acting Minister of Interior Affairs of the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan Sarajudin Haqqani met with Under-Secretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on
Wednesday.
The Ministry in a statement reads that Griffiths and
his accompanying delegation expressed gratitude to the acting Minister for
ensuring the security of all UN agencies in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Sarajudin Haqqani thanked the
Under-Secretary-General for their continued humanitarian assistance adding that
the IEA is ready to interact with the International Community.
Haqqani also said, the world would force Afghanistan
to accept their demands through intimidation and force but now the IEA is
committed to resolving issues through understanding and negotiations.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/haqqani-to-griffiths-we-want-strong-interaction-with-world-community-7547576/
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US announces nearly $204 million in aid for
Afghanistan
01 Apr 2022
The United States announced nearly $204 million in
additional humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan at the high-level pledging
conference on supporting the humanitarian response in Afghanistan.
The US State Department in a press release said that
the fund includes $134 million from the Ministry and more than $70 million from
the US Agency for International Aid (USAID).
This brings the total amount to more than $720 million
since August 2021 by the US for Afghanistan.
“The United States welcomes the pledges made by other
donors and commends Germany, Qatar, the United Kingdom, and the UN Office of
the Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance (UN OCHA) for co-hosting this
critical event.” Reads part of the press release.
The fund will not only address Afghanistan’s scaled-up
humanitarian crisis but also in neighboring countries through independent
humanitarian organizations.
As per the statement, This funding will provide
emergency cash, shelter, trauma care, and essential health services, water,
sanitation, and hygiene assistance, protection and gender-based violence
services, multisectoral assistance, and reintegration assistance to internally
displaced and returnee populations in Afghanistan and refugee populations in
neighboring countries.
The US has acknowledged being committed to supporting
the Afghan people adding that they will continue pressing the Taliban
leadership to abide by their pledges and respect human rights including teenage
girls’ right to education.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/us-announces-nearly-204-million-in-aid-for-afghanistan-765876576/
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49th Session UNHRC: Afghan panel discusses impact of
Taliban rule in Afghanistan
1 April, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], April 1 (ANI): An all-Afghan
panel consisting of a scholar, former diplomat and young innovator at the 49th
Session of the UN Human Rights Council discussed the human rights situation in
Kabul after the Taliban takeover of the country in mid-August and expressed
concern over the transformation of the educational system under Taliban rule
which may turn Afghanistan into a hotbed of terrorism.
On the side-lines of the 49th Session of the UN Human
Rights Council in Geneva, the European Foundation for South Asian Studies
(EFSAS) organised a Webinar on March 30 on ‘Human Rights Situation in
Afghanistan’, in order to illuminate the increasingly deteriorating situation
there.
Moderated by Junaid Qureshi, Director EFSAS, the
session was joined by a large number of attendees, including human rights
activists, NGO representatives, diplomats and researchers. The event was held
on March 30.
Mahmoud Saikal, Adjunct Professor at the University of
Canberra, Chair of Kabul Association of Integrity, Former Deputy Foreign
Minister of Afghanistan and Ambassador to the United Nations and Australia,
noted that human rights violations have become commonplace under Taliban rule.
“Male government employees have been forced to pray,
grow a beard, and wear traditional clothes, whilst the Taliban have also banned
foreign media outlets and restricted the operations of domestic media outlets.
To bolster the ranks of its suicide divisions, the Taliban has started to
recruit orphans,” he said in a statement.
He highlighted that the Taliban’s transformation of
the educational system is likely to make Afghanistan a hotbed of terrorism.
Turning toward the humanitarian situation in
Afghanistan, Saikal suggested that 60 per cent of all Afghans are currently in
dire need of humanitarian assistance. The international response to the
Taliban’s takeover, Saikal argued, for instance in the case of UNAMA, has been
reactive rather than proactive.
He also noted that the existing UN architecture,
including the General Assembly, the Security Council, and the Human Rights
Council, has been incapable of adequately responding to the deteriorating
situation in the country.
Saikal concluded that the Taliban’s approach toward
the Doha Agreement indicates that the Taliban must be judged based on its
behaviour rather than its rhetoric.
Dr Bahar Jalali, Associate Professor of History at
Loyola University Maryland, US and founder of the first Gender Studies
programme in Afghanistan, emphasized that the Taliban cannot be described as an
Afghan movement as the ranks of the Taliban were recruited from Afghans who had
fled to Pakistan and who had thus never experienced a traditional Afghan life.
During the 1960s, Dr Jalali noted, the Afghan elite
was constituted by a comparatively progressive group that promoted the
introduction of a progressive constitution in 1964 that was followed by the
election of the first female representatives to the Afghan parliament in 1965.
Afghanistan’s trajectory changed significantly following the 1978 Saur
Revolution, reversing much of the progress that Afghanistan had made in
previous decades.
Given Afghanistan’s historical record regarding female
empowerment, she highlighted that the US-sponsored reforms post-2001 did not
necessarily reintroduce new social norms but enabled the reaffirmation of
values that had been suppressed by the Taliban.
Speaking at the event Sara Wahedi, CEO and Founder of
Ehtesab, Afghanistan’s first civic technology startup echoed the opinions of
the previous speakers and argued that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan
has become extremely dire with the extrajudicial killings and arbitrary
detentions of journalists, human rights activists and individuals who oppose
the Taliban regime.
In addition, starvation and child labour are on the
rise, while a liquidity crisis is crippling the Afghan economy. She further
stated that with the presence of the Islamic State in Khorasan Province the
status quo has deteriorated even more.
Wahedi concluded her speech by emphasizing the
importance of protecting and supporting responsible journalism – journalism
that takes time and relies on a variety of sources – particularly at a time
when people are overwhelmed, politicization is at play, and fake news and
misinformation are proliferating.
The event was followed by a very vibrant and
enlightening Q&A session during which the audience and speakers exchanged
opinions on various topics including Pakistan.
Asking about ‘How is Pakistan’s foreign policy towards
the Taliban going to develop in the coming months given the Taliban’s support
for the TTP?’, Saikal said that the equation between Pakistan and the Taliban
has changed since the latter came to power, as Pakistan’s intelligence agency –
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) would like to keep them subservient in order
to control them.
As a result, Pakistan is likely to ensure that the
international community does not recognize the extremist group and encourage
international NGOs from Afghanistan to set up offices in Pakistan.
Jalali also discussed the normalization of the Taliban
in the eyes of the international community and the latter’s defeatist attitude,
showcasing the West’s incompetence and lack of accountability.
Source: The Print
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Arab
World
Turkish prosecutor seeks transfer of Khashoggi case to
Saudi Arabia
April 1, 2022
ISTANBUL: A Turkish prosecutor on Thursday asked an
Istanbul court to dismiss a case into the gruesome murder of Riyadh critic
Jamal Khashoggi and transfer it to Saudi Arabia, his Turkish fiancée confirmed.
The development comes as Turkey is seeking a thaw in
relations with Saudi Arabia, which worsened after the 2018 killing of
Khashoggi, a contributor to The Washington Post, inside the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul.
“The prosecutor asked, accordingly to the Saudi
demand, for the transfer of the file to #SaudiArabia and the finalisation of it
in #Turkey,” Hatice Cengiz tweeted after the hearing on Thursday in Istanbul’s
main court.
“The court will ask the view of Turkish Justice
Ministry. #Khashoggi #JusticeForJamal,” she commented.
The prosecutor said, according to the private DHA news
agency, that the case “has been dragging because the court orders cannot be
executed on the grounds that the suspects are foreign nationals”. The next
hearing is scheduled for April 7.
On October 2, 2018, 59-year-old Khashoggi entered the
Saudi consulate in Istanbul to file paperwork to marry his Turkish fiancée.
According to US and Turkish officials, a waiting Saudi
hit squad strangled him and dismembered his body, which has never been
retrieved.
The murder sparked international outrage that
continues to reverberate, with Western intelligence agencies accusing Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of authorising the killing.
The crown prince has said he accepts Saudi Arabia’s
overall responsibility but denies a personal link, with the kingdom saying it
was the doing of agents who had gone “rogue”.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the
time that the order to kill “came from the highest levels” of the Saudi
government without pointing the finger of blame at the crown prince.
Unsatisfied with the trial in Saudi Arabia, Turkey has
launched its own investigation into the murder and put 26 Saudis on trial in
absentia, including two who are close to the crown prince.
In an interview with AFP in February, Cengiz said
Turkey must keep insisting on justice for Khashoggi “even if it improves its
relations” with Riyadh. “I don’t think it’s in anyone’s best interest to shut
it down completely.”
Asked if she was disappointed, Cengiz said: “If we
look at it from the viewpoint of realpolitik, [Turkey’s position] did not let
me down,” adding that countries were “not ruled by emotions” but “mutual
interests”.
Source: Dawn
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UNHCR, IIFA release annual report on Islamic
philanthropy in Jeddah
March 30, 2022
JEDDAH — UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, held a joint
event Wednesday in Jeddah in collaboration with the Organization of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC)'s International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA).
As part of the event titled “Islamic Philanthropy and
its impact: Sustainable partnerships and practical solutions”, UNHCR launched
its “Islamic Philanthropy Annual Report”, which illustrates the impact Zakat
and Sadaqah donations made to UNHCR's Refugee Zakat Fund, have had on refugees
and internally displaced persons, in the past year.
In 2021, the Refugee Zakat Fund enabled UNHCR to
provide life-saving assistance in the form of cash assistance and in-kind
assistance to 1,275,000 refugees and internally displaced people in 14
countries: Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Mauritania, Bangladesh,
Afghanistan, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
The report states that all Zakat contributions
received by the Refugee Zakat Fund were distributed following its 100% Zakat
distribution policy, to 53% of the Fund’s total beneficiaries (679,000
individuals), while Sadaqah donations helped the remaining 47% of beneficiaries
(596,000 individuals).
The report also highlighted the launch of the Refugee
Zakat Fund’s mobile application earlier in 2021, which allows donors to make
contributions easily and quickly.
Moreover, UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat fund received
additional fatwas from respected Islamic institutions, such as the Muslim World
league’s Islamic Fiqh Council, Al Azhar Islamic Research Academy, the
International Shariah Research Academy in Malaysia (ISRA), and the Canadian
Council of Imams (CCI), further authorizing the Refugee Zakat Fund's framework.
Additionally, the Fiqh Majlis of Canada endorsed the
receipt and distribution of Zakat towards UNHCR’s ‘Aiming Higher’ scholarship
and education program.
The event in Jeddah included discussion panels on the
role of Islamic social finance instruments, including Zakat, Sadaqah Jariyah,
and Waqf, to meet the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable, and those
affected by conflicts and disasters, especially refugees and internally
displaced persons, and was attended by representatives of organizations in the
Islamic Philanthropy sector in the region.
Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR's senior advisor on Islamic
Philanthropy and representative to Gulf Cooperation Council countries thanked
UNHCR partners, in particular IIFA, for their support.
He said: "Our partnership with institutions,
individuals, the private sector and governments has grown consistently,
enabling us to provide assistance and respond to the increasing humanitarian
needs of refugees and displaced families, those affected by protracted
displacement crises, climate change, and COVID-19 pandemic challenges.”
He added, “Partnering with leading institutions in the
Islamic Philanthropy sphere strengthens the impact of Islamic social finance on
the lives of millions of the most vulnerable and forcibly displaced families,
which is vital to the success of our vision in assisting those in need.”
Prof. Dr. Koutoub Moustafa Sano, secretary-general of
IIFA, said: “We are delighted to co-host this special event with UNHCR. Our
goal is to discuss ways of expanding the role of Islamic philanthropy in
meeting the humanitarian needs of refugees, including those who are internally
displaced in the region and globally”
He added, “The IIFA aspires to achieving the
"fiqh" goals of assisting people in need, empowering them, and
preserving their dignity through its sustainable partnership with UNHCR. As we
approach the Holy Month of Ramadan, we call upon all actors in the
philanthropic sector to collaborate with UNHCR in their efforts to help
refugees.”
UNHCR is launching its Islamic Philanthropy Annual
Report 2022, through a series of events and webinars held in each of Indonesia,
Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America,
in collaboration with Zakat and Fiqh institutions, foundations and other
private and public sector entities.
Source: Saudi Gazette
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/618814
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Houthis still welcome to join Yemen consultations in
Riyadh: GCC official
31 March ,2022
The invitation extended to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi
militia to participate in the Yemeni consultations which kicked off in Saudi
Arabia on Wednesday remains on the table, Abdulaziz Hamad al-Owaishek, the GCC
assistant secretary for political affairs and negotiations said on Thursday.
“We hope the consultations represent an opportunity to
achieve peace in Yemen,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, the UN envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg, who
is participating in the consultations, said cooperation with regional
organizations will contribute to resolving the crisis in Yemen, adding that
Riyadh had sponsored Yemeni dialogues that led to positive results.
The talks, which will focus on six areas, such as
military, political and humanitarian affairs, will conclude on April 7.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia blacklists 25 individuals, entities for
easing financing of Houthis
31 March ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s Presidency of State Security
blacklisted 25 individuals and entities for facilitating the financing
operations of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia, the official Saudi Press
Agency (SPA) reported on Thursday.
The decision, which comes in line with the Kingdom’s
strategy to target “terrorist” organizations and their financers, was
coordinated with the US, specifically with the US Treasury Department and the
Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Ten individuals and 15 entities were blacklisted for
facilitating the financing operations of the “terrorist” Houthi militia with
the support of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force, the
Presidency of State Security said.
It added that these individuals and entities work as
“an international network that aims to destabilize Yemen.”
Based on the Kingdom’s system on combating terror
crimes and on the executive mechanisms of UN Security Council resolutions which
pertain to combating terrorism and the financing of terrorism, the assets and
funds of all blacklisted individuals and entities must be frozen.
“Dealing with [these individuals and entities]
directly or indirectly or on their behalf or in their favor is prohibited,” the
Presidency of State Security said.
Blacklisted individuals
Chiranjeev Kumar Singh, Indian citizen
Manoj Sabharwal, Indian citizen
Abdo Abdullah Dael Ahmed, Yemeni citizen
Sa’id Ahmad Muhammad al-Jamal, Yemeni citizen
Hani Abd al-Majif Muhammad As’ad, Yemeni citizen
Talib Ali Husayn al-Ahmed al-Rawi, Syrian citizen
Abdul Jalil Mallah, Syrian citizen
Konstantinos Stavridis, Greek citizen
Jami Ali Muhammed, Somali citizen
Abdi Nasir Ali Mahamud, British citizen
Blacklisted entities
Aurum Ship Management FZC
Peridot Shipping and Trading LLC
JJO General Trading Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim
Sirketi
Garanti Ihracat Ithalat Kuyumculuk Dis Ticaret Limited
Sirketi
Alfoulk Trading Co. LLC
Al Alamiyah Express Company for Exchange &
Remittance
Al Hadha Exchange Company
Adoon General Trading Gida Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim
Swaid and Sons for Exchange CO
Adoon General Trading LLC
Moaz Abdalla Dael for Import and Export
Fani Oil Trading FZE
Adoon General Trading Company FZE
Triple Success vessel (IMO 9167148)
Light Moon vessel (IMO 9109550)
Source: Al Arabiya
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American English instructor mesmerized with Saudi
Arabia’s social reforms
April 01, 2022
RIYADH: American English instructor Mark Arturo Ortiz
has spent the past 35 years living in the Kingdom and is mesmerized by social
reforms arising from Vision 2030.
“Yeah, it’s been quite a journey. The Saudi Arabia
that I first experienced back in 1988 is by far not the Saudi Arabia of 2022.”
Ortiz, who hails from Manhattan, said it was “like a veil has been lifted,”
with the current generation of Saudi students shattering stereotypes held by
media institutions abroad.
“Back in the day they were somewhat limited in, you
know mind and scope. But today (there) seems to be a sense of … no limit to,
you know, what can be done.” There was an ambition now that has taken him by
surprise. There appeared to be no “glass ceiling” for Saudis to surmount as
they try to become part of global developments, and meet the needs of the
country’s transition from a dependence on fossil fuels to a more diversified
economy.
Ortiz said that young Saudis seem to be in a hurry to
get on with their careers, to “make up for lost time.” He thinks that the
changes that have occurred in the media, coinciding with the information age,
have helped to accelerate social reforms in the Kingdom.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2054776/saudi-arabia
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Africa
Ramadan will be difficult, we can’t even buy oranges –
Zamfara residents cry out
March 31, 2022
By Ifeanyi Nwannah
Muslim faithful in Zamfara State has lamented that
this year’s Ramadan (fasting period) would be very tough for them considering
the rate of inflation ravaging the entire country.
The Muslims complained about the increase of some
essential commodities that could assist them in the fasting period, saying that
many households could not afford to buy such items in the market.
Mallam Ishaku Mohammed asked our correspondent during
an interview, ”how much watermelon, cucumber, mangos, oranges and others can
one buy to satisfy the family? The prices of all these food items have gone beyond
the reach of the common masses in the state”, he said
He noted that even the so-called civil servants who
depend on salaries monthly are still battling to put food on their family’s
tables, saying that their salaries and allowances are nothing to write home
about.
“In a state where the government is yet to implement a
common N30,000 minimum wage for its civil servants, talk of giving them the
advantage of salary advance” he added.
DAILY POST spoke to a food item seller in Tudunwada
market, Ibrahim Gusau who said it was not intentional for the marketers to
increase the prices of their food but that most of the food items were being
brought to the urban areas by the villagers.
“Since the villagers have been stopped from their
farming activities, it remains compulsory for the prices of food items to
increase following the unabated rampages of the bandits in the State”
“We are not fools, because we are very much aware that
both the federal and state governments do not want the issue of banditry to end
in the entire country and that is nothing but the whole truth”
“It is surprising to notice that virtually all the
leaders of the State government are Muslims, yet they refuse to assist the
common masses, especially during important occasions like this”
He said the government has a lot of brands because the
price control agency is no longer working because the government wants it so
and that is how it continues to be”
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
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Turkish charity to distribute 2,500 food packages to
families in Sudan
Omer Erdem
31.03.2022
KHARTOUM, Sudan
The Turkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV) delivered 2,500
food aid boxes to needy families Thursday in different areas of Sudan ahead of
the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Along with the foundation, volunteers from the largest
Turkish Muslim association in Germany, DITIB, attended a program with Ankara’s
Ambassador to Khartoum Irfan Neziroglu.
"A total of around 6,000 food packages will be
distributed through our Turkish NGOs in Sudan," Religious Affairs
Counselor at the Khartoum Embassy, Abdullah Sen, told Anadolu Agency.
"Additionally to the capital, Khartoum,
distributions will be made in South Kordofan, Darfur, Kassala, Port Sudan and
in the north (regions)," he added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Tunisian anti-terror unit summons 30 MPs: Ghannouchi
Yosra Ounas
31.03.2022
TUNIS, Tunisia
More than 30 lawmakers have been summoned by Tunisia’s
anti-terrorism unit, the country’s parliament speaker said on Thursday.
“This is a serious development,” Rached Ghannouchi
told the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television, without giving any further details.
There was no comment from the Tunisian presidency on
Ghannouchi’s statement.
The parliament speaker rejected President Kais Saied’s
decision to dissolve Parliament.
"No to exclusion. We call for national dialogue
that includes all parties,” he said.
On Wednesday, Saied dissolved the suspended parliament,
hours after lawmakers held a plenary session to revoke his measures taken since
July 25, 2021.
Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political
crisis since July 25 when Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament,
and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as a “coup.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/tunisian-anti-terror-unit-summons-30-mps-ghannouchi/2551753
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Tunisia’s president rules out early elections after
dissolving parliament
April 01, 2022
TUNIS: Tunisia’s president said late on Thursday he
would not hold elections within three months after he dissolved parliament this
week, the latest step in a march to one-man rule after brushing aside most of
the democratic constitution.
Parties from across Tunisia’s political spectrum and
the powerful labor union have cited the constitution to demand that the
president hold quick elections after announcing on Wednesday that he was
dissolving parliament.
“I don’t know how they get this interpretation,” Kais
Saied said in the video of a meeting with Prime Minister Najla Bouden that was
posted at midnight on the presidency’s Facebook page.
Later on Thursday, US State Department spokesman Ned
Price said Washington was deeply concerned at Saied’s dissolution of parliament
and reports that he would prosecute lawmakers who joined a session in defiance
of the president on Wednesday.
“A swift return to constitutional government,
including an elected parliament, is critical to democratic governance,” Price
said in an online video.
The United States has been a major donor to Tunisia
since its 2011 revolution that introduced democracy and Saied’s government is
seeking international funding to avert a rapidly looming crisis in public
finances.
Tunisia’s political crisis escalated sharply on
Wednesday when more than half the members of the parliament, which Saied
suspended in July in a move his foes call a coup, held an online session to
revoke his decrees.
The UGTT labor union, the most powerful political body
in the country with more than a million members, had previously urged Saied to
dissolve parliament and quickly call new elections.
The Islamist Ennahda, which was the biggest party in
parliament and is the only one with a strong national organization, has
rejected Saied’s dissolution of the chamber but said he should still hold
elections within three months.
The Free Constitutional Party, whose leader, Abir
Moussi, is a supporter of the late autocratic president, Zine El Abidine Ben
Ali, and a bitter foe of Ennahda, applauded Saied’s move but also called for
quick elections.
Moussi, whose party is ahead in opinion polls, said
that according to the constitution Saied should call elections within three
months.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2054931/middle-east
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/logo-iim-siddi-saiyed-mosque/d/126706