Imran Khan Courting Radical Groups Like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan to Hide Govt's Failure: International Think Tank
New
Age Islam News Bureau
07
January 2022
(Representational
Image)
-----
• Lord
Ram's Subsequent Incarnation Lord Krishna Enters Poll Scene Amid Mathura Mosque
Row
• Terror
Threat Teen Who Wanted To Attack Mosque And Kill 10,000 Given A Rehabilitation
Order
• ‘Weak
God' Comment By A Protestant Politician Causes Storm In Indonesia With Muslims
And Catholics
• UAE:
New Law For Non-Muslims Offers 'Modern Framework' To Settle Family Disputes,
Says Expert
Pakistan
• Military
confirms ending of TTP ceasefire, attacks on militants
• Sialkot
lynching: New videos emerge of factory premises
• JI’s
sit-in completes a week, party vows to further expand protests across Sindh
• Turkey,
Pakistan to optimize military-to-military ties
• Two
terrorists killed in South Waziristan IBOs: ISPR
• Three
terrorists arrested in Karachi
• Two
soldiers martyred, as many terrorists killed in KP clash
--------
India
• Muslim
Cleric Booked By Police For Hate Speech Hurting Christian Religious Sentiments
On Social Media
• Karnataka:
Govt College Students Sport Saffron Shawls To Protest Classmates Wearing Hijab
• Will
Pray At Six Designated Sites, Areas With No Disruptions In Gurugram, Say
Muslims
• 'Bulli
Bai' Case: 2nd Year Engg Student from Assam Arrested for Creating App That
'Auctioned' Muslim Women Online
• No
change since Uri attack, says India, junks Pakistan Saarc call
• Malvani
ISIS case: NIA court convicts two operatives for brainwashing youths
• 3
JeM terrorists killed in overnight encounter in J&K's Budgam
• 2
LeT & JeM terrorists, 2 associates arrested for killing of Srinagar
property dealer
• NIA
files Chargesheet in al-Qaida module case
--------
Europe
• France
May Spread Islamophobia At Rotating Helm Of EU: Experts
• Russia
sends troops to put down Kazakhstan uprising as fresh violence erupts
• Kazakhstan
unrest: Dozens killed, about 2,000 arrested as protesters clash with police in
Almaty
• Russia
envoy to nuclear deal talks discusses developments with Saudi ambassador
• Mossad
bombed European firms helping Pakistan nukes in ’80s: Swiss daily
--------
Southeast Asia
• ‘Raja
Bomoh’ Ritual Of Warding Off Floods Contradicts Islamic Teachings, Says Deputy
Religious Affairs Minister
• Accept
Gurudwara Food With Gratitude, Muslims Told
• Campaign
in support of the Palestinians should be consistent
• Melaka
Museums Corporation To Carry Out Repair Works On Historic Mosques Fast
--------
Arab World
• Islamic
State ramps up activities in eastern Syria
• End
Hezbollah’s terrorist hegemony, Saudi envoy tells Lebanon’s politicians
• Arab
Coalition pushes against Houthis in Yemen’s Marib and Shabwa
• Syrian
envoy to UN says Western states fabricate lies on Syria’s cooperation with OPCW
• Arab
coalition says 390 Houthis killed in strikes on Marib, Shabwa
• UAE
keen to work with UN, Abu Dhabi crown prince tells Guterres
--------
South Asia
• Islamic
Emirate Of Afghanistan Free 40 Inmates From Kandahar Prison
• IEA
is concerned about unrest in Kazakhstan: Foreign Ministry
• Bangladesh
Islami Front And Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam Met President, Md Abdul Hamid, On Formation
Of A New Election Commission
--------
Mideast
• Iran
Urges Complete Destruction of All Chemical Weapons
• Iran
Hopes for Resolution of Problems in Kazakhstan through Dialogue
• Iranian
statue of slain commander Soleimani torched
• Palestine:
Israel responsible for killing of Palestinian civilians, settler crimes
• Capitol
riot glimpse of what US has been trying to export for decades, says Iran
Foreign Ministry
• IRGC
Quds force cmdr.: US will leave Iraq with more humiliation than what it
suffered in Afghanistan
--------
Africa
• Jordan
MPs Back Constitutional Reforms To Revitalize Politics
• Communications
disrupted in Sudan ahead of anti-military protests
• Wife
of detained Tunisian politician starts hunger strike
• Anti-military
protests in Sudan continue, 3 protesters killed
--------
North America
• US Judge
Orders Mississippi City To Approve Mosque Construction
• US
urges peaceful resolution to ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan
• Reparations
for downed jet: Canada, other nations vow action against Iran
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/radical-ttp-tlp-international-think-tank/d/126109
--------
Imran
Khan Courting Radical Groups Like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan to Hide Govt's Failure: International Think Tank
(Representational
Image)
-----
Jan
6, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan under Imran Khan's rule has slid into radicalization even as it
struggles with a looming economic crisis and poor human rights record.
Imran
Khan has frittered away his goodwill by mollycoddling extremist groups like
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), and the
Afghan Taliban, according to international think tank based in Canada -
International Forum for Rights and Security.
The
former head of Pakistan's National Counter Terrorism Authority, Khawaja Khalid
Farooq, recently wrote in an incisive article in News International that mob
brutality, like the lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Punjab December last
year, showed the extent of radicalization influencing Pak society.
Known
for long as `Mr Taliban Khan', the Prime Minister supported the rise of the
Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan and hailed their military victory as an Islamic
victory once they came to power. The victory cry was short-lived though, as he
realized he had, like his predecessors, encouraged an extremist group, which
would only further radicalization in his country and the region, according to
International Forum for Rights and Security.
Further,
one of the pitfalls of his Afghan victory was the deal he had to strike with
TTP, a terrorist group brought up by the Pakistan army some years ago to play a
devious game with the Taliban and the US.
However,
the group turned staunchly against the army and the state and found shelter
with the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to International Forum for Rights
and Security.
A
second `notable` deal he had with extremism was the way he allowed
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan TLP to run berserk on the streets of Pakistan.
Further,
TLP is on a surge after the release of its leader Saad Hussin Rizvi last
November and revoking of its ban by the Imran Khan government.
Further,
extremist groups have always been an integral part of Pakistani society since
Independence and their continued contribution to the thought process of the
masses has greatly influenced the transformation of the nation, according to
International Forum for Rights and Security.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Lord
Ram's Subsequent Incarnation Lord Krishna Enters Poll Scene Amid Mathura Mosque
Row
(Representational
Image) Shri Krishna Janamboomi
-----
06th
January 2022
LUCKNOW:
Though the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya continues to dominate
poll-eve politics in Uttar Pradesh, the deity's subsequent incarnation Lord
Krishna too has made an entry in the political arena with the ruling party and
the opposition repeatedly invoking him.
So
far, God Krishna's torchbearers have been the current and a previous chief
minister, a deputy CM, Deputy Speaker of the legislative assembly, a state
cabinet minister and Mathura MP Hema Malini.
UP's
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya stirred the cauldron on December 1,
making a remark that seemed to suggest that the ruling BJP is
"preparing" for a grand temple in Mathura -- after the temple
projects in Ayodhya and Varanasi.
In
recent months, right-wing Hindu outfits have moved local courts seeking the
installation of a Krishna idol in Aurangzeb-era Shahi Idgah mosque, which they
claim is the "actual birthplace" of the deity.
The
mosque is located close to the current Krishna temple in the
"Janmasthan" complex in Mathura.
UP's
Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, who
hails from Mathura, last month too appeared to indirectly lobby for a new
temple or an expansion to the existing Mathura temple.
"If
the Krishna temple is not built in Mathura, would it be built in Lahore,"
he said.
Krishna
chants gained more currency when Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav
invoked the deity.
On
Monday, he claimed that the deity comes to him in his dreams every night,
telling the opposition leader that he would form the government in the upcoming
assembly polls and establish a "Ram Rajya" in UP.
Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath hit back on Tuesday.
In a
veiled attack, he accused the SP president of not doing anything for Mathura
and other religious places linked to Lord Krishna when he was the CM.
Instead,
Adityanath termed the previous SP government 'worshippers of Kans",
referring to the tyrant who was slain by Krishna.
He
accused the previous government of creating a Kans that resulted in Mathura's
Jawahar Bagh incident in which 29 people were killed in June 2016, when police
tried to evict squatters who were backed by cult leader Ram Vriksh Yadav.
Addressing
a public gathering in Aligarh, Adityanath said while he inaugurates a power
project there, others dream in Lucknow.
"Lord
Krishna would come in their dreams, and tell them to shed tears over their
failures. The BJP government is doing the work that they haven't been able to
do," he said.
In
their dreams, Adityanath said, Lord Krishna must have told them that when they
were in power, they "failed" to do anything for Mathura, Barsana,
Vrindavan, Gokul and Baldev.
"Nobody
bothered about Lord Krishna during that time. They were worshippers of
Kans," he said.
UP
Assembly's Deputy Speaker Nitin Agarwal also spoke on Mathura in Hardoi.
"The
BJP won the 500-year-old battle of Ayodhya and a grand Ram temple is being
built there. Kashi too has been put on the international arena, and Mathura is
the place of Thakur ji (Lord Krishna). If the BJP government does not develop
the temples of Mathura, then which government will do it?" he said.
On
December 30, Adityanath invoked Krishna in Pilibhit, saying that his government
is reviving the flute-making industry in the district.
"Work
is going on to restore the flute, which Lord Krishna once played. Your flute
was recognised almost 5,000 years ago by Lord Shri Krishna. But the previous
governments had forgotten this," he said.
Ashutosh
Varshney, convenor of Ram Seva Trust, Prayagraj, said it is only natural that
Krishna is being mentioned now.
"Lord
Ram is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who appears in the Treta Yug.
Lord Krishna is the subsequent incarnation, and he appeared in the Dwapar Yug.
So, if the political narrative is moving from Lord Ram towards Lord Krishna,
then it seems to be natural."
But
former Congress Legislative Party leader Pradeep Mathur, who represented
Mathura four times in the UP Assembly, accused the BJP of diverting attention
from the real issues of development.
"Adityanath
ji can be a follower of Lord Krishna, Akhilesh ji can be a follower of Lord
Krishna. But it is the Brajvasi (residents of the Braj region), who have the
right to Lord Krishna, and vice versa," he told PTI.
"The
ongoing political allegations and counter-allegations are rubbish, and
diversionary tactics to use Lord Krishna for political purposes," he said.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Terror
Threat Teen Who Wanted To Attack Mosque And Kill 10,000 Given A Rehabilitation
Order
Bristol
Magistrate's Court
-----
Jan
7, 2022
A
17-year-old boy who wanted to "shoot up a mosque" and kill 10,000
people has been given a rehabilitation order.
The
teenager, from Wiltshire, was given the 24-month order at Southampton Youth
Court.
He
had pleaded guilty to possessing material likely to be useful to a person
committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Counter-terror
police said they were having to deal with an increase in right-wing terror
threats.
A
spokesman for Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said
"concerned" members of the public had reported the boy after he had
made "numerous racist comments" in online forums.
"[He]
had talked about wanting to kill Muslims by 'shooting up a mosque'," they
added.
The
teenager was arrested on 18 June and during a property search detectives
uncovered a handwritten note called 'The Big Plan'.
"This
contained details of how to make a bomb, a number of named locations and
individuals who were believed to be aspirational targets, and an intention to
kill in excess of 10,000 people," the spokesman added.
Detective
Ch Supt Kath Barnes, head of CTPSE, praised the people who had contacted the
anti-terrorism hotline to report the behaviour.
"I
know this case may be concerning to certain members of the community who were
the target of the atrocious hatred," she said.
"We
have seen an increase in the proportion of our investigations from the threat
from extreme right-wing terrorism who wish to cause harm in our communities.
"We
take that threat very seriously and this is why the whole of the counter
terrorism community, as well as the whole of society, has a role to play in
tackling it."
Wiltshire
Police's Asst Ch Const, Deb Smith, said: "I hope that our communities feel
reassured that we acted swiftly, in conjunction with our partners, to ensure
that this individual was detained and could no longer pose a risk to the wider
public."
The
17-year-old was also ordered to pay a £22 court surcharge.
Source:
BBC News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-59899865
--------
‘Weak
God' Comment By A Protestant Politician Causes Storm In Indonesia With Muslims
And Catholics
(Photo:
Screenshot from Ferdinand Hutahaean’s video posted on Twitter)
-----
Katharina
Reny Lestari
January
06, 2022
A
Protestant politician in Indonesia has landed himself in hot water with Muslims
and Catholics after allegedly calling God “weak.”
Ferdinand
Hutahaean, a Democrat Party politician who failed to win a national assembly
seat in national elections in 2019, came under fire after posting a tweet in
what was seen as a dig at Muslims.
The
tweet said: “Poor you, your God is evidently weak [and] must be defended. My
God is amazing, [he] is everything. He is my defender, and my God does not need
to be defended.”
Donate
to UCA News with a small contribution of your choice
It
prompted two complaints to be lodged with police on Jan. 5 accusing him of
insulting Islam.
A
hashtag #TangkapFerdinand (arrest Ferdinand) also went viral on social media.
Police
spokesman Ahmad Ramadhan said Hutahaean would likely be summoned for
questioning.
Hutahaean’s
tweet, which has since been deleted, was also condemned by religious groups,
including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Union of Catholic
University Students of the Republic of Indonesia (PMKRI).
MUI
deputy chairman Anwar Abbas said in a statement, a copy of which was received
by UCA News, that he truly lamented “such cynical comments.”
“The
question is why do such words come from a person who some say truly respects
diversity and does not want people insulting God or a certain religion in this
country,” he said.
“It
really hurts the feelings of the faithful, particularly Muslims.”
He
called on Hutahaean to apologize.
PMKRI
chairman Benediktus Papa said Hutahaean’s tweet did not portray the views of
Christians and had the potential to destroy religious harmony.
Referring
to the police investigation, he said he would back any action to show respect
for pluralism.
Hutahaean
said his tweet was taken out of context and he would take legal action against
the two complainants “because they have defamed me.”
In a
video posted on Twitter, he delivered an apology for the original tweet, saying
it was “an imaginary dialogue between my heart and mind” and had nothing to do
with a certain group or religion.
The
tweet was the latest in a series of controversial posts on social media in
Indonesia.
Joseph
Suryadi, a 39-year-old Christian, was charged with blasphemy on Dec. 15 for
allegedly insulting Islam by comparing the Prophet Muhammad with an alleged
child rapist in a social media post.
In
August last year, Indonesian police arrested a Christian YouTuber after a
series of complaints were filed by Muslims accusing him of blasphemy.
Muhammad
Kace, a former Muslim who converted to Christianity, was accused of insulting
Islam and the Prophet Muhammad by claiming the prophet was “surrounded by
devils and liars” in a video posted on YouTube.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/weak-god-comment-causes-storm-in-indonesia/95621
--------
UAE: New
Law For Non-Muslims Offers 'Modern Framework' To Settle Family Disputes, Says
Expert
(Representational
Image)
-----
7 Jan
2022
By
Sherouk Zakaria
In a
significant step in the legislative map of Family Law in the UAE and the Gulf
region, the Judicial Department of Abu Dhabi passed Law No. 14 of 2021
concerning personal status for non-Muslim foreigners last November as the first
civil law concerning non-Muslim family matters.
Diana
Hamade, Founder and Managing Partner at Diana Hamade Attorneys at Law, said
"A legislative solution to be considered is the addition of the
sophisticated legislative solutions that provide a modern judicial framework
for foreigners in Abu Dhabi to resolve family disputes, to the existing Federal
Personal status law as an addendum which deals with family matters of
non-Muslims, especially where the current law provisions on marriage and divorce
laws are guided through Islamic Sharia law."
"The
addition of such a civil law can replace the process of applying a foreign law
to non-Muslim expats cases, which are no doubt problematic for judges,
counsels, and parties and not to mention expensive," said Hamade.
The
Family Guidance department is removed as a first step in the process, and the
divorce can be granted at the first hearing. It also introduces the concept of
joint custody, equality between men and women in giving evidence, and inheritance.
Courts
dedicated to non-Muslim family matters are opened and functioning at the Abu
Dhabi Judicial Department, in Arabic and English.
Reforms
over the years
Although
major reforms have been made to the UAE Federal Personal Status Law No. 28 of
2005 over the years, Hamade said further progress can be made to match the
Civil Law of Abu Dhabi in adapting to the changing trends of society.
"The
UAE legislature needs to address the legal provisions in relation to custody
and visitation to meet the requirements of modern society where women now are
mostly in full-time employment and the roles of custody and guardianship being
separated is not serving the best interest of children nor parents."
She
added that provisions on alimony would also need to be addressed to guarantee
the stability sought by families and children.
"The
fact that the UAE courts will be applying foreign laws, of foreign marriages,
and foreign courts render children subject to the UAE law as their domicile,
urges the UAE legislature to make the necessary amendments to the Federal Law
No. 28/2005 to conform with the universally applied laws in these
regards," noted Hamade.
The
UAE Federal Personal Status Law saw major amendments pursuant to Federal
Decree-Law No. 8/2019, Federal Decree-Law No. 5/2020 and Federal Decree Law No.
29/2020. Some of the key highlights included Article 71, which gave the right
to a wife to leave her marital home without permission, and Article 72,
reducing the instances where the right of a wife to monthly alimony is denied.
Hamade
then noted that the most notable amendment was included in Federal Decree No.
33 of 2020 where Article 13 repealed Article 1 of Federal Law No. 28/2005 to
determine that expats will have the law of the state where the marriage was
contracted as the law applicable to the personal and financial affects
resulting from the contract of marriage upon divorce or separation.
Article
1 of the Personal Status law No. 28 of 2005 provides that its provisions shall
apply to UAE Nationals unless they are non-Muslims, and to expats who do not
request the application of their law of marriage.
Other
amendments, namely to Articles 118 and 120 of Federal Law No. 28/2005 on
divorce for harm and the role of referees, remain complicated. "The
repudiation, Talaq; an exclusive right of a Muslim man left unamended continues
to disrupt the balance in a marriage and due process of court
proceedings," noted Hamade.
Further
amendments, she said, are needed to set off the UAE vision on women empowerment
in regulations.
Source:
Khaleej Times
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Military confirms ending of TTP ceasefire, attacks on militants
January
6, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The military confirmed that a month-long cease-fire with the proscribed
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group comprised of several
militant outfits, has come to an end and it has launched operations to
eliminate the Afghanistan-based group.
Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, who spoke to
the press Wednesday, confirmed for the first time that peace talks with the TTP
are “on hold” and military operations against the network are “ongoing.”
The
two sides agreed on a cease-fire on November 9.
Several
clashes between militants and security forces have been reported since
December, mainly in the North Waziristan district, which borders Afghanistan.
The
TTP numbers anywhere from 4,000 to 10,000 fighters, according to a UN report.
In
response to questions, Gen Iftikhar said the cease-fire was implemented at the
“request” of the interim Taliban administration in Afghanistan as a
confidence-building measure.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Sialkot
lynching: New videos emerge of factory premises
January
6, 2022
SIALKOT:
A new picture and clips have emerged of the premises of the Sialkot factory
where Sri Lankan national Priyantha Kumara was lynched by a mob last month.
The
picture purportedly shows Kumara, the manager of the factory, tearing down a
sticker with two of the workers standing close to him.
The
clips have been obtained from CCTV cameras installed at the factory.
One
video shows Kumara trying to escape the angry mob on the rooftop of the
factory. A worker can also been seen hiding on the roof. Another clip shows the
frenzied mob attacking Priyantha Kumara on the rooftop.
In a
third video, a person purportedly from the factory management is seen trying to
prevent the workers from attacking the manager but they didn’t listen to him
and continue beating Kumara as some of them incite the violence.
Surprisingly,
CCTV footage of three locations are missing. Investigators believe that the
person responsible for controlling the CCTV cameras might be hand in gloves
with the suspects and discarded or concealed the footage.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/06/sialkot-lynching-new-videos-emerge-of-factory-premises/
--------
JI’s
sit-in completes a week, party vows to further expand protests across Sindh
January
6, 2022
JI
Karachi’ protest against the Sindh LG (Amendment) Bill 2021 witnesses
completion of a week on Thursday. The party is determined to expand its
protests across Sindh.
JI
Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman stated that the Sindh government has not
devolved its powers to the local government.
“With
the powers that are left, the mayor cannot even sweep the streets”, Rehman
stated.
He
further said that the provincial government had taken over the transport
system, dispensaries, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Sobhraj Maternity Hospital, and
solid waste management.
While
referring to PPP’s allegations, he stated that “we are not an ethnic-based
party, and we do not promote ethnicity […] your (PPP) style of politics is
indulging in corruption, while we believe in engaging the people.”
The
JI chief further revealed that the party has decided to expand its protest
across the rest of Sindh as it attempts to pressurise PPP in rescinding the
recently passed controversial local government bill.
The
announcement was made by the JI Sindh chief Muhammad Husain Mehanti who spoke
at the sit-in camp outside the Sindh Assembly on Wednesday when the protest
entered its sixth day.
“The
protest camps against the black bill will be set up in all cities and towns of
the province on Friday and Sunday,” he said, adding that the campaign against
the provincial government would continue till the “anti-people” law was
repealed.
Rehman
stated that the Karachi Development Authority (KDA) had been placed under the
authority of the local government setup, but the PPP had taken it away. He
alleged corruption in the development authorities and equated it to the
exploitation of the people in Sindh.
“Those
who accuse the JI of seeding hatred and ethnic-based politics need to know that
the PPP and the MQM have not spared any slot for this nefarious type of
politics in the political arena of Karachi,” he said.
Rehman
also accused the PPP of making attempts to create a divide between the Sindhis
and the Mohajirs.
He
said JI MNA Akbar Chitrali had already submitted a resolution in the National
Assembly for a separate chapter in the constitution for local bodies, and it
would be a test case for all political parties, including PPP, MQM, and PTI, to
respond to the resolution.
The
JI leader said their struggle would continue till the law was repealed because
a mayor without any monetary or administrative powers would not be able to
deliver.
“The
PPP has ruined all institutions in the province; 49,000 public sector schools
have been destroyed in the province. From the chief minister to the bureaucracy
in the province, not even a single individual would like to get their children
admitted to the schools.”
He
further stated that the JI had been staged protests for the people belonging to
all areas of the country.
“Karachi
is called mini-Pakistan because people from all ethnic backgrounds live in this
city. The PPP should withdraw the law if it is serious and sincere about the
megalopolis.”
While
addressing the protesters, JI Karachi chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said
ministers belonging to the ruling PPP were issuing misleading statements to
cover up their corruption in development authorities.
“PPP
leaders Agha Siraj Durrani and Saeed Ghani should have come forward in the
media to prove that the powers have been devolved to the local government setup,”
the JI chief said.
Rehman
said JI’s struggle was to resolve the problems of the people, and the PPP
should not expect a friendly opposition from the JI — something it had enjoyed
while dealing with the MQM.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey,
Pakistan to optimize military-to-military ties
January
6, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
Deputy Chief of Turkish General Staff, General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, called on
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at GHQ here on Thursday,
said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement on Thursday.
According
to ISPR, matters of regional security situation, mutual and professional
interest with special emphasis on defence and security collaboration between
the two brotherly countries were discussed during the meeting.
The
COAS said: “We highly value our brotherly relations with Turkey which are
deeply rooted in history and entrenched in our cultural and religious
affinities.
He
underscored the importance of peace and reconciliation initiatives in
Afghanistan, said the ISPR.
The
army chief stressed upon the need for global convergence and sincere efforts to
avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/06/turkey-pakistan-to-optimize-military-to-military-ties/
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Two
terrorists killed in South Waziristan IBOs: ISPR
January
6, 2022
Security
forces carried out an intelligence-based operation, and killed two terrorists
in Tank, Dera Ismail Khan and village Kot Kili, the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) revealed on Wednesday.
The
security forces conducted the operation in South Waziristan on the reported
presence of terrorists, the military’s media wing stated.
The
security forces recovered weapons and a huge cache of ammunition from the
terrorists’ hideout, including improvised explosive devices and rockets, the
ISPR added.
During
the exchange of fire, two terrorists got killed, three terrorists were
apprehended, and one terrorist surrendered to the security forces.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/06/two-terrorists-killed-in-south-waziristan-ibos-ispr/
--------
Three
terrorists arrested in Karachi
January
6, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Police in Karachi foiled a major terror bid and arrested three terrorists
during an operation, officials said on Thursday.
The
police conducted an operation by acting on an intelligence tip-off regarding
the presence of terrorists in the Korangi neighbourhood, Korangi Senior
Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shahjahan Khan said.
The
terrorists were planning to target high-profile installations in the city, the
official said, adding that the arrested men have been shifted to an unknown
location for further investigation.
A
search operation has also been launched in the area to look for any accomplices
of the arrested terrorists.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/06/three-terrorists-arrested-in-karachi/
--------
Two
soldiers martyred, as many terrorists killed in KP clash
January
6, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Two soldiers and two terrorists were killed in clashes between security forces
and militants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an army statement said Wednesday night.
The
troops conducted intelligence-based operations in Dera Ismail Khan and South
Waziristan districts on the reported presence of terrorists, the Inter-Services
Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement.
“During
intense exchange of fire, two terrorists got killed, three terrorists were
apprehended and one terrorist surrendered to security forces,” the statement
added.
Two
soldiers also lost their lives while fighting the terrorists.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Muslim
Cleric Booked By Police For Hate Speech Hurting Christian Religious Sentiments
On Social Media
06th
January 2022
KOTTAYAM
(KERALA): Cyber crime wing of the Kerala Police on Thursday booked a Muslim
cleric for allegedly making hate speech through social media hurting Christian
religious sentiments, police said.
Waseem
Al Hikami was booked for allegedly using derogatory remarks against Jesus
Christ and Christian faithful through social media on the eve of Christmas
celebrations last month, police said.
The
case was registered by the Cyber Crime Police station, Kottayam, on the basis
of a complaint filed by a person named Abel Francis, they said.
Source:
New Indian Expess
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Karnataka:
Govt College Students Sport Saffron Shawls To Protest Classmates Wearing Hijab
Jan
07, 2022
The
management of a state-run degree college in Koppa is in a fix after a section
of students came to the college wearing saffron scarves to protest against the
Muslim women allegedly attending classes with hijab.
The
Government Degree College (GDC) in Balagadi, which had reportedly given in to
the demand of the students with saffron scarves initially, and asked women not
to attend classes wearing hijab, has now decided to allow everyone to wear
whatever they wish to till January 10.
“We
are convening a parent-teachers meeting which will also be attended by public
representatives on January 10 to resolve the issue. The decision would be
binding on everyone,” principal Ananth Murthy said.
He
said, three years ago a decision was taken in a similar meeting and everyone
abided by it till now.
“Everything
was going smoothly but yesterday a few students suddenly appeared in the class
wearing scarves. They were objecting to the dress code of some other students,”
Murthy added.
“Three
years ago, a similar controversy had erupted in the college, and it was decided
that no one should come to the college wearing hijab but for the past few days,
some women are coming to the college wearing it. Hence, we decided to come to
the college wearing saffron scarves from yesterday,” a student said, pleading
anonymity.
He
also claimed, that upon their request, the college administration had asked the
Muslim women several times to not sport hijab while on the campus, but they did
not budge. The student warned that if this issue was not addressed, they would
intensify their agitation in the coming days.
The
incident comes days after six students were denied entry into classes by the
college authorities in the Udupi district for wearing hijab. On Saturday, the
parents of these students along with activists held a protest against the
authorities for not allowing the students inside the class for three days.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Will
pray at six designated sites, areas with no disruptions in Gurugram, say
Muslims
Jan
06, 2022
The
Muslim community on Thursday said they will offer Friday prayers at the six
designated sites and in open spaces where there were no disruptions last week
by Hindu right-wing members, and also urged the district administration to
deploy police personnel at these sites to ensure safety and security of those
who gather to pray.
Last
week Muslims offered Friday prayers in the open at Shankar Chowk, Udyog Vihar,
Palam Vihar, and sectors 12, 29, 44, and 45. A group of Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh
Samiti, an umbrella body of Hindu right-wing groups that is leading the
protests against namaz in open spaces, gathered at Shankar Chowk before the
namaz congregation assembled but were made to retreat by police teams deployed
there.
Hindu
groups have been protesting against Friday namaz in public spaces in Gurugram
for the past three years. In 2018, the administration designated 37 sites for
Muslims to pray on Fridays. However, last November, the number of sites was
reduced to 20 after members of right-wing groups and locals started protesting
against Friday prayers and disrupted namaz gatherings at several places. Muslim
groups claim that they are forced to use public spaces as there are not enough
mosques in the city -- there are only 13 mosques in Gurugram.
“We
will, as usual, visit our designated spots to offer namaz and police will be
responsible if any untoward incident happens at any of these spots,” said a
senior member of Gurgaon Muslim Council, requesting anonymity.
Right-wing
members said they will continue to protest against namaz in the open and will
ensure no one is allowed to use any public place for Friday prayers.
Mahavir
Bhardwaj, president of Sanyukt Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, said, “The Gurugram Imam
Sanghathan had agreed to not offer namaz in the open but Muslims are again
using public spaces to offer namaz, leading to confrontations. We have already
agreed to six places but they are again trying to encroach on parks and grounds
which will not be tolerated. Last Friday, we did not do anything but this
Friday, if Muslims offer namaz in any place other than the six designated
sites, we will protest there,” he said.
Kulbhushan
Bhardwaj, legal advisor of the samiti, said they are ready with teams and will
keep a check on spots where Muslims offer namaz. “We will not allow them to
offer prayers in the open and if they do, we will disrupt the proceedings,” he
said.
Police
said they have deployed a team of 50 personnel at each spot and will ensure law
and order in the city.
Aman
Yadav, assistant commissioner of police, said anyone caught disrupting namaz
will be arrested on the spot. “No one will be allowed to visit any public place
to create a ruckus. No right-wing group will be allowed to enter sites where
Friday prayers will be offered,” he said.
Meanwhile,
Mohammad Adeeb, a former Rajya Sabha member who is leading a 21-member
committee to resolve the ongoing namaz issue, on Thursday said he was planning
to approach Punjab and Haryana high court to quash the FIR filed against him
and two others , registered on Wednesday on the basis of a complaint filed by a
right-wing activist who has been involved in protests against namaz on public
land.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
'Bulli
Bai' Case: 2nd Year Engg Student from Assam Arrested for Creating App That
'Auctioned' Muslim Women Online
JANUARY
06, 2022
The
main conspirator and creator of ‘Bulli Bai’ app was arrested from Assam on
Thursday. Police said that the accused has been identified as Niraj Bishnoi, a
second year B.Tech CSE from Vellore Institute of Technology in Bhopal. He is
resident of Digambar Jorhat in Assam, an official said.
Sources
in the police said that he also created the main Twitter account of ‘Bulli
Bai’. He was arrested by the IFSO (Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations
unit), special cell, Delhi police. Bishnoi is being brought from Assam and will
reach the national capital by 3:30 pm.
This
is the fourth arrest in connection with the ‘Bulli Bai’ app which targeted
Muslim women by putting up their images online for ‘auction’. Earlier, police
arrested 18-year-old woman Shweta Singh from Uttarakhand.
Singh,
who has passed class 12 exam and was planning to pursue engineering, was acting
on the instructions from one ‘Giyou’ who was based in Nepal, he claimed. Mumbai
police commissioner Hemant Nagrale told reporters that some more people were
likely to be involved in the matter.
Mayank
Rawal (21) was nabbed from Uttarakhand in the early hours of Wednesday in the
case. Shweta Singh was arrested on Tuesday from Rudrapur in the same state,
while engineering student Vishal Kumar Jha (21) was held from Bengaluru on
Monday.
Mumbai
Police registered a First Information Report after receiving a complaint about
the app on January 2, following which investigators started technical analysis
of the app and the related twitter handle, Nagrale said.
Source:
News18
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
No
change since Uri attack, says India, junks Pakistan Saarc call
Jan
7, 2022
NEW
DELHI: India on Thursday brushed aside Pakistan's call for resuming the Saarc
summit process saying there had been no "material change" in the
situation since the summit was blocked in 2016 because of the Uri terror
attack. The government also slammed Islamabad for supporting cross-border
terrorism.
"We
have seen media reports regarding the Pakistani foreign minister's remarks
about Saarc Summit. You are aware of the background as to why the Saarc Summit
has not been held since 2014. There has been no material change in the
situation. Therefore, there is still no consensus that would permit the holding
of the Summit," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The
official was responding to queries on Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood
Qureshi's reiteration of the invite for the 19th Saarc summit. Qureshi had
called upon India to participate virtually if it didn't want to attend the
summit in Islamabad.
Asked
about Pakistan PM Imran Khan's remarks earlier this week on the so-called
Kashmir self-determination day, the official said these comments had come from
the leader of a country that was openly promoting cross-border terrorism.
"The
Union Territory of J&K is an integral part of India. Pakistan is also the
country which shielded Osama bin Laden. It's record on human rights is known to
the entire world," said the official.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Malvani
ISIS case: NIA court convicts two operatives for brainwashing youths
6
JANUARY 2022
New
Delhi, Jan 6: A special NIA court in Mumbai convicted two ISIS operatives,
Rizwan Ahmed and Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed, for trying to radicalise Muslim youths
to join the Islamic State (IS).
The
accused instigated Muslim youths to travel abroad to become members of
IS/ISIL/ISIS in order to wage war against allied nations of India, the NIA said
in a statement.
In
2015, a case in this respect was lodged with Mumbai’s Kalachowki Police
Station. Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was looking into the matter. Later on the
case was handed over to the NIA, which re-registered the case.
After
completing the investigation, the NIA had filed a charge sheet in July 2016.
The
NIA’s investigation has revealed that Rizwan Ahmed and Mohsin Ibrahim Sayyed
had instigated, intimidated and influenced vulnerable Muslim youths from the
Malwani area, Malad (W), Mumbai to join the terror outfit.
“Both
the accused also compelled the youths to become fidayeen fighters for the cause
of Islam, and were instrumental in sending them for ‘hijarat’ for joining
ISIS,” the probe agency said.
The
NIA collected a lot of evidence against them and recorded the testimonies of
the witnesses, which was against the accused. The agency collected documentary
and digital evidence against the accused to prove their case before the court.
During
the trial the accused had pleaded not guilty. The NIA argued on the matter on
the basis of the evidence collected by them. With the help of their evidence,
the NIA was able to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt before the court.
Source:
Morning Kashmir
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
3 JeM
terrorists killed in overnight encounter in J&K's Budgam
Jan
7, 2022
SRINAGAR:
Three Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terrorists were killed in an overnight encounter
with security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on
Friday.
The
encounter broke out in Budgam's Zolwa village late on Thursday, a police
official said.
Three
terrorists were killed in the exchange of fire with the security forces, the
official said.
"All
three slain terrorists were affiliated with JeM terror outfit. Three AK 56
rifles and other incriminating material were recovered from the site of the
encounter," said Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar.
While
one of the terrorists has been identified as Waseem from Srinagar, the
identities of the other two are being ascertained, he said.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
2 LeT
& JeM terrorists, 2 associates arrested for killing of Srinagar property
dealer
M
Saleem Pandit
Jan
7, 2022
SRINAGAR:
The Jammu and Kashmir claimed on Thursday that it had busted a module involved
in the killing of a property dealer in Srinagar by arresting two militants, of
the LeT and JeM, and two of their associates.
"On
22/12/2021 militants targeted and killed a property dealer, Rauf Ahmed, in
Safakadal area. After the incident the Srinagar police started investigating
this killing. During the course of the investigation the movement of some
suspects was detected in Srinagar city," a police statement said.
"Based
on further analysis and credible human intelligencewp, the Srinagar police
detected suspicious movement of militants in Bhagat Barzulla area and, along
with the CRPF, laid special nakas and apprehended two militants of the banned
militant organisation TRF/MGH, offshoots of LeT and JeM, near Barzulla
Bridge," the statement read.
Identifying
the arrested militants as Suhail Qadir Khanday of Tral Pulwama and Suhail
Mushtaq Waza, resident of Nikloora in Pulwama, both active, the spokesperson
said two pistols, two pistol magazines and 30 pistol bullets were initially
recovered from the spot.
"On
further questioning of the militants, incriminating material, arms and
ammunition — including 2 pistols, 6 pistol magazines, 69 rounds, and two pistol
silencers have been recovered from their hideout in Srinagar city. So far, four
pistols, eight pistol magazines, 99 live rounds and two pistol silencers have
been recovered in the case," the statement read.
"They
identified two associates — Basit Bilal Makaya , a resident of Qamar Abad
Qamarwari, and Naikoo Imad Nasar, resident of Kiloora Shopian — who were
operating with them as OGWs," the police spokesperson said.
A
case under FIR No. 08/2021 has been registered at Saddar Police Station under
sections of the Arms Act and UAPA Act, the spokesperson said.
The
police spokesperson added that "during questioning the arrested militants
disclosed that they were operating in Srinagar city on the directions of one
person, Asif Maqbool Dar, resident of MIG Colony Bemina, at present in Dammam,
Saudi Arabia, and Sajjad Gul, resident of HMT Parimpora, at present in
Pakistan".
"…
the handlers from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan were providing weapons and money
through a network of OGWs (that are) being identified. This module has also done
a recce of security installations like the NIA office, Delhi police
headquarters, etc., and shared the same with their handlers in Pakistan,"
the spokesperson said.
"As
per the investigation the targets in the city for killings were also selected
and conveyed to them by Dr Asif Dar and Sajjad Gul. Suhail Qadar Khandy was
working in Saudi Arabia with Dr Asif Dar and, in August 2021, on the direction
of Dr Dar, he came back and started working as an operative of TRF/MGH for
coordinating the collection of arms and ammunition, money and militant attacks
in Srinagar," the statement read.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NIA
files chargesheet in al-Qaida module case
Pathikrit
Chakraborty
Jan
7, 2022
LUCKNOW:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against five
arrested accused of conspiring to carry out an IED blast in Uttar Pradesh. The
agency also stated in the charge sheet that five arrested accused, Minhaj
Ahmad, Museeruddin, Shakeel, Moid, and Mustaqeem, were in touch with terror
outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an auxiliary unit of al-Qaida.
All
the five accused have been booked under the charges of waging war against the
government of India, concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war
and other charges including punishment for raising funds for a terrorist act,
punishment for recruiting persons for a terrorist act, punishment for being a
member of a terrorist gang, membership of a terrorist organisation under the
unlawful activities (prevention) Act, 1967. The charge sheet was filed in the
special NIA court in Lucknow.
NIA
in its charge sheet has stated that accused Minhaj Ahmad was radicalized online
by two al-Qaida terrorists based in Jammu and Kashmir and that he had entered
into a conspiracy with them for recruiting members for AGuH and for committing
terrorist acts.
Minhaj
recruited Museeruddin into the al-Qaida fold and involved him in the conspiracy
for committing terrorist acts in UP.
It
also stated that Museeruddin and Minhaj Ahmad procured arms, ammunition,
explosive material and conducted reconnaissance of vulnerable areas for
carrying out blasts with an intention to wage war.
The
other three accused, Shakeel, Mustaqeem and Moid, aided and abetted Minhaj and
Museeruddin in procuring weapons and ammunition, thus becoming a party in
furtherance of the conspiracy. NIA also said that the case was still under
investigation.
This
module was first busted by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) with
the arrest of two operatives, identified as Minhaz and Museeruddin, from
Lucknow on July 11 and their three associates, Mustaquim, Moid and Shakeel, on
July 14.
All
the five were arrested from different places in Lucknow. ATS had also recovered
explosives used for making the improvised explosive device (IED) in the form of
a pressure cooker bomb from their possession. NIA had taken up the case on July
28 and registered a fresh case.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
France
may spread Islamophobia at rotating helm of EU: Experts
JAN
05, 2022
France
has assumed the rotating European Union presidency for the next six months,
however, with the country's anti-radicalism bill having already created an
uncomfortable climate for France's Muslims, experts worry Paris may attempt to
impose its anti-Muslim views on the bloc as a whole.
“There
are already examples where you can see the interference of the French
government on a European level when it comes to the existence of Muslims and
Muslim visibility,” Farid Hafez, a visiting professor of International
Relations at Williams College and nonresident scholar at Georgetown University's
Bridge Initiative told Daily Sabah.
Listing
instances of the French government going against the European Commission, Hafez
recalled that European Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli was attacked by
French ministers for meeting with representatives from a Muslim youth
organization that was participating in a campaign organized by the Council of
Europe. He also pointed to the civil rights group Alliance Citoyenne, which
actively defended Muslim women's rights but lost its funding.
“Therefore,
I think, France will impose its views on Europe. The question is how much other
European countries allow the French government to influence how Muslims are
seen and positioned in the European Union.”
The
French government announced earlier this year that it would step up checks of
places of worship and associations suspected of spreading so-called extremist
religious propaganda.
The
crackdown came after the October 2020 murder of teacher Samuel Paty who was
targeted following an online campaign against him for having shown
controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by the satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo during a civics class.
Hafez
highlighted that after Paty’s death, France and Austria in particular pushed
for the EU to release a harsh statement framing the problem as rooted in Islam.
Most EU countries pushed back, he said, explaining that therefore France's
presidency may not directly increase Islamophobic views within the EU.
The
attack came in the midst of a heated debate over Macron's campaign against what
he called "Islamist separatism" in immigrant communities, where
conservative Muslims are accused of rejecting secularism, free speech and other
values taught in school.
“I
see that France is one of the most problematic countries when it comes to
Islamophobia in Europe,” Hafez said. “France has been one of the harshest
governments in the legislation against Muslims, we not only see hijab bans but
also after the murder of Paty, the French government used this incident to
crack down on the Muslim civil society – raided mosques and even closed
anti-racist organizations for nothing else but speaking against Islamophobia.”
According
to Interior Ministry figures, since November 2019, 3,881 establishments have
been inspected and 126 closed, mostly small businesses but also two schools.
The
proposed law and the Cell to Fight Radical Islam program, led by prefects in
each region, are just part of a many-layered operation to rout out what
authorities call “enemies of the Republic.”
The
Interior Ministry said in December that around 100 mosques and Muslim prayer
halls out of France's total number of more than 2,600 have been investigated
over recent months because of suspicion that they were spreading
"separatist" ideology.
Six
sites were being probed with a view to closing them down on the basis of French
laws against extremism and separatism, it said.
France's
Muslim population is estimated to number about 5 million people, many of whose
family origins lie in Algeria or other parts of its former empire.
Speaking
to Daily Sabah, Abdennour Toumi, North Africa expert at the Ankara-based Center
for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM), said that the roots of the
current anti-Islam atmosphere go back to “a rhetoric set by the far-right party
of Ms. Marine Le Pen (RN), the corporatist media and the arrogant elite
anti-Muslim in the Parisian chic quarters of the right and the left banks,”
enhanced by the several terror attacks the country has suffered.
“Emmanuel
Macron, whose Muslim views were more or less like his predecessor, are
moderate, and I don’t believe he is anti-Islam. But his political survival and
the imperatives of the post-Charlie Hebdo and Paris attacks, have shaped his
policy on Islam. Thus, he wanted like President Nicolas Sarkozy to domesticate the
Muslims in France,” he said.
Toumi
does not believe that France will be successful in influencing the bloc’s
policies on Islam and the Muslim community. However, he warns that the
country’s interior minister is more hawkish and aims to eradicate so-called
“radical” Islam.
“For
the EU’s reaction on Islam, the issue is not homogenous for the 27 members,
which currently, are facing other challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic
variants and macro-economic questions.”
Speaking
on the effects of France’s policies on the community, Toumi highlights that the
minority group of millions is still protected by national and European laws.
“The
question of 'radical' Islam has complicated the real fight of this thorny issue
that needs deep logistic and educative tools to one day contain this national
security issue that became political discourse. In the end of the day, Muslims
in France are well integrated and the third generation of the Muslim
immigrants, notably the Maghreb communities, feel fully French and patriots.”
He
says that such policies “would destabilize further President Macron," who
is on the cusp of a heated presidential election that will take place in the
spring.
"La
laicite has become the state's religion," Toumi added.
Macron
was accused by leftist critics at the time of stigmatizing Europe's biggest
Muslim community and pandering to the far-right ahead of the 2022 elections.
But
on the right, voters and politicians have long been urging tougher action to
restore the state's authority in what a group of teachers described in a 2015
book as the "lost territories of the Republic."
They
include controversial media pundit Eric Zemmour, a possible candidate for the
presidency in next year's vote, who has declared Paty's murder proof that
France is in a "civil war" with radical Muslims.
Toumi
said that Muslims represent around 1% of the French electoral corps – and its
vote does not weigh seriously on national elections with those voting being
generally the elder and not the youth.
Macron,
who was elected in 2017 on a pledge to reform France and restore its status as
a global power, is the overwhelming favorite to win the election but analysts
caution his victory is far from certain.
“This
election is going to be historical, and eventually a political big-bang in the
French fifth Republic,” Toumi said, indicating that Macron's top challenger is
Republican candidate Valerie Pecresse.
Pecresse
campaigned on promises to halve the number of residence permits for non-EU
migrants, stiffen judicial sentences in tough neighborhoods where police are
under pressure and ban women accompanying their children on school trips from
wearing a Muslim headscarf.
"I
feel the anger of people who feel impotent in the face of violence and the rise
of Islamist separatism, who feel their values and lifestyle are threatened by
uncontrolled immigration," she said.
“It’s
an opportunity for the Muslims to emerge as a serious actor in French politics
and will create a new social and political imperative in the next elections.”
Toumi
said that the Muslim community in France should unite and make their voice
heard.
“Their
voice could be a solid argument for the voiceless and will silence the
anti-Muslim elite and politicians.”
Hafez
said that France’s main concern is the future of French society and that Paris
does not want self-organized Muslims who are proud of their religious identity
to have a say in what France is and how it should look in the future.
“The
Islamophobia question is a power question, It’s a question of the role of
Muslims in France today and tomorrow.”
France
last year engaged in a bitter feud with Muslim countries, including Turkey,
over the statements and policies made by top French officials following the
republication of offensive caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims across
the world denounced satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo's decision to
republish cartoons that disrespect the religion and the prophet.
The
Observatoire National de Lutte contre l’Islamophobie recorded 235 Islamophobic
acts from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2020, a 53% increase from the previous year.
According to a 886-page report titled the "European Islamophobia Report
2020" co-edited by Enes Bayraklı, an international relations professor at
the Istanbul-based Turkish-German University, and Hafez, there was a 14%
increase in acts and a 79% increase in threats.
"The
year 2020 marks a turning point in Islamophobia and in the treatment of Muslims
in France," the report said, adding that for some years now, the French
government has been "misusing the concept of “laïcité” (French version of
secularism) to make it a weapon to the disadvantage of French Muslims and Islam
– leading to the socio-economic exclusion of many Muslims, and in particular
Muslim women wearing headscarves."
Furthermore,
Shada Islam in her article published in the Guardian also touched upon what she
called “France’s Muslim-panic” and said that “Once restricted to the EU’s
far-right groups, France’s fixation with Muslims has extended across the
European political landscape; Islam is seen either as a threat to national
secular traditions or to the idea of “Christian Europe.”
Turkey’s
stance
Following
France’s decision to pass the controversial anti-radicalism bill, Turkey
stressed that the move would further marginalize Muslims and other religious
minorities.
Turkey's
communications director in July said that though France claims to champion the
principles of freedom, equality and fraternity, it has increased interference
in the way of life of religious minorities through the bill.
States
bear great responsibilities in these times when attacks against Muslims in
Europe are increasing, he said, adding that Turkey will continue to closely
follow the developments concerning the bill.
Source:
Daily Sabah
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Russia
sends troops to put down Kazakhstan uprising as fresh violence erupts
Jan
7, 2022
ALMATY:
Fresh violence erupted in Kazakhstan's main city of Almaty on Thursday as
Russia sent in paratroopers to put down a countrywide uprising in one of
Moscow's closest former Soviet allies.
Police
in Almaty said they had killed dozens of rioters overnight into the early hours
of Thursday morning. Authorities said at least 18 members of the security
forces had died, including two found decapitated. More than 2,000 people were
arrested.
After
a night of running street confrontations between protesters and troops, a
presidential residence in the city and its mayor's office were both ablaze, and
burnt out cars littered the city, Reuters journalists said.
For
more on this story, see: -What's going on in Kazakhstan? -Bitcoin power slumps
as crackdown hits crypto -U.S. questions Russia-led peacekeepers
Military
personnel regained control of the main airport, seized earlier by protesters.
Thursday evening saw renewed battles in Almaty's main square, occupied
alternately by troops and hundreds of protesters throughout much of the day.
Reuters
reporters heard explosions and gunfire as military vehicles and scores of
soldiers advanced, although the shooting stopped again after nightfall. TASS
news agency quoted witnesses as saying people had been killed and wounded in
the new gunfire.
The
Russian deployment was a gamble by the Kremlin that rapid military force could
secure its interests in the oil and uranium-producing Central Asian nation, by
swiftly putting down the worst violence in Kazakhstan's 30 years of
independence.
Oil
production at Kazakhstan's top field Tengiz was reduced on Thursday, its
operator Chevron said, as some contractors disrupted train lines in support of
the protests. Oil prices rose more than 1% on Thursday and uranium has also
jumped since the clashes erupted.
The
internet was shut down across the country, disrupting bitcoin mining in one of
the world's biggest crypto miners and making it impossible to gauge the extent
of the unrest.
But
the violence was unprecedented in a state ruled firmly since Soviet times by
leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81, who had held on to the reins despite stepping
down three years ago as president.
"ATTACK
ON OUR CITIZENS"
Nazarbayev's
hand-picked successor, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said he called in the
Moscow-led military alliance of ex-Soviet states. He blamed the unrest on
foreign-trained terrorists who he said had seized buildings and weapons.
"It
is an attack on our citizens who are asking me... to help them urgently,"
he said.
Moscow
said it would consult with Kazakhstan and allies on steps to support the Kazakh
"counter-terrorist operation" and repeated Tokayev's assertion that
the uprising was foreign-inspired. Neither Kazakhstan nor Russia provided
evidence to support that.
Moscow
did not disclose how many troops it was sending, and it was not possible to
determine if any were involved in Thursday's unrest.
The
general secretary of the ex-Soviet alliance - the Collective Security Treaty
Organisation - told RIA news agency that the overall peacekeeping force would
number about 2,500 and could be strengthened if necessary.
It
was expected to be a short mission of "a few days or weeks", RIA quoted
him as saying.
The
United States said it was closely monitoring reports of the deployment and
added it had questions about whether the forces were legitimately invited to
the country.
"We
have questions about that deployment precisely because Kazakhstan, the
government of Kazakhstan... has its own resources, and the government is and
has been well fortified," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
"We
will be watching very closely for any violations of human rights and any
efforts or actions on the part of foreign forces to seize Kazakh
institutions," he added.
"LOOTERS
CAME IN"
The
uprising, which began as protests against a New Year's Day fuel price hike,
swelled on Wednesday, when protesters chanting slogans against Nazarbayev
stormed and torched public buildings in Almaty and other cities.
Tokayev
initially responded by dismissing his cabinet, reversing the fuel price rise
and distancing himself from his predecessor, including by taking over a
powerful security post Nazarbayev had retained. But those moves failed to
mollify crowds who accuse Nazarbayev's family and allies of amassing vast
wealth while the nation of 19 million remained poor.
Nazarbayev
stepped aside from the presidency in 2019 as the last Soviet-era Communist
Party boss still ruling a former Soviet state. But he and his family kept posts
overseeing security forces and the political apparatus in Nur-Sultan, the
purpose-built capital bearing his name. He has not been seen or heard from
since the unrest began.
The
swift arrival of Russian troops demonstrated the Kremlin's willingness to
safeguard its influence in the ex-Soviet Union with force. Since late 2020,
Moscow has shored up the leader of Belarus against a popular uprising,
intervened to halt a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, to the West's
alarm, massed troops again near Ukraine, which Russia invaded eight years ago.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kazakhstan
unrest: Dozens killed, about 2,000 arrested as protesters clash with police in
Almaty
06
January 2022
Clashes
between protesters and security forces have left dozens killed while about
2,000 have been arrested in Kazakhstan's biggest city, Almaty, as nationwide
protests continue over fuel price hikes in the oil-rich Central Asian country.
Police
spokesman Saltanat Azirbek said on Thursday that tens of rioters had been
"eliminated" overnight in Kazakhstan's financial capital as they
tried to storm government buildings.
"Last
night, extremist forces tried to assault administrative buildings, the Almaty
city police department, as well as local police commissariats. Dozens of
assailants were eliminated," local media quoted him as saying.
Police
in Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty said Thursday they had detained some 2,000
people in connection with ongoing mass unrest.
"Almaty
police have moved forward to clear the streets... In total, about 2,000 people
have been brought in," the Interior Ministry said in a statement carried
by Russian news agencies.
Protesters
also stormed the mayor's office in the city, with videos on social media
showing a plume of smoke rising from the building.
Almaty's
police chief, Kanat Taimerdenov, blamed the unrest on "extremists and
radicals," saying the protesters had assaulted 500 civilians and ransacked
hundreds of businesses.
Meanwhile,
there were reports of renewed clashes between riot police and hundreds of
anti-government protesters who had gathered in the city's main square on
Thursday morning. Several armored personnel carriers and dozens of troops
entered the square, with gunshots being heard as troops approached the crowd.
There
had also been intense clashes between security forces and protesters on Tuesday,
with police firing tear gas and stun grenades to disperse crowds of thousands
of people who had gathered in the city's main square, as protesters toppled,
smashed, and set police cars alight.
Mass
protests began in Kazakhstan's western Mangistau Province on Sunday after the
government decided to lift price controls on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) — a
move that roughly doubled gas prices in a matter of days. Protests then
engulfed other parts of the country.
On
Wednesday, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a two-week state of
emergency, including a curfew, movement restrictions, and a ban on mass
gatherings, in Almaty and Mangistau.
Later
in the day, he accepted the government's resignation and appointed Alikhan
Smailov as acting prime minister. He also ordered the acting cabinet members
and provincial governors to restore LPG price controls and broaden them to
gasoline, diesel, and other "socially important" consumer goods.
The
ongoing unrest has left at least 12 security forces dead and 353 others injured
during the past days, according to media reports. Kazakhstan's Khabar 24 news
channel reported the toll as of mid-Thursday, saying that the body of one of
the dead security officers had been found with its head cut off.
The
escalating unrest prompted Tokayev to appeal for help from the Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) — a military alliance made up of Russia and
five other former Soviet states — to quell the protests. He also accused
foreign-trained "terrorist groups" of being behind the unrest.
"Today
I appealed to the heads of CSTO states to assist Kazakhstan in overcoming this
terrorist threat," Tokayev said in a televised speech in the early hours
of Thursday. "In fact, this is no longer a threat. It is undermining the integrity
of the state."
The
Moscow-led CSTO military alliance said it had dispatched its first troops,
including Russian paratroopers and military units from other member states,
namely Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
"Peacekeeping
forces... were sent to the Republic of Kazakhstan for a limited time to
stabilize and normalize the situation," the CSTO said in a statement,
without specifying the number of the troops involved.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/06/674183/Clashes-in-Kazakhstan-largest-city-leave-dozens-dead
--------
Russia
envoy to nuclear deal talks discusses developments with Saudi ambassador
January
06, 2022
LONDON:
Russia's envoy to talks aimed at reviving the nuclear deal in Vienna met with
the Saudi ambassador to Austria on Thursday.
Mikhail
Ulyanov said he briefed Prince Abdullah bin Khalid bin Sultan and members of
his team on the “situation in the Vienna talks.”
The
two officials also “exchanged views on prospects of security dialogue” in the
Arabian Gulf.
British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Iran on Tuesday that time was running out
to salvage the 2015 nuclear accord with major powers.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1999506/world
--------
Mossad
bombed European firms helping Pakistan nukes in ’80s: Swiss daily
January
6, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad, was likely behind bombings and phone
threats on German and Swiss companies linked to Pakistan’s covert nuclear
programme, a Swiss historian told a Swiss daily.
The
claims were carried in a report in Neue Zurcher Zeitung, a Swiss
German-language daily, which said that in the 1980s, Pakistan worked with Iran
to produce nuclear weapons materials.
NZZ
is often referred to as the Swiss “newspaper of record”.
At
the time, Washington was extremely paranoid about the cooperation as it
considered Tehran an enemy after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and the ensuing
hostage crisis as well as the Iran-Iraq War.
The
1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan made the US value its partnership with
Pakistan more deeply as it was planning on supporting Afghanistan’s mujahideen
against Kremlin, using Islamabad as a middle man.
Hence,
then US President Jimmy Carter decided not to intervene directly to avoid
tarnishing relations with Islamabad.
The
report says that instead of attacking nuclear facilities in Pakistan, Carter
decided to deal with its European suppliers who were mainly based in Germany
and Switzerland.
In
1981, his administration sent a diplomatic warning to companies based in the
two nations asserting they are alleged to have provided technical support to
Pakistan’s nuclear programme.
Within
a few months of the US warning, three facilities linked to the European
companies were bombed.
There
was an explosion in the house of an employee of the German company Cora
Engineering in the Swiss town of Chur on February 20, 1981.
There
was another blast at a Walischmiller company factory in Markdorf, Germany on
May 18, 1981, and another at the Heinz Mebus engineering office on November
6th, 1981, the report said.
Mebus
was in talks with engineer Abdul Kadir Han from Pakistan, known as the owner of
the nuclear project, in Zurich, Switzerland.
Threatening
phone messages were sent to other commercial organisations, added the report.
The
Mossad’s participation in the bombings was probable, but there is no “smoking
gun” to prove involvement, Adrian Hanni, a historian and intelligence service
expert, told the daily.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
‘Raja
Bomoh’ ritual of warding off floods contradicts Islamic teachings, says deputy
religious affairs minister
06
Jan 2022
JELI,
Jan 6 — A ritual supposedly to ward off floods by ‘Raja Bomoh’ (shaman) or his
real name, Ibrahim Mat Zin with a woman in Teluk Intan recently, clearly showed
elements that contradicted Islamic teachings, said Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Ahmad Marzuk Shaary.
He
said in this regard, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) hoped
that the Perak Islamic Religious Department (JAIPk) would take stern action
against the individuals involved.
“Such
a practice leads to superstition. We will leave it to JAIPk to take stricter
action against the two,” he told reporters after officiating at the Musaadah
Banjir programme at Pasti Nur Fatihah Kuala Balah, here, today.
Yesterday,
JAIPk was reported having summoned Ibrahim in connection with a ritual
supposedly to ward off floods at Dataran Pengairan and Saliran Teluk Intan,
which went viral on social media.
JAIPk
director, Datuk Mohd Yusop Husin said apart from the man, his department would
call other individuals involved in the incident to assist in the investigation
under Section 14 of the Perak Syariah Criminal Enactment 1992 for defaming and
insulting Islam.
On
another development, Ahmad Marzuk hoped that prospective pilgrims affected by
the government’s temporary suspension of travel permission to perform umrah
beginning Jan 8, would be patient.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Accept
Gurudwara Food With Gratitude, Muslims Told
Minderjeet
Kaur
December
23, 2021
PETALING
JAYA: A sociologist has denounced Muslims who question the halal status of
vegetarian food offered by the Sikh community to flood victims.
“Malaysians
must reject and condemn such ingratitude and insolence,” said Syed Farid Alatas
of the National University of Singapore.
He
also said such an attitude was “irreligious and cruel”.
“It
may cause confusion among some flood victims who are inclined to accept food
aid prepared or given by Sikhs,” he told FMT.
Some
gurdwaras in Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya have been providing free vegetarian
food to those affected by floods over the weekend.
However,
several people have asked whether the food was halal.
Farid,
a Malaysian, said there was no reason to doubt the cleanliness and halal status
of the food.
“The
vegetarian food they serve is extremely healthy and the Sikhs’ gesture to help
people is admirable,” he said.
He
added that the doubters lacked the “civilised mentality” needed to recognise
the good in others and appreciate their kind gestures.
Tawfik
Ismail, a former MP, gave this advice to those who would rather starve than eat
or drink what was sincerely offered: “It’s your choice, but God gifted Muslims
and non-Muslims with brains. Use them to think.”
He
said trust should be a guiding principle when one was receiving food.
“Ask
Allah to sanction the food with the Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim invocation before
you eat,” he said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Campaign
in support of the Palestinians should be consistent
06
Jan 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Campaigns in support of the Palestinian people’s struggle and the
establishment of an independent state should not be periodical, or only when
attacks are carried out by Israel as happened in May 2021.
President
of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim) Mohd
Azmi Abdul Hamid, is of the view that a campaign on the issue should be kept
alive at all times to put pressure on Israel to protect the fate of the
Palestinian people.
He
stressed that the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the construction of new illegal
settlements by Israel on Palestinian land is still ongoing.
“We
do not want this issue to appear and disappear. When we heard that Al-Aqsa
Mosque was attacked, we reacted angrily. So we must keep this campaign alive at
all times,” he told Bernama.
He
was met during the Regional Palestine Campaign Planning Workshop 2022 which was
also attended by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from several countries
including Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Palestine, Pakistan, Thailand and
Somalia, here on Wednesday.
According
to Mohd Azmi, the workshop selected 24 dates throughout the year for the
campaign on Palestine, among them the dates of the tragedy of the massacres in
the Sabra and Shatila camps, the Nakba day and Al Quds day.
He
said a total of 100 NGOs in the Southeast Asian region, including 20 from
Malaysia, agreed to be involved in carrying out campaigns on these dates so
that the issue of oppression against the Palestinian people would always get
the world’s attention.
“We
also discussed media strategies and public mobilisation, lobbying strategies
with the government and at international levels including the United Nations
(UN) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as
international networks,“ he said.
Mohd
Azmi said the workshop also discussed the actions of several Arab countries
that had established diplomatic relations with Israel (normalisation) which was
seen to weaken the resistance movement against Israel.
Source:
The Sun Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Melaka
Museums Corporation To Carry Out Repair Works On Historic Mosques Fast
06
Jan 2022
MELAKA:
Repair works will be carried out immediately on three historic mosques that
were damaged in the recent round of floods in the state, said Melaka Museums
Corporation (Perzim).
Its
General Manager Mohd Nasruddin Rahman said the mosques, namely Lubok China
Mosque, Brisu Mosque and Datuk Machap Mosque in Alor Gajah were among 56
mosques gazetted as heritage mosques under the National Heritage Act 2005.
He
said Datuk Machap Mosque, which was built in 1865, was the most affected,
adding that inspections found that the damages were quite serious involving its
roofs.
“We
have submitted an application to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and
God willing, we will get the allocation to repair the mosque which is also
gazetted under the Melaka State Heritage Enactment,“ he told Bernama here
today.
Mohd
Nasruddin said besides roof work, drains around the mosque would also be
repaired and enlarged.
He
said Perzim would repair the other two mosques as well as other affected
mosques through the allocation under the state conservation fund, based on
priority.
Source:
The Sun Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Islamic
State ramps up activities in eastern Syria
Sultan
al-Kanj
January
6, 2022
IDLIB,
Syria — The Islamic State (IS) carries out almost daily operations in Deir
ez-Zor against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the civilians
it accuses of cooperating with the Kurdish forces. IS is also imposing taxes on
shop owners, doctors and others by threatening them with murder and kidnapping
via WhatsApp messages.
Furthermore,
IS is constantly attacking Kurdish forces' checkpoints and barricades, forcing
the SDF to retaliate with large-scale security and military operations against
its cells in eastern Deir ez-Zor.
On
Dec. 14, 2021, IS claimed responsibility for separate attacks that targeted SDF
checkpoints in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, in addition to a command
headquarters in al-Jarthi east of Deir ez-Zor.
On
Telegram, IS said its forces targeted two SDF checkpoints — one in Dhiban and
the other in Suwaidan east of Deir ez-Zor — with grenades and machine guns. IS
also targeted several positions on the bridge road in Darnaj with machine guns.
The group claimed responsibility for several previous attacks on SDF military
headquarters in al-Busaira in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor with
machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
On
Dec. 13, 2021, the SDF — supported by the US-led international coalition —
carried out a security operation in the east of the country, killing five
people. In a statement regarding the incident, the SDF said the raid that took
place near al-Busaira targeted a hideout used by “a dangerous cell of the
terrorist” armed group IS.
The
SDF indicated that the cell's location was raided with US air support,
explaining that members of the terrorist cell opened fire and SDF forces
responded, which led to the killing of five members of the cell. “Most of them
were wearing explosive belts,” the statement added.
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that four people were killed in
the exchange of fire, including a man, his two sons and his son-in-law, who is
likely to be the main wanted person in the operation.
The
observatory noted that two of them were killed by helicopter gunfire. “SDF
arrested arms dealers and others suspected of belonging to the extremist
organization.”
Syrian
journalist Zain al-Abidin, who lives in Deir ez-Zor's eastern countryside, told
Al-Monitor, “IS launches almost daily operations here with explosive devices
and attacks against SDF members, patrols, checkpoints and civilians suspected
of cooperating with the SDF. IS also forces the local traders, investors in oil
wells, livestock owners and doctors to pay it a tax, threatening to kill those
who fail to pay. IS is also killing anyone practicing witchcraft or suspected
of selling drugs. In the last two months of 2021, it ramped up its attacks in
this region. The largest strongholds of its cells are the towns of Dhiban,
al-Hawaij, al-Zar and al-Shuhail.”
Abidin
noted that west of the Euphrates in Deir ez-Zor, IS attacks have become
limited, well calculated and restricted to explosive devices and missile
attacks that target Syrian regime positions. He added, “IS always moves in
small groups, where each group has its own commander who has his own vision.
The situation of IS in the [eastern] countryside of Deir ez-Zor differs from
its situation in the Syrian desert where supplies and transportation are
difficult. In the desert, IS relies on individuals to supply it with food or
sometimes attacks shepherds to secure food.”
Abidin
does not believe the new IS leadership is the reason why the group has
intensified its activities. “A new leadership has nothing to do with the
frequency of operations,” he affirmed. Rumors circulated about IS appointing a
new leader for what it calls Wilayat of Syria, though IS has not provided any
statements on that.
Jusoor
Center for Studies researcher Abbas Sharifa, who resides in Turkey, told
Al-Monitor, “There are several reasons that make IS more active in Deir ez-Zor.
These include the fragile security situation there, where the Syrian regime and
the SDF are struggling over power control and the weak role of the local
community. Moreover, IS is imposing taxes on oil traders in this oil-rich
region to achieve self-financing.”
“There
is no doubt that any new IS leadership would try to prove itself by
intensifying its operations. This, however, requires active cells, a database
of events, logistical support bases, and protection and security measures,”
Sharifa said.
He
indicated that IS is imposing its religious teachings in the countryside of
Deir ez-Zor, which reflects the local community’s inability to resist it amid
the regime and the SDF’s control of the province.
“By
intensifying its activity, IS is sending a two-way message,” Sharifa said. “The
first is aimed to motivate its members to ramp up their activities in the
region, and the second is to threaten and intimidate its enemies.”
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/01/islamic-state-ramps-activities-eastern-syria
--------
End
Hezbollah’s terrorist hegemony, Saudi envoy tells Lebanon’s politicians
06
January ,2022
Saudi
Arabia’s envoy to Beirut blasted Hezbollah on Thursday, calling on Lebanon’s
political parties to prioritize the interests of their country and put an end
to the Iran-backed group’s “terrorist hegemony.”
“Riyadh
hopes that the political parties will give priority to the supreme interest of
Lebanon... and end Hezbollah’s terrorist hegemony over every aspect of the
state,” Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari said.
Bukhari’s
comments were made days after Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah launched a
diatribe against Saudi Arabia and its leaders, accusing them of fomenting
terrorism.
Speaking
on the second anniversary of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani’s killing,
Nasrallah also claimed that Saudi Arabia sent suicide bombers to Syria, Iraq
and Yemen.
On
Thursday, Nasrallah’s deputy doubled down on similar comments attacking Saudi
Arabia.
“Hezbollah’s
terrorist activities and regional military behavior threaten Arab national
security,” Bukhari said in a statement to AFP.
Later
in an interview with Al Arabiya, Bukhari said that ties between Beirut and
Riyadh were “too deep” to be impacted by irresponsible comments.
“We
call on the Lebanese government to stop activities affecting the Kingdom and
the Gulf,” he said.
Saying
that Saudi Arabia was keen on supporting the Lebanese people, Bukhari added:
“[Saudi Arabia] and the international community are sharing the responsibility
to preserve Lebanon’s stability and sovereignty.”
Lebanon’s
ties with Gulf countries have soured since the outbreak of the Syrian war and
Hezbollah’s support for the Houthis in Yemen.
Saudi
Arabia pulled its ambassador from Beirut, and several other Gulf nations
followed suit last year after a Lebanese minister voiced support for the
Houthis and criticized Saudi Arabia.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
Coalition pushes against Houthis in Yemen’s Marib and Shabwa
06
January ,2022
The
Arab Coalition engaged in Yemen has retaken several areas in the
energy-producing provinces of Marib and Shabwa to repel advances by the
Iran-backed Houthi militia in fierce fighting that has stymied United
Nations-led peace efforts.
Battles
have intensified since the start of the year after the coalition sent
reinforcements to Shabwa, where inroads by the Houthis had cut off access to
the internationally-recognized government’s last northern stronghold in Marib.
Marib,
in central Yemen, has for over a year been the focus of the seven-year war. The
government holds the province’s main city and nearby oil and gas
infrastructure.
Pro-coalition
Yemeni forces, including the Giants Brigade, restored control on parts of
Assilan in Shabwa and are pushing towards Bayhan. Dozens have been killed on
both sides in the past week’s fighting, two military sources told Reuters.
Pro-government
fighters have also retaken some areas on the southern and western outskirts of
Marib city, three other military and tribal sources said.
Marib
city is home to three million people, including nearly 1 million who fled other
parts of Yemen after the Houthis ousted the government from the capital, Sanaa,
in late 2014, prompting the coalition to intervene months later.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syrian
envoy to UN says Western states fabricate lies on Syria’s cooperation with OPCW
06
January 2022
Syria's
Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bassam Sabbagh has affirmed
Damascus’ condemnation of the use of chemical weapons, anywhere, anytime by
anyone and under any circumstances, saying Western states fabricate lies on his
country's cooperation with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons (OPCW).
During
a session of the UN Security Council, Sabbagh said Western countries lie to
pave the way for passing resolutions against the Arab country and to establish
illegitimate mechanisms to flagrantly politicize the work of the global
chemical watchdog, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported.
He
once again stressed that Syria has never used any type of the banned weapons or
any toxic chemicals despite the fact that its army forces and their allied
fighters faced huge challenges due to appalling crimes committed by
foreign-backed terrorist groups and their supporters.
Sabbagh
reminded that Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in 2013 and
cooperated with the UN and the OPCW to dispose of its chemical weapons
stockpile and production facilities, saying this was achieved in mid-2014 and
was confirmed in several reports by the global chemical watchdog.
Damascus
has consistently denied using chemical weapons.
The
Syrian envoy said that despite fulfillment of its obligations under the CWC and
full cooperation with the OPCW, Syria has been targeted by outright lies
fabricated by Western countries, which have also launched misleading campaigns
against Damascus to pass punitive resolutions and devised illegitimate
mechanisms, including the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), to
politicize the technical work of the OPCW in a bid to distract the watchdog
from its goals.
Lies
and misleading campaigns by these Western countries, Sabbagh said, have turned
the reports of the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat and teams to a significant
component of the hostile campaigns against the Arab country.
He
stressed that such practices have negatively affected the work of the global
chemical watchdog, and the credibility and reliability of its reports, as well
as the professionalism of its staff.
The
Syrian envoy said that in December, an investigation team from the OPCW
inspected the facilities of Barzeh and Jamraya near Damascus, a month after the
team paid a visit to the western province of Hama with the aim of resuming
investigations into the attacks that allegedly took place in the province back
in 2017.
The
OPCW claims that Syrian military planes and a helicopter had dropped sarin and
chlorine bombs on the town of Lataminah in Hama in March that year. Damascus
denies the allegation, saying foreign-backed militants carried out the attack
to frame the government.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/06/674198/Syria-OPCW-UNSC-chemical-weapons-US
--------
Arab
coalition says 390 Houthis killed in strikes on Marib, Shabwa
January
06, 2022
RIYADH:
More than 390 Houthis have been killed in various operations in Yemen, the Arab
coalition said on Thursday.
In
oil-rich Marib province, more than 150 Houthi fighters had been killed and 19
military vehicles destroyed in operations over the last 24 hours.
The
Arab coalition also carried out strikes in the southern province of Shabwa
which resulted in the deaths of 240 Houthis and the destruction of 25 military
vehicles.
The
coalition said its spokesman Brig. General Turki Al-Malki would hold a press
conference on Saturday at 4pm AST during which he will present evidence that
the militia is using the ports of Hodeidah and Salif for military purposes.
Hodeidah
port has become a center for smuggling and assembling Iranian ballistic
missiles, the coalition added.
A
UAE-flagged ship was hijacked off the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah by armed
Houthis on Sunday, the Arab coalition said on Monday.
On
Wednesday, the UN said it was following the matter with “concern” and urged all
countries in the region to exercise restraint.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1999366/middle-east
--------
UAE
keen to work with UN, Abu Dhabi crown prince tells Guterres
January
07, 2022
LONDON:
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed said the UAE supports the UN
and is looking forward to working with the global body in various fields, state
news agency WAM reported on Jan. 6.
He
said the UAE worked for peace and stability, and supported everything that
achieved regional and international development and prosperity.
Sheikh
Mohammed was speaking during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres a day after the UAE announced its commitments as a non-permanent
member of the UN Security Council for the 2022-23 term.
Guterres
congratulated Sheikh Mohammed on the UAE being elected to the world body and
wished it success in serving the international community through the position.
The
UN chief also praised Emirati humanitarian and development initiatives to support
international stability and development.
The
crown prince congratulated Guterres on his re-election for a second term as
head of the UN, which began on Jan. 3.
He
also thanked the UN and its secretary-general for the important role they play
in the service of global peace and security.
“This
role is becoming increasingly important in light of the challenges and dangers
that threaten humanity, foremost of which is the COVID-19 pandemic, climate
change and the need to strengthen international collective action in the face
of these threats,” he said.
During
the call, the two men discussed various aspects of cooperation between the UAE
and the UN and exchanged views on international and regional issues of common
concern, including the situation in the Middle East.
“They
stressed the importance of settling crises in the region through dialogue,
peaceful methods and joint international action,” the report said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1999701/middle-east
--------
South Asia
Islamic
Emirate Of Afghanistan Free 40 Inmates From Kandahar Prison
05
Jan 2022
Provincial
officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in Kandahar province said that
they have released 40 prisoners who were kept behind bars for no crime.
The
local officials said that the innocent prisoners and those who are accused of
low-scale crimes were freed in coordination with Afghanistan’s Office of
Prisons Administration.
The
administration had reportedly released tens of innocent prisoners in Ghazni,
and Zabul provinces.
A
delegation of Afghanistan’s Office of Prisons Administration is supposed to
travel to Urozgan, Helmand, Nimroz, Herat, Faryab, and other provinces of the
country to investigate cases of inmates.
Supreme
Leader of the Taliban Mullah Hebtullah Akhundzada has recently appointed a
delegation to investigate cases of inmates across Afghanistan and free those
who are incarcerated for no reason or have carried out low-scale crimes.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-free-40-inmates-from-kandahar-prison-67575/
--------
IEA
is concerned about unrest in Kazakhstan: Foreign Ministry
07
Jan 2022
The
Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in a statement said that
they are concerned about the recent unrest in Kazakhstan and have urged both
the government and protesters to resolve issues through talks.
Spokesperson
of the ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi in a Twitter post said that Afghanistan is
closely monitoring the situation in Kazakhstan and that as a close neighbor and
economic partner state, IEA is concerned.
“IEA
urges both government and protestors to resolve issues through talks and
peaceful means, and to return calm and stability to the country.” Reads the
Twitter post.
Thousands
of furious protestors that took to streets in Kazakhstan capital Almaty have
made the cabinet declare a state of emergency and the president has failed to
control the unrest.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/iea-is-concerned-about-unrest-in-kazakhstan-foreign-ministry-586846/
--------
Bangladesh
Islami Front And Jamiat Ulema-E-Islam Met President, Md Abdul Hamid, On
Formation Of A New Election Commission
Jan
06,2022
Delegations
of Bangladesh Islami Front and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh on Wednesday met
president Md Abdul Hamid separately at Bangabhaban to present their proposals
on the formation of a new Election Commission for holding the 12th
parliamentary polls.
The
six member delegation of Bangladesh
Islami Front led by chairman Mawlan M A Manan took part in the discussion at
the Durbar Hall of the president’s house at 6pm while seven member delegation led by vice-president
Maulana Abdur Rab Yousufi met with the President at 7pm, according to Joynal
Abedin, press secretary to the president.
Welcoming
them in the Bangabhaban, Abdul Hamid said the formation of an acceptable
election commission as well as the cooperation of all concerned including
political parties is essential for holding a fair and impartial election.
Mentioning
the need to change the mindset of the voters for holding a fair and neutral
election, president Hamid said that the political parties should come forward
to motivate the people for this.
During
the discussion, Bangladesh Islamic Front and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh
presented their proposals including enactment of law to form an acceptable
election commission.
Representatives
of the Islamic Front also proposed that the new Election Commission must ensure
the co-operation of the executive bodies during the election.
Secretaries
concerned to the President were present during the meeting.
President
Hamid opened the dialogue on formation of the next EC on December 20. The
current EC is scheduled to end its five-year term in February next.
So
far 15 of 27 political parties who were invited in phases joined the talks.
According
to Bangabhaban press wing, the other parties invited for the dialogue are -
Gono Front and Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) on Jaof ary 6, Krishak Janata
League and Bangladesh Muslim League ( BML) on January 9, Jatiya Party ( JP) and Jatiya Somajtantrik
Dal (JSD) on January 10, Islami Front Bangladesh and Bangladesh National Awami
Party on January 11, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( BNP) and National
People's Party ( NPP) on January 12.
Source:
New Age Bangladesh
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.newagebd.net/article/159218/islamic-front-janiat-ulema-hold-dialogue-with-president
--------
Mideast
Iran Urges
Complete Destruction of All Chemical Weapons
2022-January-6
Elimination
of all chemical weapons worldwide was the prime objective of the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC), and that this goal could be realized only through the
treaty’s full, balanced, effective and non-discriminatory implementation, as
well as its universality.
It is
therefore a source of serious concern that due to non-compliance by the United
States, this objective has yet to be realized, Ershadi said on Wednesday,
addressing the Security Council briefing on chemical weapons in Syria.
She
also stressed that the Israeli regime must be compelled to join the CWC without
any precondition or further delay
Warning
against the serious impact of politicization on the CWC’s credibility, the Iranian
envoy called for de-politicization of the work of the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Iran
reiterates is long-standing and principled position on the need to strongly
condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere and under any
circumstances, she said.
The
only absolute guarantee that chemical weapons will not be used again is the
total destruction of all chemical weapons across the globe, Ershadi said,
adding that all necessary measures should be taken to ensure that such weapons
will not be produced and used in the future.
Citing
significant efforts by Syria to carry out its obligations under the CWC,
including the complete destruction of all its 27 chemical facilities as
verified by the OPCW, Ershadi said the holding of monthly Security Council
meetings to consider the Syrian file is unjustified.
Syria
surrendered its entire chemical stockpile in 2013 to a mission led by the
United Nations and the OPCW.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001016000236/Iran-Urges-Cmplee-Desrcin-f-All-Chemical-Weapns
--------
Iran
Hopes for Resolution of Problems in Kazakhstan through Dialogue
2022-January-6
Iran
attaches importance to the security and stability of Kazakhstan, and grounds
should not be prepared for misuse of foreign elements there, Khatibzadeh said
on Thursday.
The
Islamic Republic of Iran precisely observes current developments in Kazakhstan,
he added.
Iran
believes that the wise people and government of the friendly country of
Kazakhstan can solve their disputes and problems through dialogue based on
national interests and peaceful ways without foreign interference, Khatibzadeh
noted.
He
expressed the hope that tranquility would soon return to the neighboring
country.
Initially
sparked by anger at a fuel price rise, protests have quickly spread to take in
wider opposition to Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retained significant power
despite quitting in 2019 after a nearly three-decade rule.
Nazarbayev,
81, has been widely seen as the main political force in Nur-Sultan. He has not
been seen or heard from since the protests began.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
statue of slain commander Soleimani torched
06
January ,2022
A
statue erected to honor slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani has been
torched by unknown assailants hours after it was unveiled, Iranian media
reported Thursday.
Soleimani,
who headed the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary
Guards, was killed on January 3, 2020 in Iraq in a US drone strike at Baghdad
airport along with his Iraqi lieutenant and others.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
On
Wednesday morning, a statue to honor him was unveiled in the southwestern
Iranian city of Shahrekord.
But
in the evening it was set on fire, ISNA news agency said, calling it a
“shameful act by unknown individuals.”
“This
treacherous crime was carried out in darkness, just like the other crime
committed at night at Baghdad airport,” when Soleimani was killed, senior
Muslim cleric Mohammad Ali Nekounam said in a statement carried by ISNA.
Iranian
authorities have unveiled several sculptures dedicated to Soleimani since his
assassination two years ago, and portraits of the revered commander dot the
landscape across Iran.
State
broadcaster IRIB condemned the latest attack as an “insulting” act, that comes
as Iran marks the second anniversary of Soleimani’s killing, with several
events in recent days.
On
Thursday, thousands of Iranians also paid tribute to 250 “unknown martyrs”
killed in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Palestine:
Israel responsible for killing of Palestinian civilians, settler crimes
06
January 2022
The
Palestinian presidency has warned against rising crimes and killings by Israeli
forces and extremist settlers, stressing that the situation could spiral out of
control across the occupied territories.
In a
statement released on Thursday, the Palestinian leadership held the Israeli
regime accountable for killings, arrests and settler crimes targeting
Palestinian civilians.
It
urged the international community to intervene and provide international
protection for the Palestinian people. It appealed to everyone to assume their
responsibilities before the situation explodes in an uncontrollable manner.
The
statement called on the United States, a close ally of Israel, to refrain from
offering unconditional support for the Tel Aviv regime.
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas warned US national security advisor Jake Sullivan in
their recent meeting that without a "political horizon," any small
incident on the ground could create an escalation that may spiral out of
control, as it has happened repeatedly in the past, it said.
The
presidency also encouraged activists to expose and confront settler terrorism
and their attacks, which are being carried out under the support of the Israeli
army.
It
also condemned the killing of two young Palestinian men during separate attacks
by Israeli forces and settlers early Thursday.
In
the first incident, Israeli forces fatally shot a young Palestinian man during
a violent raid on a refugee camp in the northern West Bank. The incident took
place at the Balata refugee camp in Nablus city, as Palestinians clashed with
the Israeli soldiers who had stormed the camp to make arrests.
According
to Palestinian medical and security sources, Bakir Hashash, 21, was shot in the
head.
Elsewhere,
another young Palestinian lost his life after being run over by an Israeli
settler in the village of Safa in the western part of the West Bank. The
Palestinian, identified as 25-year-old Mustafa Yasin Fathna, was on his way to
work when he was hit.
The
Tel Aviv regime has been criticized for its extensive use of lethal force
against and extrajudicial killing of Palestinians who do not pose an immediate
threat to the occupation forces.
Israeli
troops have on numerous occasions been caught on camera, brutally killing
Palestinians, with the videos going viral online and sparking international
condemnation.
A
current report by an NGO said Israeli forces killed 357 Palestinians in 2021
amid the silence of the international community on the regime’s increasing acts
of violence against civilians.
Palestinian
groups and activists have warned that Israel’s practices and settler “assaults”
in the occupied West Bank could lead to a new intifada (uprising).
Hamas
and other Palestinian factions, meanwhile, have renewed their call for stepping
up “all forms of resistance” against Israel.
The
Palestinian Authority, for its part, stepped up its criticism of the Israeli
regime in the wake of the growing violence by its troops and settlers in the
West Bank.
Elsewhere
in the statement, the presidency held the Israeli regime responsible for
violating the rights of Palestinian prisoners and its illegal settlement
expansion activities and land grabs policies.
Tensions
have been running high in the occupied territories for months over Israel’s
settlement activities and its planned eviction of Palestinian families from
their ancestral homes.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Capitol
riot glimpse of what US has been trying to export for decades, says Iran
Foreign Ministry
07
January 2022
Spokesman
for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Saeed Khatibzadeh says last year's deadly
attack on the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. by supporters of then-president
Donald Trump has many lessons for Americans.
“On
#January6th the world witnessed a glimpse of what the US has been trying to
export to other countries for decades. The chaos was predictable when Trump was
not held accountable for his unlawful conduct around the globe. What goes
around, comes around. US has a lot to learn,” Khatibzadeh wrote in a post
published on his Twitter page on Thursday evening.
He
added, “The chaos was predictable when Trump was not held accountable for his
unlawful conduct around the globe.”
“What
goes around, comes around. US has a lot to learn,” the senior Iranian diplomat
pointed out.
On
January 6 last year, a rally by Trump's supporters turned into a riot as
protesters broke into the US Capitol building to prevent the certification of
the results of the Electoral College votes.
The
protesters attacked police, vandalized the Capitol and sent members of Congress
and, then Vice President, Mike Pence, running for their lives.
Democrats
have been arguing that last January’s riot on was an insurrection based on
disinformation spread by Trump who alleges that he is the true victor of the
2020 presidential election and not Joe Biden.
A new
poll has found that 60% of Americans believe Trump's level of responsibility
for the attack was either a great deal or a good amount.
Trump
is often cited by US media as the one inciting his supporters to storm the
Congress premises in the hope of overturning the election results.
A
committee tasked with investigating the events of the January 6 riot has issued
dozens of subpoenas to Trump's current and former associates.
At
least five people died in the attack, including a police officer. More than 725
individuals have since been arrested and charged for their role in the January
6 riot.
US
Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed to hold all perpetrators of the January
6 attack on US Capitol at any level accountable.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
IRGC
Quds force cmdr.: US will leave Iraq with more humiliation than what it
suffered in Afghanistan
06
January 2022
The
commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)
says the US terrorist forces in Iraq will have to leave the Arab country with
more humiliation than what they experienced in Afghanistan.
Brigadier
General Esmail Qa'ani made the remarks at a ceremony held in Iran’s northeastern
city of Mashhad on Thursday to commemorate the second martyrdom anniversary of
top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his
companions in a US drone strike outside Baghdad International Airport.
Qa'ani
stressed that the Americans will be finally expelled from the region as they
are facing various problems there while the resistance front is advancing on a
daily basis.
“By
the grace of God, all Americans will be expelled ... from this region,” the
IRGC’s Quds Force commander said. “A considerable number of Americans have been
forced out of this region and this will continue. As for Iraq, they must leave
Iraq, otherwise; the resistance front inside Iraq will make the Americans
miserable and they will have to leave Iraq under more humiliated conditions
than what they experienced in Afghanistan and they have no other choice but to
leave Iraq.”
There
are about 2,500 US soldiers and another 1,000 coalition troopers currently
based in Iraq.
Qa'ani
added that resistance front forces are currently equipped with missiles and
weapons which are capable of targeting US warships and carriers anywhere in the
region.
Pointing
to the 11-day Gaza war in May last year, Qa'ani said Palestinian resistance
factions in the coastal enclave fired 3,000 missiles at Israel, 100 of which
hit Tel Aviv.
“The
Americans built an army for Afghanistan for 20 years but the army could not
resist for 20 days, and on the other side of the region, the Zionist regime is
building a six-meter wall around its occupied territory, however, In last
summer's battle, the resistance [front forces] fired 3,000 rockets from the
besieged Gaza Strip at Israel and nearly 100 rockets landed in the regime's
capital,” he noted.
Qa’ani
condemned as the "most cowardly" the assassination of General
Soleimani and his Iraqi comrade Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), along with their companions in a US
drone strike authorized by ex-President Donald Trump near Baghdad International
Airport on January 3, 2020.
Both
commanders were highly revered across the Middle East because of their key role
in fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in
Iraq and Syria.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/06/674223/Iran-Quds-Force-Esmail-Qa-ani-US-forces-Iraq-
--------
Africa
Jordan
MPs back constitutional reforms to revitalize politics
06
January ,2022
Jordan’s
parliament on Thursday approved government-backed constitutional reforms
intended to revitalize the country’s stagnant political life, although some
opposition deputies slammed the changes as incapable of strengthening
democracy.
The
changes were approved by a majority of 104-8 after a marathon debate over the
measures, originally proposed by a royal committee appointed by King Abdullah,
a close US ally and the ultimate decision maker in the country of 10 million.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Independent
politicians say the reforms are an attempt by the authorities to restore public
trust in the state and defuse anger over successive governments’ failure to
deliver on pledges of prosperity and curbing corruption.
One
of the most significant amendments paves the way for a prime minister to be
chosen by the assembly’s largest single party, rather than one handpicked by
the monarch, officials say.
The
demand has been a leading plank of a reformist agenda favored by a mix of
Islamist and tribal figures. Other changes give political parties a bigger
role, allow wider representation of women and lower the age for elected deputies
to 25 years.
“We
are progressing in the plans to modernize the political system and pave the way
towards party based governments,” Prime Minister Bisher al Khasawneh told the
assembly.
The
monarch launched the reform drive after a crisis shook the tribally based
political establishment last April when former crown prince Hamza was accused
of agitating against Abdullah, after he criticized the country’s leaders as
corrupt.
The
confrontation exposed fault-lines within the kingdom, which in recent years has
witnessed civil unrest triggered by a worsening economy and demands for wider
political freedoms and an end to rampant corruption.
Abdullah,
who has ruled since 1990 and can dissolve parliament and appoint governments,
has said in recent years he hoped one day to become a constitutional monarch.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Communications
disrupted in Sudan ahead of anti-military protests
06
January ,2022
Internet
and mobile services appeared to be disrupted in Sudan on Thursday ahead of the
latest round of planned protests against a military takeover that upended a
transition towards elections.
Some
bridges between the capital Khartoum and its sister cities of Bahri and Omdurman
were also closed ahead of the demonstrations.
Protesters
said they would try to reach Khartoum’s presidential palace as they try to keep
up pressure on the military, which halted a power-sharing arrangement
negotiated after the 2019 overthrow of Omar al-Bashir when it staged a coup
last October.
“We
will occupy the streets once more, heading for the tyrant’s palace, rejecting
military rule, and adhering to peacefulness, our strongest weapon,” said a
statement from resistance committees organising protests from Bahri.
Crackdowns
on protests since the coup have left at least 57 people dead and many more
injured, according to medics aligned with the protest movement.
Calls
and mobile internet services were disrupted from late morning, Reuters
journalists and internet blockage observatory NetBlocks said.
The
protests come four days after Abdalla Hamdok resigned as prime minister,
throwing Sudan’s future deeper into uncertainty.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Wife
of detained Tunisian politician starts hunger strike
Murad
al-Dallaji
07.01.2022
BIZERTE,
Tunisia
The
wife of a senior Tunisian politician started a hunger strike Thursday in
protest against his continued detention.
Saida
Akremi, whose husband Noureddine Bhairi is the deputy chairman of the Ennahdha
party, told Anadolu Agency that security personnel at the hospital where her
husband has been transferred have refused to provide her with food.
"I
started a hunger strike in protest of the continued imprisonment of my husband
and for denying food for me," Akremi said.
Bhairi,
63, was transferred to Habib Bougatfa Hospital in the northern city of Bizerte
after his health deteriorated due to his hunger strike.
"Despite
denying me food, I was not subjected to any pressure or mistreatment, whether
by the medical staff or the security officers at the hospital," Akremi
said.
She
added that she tried to convince her husband to end his hunger strike, but he
refused.
On
Wednesday, his doctor, Hatem Ghadoun, warned that his condition is serious in
light of his hypertension and diabetes along with heart issues.
On
Monday, Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine accused Bhairi of being involved
in terrorism-related activities for allegedly issuing false identity documents
to a Syrian couple while he was serving as justice minister, with one of the
individuals previously linked to terrorist cases committed outside Tunisian
territory.
The
Ennahdha party, the largest party in the now suspended Tunisian parliament,
said the accusations against Bhairi are "politicized" and called for
his immediate release, holding President Kais Saied and Charfeddine responsible
for his well-being.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/wife-of-detained-tunisian-politician-starts-hunger-strike/2467542
--------
Anti-military
protests in Sudan continue, 3 protesters killed
Barham
Abdel-Moneim
06.01.2022
KHARTOUM,
Sudan
Three
people were killed Thursday in Sudan in protests against military rule in
various parts of the country, said the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors
(CCSD).
In a
statement, the group said the three people were killed in protests held in the
cities of Omdurman and Bahri, both near the capital Khartoum, after security
forces opened fire at protesters there.
This
brings the number of protesters killed since the eruption of anti-military
protests last October to 60, it added.
Nationwide
protests again erupted in Khartoum and other cities three days after the Sunday
resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
In
Bashdar, central Khartoum, thousands of protesters assembled from various
neighborhoods chanted slogans against the October military coup and demanded
the restoration of civilian rule in the country.
Access
to seats of power cut off
To
counter the protests demanding civilian rule, authorities deployed security
forces to Khartoum, closing the main roads leading to the presidential palace
and army headquarters.
Security
forces began checking passing cars before the start of the protests calling for
complete civilian rule.
According
to an Anadolu Agency reporter on the ground, security forces blocked most of
the bridges using shipping containers and closed streets in the center of the
capital with concrete barriers and barbed wire to prevent demonstrators from
reaching the presidential palace, as well as the headquarters of Gen.
Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, the army commander and head of the Transitional
Sovereignty Council.
The
Suba Bridge, which connects the city of East Nile and the capital, witnessed
massive traffic congestion, angering commuters.
On
Wednesday, resistance committees issued a public call to hold a new round of
demonstrations in the capital and the rest of the North African country's
cities on Thursday to demand full civilian rule and reject what the protesters
consider a military coup.
On
Sunday, Sudan's transitional prime minister submitted his resignation hours
after three people were killed during the protests.
Sudan
has been in turmoil since Oct. 25 when the Sudanese military dismissed Abdalla
Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
US
judge orders Mississippi city to approve mosque construction
6
January 2022
A US
federal judge has ordered a Mississippi city to approve plans for a mosque to
be built in the area, months after a lawsuit was filed claiming the plans were
denied due to anti-Muslim prejudice.
The
judge issued an order on Monday, which would pave the way for the mosque's
construction, ban the delays of any permits, and force the government of Horn
Lake, Mississippi to pay the mosque builders $25,000 for incurred expenses, as
well as attorney fees for the plaintiffs.
In
November, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against Horn
Lake on behalf of Riyadh Elkhayyat and Maher Abuirshaid, co-founders of the
Abraham House of God, who had submitted a site plan for the mosque that
"met or exceeded" all requirements, according to staff for the city's
planning commission, cited by the ACLU.
"We
are heartened and relieved that we are able to move ahead with our plans for a
mosque in Horn Lake, which will provide a critical local house of worship for
my family and other Muslims in the community to gather and practice our faith
freely and without discrimination," Elkhayyat said in a statement.
Heather
Weaver, senior staff attorney for the ACLU's religious freedom programme, said:
"The consent decree entered by the court today is an important victory for
religious freedom. It affirms the fundamental principle that the government may
not base its decisions on bigotry against a particular faith."
The
two co-founders have been seeking to build what would be the first mosque in
DeSoto County, where they say Muslim families currently have to cross state
lines into neighbouring Tennessee in order to attend their nearest house of
worship.
Despite
there being 13 churches in the city of Horn Lake, there are no mosques in the
area where the two plaintiffs said there is a "thriving" Muslim
community of 15 to 20 families.
However,
their plans were initially rejected by the commission and its Board of
Aldermen, the city's governing body.
Anti-Muslim
sentiment
According
to the complaint, the board said it rejected the plan on the basis that the
mosque would create traffic and violate noise ordinances. But the ACLU rejected
this argument, pointing out that no evidence was provided to make these claims,
and that the submitted plans did not include speakers or noise amplifiers.
The
complaint said that board members showed the real reason for the application's
rejection: anti-Muslim bias.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-judge-orders-city-mosque-construction-anti-muslim-bias
--------
US
urges peaceful resolution to ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan
Michael
Hernandez
06.01.2022
WASHINGTON
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged a peaceful resolution on Thursday to
ongoing unrest in Kazakhstan that has left dozens dead amid worries of a
potential civil war.
Blinken
spoke by telephone with Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi, and
"reiterated the United States’ full support for Kazakhstan’s
constitutional institutions and media freedom," spokesman Ned Price said
in a statement. The top US diplomat further "advocated for a peaceful,
rights-respecting resolution to the crisis."
Protests
that began in western Kazakhstan on Jan. 2 over an increase in prices for
liquified petroleum gas, or LPG, later spread to other areas of the Central
Asian nation, and have since gone nationwide.
In
response, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency
in the commercial capital Almaty and the oil-rich Mangystau region, which was
later made nationwide. Tokayev also approved the resignation of the government,
and requested support from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a
Eurasian alliance of former Soviet states and Russia.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Reparations
for downed jet: Canada, other nations vow action against Iran
January
06, 2022
OTTAWA:
Canada, Britain, Sweden and Ukraine on Thursday said they had abandoned efforts
to talk to Tehran about reparations for an airliner downed by Iran and would
try to settle the matter according to international law.
Most
of the 176 people killed when Iran shot down the Ukrainian jet in January 2020
were citizens from those four countries, which created a coordination group
that seeks to hold Tehran to account.
“Despite
our best efforts over the past two years and multiple attempts to resolve this
matter through negotiations, the Coordination Group has determined that further
attempts to negotiate with Iran ... are futile,” it said in a statement.
“The
Coordination Group will now focus on subsequent actions to take to resolve this
matter in accordance with international law,” it continued, but did not give
details.
Tehran
says Revolutionary Guards accidentally shot down the Boeing 737 jet and blamed
a misaligned radar and an error by the air defense operator at a time when
tensions were high between Tehran and the US.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1999586/world
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