In Apparent First, Gil Tamari, Israeli Television Journalist Visits Muslim Holy City of Mecca
New Age Islam News Bureau
19 July 2022
Channel 13's
Gil Tamari in Mecca, Saudi Arabia with the Grand Mosque in the background from
footage broadcast on July 18, 2022. (Screen capture/ Channel 13)
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• In Apparent First, Gil Tamari, Israeli
Television Journalist Visits Muslim Holy City of Mecca
• Muslim Community Network Survey
Results Reveal Muslims in NYC Dealing with Racism, Threats at Early Ages
• Malaysia's Kedah State Raises Minimum
Legal Age for Marriage among Muslims from 16 to 18 Years
• Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Proved
Afghan Soil Not a Threat: Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani
• North West's Mosques and Churches
Provide Safe Haven from 'Extreme' Heat
Middle East
• Palestinian Woman Activist Banned By
the Israeli Authorities from Entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for One Week
• Nobuaki Kondo’s studies on Islamic law
in Qajar Iran published in Persian
• Paintings by Ruholamin represent
Muslims’ oath of allegiance at Ghadir event
• Iran filmmaker Panahi must serve
6-year sentence: Judiciary
• Palestinian residents in West Bank
facing severe water crisis
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North America
• US delegation urges Lebanon to speed
up government formation
• Beset by delays, new Rolling Meadows
mosque construction finally set to begin
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Southeast Asia
• East Timor hopes to join ASEAN under
Indonesia presidency next year
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South Asia
• Earthquakes Devastate Quake-Hit
Afghanistan Again
• House-to-House Search and Alleged 25
Arrests in Northern Afghanistan
• Taliban’s Central Bank Injects $12
Million to the Market to Maintain the Currency Value
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Europe
• Downing Street confirms ban on Muslim
Council of Britain contacts
• Battle over Sydney Muslim Radio
Station Escalates As Imams Council Seeks To Take Over Licence
• Europe's Castle Mecca Hides on This
Popular Isle
• Putin Visits Iran for First Trip
outside Russia since Ukraine War
• Vladimir Putin heads to Tehran for
talks with leaders of Iran, Turkey
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India
• Allahabad High Court to Civil Judge:
Decide On ASI Survey of Krishna Janmabhoomi Mosque in 3 Months
• Babri Demolition Case: Allahabad HC
Rejects Revision Petition Filed Against the Razing Of Mosque
• No Non-Muslims Offered Namaz in
Lucknow’s Lulu Mall, Clarify Police
• Mathura mosque-temple dispute: Civil
court to hear suit next on July 21
• Former councillor murdered in tussle
over mosque in Bengaluru, nephew held
• Maharashtra: One dead in clash between
Hindus and Muslims in Dhule district
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Pakistan
• Enhanced Engagement with the Taliban
Is Needed, Says Pakistani Diplomat to International Community
• SC To Hear Petition on ‘Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf Hate Campaign’ Against SC, EC, Armed Forces
• Pakistan to get $4 billion from
friendly countries to shore up reserves: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail
• Pakistan, China mull extending CPEC to
Afghanistan
• PM Shehbaz urges ECP to announce
‘long-delayed’ judgement in PTI prohibited funding case
• Security beefed up in Islamabad amid
threat alerts
-------
Africa
Moment Of Truth as Muslim-Muslim
Presidential Ticket Tests Nigeria’s Unity
Muslim-Muslim conversation is win-win
for APC
Muslim-Muslim ticket: Winning elections,
parties’ first concern, say Muslim professionals
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Arab World
• Grand Mosque Distributes 12m Litres of
Zamzam Water to Hajj Pilgrims
• Saudi Arabia and Japan reaffirm close
bilateral ties
• Saudi authorities order doubling of
admission rates for in-demand university subjects
• Saudi authorities record more than 80
environmental violations in Asir
• OIC condemns terrorist attack in
Somalia
• Saudi students win 6 prizes at biology
and chemistry Olympiads
• At least 22 killed, 33 injured in car
crash in southern Egypt
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/gil-tamari-israeli-television-journalist-mecca/d/127516
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In Apparent First, Gil Tamari, Israeli
Television Journalist Visits Muslim Holy City of Mecca
Channel 13's
Gil Tamari in Mecca, Saudi Arabia with the Grand Mosque in the background from
footage broadcast on July 18, 2022. (Screen capture/ Channel 13)
-----
18 July 2022
An Israeli television reporter recently
visited the holy Muslim city of Mecca, his network reported Monday, days after
US President Joe Biden wrapped up a trip that included a direct flight from
Israel to the coastal Saudi city of Jeddah.
Channel 13’s world news editor, Gil
Tamari, broadcast footage of himself driving into the city, where the Saudi
government bans non-Muslims from entering.
Tamari showed himself driving under the
iconic gates of the city and past the Grand Mosque that houses the cube-shaped
Kaaba, the holiest shrine in Islam.
The face of his driver was blurred.
In an image shared by the network,
Tamari was also seen on Mount Arafat, about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from
Mecca, where Muslims gather during the hajj pilgrimage.
Several Israeli journalists travelled to
Saudi Arabia last week to cover the visit of US President Joe Biden.
Before Biden’s visit, Channel 13’s
military correspondent, Alon Ben David, and the Israel Hayom daily’s Yoav Limor
both traveled to the Gulf nation, amid speculation that Israel and Saudi Arabia
were taking steps toward normalization.
While Israelis have visited Saudi Arabia
before, most have been Mossad chiefs or senior political figures, along with
Muslims making the hajj pilgrimage. Recently, an Israel business delegation
reportedly visited.
Officially, Saudi Arabia rejected
recognition of the Jewish state in 1948 and maintained that policy in part due
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That, however, started to change in recent
years, with behind-the-scenes attempts to promote diplomatic and security
cooperation in the face of the Iranian threat.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia announced it was
opening its airspace to all civilian overflights, in a move that had widely
been regarded as part of US-brokered efforts to advance normalization steps
between Jerusalem and Riyadh. The announcement happened while Biden was
visiting Israel, hours before he traveled to Jeddah and met Saudi leaders.
However, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince
Faisal bin Farhan said Saturday that Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace had
“nothing to do with diplomatic ties with Israel” and was “not in any way a
precursor to any further steps” toward normalization.
Source: Times Of Israel
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Muslim Community Network Survey Results Reveal Muslims in NYC Dealing with Racism, Threats at Early Ages
Photo: CBS New York
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JULY 18, 2022
NEW YORK -- Disturbing new numbers show
that anti-Muslim activity appears to be growing in the city.
According to the Muslim Community
Network, more than 26 percent of Black Muslims and nearly 32 percent of Asian
Muslims experienced or saw a hate crime in the first half of this year.
And as CBS2's Leah Mishkin reported
Monday, the incidents can start as early as elementary school.
"It was like really difficult for
me," a teenager named Yyra said.
She was only 6 years old when another
student threatened her because of her race and religion.
"He told me that he was going to
one day come to my house and he was going to murder me as I was sleeping,"
Yyra said.
In the fourth grade, she said that same
student told her his father, who was a cop, would deport her family.
"He'd like accuse me of being a
terrorist," Yyra said.
The Muslim Community Network surveyed
116 city Muslims in 2019 and found that 43.5 percent of 10- to 18-year-old
respondents said they experienced or witnessed a hate crime.
The Network wants the City Council to
reintroduce and pass Resolution 1257, which would allow the Department of
Education to introduce religious diversity courses into the curriculum.
"And provide professional
development training to educators. The hate crimes is not just coming from
youth to youth. It's also educators' lack of knowledge about the
religions," advocacy program manager Ajifanta Marenah said.
Of the 100 New York City Muslims
surveyed in 2022, nearly half, 49 percent, said they were victims of a hate
crime, and 76 percent said they witnessed a hate crime.
"People pulling off students'
hijabs, spitting on someone, mostly verbal abuse, calling someone a
terrorist," Marenah said.
Leaders stood on the steps of City Hall
on Monday to shine a spotlight on the rise in hate crimes across the country
and advocated for change.
"Not just hate crimes against
Muslims, but anti-religious hate crimes across the board. Hate crimes against
Jews, against our Sikh partners. Hate crimes against the Asian community,"
Marenah said.
Yyra, now 15, shared her story, hoping
laws will be signed so her younger siblings never have to experience what she
did growing up.
Source: cbs news
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Malaysia's Kedah State Raises Minimum Legal Age for Marriage among Muslims from 16 to 18 Years
Representative
Image (Photo Credit: Twitter)
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Tue, Jul 19 2022
Kuala Lumpur, Jul 19 (IANS): Malaysia's
Kedah state has raised the minimum legal age for marriage among Muslims from 16
to 18 years old in order to ensure girls will reach the minimum maturity age
before entering marriage.
Kedah state chief minister Muhammad
Sanusi Md Nor tabled the amendment during the state legislative assembly
session on Monday, and the bill has been passed, according to state news agency
Bernama.
Those seeking to get married below the
minimum age could still do so, but they should seek the prior permission of the
Islamic court, Xinhua news agency reported quoting Bernama.
The state government also passed an
amendment to increase the fine to 3,000 ringgit (about 673 U.S. dollars) and a
jail term of up to one year for those entering polygamy without court approval.
Malaysia has a dual-track legal system
specifically for Muslims and non-Muslims, and Islamic marriage comes under
state matters as provided for under the federal constitution.
In pursuance of the Islamic family law
of the respective states, the minimum marriage age for Muslims is 18 for males
and 16 for females. Previously, the sole exception was Selangor state which had
amended the minimum legal marriage age by raising it to 18 for both men and
women in 2018.
Underage marriage has been a contentious
issue in the country with advocates calling for the minimum age of
18-years-old, arguing that early marriage deprives women of opportunities
besides exposing those involved to health problems.
Government statistics revealed that in
2020 there were many underage marriage applications in various regions across
the country, including the northern Borneo state of Sarawak that logged 183
cases.
Source: The Print
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Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Proved Afghan Soil Not a Threat: Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani
Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin
Haqqani
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Monday, 18 Jul 2022
KABUL, Afghanistan – Acting Interior
Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani during his visit to the southeastern province of
Khost asked the international community to recognize the Islamic Emirate rule,
saying its government has proven not be a threat against any country.
This came days after the Uzbekistan
government announced it will host a tow-day conference on Afghanistan in July
25-26, where delegations from more than 20 countries will participate.
“Based on international principles and
our Islamic and national traditions they (the world leaders and international
community) should recognize the Islamic Emirate, but if they don’t recognize
it, I assure our people that Afghans are not without resolve,” he said, as
TOLOnews quoted.
Praising Afghans strength and resistance
during the war, Haqqani said people can still fight economic challenges and
similar crisis by themselves if the world refuses to provide any resources.
“They (Afghans) have fought for 20 years
without foreign resources, and with their faith and zeal, they will fight against
the economic situation with the strength of their arms,” he added.
Emphasizing on joint-venture and mutual
interest, the Acting Interior Minister said Afghanistan’s relations with the
world with benefit both sides, asking on what basis the world will approach
Afghan leaders if they won’t recognize their government officially.
“I want to say that it is in their best
interest to create diplomatic relations with Afghanistan, they need us and we
need them, if tomorrow they need us in any matter, then based on what
principles they will talk to me,” he exclaimed.
But the international community –
including world leaders – laid down conditions before giving the Taliban a
formal identity to lead the Afghanistan republic government: 1- Observe women’s
right, 2- observe freedom of speech, 3- never use of Afghan soil as a threat to
other countries, including the United States, 4- and form an inclusive
government.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US envoy
for Afghanistan peace, in an interview with “Talks at GS” said that the Islamic
Emirate has not fulfilled the Doha agreement commitments, according to the
TOLOnews report.
“There were things that they committed
themselves too, and things that we committed ourselves too in return, parts of
it were implemented and parts are not,” he said.
Earlier, the Uzbekistan government
announced it will host a tow-day conference on Afghanistan later this month,
where delegations from more than 20 countries will participate.
The event that is scheduled for July
25-26 aims to facilitate approaches for international communities to better
engage in diplomatic relation with Afghanistan, as well as promote peace and
security in the country.
“The main goal of the event is to
develop a set of measures and proposals for the approaches of the world
community to promote stability, security, post-conflict reconstruction in
Afghanistan and its integration into regional cooperation processes in the
interests of the multinational Afghan people and the whole world,” the
statement reads, as TOLOnews quoted.
Analysts believe “the attention of the
world has been distracted,” saying international community plays vital role on
Afghanistan’s overall growth, including political and economic sectors, and so
they should not let the country be isolated from the rest of the world.
“The world is responsible to play an
important role regarding Afghanistan in its economic field to prevent
Afghanistan from being side-lined and the collapse of the political and
economic systems,” said Wali Froozan, an economist, as local media reported.
Highlighting the agenda of the event,
Nazak Meer Ziyarmal, an economist, said Afghan railway line that connects Kabul
to neighboring Pakistan will be one of the main topics during the two-day
conference in Uzbekistan.
“In the economic area, the humanitarian
aid, transit, unfinished projects of Uzbekistan in Afghanistan, particularly
the railway to Kabul and from Kabul to Peshawar, will be the main agendas of
the conference,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate officials
said its delegation led by the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Amir Khan
Muttaqi will participate in the conference, discussing joint-venture and
bilateral ties among the other key topics.
“Following an official invitation of
Uzbekistan, a delegation led by Amir Khan Muttaqi and comprised of members of
ministries and sectorial organizations will attend and the Islamic Emirate will
express its needs,” said Bilal Karimi, deputy spokesman for the Islamic
Emirate.
The Kabul delegation “will also meet
with several others on the side-lines of the conference,” he added.
Source: Khaama Press
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North West's Mosques and Churches Provide Safe Haven from 'Extreme' Heat
Video report by ITV Granada Reports
journalist, Zoe Muldoon.
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Monday 18 July 2022
Churches and mosques in the North West
have opened their doors to provide a cool sanctuary for people to escape the
heat wave.
It comes as the UK braces for extreme
temperatures, with the UK Health Security Agency issuing a level 4 heat-health
alert and Met Office issuing its first red extreme heat warning.
Both warnings are running from Monday,
18 July, to Wednesday, 20 July.
St Mary's Church, in Worsley, are using
the usually chilly place of worship to their advantage by offering people of
any faiths the opportunity to cool down there.
One local said: "If your church is
open, go to it. Because these buildings with high ceilings and thick walls stay
cool."
Meanwhile, Makki Masjid mosque, in
Longsight, Manchester, is also welcoming people into its air-conditioned space
to take a break from the heat.
They are also offering free bottled
water on both Monday and Tuesday, from 1pm until 10pm, with designated areas
for men and women to enjoy some time away from the scorching temperatures.
A spokesperson from the mosque said:
"Being the hub of our community here in Longsight, we see it as our
responsibility to look after our neighbours.
"Islam encourages and places great
importance and emphasis in looking after neighbours, especially in such
difficult times."
Temperatures have already been broken in
the North West on Monday, with Nantwich, in Cheshire, reaching 37°C.
Emergency services have issued water
safety advice after 16-year-old boy lost his life over the weekend trying to
cool off in Salford Quays.
But despite the warnings, the cold water
at the same spot proved too tempting for some, with many jumping into the quays
on Monday.
Detective Inspector Joanne Johnston,
from Greater Manchester Police, said: "We remind the public to avoid being
tempted to cool off in reservoirs, rivers, canals or ponds.
"We all want to enjoy the warm
weather; please make sure you do so in a safe way. Think of your family - look
out for your friends."
Meanwhile, there has been substantial
disruption to travel due to the heat, with the Bury tram line in Greater
Manchester suspended due to damage to the overhead lines.
A spokesperson from MetroLink say
tickets and passes are being accepted on the 97, 98, 135, 524 bus services.
Rail passengers in the region are being
advised to plan ahead, with conditions expected to impact journeys for the
duration of the heatwave.
Passengers are being urged to regularly
check National Rail Enquiries before they set off on their journey.
Source: ITV
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Middle East
Palestinian woman activist banned by the Israeli authorities from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for one week
18/July/2022
JERUSALEM, Monday, July 18, 2022 (WAFA)
– A Palestinian woman activist was banned from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for one
week in a series of bans that extend for years, according to local sources.
They said that the Israeli police
yesterday detained Khadija Khweis, 45, a mother of five children from al-Tur
neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, when she was near one of the gates
leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City.
After several hours of interrogation and
holding at an Israeli police station in Jerusalem, she was released on
condition of not entering Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for one week that could be
renewed.
Khweis is one of several devout
Palestinian women who keep constant vigil at Al-Aqsa Mosque and who have been
banned for months and years by the Israeli police from entering their mosque
for worship or any other purpose.
She was banned for the first time from
entering Al-Aqsa compound in 2011, sometimes for days and others for months for
a total of eight years. She was also banned from travel abroad and separated
from her husband who was forced to leave their home in al-Tur and move to the
West Bank since he does not have residency papers for East Jerusalem.
Source: English Wafa
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https://english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/130087
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Nobuaki Kondo’s studies on Islamic law
in Qajar Iran published in Persian
July 19, 2022
TEHRAN – “Islamic Law and Society in
Iran: A Social History of Qajar Tehran” by Japanese scholar Nobuaki Kondo has
been published in Persian.
Translated by Ali-Mohammad Azadeh, the
book has been published by Nashre Tarikhe Iran.
The relationship between Islamic law and
society is an important issue in Iran under the Islamic Republic. Although
Islamic law was a pivotal element in the traditional Iranian society, no
comprehensive research has been made until today.
This is because modern reformers
emphasized the lack of rule of law in nineteenth-century Iran. However, a legal
system did exist, and Islamic law was a substantial part of it.
This is the first book on the
relationship between Islamic law and the Iranian society during the nineteenth
century.
The author explores the legal aspects of
urban society in Iran and provides the social context in which political
process occurred and examines how authorities applied law in society, how
people utilized the law, and how the law regulated society.
Based on rich archival sources including
court records and private deeds from Qajar Tehran, this book explores how
Islamic law functioned in Iranian society.
The judicial system, sharia court, and
religious endowments (vaqf) are fully discussed, and the role of ulema as legal
experts is highlighted throughout the book.
It challenges nationalist and modernist
views on nineteenth-century Iran and provides a unique model in terms of the
relationship between Islamic law and society, which is rather different from
the Ottoman case.
Providing an understanding of this legal
system in Iran and its role in society, this book offers a basis for assessing
the motives and results of modern reforms as well as the modernist discourse.
This book will be of interest to
students of West Asian and Iranian studies.
Nobuaki Kondo is a professor at the
Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa at the Tokyo
University of Foreign Studies.
His research interests cover the early
modern history of Iran and the Persianate societies. His most important
publication is “Persian Documents”.
Source: Tehran Times
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Paintings by Ruholamin represent
Muslims’ oath of allegiance at Ghadir event
July 19, 2022
TEHRAN – The oath of allegiance to Imam
Ali (AS) by the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (S) at the Ghadir event has
been portrayed in two paintings by Hassan Ruholamin.
The artist who is best known for his
paintings on early Islamic historical events unveiled the artworks on Sunday on
the eve of Eid al-Ghadir, Shia Muslims’ celebration on Dhul Hijjah 18, the day
on which Imam Ali (AS) was appointed as successor to the Prophet Muhammad (S).
Huge digital copies of the paintings
entitled “Ghadir Oath of Allegiance” were set up in the holy shrine of Imam Ali
(AS) in Najaf, Iraq on Monday, some Persian news agencies announced.
On the way back home from Hajj in 632,
which is known as the Farewell Pilgrimage, Muhammad (S) asked for a stop in a
region called Ghadir Khum, where in his sermon, he announced his cousin Ali
(AS) as his successor and first Imam shortly before his death based on a
revelation from God.
Afterwards, two tents were pitched, in one
of which Muslims congratulated the Prophet (S) for his excellent choice and, in
other one, Muslims from all tribes gave their allegiance to Ali (AS). One of
the Muslims was Hazrat Fatima (SA), the wife of Imam Ali (AS) and daughter of
the Prophet (S).
However, Ruholamin’s paintings show
Muslims pledging their loyalty to the Imam in an open-air gathering.
One of the paintings shows a man wearing
a Yemeni jambiya in the left corner. In his introduction to the painting,
Ruholamin wrote an Arabic phrase reading, “We do not forget our Yemeni
brothers.”
The phrase refers to the historical fact
that when the Prophet (S) began his journey to perform the Hajj rituals in
Mecca, Imam Ali (AS) was in Yemen to promote Islam. However, he left Yemen soon
to join the Prophet (S) for the Hajj rituals.
Ruholamin has several other canvases
depicting stories on Imam Ali (AS). One of them is “The Conqueror of Khaybar”
which depicts the Imam removing the door of the enemy’s fort in the Battle of
Khaybar, which was fought in the year 628 between Muslims and the Jews living
in the oasis of Khaybar.
He has reproduced the artwork in the
form of a mural on the Imam Ali (AS) Highway, which was unveiled to celebrate
Eid al-Ghadir on Monday.
Photo: One of the paintings from Hassan
Ruholamin’s collection “Ghadir Oath of Allegiance”.
Source: Tehran Times
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https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/474787/Paintings-by-Ruholamin-represent-Muslims-oath-of-allegiance
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Iran filmmaker Panahi must serve 6-year
sentence: Judiciary
July 19, 2022
TEHRAN: Award-winning dissident Iranian
filmmaker Jafar Panahi, arrested last week in Tehran, must serve a six-year
sentence previously handed to him in 2010, the judicial authority announced
Tuesday.
“Panahi had been sentenced in 2010 to a
total of six years in prison... and therefore he was entered to the detention
center of Evin to serve his sentence there,” judiciary spokesman Massoud
Setayeshi told reporters.
Source: Arab News
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the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2125056/middle-east
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Palestinian residents in West Bank
facing severe water crisis
MOHAMMED NAJIB
July 18, 2022
RAMALLAH: A Palestinian village
surrounded by three Israeli settlements and an Israel Defense Forces military
camp is in the grip of a severe water crisis, community leaders have revealed.
Nearly 3,500 residents of Duma village
in Jordan Valley in the northern West Bank are struggling to find enough
drinking water to meet their basic needs and sustain livestock. And many of
them cannot afford the $100 cost of buying a water tank.
Suleiman Dawabsheh, head of Duma village
council, told Arab News that local residents received just 1,280 cups of water
per week, and that four nearby Bedouin communities also relied on Duma for
water supplies.
He said: “They call us the thirsty
village due to the small amount of water that reaches us and the small amount
of rain that falls annually, which does not exceed 420 millimeters.”
Dawabsheh claimed that settlers had
prevented them from rehabilitating four springs in the village that could have
contributed to alleviating the water shortage.
“We have large numbers of livestock that
consume vast quantities of water, especially this summer that has been hotter
than previous ones, and as a result we cannot find enough water for human use
and watering sheep.”
Duma is just one example of many
Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank — where 3 million people live —
suffering from a lack of water.
Meanwhile, many of the 700,000 people
living in Israeli settlements throughout the West Bank are thought to have
access to plentiful supplies of water for drinking, filling swimming pools,
irrigating crops, and washing vehicles.
Huge black-and-es have been accused of
syphoning off 85 percent of Palestinian water and then re-selling it to them,
while also refusing license applications to drill additional wells or install
booster pumps.
Bassam Darwidh, a supervisor of five
residential and commercial buildings in Ramallah housing around 65 apartments
and stores, told Arab News that this year’s water crisis had been worse than
last year as the number of hours and days of pumping water to citizens’ homes
had been reduced. Sometimes, he said, water could take up to 10 days to reach
the area.
“Every day, I receive inquiries from
residents in the buildings under my responsibility, and they all ask me when
the water will arrive? Why is the water cut off? I do not have an answer for
them, and some residents ask me for the phone number of the owner of a water
tank to buy a tank at his expense,” he added.
Darwish pointed out that supplies had
been dwindling since April.
Thirty-four of the 42 water wells
controlled by Israel’s national water company Mekorot were on Palestinian land
in the Jordan Valley. The Palestinian Authority has requested that Israel
increase the amount of water sold to the West Bank, but the Israelis claim the
Palestinian water infrastructure was not capable of handling larger quantities.
Mahmoud Barham, mayor of Beita, south of
Nablus, said his town of 15,000 people was only receiving 50 percent of its
water requirements.
“We need 2,400 cups of water, but
Mekorot supplies us with only 120 cups and pumps them to our town
intermittently. For eight years, the company has refused to increase the amount
of water, despite the large increase in the population of the town,” he added.
He noted that the Israeli authorities
would not allow digging for water wells on land belonging to the village.
Bassam Al-Sawalhi, director of
operations at the Jerusalem Water Undertaking, told Arab News that he was still
able to provide the 380,000 residents of Ramallah and Al-Bireh areas with their
basic water needs, despite constraints. And he said the authority was seeking
to rehabilitate water wells around Ramallah in a bid to alleviate the crisis.
Although the average daily water
consumption rate was between 60,000 and 65,000 cubic meters during the summer,
Al-Sawalhi pointed out that the Jerusalem Water Undertaking could only supply
53,000 cubic meters a day to its customers.
Mekorot has reduced supplies to 32,000
cubic meters per day from 38,000 in previous years and has been accused of
transferring the difference to Israeli settlements around Ramallah.
On July 1, dozens of Palestinian youths
closed the southern entrance to Bethlehem in protest at water shortages in the
city.
But Israeli authorities maintain it is
the job of the Palestinian Authority to provide its citizens with water.
Al-Sawalhi claimed that Israel delivered an additional 76 million cubic meters
of water per year, using 200 connection points.
One Palestinian resident of Ramallah,
Mohammed Abu Qassem, who owns a water tank, told Arab News that his mobile
phone never stopped ringing with residents and owners of cafes, restaurants,
and hotels offering to buy his tank.
He said the current situation would
probably not ease until the beginning of November. “I think the next war
between the Palestinians and the Israelis will be a war over water, not just
land,” he added.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124746/middle-east
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North America
US delegation urges Lebanon to speed up
government formation
NAJIA HOUSSARI
July 18, 2022
BEIRUT: A delegation from the American
Task Force for Lebanon has stressed the importance of “establishing a social
economic program before it is too late.”
The call came after the delegation —
accompanied by US ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea — held talks with several
Lebanese officials on Monday.
Edward Gabriel, head of the ATFL, said:
“Time is moving quickly, and the government must expedite laws and policies,
carry out the required reforms, and take the necessary steps to meet the needs
of citizens to push forward negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
We need a partner, and that partner is the government, which has to act quickly
to achieve what is required from it.”
The US provided aid worth more than $700
million to Lebanon last year, he added, and President Joe Biden “did not forget
about Lebanon” during his Middle East visit.
FASTFACT
MP Ibrahim Kanaan, chair of the finance
and budget committee, announced the adoption of a law amending banking secrecy
to prevent tax evasion, combat corruption, financing terrorism, and illicit
enrichment.
Biden mentioned several issues that
affected Lebanon and stressed the integrity of the Lebanese territories during
his meetings.
The US call came as judicial assistants
decided to join a strike of public sector employees on Monday, causing courts
in Lebanon to grind to a halt.
Public sector employees have been
striking for about a month demanding that salaries be increased and for
transportation allowances to be raised.
The judicial assistants said they had
stopped working permanently and would not make any exceptions, be they for
urgent cases or public prosecutions, and would no longer issue notices on behalf
of departments and courts.
Joseph Talj, an official from the
judicial assistants’ committees, said: “Ever since the crisis began in 2019,
judicial assistants have been seeing how unfortunate people’s lives have become
and are now suffering just like them in making ends meet. They can no longer
provide food for their families, proper education, or health care.
“How can we work in palaces of justice
where equity, equality, justice, and fairness don’t exist? Either we work to
live a decent life with our children, or we stay home and die of starvation and
diseases.”
The same demand prompted retired members
of the armed forces to stage a sit-in on Monday morning in front of the Baalbek
branch of Banque du Liban, preventing employees from entering.
They stressed that salary increases
needed to include all employees, especially military personnel, in service and
retired.
The Lebanese pound has lost 95 percent
of its value since it started depreciating in 2019.
The minimum wage is equivalent to $23
according to the black market exchange rate of LBP29,500. Before the financial
collapse, it amounted to $444.
With the gradual lifting of subsidies on
fuel and medicines, and the inability of health and social security
institutions to cover hospitalization for public sector employees, the workers
went on strike because they were unable to afford a minimum standard of living.
Speaking on behalf of the retired armed
forces personnel, Imad Awada said: “More protests will be organized in
different regions until the decision to amend judges’ salaries based on the
LBP8,000/USD rate is withdrawn, or until all public employees are included in
the decision, especially military personnel in service and retirement, in
addition to improving benefits.”
The ongoing strike paralyzes most of the
state’s official departments, especially the Ministry of Finance and the real
estate departments.
Those striking urged the ministerial
committee tasked with managing public facilities to hold a meeting headed by
the caretaker PM and PM-designate Najib Mikati to follow up on this issue.
Parliamentary committees have been
convening to approve bills that fall within the framework of reforms demanded
by the IMF in light of the ongoing government impasse since mid-May to present
them in a legislative session to be determined later.
MP Ibrahim Kanaan, chair of the finance
and budget committee, announced the adoption of a law amending banking secrecy
to prevent tax evasion, combat corruption, financing terrorism, and illicit
enrichment.
The committee has not yet finished
studying the 2022 budget which, according to Kanaan, required “the government
to present its study on the unification of the exchange rate, especially since
taxes, fees, and salaries in the state are still calculated based on the rate
of 1,507 LBP/USD, with the exception of judges’ salaries.”
There is also discontent over calls to
divide the municipality of Beirut into one council for the Christian part of
the capital and one for the rest.
MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement
have proposed a bill on this subject. MPs from the Lebanese Forces Party and
the Kataeb Party argued that the proposal served to “treat all Beirut
neighborhoods equally.”
But there were strong reactions to the
idea.
Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif
Derian said: “This cannot happen. This would bring us back to the East/West
Beirut division. This is unacceptable and threatens the Islamic-Christian
coexistence that we have preserved and will preserve at all costs. A government
needs to be formed as soon as possible, especially since the collapse and
paralysis pervade state institutions.”
Derian stressed that officials needed to
assume their responsibilities and form a rescue government as nothing else
would pave the way for the election of a new president, implementing reforms,
and fighting corruption.
Beirut MP Ibrahim Mneimneh also
commented on the division proposal.
“Beirut's size and role require an
elected local authority with the ability to rule and make decisions, not
sectarian divided municipalities that seek to give priority to narrow interests
over the city's. Populist proposals do not address the crisis, but may create a
larger one.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124756/middle-east
------
Beset by delays, new Rolling Meadows
mosque construction finally set to begin
Christopher Placek
7/18/2022
First rejected by Rolling Meadows
aldermen, then approved two years later, and then delayed by the pandemic and
red tape, construction of the Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs' new mosque
is finally set to begin.
The society received full approvals for
its building and site plans just over a week ago, and its newly-selected
general contractor is now applying for a city construction permit in hopes of
starting work at 1200 Hicks Road by mid-August.
That's about four years after mosque
leaders received the necessary city zoning approvals they had long lobbied for.
They encountered delays not only because
of the pandemic, but also securing final approval of site plans from at least
three governmental agencies.
Mohammed Abdul-Gaffoor, secretary of the
society's board of directors and point man on the mosque project, said they
went through several iterations of plans and rounds of reviews with the
Illinois Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over Hicks Road,
and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, which
approved a proposed detention pond, weir and other stormwater upgrades for the
site. Those plan reviews were in addition to the ones provided by the city's
planners, engineers and other consultants.
"That took a while,"
Abdul-Gaffoor said. "Good news, it is all behind us and we look forward to
start the construction in August."
The society is converting the vacant
one-story, 47,534-square-foot brick industrial building on an eight-acre site
it purchased in 2016 into its new prayer hall. It has plans for a Sunday
school, gymnasium, library and multipurpose room/banquet hall in subsequent
phases and as funding allows.
But the initial renovation will go a
long way to providing more space for the growing membership of nearly 500
worshippers, who now attend weekly Friday afternoon services around the corner
at 3950 Industrial Ave.
The current facility -- about 15,000
square feet on a one-acre site -- has become cramped, Abdul-Gaffoor said. The
society opened its first mosque in a 5,000-square-foot building down the block
in 1986.
Renovation of the Hicks building will
include mostly interior upgrades and some exterior changes to make it look like
a house of worship, he said. A few detached structures, like old garages and
small pump house structures, will be torn down.
"This project will transform an old
building into an iconic new landmark in the city of Rolling Meadows and for the
entire Northwest suburbs," Abdul-Gaffoor said.
Officials declined to provide exact cost
figures for project, but the initial phase and site plan was listed as $5.1
million -- of which about half had been secured in donations, according to a
project status update on the society's website from April.
Abdul-Gaffoor said the project is being
funded entirely by donations from the community's members.
"We have donations fulfilled and
pledges yet to be fulfilled and some more is needed, and our community members
will step up once the project construction starts," he said.
Initial renovations are expected to be
complete in time for Ramadan next March.
Source: Daily Herald
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the text of the original story:
------
Southeast Asia
East Timor hopes to join ASEAN under
Indonesia presidency next year
July 19, 2022
BOGOR, Indonesia: East Timor President
Jose Ramos-Horta said on Tuesday during a visit to Indonesia that he hoped to
boost trade ties between the countries and seal a decades-long bid by his
nation to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next year.
Ramos-Horta met his counterpart Joko
Widodo on his first state visit to neighboring Indonesia since he was elected
in April for a second stint as president.
He previously served as president of
East Timor, which is also known as Timor Leste, between 2007 and 2012.
“Timor Leste as part of Southeast Asia
has fulfilled many of the requirements necessary for a functioning economy and
democracy so... will be a productive member of ASEAN,” he said, noting he hoped
his young country could join the group when Indonesia takes over the presidency
next year.
East Timor, which applied for ASEAN
membership in 2011, currently holds observer status.
Speaking at the presidential palace in
Bogor, south of Jakarta, the Indonesian president said his country had invested
$818 million in East Timor, mainly in energy, banking and communication
businesses.
“We’ve agreed to increase trade between
both countries,” said Widodo, who is widely known as Jokowi.
Official Indonesia data shows trade
between the countries was worth around $250 million last year.
Heavily dependent on revenue from oil
and gas, the half-island nation of 1.3 million people has grappled with
diversifying its economy and reducing high rates of poverty.
Indonesia invaded the former Portuguese colony
in 1975 and East Timor only gained full independence in 2002 after a long and
bloody struggle to end an often brutal occupation.
Ramos-Horta, who won a Nobel Peace Prize
for his peaceful efforts to end the conflict, said he welcomed deepening trade ties
with Jakarta and Indonesia’s commitment to East Timor joining the 10-member
ASEAN regional grouping.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2125046/world
------
South Asia
Earthquakes Devastate Quake-Hit
Afghanistan Again
By Saqalain Eqbal
Monday, 18 Jul 2022
Two relatively powerful earthquakes have
been reported by local sources in the provinces of Paktika, Paktia, Logar, and
Badakhshan. In the Gayan district of Paktika province, which was already
severely damaged by the earthquake on June 22nd, reports of damages include the
demolition of several homes and the injury of many people.
According to the United States
Geological Survey (USGS), two seismic events struck northeastern and
southeastern Afghanistan around one hour apart on Monday, July 18th.
The USGS reports that the earthquake
that jolted southeast Afghanistan had a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter Scale and
occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers in Khost province.
The second earthquake hit Badakhshan
province in northeastern Afghanistan. Its strength was 4.3 on the Richter
scale, and its epicenter was in the Jurm district of Badakhshan province.
The southeast earthquake in Paktika’s
Gayan district injured at least ten people, according to the provincial
governor’s office, which also stated that many houses damaged in the previous
earthquake were destroyed and teams were dispatched to the site.
Prior to this, a magnitude-6 earthquake
in southeast Afghanistan that struck a rural region and rendered the
inhabitants homeless caused at least 1150 deaths, more than 1,500 injuries, and
the destruction of more than 10,000 homes and other structures.
Afghanistan recently experienced an
earthquake of a high magnitude that was its deadliest in 20 years, leaving it
in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, especially with the cash-strapped
rebellion-turned-politician Taliban ruling the country.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/earthquakes-devastate-quake-hit-afghanistan-again-37493/
------
House-to-House Search and Alleged 25
Arrests in Northern Afghanistan
Monday, 18 Jul 2022
Local sources in the northern Afghan
province of Samangan say that Taliban forces are still searching homes door to
door in Aybak, the province’s capital. Additionally, 25 young people are said
to have been arrested as a result of these searches, according to some domestic
news sources.
On Sunday, July 17, the Taliban
reportedly began house-to-house searches in various areas of Aybak city and
carried them out until late at night, with 25 young individuals reportedly
detained during these searches.
According to sources, a door-to-door
search was resumed this morning in the Karte Sulha neighborhood, which is near
the city of Aybak.
This is despite the fact that the
Taliban had already searched people’s houses in Kabul calling it a “search and
clear” operation, in the capital of Afghanistan.
Regarding the search of people’s houses
in Samangan, the local Taliban authorities have not yet made any comment.
Afghans have been terrified by the house
searches, which have brought up terrifying memories of previous house searches
by previous governments.
The Afghan people have been forthright
in posting images and videos of the chaos the Taliban forces have wrought on
social media, criticizing what they call “violations of privacy,” “intrusive
behavior,” and “suppressing dissent”.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/house-to-house-search-and-alleged-25-arrests-in-northern-afghanistan-56478/
------
Taliban’s Central Bank Injects $12
Million to the Market to Maintain the Currency Value
By Saqalain Eqbal
Monday, 18 Jul 2022
The Central Bank of the Taliban’s
caretaker administration holds an auction to sell approximately 12 million
dollars to maintain the Afghani currency’s value against the US dollar.
The Central Bank will hold a foreign
currency auction on Tuesday, 19 July, according to the Central Bank’s
newsletter, inviting banks, money exchange dealers, and other competent parties
including qualified money service companies to participate.
The Taliban’s Central Bank also released
another 12 million dollars into the market yesterday, even though food prices
have risen due to the Afghani currency’s depreciation against other currencies.
Currently, Kabul’s exchange rate for a
US dollar is 89 Afghanis. Before the Taliban took control, the US dollar’s value
against the Afghani currency was less than 80.
During the first few months of the
Taliban’s control in Afghanistan, the value of the Afghani currency fell
relative to the US dollar, with 120 Afghanis being traded for one dollar.
Increased inflation rates, according to
a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), are negatively
affecting hundreds of thousands of unemployed, destitute Afghans and their
families.
Even basic supplies are now out of reach
for the majority of people due to the increase in the cost of staple foods.
Source: Khaama Press
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the text of the original story:
------
Europe
Downing Street Confirms Ban on Muslim
Council of Britain Contacts
Thomas Harding
Jul 18, 2022
Downing Street has stated that ministers
should continue to boycott the Muslim Council of Britain following controversy
over a meeting with one of its leaders by Conservative leadership candidate
Penny Mordaunt in defiance of the long-standing policy.
The trade minister has been accused of
breaching government guidelines after she met the organisation’s leader last
year.
She has also failed to remove a tweet in
which she said she was delighted to the see MCB general secretary Zara Mohammed
in February 2021 when she was the Paymaster General, then a position in the
Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office has oversight of the National Security
Secretariat, the country's intelligence and security policy hub.
“Great to have met with Zara today, to
wish her success and hear more about her plans, look forward to working with
her,” the tweet dating from 2021 read.
Under a code drawn up by the Labour
government in 2009, the government implemented a policy of not engaging with
the MCB after its deputy SecretaryGeneral Daud Abdullah signed the Istanbul
Declaration that called for violence against Israel and condoned attacks on
British forces. “We have said before the UK government has a long-standing
policy since 2009 of not engaging the Muslim Council of Britain and that policy
hasn't changed," a spokesman for the prime minister said on Monday.
Three women vying to battle Rishi Sunak
to become next British PM
A report by Sir John Jenkins, the former
UK ambassador to Saudi Arabia, in 2015 set out the history behind the decision
to axe contacts with the MCB, which seeks to exert influence over policy by
cultivating politicians and officials. It laid out how the Muslim Brotherhood
shaped the Islamic Society of Britain (ISB), which went on to dominate the
Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and played an important role in
establishing and then running the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
"In 2009 the then government
suspended dialogue with the MCB after an office holder signed a public document
which appeared to condone violence against any country supporting an arms
blockade against Gaza," Sir John stated. "There has been no
substantive dialogue since then between any part of the Brotherhood in the UK
and government."
As of Monday, Ms Mordaunt’s tweet
remained in place, and Downing Street appeared unwilling to order its removal
in the middle of the contest to be the next Conservative Party leader.
The National asked the prime minister’s
spokesman whether the tweet should be deleted.
“This is going back a number of years,”
he said. “I'm conscious some of these issues relate to issues during the
leadership campaign.”
When asked whether she had been asked to
remove the tweet, Ms Mordaunt’s team did not respond.
Some political commentators claimed that
the meeting called into question Ms Mordaunt’s judgment and her suitability for
high office.
But there are also questions over
whether the story has been highlighted by British media outlets hostile to the
possibility of the 49-year-old becoming the next British prime minister.
However, it is understood that Miss
Mordaunt has claimed to have been acting in her capacity as a constituency MP
and meeting the group in a personal capacity, rather than as a member of the
British government.
The MCB purports to represent British
Muslims and has said there are more than 500 mosques associated to its charter.
Its stated aim is to “empower the Muslim community” although it has run into
controversy over a number of issues.
In a statement that was highly critical
of the official boycott of the group in meetings organised by Whitehall
officials, Ms Mohammed condemned the Conservatives for attempts to
“delegitimise” Muslims in Britain and accused the party of “weaponising”
Islamophobia..
Source: The National News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
------
Battle over Sydney Muslim radio station
escalates as Imams council seeks to take over licence
Mostafa Rachwani
@Rachwani91
Mon 18 Jul 2022
For years Muslim Community Radio has
broadcast religious programs to listeners in Sydney, bringing news and daily
talk-back shows in Arabic as well as making community announcements.
As the only Muslim community station on
FM radio in Sydney, it can reach most of the city’s 300,000 Muslims, avoiding
signal problems that plague most other community stations on low-powered AM
transmission.
But behind the scenes there has been a
long-running dispute over who should hold the station’s FM broadcasting
licence, provided by the Australian Communications Media Authority (Acma).
"For Lease" signs are seen
outside a block of units in inner Sydney on Friday, April 8, 2016. (AAP
Image/Mick Tsikas) NO ARCHIVING
‘A landlord’s market’: rents hit record
highs across Australia’s capital cities
Muslim Community Radio is backed by
representatives of the minority religious group al-Ahbash – a fringe Sunni
movement noted for its fervent criticism of more conservative Islamic groups
such as the Salafis.
The Imams council is often the body
delivering major community announcements, fielding calls from the media or
making statements on political or religious issues. And the council believes
its centrality makes it an ideal holder of the licence, which it has
unsuccessfully tried to take over in the past.
It’s a dispute that dates back two
decades, with the council consistently saying Muslim Community Radio could not
possibly represent the Muslim community and its broad spectrum the way it
believes the council can.
The dispute spilled into a Sydney court
last week, when the Imams council accused Acma of showing a lack of “candour
and trustworthiness” and mishandling its application for the radio licence.
The council said the licence was renewed
without giving fair consideration to competing applicants.
Muslim Community Radio has previously
denied the Imams council’s claims, saying the consistent support shown by the
communication watchdog was evidence of the station’s competence.
In submissions made to the federal
court, the Imams council’s barrister, Robert Angyal, said the body represented
a “far broader spectrum of the Muslim community” in Sydney and that Muslim
Community Radio was “dominated by a very narrow and exclusionary sect of
Islam”.
“The applicant is Australia’s largest
peak Muslim body and the sole national organisation of Australian Imams and Islamic
scholars. And it represents the wider interests of the Australian Muslim
community, as has been widely recognised by state and federal governments.”
Angyal said that a licence, when
granted, could potentially go on “for ever” and that Acma was not considering
any alternatives that may “do a better job” than the incumbent holder.
When pushed on why the Imams council
couldn’t just apply for a separate licence, Angyal said it was irrelevant to
the case at hand.
“And not relevant to whether my client
was adversely affected by this decision to renew the licence.”
Matthew Lewis, Muslim Community Radio’s
barrister, told the court that the Imams council’s case could be boiled down to
the “wholly subjective” fact that it considers itself a competitor and an aggrieved
party.
“The relevant question is how
specifically is ANIC aggrieved?” Lewis said.
“There is simply no good evidence
setting out precisely how ANIC has been aggrieved.”
Almost half of Australians have a parent
born overseas, and more than one in four were born internationally, according
to the 2021 census results.
Ten things we learned from the 2021
census results: Christianity in decline and Australia hits 25 million
“Acma was not persuaded that there was
any evidence that the Muslim Community Radio posed any significant risk of the
relevant kind, as identified.”
Judge Jayne Jagot adjourned the case on
Wednesday afternoon and a decision is due in the coming months.
The Imams council and Muslim Community
Radio declined to comment on the case when contacted by Guardian Australia.
Thank you for joining us from India.
The Guardian often shares big stories
with rival news organisations. Other newsrooms like to keep their scoops to
themselves. But we know we are stronger and more powerful when we are many. Our
fearless investigative reporting can resonate further.
We did this most recently with our Uber
Files investigation, sharing more than 120,000 documents leaked to us with 180
journalists in 29 countries. Why not just keep it to ourselves? Because we knew
the impact would be greater if domestic titles in France, Germany, India and
other countries were publishing to their audiences simultaneously.
Journalism like this is vital for
democracy as it exposes wrongdoing and demands better from the powerful. The
Guardian is well placed to deliver it because unlike many others, we have no
shareholders or billionaire owner. Our independence means we can investigate
what we like, free from commercial or political influence.
And we provide all this for free, for
everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality.
Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world,
understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take
meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful
news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.
Source: The Guardian
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------
Europe's Castle Mecca Hides on This
Popular Isle
The names of villages are like secret
passwords—if you can pronounce them.
By Laura Studarus
7/19/2022
A country with a village called
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is bound to be a
fascinating destination. Wales may feel like a tucked away place, but those in
the know have long broadcasted the country’s seemingly hidden idyllic
landscapes. The Dark Knight Rises placed Batman’s fictional cave behind the
very real Henrhyd Falls. The Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood was so popular that
even eleven years after going off air, you can still find a shrine to secondary
character Ianto Jones in Cardiff’s Mermaid Quay. And Netflix hit Sex Education
films in the village of Chepstow. (Yes, you can go visit the corner store, or
the bridge where Adam and Eric broke up.)
And yet, Wales still feels like a
secret. Roughly the size of New Jersey, the country sits like a tiny,
almost-forgotten corner of a well-visited island. A mere two-hour train ride
from London, Wales sees only 3% of all visitors to the UK—and hey, that’s the
loss of the other 97% tourists.
These narrow country lanes—where cars
have to pull over to let an oncoming neighbor pass—are quite literally less
traveled. Not to mention Wales has more castles than any other country in the
world. Whether you’re looking to hunt for medieval ghosts, challenge your
adrenal system with guided adventures, try a cheesy toast dish called Welsh
rarebit (which contains exactly zero rabbit), or just sit and sip while gazing
out at incredible sea cliffs, have we got the destination for you. Hoist your
dragon flag and read on to start planning your Welsh vacation.
Source: Thrillist
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/things-to-do-wales
------
Putin Visits Iran for First Trip Outside
Russia Since Ukraine War
July 18, 2022
LONDON/DUBAI —
Russian President Vladimir Putin visits
Tehran on Tuesday for a meeting with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the
first trip by the Kremlin chief outside Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin casts the West's attempt to
cripple Russia's economy with the most severe sanctions in recent history as a
declaration of economic war and says Russia is turning away from the West to
China, India and Iran.
Just three days after U.S. President Joe
Biden finished a visit to Saudi Arabia, Russia's leader arrives in Tehran to
hold his fifth meeting with Khamenei, Iran's second supreme leader who came to
power in 1989.
"The contact with Khamenei is very
important," Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, told reporters
in Moscow. "A trusting dialog has developed between them on the most
important issues on the bilateral and international agenda."
Putin's visit to Iran will coincide with
one by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the two leaders will meet in
Tehran to discuss a deal aimed at resuming Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports,
and Erdogan's threat to launch another operation in northern Syria which Moscow
opposes.
In Syria, Russia and Iran prevailed in their
support for President Bashar al-Assad against the West, which called repeatedly
for him to be toppled since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.
The 69-year-old Kremlin chief has made
few foreign trips in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and then the
crisis triggered by his February 24 invasion of Ukraine. His last trip beyond
Russia was to China in February.
By heading to the Islamic Republic for
his first major foreign trip since the Ukraine war, Putin is sending a clear
message to the West that Russia will seek to build ties with Iran, a foe of the
United States since the 1979 Revolution.
Before the trip, Putin's spokesman,
Dmitry Peskov, said that Russia and Iran had long been subject to Western
sanctions: the price, he said, of sovereignty.
For Tehran, building ties with Putin's
Russia is a way to balance the clout of the United States and its alliances
across the Gulf with Arab rulers and Israel. Putin will meet with Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected last year.
Emboldened by high oil prices, Tehran is
betting that with Russia's support it could pressure Washington to offer
concessions for the revival of a 2015 nuclear deal.
Still, Russia's tilt toward Beijing has
significantly reduced Iran's crude exports to China -- a key source of income
for Tehran since then-President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions in 2018.
Talks with Erdogan will focus on a plan
to get Ukrainian grain exports moving again and Turkey's threat to launch new
military operations in Syria to extend 30-kilometer-deep "safe zones"
along the border.
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United
Nations are expected to sign a deal later this week aimed at resuming the
shipping of grain from Ukraine across the Black Sea.
Any Turkish operation in Syria would
attack the Kurdish YPG militia, a key part of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) that controls large parts of north Syria and is regarded by
Washington as an important ally against the Islamic State.
Source: VOA News
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the text of the original story:
------
Vladimir Putin heads to Tehran for talks
with leaders of Iran, Turkey
July 19, 2022
TEHRAN: Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s visit to Iran starting Tuesday is intended to deepen ties with regional
heavyweights as part of Moscow’s challenge to the United States and Europe amid
its grinding campaign in Ukraine.
In only his second trip abroad since
Russian tanks rolled into its neighbor in February, Putin is scheduled to hold
talks with Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan about the pressing issues facing the region, including the conflict in
Syria and a UN-backed proposal to resume exports of Ukrainian grain to ease the
global food crisis.
As the West heaps sanctions on Russia
and the costly campaign drags on, Putin is seeking to bolster ties with Tehran,
a fellow target of severe US sanctions and a potential military and trade
partner. In recent weeks, Russian officials visited an airfield in central Iran
at least twice to review Tehran’s weapons-capable drones for possible use in
Ukraine, the White House has alleged.
But perhaps most crucially, Tehran
offers Putin a chance for a high-stakes meeting with Erdogan, who has sought to
help broker talks on a peaceful settlement of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as
well as help negotiations to unblock Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
Turkey, a NATO member, has found itself
opposite Russia in bloody conflicts in Azerbaijan, Libya and Syria. But Turkey
hasn’t imposed sanctions on the Kremlin, making it a sorely needed partner for
Moscow. Grappling with runaway inflation and a rapidly depreciating currency,
Turkey also relies on the Russian market.
The gathering has symbolic meaning for
Putin’s domestic audience as well, showing off Russia’s international clout
even as it grows increasingly isolated and plunges deeper into confrontation
with the West.
Backed into a corner by the West and its
regional rivals, the Iranian government is ramping up uranium enrichment,
cracking down on dissent and grabbing headlines with optimistic, hard-line
stances intended to keep the Iranian currency, the rial, from crashing.
Without sanctions relief in sight,
Iran’s tactical partnership with Russia has become one of survival, even as
Moscow appears to be undercutting Tehran in the black market oil trade.
“Iran is (the) center of dynamic
diplomacy,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian wrote on Twitter,
adding the meetings will “develop economic cooperation, focus on security of
the region via political solution ... and ensure food security.”
Fadahossein Maleki, a member of the
Iranian parliament’s influential committee on national security and foreign
policy, described Russia as Iran’s “most strategic partner” on Monday. His
comments belied decades of animosity stemming from Russia’s occupation of Iran
during World War II — and its refusal to leave afterward.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124991/middle-east
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India
Allahabad High Court to Civil Judge:
Decide On ASI Survey of Krishna Janmabhoomi Mosque in 3 Months
Jul 19, 2022
PRAYAGRAJ: In a matter relating to
Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute of Mathura district, the Allahabad high court on
Monday directed the civil judge (senior division), Mathura to expedite and
decide, within three months, the application for survey of Shahi Eidgah and
Jahanara's mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Besides, the court also directed the
civil judge to decide the objections filed by the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board
in the suit within the same period.
The order was passed by Justice VC Dixit
while disposing of a writ petition filed by Bhagwan Shri Krishna Virajman
through his devotee Shailendra Singh and three others.
Source: Times Of India
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Babri Demolition Case: Allahabad HC
Rejects Revision Petition Filed Against the Razing Of Mosque
Jul 19, 2022
The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High
Court has said that the revision petition filed against the acquittal of all 32
accused persons, including former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, the then
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, senior BJP leaders -- Murli Manohar
Joshi, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar, Sadhvi Ritambhara, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh
-- in Babri mosque demolition case was not maintainable and hence directed its
office to convert and treat the revision as criminal appeal.
The Court has fixed August 1 as the next
date of hearing and the order came from a bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh.
The matter was earlier fixed on July 11, 2022, but the lawyers for revisionists
sought adjournment.
The bench had agreed but fixed Monday
with caution to the revisionists` lawyers that it would not adjourn the hearing
on Monday on any of their pleas. The petition was filed by two Ayodhya
residents -- Haji Mahmood Ahmad and Syed Akhlaq Ahmad.
The two petitioners claimed in the
petition that they were witnesses in the trial against the accused persons and
alleged victims owing to demolition of the disputed structure.
The Babri mosque was demolished by
`Karsevaks` on December 6, 1992.
After a long legal battle, the special
CBI court on September 30, 2020, pronounced the judgment in the criminal trial
and acquitted all the accused.
The trial judge had refused to believe
newspaper articles, video clips as evidence as the originals of the same were
not produced, while the entire edifice of the case rested on pieces of
documentary evidence.
The trial judge also held that the CBI
could not produce any evidence that the accused had a meeting of mind with
`Karsevaks` who demolished the disputed structure.
Source: DNA India
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No Non-Muslims Offered Namaz in
Lucknow’s Lulu Mall, Clarify Police
Anuj Kumar
JULY 19, 2022
‘We will soon come out with details of
persons who offered Namaz on premises’
The Lucknow Police on Monday denied
media reports that the eight persons, who were caught on camera offering Namaz
in Lulu Mall on July 12 were non-Muslims.
A press note issued by the Lucknow
Commissionaire said the four persons — Saroj Nath Yogi, Krishna Kumar Pathak,
Gaurav Goswami and Arshad Ali — arrested on July 15 were those who were trying
to perform religious rituals after the incident (July 12) in order to disturb
communal harmony.
Saroj, Krishna, and Gaurav were
allegedly trying to perform a puja while Arshad was allegedly trying to offer
namaz on the premises. Sources said the eight people who allegedly offered
namaz on July 12 were yet to be traced.
The misleading news on social media
names three out of the four people arrested on July 15, the note said.
Apart from these four, 16 persons were
booked on July 16 for disturbing law and order and two others were taken into
custody for reciting Hanuman Chalisa and raising slogans to disturb the
harmony.
Rajesh Srivastava, the Additional Deputy
Commissioner of Police, said the investigation was still on and the police were
scanning the CCTV in the mall for footage of the incident. “I can’t comment on
the news reports appearing in the media outlets but the investigation is on and
we would soon come out with details of the persons who offered namaz on the
premises,” the officer told The Hindu.
Protests held
The mall, which is run by prominent
UAE-based businessman Yusuf Ali MA, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath last week. Two days after the event, eight persons allegedly offered
namaz on the premises, whose video went viral on July 13.
It led to protests by Hindutva
organisations which even targeted the CM for allowing a Muslim-owned
organisation to start a business in the city. They alleged that 80% of the
workforce would be drawn from the minority community.
Responding to the charges the mall
management which had lodged an FIR against unidentified persons for offering
namaz on the premises, issued a new statement saying that 80% of its workforce
comprises Hindus while the rest belong to other religions.
“We hire people on the basis of merit
and not on the basis of their religious and caste affiliations. It is sad that
a reputed organisation is being targeted by some people for their vested
interests,” said Jaykumar Gangadhar, regional director of Lulu India Shopping
Malls Private Limited.
In the statement, Mr. Gangadhar said
nobody was allowed to practise religious rituals on the premises.
“The mall management has lodged an FIR
against those who tried to offer namaz. We request everybody to allow us to do
our business peacefully,” the statement said.
Source: The Hindu
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Mathura mosque-temple dispute: Civil
court to hear suit next on July 21
JULY 19, 2022
Advocate Singh had filed an application
seeking that a court commission be ordered to survey the mosque premises to
investigate signs of Hindu temples having predated the mosque
In the ongoing Shahi Idgah Mosque-Shri
Krishna Janmabhoomi dispute, a civil court in Mathura on Monday continued
hearing submissions from both sides on whether it should first hear the plea
for a court-appointed commission’s survey of the mosque or the application
challenging the maintainability of the suit itself.
The court was hearing a suit filed by
advocate Mahendra Pratap Singh, seeking that the property on which the Shahi
Idgah Mosque is built be transferred to Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple
authorities. In this suit, Mr. Singh had filed an application seeking that a
court commission be ordered to survey the mosque premises to investigate signs
of Hindu temples having predated the mosque.
However, the masjid management
committee, has filed an application under Order VII Rule 11 of the Code of
Civil Procedure, challenging the maintainability of Mr. Singh’s suit.
Advocate Tanveer Ahmed, secretary of the
masjid management committee and its lawyer, said, “We have presented several
High Court and Supreme Court judgments that mandate that maintainability should
be heard first.”
Mr. Singh said, “A district court in
Mathura has already heard these submissions in an identical suit and decided
that the plea for a court-commissioned survey should be disposed of as soon as
possible. So, we have argued that our application should be heard first.”
The court is now set to take up the
matter for the next hearing on July 21.
The Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura is now
defending at least six separate suits filed by Hindu parties claiming ownership
of the land of the mosque on behalf of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple
adjacent to it.
The plaintiffs have argued that the
birthplace of Lord Krishna lies underneath the mosque and that the mosque was
built allegedly after demolishing and displacing Hindu idols from the site.
HC hears case
The matter pertaining to one of these
suits also came up for hearing before the Allahabad High Court, which on Monday
asked the concerned civil court in Mathura to expeditiously hear the matter.
This case was related to the suit filed
by one Manish Yadav, which had also sought an investigation of the mosque
premises in a bid to prove its alleged Hindu religious character. With the suit
pending, he had moved the High Court to expedite the hearing in his suit.
After hearing submissions, the Allahabad
High Court ordered the concerned court to hear the suit and the challenge to
its maintainability expeditiously, preferably within three months from being
served a copy of its order.
Source: The Hindu
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Former councillor murdered in tussle
over mosque in Bengaluru, nephew held
JULY 19, 2022
The Chamarajpet police arrested
32-year-old Mateen Khan, who was on the run after allegedly stabbing his uncle,
former councillor Ayub Khan, to death over a row on July 13.
The accused moved around in an
autorickshaw and changed hideouts frequently to escape from the police.
However, a special team of police tracked him down at Kengeri on Monday and
arrested him.
According to the police, the accused
stabbed Ayub, who was also a realtor and president of Khudadaad mosque for the
last 15 years. Nazima Khanum, wife of Ayub and also former councillor of K.R.
market ward, in her complaint to the Chamarajpet police, alleged that Mateen
had been eyeing the president’s post of the mosque.
On July 13, Mateen allegedly stabbed
Ayub when he was returning from evening prayer. The accused also recorded a
video and circulated it on social media that he was innocent and that he
murdered his uncle in self-defence.
The accused has been taken into custody
and the police are investigating to ascertain if there are other reasons for
the murder and if there are any possible involvement of others in the crime.
Source: The Hindu
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Maharashtra: One dead in clash between
Hindus and Muslims in Dhule district
A Muslim man died during a clash in
Maharashtra’s Dhule district on Sunday, The Indian Express reported.
The deceased person has been identified
as Munaf Gaffar Maniyaar. His son Asrar was seriously injured in the clash,
according to ABP Majha.
The clash took place after two girls
were allegedly molested by a group of persons.
“Two persons, Sagar Khairnar and Nilesh
Bhadane, were molesting two minor girls,” a witness told The Indian Express.
“So Asrar tried to stop them. This made Khairnar and Bhadane angry and they
took Asrar to an under-construction property.”
They allegedly thrashed Asrar with iron
rods. Sagar Khairnar’s father, Anil Khairanar and two others – Satish Jadhav
and Yogesh Khairnar – joined the brawl. When Maniyaar intervened, he was hit on
the head.
Maniyaar’s relatives on Sunday refused
to accept his body and demanded the arrest of those involved.
Superintendent of Police Pravin Patil
said that five persons have been arrested for murder. “The law and order
situation is under control and adequate police force has been deployed in the
area,” he said.
Source: Scroll
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Pakistan
Enhanced Engagement with the Taliban is
Needed, Says Pakistani Diplomat to International Community
By Saqalain Eqbal
Monday, 18 Jul 2022
Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s
ambassador to Afghanistan, has called on the international community to enhance
its engagement with the Taliban’s caretaker government to escape the impending
threats of economic meltdown, exacerbated by widespread hunger and
unemployment.
“It is important that tools of economic
sanctions should not be used against the Afghan population. The Afghan foreign
reserves should be handed over to Afghanistan so that it can be spent for the
benefits and welfare of the people,” he stated in an interview with the
Associated Press of Pakistan.
The unblocking of Afghanistan’s $9
billion in foreign reserves, according to the ambassador, has been a crucial
factor in reducing the burden on the impoverished people of Afghanistan.
The Pakistani diplomat stated that
increased global engagement and cooperation was a “must” for Afghanistan to
achieve long-term peace and stability.
In reaction to the Taliban’s commitment
to not allowing Afghan soil to be used against other countries and terrorists,
the Pakistani ambassador in Afghanistan said, “We welcome this commitment. We
believe that it is a very assuring commitment.”
According to a United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, almost 24 million Afghans, including
nearly 13 million children, depend on humanitarian assistance. While World Food
Programme (WFP) has stated that poverty and hunger have unprecedentedly hit
Afghanistan.
“Efforts of all the countries in must be
towards helping Afghanistan in becoming a productive member of the
international community,” he stated while commending Afghanistan’s neighboring
countries.
He also expressed gratitude towards the
Taliban leaders for facilitating talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) aka the Pakistani Taliban, saying “we are grateful for the facilitation
provided by the Afghan government and their leaders.”
Source: Khaama Press
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SC To Hear Petition on ‘Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf Hate Campaign’ Against SC, EC, Armed Forces
Nasir Iqbal
July 19, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday
ordered its registrar office to place a petition moved against the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership — over an alleged hate campaign targeting
national institutions, including the armed forces, the apex court and the
Election Commission of Pakistan — for open hearing.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, who heard
an appeal in his chambers, removed the objections raised by the registrar
office while returning the petition and ordered the matter to be fixed before
the court.
The SC office had questioned the filing
of the petition directly with the apex court under Article 184(3) of the
Constitution, instead of first approaching the forums below it.
The petition, moved by Advocate Qausain
Faisal through his counsel Hassan Raza Pasha, pleaded that the private
respondents, their official spokespersons and other members of the PTI be
restrained from making any public or private statements.
SCBA distances itself from additional
secretary’s ‘political statement’ seeking general elections
The petition also sought court
directions for the appointment of a commission to assess the impact and damage
of the alleged organised hate campaign and suggest legal steps and proceedings
to determine individual liability as well as collective responsibility and to
stop the negative effects of such campaign against national security
institutions, which has adversely affected Pakistan’s relations with friendly
countries.
The petition cited the federation
through the interior secretary, the PTI and its chairman Imran Khan and former
ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Dr Shireen Mazari, among others, as respondents.
The petition also sought directives for
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory
Authority, Federal Investigation Authority, law enforcement agencies and
Election Commission of Pakistan to strictly control the publication of
alleged organised hate campaign immediately and strictly deal with the
violators.
The petition argued that it was a matter
of public knowledge that after his ouster as prime minister, Imran Khan had
been issuing alleged unfounded, provocative, highly defamatory and derogatory
statements in public interviews, political rallies or other means, in print,
electronic and social media.
The alleged hate campaign, the petition
argued, was designed and calculated to tarnish the public image and severely
harm the good reputation of institutions like the superior judiciary, armed
forces and ECP. “This [hate campaign] will destabilise and weaken these
institutions and demoralise individuals representing these institutions,” the
petition feared, adding that these key national institutions were directly
responsible for the vital task of national security, administration of justice,
law and order and the protection of political rights of the citizens of
Pakistan.
SCBA clarification
Also on Monday, the Supreme Court Bar
Association clarified the issuance of a political statement from its platform,
saying the association had nothing to do with it since any statement or
decision of the SCBA was always prepared after consultation between its
president, secretary and other office-bearers and the executive committee.
“Obviously, the any statement by the additional secretary does not fall within
his domain,” it said.
Soon after the by-election results in
Punjab, SCBA additional secretary Chaudhry Riasat Ali Gondal had issued a
statement saying the “government had lost majority and the only path to
progress is general elections”.
In their fresh statement, issued with
the signature of its secretary Waseem Mumtaz Malik, SCBA clarified that the
previous missive was based solely on the personal opinion of the additional
secretary and the association strongly rejected any impressions and claims that
it had any partisan agenda or supported a particular political segment/party.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1700466/sc-to-hear-petition-on-hate-campaign-against-institutions
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Pakistan to get $4 billion from friendly
countries to shore up reserves: Finance Minister Miftah Ismail
JULY 17, 2022
Depleting reserves, a widening current
account deficit and the rupee’s depreciation against the dollar have left the
nation facing a balance-of-payments crisis.
Pakistan is likely to get $4 billion
from friendly countries this month to bridge a gap in foreign reserves
highlighted by the International Monetary Fund, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail
has said, two days after the cash-strapped nation reached a deal with the
global lender for the revival of a $6 billion loan facility.
Mr. Ismail on Saturday referred to the
shortfall in foreign reserves highlighted by the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), Dawn newspaper said.
“As per the IMF, there is a $4 billion
gap,” the minister said.
“We will, God willing, fill this gap in
the month of July,” he said.
“We think that we will get $1.2bn in
deferred oil payment from a friendly country. We think that a foreign country
will invest between $1.5bn to $2bn in stocks on a G2G
(government-to-government) basis, and another friendly country will perhaps
give us gas on deferred payment and yet another friendly country will make some
deposits," he said without naming the friendly nations.
Pakistan on Thursday reached a
preliminary staff-level agreement with the IMF for the revival of the $6
billion loan facility.
The agreement paves the way for the
release of the much-awaited $1.18 billion loan tranche that had been on hold
since earlier this year.
The board is also considering adding $1
billion to a $6 billion programme agreed in 2019, Dawn newspaper reported.
Depleting reserves, a widening current
account deficit and the rupee’s depreciation against the dollar have left the
nation facing a balance-of-payments crisis.
Without the IMF deal, which should open
up other avenues for external finance, Ismail said the country could have
headed towards default.
He said the country would also get
around $6 billion from multilateral lenders this fiscal year, including $3.5
billion from the Asian Development Bank and $2.5 billion from the World Bank.
He said $400 million to $500 million was
also expected from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank while the Islamic
Development Bank was also likely to increase the funding.
He hoped the rupee would strengthen
against the dollar soon after the IMF agreement was finalised, which was
expected in the current month.
Besides, he said the government was
aiming to curb energy imports to $2.7 billion this month from $3.7 billion last
month, which was also expected to take some pressure off the local currency, as
per the Dawn report.
Source: The Hindu
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Pakistan, China mull extending CPEC to
Afghanistan
Jul 19, 2022
Pakistan and China are mulling the
possibility of extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to
Afghanistan, a development that may prove to be a security concern for India.
On Monday, Pakistan Foreign Secretary
Sohail Mahmood met China's Special Envoy on Afghanistan Ambassador Yue
Xiaoyong.
"The two sides exchanged views on
the political and security situation in Afghanistan, humanitarian assistance by
Pakistan and China to Afghanistan, and other matters of mutual ..
"In the context of regional
connectivity, both sides exchanged views on the extension of CPEC to
Afghanistan to promote economic development and prosperity," the statement
added.
CPEC is a part of China's most ambitious
project 'Belt and Road Initiative', aimed at renewing the country's historic
trade routes in the coastal countries of south-east Asia.
In 2015, China announced the CPEC
project which is worth USD 46 billion. Beijing aims to expand its influence in
Pakistan and across Central and South Asia in order to counter the influence of
the United States and India.
The CPEC would link Pakistan's southern
Gwadar port in Balochistan on the Arabian Sea to China's western Xinjiang region.
It also includes plans to create road, rail, and oil pipeline links to improve
connectivity between China and the Middle East.
After the Taliban seized control over
Afghanistan, the spokesperson of the Islamic group Zabiullah Mujahid said they
"desire" to join the CPEC. This wish comes even as dozens of
terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan target the multi-bi ..
Source: Economist Times
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PM Shehbaz urges ECP to announce
‘long-delayed’ judgement in PTI prohibited funding case
July 19, 2022
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday
urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the “long-delayed”
judgement in the prohibited funding case, previously referred to as the foreign
funding case, against the PTI.
“For long has Imran Niazi been given a
free pass despite his repeated and shameless attacks on state institutions.
Impunity given to him has hurt the country,” he tweeted.
The case, which was filed by Akbar S
Babar, has been pending since Nov 14, 2014. Babar, who was a founding member of
the PTI but is no longer associated with it, had alleged serious financial
irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and abroad.
The ECP had reserved its verdict last
month.
The premier’s remarks come days after
the PTI clinched a sweeping victory on 20 seats in the Punjab by-elections.
Subsequently, in an address to supporters yesterday, PTI chairman Imran Khan
criticised the ECP for being biased and demanded Chief Election Commissioner
(CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja’s resignation over his alleged favouring of the
PML-N in electoral battles.
Imran also claimed that his party won
the by-polls despite the use of state machinery as he insisted that early
elections were still the only solution to the country’s economic problems.
Following Imran’s address, PML-N Vice President
Maryam Nawaz demanded that the ECP issue its verdict in the foreign funding
case soon. “There is irrefutable evidence against you (Imran) which has to be
revealed inevitably.”
She insisted that Imran’s criticism of
the ECP was not due to rigging, which she said did not even take place. “It is
the fear of the foreign funding case,” she said.
The foreign funding case
Last month, the ECP had reserved its
verdict in the prohibited funding case — previously referred to as the foreign
funding case — against the PTI, which has not been issued yet.
The petitioner, Babar, had alleged
serious financial irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and
abroad. The PTI had, however, denied any wrongdoing, and maintains the funding
is not from prohibited sources.
On January 4, the ECP’s scrutiny
committee, formed in March 2018 to examine the PTI’s foreign funding in one
month, finally submitted its report after 95 hearings and nearly four years.
The report, based on eight volumes of
record requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan, proved that the PTI
leadership had committed gross violations of funding laws by allowing the
collection of millions of dollars and billions of rupees without any source and
details from foreigners, including Indian nationals and foreign companies.
The report, a copy of which is available
with Dawn, had also mentioned a refusal by the party to divulge details of
large transactions and the panel’s helplessness to get details of PTI’s foreign
accounts and the funds collected abroad.
According to the report, the party
under-reported an amount of Rs312 million over a four-year period, between
FY2009-10 and FY2012-13. Year-wise details show that an amount of over Rs145m
was under-reported in FY2012-13 alone.
It also called into question the
certificate signed by the PTI chairman, submitted along with the details of
PTI’s audited accounts.
Source: Dawn
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Security beefed up in Islamabad amid
threat alerts
By Shakeel Anjum
July 19, 2022
ISLAMABAD: In the wake of threat alerts,
the Federal Capital Police have heightened the security in and around the
capital.
In this regard, extra forces, including
police commandos and Rangers were deployed at sensitive points and buildings in
Red Zone, especially to provide protection to the foreign missions, the IGP
Office said.
Besides, the search and combing
operations were also conducted in areas marked by the intelligence agencies.
These areas included Bhara Kahu, Nelore, Tarnol, Noon, Sihala, Bani Gala,
Koral, Lui Bhir and Shahzad Town.
Police searched 150 houses, probed 100
suspects and checked 25 bikers. Moreover, they recovered one 12-bore gun and
one 30-bore pistol.
The IGP Islamabad said that the purpose
of the search and combing operations was to heighten the security in the
Federal capital. All zonal officers were directed to continue operations in
their respective areas.
Source: The News
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Africa
Moment of truth as Muslim-Muslim
Presidential ticket tests Nigeria’s unity
July 19, 2022
Right now,the choice of presidential and
Vice Presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections in Nigeria is the
number one horror afflicting the psyche of Nigerians.
It is so much so that if a nation wide
public opinion were to be conducted right now, the tendency that majority of
Nigerians would tick-off the box concerning the tension arising from the
presidential candidate of the ruling party at the center, APC Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu’s choice of Kashim Shetima as running mate for the 2023
presidential contest as their biggest concern in this present time is very
high.
That is most especially if the opinion
poll were to be conducted amongst members of the Christian and Muslim faiths to
whom it has become a supremacy battle more than members of the political class.
And the distress is not only from the
ruling party at the centre, APC.
To a lesser degree,the main opposition
party,PDP’s decision to jettison the presidency rotation principle that the
party had practiced since 1999, and throw it open to all the zones which has
enabled its 2019 presidential candidate ,Turaki Atiku Abubakar to clinch it; is
also a source of prickly heat and discontentment amongst voters,especially in
the south-east and south-south zones of the country which have been the
traditional stronghold of the party.
While the irritations caused by what
critics see as an volte-face by the PDP is less caustic,the Muslim-Muslim
ticket being presented by the APC is justifiably on the lips of every
Nigerian-both politically conscious and religion sensitive.
While some deem the Muslim-Muslim
presidential candidacy as a non issue,a lot see it as toxic and
corrosive,depending on their religion and ethnic biases.
This is as opposed to resorting to
partisanship which used to be the main criteria for supporting or opposing
presidential and vice presidential candidates.
In fact,as the issue of religion has
been dragged into the political mix ,following the introduction of a
Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidency by Tinubu and Shettima,and since the
faith composition of Nigerians is more or less a balanced equation of 50/50’,
who becomes president of Nigeria,now matters to all of us .
Hence it is being discussed amongst a
vast majority of Christians and Muslims alike in churches and mosques as well.
Before now,choosing a vice presidential
candidate was just a routine chore for presidential candidates.And the equation
was simple because it was always about walking the fine lines of religion and
ethnicity.
While the framers and writers of 1999
constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria were conscious of the religious
and ethnic fault lines which have now widened into a gulf,they did not factor
it into or incorporate it in our country’s statutes book expressly,so that
crossing the line via a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket would be an
outright violation and contravention of the laws of land.
Instead of incorporating it into the
constitution,it was not codified, but only recognized and treated as a mere
understanding.
It is in pursuance of that balance that
the religious sensitivities of Nigerians who are sharply divided along the
lines of the two predominant faiths- Christianity and lslam, that when a
Christian emerges as a presidential candidate,a muslim was chosen as the vice
presidential candidate,and vice versa.
That was the case when after
independence,and our country was operating a parliamentary system, Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa became prime minister.And to strike a balance,Nnamdi Azikiwe
became Governor General.
It did not matter that the office of the
former was executive,while that of the latter was merely ceremonial.
Some Nigerians still romanticize that
period of parliamentary system of government 1960-66 which they fondly refer to
with nostalgia as the ‘golden age’ of Nigeria that they would love our beloved
country to return,by literally pushing back the hands of time.
That aspiration is underscored by the
fact that back in those days,there was healthy competition amongst the four
regions in our country and development,progress and prosperity of the people in
respective the regions reflected the amount of vigor and acumen applied in
harnessing and managing the natural resources endemic in each of them.
That is because Nigeria was basically a
natural resource exporting country to Europe and the rest of the world.
As such,the north was doing its utmost
best to grow and harvest Cotton that was grown in Funtua area of katsina state
that was feeding the textile miles in kaduna, the headquarter of the region.And
that engagement was creating employment and generating revenue for the
government via taxes.
Groundnut farming and processing into
vegetable /edible oil was also flourishing in the northern region as it is also
native to the zone and therefore a veritable employment creator via the
factories and another major source of tax income.
A similar scenario was also present in
the eastern region where oil palm was its main stay,and coal from the mines
endemic in the area sustained the economy that was booming in and around
Enugu,the headquarter of the region.
The western region with cocoa as its
main cash crop,and which was the commodity that attracted the highest
premium,was the most buoyant.
Owing to its high market value in the
international market,cocoa farmers were prosperous and practically all the
forests in the western region were being cultivated for cocoa to boost the
income of the region.
And the Return- On-Investment ,ROI was
quite significant.
Hence the western region became head and
shoulder above other regions in terms of progress through advancement in
education- free education,in terms of provision of infrastructure-first
television station in black Africa,a stadium,the tallest building in Nigeria at
that time-Cocoa house etc,found home in lbadan,the headquarter of the region.
In Midwest region where rubber palm was
the major cash crop,tapping rubber for latex in the form of lumps was the major
occupation of the people until crude oil was discovered in Oloibiri ,modern day
Bayelsa state in 1958 which changed the landscape of our country from a
producing to a consuming country one .
And Benin-city,the capital of
Midwest,was the center of activities and it was complimented by Warri that was
also brimming with fishery and other marine activities as well as
logging/woodworks due to its coastal location and rain forest ecology.
As can be seen from the narrative
above,before the discovery of oil/gas,all Nigerians in the four (4) regions had
their hands on the plough,working tirelessly to boost the productivity and
income of the country.
I guess that is why the period is
referred to as the ‘golden age’ because we were a producing country before we
became a consuming country when oil/gas was discovered. And it is an
unfortunate situation which Labor Party, Presidential Candidate,Peter Obi has
smartly converted to his campaign mantra which is that he will:Turn Nigeria
From A Consuming To A Producing Country.
In a manner that is sort of perverse and
gutting,the availability of oil/gas in our country has become ‘oil curse’
instead of a booster to our original production outlook through farming and
processing of cash crops earlier highlighted.
That is what the United Arab Emirates,UAE
has done with its oil/gas in Abu Dhabi,while Dubai remains a trading and
tourism haven,just as Ras Al Khaimah and the rest of the emirates that make up
the seven (7) emirates nation, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain
concentrate efforts on harnessing resources endemic in their locations and of
which they have comparative advantage in producing.
Why did l decide to dredge up the
past,readers may be wondering?
Well,the aim is to put in perspective
the fact that,not until the parliamentary system bequeathed to us by the
British colonialist when their rule over us was ending in 1960, was jettisoned
and replaced with presidential system in 1979 by the military,all was well with
Nigeria.
And to remind us that our country has
the potential of becoming like the UAE,because it is endowed with all the
ingredients that it has taken to make that Middle East country that is regarded
as a wonder of the world, become like Paris and New York combined.
Back in the days,the regional capitals
of Nigeria-Kaduna,lbadan,Enugu and Benincity were the centers of political and
economic powers dispersed across the country as all the regions had autonomy
and the local political leaders were making their own laws reflective of the
peculiar dynamics of their people’s culture ,such as ethnic and religious
orientations and inclinations.
Since ,only defense,foreign and internal
affairs were mainly left in the purvey of the federal government with a prime
minister incharge, government at the center was centrifugal and it was
centripetal in the regions,as such prime ministerial or governor-generalship
was not that attractive to warrant the type of do or die attitude now invested
in becoming president and Vice President of Nigeria currently sucking up all
the oxygen in the political space and threatening to asphyxiate our beloved
country.
And it is not mere happenstance that the
most prominent political leaders at that time,Sir Ahmadu Bello of northern
region and Chief Obafemi Awolowo of western region chose to become premiers of
their respective regions instead of moving to the centre to become prime
minister of Nigeria.
As evidence of the ordinariness of the
central government,Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa,from Bauchi state who was the
second in prominence in the political hierarchy in the north was assigned by
sir Ahmadu Bello to serve as prime minister.So invariably the best hands were
reserved in the regions and the second best were dispatched to the center which
was at that time,lagos- the seat of the federal government.
The exception to that rule was,Dr Nnamdi
Azikiwe who was the most prominent leader from the east and instead of becoming
the premier in the manner that Ahmadu Bello and Obafemi Awolowo had become
premiers of their respective regions,conceded the premiership of eastern region
to sir Micheal Okpara and opted to become the Governor General of Nigeria,a
ceremonial role which he desired as a centrist.
What informed the decision of the
military and their acolytes in the intellectual world as well as the
establishment to switch from the parliamentary system that the British handed
over to us and which was modeled after what they practice,has remained
intriguing to me,and l guess to those keen on understanding the political
evolution of Nigeria.
Having amalgamated the northern and
southern protectorates in 1914,the British that had garnered huge
administrative experience over a period in excess 50 years of superintending
over Nigeria,knew that to a large extent that,the system that worked for their
home country,UK was ideal for us.
The underlying reason for such belief
would be that the United Kingdom that is made up of four major ethnic groups-
English,Welsh,Scottish and Irish to form United Kingdom,UK was in more ways
than one,similar to Nigeria comprised of multiple ethnic nationalities with
three main tribes -Hausa/Fulani,Yoruba and lgbo as the three main ethnic
groups.
As such the colonialist probably
reckoned that the system that had worked for them for centuries was the best
for us.
And given the similarities in ethnic
composition of the nationalities that have been united to form one
country,Nigeria,they appeared to have been right in their assessment and
decision to imbue us with their tested and proven system.So for the first six
(6) years,1960-66,Nigeria experienced its ‘golden age’ until the military
truncated the process via the 1966 coup detat,a counter coup six (6) months
after and the descent into civil disturbances that culminated into a civil war
in 1967 that lasted till 1970.
Even under autocratic
administrations,when those that ruled by gun,instead of rule of law,were in
charge,religious and ethnic balance was observed because it was critical for
the sustenance of the survival of our country as one entity.
That is why General Ibrahim Babangida,a
Muslim from Niger State had Admiral Augustus Aikhomu,a Christian from Edo state
as his chief of staff Supreme Headquaters which is a military regime equivalent
of Vice President in a democratic setting.
And the tradition or trend continued when
multi party democracy got reintroduced in Nigeria in 1979 after a long military
interregnum that commenced in 1967.
Religious sensitivity did not wane,even
after then leaders of Nigeria,perhaps in a brain wave or in a flight of fancy
decided to jettison the parliamentary system bequeathed by the British
colonialist and opted to experiment with American style presidential system of
government,hence Shehu Shagari,a Hausa/Fulani from Sokoto state paired with
Alex Ekwueme,a Christian from Anambra state to form the federal government in
1979 and in 1999, Olusegun Obasanjo, a Christian from Ogun state was joined by
Atiku Abubakar from Adamawa state, a Muslim as President and Vice President.
If indeed,the switch from
parliamentary to presidential is an
experiment as l had presumed,having learnt or experienced first hand it’s ugly
consequences-high cost and over centralization and concentration of power in an
individual throwing ethnic and religious issues-what are we waiting for to
return to the good old days of parliamentary system when there was regional
autonomy or form our own hybrid system which could be a mixture of both
presidential and parliamentary systems based on our reality.
At least two countries in Africa,Ghana
and Rwanda operate hybrid constitutions.
That is evidenced by the fact that the
national constitutions of both countries are neither parliamentary or
presidential.
Is Nigeria facing its own moment of
truth ?
Should we not seriously address the
elephant in the room which are the sticky points in the 1999 constitution of
the federal republic of Nigeria?
In due course,I will return to the
question of wether or not,as a country,we did not steer our ship of state into
the wrong course by switching from parliamentary to presidential system of
government in 1979.But having put things in context by reflecting on the past
experience in our dear country,allow me dissect the curved ball which APC
Presidential candidate,Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s choice of Kashim Shetima
seem to have thrown to himself such that it may make or mar his chance of
becoming the next occupant of Aso Rock Villa and even the survival of our
country as a nation.
The commonest argument in favor of a
Muslim-Muslim ticket is that there is no Vice Presidential material amongst
northern Christians.
The counter argument to that is that the
incumbent Vice President,professor Yemi Osinbajo was a political feather weight
before he stepped into the role in 2015. Why was that not an issue ? Clearly,
the reason that Tinubu did not pick a southern Christian as running mate is
much more deeper than not finding a heavy weight Christian as being speculated
in some quarters.
After all,there are a couple of serving
Christian governors, ex governors and two former secretaries to federal
government,one ex and the other serving, that are heavy weights to choose from.
So,my take is that the northern Muslims
do not consider northern Christians as part of the north,just as they also do
not consider southern Muslims as prosper Muslims.
Therein lies the dilemma.
This is also why state of origin and
birth has remained an issue as Nigerians are not free to adopt a state where
they have lived,worked and even born as their state,so that they can vote and
be voted for,as it obtains in the USA where former president Bill Clinton
served as governor in the state of Arkansas and his wife Hillary later served
as senator representing the state of New York.
The same applies to the Bush family that
originally hail from Texas,but Jeb Bush,one of the sons of president George
Bush of blessed memory,served as the governor of the state of Florida.
What the scenario playing out in our
country where people of same country,but of different creeds are not accorded
equal opportunities indicates,is that there may be segregation,and even
apartheid in Nigeria.
Hence after over one hundred (100) years
of amalgamation (1914) of the northern and southern protectorates by the
British colonialists,northern and southern Nigeria have failed to blend.
Back in the days,the motto/mantra of
NATIONAL PARTY OF NIGERIA,NPN ,then ruling party (1979-1983) was:One Nation,One
Destiny.
With the polarization of our country
between extreme lines of religious divide in the run up to 2015 general
elections and a situation that has persisted thereafter,can a Muslim-Muslim
presidential ticket in 2023 which is a clear exclusion of members of the other
faith in the multi ethnic and religious country,be said to be reflective of the
slogan: one nation,one destiny?
While Islamic clerk sheik Ahmed Gumi
belief about the APC and its presidential candidates resort to Muslim-Muslim
ticket is that , “It has nothing to do with religion. Its pure vote-getting
strategy and nothing more. It now depends on the voter to choose from a wide
range of choices.”
Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, SGF has a counterpoise to the point of view of
the renown Islamic cleric.
“The northern governors and some
northern Muslim elite must have persuaded him that they will never vote for a
ticket that has a northern Christian on it.And he has agreed with them.But if
he thinks a Muslim-Muslim ticket will win him the northern Muslim votes,he
should have a rethink.
They will massively vote for one of
their sons because it is in their nature to do so”
And Ohanaze -apex lgbo socio-cultural
organization through a press statement by its vice president-general , chief
Damien Afam Okeke-Ogene has also warned that a Muslim Muslim ticket in 2023
election is a serious threat to the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.He
put it this way:
“APC presidential candidate choice of
muslim — muslim ticket is not only ill-timed but also a total disregard to the
diversity of the country and noted that this has undermined efforts of well
meaning Nigerians over the years to bridge religious differences and promote
ethnic harmonious co-existence.”
While acknowledging the cataclysm
triggered by his choice of a fellow Muslim as running mate,the APC presidential
candidate,Bola Tinubu,in a press statement justified his decision thus:
“Both sides of the debate have
impressive reasons and passionate arguments supporting their position.
Both arguments are right in their own
way.But neither is right in the way that Nigeria needs at the moment.
As president,I hope to govern this
nation toward uncommon progress.”
But Christian APC members in the north
do not agree with their presidential candidate,Tinubu.
And they did not mince words when they
stormed Aso Rock Villa seat of presidential power in their numbers to register
their dissent to Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket to president Mohamadu
Buhari.They bared they mind thus:
“Mr. President, since the return of
democracy in 1999 in Nigeria,the tradition has been a Muslim-Christian or
Christian-Muslim paring by all political parties.And this has to a large
extent,ensured religious harmony in the country.
“However, the move by our party to adopt
a Muslim-Muslim ticket is most insensitive and the height of discrimination
against Christians in our country.
This is on the heels that other
political parties indeed reflected the religious balance in the composition of
their presidential team.”
Clearly, Nigerians from all sides of the
political divides-ethnic and religious are speaking out against what appears
like APC Abracadabra.
And from the excerpt from his media
statement earlier highlighted ,Tinubu is not oblivious of the fact that he is
in a dilemma with respect to his choice,but he hopes to prevail via dexterous
political maneuvering.
But would he triumph this time ?
It is noteworthy that at other times,the
interest of Nigerians on the choice of presidential candidates and their
running mates would be influenced only by political parties affiliations.
Today, it is the faith of both
candidates for the office of the president and Vice President of Nigeria that
is a priority and being Muslim-Muslim is creating a ruckus simply because it is
considered toxic by both Muslims and Christians alike who cherish harmonious
co-existence that can only be achieved via equitable distribution of political
power in a multi religion and multi ethnic country like ours.
Our forebears recognized the need,and
entrenched the values through Federal Character principle enshrined in the 1999
constitution.
But Tinubu’s gambit of a Muslim- Muslim
ticket implies that he has elected to discountenance the precautions taken by
authors of the 1999 constitution to avoid the crisis of exclusion that has
gripped the country since the ascension of APC to power at the center in 2015
reflected by the continued denigration or neglect of the federal character
principle that is meant to be the glue holding the nation together in a manner
that all the members of the union would have a sense of belonging.
It is commonsensical or a no-brainer to
figure out that the violation of the federal Character principle entrenched in
the 1999 constitution via exclusion of some tribes from appointment into
strategic public offices and the reported monopolization of strategic public
office positions by members of mr president’s tribe and religion that have
manifested in the proliferation of separatist or secessionist groups like the
proscribed Independent Peoples of Biafra IPOB led by Nnamdi Kanu in the eastern
flank of our country and Odua Nation promoter, Sunday Igboho in the south west
zone,as well as other fringe groups in the middle belt region currently
threatening the continued existence of our beloved country as one nation.
The demon of disharmony in our country
would certainly be fed fat and inter tribal and religious conflicts exacerbated,
if politics is allowed to be mixed with religion in a manner that APC and its
presidential candidate are about to do which is a dangerous brew and ill wind
which would blow no one any good.
Interestingly,the presidential system of
government that is being operated in Nigeria since 1979 is modeled after the
United States of America,USA’s system.
Unlike the USA constitution which is a
four (4) page document that has been in operation since 1787 when it was first
written and operationalized a year after, and of which 33 amendments have been
proposed with 27 approved and incorporated into the constitution after going
through rigorous process of vetting:our law makers are yet to effect major
amendments in the 1999 constitution.
That is despite the fact that most
Nigerians have rejected the constitution which they regard as being made by
military diktat as it is a product of the military which handed over 1979 and
the 1999 constitutions,of which the latter is an improvement on the former and
to some critics,even a sort of mere addendum.
The issues of rotation of power between
north and south zones which is currently at a gentleman agreement level,and
therefore subject to manipulation; the nebulous minimum educational qualifications
to become president which is malleable,and the lack of clarity about the
unviable nature and therefore requires clear prohibition of a Muslim-Muslim or
Christian-Christian tickets at the federal government level or in states where
the dominant religion is not above 70% currently about to trigger a political
fiasco; are issues bedeviling our country because they are not codified or
incorporated into the constitution as amendments in the way that Americans do.
In my view,if our leaders really want to
fix Nigeria,the next national assembly has its work cut out for it,as the
initiatives outlined above are simple and critical panacea ,remedies or cures
for the incongruities that we have discovered in the course of operating the
1999 in these past twenty three (23 )years that it has been our country’s
statutes book.
Nigeria can borrow a leaf or two from
Canada and Switzerland where the French speaking and other ethnic minorities in
those climes share equal rights in the constitution with the majority English
speaking,including rotation of presidency amongst unequal parties,particularly
in Switzerland.
In conclusion,l recently came across a
whatsapp message with the photo of a little Caucasian girl crying.
On top of the image was the question to
the crying girl:are you Hindu,Christian or Muslim? She answered: I am hungry.
The message ends with the admonition:
MAKE HUMANITY YOUR RELIGION.
Remove Hindu and Caucasian girl from the
picture, and replace with a Nigerian girl to create a local context; then pose
the similar question: are you Christian or Muslim? To a distressed average
Nigerian girl in Sokoto,the heartland of Hausa/Fulani where Muslims are
predominant; and do the same in Abeokuta in Yoruba land, populated mainly by
people of Christian faith; then replicate it in Aba in Abia state peopled by
the lgbos that are mainly Christians: l can bet that the answer from the
anguished girl would be: l am hungry.
Not l am Muslim or Christian.
Clearly, hunger which spares no one
based on religion and starvation is increasingly becoming the lot of most
Nigerians right now as a result of the amplification of our religious
differences by politicians for unmerited advantage leading to conflicts that
have displaced farmers and dramatically disrupted lives and livelihoods.What
they tend not to realize is that the so called advantages are temporary and
often come back to haunt them in the manner that some are currently refugees as
they are cut off from their homesteads due to insecurity.
Take for instance the injection of Boko
Haram into politics along with it’s more virulent variant ISWAP, herdsmen
militia in the north and known and unknown gun men in the south east and the
calamities those avoidable brigandage are wreaking on politicians.Today some of
them can not go home to their constituents for fear that they may be killed by
the monsters that they literally bred.
So,why don’t our politicians try to be
religion and tribe neutral and focus more on the proposed programs and projects
that would lift majority of Nigerians out of poverty and put them on the path
to prosperity?
I will demur from citing Nigerian Bureau
Of Statistics,NBS data to validate my assertion that hunger is ravaging our
fellow compatriots, as such we must pay more attention to how to pull the
masses out of hunger.
That is due to the fact that l am
convinced that we all know without being told that life in Nigeria has become
brutish and hellish owing to the mismanagement of our multiple ethnic and
religion relationships.
As the Central theme or advocacy of the
earlier referenced whatsapp message prods us:
Make humanity your religion.
How we in Nigeria can imbibe that
message: MAKE HUMANITY YOUR RELIGION should be a raison detre or a sort of
desiderata in our country.
lt is a necessary first step towards
liberating our country from the shackles of religion and ethnic idiosyncrasies
currently hobbling our country’s quest for nationhood.
That should be the mission of our
politicians,not how to divide the country along ethnic and religious lines
which the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC candidates Bola Ahmed
Tinubu and Kashim lbrahim Shetima tend to portend.
I have made a case in the past that it
is about time that our political leaders applied the strategy of expanding the
pie or value to be negotiated by putting all political positions that is to be
shared on the table upfront.
Nigerians would be less agitated or
distressed,if they know in advance what they would get in the political
calculus while negotiating power sharing arrangements between the north and
south,Muslims and Christians alike.
My advocacy for a change in the
political power sharing formula is inspired by the reality that the presidency
rotation principle adopted since the return of multi party democracy since
1999,has become obsolete,therefore unimplementable in equitable manner.
And the reasons are two folds.The first
is that it is mainly due to the changing political landscape which has seen the
south holding on to the presidency much longer than anticipated resulting in
the loss of faith in the system by the north in particular.
Take for instance,the president Umaru
Yar’adua/goodluck Jonathan presidency which ended abruptly in 2010 due to the
sudden passage of Yar’adua compelling Jonathan to complete that term and
commence his own tenure in 2011 which got terminated in 2015.
Secondly,also take a look at the current
eight (8) years tenure of president Muhammadu Buhari which kicked-off in 2015
and will be expiring in may next year.
Then think about the likelihood of the
north remaining in power beyond 2023, when the northerners vote massively for
the PDP candidate,Atiku Abubakar,who is one of their own.
It is a reality that the APC initially
acknowledged by ditching Rotimi Amaechi and Yemi Osinbajo who were initially
the front runners for the presidency when the party was inclined to allow power
to return to the south.But its attempt to field Ahmed Lawan,the current senate
president as it’s presidential candidate to serve as a counter force to PDP’s
Atiku Abubakar ascendancy into Aso Rock Villa next year was checkmated by APC
governors from the north who aligned with Tinubu’s quest ,for the selfish
reason that after Tinubu’s eight (8)years,power would return to the north and
much faster than,if Ahmad Lawan were to become president for eight (8)years,and
power returns to the south for another eight (8) years.
This implies that the governors
interested in the presidency would have to wait for sixteen (16) years with
Lawan as president as opposed to eight (8) years,if Tinubu were to become
president.
Thus Ahmed Lawan’s ambition to be
president in 2023 became a casualty as Tinubu’s hurricane-like political force
torpedoed it like a ferocious and subversive submarine craft,by wining the 6-8
June presidential primaries of the APC against the run of place.
After one month of assessment of its
best options,following its victory on June 8 ,the Tinubu camp that was probably
unprepared for their victory,hence the name of a vice presidential candidate
was not already in the breast pocket of the candidate as he was entering the
primaries contest on 6th June,was eventually able to hash out the name of
Kashim lbrahim Shetima as his running mate.
But instead of dousing the flame that
Tinubu’s victory at the APC party primary election which was like a lightening
rod had ignited,appointing a running mate has raised the crisis to Code Red or
something akin to pouring gasoline/petrol into a burning fire.
And no one can tell how far the
conflagration would go in further widening the fault lines in our beloved
country into a gulf and even a serious chasm amongst the good people of Nigeria
that are blessed with multiple ethnic and religious orientations of which there
is one parentage- Abraham- father of Isaac and Ismail the originators of
Judaism , Christianity and Islam.
Why can Nigeria not have a sort of
peaceful interrelationships arrangement in the Middle East known as:
The Abraham Accords Declaration, which
states:
“We believe that the best way to address
challenges is through cooperation and dialogue and that developing friendly
relations among States advances the interests of lasting peace in the Middle
East and around the world.”
According to Wikipedia,
“The Abraham Accords are a joint
statement between the State of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United
States, reached on August 13, 2020. Subsequently, the term was used to refer
collectively to agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and
Bahrain.”
Arising from that agreement,amongst
other positive developments,Israeli high technology firms are currently
operating in Jebel Ali ports in Dubai jointly developing softwares with the UAE
and there is currently direct flight between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
That simply amplifies the fact that with
determination,the seemingly impossible can become possible.
For long,l have lived with the morbid
fear that religion is like a keg of gunpowder which is laid underneath our
country Nigeria that could one day inadvertently be ignited and result in a
combustion of catastrophic consequences.
But,l had reckoned that the unfortunate
catastrophe may happen in the form of a heinous crime of beheading of a member
or members of the opposite religions by fanatics resulting in reprisal actions
between Muslims and Christians.
Thankfully,our law enforcement agencies
-DSS ,police,army etal have been able to do a great job of mitigating that
risk.And l always heaved a sigh of relief each time such dastardly criminal
acts occurred and things did not get unhinged with aggrieved people taking the
laws into their hands.
But the introduction of a Muslim-Muslim
ticket for the presidency of Nigeria in 2023 was unimaginable to me.More so
because it was contemplated in 2015 and dropped because it was felt that it was
just too hot to handle.
So,l never contemplated,how much more
engage in any scenario building around it.
Suddenly,it is in our face.
And hell appears to have been let loose
via the raging verbal fire works.
I pray it stays that way until reason
eventually prevails when elders in the room truly earn the title by stepping up
to the plate.
Before then, good lord, take control.
Magnus onyibe, an entrepreneur, public
policy analyst ,author, development strategist, alumnus of Fletcher School of
Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA and a former
commissioner in Delta state government, sent this piece from lagos.
To continue with this conversation, pls
visit www.magnum.ng
Source: Vanguar
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
------
Muslim-Muslim conversation is win-win
for APC
19th July 2022
Last week, the presidential standard
bearer, and erstwhile national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju
Bola Tinubu, chose the former governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, as his
running mate in the forthcoming election in February 2023. The big deal is the
furore it has generated, and continues to generate because both candidates are
Muslims. Before the choice was made, conversation had filled the airwaves on
the propriety of fielding presidential and vice presidential candidates of the
same faith for a major political party. Equity, fairness and the peculiar
Nigerian malaise dictate that such a move would be an electoral suicide for the
party that does it. The voices of dissent to Tinubu’s choice of a running mate
have been coming both from within and outside the APC. It could even be said
that discordant voices from within the party have been more vociferous than the
ones from outside. A number of people have since resigned their membership in
disgust. Pressure is continuing to be mounted at the senior level in the APC
hierarchy to step down the nomination of Shettima, so as to make a way for a
Christian candidate in order to rectify what they see as a gargantuan error.
Consequently, Tinubu can only stick to
his choice at the risk of further defections from the APC ranks. That, of
course, is an outlandish claim. The former Lagos State governor would be unfit
for command were he to kowtow to such blackmail. Opposition to what has become
known in the media as a “Muslim-Muslim” ticket therefore goes on unabated, and
will probably continue to reverberate until the election. Many have written off
Tinubu and the chances of the APC winning based on this alone. Was it not Mark
Twain who said, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated?” Well,
reports of a looming disaster for the APC in the forthcoming election as a
consequence of fielding a “Muslim-Muslim” ticket have not only been greatly
exaggerated, they have been blown out of all proportions. It has become a
paroxysm designed to generate more heat than light. While some of the naysayers
may have some valid points, many of them are simply crying wolf, sadly for
them, and Nigeria, the country they profess to love so much.That said, it is
worth digging into the effect of religion as a political phenomenon, not just
for this election, but also from a wider perspective for clarity.
First, religion is a hot-button
political issue in Nigeria, only because the political elite are wont to use it
in negotiations for power, and in their odious attempt to outmanoeuvre each
other on the electoral battlefield. Still, there are regional variations to the
impact of religion that the public should take cognisant of. Most people in the
southern part of Nigeria tend to be less fanatical about religion than their
counterparts in the northern part. For instance, it is commonplace to find a
household, especially in the South-West, with multiple religious beliefs
happily coexisting under the same roof; as between grandfather and son, husband
and wife, son and daughter, father and son, etc. Problems only bubble up when
the exercise of a religious belief makes its way onto the public space. As far
is the North-South divide goes, there is generally a confusion between being a
Muslim, and being Islamic. Being a Muslim is a belief, a way of life and, above
all, the way one chooses to relate to fellow citizens who are non-Muslims.
Being Islamic is about tenacity to faith and the thought process that flows
with that. This is what makes it possible for one to identify as Muslim without
necessarily being Islamic. Being a Muslim has never been an issue in the
southern part of Nigeria. On the contrary, being Islamic has always been an
issue in the northern part of Nigeria. It is what makes it a fertile ground for
Boko Haram and other religious extremist groups to flourish. Muslims are, in
the main, tolerant, empathetic, and non-violent. Islam (i.e. political Islam)
is the opposite. It has little or no capacity to absorb difference. In fact, it
is vehemently opposed to pluralism. This is what underlines the battle for the
soul of Nigeria on the terrain of religion.
What we are witnessing in respect of the
ongoing “Muslim-Muslim” conversation is in fact, a debate between liberal
values and political Islam. It is therefore a shame that mainstream Christian
leaders have not been more forthright in their defence of the idea of a
“Muslim-Muslim” ticket than a handful of them have done thus far. The Christian
Association of Nigeria, for instance, ought to have come out in a vigorous
defence of the APC’s inalienable right to field any combination of religious
adherents for high office. Championing such a cause in this moment, is in their
enlightened self-interest, as it allows them to occupy the moral high ground,
and it will also put paid to the argument for good. Remember, the shoe will
soon be on the other foot. You only occupy the moral high ground more
pointedly, when in defence of the other lot. The right time for that is now.
That said, the real reason the “Muslim-Muslim” conversation benefits the APC is
because on the day of election, no matter how high they may try, those wishing
to make religion the focus of attention for the voters will fail. Religion will
not be on the ballot; the economy will. By all economic indices such as
inflation, interest rate, unemployment, dilapidated infrastructure and
hospitals, education manpower etc, the APC government has failed to deliver
tangible results.
Other measurable yardsticks include
increased terrorist bombings, high random kidnapping, increased petrol and gas
shortages, electricity failure, and official corruption. On top of these,
ethnic animosity and division among Nigerians, judicial corruption, and
household debt, all continue to go up, not down. The President, Major General
Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), almost gave the game away the other day, on TV, when
he admitted to being anxious to quit the stage for the comfort of his village,
Daura, in Katsina State. In any other political environment, any party with
such a poor record of achievement in office would stand no chance of ever being
re-elected. However, ironically, thanks to the media, PDP and various
opposition groups, all the issues guaranteed to influence voters’ choice are being
drawn out. Instead, the country is gripped with mendacious issues of religion
and Tinubu’s choice for Vice President. This is bad news for the PDP, in
particular, as the main challenger for the presidency. Tinubu’s choice of
Shettima as a running mate has turned out to be a masterstroke in that sense.
When a similar scenario came up in an American election in 1992, the opposition
chief strategist, James Carville, exclaimed in exasperation, “Let’s focus our
energies on the economy; it’s the economy, stupid!” Right now in Nigeria, the
APC will coast to victory in a landslide next year, as long as the conversation
stays on religion and the “Muslim-Muslim” ticket.
Source: Punch
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https://punchng.com/muslim-muslim-conversation-is-win-win-for-apc/
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Muslim-Muslim ticket: Winning elections,
parties’ first concern, say Muslim professionals
By
Tosin Oyediran
19th July 2022
A lawyer, Abdulwaheed Olowonjaye, who
also is the Political Awareness Group Chairman, an association of Muslim
professionals and technocrats in Nigeria with key interest in good governance,
in this interview with TOSIN OYEDIRAN delves into the issue of Muslim-Muslim
presidential ticket from the purview of history, democracy, religion, tribalism
among several others
Would you consider trading the two
political currencies – tribalism and religion – for competence in the
vice-president selection processes in contemporary times?
As a professional, I will never trade
any tendency, parameter, or bias over competence. Wherever the competent hand
belongs, so be it. What matters most to us is eligibility first, then
qualification, and, of course, competence. There is no certification when it
comes to practical politics.
Otherwise, I would have mentioned
certification. The constitution has addressed eligibility and qualification,
but competence is what is left for the political party, the technocrats in
society, and even the electorate to look into. So, I, on behalf of PAG, would
give preference to competence over any other thing.
I believe that the Federal Character
exists for a reason. Putting it into consideration, would you still go by your
earlier preference?
I would still go by my postulation that
competence comes before anything else. Why and when is the federal character
there? The federal character protects all. You know, democracy is a game of the
majority, but of course, the minority would also have their say, but how would
they?
One of the mechanisms towards
guaranteeing the minorities’ say is the Federal Character, in it is a
fundamental human right that we call the Charter of Rights, used in the entire
world, even if you are a singular person or in a nation governed by the
military. Then, we all subscribe to the fact that the Charter of Rights shall
subsist whether under military, democracy or whatever.
That is what brings about orderliness in
the world we live in and that is what separates us from the animal kingdom.
So also, Federal Character, if it is not
abused, if we are looking for competence in each of the six geopolitical zones
in Nigeria, there is hardly any position you want someone to occupy that you
will not find numerous there.
If this is the case, then we now have to
devise some means of zoning or taking turns; that is, if a zone has the
presidency, his running mate must come from elsewhere, the Senate president from
another, and so on. The federal character is not an abuse of competency but
rather a protection of the rights of the minorities.
Now, what do you think of the confirmed
All Progressives Congress’s Muslim-Muslim ticket (Tinubu-Shettima)?
My understanding is that the APC did not
explicitly state that its ticket would be Muslim-Muslim. The primary was keenly
contested by all. Indeed, it was a product of circumstance, and each issue
should be treated based on the surrounding circumstances that brought about it.
This is quite similar to the
circumstances we used to have in the past, as like during the Awolowo, Gowon
and the likes’ era when we used to have Christian-Christian partnership; so
also do we still have it in different cases and places in contemporary times in
our country. I see it as what circumstances gave us.
As large as the APC is well-spread
across the six zones, would you say there is no northern Christian APC
card-carrying member worthy of getting the VP slot, or is it a strategic move
by the ruling party?
They are in their hundreds and even
thousands. I am aware that there are bonafide Christians carrying APC
membership tickets from the North.
However, they are an infinitesimal
minority. So, whatever decisions that are to be made, for instance, if it were
to be when entering the election year, minorities don’t win in democracy; it is
the majority that wins.
Democracy favours the majority. Should
the credibility of this assertion be discarded? There are some names and groups
to reckon with in the Nigerian political sphere that insist that the All
Progressives Congress has dug its grave with the Muslim-Muslim ticket move.
What is your take on this, sir?
You know, in a democracy, it is all
about the participants. That is the reason the constitution frowns upon
disenfranchising any individual. Everybody is eligible to partake, but if the
wise choose not to vote, then they can be ruled by the fools.
Hence, when we say competence, the
majority is a plausible factor worth considering alongside if not before
competency. The most competent among those who are available defines the
competence in democracy and when it comes to voting. So, whatever is available
within the political party will dictate what that party will reckon with,
considering the competency and considering the numbers, because democracy is a
game of numbers.
So the APC has not dug its own grave in
any way, sir?
The first issue is to win before any
other thing, because if you do not win, there is no idea you have, no matter
how beautiful it is, you cannot bring it into actuality. So, winning comes
first.
The truth is that Bola Tinubu, the APC
standard bearer is from the South-West and he is a Muslim. Therefore, the
deputy cannot come from the same zone as the standard bearer. It has to come
from the North; Tinubu is from the South.
…In the North, where there are
Christians too?
There are Christians in the North, but
barring any other data that may be made available tomorrow, the percentage, as
statistics shows today, is not more than 10%. How well will it be for Bola
Tinubu to choose from 10% Christians to convince the 90% Muslims? That cannot
work and it is the truth.
He has to pick from the 90%, appeal to
the 10% that I do not relegate you or disregard your existence. Let’s just do
this project together. When we get to power, we shall give you your rights.
What bothers a political party is – how
do I win? At times, it may not only be the number but an opportunity that comes
your way. The saying goes, “Opportunity comes but once.”
What I am trying to say is that, in the
case of Bola Tinubu, we are having a very perfect Muslim-Christian union
already. The wife is a pastor, and Tinubu himself is an Alhaji, and their union
has been in existence for over 30 years now, and it is a very perfect one. So, our
Christian brothers and sisters should entertain no fear.
Tinubu said he picked Senator Kashim
Shettima based on competence, but Christians are saying competence is not
restricted to Islam. What is your view?
Competence is a relative word. It is
like the students determining what question an examiner should ask them, that
is not possible. If Tinubu believes Shettima is the needed help, then so be it.
We believe numerous Muslims and
Christians are competent. However, not all that are competent are qualified.
The genesis of the security challenges in the country is not far from the
region from which Shettima was chosen, and that is going to serve a purpose in
convincing the people there that they are still part of the country. Just like
what Obasanjo did by ‘picking’ Jonathan to douse the tension in the region.
The PDP, for instance, decided their
competency based on whom they believed should fulfil what their competency test
is, maybe not religion now, maybe not zone, the party knows.
Is there any recreation of history
worthy of note going on? Does it not seem like a déjà vu of the
Abiola/Kingibe1993 partnership which was unanimously declared victorious before
its annulment? Do you think Asiwaju’s proposed ticket shares any similarity?
Asiwaju was one of the disciples of MKO
Abiola, and he was one of those that supported him after its annulment with his
resources and the like. They shared the same school of thoughts. He believes in
what MKO rose up to bring about good governance. Asiwaju took his time, studied
it, and he was slow and steady following the trend of events till God gave him
the chance to contest.
A former Secretary General of the
Federation, Babachir Lawal, said the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu, bowed to the wish of northern governors by picking a Muslim, what are
your thoughts on this?
Lawal was one of the committee members
set up to look for who the best running mate should be, and among the eleven
names submitted, Shettima was one of them. “He (Lawal) cannot go against what
he was informed of and involved in the process.”
Irrespective of the number, Shettima’s
name was on the list, whether the first, middle, or last, the members of the
committee have no talking sense or no right to oppose what they have done. What
they have to do is to defend it as much as they can.
Currently, the president; House of
Representatives Speaker; Senate president are all Muslims. Some people believe
that the APC is becoming an Islamic party. What do you say to that?
The main reason no one can say that is
because Osinbajo is a main factor, being a powerful and relevant member of the
current administration as a Vice-Principal as well as a senior pastor in the
Redeemed Christian Church of God.
The election that produced the president
of the country differs from that which produced the Senate President and the
House of Reps Speaker.
Nigerians at large, in all the 36 states
and the Federal Capital Territory, voted for the President, while the
lawmakers, after Nigerians voted for them conducted a kind of election in the
Red Chamber, from which Femi Gbajabiamila emerged as the Speaker in the lower
chamber and Ahmed Lawan in the upper chamber.
They weren’t the only ones who came from
the six regions to contest. So, it is quite different—and the National Assembly
is made up of both Muslims and Christians.
Nigerians voted for these lawmakers, and
by extension, they, in turn, chose their own leaders, which we, as ordinary
citizens, do not need to worry about.
Source: Punch
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the text of the original story:
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Arab World
Grand Mosque distributes 12m liters of
Zamzam water to Hajj pilgrims
JULY 19, 2022
A total of 12 million liters of Zamzam
water was distributed at the Grand Mosque during this year’s Hajj period,
according to official figures. The General Presidency for the Affairs of the
Two Holy Mosques said via Twitter that the water was distributed over a period
of 15 days.
Abdulrahman Al-Zahrani, who manages the
Zamzam water department at the mosque, said the total comprised 990,000 liters
distributed in the form of 3 million 330ml bottles and 11 million liters from
more than 25,000 water containers, each with a capacity of 40 liters, Arab news
reported.
The containers, distributed throughout
the Grand Mosque and its courtyards, were refilled five times a day. Al-Zahrani
said 1,150 workers helped to distribute the bottles, while 80 smart carts and
water-dispensing robots were also employed around the mosque to ensure the
pilgrims kept hydrated.
All of the carts and bags used to carry
the water, were frequently washed and sterilized to ensure good health
standards, he added. The same sanitation protocols were applied to the water
pumps, which were supervised by 150 workers, he said. As a further safety
measure, employees of the Zamzam water laboratory tested more than 70 samples a
day to ensure the water pumped to the Grand Mosque was potable.
Al-Zahrani said technology would
increasingly be used in the management and distribution of Zamzam water, in
line with the 2024 plan for the presidency – headed by Sheikh Abdulrahman
Al-Sudais – and the wider Saudi Vision 2030. The volume of Zamzam water
distributed during the Hajj period was about the same as provided during
Ramadan, taking the total for the year to 24 million liters.
Source: Daily Times
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Saudi Arabia and Japan reaffirm close
bilateral ties
July 19, 2022
TOKYO: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince
Faisal bin Farhan and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi held
bilateral talks on Tuesday in Tokyo, further strengthening the cooperation
between Japan and Saudi Arabia.
Hayashi expressed his gratitude to Saudi
Arabia for its condolences sent after the passing for slain former Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe.
“Japan places extreme importance on its
relations with Saudi Arabia,” Hayashi said. “I welcome the cooperation between
our countries, such as the telephone call between Prime Minister Kishida and
his royal highness Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.”
Hayashi also expressed his gratitude for
the stable supply of crude oil from Saudi Arabia, and requested for continued
cooperation in stabilizing the international crude oil market and for
additional production increase.
The Japanese FM said that he looks to
further promote cooperation in various fields such as clean energy, including
renewable energy, and other areas including climate change, infrastructure,
tourism, and culture under the “Saudi-Japan Vision 2030.”
In response, Prince Farhan stated that
the strategic partnership between Japan and Saudi Arabia is solid and that he
would like to continue to work closely together, including in cooperation
towards stabilizing the international crude oil market.
The Japanese foreign minister said the
Kishida administration supports Saudi Arabia’s efforts in economic and social
reforms. “I hope that the bilateral ties will be further strengthened,” he
added.
Prince Farhan expressed his deep
condolences for the passing of Abe, describing him as a true leader and friend
to Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi foreign minister said that the
Kingdom wants to further strengthen its relationship with Japan through
cooperation in various fields.
The two ministers discussed the need for
collaboration by the international community and for the strengthening of the
functions of the entire United Nations, including the United Nations Security
Council reform, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
They also exchanged views on the
situation in Asia, such as responding to North Korea, including its nuclear and
missile issue and the abduction issue, and concurred to continue to work
together. Both sides also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East,
including the situation in Iran and Yemen.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124946/saudi-arabia
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Saudi authorities order doubling of
admission rates for in-demand university subjects
July 18, 2022
RIYADH: Admission rates for students in
a number of faculties at Saudi universities, including engineering, technology,
business and medicine, are set to double compared with 2020 levels, education
authorities have announced.
The Council of Universities Affairs,
chaired by Hamad Al-Sheikh, the minister of education, said on Sunday that the
aim of the decision is to improve educational outcomes and help meet the needs
of labor markets.
Universities will also be required to
reduce the acceptance rate for disciplines “not compatible with the labor
market” by at least 50 percent, the council said. The mandated increases and
reductions will apply for five years, beginning with the coming academic year,
and will be reassessed after three years.
These and other decisions announced by
the council are designed to help prepare students for the labor market in more
efficient and effective ways, and ensure that they can compete with other
graduates locally and globally.
The council also told universities to
gather data, to be published in a semi-annual report published on the
university’s website, about employment rates among their graduates in all
disciplines, the salary levels of working graduates, and whether or not their
jobs are related to their field of study. This decision reflects the importance
of competition between universities and their efforts to align academic
programs with the requirements of local and international labor markets,
according to the council.
The changes follow a broader
liberalization of the Saudi higher education sector. In 2019, the Council of
Ministers approved a law granting “disciplined independence” to universities,
which allowed them to develop their own academic, financial and administrative
regulations in accordance with state-approved public policies. These policies
are implemented by the council, which is a Saudi government institution that
organizes university affairs and approves education policies and strategies in
the Kingdom.
The council said that the first phase of
the new regulations will apply to King Saud, King Abdulaziz, and Imam
Abdulrahman bin Faisal universities. It added that they will allow universities
to financially benefit from the development of various revenue streams,
including “scientific research or consulting services for other internal or external
bodies.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124696/saudi-arabia
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Saudi authorities record more than 80
environmental violations in Asir
July 18, 2022
ABHA: The National Center for Vegetation
Development and Combating Desertification has recorded more than 83
environmental violations on land dedicated to vegetation cover and national
parks in Asir.
It recorded the violations via
specialized patrols protecting and monitoring Asir’s forests and parks,
equipped to impose penalties and enforce executive regulations.
The recorded violations included fires
lit in undesignated areas, with a fine of SR1,000 ($266) for the first offense,
multiplying for subsequent offenses, and burning trees and bushes, with a fine
that starts at SR20,000 for the first offense and multiplying up to SR40,000.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124781/saudi-arabia
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OIC condemns terrorist attack in Somalia
July 18, 2022
JEDDAH: The General Secretariat of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation has strongly condemned the terrorist
bombing that targeted a hotel in Jowhar, near the presidential palace of
Hirshabelle State in Somalia.
The attack killed several people and
wounded others, including government officials, and destroyed nearby buildings.
OIC Secretary-General Hussein Ibrahim
Taha expressed his condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and
the Somali government and people, wishing a speedy recovery to all the injured.
He reiterated the OIC’s solidarity with
Somalia in its efforts to maintain security and fight terrorism.
The UAE also condemned the terrorist
attack.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124831/saudi-arabia
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Saudi students win 6 prizes at biology
and chemistry Olympiads
July 18, 2022
RIYADH: The Saudi Biology National Team
have won two prizes at the 33rd World Biology Olympiad in Armenia.
In a statement, Amal Al-Hazzaa, acting
secretary-general of the King Abdulaziz and his Companions’ Foundation for
Giftedness and Creativity, or Mawhiba, said that 237 students from 64 countries
took part in the event which ran from July 10 to 18.
Yazan Al-Maghrabi, a Jeddah-based
student, won a silver medal while Nawaf Al-Mitairi from the Eastern Province
was awarded a certificate of merit.
Al-Hazzaa thanked the government for
supporting students to participate in these international events.
Meanwhile, Saudi science students have
stunned the competition at the International Chemistry Olympiad 2022, taking
four prizes over the week-long event.
Students from the King Abdulaziz and His
Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) picked up a
silver medal, two bronze medals and a certificate of recognition at the event,
which ran from July 10 to 18.
The International Chemistry Olympiad,
which is held annually in July, involves a five-hour theory test among other
tests. The competition strengthens student connections and cooperation, as well
as promoting the exchange of educational and scientific experiences around the
world.
This was the Kingdom’s 12th participation
in the international competition, with its students picking up four prizes
after facing competition from 326 students from 84 countries.
Prior to competing, the students
received 2,700 hours of training from a selection of Saudi and international
coaches as part of a collaboration between Mawhiba and the Ministry of
Education.
Muhammad Al-Hadlaq, a second-grade
student from the Riyadh Education Department, was awarded a silver medal.
Hussain Shaker Al-Saffar and third-grade
student Ali Al-Yousef, both from the Eastern Education Department, received
bronze medals. Abdullah Al-Mamtn was presented with a certificate of
recognition.
Dr. Amal Al-Hazaa, acting
Secretary-General of Mawhiba, congratulated everyone who contributed to the
achievements, including the students’ families, schools, and teachers — as well
as the Kingdom’s leadership — for providing the best means of education that
allowed the students to thrive.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2124691/saudi-arabia
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At least 22 killed, 33 injured in car
crash in southern Egypt
July 19, 2022
CAIRO: At least 22 people were killed
and 33 injured in a car crash on Tuesday near Egypt’s southern province of
Minya, authorities said.
The crash took place in the early
morning when a passenger bus hit a stopped truck on a highway linking the
capital of Cairo to the country’s south, local authorities in Minya said in a
statement.
Authorities said in a statement the
truck was changing tires on the roadside when the bus hit it in the city of
Malawi in Minya province, about 220 kilometers (137 miles) south of Cairo.
Ambulances rushed to the scene to
transfer the injured to hospitals in Minya.
Traffic accidents kill thousands every
year in Egypt, which has a poor transportation safety record. Crashes are
mostly caused by speeding, bad roads or poor enforcement of traffic laws.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2125086/middle-east
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/gil-tamari-israeli-television-journalist-mecca/d/127516