India Ready To Engage Pakistan On Expanding List Of Shrines For Pilgrims Of Both Sides
New
Age Islam News Bureau
29
January 2022
A
1974 protocol between India and Pakistan currently includes five Muslim shrines
on the Indian side and 15 shrines on the Pakistani side, a majority of them
gurdwaras. (AFP File Photo)
-----
• French
Officials New Islamophobic Actions; To Shut Down An Activist-Run Media Outlet
And A Muslim Website
• Pakistani
Netizens Divided Over Blasphemy Death Sentence Imposed On A 26-Year-Old Muslim
Woman
• Starvation
In Afghanistan, People Sell Children And Body Parts Of Their Bodies: World Food
Program
• China
Agrees To Xinjiang Visit By UN Rights Chief After Olympics: Report
India
• Kerala:
Catholic Priest Booked For Offensive Remarks Against Muslims
• Karnataka:
Ex-Congress MLA's Kin Among 8 Chargesheeted by NIA in Islamic State Conspiracy
Case
• Gujarat:
Three Held For Killing Man Over Facebook Post In Ahmedabad
• Hijab
Row: Udupi College Asks Students To Opt For Online Classes, Local Leaders Cite
Divide & Politics
--------
Europe
• Britain’s
Youngest Islamist Terrorist, Aged Just 14, Back Behind Bars For Breaking His
Release Conditions
• UN
Human Rights Office says discussions ongoing for visit to Xinjiang
• One
of three suspects accused of murdering British imam pleads not guilty
• Europeans
set two-week deadline to review untenable situation in Mali
• UK
minister: Pro-Palestinian 'from the river to the sea' chanters could face
prosecution
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan-Afghanistan
Border Have Brought To Light The Unresolved Issue Of The Durand Line, Says
Think Tank
• JI
ends sit-in after successful talks with Sindh govt on LG law
• Not
completely optimistic of Taliban govt, says Pak NSA
• Ten
Pakistani soldiers killed in insurgent attack, army says
• Iran
Embassy In Pakistan Condemns Terrorist Attack On Security Forces In Balochistan
• ‘Hitman’
In Blogger Ahmad Waqass Goraya Murder Plot Found Guilty By UK Court
--------
South Asia
• Defining
Inclusive Government Is Not Intl-Community’s Task, Afghans Should Do It: EU
• Protest
over water, Iranian protestors attack Afghan vehicles
• IEA
working on comprehensive economic, educational plans: Mujahid
• Russian
ready to mediate talks between Taliban and other Afghan fractions
• Pregnant
New Zealand reporter 'forced' to ask Taliban for refuge, slams MIQ system
--------
Southeast Asia
• Three
NGOs To Challenge Decision On The Validity Of Vernacular Schools After The Case
Was Dismissed By The High Court
• Japan’s
Hayashi Strongly Condemns Houthis, Pledges Cooperation With UAE
• Groups
voice concerns over Kafa Ihsan plan
• Three
Indonesian soldiers die in Papua ambush
• Let
the people decide which party is relevant, Tok Mat tells PAS
--------
Africa
• Mali
‘Ruling Nothing Out’ In Relationship With France
• Killings
by Islamist Militia in the DRC Rose Almost 50% in 2021, UN Says
• Somali
military kills 28 al-Shabaab terrorists in 48 hours
• Saif
Al-Islam Gaddafi Suggests New Plan For Libyan Elections
• Islamist
insurgency: Mozambique in talks with Tanzania
• Tunisia
thwarts alleged terrorist attack targeting tourist areas
--------
Arab World
• Saudi
Arabia Sentences Shia Cleric To Eight Years In Prison, Puts Another Behind Bars
• Syrian
Military Prosecution Investigating US Occupation Forces’ Collaboration With
Daesh Terrorists
• Arab
Coalition strikes kill 70 Houthi ‘terrorists’ in Marib
• At
least 18 Kurdish fighters found dead in Syria jail hit by ISIS: Monitor
• Lebanon
govt says ‘will not be Launchpad for activities that violate countries’
• Lebanon’s
Bahaa Rafik Hariri says he will follow father into politics
• ‘Callers
of peace’: 3-day conference on Muslim Brotherhood begins
--------
Mideast
• Israel’s
PM Bennett Says Netanyahu ‘Threatened’ To Target Him With Drones
• Senior
Cleric: Removal of All Sanctions Main Condition for Agreement in Vienna Talks
• Hamas
slams Israeli premier's rejection of any future Palestinian state
• Israeli
forces injure 26 Palestinians in anti-settlement rallies
• Houthi
strike on Yemen govt’s last stronghold kills five
• PM
reaffirms commitment to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan
• Iranian
Envoy Urges End to US Military Operations in Syria
• Turkish
embassy condemns rocket attack on Baghdad airport
--------
North America
• 'We're
Here To Stay': Quebecers Who Fought To Get Muslim Cemeteries Built Say They're
A Sign Of Progress
• US
President Biden To Deny $130 Mln In Military Aid To Egypt: Sources
• White
House gets more time to assess billions in frozen Afghan funds
• US-backed
Syrian fighters searching for Islamic State militants near prison
• US
warplanes carry out airstrikes in Syria’s Hasakah, hit residential buildings
• US
advises citizens not to travel to UAE over Yemeni missile, drone attacks
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/india-pakistan-shrines-pilgrims/d/126264
--------
India
Ready To Engage Pakistan On Expanding List Of Shrines For Pilgrims Of Both
Sides
A
1974 protocol between India and Pakistan currently includes five Muslim shrines
on the Indian side and 15 shrines on the Pakistani side, a majority of them
gurdwaras. (AFP File Photo)
-----
Jan
28, 2022
By
Rezaul H Laskar
NEW
DELHI: India on Friday said it is ready for discussions with Pakistan on
expanding the number of religious shrines that can be visited by pilgrims of
both sides and their mode of travel, against the backdrop of a Pakistani
proposal for allowing pilgrims to travel by air.
The
development comes at a time when ties between the two countries are at an
all-time low, with trade and most forms of travel suspended since a terror
attack at Pulwama in 2019 brought the two countries close to war.
The
Pakistani mission in New Delhi recently forwarded to the external affairs
ministry a proposal from the Pakistan Hindu Council that permission be granted
for two chartered flights of the Pakistan International Airlines to carry
pilgrims from Lahore and Karachi to India. Currently, pilgrims are only allowed
to travel via the Wagah land border and the Kartarpur Corridor.
External
affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a virtual weekly media
briefing that India is prepared to discuss the expansion of the list of shrines
that can visited by pilgrims of both countries under the terms of the bilateral
“Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines” of 1974.
With
Covid-related travel restrictions currently in place, he suggested these talks
could be held before the situation normalises.
“As
you are aware, under the 1974 protocol between India and Pakistan, visits to
religious shrines are being facilitated regularly. There is an interest on both
sides to expand the agreed list of shrines and mode of travel. It naturally
needs to be discussed under the protocol,” he said.
“You
are also aware that currently restrictions are in place on movement and
gatherings in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the situation normalises, we
expect that this time can be utilised to hold discussions under the bilateral
protocol,” he added.
India
hopes to facilitate the “early exchange of visits to all shrines of interest to
pilgrims”, Bagchi remarked. “Let me underline that India has a positive
approach on this matter and is willing to engage the Pakistani side,” he said.
The
protocol currently includes five Muslim shrines on the Indian side and 15
shrines on the Pakistani side, a majority of them Gurdwaras.
Ramesh
Kumar Vankwani, the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council and a
lawmaker from Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, had
suggested the two proposed chartered flights could carry about 170 Pakistani
pilgrims, most of them Muslims, to India to visit Ajmer Sharif, Nizamuddin
dargah and other shrines.
He
said he also suggested that Air India flights could be allowed to carry Indian
pilgrims to Pakistan so that they could visit shrines such as the samadhi of
Parihans Maharaj at Teri village in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Hinglaj Mata mandir
in Balochistan. These flights would be part of what the Pakistani side is
describing as a “faith tourism” initiative.
Vankwani
suggested the first flight from the Pakistani side could operate on January 29,
and contended the plan was “postponed for a few days” to obtain the required
clearances and also because of the pandemic. “I am hopeful this will happen
next week and this programme is intact. We hope to take up to 340 pilgrims to
India,” he said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
French
Officials New Islamophobic Actions; To Shut Down An Activist-Run Media Outlet
And A Muslim Website
French
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin/ REUTERS/Charles Platiau/Pool/File Photo
-----
27
January 2022
French
officials have announced that they will shut down an activist-run media outlet
and a Muslim website that contradicted “nationwide values,” the latest in a
series of actions violating democratic freedoms.
French
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said “Nantes Révoltée,” a local media
platform, would be shut down. The platform had published details of a protest
in Nantes last weekend in which three people were arrested.
Announcing
the plan to shut down Nantes Révoltée to members of French parliament on
Tuesday, Darmanin described it as an “extreme left group” that has repeatedly
referred to violence against the government and police.
According
to French law, prior to the dissolution of an affiliation, the Ministry of the
Interior has to inform the organization, which then has 15 days to respond to
arguments. To date, Nante Révoltée says it has not received any notice from the
Interior Ministry regarding its closure.
Raphael
Kempf, a lawyer for Nantes Révoltée, said a website sharing information on an
event couldn’t be held accountable for what occurs and authorities are misusing
their power to assault voices that criticize them.
In
the last two years, there have been 12 such closures, which have increased from
seven between 2016 and 2019. Among these 12, seven were Muslim-related
associations, one a humanitarian organization, one an anti-Islamophobia team,
and three far-right teams.
Earlier
this week, Darmanin announced in a televised interview that the Islamic website
“La Voie Droite” could be shut down using 2021 laws related to “content
material inciting for hatred.”
La
Voie Droite denied the allegations in a statement, stating “once we encourage
Muslims to respect the texts, it’s against any kind of menace or legitimating
of violence.”
On
July 2021, the lower house of the French parliament approved a controversial
bill targeting religious freedom and stigmatizing Muslims, while tightening rules
on the funding of mosques, associations, and non-governmental organizations
belonging to Muslims.
The
main association in defense of Muslims, the CCIF, was also dissolved.
The
bill also targeted Muslim girls under the age of 18 by banning the wearing of
hijab in public places.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/01/27/675611/French-officials-take-new-Islamophobic-actions
--------
Pakistani
Netizens Divided Over Blasphemy Death Sentence Imposed On A 26-Year-Old Muslim
Woman
Islamist
students throw footwear toward effigies representing Asia Bibi, a Pakistani
Christian woman who was released after spending eight years on death row for
blasphemy, in Karachi on Nov. 21, 2018. (Photo: AFP)
-----
Kamran
Chaudhry
January
27, 2022
A
death sentence imposed on a 26-year-old Muslim woman for sharing blasphemous
messages over WhatsApp and Facebook has divided social media in Pakistan.
The
hashtags #SaveAneeqa and #HangAneeqa started trending on Twitter in the wake of
the Jan. 19 verdict by a sessions court in Rawalpindi convicting Aneeqa Ateeq
under Section 295-C (blasphemy) for sharing images deemed to be insulting to
Prophet Muhammad and one of his wives.
In
her plea to the court, Aneeqa said she was deliberately pulled into a religious
controversy by a male friend and the complainant in the case after she refused
his overtures. The two had reportedly met online and connected on WhatsApp.
Besides
being sentenced to death along with a fine of 50,000 rupees (US$283), she was
also given a 20-year jail sentence under various sections of the Pakistani
Penal Code including 298-A, pertaining to derogatory remarks against holy
personages.
“295
C Red Zone of Muslim. Hang all Blasphemers! #HangAneeqa,” stated Nasir Mahmood,
an activist of Radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, in his Jan. 24
tweet.
However,
academics like Ammar Ali Jan, a member of the Haqooq-e-Khalq Movement, a
democratic pressure group, cited the plight of several blasphemy victims in his
tweet.
“Aneeqa
Ateeq accused of blasphemy after refusing a man's advances and sentenced to
death. Junaid Hafeez implicated by jealous colleagues and jailed. Mashal Khan
lynched at behest of corrupt university admin. Blasphemy charges wreck lives
and are a disservice to Islam and Pakistan,” he said.
Hafeez,
a university professor, was sentenced to death in 2019 after being in solitary
confinement for more than six years under blasphemy charges for insulting
Prophet Muhammad on Facebook.
Khan,
a journalism student, was lynched by a mob at a university in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province in 2017.
Blasphemy
has been a sensitive issue in Pakistan. Church leaders and human rights groups
say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate religious
minorities and settle personal scores.
According
to the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), 89 people, including 18
women, have been killed in accusations and cases of blasphemy in the country
since modern Pakistan was formed in 1947.
Allegations
of blasphemy were made against 107 women and 1,308 men up to 2021, claims the
think-tank. “The actual number is believed to be higher because not all
blasphemy cases get reported in the press,” states the CRSS report, adding that
more than 70 percent of the accused were reported from Punjab province.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistani-netizens-divided-over-blasphemy-death-sentence/95876
--------
Starvation
In Afghanistan, People Sell Children And Body Parts Of Their Bodies: World Food
Program
As
winter deepens, grim situation in Afghanistan is getting worse. Freezing
temperatures compounded with starvation (File photo | AP)
----
29
Jan 2022
World
Food Program has again expressed deep concern over the humanitarian crisis in
Afghanistan and added that the Afghan people have resorted to selling their
children and parts of their bodies to survive.
Speaking
in an interview with Deutsche Welle, head of WFP David Basely asked the
international community to expedite aid delivery to Afghanistan as over half of
the population is starving in the country.
David
Basely reiterated that if billionaires of the world allocate the income of
their single day to Afghanistan, it will end the humanitarian crisis in
Afghanistan.
Basely
added that lack of cash is the real challenge in Afghanistan not lack access of
people in need to relief assistance.
The
WFP has estimated that they will need $2.6 billion to provide foodstuff to
people in need in Afghanistan in the current year.
The
Afghan people have been going through the worst humanitarian situation in
decades after the Taliban takeover on August 15 last year but the IEA has
assured of special plans to end poverty in the country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/starvation-in-afghanistan-people-sell-children-and-body-parts-wfp-76576/
--------
China
Agrees To Xinjiang Visit By UN Rights Chief After Olympics: Report
Uighur
children play near a cage protecting heavily armed Chinese paramilitary
policemen on duty in Urumqi in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous
Region (AP file photo)
-----
Jan
28, 2022
BEIJING:
China has agreed that the UN human rights chief can visit Xinjiang after the
Beijing Olympics, the South China Morning Post said, citing unidentified
sources, but activists and a Western diplomat expressed doubt after years of
stalled talks.
Rights
groups have accused China of widescale abuses against Uyghurs and other
minority groups in its far western region of Xinjiang, including mass
detention, torture and forced labour. The United States has accused China of
genocide.
Beijing
denies all allegations of abuse of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims and has
described its policies as necessary to combat religious extremism.
The
newspaper said approval for the visit by Michelle Bachelet, the UN high
commissioner for human rights, after the Games conclude on Feb. 20, was granted
on condition that it should be "friendly" and not framed as an
investigation.
Beijing
had asked Bachelet's office not to publish a report on the situation in
Xinjiang, the paper said on Thursday.
The
office of Bachelet, who has been pursuing negotiations with China for a visit
since September 2018, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A
Western diplomat cast doubt on the SCMP report, saying China and Bachelet had
been discussing a visit for years but had yet to agree the terms of reference,
which, on Bachelet's side, include free and unfettered access to people of her
choice.
A
spokesman of China's foreign ministry, Zhao Lijian, said Bachelet had been
invited to visit Xinjiang a long time ago for the purpose of exchange and
cooperation, and added that China opposed any "political
manipulation" based on the visit.
With
the UN Human Rights Council's five-week session set to start on Feb 28,
activists and diplomats say the diplomatic window is closing for Bachelet to
publish the report, expected to be based on her office's own research and
interviews with alleged victims and witnesses in and out of Xinjiang and China.
US
lawmakers had urged the UN human rights office to release its assessment before
the Olympics.
Activists
have voiced frustration for months about the delay in publishing the report. In
December, Bachelet's spokesperson told a UN briefing in Geneva that her office
was finalising its assessment of the situation.
As in
2008, the Olympics have again cast a spotlight on China's human rights record,
which critics say has worsened since, leading Washington to call Beijing's
treatment of Uyghur Muslims genocide and prompting a diplomatic boycott by the
United States and other countries.
"No
one, especially the world's leading human rights diplomat, should be fooled by
the Chinese government's efforts to distract attention away from its crimes
against humanity targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic communities," Sophie
Richardson, the China director of New York-based Human Rights Watch, told
Reuters in an email on Friday.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
Kerala: Catholic priest booked for offensive remarks against Muslims
28th
January 2022
Kannur
police have lodged a complaint against a Catholic priest in Manikkadavu, near
Iritty, for allegedly making offensive remarks against Muslims.
According
to the Ulikkal police, the accused made insulting statements against halal
cuisine and Prophet Mohammed during a speech at Manikkadavu St Thomas Church.
As per a Times of India report, a complaint has been filed against Father
Antony Tharakkadavil of the Kunnoth Seminary under Section 153 of the IPC.
The
priest allegedly said that attempts were being made to convert Christian girls
after attracting them through a network of juice shops. The Sunni Yuvajana
Sangam (SYS) said that such remarks were inappropriate for a priest and a
disgrace for the state where many religious groups live in harmony.
Chancellor
of Thalassery Archdiocese, Father Thomas Thenguballil commented on the issue
saying, “The remarks against Muslim beliefs in a speech made during the
Manikkadavu church festival do not reflect the stand of the Catholic Church or
the Thalassery Archdiocese. We do not support ideas which are against communal
harmony.”
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/kerala-catholic-priest-booked-for-offensive-remarks-against-muslims-2265783/
--------
Karnataka:
Ex-Congress MLA's Kin Among 8 Chargesheeted by NIA in Islamic State Conspiracy
Case
JANUARY
29, 2022
Afamily
member of former Karnataka Congress MLA, late B M Idinabba, has been
chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency over alleged conspiracy to
recruit people for Islamic State (IS) from India.
According
to a report in Indian Express, the chargesheet was filed against eight accused,
including Deepthi Marla and Ammar Abdul Rahiman. Marla’s husband Anas Abdul
Rahiman is son of B M Basha, whose father Idinabba was a former Congress MLA.
Idinabba died in 2009. Ammar Rahiman is Anas’s brother. Marlah had been
arrested earlier this month.
“Investigation
has revealed that all eight accused chargesheeted today are affiliated
with…ISIS and were involved in radicalising, recruiting, organising terror
funds and grooming like-minded gullible Muslim youth through different secured
social media platforms to perform Hijrat to ISIS-controlled territory for
joining ISIS," the agency was quoted. NIA had registered a case in the
matter in March last year.
“During
investigation, it has been revealed that after the decline of ISIS Caliphate in
Syria/Iraq, Deepthi Marla and Mohd. Ameen had visited Kashmir in January and
March 2020 for Hijrah (religious migration) and for engaging in terrorist acts
and supporting the activities of ISIS," the NIA stated.
Source:
News18
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gujarat:
Three held for killing man over Facebook post in Ahmedabad
Jan
28, 2022
AHMEDABAD:
Three persons, including a Muslim cleric, have been arrested in connection with
the killing of 27-year-old man over a Facebook post in Dhandhuka town of
Gujarat's Ahmedabad district, a senior police official said on Friday. Kishan
Boliya was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants in Modhwada area of
Dhandhuka on January 25, when he was riding pillion on his brother's
two-wheeler.
The
police have arrested Shabbir Chopda (25), Imtiyaz Pathan (27), both residents
of Dhandhuka, and maulvi Mohhamad Ayyub Javrawala (51), who is from Jamalpur
area of Ahmedabad city, an official said.
Preliminary
investigations have revealed that Shabbir, who was riding pillion on Pathan's
motorcycle, had opened fire on Boliya, killing him on the spot, Ahmedabad
superintendent of police Virendrasingh Yadav said.
"We
zeroed in on Shabbir and Pathan after scanning the footage of CCTVs installed
on the route, which showed the duo following Boliya on their motorcycle.
Shabbir is quite radicalised and was in touch with a Mumbai-based maulvi, who
asked him to be in touch with Javrawala," Yadav said.
During
a religious gathering in Ahmedabad a few months ago, which Shabbir had
attended, Javrawala had allegedly said that Muslims should not spare people who
insult Islam, the official said.
On
January 6, Boliya had shared a Facebook post, which Muslims found offensive and
approached the police to take action, claiming it had hurt their religious
sentiments. Based on a complaint, the Dhandhuka police had lodged an FIR
against Boliya on January 9 and took necessary legal action, he said.
"However,
Shabbir was not happy with the FIR and police action. So, he consulted the
cleric and told him that he needed a weapon to teach Boliya a lesson for
sharing that post. Javrawala then gave him a pistol and some cartridges. With
the help of his friend Pathan, Shabbir shot Boliya dead on January 25,"
Yadav said.
Before
killing him, Shabbir kept a secret watch on Boliya's daily routine and
movements for four to five days, Yadav said, adding that the weapon used in the
crime is yet to be recovered.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hijab
row: Udupi college asks students to opt for online classes, local leaders cite
divide & politics
by
Kiran Parashar
January
29, 2022
“IF
THE government thinks wearing the hijab is a crime, and does not allow my
daughter to attend the final exams, let her stay at home… We want our daughter
to study well and excel in life but why are her rights being snatched?”
It’s
a decision driven by despair. His daughter, a Class 12 student, is among six
Muslim girls who have been denied entry into their classrooms at a Government
Pre-University College in Karnataka’s Udupi since January 1 for wearing the
hijab.
“We
are being treated like criminals for demanding the fundamental right to
practise our religion. My classmates were not allowed to talk to me and if
someone was seen talking to us, they were pulled up,” said the student.
Ever
since these six students were kept out of classrooms, the issue has been
gaining steam until the college in communally polarised coastal Karnataka was
ordered closed last week by local authorities on account of a Covid outbreak.
The
college development committee, which is headed by BJP MLA K Raghupathi Bhat,
has now “suggested” that students wearing the hijab to college must opt for
online classes until the issue is resolved by the BJP state government.
Speaking
to The Indian Express, Karnataka Education Minister B C Nagesh said: “We have
ordered for the formation of a committee to look into the uniform matter. We
cannot change it for one college. Once the committee submits its report, a call
will be taken. We have asked all the schools and colleges across the state to
maintain the status quo.”
The
state’s Department of Undergraduate Education does not prescribe uniforms for
its colleges, and individual government colleges have come up with their own
rules in this regard.
At
the Udupi college, the students claim the hijab was allowed in class till a few
years ago. “But for the past few years, they (college officials) have been
objecting to it and asking us to remove it inside the classroom. We have been
wanting to wear the hijab in class but were repeatedly denied permission. We
decided to go ahead now,” said one of them.
Rudre
Gowda, the college principal, says the rule on hijab has been in force since
the college got established in 1985. “According to the rule, the students are
allowed to wear the hijab till they reach their desks. Once the class starts,
they have to remove the hijab. This issue started only at the end of December
and we don’t know why,” he said.
There
is no state government directive regarding a ban on the hijab at any of its
institutions. Bengaluru-based lawyer Maitreyi Krishnan points to a Kerala High
Court ruling in 2016 — on a case over a dress code for the all-India
pre-medical entrance test — that banning the hijab would violate article 25(1)
of the Constitution on religious freedom. “There are essential rights in each
faith and that cannot be denied,” Krishnan said.
In
Udupi, teachers and local leaders feel the issue has gone beyond their control.
They are now concerned that the controversy could spread to other schools and
colleges in the district since radical groups have entered the fray “to
generate political mileage”.
The
Campus Front of India (CFI), the student wing of Popular Front of India (PFI),
has supported the students’ demand. But Hindu Jagarana Vedike (HJV) general secretary
Prakash Kukkehalli has warned that Hindu students will attend classes with
saffron shawls if the hijab is allowed.
“We
do not know how this issue cropped up but if this is not addressed, it is going
to spread to other schools and colleges, polluting the environment of
educational institutions,” said Abdul Rehman Razvi Kalkatta, secretary of the
Muslim co-ordination committee for Udupi district.
The
college has a strength of about 700 students, including 76 Muslim students. On
Wednesday, MLA Bhat held a meeting with Muslim leaders and the principal, and
suggested that students unwilling to attend classes without the hijab can take
up online classes.
Speaking
to The Indian Express, Bhat said: “There are educational institutions with
their own sets of rules, and this college has set its own rules. There is
nothing on paper but it has been followed for years.”
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Britain’s
Youngest Islamist Terrorist, Aged Just 14, Back Behind Bars For Breaking His
Release Conditions
29
January 2022
Britain’s
youngest Islamist terrorist is back behind bars for breaking his release conditions
after being jailed for plotting a beheading and massacre aged just 14.
The
man, from Blackburn, Lancashire, identified only by the letters RXG, was
described as a “deeply committed extremist” who, aged 14, was days away from
helping stage a “massacre” at an Anzac Day parade in Australia in April 2015.
Six
months later he was sentenced to life at Manchester Crown Court and told he
would only be eligible for parole in October 2020 after serving a minimum of
five years in custody after admitting inciting terrorism overseas.
He
was arrested last month and, now in his early 20s, is back in custody at a jail
in the north of England, security sources told the PA news agency.
RXG
was found to be in possession of a smartphone, which broke the terms of his release
on licence.
The
nature of the material on his phone is not known to PA but sources said the
fact that he had the internet-enabled device meant he was held.
RXG
had exchanged more than 3,000 encrypted messages from his Samsung phone
instructing a jihadist in Australia, Sevdet Besim, to launch “martyrdom”
attacks during an Anzac Day remembrance parade in Melbourne.
The
teenager was recruited online by Islamic State propagandist Abu Khaled
al-Cambodi and took on the role of “organiser and adviser”, suggesting to Besim
beheading or using a car and machete to murder police officers.
Australian
police were alerted to the plot after British officers discovered material on
the teenager’s phone.
Media
are banned from identifying RXG so as not to interfere with his rehabilitation.
There
is no suggestion he has committed any further offences.
Sources
said RXG had already had one “close shave” on being recalled to prison, after
he was located near an airport.
When
he was jailed at Manchester Crown Court in October 2015, one expert concluded
the defendant posed a high risk of serious harm to the public including forces
and emergency service personnel worldwide.
Jailing
him, Mr Justice Saunders said the revelation that someone of only 14 was
radicalised to the point of wanting to murder was “chilling”.
The
court heard the defendant felt isolated in terms of his education and home
life, and filled the “vacuum” in his life with religious extremism.
He
had paid “lip service” to the Government’s attempts to deradicalise him through
the Channel programme and became “disengaged” with the process.
Police
found “disturbing material” on electronic devices seized from his bedroom.
An
officer from the hi-tech unit of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCTU)
decoded the encrypted messages exchanged and uncovered the plot.
Anzac
Day was the chosen for the attack as it is commemorated each year on April 25,
to honour Australians and New Zealanders killed in war.
Besim,
at the time 18 and from Melbourne, pleaded guilty to a single terror-related
charge and was jailed for 10 years at the Victorian supreme court in 2016.
A ban
on identifying RXG because he was aged under 18 applied at the time he was
convicted.
Source:
Jersey Evening Post
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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UN
Human Rights Office says discussions ongoing for visit to Xinjiang
Peter
Kenny
28.01.2022
GENEVA
The
United Nations Human Rights Office said Friday that there are ongoing
discussions about a possible visit to Xinjiang during the first half of this
year by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
UN
Rights Office spokesman Rupert Colville was asked to comment at a UN press
conference on a report in a Hong Kong newspaper that such a visit might take
place before the Beijing Winter Olympics that start on Feb. 4.
"As
we've stated many times, from our side, it's important that such a visit be
meaningful, with unsupervised access to a wide range of civil society actors
and locations, as well as high-level arrangement with government officials,"
said Colville.
"But
clearly, it's not going to take place before the start of the Olympics. The
parameters of that visit are still very much under discussion. There's no final
decision or agreement."
Colville
was also asked about a pending report from Bachelet's office regarding the
Xinjiang region where the minority Uyghurs live.
"When
we produce these reports, we're often making very serious allegations, which
are tied to very serious elements of law, international law, humanitarian law,
human rights, law, whatever," said the UN rights office official.
"So,
I don't exactly know where we are in that. But I know we're in the final
stages.
Since
she assumed office in 2018, UN Human Rights Office chief Michelle Bachelet has
been calling on China to allow her office access to the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region.
No
progress
At
the Human Rights Council on Sept. 13, she said she was sorry that there was no
progress on the issue.
According
to the UN data, at least 1 million Uyghurs are kept against their will in
places Beijing calls "vocational training centers" and the
international community defines as "re-education camps".
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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One
of three suspects accused of murdering British imam pleads not guilty
January
29, 2022
LONDON:
A 22-year-old man accused of killing a British-Bangladeshi imam in East London
has pleaded not guilty. Muzahid Ali, one of three men charged with murdering
Mohammed Aqil Mahdi, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Friday and was
remanded in custody.
The
other defendants, Majid Ahmed, 18, and Abul Kashem, 28, did not appear for
their plea hearings. Ahmed had been transferred to the Category-A Belmarsh
prison and his “papers had been lost in transition,” said Judge Deborah Taylor.
Prosecutor
Gareth Patterson QC said Kashem was listed as “not attending.” His attorney,
Benjamin Gordon, said his client was “unwell and complaining of stomach pains.”
Judge Taylor said Kashem was “fit to attend court” and there was “no
justification” for not doing so.
Ahmed
and Kashem were ordered to attend their arraignment, which was set for May 6,
days before the time limit on their custody is due to expire. All three of the
accused were previously refused bail and have been in custody since they were
charged on Nov. 10.
Ali
spoke only twice during his court appearance on Friday, once to answer “yes”
when asked by the judge whether he had spoken to counsel, and then to plead
“not guilty.”
Paramedics
found Mahdi, 22, who lived in north London, with stab wounds on Nov. 6, police
said. He was unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene.
Mahdi
was in his second year at Greenwich University, where he was studying
accounting and finance. He also taught the Qur’an in his spare time and had led
Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan at various mosques around London for the past
nine years.
“He
wanted to dedicate his time by making a difference and impacting young children
and teenagers’ lives by teaching the Qur’an alongside his studies,” his mother,
Shamam Chowdhury, told Arab News.
An
online fund has been set up in Mahdi’s memory to raise money for a mosque in
Egypt where he studied in 2019 to receive his ijazah, a license for those who
want to teach Islam’s holy book.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2014216/world
--------
Europeans
set two-week deadline to review untenable situation in Mali
January
29, 2022
PARIS:
European allies have agreed to draw up plans within two weeks for how to
continue their fight against militants in Mali, Denmark’s defense minister
said, after France said the situation with the Malian junta had become
untenable.
Tensions
have escalated between Mali and its international partners after the junta
failed to organize an election following two military coups.
It
has also deployed Russian private military contractors, which some European
countries have said is incompatible with their mission.
“There
was a clear perception, that this is not about Denmark, it’s about a Malian
military junta, which wants to stay in power. They have no interest in a
democratic election, which is what we have demanded,” Defense Minister Trine Bramse
said after a virtual meeting between the 15 countries involved in the European
special forces Takuba task mission.
She
said the parties had agreed to come up with a plan within 14 days to decide on
what the “future counterterrorism mission should look like in the Sahel
region.”
The
ministers held crisis talks after the junta insisted on an immediate withdrawal
of Danish forces despite the 15 nations rejecting its claims that Copenhagen’s
presence was illegal.
“European,
French and international forces are seeing measures that are restricting them.
Given the situation, given the rupture in the political and military frameworks
we cannot continue like this,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian
told RTL radio earlier in the day.
The
junta’s handling of Denmark is likely to impact future deployments, with
Norway, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Lithuania due to send troops this year.
It
raises questions about the broader future of French operations in Mali, where
there are some 4,000 troops. Paris had staked a great deal on bringing European
states to the region.
Col.
Arnaud Mettey, commander of France’s forces in Ivory Coast, which backs up
Sahel operations, said that the junta had no right to refuse Denmark’s presence
given agreed treaties.
“Either
they are rejecting this treaty and so put into question our presence or they
apply it,” he said.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2014136/world
--------
UK
minister: Pro-Palestinian 'from the river to the sea' chanters could face
prosecution
28
January 2022
A
British minister has threatened pro-Palestinian protesters and activists with
prosecution and warned that those chanting slogans in support of Gaza-based
resistance groups could face legal action.
In
yet another anti-Palestine move by the West, UK Education Secretary Nadhim
Zahawi said protesters chanting the pro-Palestinian slogan "From the river
to sea, Palestine will be free" should be referred to the police.
Zahawi
claimed that the slogan, the wording of which refers to the River Jordan and
the Mediterranean Sea, was an indication of “anti-Semitism”.
He
said it was essential for university campuses to crack down on pro-Palestinian
activists as those using the chant were implicitly supporting Palestinian
resistance groups, particularly Hamas.
"Any
form of anti-Semitism or prejudice promoting the murder of Jewish people is in
my book anti-Semitic and therefore you should act on that," he said.
"This is a proscribed organization and they should be reported to the
police."
Palestinians
have invariably acknowledged that the slogan shows their desire for the
establishment of a democratic state in historic Palestine, the liberation of
al-Quds and the return of all Palestinians to their homeland.
In
November last year, the British government blacklisted the political wing of
Hamas, joining the United States, Canada and the European Union in fully
banning the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance group, which provides a
tremendous amount of defense for the Palestinian rights against frequent
Israeli acts of aggression.
London
had already banned the group’s military wing, known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam
Brigades, across the UK. The move to proscribe Hamas means its members or those
who invite support for the resistance group could be jailed for up to 14 years.
Source:
Press TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Pakistan
Pakistan-Afghanistan
Border Have Brought To Light The Unresolved Issue Of The Durand Line, Says
Think Tank
Jan
29, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The recent incidents at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border have brought to light
the unresolved issue of the Durand Line, which has the potential to exacerbate
tensions between the two sides.
Following
the Taliban's takeover of Kabul in August, Pakistan had hoped to put the issue
of Durand Line to rest. Pakistani leadership backed the Afghan Taliban despite
warnings from the international community about a terrorist blowback.
Within
months of the Taliban takeover of Kabul, Pakistan is now facing the
consequences, said an editorial piece by virtual think-tank Global Strat View
(GSV).
As
the Taliban try to establish themselves politically in Afghanistan, the
simmering issue of Durand Line has resurfaced after the Taliban damaged parts
of the border fence erected by the Pakistan army.
Experts
have anticipated the likelihood that the current border clashes on the border
can potentially lead to a rupture in the ties between Kabul and Islamabad.
Recently,
Pakistan's National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf had to cancel his visit
to Afghanistan in view of a planned anti-Pakistan protest in Kabul.
Yusuf
was scheduled to lead an inter-ministerial Pakistani delegation to discuss the
issue of border fencing along the Durand Line.
NSA
Yusuf had to cancel his two-day visit as an anti-Pakistan protest was planned
at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
Contrary
to media reports, Pakistan NSA earlier said the Taliban authorities in
Afghanistan was maintaining cordial ties with Pakistan despite border fencing
troubles.
Answering
questions on multiple border incidents with the Taliban, Yusuf said those
incidents were "local level issues" that were addressed locally and
had nothing to do with the policy of the Taliban government.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
JI
ends sit-in after successful talks with Sindh govt on LG law
January
28, 2022
The
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Friday announced to end its 29-day-long sit-in outside
the Sindh Assembly after the Sindh government agreed to amend the local
government act.
The
announcement to end the sit-in was made by JI leader Hafiz Naeemur Rehman after
successful talks with a delegation of the Sindh government. The delegation of
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was led by Sindh Minister for Local Government
Nasir Hussain Shah.
The
two sides also reached an agreement, according to which, the Karachi mayor will
be chairperson of the water and sewerage board while all departments of the
education and health sectors, including hospitals and dispensaries, will be
handed back to the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC).
The
government also agreed to form the Provincial Finance Commission (PFC) board
within 30 days after the LG elections. The elections will be held within 90
days after the local bodies end their current tenure.
The
committee formed to review the local government act will meet regularly to iron
out differences on clauses on which both parties could not agree as of now, the
agreement said, adding that the Sindh government will take measures to restore
student unions in Sindh’s educational institutions.
Speaking
to media, Nasir said that PPP and JI have agreed to empower the mayor of
Karachi.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Not
completely optimistic of Taliban govt, says Pak NSA
Jan
28, 2022
Pakistan's
frustration with the Afghan Taliban became evident on Thursday when its top
security official said Islamabad was "not completely optimistic" of
the Taliban government in Kabul as organised terrorist networks are still
operating in the war-torn nation and the Afghan soil was still being used
against his country.
Briefing
the National Assembly Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, National Security
Adviser Moeed Yusuf spoke about the threat posed to Pakistan by the presence of
the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan in Afghanistan. "Organised terrorist
networks are still operating in Afghanistan and the Afghan soil is still being
used against Pakistan,” he said. “Pakistan is not completely optimistic of the
Taliban government and a complete solution to all problems should not be
expected with the Taliban coming into powe,” he said. — PTI
Can’t
raise funds for ‘jihad’: Lahore HC
Source:
Tribune India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Ten
Pakistani soldiers killed in insurgent attack, army says
Jan
28, 2022
QUETTA:
Separatist insurgents have claimed responsibility for an attack on a Pakistani
army post near a southwestern port in which China is investing, and the army
said 10 soldiers were killed.
The
attack, launched late on Tuesday in Kech district, north of Gwadar port, was
the heaviest in years in a low-key insurgency that ethnic Baloch insurgents
have been waging against the Pakistani government.
"We
are resolute in our commitment to rid Pakistan of all forms of terrorism,"
Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a statement on Friday in which he paid
tribute to the 10 "martyred" soldiers.
The
army said it killed one of the attackers and arrested three in a clearance
operation that was still going on.
The
Baloch Liberation Front (BLF) insurgent group claimed responsibility for the
attack, saying in a statement sent to a Reuters reporter that 17 soldiers and
one of its members were killed.
Ethnic
Baloch guerrillas have been fighting the government for decades for a separate
state, saying Pakistan's central government unfairly exploit the rich gas and
mineral resources of Balochistan province, which shares borders with
Afghanistan and Iran.
China
is involved in the development of the Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea and other
projects in the province as part of a $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor, which is itself part of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative.
The
insurgents often target gas projects as well as infrastructure and security
posts in the province but have begun launching attacks in other parts of
Pakistan.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
embassy in Pakistan condemns terrorist attack on security forces in Balochistan
January
29, 2022
The
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Pakistan strongly condemned the
terrorist attack on Pakistan Army in southwestern Balochistan province.
The
Embassy in a tweet on Friday said it strongly condemns the terrorist incident
in Kech area of Balochistan, which resulted in the death and wounding of a
number of Pakistani security forces.
The
Embassy expressed its condolences to the Government and people of Pakistan and
families of the victims.
According
to a statement issued by Pakistan Army ten soldiers were martyred after
terrorists attacked a security forces' checkpost in Balochistan's Kech
district.
Source:
ABNA24
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘Hitman’
in blogger Ahmad Waqass Goraya murder plot found guilty by UK court
Atika
Rehman
January
29, 2022
LONDON:
Muhammad Gohir Khan, the 31-year-old British Pakistani man at the centre of a
trial involving the plot to slay a dissident blogger in the Netherlands, was
found guilty on Friday on one count of conspiracy to murder.
The
jury gave its verdict to the Kingston-upon-Thames crown court after
deliberating for two days.
Justice
Hilliard had earlier directed the jury to return when a majority verdict was
reached.
Mr
Khan is to be sentenced on March 11 at a criminal court.
The
trial, which spanned about two weeks, starting on Jan 11, featured chilling
accounts from the prosecution of how Mr Khan was approached in early 2021 and
paid by a Pakistan-based man identified as Muzamil for a ‘job’.
Later,
it was communicated that the job was a contract to kill Ahmad Waqass Goraya, a
dissident blogger who left Pakistan to live in exile in Rotterdam. The court
heard how Mr Khan was paid £5,000 as advance via hundi, with the primary
payment made into a Pakistani bank account by Muzamil. The agreement was that
Mr Khan would be paid the remainder, £80,000, when the job was done.
Whatsapp
and Signal message exchanges submitted as evidence during the trial revealed
how the two men spoke of the hit in code words, using fishing metaphors and
describing the blogger as ‘tuna not shark’ who would ‘not require fishing
tools’.
Upon
receiving the advance payment, Mr Khan flew to Amsterdam with a bogus letter of
reference only to be denied entry due to stringent pandemic rules. Mr Khan then
made a second attempt and was successful in travelling to Rotterdam via Paris
after taking the Eurostar. There, Mr Khan stayed at a hotel, rented a car and
made reconnaissance trips to the address of the target as provided by Muzamil.
He also purchased a knife, which the prosecution said was the intended murder
weapon.
Mr
Khan was arrested upon his return to London at the St Pancras station, and in
subsequent interviews with the police gave up his devices and shared details of
the plot.
Mr
Khan accepted during the cross-examination that the communications with Muzamil
and the plot to murder the blogger were legitimate, but denied ever intending
to murder Mr Goraya. He maintained he wanted to get money out of Muzamil, to
settle an old loss incurred when Muzamil worked for the defendant’s cargo
company.
During
the trial, voice messages exchanged between Mr Khan and Muzamil showed that the
middleman had referred to future jobs and contracts if the Goraya hit was successful.
He bragged that Mr Khan could earn £20,000 - £30,000 ‘per job’.
Talking
to Dawn, Mr Goraya said he was “a bit relieved” that the hitman sent to target
him had been arrested and would be punished.
“But
those who ordered, financed and organised the hit are still at large.”
Mr
Goraya has not returned to Pakistan since 2017, the year he was abducted in the
capital. That year, he and his family went into self-imposed exile in the
Netherlands, citing security fears and threats.
He
said that on Feb 12, 2021, the Dutch police informed him that he should move
from his home as they believed his life was in danger.
Source:
Dawn
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South Asia
Defining inclusive government is not Intl-Community’s task, Afghans should do
it: EU
28
Jan 2022
European
Union has reacted to Amir Khan Motaqi’s-acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan-
remarks accusing the international community of having been failed in defining
an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
Special
Representative of European Union for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson said that
defining inclusive government in Afghanistan is not the task of the
International Community and that the Afghan men and women must do it.
“It
is for all adult Afghan men and women to do so through transparent processes on
which they have also had a say and respecting their rights.” Reads the Twitter
post of Niklasson.
Earlier,
Amir Motaqi said that the IEA government is fully inclusive and that the
International community is making a “political excuse” by accusing the IEA’s
interim government of not being inclusive.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Protest
over water, Iranian protestors attack Afghan vehicles
29
Jan 2022
People
in the bordering Sistan-Balochistan province of Iran took to the streets on
Friday, January 28, 2022, and demanded their rights to water that flows from
Afghanistan, Iranian State media Irna reported.
Security
forces in the port interfered after the protestors started attacking trucks
that belonged to the Afghan people.
Eyewitnesses
say that Iranian protestors broke the windows of trucks and inflicted financial
loss to the drivers.
Meanwhile,
another group of Iranian protestors rallied at the Afghan consulate in Zahedan
city and demanded the flow of Helmand water to the country.
After
the demonstration of Iranian nationals, the Afghan drivers rallied on
Afghanistan soil and asked for their losses to be refunded.
The
demonstration comes a year after former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani
inaugurated hydroelectric dam-Kamal Khan Dam- on Helmand River and said that
they will no longer give water to Iran for free but in exchange for oil.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/protest-over-water-iranian-protestors-attack-afghan-vehicles-87768767/
--------
IEA
working on comprehensive economic, educational plans: Mujahid
28
Jan 2022
Acting
Minister of Information and Culture and Spokesperson of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan Zabiullah Mujahid said that Afghanistan’s future is bright as they
have comprehensive economic and educational plans.
Speaking
in a video clip on Friday, January 28, 2022, Zabiullah Mujahid said that
different government administrations are busy working for the country’s
economic and educational sectors.
The
spokesperson added that Afghanistan will have great opportunities for the
development of the economy of the country and drafting comprehensive plans for
strengthening the economy is going on.
“We
will have great economic opportunities in coming months along with investment,
large economic projects will get started, mines will be excavated, and the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will have plans for the country’s economy.” Said
Mujahid.
About
education in Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid said that the IEA would like to
provide a proper environment for girls and that works have been expedited in
this regard.
“Based
on the plans of the IEA, Afghanistan will own proper educational places and
universities both for boys and girls. Our universities will be providing modern
studies based on Sharia law for male and female.”
Zabiullah
Mujahid further added that the development of Afghanistan is fully dependent on
education and for this cause, there is a dire need for the young people in
Afghanistan to get educated.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/iea-working-on-comprehensive-economic-educational-plans-mujahid-876856/
--------
Russian
ready to mediate talks between Taliban and other Afghan fractions
29
Jan 2022
A
week after reports in regards to the visit of top officials of the Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan and members of the so-called National Resistance Forces
(NRF) to Russia denied by both parties, Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said that
they are ready to host talks between the Taliban and their dissidents.
Press
and information in charge of the Foreign Ministry of Russia Alexy Ziatsf in a
weekly press conference said that they are ready to host negotiations between
the Taliban and other factions in Afghanistan.
Earlier,
there were rumors that the IEA’s Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani
Baradar and acting Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob Mujahid will meet with
the head of the NRF Ahmad Masoud and leader of the Jamiat-e-Islami party
Salahudin Rabbani in Russia.
The
rumors were denied by both parties later on.
After
the Taliban takeover on August 15 last year, the parties have met only once in
the Iranian capital Tehran.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pregnant
New Zealand reporter 'forced' to ask Taliban for refuge, slams MIQ system
Jan
29, 2022
A
pregnant New Zealand reporter has said that she was forced to ask for refuge in
Afghanistan after being denied an MIQ (Managed Isolation and Quarantine) spot.
The MIQ is an important step implemented by the New Zealand government to stop
the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
It is
meant for people who are coming back to New Zealand from abroad, to prevent the
spread of Covid-19 in the country.
The
journalist Charlotte Bellis was reporting on Afghanistan for Al Jazeera. Bellis
wrote an open letter in New Zealand Herald in which the reporter said that she
discovered she was pregnant in September while in Qatar, where Al Jazeera’s
headquarters are. She quit her job in November seeking to return to her home
country to give birth to her child. But that's where the problems began, the
former reporter said.
Bellis
said that she had to go to her partner’s country Belgium as it is illegal to be
unmarried and pregnant in Qatar. She said she kept trying to get to New Zealand
but couldn’t succeed in getting an MIQ spot through New Zealand’s lottery
system.
Bellis
said she could not overstay in Belgium since she was not a resident and had
nowhere else to go but Afghanistan. So, she organised a meeting with senior
Taliban contacts and told them about her situation. The Taliban told her she
and her partner will be safe in Afghanistan.
"No
we're happy for you, you can come and you won't have a problem. Just tell
people you're married and if it escalates, call us. Don't worry. Everything
will be fine," the Taliban told her through a translator, Bellis said in
her article.
She
had gained fame after asking the Taliban, when they seized power in Afghanistan
in August last year, what they will do to protect women's rights.
The
journalist said despite her numerous attempts, and the doctors telling her that
it is unsafe to give birth in Afghanistan, her application for an MIQ sport was
rejected on January 24. Among the reasons given were that the couple's travel
dates were more than 14 days away and she did not provide evidence she had
scheduled medical treatment in New Zealand.
"I
thought about sending them a story I did in October at a maternity hospital in
Kabul where they had no power so were delivering by cell phones at night. They
couldn't do caesarean deliveries and the only medicine they had were tabs of
paracetamol wrapped in crinkled newspaper," Bellis said in her open
letter, describing her ordeal and the situation in Afghanistan.
She
further said that New Zealand’s Covid-19 minister Chris Hipkins got involved,
after which her application’s status in MIQ website changed to “under review”
from “rejected”.
Bellis
then questioned the entire process and claimed they were getting a preferential
treatment “because of who we are and the resources we have”.
"The
decision of who should get an emergency MIQ spot is not made on a level playing
field, lacks ethical reasoning and pits our most vulnerable against each
other," she said in the article.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Three
NGOs To Challenge Decision On The Validity Of Vernacular Schools After The Case
Was Dismissed By The High Court
January
27, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Three NGOs that filed suits on the validity of vernacular schools filed
their appeals this week after the case was dismissed by the High Court.
The
Federation of Peninsular Malay Students (GPMS), the Islamic Education
Development Council (Mappim) and the Confederation of Malaysian Writers
Association (Gapena) said they had instructed their lawyers to file the appeal
before the Court of Appeal.
“We
hope this appeal can clarify the constitutional position (of vernacular
schools) and that our case would not be used as a racial issue by irresponsible
parties,” they said.
Last
month, High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali ruled that the use of Tamil
and Mandarin in vernacular schools was constitutional.
“These
schools are not public entities as defined in the Federal Constitution to use
Malay as the medium of instruction,” he said in dismissing the suit against the
existence of vernacular schools.
Nazlan
added that one must also look at pre- and post-Merdeka laws and the
Constitution, which provide safeguards for the use of these languages and for
the schools to exist.
In
the lawsuit, GPMS, Mappim and Gapena sought a declaration that Sections 2, 17
and 28 of the Education Act 1996, and the extent to which they provided for the
establishment of vernacular schools using Tamil and Mandarin as the main
languages, were inconsistent with Article 152(1) of the Constitution and are
considered null and void.
Nazlan
added that there was no basis to contend that vernacular schools infringed
Articles 5, 8, 10, 11 and 12 of the Constitution. He said the use of these
languages as mediums of instruction was constitutional and protected under
exceptions in Articles 152 (1) (a) and (b) of the Constitution.
“Enrolment
in a vernacular school is, after all, a matter of choice. It is difficult to
see in what fashion the establishment and existence of these schools would
infringe the rights of any person under the Constitution,” he said.
The
government was named as a defendant in the suit. However, the court later
allowed political parties and other groups to be included as co-defendants.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Japan’s
Hayashi strongly condemns Houthis, pledges cooperation with UAE
January
28, 2022
TOKYO:
Japan’s foreign minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, in a telephone talk on Friday Jan.
28 with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, minister of foreign affairs and
international cooperation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), strongly condemned
the series of recent attacks against Abu Dhabi which were claimed by the
Houthis.
With
regards to the Houthis’ attacks on January 17 which resulted in casualties,
minister Hayashi expressed his condolences to those who lost their lives and
their bereaved families, and prayed for the swift recovery of those who were
injured in the incident, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said on Friday evening.
During
the talks, minister Hayashi expressed Japan’s commitment to continue to
actively contribute to the stability of the Middle East region in coordination
with the UAE and other countries concerned.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2013986/world
--------
Groups
voice concerns over Kafa Ihsan plan
29
Jan 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The intention to introduce Fardu Ain Basic Class (Kafa) Ihsan module to
all secondary school students has drawn concerns from civil society leaders and
educational groups.
Member
of the G25 group of eminent Malays Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin said national
schools should instead focus on science, technology, engineering and
mathematics subjects.
“I believe
national schools should have fewer religious classes and more time devoted to
English, mathematics and science subjects.
“We
should not try to turn our students into ustaz and ustazah as there are already
many of them.
“Religious
classes should instead include ethics as an important component,” she said.
On
Thursday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs)
Senator Idris Ahmad said a Kafa Ihsan module would be introduced to all
secondary school students in the near future.
Idris
said the module was still in the final evaluation process by the Department of
Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim).
However,
he said Kafa Ihsan would be an elective subject and that students were
encouraged to take it.
Parent
Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said
schools need more well-rounded students in line with the spirit of the national
education policy.
“The
teaching of Islam is about its delivery, proper practice and the imparting of
knowledge,” she said.
Noor
Azimah said it appeared that the proposed curriculum is linked to Jakim.
“This
could breach some laws as Jakim does not have any jurisdiction nor presence in
schools.
“The
teaching of Islam as we know is state-controlled under the Islamic Religious Council
and as such, should not be allowed to encroach into the Education Ministry’s
timetable,” she said.
Noor
Azimah also said the announcement was “highly suspect” as it did not come from
the ministry.
Melaka
Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin said he is “lost
for words” with the proposal.
“I
hope the Education Ministry will reconsider this proposal. There are already
many concerns that our schools are too religion-orientated,” he said.
A
parent, who wanted to be known as Noor, said having the Kafa Ihsan module in
schools is fine so long as it remains an elective subject.
Source:
The Star
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/01/29/groups-voice-concerns-over-kafa-ihsan-plan
--------
Three
Indonesian soldiers die in Papua ambush
Katharina
Reny Lestari
January
28, 2022
Three
soldiers were killed and another was seriously wounded by an armed separatist
group during an attack on a military post in Indonesia’s easternmost province
of Papua, the army said.
The
Jan. 27 attack was carried out by the West Papua National Liberation Army, the
military wing of the Free Papua Organization, in Tigilobak of Puncak district.
Indonesian
military spokesman Colonel Aqsha Erlangga said the rebels ambushed the soldiers
at dawn while the guard was being changed at the military post.
He
said the rebels killed one soldier at the scene and mortally wounded another
before fleeing into the jungle.
They
attacked again while Indonesian soldiers were trying to evacuate the badly
wounded soldier, fatally wounding one more trooper and injuring another.
West
Papua National Liberation Army spokesman Sebby Sambom later claimed
responsibility for the attack.
“[We]
will continue to mobilize our fighters in our 34 defense regions throughout the
Land of Papua,” the Papuan news portal jubi.co.id quoted him as saying.
Father
Bernard Baru, chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Augustinian
Order in Papua, condemned the attack and called on both sides to seek a
peaceful solution to the conflict through dialogue.
“If
the central government cares about the common good, it will tell all Papuan
people, including separatist rebels, to sit down for talks,” he told UCA News.
He
said the Catholic Church could play a significant role as a mediator.
The
attack was the latest in a decades-long campaign of violence by separatists
seeking independence from Indonesia.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/three-indonesian-soldiers-die-in-papua-ambush/95904
--------
Let
the people decide which party is relevant, Tok Mat tells PAS
January
29, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chief Mohamad Hasan has fired back at PAS,
saying the Islamic party is not likely to be part of the government after the
next general election (GE15).
Mohamad,
who is also Umno deputy president, said BN is also willing to let the people
decide which party was “still relevant”.
“If
PAS feels BN is no longer relevant, then we should seek the people’s view on
that matter. Let the people also determine whether PAS or Perikatan Nasional
(PN) is still relevant,” he said in a statement today.
Mohamad,
who is also known as Tok Mat, was responding to a scathing attack against Umno
by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang in a video posted on Facebook yesterday.
Hadi
had “warned” Umno, saying PAS and Bersatu have their own strengths and will
“strike back” should Umno continue triggering state elections like it did in
Johor, following the one in Melaka two months ago.
He
said Umno was “undignified and acted unfairly” by leaving out PAS at the same
time.
“If
there are states where Umno is strong, there are also states where we are
strong. So is Bersatu in Sabah. The federal government is also dominated by PN,”
he said.
The
Marang MP also claimed that PAS had “saved” Umno-BN after its defeat in the
last general election (GE14), adding that the party’s effort had now been
forgotten.
Meanwhile,
DAP leader P Ramasamy said PAS is complaining about Umno’s betrayal because it
is worried that it might not be in the federal government much longer.
“PAS
is realising now that it might have backed the wrong horse, Bersatu, especially
with the ascendancy of Umno-BN,” the Penang deputy chief minister II said in a
statement today.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Mali
‘ruling nothing out’ in relationship with France
28
January ,2022
Malian
Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said on Friday that his government was “ruling
nothing out” regarding its relations with France, amid fraught tensions between
the two countries.
Speaking
to French broadcaster RFI, he added that the question of French troops leaving
the conflict-torn country “is not on the table for the moment.”
France,
Mali’s former colonial power, has thousands of troops deployed in Mali as part
of anti-militant force.
The
Sahel state has been struggling to contain an Islamist insurgency that first
emerged in 2012, before spreading to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Diop’s
intervention came after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told media
earlier on Friday that “things cannot stay the way they are” between the French
government and Mali’s ruling military junta.
Relations
between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since Mali’s army staged a
coup in August 2020.
Earlier
this month, the West Africa bloc ECOWAS imposed a trade embargo and shut
borders with Mali, in a decision backed by France, the United States and
European Union.
The
move followed a proposal by Mali’s junta to stay in power for up to five years
before staging elections -- despite international demands that it respect a
promise to hold the vote in February.
Diop,
referring to Le Drian’s statements, said that engaging with Mali should not be
done via the media.
“Mali
is ruling nothing out,” Diop told RFI, referring to the country’s relationship
with France.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Killings
by Islamist Militia in the DRC Rose Almost 50% in 2021, UN Says
January
28, 2022
KINSHASA,
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO —
An
Islamist militia in eastern DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) killed more than
1,200 people in 2021, up almost 50% from the previous year, the United Nations
said on Friday, even as the government imposed martial law and conducted joint
operations with Uganda to root it out.
The
increase in killings occurred as the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan armed
group that pledged allegiance to Islamic State in 2019, extended its attacks
farther northward into Ituri province, the U.N. Joint Human Rights Office said.
The
group often kills civilians as retaliation for military campaigns against it.
IS
has claimed responsibility for some of the violence carried out by ADF,
including a string of bombings in Uganda in October and November, and an
explosion in a restaurant in the Congolese city of Beni on Christmas Day.
However,
United Nations researchers say they have found no evidence of IS command and
control over ADF operations.
DRC
imposed martial law in Ituri and neighboring North Kivu province in May and
began joint operations with Uganda's army in November against the ADF.
Violence
levels have not come down, but Congolese authorities insist they are making
progress.
Authorities
on Friday detained a Kenyan ADF fighter, Salim Mohamed Rashid, government
spokesman Patrick Muyaya said. He did not provide further details.
Salim
appeared in the first video of an ADF beheading last June, according to Laren
Poole of the U.S.-based Bridgeway Foundation, which studies the group.
Source:
VOA News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Somali
military kills 28 al-Shabaab terrorists in 48 hours
Mohammed
Dhaysane
28.01.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Somali
national army (SNA) on Friday said it had killed 28 al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab
terrorists in a military operation against the terrorist group over the last
forty-eight hours.
The
operation against the group took place in the villages of Marerey, Mukay-Dhere,
Shalow and Yaqle villages, all located on the outskirts of the town of Balad,
in the country's Middle Shabelle region, according to a security officer in the
region, who spoke to Anadolu Agency over the phone.
He
said there was also a fresh firefight on Friday between the Somali military and
al-Shabaab after the terrorists attacked the village of Mukay-Dhere that also
resulted in the death of several civilians which he described as
"tragic".
Balad
is a strategic agricultural town located 40 kilometers (24 miles) north of the
country's capital, Mogadishu.
The
commander of the 27th Division of the Somali National Army, Salah Yaqub also
confirmed the operation to local media, saying they carried out the offensive
against Al-Shabaab and killed 28 terrorist fighters and destroyed their
hideouts.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somali-military-kills-28-al-shabaab-terrorists-in-48-hours/2488426
--------
Saif
al-Islam Gaddafi suggests new plan for Libyan elections
28
January, 2022
Seif
al-Islam Gaddafi - son of former dictator Muammar Gaddafi - has suggested a
tentative initiative to jumpstart Libya's stalled election process.
In
the statement published on Tuesday, lawyer Khalid al-Zaidi said that Gaddafi
proposed a delay of all processes relating to the presidential election, while
going ahead with elections for Libya's parliament, the House of
Representatives.
In
the statement, al- Zaidi said that “by postponing the presidential race without
delaying parliamentary elections…. we can avoid further war and division,
cutting off all justifications for further delays and transitions.”
“In
doing so, the newly elected parliament could then take all necessary steps to
implement effective presidential elections.”
The
letter is not signed by Gaddafi himself, and does not feature any words
directly from him.
After
years out of the spotlight, Seif al-Islam Gaddafi emerged dramatically last
November to announce his candidacy for presidential elections originally
scheduled for 24 December.
This
was despite claims that he was ineligible to stand as he had been sentenced to
death in absentia.
Many
political analysts believe however that Gaddafi's influence over Libyan
politics - and hopes for any future presidential bid - will remain severely
limited.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/saif-al-islam-gaddafi-puts-forward-new-libya-election-plan
--------
Islamist
insurgency: Mozambique in talks with Tanzania
28-01-2022
The
fighting in northern Mozambique has occasionally spilled across the border with
Tanzania, which has deployed troops in the country under the umbrella of the
Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“Tanzania
has always been on our side, has always offered to help Mozambique within the
scope of SAMIM,” Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said, referring to the SADC
mission.
“In
our talks, we looked at how our cooperating is evolving, because we are two
countries and we have a common problem,” he said in remarks broadcast on
national radio.
Nyusi
met with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan in the northern town of Pemba,
the provincial capital of Cabo Delgado, which SADC and Rwandan forces helped
Mozambique reclaim from the insurgents in August.
“REAFFIRM
COMMITMENT”
Neither
leader revealed much of the substance of their talks, but Nyusi signalled that
he wanted continued support from the region.
“The
terrorists cross the common border between Mozambique and Tanzania,” he said.
“We
are interested in a more dedicated approach to the problem.”
“We
have seen that the enemy is improving its techniques. We want to study how our
forces can deal with the enemy, with terrorism. We will soon improve our combat
forces,” he added.
Hassan
said that she came “to reaffirm our commitment to Mozambique.”
“Tanzania
is here to work together with Mozambique in our developmental and our peace and
security affairs.”
‘BRUTAL’
The
unrest erupted in 2017, leaving at least 3,500 dead and around 820,000
homeless. The insurgents’ brutal tactics – including beheadings, mass
abductions, and the torching of homes – rattled the region.
International
energy companies stopped their multi-billion-dollar natural gas projects in
Cabo Delgado and evacuated their staff.
Cabo
Delgado is home to the largest-ever foreign investment in Africa: a $20-billion
development by France’s Total.
Source:
The South African
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/africa/tanzania-islamist-insurgency-mozambique/
--------
Tunisia
thwarts alleged terrorist attack targeting tourist areas
28
January ,2022
Tunisian
police thwarted an attack planned by a woman coming from Syria, where she
received training “with terrorist groups,” targeting tourist areas in the
country, the interior ministry said on Friday.
It
added that the woman, who was planning attacks with an explosive belt, was
imprisoned.
The
ministry said the woman returned to Tunisia from Syria via Turkey on Jan. 10
after spending a year of training in Syria, where she planned the attack.
Tunisian
security forces have thwarted most militant plots in recent years and they have
become more efficient at responding to those attacks that do occur, Western
diplomats say.
In
November police shot and wounded an extremist who sought to attack them with a
knife and cleaver in the capital.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Saudi
Arabia sentences Shia cleric to eight years in prison, puts another behind bars
27
January 2022
A
court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced Shia cleric Sheikh Abdul Latif al-Nasser to
eight years in prison, as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its heavy-handed
crackdown on members of the religious community.
The
London-based and Arabic-language Nabaa television news network reported that a
terrorism court on Wednesday passed the ruling on the clergyman – a resident of
Dammam city in the kingdom's oil-rich and Shia-populated Eastern Province.
Sheikh
Nasser was arbitrarily arrested on the King Fahd Causeway, which connects Saudi
Arabia and Bahrain, in June 2019 as he was traveling with his family.
Moreover,
Saudi regime forces arrested Sheikh Kazem al-Omari earlier this week.
Nabaa
TV identified him as the son of Shia cleric Sheikh Muhammad al-Omari, who is
among distinguished religious figures in the holy city of Medina.
On
November 1 last year, Saudi authorities executed a citizen from the Qatif
region of Eastern Province over alleged involvement in terrorist activities and
weapons possession.
The
state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA), citing the Ministry of Interior, reported
at the time that the death sentence was carried out against Makki bin Kazem Al
Obaid in the city of Dammam.
The
Saudi man who was executed “took part in two shooting operations against
security forces with intent to kill” and “in dealing and possessing weapons,”
the ministry alleged in a statement.
He
was “linked to people wanted for terrorism-related activities,” the statement
further claimed.
Saudi
Arabia has stepped up politically-motivated arrests, prosecution and conviction
of peaceful dissident writers and human rights campaigners, in particular in
Eastern Province.
The
province has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011.
Protesters have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of
political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination
against the region.
The
protests have been met with a heavy-handed crackdown, with regime forces
increasing security measures across the province.
Ever
since Mohammed bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the
kingdom has ramped up arrests of activists, bloggers, intellectuals, and others
perceived as political opponents, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent
even in the face of international condemnations of the crackdown.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syrian
Military Prosecution investigating US occupation forces’ collaboration with
Daesh terrorists
28
January 2022
The
Syrian Military Prosecution says it has launched an investigation into
violations committed by the United States military forces in the
conflict-plagued Arab country, particularly the occupation troops’ training of
the Daesh Takfiri terrorists and collaboration with them to carry out various
acts of terror.
“The
Military Prosecution has come up with sufficient and incontrovertible evidence
that American forces assert fairly direct control over Daesh members as well as
their terrorist activities across Syria, using its illegal base in al-Tanf
[region in southern Syria],” Ahmad Touzan, a spokesman for the prosecution,
said at a press conference in the capital Damascus on Thursday.
He
noted, “We have convincing proof that many Daesh terrorists are currently being
trained at that base. The armed terrorists visit the base aboard their vehicles
without any restraint.”
Touzan
went on to stress that the Syrian Military Prosecution will explore all
available judicial means in order to prosecute American occupation forces for
the plunder of natural resources in Syria’s oil-rich northeastern province of
Hasakah as well as the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
“An
in-depth investigation is underway into US criminal acts in Syria, namely
destruction of various buildings, loss of human lives, attempts aimed at
undermining national sovereignty, illegal shipments of crude oil, cruel
sanctions and collaboration with Daesh in occupied territories,” he said.
“The
probe will provide Syrian authorities with the opportunity to take appropriate
legal actions against the US administration and American occupation forces in
the near future,” Touzan pointed out.
The
Syrian Military Prosecution finally denounced Washington over supporting the
separatist agenda of Kurdish-led militants from the so-called Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) by providing them with different kinds of ammunition.
The
US military trains anti-Damascus militants at al-Tanf base, which is situated
near Syria's borders with Iraq and Jordan.
Washington
has unilaterally declared a 55-kilometer “de-confliction zone” around the facility,
and frequently threatened to target Syrian forces within the area.
Back
in May 2020, a number of captured Daesh terrorists confessed to close
cooperation with US military forces stationed at al-Tanf base on carrying out
various acts of terror and sabotage.
During
confessions broadcast on Syria’s state-run television network, several
terrorists revealed that they were instructed by American forces to target
Syrian government troops in and around the ancient city of Palmyra, the Tiyas
Military Airbase – also known as the T-4 Airbase, the Shaer gas field as well
as nearby oil wells.
“Once
a close aide to our commander Hassan Alqam al-Jazrawi came to me and said he
was in contact with the Americans at al-Tanf base. The man, whose name was
Hassan al-Wali, added it was necessary to target Palmyra and T4 Airbase, and
that US forces would provide us with rocket launchers and machine guns, besides
financial support, cars and whatever we needed,” one of the terrorists said at
the time.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab
Coalition strikes kill 70 Houthi ‘terrorists’ in Marib
28
January ,2022
The
Arab Coalition has conducted 24 targeted strikes in Yemen’s Marib to combat the
Iran-backed Houthi militia, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The
strikes killed 70 “terrorists” and 16 “military vehicles,” SPA reported on
Friday.
The
operation comes during a time when tensions are rising with Yemen’s Iran-backed
Houthis.
The
Houthi militia attack on the UAE and the continued attempts on Saudi Arabia
have attracted global outcry.
The
UAE attack was reportedly a first of its kind, leading to condemnations of the
Houthi group’s actions from all major world leaders.
UAE’s
Dr. Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the country’s president, is among
many of the local officials who are in conversation with global representatives
to find a solution to the Iran-backed issue.
Gargash
said that the UAE has a “legal and moral right” to defend itself against
terrorist acts by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia during a call with Hans
Grundberg, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to
Yemen.
The
UAE official also met with the US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking where
he reiterated the need for “appropriate international pressure” which may help
reach a ceasefire agreement and aid in finding a political solution to the
Yemeni crisis.
Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthis have launched dozens of cross-border attacks on Saudi
Arabia throughout 2021.
In
September 2021, the Houthis intensified their efforts to take Marib, a
provincial capital which is the government’s last northern stronghold.
However,
on January 26, forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government swept
through a strategic central province, forcing Houthi fighters out of its second
largest district, reported The Associated Press.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
At
least 18 Kurdish fighters found dead in Syria jail hit by ISIS: Monitor
28
January ,2022
Kurdish-led
forces in northeast Syria on Friday found the bodies of 18 fellow fighters
inside a prison that ISIS attacked last week, a war monitor reported.
The
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said Wednesday that they had recaptured the
sprawling complex in the city of Hasakeh following a January 20 ISIS jailbreak
attempt that sparked days of clashes inside the facility and in surrounding areas.
But
mop-up operations are still underway in the Ghwayran prison where Kurdish
forces say dozens of terrorists remain holed up.
During
a sweep on Friday, the SDF backed by Kurdish internal security forces “found
the corpses of 18 fellow fighters killed by terrorists”, the Britain-based
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The
war monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, also reported
that an overnight air strike near the jail, carried out by the US-led coalition
battling ISIS, killed seven terrorist.
The
death toll since January 20 now stands at over 260, including around 180 ISIS
terrorists, 73 members of Kurdish-led forces and seven civilians, according to
the Observatory.
The
terrorists that remain inside the facility have barricaded themselves in
“cellars that are difficult to target with air strikes or infiltrate on the
ground,” the Observatory said.
Kurdish
forces “are looking to starve jihadists into surrendering,” said Observatory
head Rami Abdul Rahman, adding that those holding out were diehard ISIS
followers.
An
SDF official said around 60 ISIS fighters were holed up in a basement and a
ground floor above it.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon
govt says ‘will not be launchpad for activities that violate countries’
28
January ,2022
The
Lebanese government, in a letter to Gulf states, would say that the Lebanon
“will not be a launchpad for activities that violates Arab countries,” sources
familiar with the letter told Reuters on Friday.
The
Lebanese foreign minister will deliver the letter in response to a Kuwaiti
proposal of confidence-building measures to end a diplomatic rift with Gulf
states on Saturday in an Arab ministerial meeting in Kuwait.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon’s
Bahaa Rafik Hariri says he will follow father into politics
28
January ,2022
Lebanon’s
Bahaa Hariri said on Friday that he will continue the journey of his father,
the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and would “enter the battle to take back”
the country.
Bahaa’s
younger brother, Lebanon’s veteran Sunni Muslim leader Saad Hariri, a three
times prime minister, said earlier this week that he would not run in a
forthcoming parliamentary election and was suspending his role in political
life, calling on his political party to do the same.
Saad’s
decision opened a new phase in Lebanon’s sectarian politics and will accelerate
the fragmentation of the Sunni community which his family dominated for 30
years with Saudi support.
Bahaa,
55, who has not held public office before and largely kept away from politics,
said in a recorded speech sent to news outlets that he “will fight the battle
to restore the country and restore the sovereignty of the country from its
occupiers.”
A
businessman whose interests include real estate investments in Lebanon and
Jordan, Bahaa, a Lebanese-Saudi national, said that he would continue his
father’s path.
He
added that “any misinformation or intimidation” alluding to a power vacuum
among Lebanon’s Sunni Muslims “serves only the enemies of the country.”
Saad
cited Iran’s influence as one of the reasons he saw little hope of positive
change for Lebanon.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘Callers
of peace’: 3-day conference on Muslim Brotherhood begins
Riyaz
ul Khaliq
28.01.2022
ISTANBUL
A
three-day international conference to debate Middle East’s Islamic movement,
popularly known as Muslim Brotherhood, started in Istanbul on Friday.
“That
we are ‘callers of peace and towards righteousness’ was the clear message of
Hasan al-Banna,” said Mohamed Gamal Heshmat of Canadian Institute for Strategic
Studies and Development, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood founder who was a
schoolteacher.
The
three-day conference will brainstorm the Muslim Brotherhood’s experience in
politics and governance in Egypt, said Sami Al-Arian, director of Center for
Islam and Global Affairs, an Istanbul-based think tank and the host of the
event.
Al-Banna
founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 with an “Islamic vision,” said Abd
El-Moneim El-Barbary, former president of MIST University in Accra, Ghana.
The
purpose of a state imagined by the Muslim Brotherhood, El-Barbary said, is to
“please Allah.”
He
said the Muslim Brotherhood, which has its roots in Egypt, believed a state has
to gain foreign sovereignty which is to “attain independence from any foreign
hegemony.”
“Internally,”
he added, the Muslim Brotherhood “rejected dictatorship.”
In
the next two days, the scholars attending the conference virtually from across
the globe will address many aspects of the Muslim Brotherhood experience
including the movement itself and the Egyptian state, Al-Arian said.
“We
will see scholars discussing economic, social issues, the movement and society,
the issue of civil-military relations, and national security besides foreign relations,”
he elaborated.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Israel’s
PM Bennett says Netanyahu ‘threatened’ to target him with drones
28
January ,2022
Israeli
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu
“threatened” him last year when he was fighting to unseat the veteran leader,
in an interview published Friday.
The
Jewish nationalist Bennett became prime minister in June 2021, after he banded
with blocs ranging from right to left to Arab Islamic conservatives to end
Netanyahu’s 12-year rule.
“Establishing
the government was very hard for me. I knew clearly where I was going. I knew I
was about to get hit with the mother of all battles,” Bennett told Haaretz
newspaper.
Bennett
said he had been negotiating with Netanyahu in May as the long-serving PM
fought hard to stay in power, but their talks hit a brick wall.
“When
he realized that I didn’t intend to let him drag Israel into a fifth election,
he really threatened me,” Bennett said.
“‘Listen,’
he said to me, ‘If I understand correctly what you’re going to do, you should
know that I am going to turn my whole machine on you, the army’,” he said,
recounting what Netanyahu had told him.
He
said Netanyahu followed his comments by making a gesture with his arm as if to
indicate “an airplane descending for an attack,” Haaretz reported.
According
to Bennett, the former prime minister had told him: “‘I will send the drones at
you, and we’ll see’.”
Bennett
said he thought that with those remarks, Netanyahu was threatening to unleash
against him “his army of bots” of broadcasters from television, radio and
social media.
“A
kind of change came over me. I realized that everything was resting on my
shoulders” and that Netanyahu’s re-election “would have thrown us into a
terrible spin,” Bennett said.
“I
know that this sounds big, but I think we saved the state,” he added.
Bennett’s
coalition won a wafer-thin margin of 60 votes to 59 in parliament in June last
year, allowing him to form a government.
A
tech millionaire, Bennett was once an ally of Netanyahu.
Losing
the top job left the hawkish former prime minister exposed to legal battles
involving corruption.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Senior
Cleric: Removal of All Sanctions Main Condition for Agreement in Vienna Talks
2022-January-28
Addressing
a congregation of people at Tehran's Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla
(congregational prayers site), Ayatolallah Khatami said, "The United
States seeks looting, not negotiation. The Us dreams of looting will never be
realized. All sanctions must be removed permanently and Tehran will not accept
the suspension of sanctions."
In
relevant remarks in late November, Tehran's Provisional Friday Prayers leader
Hojjatoleslam Seyed Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabifard called on the European
leaders not to sacrifice the interests of their nations for the sake of the
illegitimate interests of the US and Israel.
Hojatoleslam
Aboutorabi Fard touched on the new round of nuclear talks between Iran and
Group 4+ 1 in Vienna, Austria.
He
called on the leaders of the European countries not to sacrifice the interests
of the European nations to the illegitimate interests of the "United States
and the Zionist regime".
"The
interests of European nations are tied to the interests of Asia, specially West
Asia, and today it is the Islamic Republic of Iran that has the authority to
guard this security. If it were not for the authority of the Resistance, Europe
would be exposed to severe insecurity today, and it was the authority of
Islamic Iran and the Resistance that defeated the ISIL," the senior cleric
added.
He
pointed out that today, it is known to everyone that the policies of the United
States in the West Asian region have been failed.
"Given
the tremendous amount of contradictions and conflicts in US strategic plans,
the inability of the Pentagon and US military apparatus to suppress popular
movements in the world, we are witnessing a decline in US soft power," he
further said.
The
revival of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially called the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has been on the agenda of high-profile
negotiations between Iran and the remaining signatories, known as the G4+1
group (Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany), in the Austrian capital
since April.
The
JCPOA was unilaterally abandoned by the US in 2018, when former US President
Donald Trump decided to implement a “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran.
US
President Joe Biden promised to reverse Trump’s own reversing of his
predecessor Barack Obama’s decision to sign on to the JCPOA. The Biden
administration also argued on the sidelines of the Vienna talks that Tehran and
Washington should mutually return to their commitments under the agreement.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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--------
Hamas
slams Israeli premier's rejection of any future Palestinian state
Mohammad
Majid
29.01.2022
GAZA
CITY, Palestine
The
Palestinian Hamas resistance movement on Friday slammed a statement by Israeli
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that said he is opposed to the establishment of
a Palestinian state.
"The
Palestinian state is not begged for, but our people will grab it forcefully by
their resilience and heroic resistance," Hamas senior official Izzat
El-Reshiq said in a statement. "Bennett's statements that he will not
allow for negotiations that could lead to a Palestinian state reveal again the
reality of the enemy (Israel).”
He
added that the statement is a "slap" in the face of those who are
seeking behind "the mirage of the absurd negotiations," referring to
Palestinians seeking talks with Israel.
Bennett
pledged Thursday that he will not agree to political talks with Palestinians
and will not allow the establishment of the Palestinian state during his
tenure.
“As
long as I am prime minister, there will be no implementation of the Oslo
agreement,” he said.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Israeli
forces injure 26 Palestinians in anti-settlement rallies
Awad
al-Rujoub
28.01.2022
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
At
least 26 Palestinians sustained injuries when the Israeli forces fired
rubber-coated bullets and tear gas shells to disperse rallies on Friday in
different areas in the northern occupied West Bank.
In a
statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its medical teams treated
26 Palestinians, including a doctor, in the villages of Beita and Beit Dajan,
and southern and eastern Nablus city.
It
added that 13 Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets and 13 others
suffered tear gas inhalation who were treated in the field.
The
statement added the Israeli forces also shot at an ambulance, injuring a doctor
who was treating an injured Palestinian.
On
weekly basis, Palestinians hold demonstrations against illegal Jewish
settlements in different parts of the West Bank, especially in Beita, Beit
Dajan, and Kafr Qaddoum villages.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Houthi
strike on Yemen govt’s last stronghold kills five
January
29, 2022
ADEN:
At least five people were killed and 34 injured in what Yemeni-government media
said was a Houthi missile strike on Marib city on Wednesday night, state news
agency SABA said on Friday.
A
resident and a medical source said a missile on Wednesday had fallen next to a
military building in the al-Matar area.
Marib
city is the Yemeni government’s last northern stronghold. It sits in an
energy-producing region which has been the focus of fighting over the past
year, during which Iran-aligned Houthi forces advanced towards the city.
According
to Reuters, the fighting for Marib has dashed UN-led ceasefire efforts as both
sides ramped up military operations.
Aid
agency Save the Children late on Thursday said 28 civilians had been killed or
injured and that international law must be respected in Yemen’s seven-year
conflict.
“Civilians
must be spared the horrors of ongoing fighting,” it said in a Twitter post.
In
the past few weeks the Houthis have launched a number of missile and drone
attacks on Saudi Arabia, which leads a coalition backing the government’s fight
against the Houthis, and two unprecedented attacks on the United Arab Emirates,
a coalition member.
The
Saudi-led coalition has in recent weeks stepped up air strikes on Houthi areas
in Yemen, including on a detention centre which killed around 90 people.
Strategically
vital city
Meanwhile,
a United Arab Emirates-trained militia that delivered a series of defeats to
Yemen’s rebels has begun withdrawing from a key area of the conflict, it
announced on Friday.
The
Giants Brigades said it was repositioning its forces after driving the rebels
out of Shabwa province and beginning a push north towards Marib, the
strategically vital city that the rebels have been trying to capture for
months.
The
surprise announcement followed two drone-and-missile attacks by the Houthi
rebels on the UAE, the first of which killed three oil workers.
“After
the great success achieved by the Giants Brigades... it began transferring its
brigades to the main headquarters,” said a statement.
“The
Brigades repositioned its forces in Shabwa governorate after liberating the
districts of Bihan and Harib and securing them completely from the Houthi
militia,” it added.
The
Giants Brigades, fighting as part of the Saudi-led pro-government coalition,
dealt a serious blow to the Houthi campaign after moving into Shabwa.
Source:
Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1672057/houthi-strike-on-yemen-govts-last-stronghold-kills-five
--------
PM
reaffirms commitment to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan
January
28, 2022
PM
Imran has assured the nation that he will “rid Pakistan of all forms of
terrorism”
PM’s
statement came a day after 10 soldiers were martyred in a terrorist attack at a
security check post in Balochistan’s Kech district.
PM
Imran took to his Twitter, and stated that the brave soldiers of Pakistan
continue to lay down their lives to keep the country safe from terrorists.
“I
salute the 10 martyred soldiers who repulsed a terrorist fire raid on checkpost
in Kech Balochistan. We are resolute in our commitment to rid Pakistan of all
forms of terrorism,” he wrote.
It is
pertinent to note that a day earlier, as many as 10 soldiers were martyred
after terrorists opened fire at a security check post in Balochistan’s Kech
district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
The
military’s media wing stated that the incident took place on the night between
January 25 and 26, where one terrorist was killed and several others sustained
injuries.
The
security forces have apprehended three terrorists in follow up clearance
operation, while they were still on the hunt for the perpetrators behind the
incident.
“Armed
forces are determined to eliminate terrorists from our soil no matter what the
cost,” the statement added.
It is
pertinent to note that ealier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad had
warned of a surge in terrorist activities in the country in the coming months.
“Terrorism
is expected to rise in the country in the next two months,” Rasheed stated.
He,
however, said that Pakistan has a much better system to fight terrorists and
gathering information and this wave of terrorism will be dealt with
accordingly.
The
minister stated that Afghan Taliban are unable to force the Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan into anything.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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--------
Iranian
Envoy Urges End to US Military Operations in Syria
2022-January-28
"The
current condition in Al-Hasakah province, Syria, is consequence of military
presence of foreign forces, particularly the US in the war-stricken country,
and the free transit of terrorist groups who wreak havoc in Iraq, Syria and
other countries, which threatens international peace and security,"
Ershadi said while addressing the
Thursday meeting of the UN Security Council on humanitarian situation in
Syria.
The
following is the full text of the Iranian envoy's speech at the UNSC meeting in
New York:
I
thank you, Madam President, for convening this meeting and I also thank Under
Secretary General Voronkov, for his informative briefing.
The
most recent attack on a prison in Al-Hasakah, which was claimed by ISIS in
Syria’s north-east, is an alarming bell, indicating once more that ISIS which is
backed by certain states is still a real threat to regional security and
stability.
Iran
is closely monitoring the developments in the east of the Euphrates, especially
in Al-Hasakah province.
What
we are witnessing today in Al-Hasakah is the result of the continued illegal
occupation of parts of Syria by foreign forces including the United States.
More
importantly, free movement of terrorist groups including ISIS members in
territories under the illegitimate occupation of foreign forces in Syria and Iraq,
as well as their transfer to other countries threatens regional and
international peace and security. We consider the recent incident in that
context.
The
Al-Hasakah incident clearly shows that the occupying force and its allies have
been unable to restore security and order in the occupied areas. This has
assisted ISIS to expand its influence in the region, thus jeopardizing the
lives of civilians living there.
This
incident reminds us once again that the presence of Foreign Terrorist Fighters
(FTFs) and their accompanying families in the conflict zones is still a growing
source of insecurity and instability to the entire region.
It is
deeply regrettable that those countries who constantly and repeatedly claim to
pioneer human rights refrain from repatriating their own nationalities,
especially women and children, who are trapped in deplorable conditions in
conflict zones.
Considering
the threats caused by FTFs for security and stability of the region, the
Security Council must address the repatriation of FTFs to their own countries
as a matter of priority.
Fighting
terrorism must not be used as a pretext to violate the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Syria.
The
continued occupation of parts of Syria is the main factor in creating conducive
grounds for such terrorist activities in Syria and must be ended forthwith.
We
believe that the effective exercise of sovereignty by the Syrian government
over all its territory is an important element in restoring stability and
security to this country. In this regard, as reaffirmed by the UNSC
resolutions, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria must be
respected.
The
Syrian Government has the legitimate and inherent right to counter terrorist
activities in its territory and under its jurisdiction and any measure taken to
counter terrorism must be coordinated with the Syrian Government.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14001108000580/Iranian-Envy-Urges-End-US-Miliary-Operains-in-Syria
--------
Turkish
embassy condemns rocket attack on Baghdad airport
Haydar
Karaalp
28.01.2022
BAGHDAD
The
Turkish Embassy in Iraq on Friday condemned a rocket attack that hit the
Baghdad International Airport.
"Terrorist
attacks targeting the stability of Iraq and the security of civilians must
end," the embassy said in a statement.
Earlier
on Friday, a police officer told Anadolu Agency that six Katuysha rockets hit
the airport.
The
attack caused significant damage to a civilian aircraft, the official said,
adding no casualties were reported.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
North America
'We're
here to stay': Quebecers who fought to get Muslim cemeteries built say they're
a sign of progress
Josh
Grant
Jan
28, 2022
Standing
in front of the gates of the Quebec City Muslim Cemetery, Boufeldja Benabdallah
reflects on the more than two decades he spent trying to establish a local
burial ground for his community.
"It
was 22 years of fighting, research and meetings," he said. "People
were burying their loved ones at the Muslim cemetery in Montreal."
Benabdallah,
who is the cemetery director and co-founder of the Quebec City Islamic Cultural
Centre, said it was extremely difficult to find land that was available,
affordable and properly zoned.
Reda
Bouchelaghem of the Association Culturelle Islamique de l'Estrie (ACIE) in
Quebec's Eastern Townships said his group faced similar challenges.
Both
men say it took a tragedy that shocked the country for their cemeteries to see
the light of day.
Quebec
City mosque attack
It
has been five years since the deadly attack on the Quebec City mosque. On Jan.
29, 2017, six members of Benabdallah's congregation were killed, and five
others were critically injured when a gunman entered the city's Islamic
Cultural Centre during evening prayers. One of the injured is still in a
wheelchair. Alexandre Bissonnette is serving two concurrent life sentences for
the killings.
Following
the shootings, the bodies of five of the six Muslim men killed were sent to
their countries of origin. The sixth was buried in Laval, Que., which at the
time had the only two Muslim cemeteries in Quebec.
According
to Islamic tradition, the body of a deceased Muslim is to be washed, shrouded
and a communal prayer performed before it is interred in the shortest possible
time after death — something that's been historically difficult for Muslims in
Canada.
A few
months after the attack, Benabdallah found a potential cemetery site in
Saint-Apollinaire, a town of 6,000 about 45 kilometres south of Quebec City.
The mayor of Saint-Apollinaire approved an Islamic cemetery, but a group of
residents protested the project. They pushed the issue to a municipal
referendum, where it was voted down.
Former
mayor Régis Labeaume steps in
Benabdallah
instead got the ear of Quebec City's then-mayor Régis Labeaume, who said he was
determined to work with the city's Muslim community in an effort to heal and
move forward after the 2017 attack.
In
the days after the shooting rampage at the mosque, Labeaume promised to find a
suitable site for a Muslim cemetery.
"We
are working with them to see what they need. We will help them," he said
at the time.
It
was Labeaume who later found a parcel of land on Frank-Carrel Street in the
same Sainte-Foy neighbourhood as the Quebec City mosque.
"He
knew the difficulties we were having, and all of a sudden, he found a site that
belonged to the city and was already zoned for a cemetery," said
Benabdallah.
After
raising more than $250,000 in donations, the Quebec City Islamic Cultural
Centre signed a purchase agreement with the city in 2019. The cemetery opened
in June 2020, and since then, 16 Muslims have been buried there.
Labeaume's
gesture "really touched the community," Benabdallah said.
Muslim
cemetery in Sherbrooke
In
the Eastern Townships, Bouchelaghem shares a similar story. The Sherbrooke man
who first came to the region 20 years ago started looking for a burial ground
for Muslims in 2015.
"Back
then, it felt like we were running up against a wall, but things eventually
started to open up for us," he said, "specifically after the attack
in Quebec City."
In
2018, the City of Sherbrooke agreed to sell the Islamic cultural association a
small site in the north end of the city, near Victoria Park. Following a
fundraising campaign and approval from the province, the cemetery opened last
November.
"Now
Muslims who live here in Sherbrooke don't have to visit Montreal to lay flowers
on a grave," said Bouchelaghem. "It's an enormous gain ...
spiritually and emotionally."
CBC
reached out to city officials in Quebec City and Sherbrooke to ask about the
impact the 2017 mosque attack had on their relationships with the Muslim
community but did not hear back.
Putting
down roots
Bouchelaghem
has watched Sherbrooke's Muslim community grow over the past two decades, as
more international students arrived to study at Bishop's University and waves
of Syrian refugees and other immigrants settled in the region.
He
says language challenges for Muslim immigrants who don't speak French and
Quebec's Bill 21 — which bans some civil servants from wearing religious
symbols at work — have driven some Muslims out of the province, but many in the
community consider it home.
"We're
here to stay," he said. "The majority of the community, we're well
established here. We have work, our children go to school here, and we're
working to advance our society."
Sombre
anniversary
For
Benabdallah, the establishment of the Quebec City cemetery is a sign of
progress.
"When
someone decides they want to be buried here and puts it in their will, it's a
sign of integration," he said. "It's a sign to the family, to the
children [that] this is somewhere we can live."
Source:
CBC News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/muslim-cemeteries-quebec-city-sherbrooke-1.6317767
--------
US
President Biden to deny $130 mln in military aid to Egypt: Sources
28
January ,2022
The
Biden administration is set to deny $130 million of military aid to Egypt over
human rights concerns, three sources familiar with the decision told Reuters.
Secretary
of State Anthony Blinken said in September that the aid would be withheld if
Egypt did not address specific human-rights related conditions.
For the
latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Rights
groups had called on the administration to block the entire $300 million of
Foreign Military Financing to Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government. Sisi, who
ousted the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013, has overseen a crackdown on dissent that
has tightened in recent years.
One
source said members of Congress had been briefed on the administration’s
decision to withhold the aid, which accounts for 10 percent of the $1.3 billion
that Egypt is still expected to receive from the United States this year. As of
now there are no plans to withhold the rest of that aid, the source said.
US
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat and an ally of President Joe Biden, welcomed
the decision, and said Sisi had failed to meet the administration’s “narrow and
wholly achievable human rights conditions.”
“It
sends the important message abroad that we will back up our commitment to human
rights with action and gone are the days where dictators receive blank checks from
America,” Murphy said in a statement.
The
State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Asked
about the aid in a press briefing on Thursday, State Department spokesperson
Ned Price said Blinken had yet to make a determination.
“We
believe that continued progress when it comes to human rights would only
strengthen our bilateral relationship with Egypt,” Price said.
The
decision comes after the administration approved the potential sale of air
defense radars and C-130 Super Hercules planes to Egypt for a combined value of
more than $2.5 billion.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
White
House gets more time to assess billions in frozen Afghan funds
Jan 29,
2022
NEW
YORK: A United States judge on Friday gave the Biden administration more time
to decide what should be done with about $7 billion of frozen Afghan central
bank funds, which some victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks want and
which the Taliban claims is theirs.
Magistrate
Judge Sarah Netburn in Manhattan gave the Department of Justice until Feb. 11
to recommend what to do with the funds, which are held at the Federal Reserve
Bank in New York.
The
funds have been frozen since the Taliban's military takeover in Afghanistan
last August. A recommendation on what to do had been expected by Friday.
In a
Thursday court filing, the Justice Department requested more time to address
the "many complex and important issues" including Sept. 11 victims' claims,
diplomacy, and the "still-evolving" situation in Afghanistan.
It
said the matters are being fully discussed and "receiving urgent attention
at the highest levels of government".
Some
9/11 victims and their families are seeking to cover unsatisfied court
judgments related to the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
One
group, the Havlish plaintiffs, won court permission in September to serve the
New York Fed a so-called writ of execution to seize the $7 billion and cover an
October 2012 court judgment of about the same amount.
The
White House also faces pressure from the United Nations and humanitarian aid
groups not to apply the funds toward court judgments. They would prefer money
be used to shore up Afghanistan's central bank, ease the country's liquidity
shortfalls, and help address poverty, hunger and other economic distress.
Several
governments, including China, Iran, Pakistan and Russia, are also urging the
release of frozen Afghan assets.
Source:
Times Of India
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--------
US-backed
Syrian fighters searching for Islamic State militants near prison
BY
CHLOE FOLMAR
01/28/22
The
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish-led fighters backed by the
United States, searched Friday for Islamic State militants near a Syrian
prison, reports The Associated Press.
Some
militants surrendered Friday morning, while the rest are hiding in a section of
the prison, said SDF spokesman Siamand Ali. In total, 3,000 fighters have
surrendered in the past three days.
The
Islamic State attacked the Syrian prison, located in Hassakeh, on Jan. 20, in
its largest military operation since falling from power in 2019. The attack
occurred in the midst of multiple other attacks by the group.
Thousands
of Syrians in Hassakeh have been displaced due to conflict in the city. The
city’s leadership instated a curfew and closed off movement across Hassakeh’s
borders, according to the AP.
The
SDF regained control of the prison after a week of conflict, resulting in
kidnappings and the deaths of dozens. Dozens of militants remain in the prison,
however.
Source:
The Hill
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--------
US
warplanes carry out airstrikes in Syria’s Hasakah, hit residential buildings
29
January 2022
US warplanes
have bombed a residential neighborhood in Syria’s northeastern province of
Hasakah, a week after remnants of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group launched an
armed attack on a detention center run by the Kurdish-led militants from the
US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing local sources, reported that the fighter jets
struck several houses in the vicinity of Industrial Secondary Prison in the
provincial capital city of Hasakah city on Friday, under the flimsy pretext of
hunting down terrorists currently at large after escaping the Kurdish-run
Ghwayran jail.
The
report added that the aerial strikes caused massive destruction in the targeted
area, with no immediate information about the number of casualties.
SANA
noted that the US military airstrikes were coupled with home break-ins, which
SDF members carried out in Aziziyah neighborhood of Hasakah city.
The
US-backed militants arrested an unidentified number of people, and took them to
an unknown location.
On
Wednesday, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said they had retaken full
control of Ghwayran prison, ending six days of battles that turned the largest
city in northeastern Syria into a war zone.
More
than 100 Daesh terrorists launched an attack against the Ghwayran prison on
January 20 to free their comrades from the detention center, which was thought
to hold some 3,500 Daesh inmates at the time of the assault.
The
Daesh terrorists entered the prison after their two explosives-laden vehicles
steered by bombers destroyed the entrance and killed the guards. The terrorists
caused a major jailbreak of an unknown number of their comrades, seized weapons
and took over several cell blocks.
The
brazen Daesh jailbreak attempt and ensuing clashes, according to the so-called
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, left 124 Daesh terrorists, 50 SDF
militants and seven civilians dead. The attack is considered the group’s most
high-profile and sophisticated terrorist operation since the loss of its
so-called caliphate nearly three years ago.
The
development comes as security conditions have been deteriorating in the
SDF-controlled areas in Syria’s northern and northeastern provinces of Raqqah,
Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr.
Local
Syrians complain that the SDF’s constant raids have generated a state of
frustration and instability, severely affecting their businesses and
livelihood.
Residents
accuse the US-sponsored militants of stealing crude oil and refusing to spend
money on service sectors.
Local
councils affiliated with the SDF also stand accused of financial corruption.
Syrian
forces block US military convoy in Hasakah
Syrian
government forces have prevented a US military convoy from passing through a
neighborhood in Hasakah city.
SANA
reported that a US convoy of two armored vehicles was forced on Friday
afternoon to turn around and head back in the direction it came from after army
soldiers blocked Palestine Street, and prevented its movement.
The
US military has stationed forces and equipment in eastern and northeastern Syria,
with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the
oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of the Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, says the unlawful deployment is meant to plunder the country’s
resources.
Source:
Press TV
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--------
US
advises citizens not to travel to UAE over Yemeni missile, drone attacks
28
January 2022
The
United States has advised its citizens not to travel to the United Arab
Emirates over the threat of retaliatory missile and drone attacks from Yemen,
as Yemeni officials warn of greater counterstrikes against targets deep inside
the UAE.
In a
notice released on Thursday, the US State Department retained its highest level
travel warning for the UAE due to the spread of COVID-19 in the Arab country,
but also updated it to warn of the threat of more attacks from Yemeni forces.
“Reconsider
travel due to the threat of missile or drone attacks,” the notice said. “The
possibility of attacks affecting US citizens and interests in the [Persian]
Gulf and Arabian Peninsula remains an ongoing, serious concern.”
In
recent weeks, Yemen has conducted several rounds of drone and missile
counterstrikes against the UAE and Saudi Arabia, as the countries ramped up
their aggression against the Yemeni people.
On
January 17, the Yemeni armed forces launched drone attacks targeting an oil
facility in Abu Dhabi, warning the UAE of severe repercussions should it maintain
its acts of sabotage in Yemen.
A
week later, the Yemeni forces launched massive missile and drone strikes
against sensitive targets in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, as well as Saudi Arabia’s
Najran, Jizan, and Asir regions.
‘Terrifying
strikes await Saudis, Emiratis’
Yemen’s
Defense Minister Mohammad al-Atefi said on Thursday that the drone and missile
raids against the two invading countries are “punitive strikes” and “warning
messages” against the military coalition countries, Yemen’s al-Masirah news
network reported.
“We
can and we have all legitimate and powerful capabilities to target you,” Major
General al-Atefi said in a statement, adding that “the coming period will
witness terrifying strikes in the military and economic strategic sites in the
Saudi and UAE depth.”
He
said the aggressive countries demonstrate their defeats on the battlefield by
targeting residential neighborhoods and directing their deliberate strikes
against civilians, killing children and women.
“What
you failed to achieve in seven years, will not be achieved now or in the future
so if you continue your aggression, your end will be shameful,” he said,
addressing the invading countries.
Al-Atefi
also said if the US-Saudi war coalition continues to escalate, the Yemeni
people and their armed forces are ready to escalate as well, adding that
“Today, Yemeni Armed Forces are more than ever able to face the worst
possibilities, defend Yemen, its independence and unity.”
The
comments come against the background of repeated warnings from Yemen against
the UAE over increasing its role in the war on Yemen.
The
Yemeni army has urged foreign companies to leave the UAE and warned that the
Dubai Expo might be targeted next if the Emiratis continue their aggression
against Yemen.
Yemeni
attacks kill Saudi mercenaries in Ma’rib
Meanwhile,
the Yemeni army has intensified its attacks against Saudi-backed mercenaries
inside Yemen as well.
Yemen’s
official Saba news agency reported on Friday that at least five people were
killed and 34 injured in an attack on Ma’rib city on Wednesday night.
A
resident and a medical source said a missile on Wednesday had fallen next to a
military building in the al-Matar area.
Ma’rib
city is the former Saudi-backed Yemeni government’s last northern stronghold.
It sits in an energy-producing region which has been the focus of fighting over
the past year, during which the Yemeni armed forces advanced towards the city.
The
intensification of Saudi-Emirati attacks on Yemen is widely attributed to the
Ansarullah-run government’s advances towards Ma’rib.
Source:
Press TV
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