Indian court allows Tablighi Jamaat Foreigners From 14 Countries To Walk Free On Fine
New Age Islam News Bureau
14
Jul 2020
• Indian court allows Tablighi Jamaat Foreigners From
14 Countries To Walk Free On Fine
• Indian TV Anchors Outrage Over Uyghurs In China, But
Stay Quiet About Indian Muslims
• Pakistan Passes Resolution on Teaching Quran With
Translation in Universities
• İstanbul Mayor Backs Hagia Sophia Conversion: 'For
Me, It's Been A Mosque Since 1453'
• China Sanctions U.S. Lawmakers in Dispute Over
Uighur Muslims
• Emirates Mars Mission Poised to Fulfil Arab Hopes
and Aspirations
• Croke Park 'Delighted' To Welcome Irish Muslims For
Eid Celebrations
• Sudan Introduces Wide-Reaching Reforms to Move Away
From Strict Islamist Rule
-----
India
• Indian court allows Tablighi Jamaat Foreigners From
14 Countries To Walk Free On Fine
• Indian TV Anchors Outrage Over Uyghurs In China, But
Stay Quiet About Indian Muslims
• Farooq, Omar Abdullah Move HC Against Detention Of
16 Partymen
• 'GarmHava' Gave Space for Indian Muslims in
Mainstream Films: M.S. Sathyu
• Maharashtra: Muslim Leaders Seek Govt Intervention
ForBakri Eid Preparations
• I Am Innocent": Kalyan Singh After Babri Mosque
Demolition Case Hearing
• Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in J&K's
Kupwara
• Jaish duo killed, civilian injured in Anantnag
encounter
-------
Pakistan
• Pakistan Passes Resolution on Teaching Quran With
Translation in Universities
• Toshakhana reference against Nawaz: Court notices
displayed at JatiUmra, Model Town
• Infant in Attock diagnosed with poliovirus strain
for which vaccinations halted in 2014
• Federal ministers ask PPP chief to answer questions
about corruption
------
Mideast
• İstanbul Mayor Backs Hagia Sophia Conversion: 'For
Me, It's Been A Mosque Since 1453'
• Iran Offers Unconditional Support to Hamas, Islamic
Jihad
• Iran Praises Turkey’s Reopening of Hagia Sophia
Mosque
• Khamenei Blueprinted the Mullahs’ 25-Year Self-Off
Of Iran To China
• Iran: State-Run Media Acknowledge How Mullahs’
Regime Is Using COVID-19 to Quell Restive Society
• The mullahs’ desperate need for execution and
suppression
-------
South Asia
• China Sanctions U.S. Lawmakers in Dispute Over
Uighur Muslims
• Three killed in Faryab mosque shooting
• Lashing Out: China Targets Ted Cruz Amid Mounting
Pressure Over COVID, Hong Kong, Uyghurs
• China Bets on Hainan Duty-Free Shopping Mecca to
Boost Spending At Home
• ADB-Funded Dev in Bangladesh: 40 projects hit by
pandemic
• U.S. soldier dies of non-combat related incident in
South of Afghanistan
• The paradoxical deal of US, Taliban and the Afghan
government
--------
Arab world
• Emirates Mars Mission Poised to Fulfil Arab Hopes
and Aspirations
• Eid Prayers Allowed Only in Mosques, Not in Open
Grounds in Saudi Arabia
• New fines for firms violating labour rights in Saudi
Arabia
• MCD region received $70 bln to address COVID-19
crisis, mostly went to Arab countries: IMF’s Jihad Azour
• Sheikh Zayed mosque centre offers sign language tour
to visitors
• Egypt condemns latest Houthi missile attack on Saudi
Arabia
------
Europe
• Croke Park 'Delighted' To Welcome Irish Muslims For
Eid Celebrations
• Russia's security forces foils Daesh terror plots
• German MP urges end to EU-Turkey accession talks in
response to converting Hagia Sophia into mosque
• Major London mosques to reopen on July 25
• Muslim Aid chief executive steps down after four
years
• Johnson makes face coverings compulsory in shops in
England
------
Africa
• Sudan Introduces Wide-Reaching Reforms to Move Away
From Strict Islamist Rule
• South African Muslims hail Turkey's Hagia Sophia
move
• Mahmoud Dicko, The Populist Imam Challenging Mali’s
President Keita
• Accused Islamist Extremist Mali War Crimes Trial Set
to Start Tuesday in ICC
• 12 accused walk free as Verulam mosque bombing case
struck from roll
• Tunisia’s President Saied rejects Islamist Ennahda’s
call for government change
• Tunisia PM will reshuffle cabinet amid row with
moderate Islamist Ennahda party
-------
Southeast Asia
• Zuraida: Third Vote in Malaysia Would Cost RM2m Per
Local Council, RM308m For All
• Speaker tells Baling MP to apologise, withdraw
‘gelap’ and ‘pakaibedak’ remarks
• Ex-PKR MPs seated with Bersatu reps in Parliament
for ‘strategic reasons’, says Zuraida
• Malaysia does not give citizenship easily, says Home
Minister Hamzah Zainudin
------
North America
• Islamic Groups Collaborate to Fight Against Racism
After Death OfGeorge Floyd
• Election Advisory: CAIR Urges Muslim Voters in
Alabama, Maine and Texas Muslims to Participate in State Elections Tomorrow
• CAIR-MI Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Warren Mosque
Vandalism
• Coronavirus: California shuts bars, indoor dining
and most gyms and churches
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL; https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/indian-court-allows-tablighi-jamaat/d/122369
------
Indian court allows Tablighi Jamaat Foreigners From 14
Countries To Walk Free On Fine
Jul 13, 2020
A Delhi court Saturday granted bail to 75 foreign
nationals from Thailand and Nepal, who were charge-sheeted for attending a
Tablighi Jamaat congregation here allegedly in violation of visa norms,
indulging in missionary activities illegally and violating government
guidelines issued in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
-----
NEW DELHI: A Delhi court Monday allowed foreign
nationals from 14 countries to walk free on payment of different fines, after
they accepted mild charges, under the plea bargain process, related to various
violations including visa norms while attending Tablighi Jamaat congregation
here during the Covid-19 lockdown, a lawyer said.
Metropolitan Magistrate Himanshu allowed the foreign
nationals from Algeria, Belgium, UK, Egypt and Philippines to walk free on
payment of a fine of Rs, 10,000 each.
Another Metropolitan Magistrate Aashish Gupta allowed
five Sudanese nationals to walk free on payment of a fine of 5000 each.
Metropolitan Magistrate Paras Dalal allowed foreigners
from China, Morocco , Ukraine, Ethiopia, Fiji, Australia, Brazil, Afghanistan
were allowed to walk free on payment of a fine of 5000 each.
They were allowed to walk free after the
Sub-divisional magistrate of Lajpat Nagar, who was the complainant in the case,
Additional commissioner of Police of Lajpat Nagar, Inspector of Nizamuddin said
they have no objection to their plea.
However, two Sudanese nationals, foreigners from
Jordan, US, Russia, Kazakhstan and one Overseas Citizen of India from UK did
not plead guilty to milder charges and claimed trial, said advocates Ashima
Mandla, Mandakini Singh, Fahim Khan and Ahhmed Khan, representing them.
The Criminal Procedure of Code allows plea bargaining
for cases where the maximum punishment is imprisonment for seven years, where
offences don't affect the socio-economic conditions of the society and when the
offences are not committed against a woman or a child below 14 years.
They were charge sheeted for attending the religious
congregation at Nizamuddin Markaz event in the national capital by allegedly
violating visa conditions, indulging in missionary activities illegally and
violating government guidelines, issued in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak in the
country.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/tablighi-jamaat-court-allows-fo
reigners-from-14-countries-to-walk-free-on-fine-some-claim-trial/articleshowprint/76938612.cms
------
Indian TV Anchors Outrage Over Uyghurs In China, But
Stay Quiet About Indian Muslims
KAIRVY GREWAL
13 July, 2020
Uyghur Muslim women in the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar,
Xinjiang, China | Flickr/David Stanley
-----
China ko Musalmano se itninafratkyunhai (Why does
China hate Muslims so much)?” asked India TV in the first week of July. The
anchor was referring to the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party
against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province, China. The question, which has
been asked by many TV anchors in the past week, is legitimate, and the answer
is a rather harrowing one.
But what must be noted is that these very TV channels
have for long remained tightlipped about the atrocities committed against
Muslims in India.
But most Indian TV channels have always preferred
zooming into the atrocities against Muslims in Xinjiang. It again turned to the
plight of the Uyghur Muslims as China clashed with India at the Line of Actual
Control (LAC). The latest coping mechanism of chest-thumping channels after
having cheered Chinese app ban seems to be the re-focus on Uyghurs in China.
In a ‘special investigation’ conducted by India Today
last week, anchor Rahul Kanwal brought his viewers satellite images from
‘concentration camps’ in China’s Xinjiang province. Kanwal explained that these
camps had proliferated at a ‘mind-boggling pace’.
Keeping aside the findings of this investigation, what
stands to be the most ‘mind-boggling’ fact is the Indian media’s double
standards.
Hypocrisy died a new death when India TV’s anchor Ajay
Kumar said, “China kemusalmano ko dharmic azaadinahihai,” (China’s Muslims
don’t have religious freedom).
While Muslims in India do have religious freedom, many
fear for their safety in these polarised times — something that most Indian TV
channels conveniently choose to not document.
Kumar found it easier to pin the blame of not speaking
up for the Uyghurs on Pakistan — “Pakistan Uyghur Muslim kemasle par
virodhnahikarta” (Pakistan doesn’t object to the atrocities perpetrated on Uyghur
Muslims). Isn’t that just convenient?
In a brazen attempt to compare Chinese President Xi
Jinping to Adolf Hitler, India Today chose to call it ‘Xi-tler’s demographic
genocide of Uyghur Muslims’. Rahul Kanwal labelled these atrocities as the
‘greatest genocide of 21st century’. Such condemnations have not been used for
any wrongs in India by these TV channels. Be it excesses in Jammu and Kashmir
or lynchings or daily stigmatization of Muslims or discriminatory laws like the
CAA.
The idea is not to compare the cruelties faced by
Uyghur Muslims to the plight of Indian Muslims. Rather it is a call to question
and investigate oppression of minorities everywhere. And we should start with
our own country.
The relevance and importance of a news ‘peg’ is journalism
101. The peg is essentially the hook behind each story, that determines how
newsworthy something is. There is considerable merit behind exploring why a
story is chosen to be told at a certain point of time. It reveals the politics
behind an otherwise ‘objective’ report or news story.
The Uyghur Muslims story is not new. There have been
several terrifying accounts of the hardships faced by the Uyghurs at the hands
of the Chinese government. Over one million Uyghurs have reportedly been
detained in these detention camps for apparent ‘re-education’. Among the first
reports of this crackdown on Uyghur Muslims dates back to 2018. And there have
been many gruesome developments since then — from getting detained for wearing
a veil or browsing foreign websites, to forced sterilisation.
International media has been pretty consistent in
reporting on this issue. Which brings us to the question of why the Indian
media is covering the Uyghur story again now. It seems like no coincidence that
our media is sensationalising an issue that is a sore spot for China, a country
that India currently stands at loggerheads with. It is an outright attempt to
take away attention from our own problems — the mounting coronavirus cases, the
long road to solving the China border issue, and our government’s silence on
whether China has taken Indian land or not.
If the discrimination against an ethnic minority in
China is so intolerable to the Indian media, what is stopping them from
speaking up about the oppression of Muslims in India today?
The Indian media blames Muslims for all issues, from
violent riots to spreading Covid-19. Muslims in the country today have felt
targeted by the current political dispensation.
This must haunt news anchors when they describe
detention camps in Xinjiang, China. Especially when there are detention centres
coming up in Assam.
The job of the media is to continuously question —
things happening at home and the world. But to mostly peddle one side of the
story in India and accuse China is not fair journalism.
You are reading this because you value good,
intelligent and objective journalism. We thank you for your time and your
trust.
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unprecedented crisis. It is likely that you are also hearing of the brutal layoffs
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https://theprint.in/opinion/pov/tv-anchors-outrage-over-uyghurs-in-china-but-stay-quiet-about-indian-muslims/459921/
------
Pakistan passes resolution on teaching Quran with
translation in universities
July 14, 2020
Pakistan’s National Assembly unanimously passed a
resolution for teaching the Holy Quran with translation in universities across
the country.
-----
Pakistan’s National Assembly (the lower house of the
parliament) on Monday unanimously passed a resolution for teaching the Holy
Quran with translation in universities across the country.
According to details, a meeting of the National
Assembly was held under the chairmanship of Speaker AsadQaiser in which
Minister Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan presented a resolution in this
regard.
According to the text of the resolution, the Quran
should be taught with translation in universities of those provinces which
currently do not do so.
The resolution says that reading the Urdu translation
of Holy Quran would open new avenues of knowledge for the upcoming generations.
The resolution was passed unanimously through the NA.
It may be recalled that recently, Punjab decided to
teach the Holy Quran with translation in its universities and imposed the
condition of learning Quran with translation for obtaining a university degree.
https://en.abna24.com/news//pakistan-passes-resolution-on-teaching-quran-with-translation-in-universities_1054972.html
-----
İstanbul Mayor backs Hagia Sophia conversion: 'For me,
it's been a mosque since 1453'
13 July 2020
İstanbul Mayor Ekremİmamoğlu has announced support for
the government's decision to convert the Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque.
"In my mind and conscience, Hagia Sophia has been
a mosque since 1453," he told reporters at the construction site of a
funicular railway, referring to the Ottoman Empire's takeover of İstanbul.
After a Council of State decision on Friday (July 10)
annulling a Council of Ministers decree in 1934 to convert the then mosque into
a museum, President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip
Erdoğan announced that Hagia Sophia would reopen as a mosque on July 24.
İmamoğlu, a member of the secularist Republican
People's Party (CHP), further said that he had always called Hagia Sophia a
mosque.
He also noted that a part of it the call for prayers
had been recited from one of the minarets for 30 years and Muslims had been
allowed to pray in a prayer room in Hagia Sophia.
What needed to be questioned was not whether the
decision was good or bad, but Erdoğan's remarks a year ago against the
conversion of the monument, he said, without mentioning the President's name.
At a rally last year, Erdoğan said the price of
converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque would be very heavy and said, "Do
those who say [Hagia Sophia should be reopened as a mosque] think about what
would happen to thousands of mosques around the world?"
http://bianet.org/english/religion/227362-istanbul-mayor-backs-hagia-sophia-conversion-for-me-it-s-been-a-mosque-since-1453
-------
China sanctions U.S. lawmakers in dispute over Uighur
Muslims
JULY 13, 2020
İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and Erdoğan
----
BEIJING (Reuters) - China announced “corresponding
sanctions” against the United States on Monday after Washington penalized
senior Chinese officials over the treatment of Uighur Muslims in its Xinjiang
region.
China’s move comes as relations between the world’s
two biggest economic powerhouses have slumped over disagreements on issues
including the coronavirus pandemic, trade, Huawei and a sweeping national
security law imposed on Hong Kong.
The sanctions targeted Senators Ted Cruz and Marco
Rubio, Representative Chris Smith, Ambassador at Large for International
Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission
on China.
Rubio, Cruz and Smith have all sponsored legislation
over human rights issues in China, and such measures have received strong
support in the U.S. Congress from members of both parties. Rubio, Cruz and
Smith are members of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.
“The U.S. actions seriously interfere in China’s
internal affairs, seriously violate the basic norms of international relations
and seriously damage Sino-U.S. relations,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Hua Chunying told reporters.
U.N. experts and activists say at least a million
ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims are held in detention centres in Xinjiang.
China describes them as training centres helping stamp out terrorism and
extremism and giving people new skills.
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China
monitors human rights and the rule of law and submits an annual report to Trump
and Congress. Rubio is a co-chairman.
The lawmakers expressed no concern about the
sanctions. Rubio made light of them on Twitter, asking, “I guess they don’t
like me?”
Washington’s measures against Chinese officials,
including the Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang, involve freezing U.S.
assets, travel bans and prohibiting Americans from doing business with them.
uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-usa-xinjiang/china-sanctions-u-s-lawmakers-in-dispute-over-uighur-muslims-idUKKCN24E0N5
------
Emirates Mars Mission poised to fulfil Arab hopes and
aspirations
JUMANA KHAMIS
July 13, 2020
DUBAI: Our fascination with space knows no bounds. A
desire to unlock the secrets and mysteries of the universe has for decades
encouraged nations to push the ever-advancing boundaries of scientific and
technical knowledge as they strive to explore the unknown.
There have been a number of historic landmarks along
the way, including the successful launch of the Sputnik 1 satellite in 1957,
Yuri Gargarin’s orbit of the Earth in 1961, and the first Moon landing in 1969.
To this illustrious list we can soon add the first
interplanetary expedition by an Arab country, as the UAE begins the final
countdown to the launch on July 15 of the Emirates Mars Mission.
The unmanned probe, called Hope, is scheduled to lift
off from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at precisely 00:51:27 UAE time as it
begins its 495 million kilometer journey to the Red Planet.
“The cost of the Hope Mars Mission [has] reached $200
million, which is considered among the lowest in the world when compared with
similar programs,” Mohammad Al-Gergawi, minister for cabinet affairs and the
future of the UAE said in a message posted on Twitter by the Prime Minister’s
Office.
The Hope Probe, which will be launched by a Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries H2A rocket, weighs 289 tonnes and is 53 meters tall. It is
expected to enter orbit around Mars in Feb. 2021, in time for the 50th
anniversary of the founding of the UAE.
“This mission embodies the [UAE’s] aspirations, sends
a positive message to the world and demonstrates the importance of carrying on
unabated despite barriers and challenges,” said Sarah Al-Amiri, minister of
state for advanced sciences and the Emirates Mars Mission’s deputy project
manager.
This historic moment for the region follows decades of
preparations and work to achieve a grand vision set out in the 1970s by the UAE’s
founder, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nayhan. His interest in space was
triggered by a meeting in 1976 with NASA astronauts who had flown in a number
of Apollo missions to the moon.
US President Richard Nixon also presented Sheikh Zayed
with a gift of a moon rock collected from the Taurus-Littrow Valley during the
1972 Apollo 17 mission. That relic, from what remains the last moon landing to
date, is on display in Al-Ain Museum.
Soon after, Sheikh Zayed sent a clear message to his
people, and the world, that Emirati curiosity about, and ambitions for, space
exploration would know no boundaries. So began the country’s journey into
space.
In 2006, the UAE began collaborating closely with
universities and space agencies around the world to establish
knowledge-transfer programs, with the goal of one day sending a spacecraft to
Mars.
However, it was not until the UAE Space Agency was
formed in 2014 that the world really began to sit up and take notice of the
country’s ambitious space-exploration plans.
In 2017, 34-year-old military pilot Hazza Al-Mansouri
was one of two people selected from 4,000 applicants to join the agency’s
inaugural astronaut corps.
After rigorous mental and physical tests, he trained
in Russia as a part of an agreement between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space
Center and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.
The Hope Probe, which will be launched by a Mitsubishi
Heavy Industries H2A rocket, weighs 289 tonnes and is 53 meters tall.
(Supplied)
The UAE’s first astronaut joined the crew of a Soyuz
MS-15 spacecraft that took off on Sept. 25, 2019, bound for the International
Space Station.
Al-Mansouri’s eight-day mission ended on Oct. 2, when
he landed safely in Kazakhstan, after which he proudly stated that he had
returned with “Sheikh Zayed’s space mission achieved.”
Thirty-four years earlier, in June 1985, Royal Saudi
Air Force pilot Prince Sultan bin Salman became the first Muslim and Arab in
space when flew on the STS-51-G mission of the US Space Shuttle Discovery. He
was also the first member of a royal family in space and, at the age of 28, the
youngest person to fly on the space shuttle.
Two years later, Syrian military aviator Mohammed
Faris joined the Soviet Interkosmos training program and flew as a research
cosmonaut on the Soyouz TM-3 mission to the Mir space station. He spent seven
days, 23 hours and 5 minutes in space.
Now, 51 years after the first moon landing, a team of
Emiratis is leading a mission to the Red Planet and will supervise every aspect
of the Hope Probe, a task that has been complicated by the global COVID-19
pandemic.
As a result, the mission team has been divided into
three groups, given the challenges of transportation, travel, logistics and the
need to follow proper health precautions.
51 years after the first moon landing, a team of
Emiratis is leading a mission to the Red Planet and will supervise every aspect
of the Hope Probe. (Supplied)
The members of the first group arrived in Japan on
April 6, where they completed a mandatory quarantine and health tests. The
second team followed on April 21. The third team will remain in the UAE,
providing back-up and support for the mission.
To ease concerns about the safety of a Mars mission
during the pandemic, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, prime minister of
the UAE and ruler of Dubai, reviewed the final preparations for the mission on
July 1.
He confirmed the launch date and described the mission
as “an accomplishment for every Arab and a source of pride for every Emirati.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Prime Minister
of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai takes part in a ceremony
to unveil UAE's Mars Mission on May 6, 2015 in Dubai. (AFP/File Photo)
On his part, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al-Maktoum,
crown prince of Dubai, said: “Hope Probe highlights our national treasure of
hundreds of young Emirati engineers and experts ... . (It) represents a message
of hope and optimism to mankind.”
Suhail Al-Dhafri, Emirates Mars Mission deputy project
manager and spacecraft lead, said that the probe has undergone a series of
tests since its arrival at Tanegashima Space Center in April.
Conducted over 50 working days, they included
functional tests of spacecraft subsystems such as electrical power,
communications, altitude control, command and control, propulsion, thermal
control and software systems.
“The final checks are important steps to ensure that
all systems are functioning and meeting the requirements before the fueling,”
he said. “Getting these parameters are vital prior to getting the probe ready
for the liftoff as per our launch window.”
After it enters orbit around Mars, the Hope Probe will
study the planet’s daily and seasonal cycles, along with the erosion of the
Martian atmosphere, a process that leaves the planet waterless and ill-suited to
life.
The UAE will share the data it collects with more than
200 academic and scientific institutions around the world free of charge.
The UAE has plans to establish the first human
settlement on Mars by 2117. This month, Sheikh Mohammed announced the launch of
the Arab Space Pioneers program, which aims to advance Arab expertise in space
science and technologies.
As part of a three-year program, young Arab
researchers, scientists, inventors and creative talents will learn the skills
required for a career in the expanding space sector.
The UAE promises to keep the world on its toes with
its aim of establishing the first inhabitable human settlement on Mars by 2117
— one that can only be achieved through the expertise and determination of
future generations.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1704261/middle-east
-------
Croke Park 'delighted' to welcome Irish Muslims for
Eid celebrations
Gabija Gataveckaite
July 14 2020
The Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha will take place
at Croke Park stadium later this month, it has been confirmed.
Because the festival is based on moon-sighting, Eid is
currently scheduled to take place on July 31 or August 1, with the exact date
to be confirmed on July 21.
Muslim leader Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri said around 500
people are expected to attend.
"There is no other venue that could accommodate
500 Muslims while social-distancing is being implemented that is as iconic and
as symbolic as Croke Park," he said.
"We are delighted to welcome members of the
Muslim Community to Croke Park to mark Eid al-Adha, an important date in the
Muslim calendar," he said.
"I believe the staging of this celebration fully
supports our commitment to inclusion and a GAA welcome linked to our belief
that it's 'Where We All Belong'.
"I wish everyone involved in the occasion an
enjoyable visit to Croke Park, as it once again shows its suitability and
versatility in welcoming visitors to the venue for a wide variety of different
events."
Speaking on behalf of the organisers, the Irish Muslim
Peace and Integration Council, chairperson Dr Al-Qadri said Croke Park as a
venue will be "symbolic" to the Irish Muslim community.
"The choice of Croke Park as a venue for the Eid
al-Adha celebration will be symbolic to Irish Muslims in their dual identity as
being both Irish and Muslim, and the significance that Croke Park and the GAA
have in Irish history," he said.
"The historic Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha
at Croke Park this year will be a positive representation of Ireland's growing
diversity of many different faiths and communities," he said.
https://www.herald.ie/news/croke-park-delighted-to-welcome-irish-muslims-for-eid-celebrations-39365629.html
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Sudan Introduces Wide-Reaching Reforms To Move Away
From Strict Islamist Rule
July 13, 2020
Sudan has upended decades of strict Islamist
governance by spiking apostasy laws and making female genital mutilation
illegal. In addition, it will allow non-Muslims to drink alcohol.
Sudan's transitional government has announced
wide-reaching reforms as it works to move away from strict Islamist rule. Among
the new changes, public flogging will be banned, and non-Muslims will be
allowed to drink alcohol. The move comes a year after the overthrow of Sudan's
long-serving autocrat. NPR's Eyder Peralta joins us now to talk about those
reforms.
PERALTA: So there's a few of them. One of them removes
the death penalty for renouncing the Islamic faith or any of its core tenets.
And now in Sudan, non-Muslims are allowed to legally drink alcohol. There were
also a few changes to do with women. Female genital mutilation, FGM, has been
outlawed. And Sudanese women will no longer need a permit from a male family
member to travel with their children.
And these are indeed dramatic changes. Remember,
sharia law was instituted in the early '80s in Sudan. And over the years,
morality police have been known to publicly flog women for really small things
like wearing pants or not wearing a veil. So these reforms are a big deal.
PERALTA: So I mean, these were reforms that were
promised more than a year ago when hundreds of thousands of people went out to
the streets to protest and Omar al-Bashir was ousted by his military.
MCCAMMON: As we've mentioned, Sudan's longtime ruler
was overthrown after months of popular protests. He's gone, but the protests
are continuing. What do the protesters want?
PERALTA: So they want this transitional government to
hurry up. Look. I was in Sudan just after Omar al-Bashir was ousted, and the
atmosphere was exhilarating. At this huge sit-in in front of the military
headquarters in Khartoum, everything seemed possible. Women and men were
hanging out together. Women were leading protests. Bob Marley was playing, and
you could smell marijuana - pot everywhere. This place was a vision of a new
Sudan. But security forces broke it up violently. They killed more than a
hundred people.
Today I called AricheSarrukh (ph). She's a Sudanese
filmmaker who used to hang out at the sit-in. And she says that dream of a new
Sudan is still there. It's been slow, and it's been difficult. But the reforms
that were just announced, she says - they are a window into that world. Let's
listen.
ARICHE SARRUKH: I would say this is a window, but you
- I can't deny that we have ambitions that it could sort of evolve into
becoming a door and then a gate, you know, not just this little window.
PERALTA: It's been tough. Sudan is a huge country with
so many problems. You have tensions between the more liberal civilians and the
conservative military. And then you have this unrest in the western region of
Sudan. The government has been trying to come to some peace agreement with
different rebels, but that has been elusive. And just today, we are getting
word that protesters were killed in Darfur. They had set up a sit-in calling
for an end to the violence in the region. And according to activists, military
militias moved in, and they killed 13 protesters.
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/13/890558059/sudan-introduces-wide-reaching-reforms-to-move-away-from-strict-islamist-rule
-------
India
Farooq, Omar Abdullah move HC against detention of 16
partymen
Jul 13, 2020
SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) president and
Srinagar MP Dr Farooq Abdullah, and his son and party vice-president Omar
Abdullah on Monday filed a habeas corpus petition in the high court (HC)
challenging the “unconstitutional and illegal” house detention of 16 NC
functionaries.
According to a party statement, Farooq has filed a
petition for the release of Ali Mohammad Sagar, Abdul Rahim Rather, Nasir Aslam
Wani, Aga Syed Mehmood, Mohammad Khalil Bandh, Irfan Shah and Sahmeema Firdous;
while Omar has challenged the detention of Mohammad Shafi Uri, Aga Syed
Ruhullah Mehdi, Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzaan, Mubarak Gul, Dr Bashir Veeri, Abdul
Majeed Larmi, Basharat Bukhari, Saifudin Bhat Shutru, and Mohammad Shafi
through their counsel lawyer Shariq Reyaz.
NC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said the decision to
move the HC was taken as a last resort to provide relief to the party
functionaries who have been under house arrest/detention after being shifted
there from detention centres following the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A
in August last year, which paved the way for the reorganization of the state of
Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
“Shifting of the detainees from detention centres to
their homes only characterized revolving-door detention practice. Quashing of
the Public Safety Act (PSA) on party general secretary Haji Ali Muhammad Sagar
underscored the indefensible nature of all detentions in the court of law,
leading us to believe that the administration will release all the detainees in
the absence of any convincing reason behind it. Unfortunately, that was not to
be. The house detentions without any administrative orders are unlawful,
undermining due respect to human rights and individual liberty,” Nabi said.
“We are hopeful that the court will come to the rescue
of our colleagues, who have been suffering for no fault ever since the
abrogation of provisions of Art 370, Art 35A on August 5, 2019. This was the
only recourse left to us. We are hopeful that the court will uphold the civil
liberties of our colleagues, most of whom have not been keeping well,” he
added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/farooq-omar-abdullah-move-hc-against-detention-of-16-partymen/articleshowprint/76947175.cms
------
'GarmHava' Gave Space for Indian Muslims in Mainstream
Films: M.S. Sathyu
Sidharth Bhatia
July 14, 2020
In 1974, the film GarmHava was released and won
accolades not only in India but also abroad. It was a small budget film
part-funded by the government’s Film Finance Corporation. A searing look at how
the Partition broke up many Muslim families – it has left a lasting impact on
Indian cinema.
Starring stalwarts like Balraj Sahni, Shaukat Azmi,
Farooq Shaikh, Jalal Agha, Gita Siddharth, it tells the story of the Mirza
family of Agra which is divided on the issue of moving to the newly formed
country of Pakistan. The script was written by Shama Zaidi and Kaifi Azmi. It
is now considered the best ever film on the Partition. GarmHava was the first
film made by M.S. Sathyu and won the national award. Sathyu received the Padma
Shri in 1975.
On July 6, 2020, he spoke to The Wire‘s Sidharth
Bhatia about his early career as an art director and how GarmHava came to be
made in a video interview. The following is a transcript of the interview,
edited lightly for clarity and style.
Obviously, there are a lot of fans out there of your
films and your masterpiece GarmHava. So we thought it would be a good
opportunity to talk to you about your career, about that film and about what’s
going on in the country; what was going on then. People are not very aware of
your career before that, but you were a stalwart in theatre. You were an
assistant director, you were an art director and you won a Filmfare Award. So,
tell us about the early parts of your career from the 1950s.
Well, I started my career in Bombay, although I was
studying in Bangalore before that. I left my studies and went to Bombay in 1952
looking for an opportunity to work in films. For nearly four years, I was
unable to get any proper job anywhere in any of the film industry outlets.
Then waited and did theatre work to an extent. I
worked with various theatre people. I had a problem with language because I
didn’t speak any of the local languages of Bombay like Marathi, Gujarati or
Hindi. I only knew Kannada and English and a bit of Tamil, which is spoken in
my home. It was a bit of a problem at the time and I didn’t know how to utilise
my time in the theatre. So, I concentrated basically on the technical aspects
of theatre. I started working backstage and doing lighting, makeup and
designing. That’s how I started, and slowly I learnt the local languages. I
then shifted my activity.
I worked with the Indian People’s Theatre Association
(IPTA) for quite a long time and directed plays. I was unable to get an opening
in films but later on, it just happened that Chetan Anand came to know about me
and he was making a film called Anjali on 2500 years of the Buddha. It was
about Anand, a disciple of Buddha, on whose life the film was being made.
[Chetan Anand] called me over and asked me to work as an assistant director.
Back then, I did not know what an assistant director’s
job is. I said, “Why don’t you just make me a designer? I would rather design
the sets and the costumes for a period film like this.” But he said no, he had
an art director. So he said, “Don’t worry about anything. If you know anything
that’s good enough. You can read the script, it will be in English. You’ll work
as an assistant.” And he himself was acting in the film in the main lead. As an
assistant director for the first time, I started calling the shots. That is
very strange, very few get an opportunity to do that.
I wanted to just go back a bit. What was the
atmosphere in IPTA like in the early 1950s? We had just achieved independence
and it was quite at its peak in those days, if I recall.
The activity was very less in the IPTA. They take
hardly six months to do a play and things like that. Very few shows were being
done. So, we started reviving the whole thing. Earlier it was very active. The
Bombay group was one of the most active theatre groups but there was a lack of
leadership, there was a lack of activity and almost nothing was happening
really. For a theatre, the most important thing is to always be in contact with
the audience. It’s very important to build an audience and have a regular
number of shows and things like that. That was not happening. Later on, after
Ghalib’s centenary, we did a play called AakhriShama. That revived IPTA, in a
way. We opened the play in Delhi at the Red Fort. Diwan-i-Aam (Red Fort) was
the place chosen to do the play. It was kind of a mushaira (poetry symposium)
of that period. It was after nearly a hundred years that the whole mushaira was
enacted with Ghalib as the central figure. That brought back activity regularly
and then a lot of shows took place, all over the country. Then the other plays
started happening.
Yeah, you see, Chetan sahab was not totally a
commercial filmmaker. He had made films like Neecha Nagar for that. He was a
person who knew theatre and he started a kind of middle path, I should say.
Neither commercial nor too intellectual. He had started a new kind of theatre –
more realistic in approach.
In 1962, when the Chinese aggression took place, we
were all very angry. Almost the entire country was angry with China and Zhou
Enlai. Chetan Anand came to Delhi and he met me – I was working in a newspaper
office which was publishing Link and the Patriot – a tabloid. I was working
there. And then he said, he is making a war-film (Haqeeqat) and “Would you like
to join?” I said, “Yes, certainly.”
It was a challenge to me, as an art director, to
recreate the atmosphere of Ladakh inside his studio. That was a big challenge.
It, ultimately, gave me a Filmfare Award. I was an unknown person at the time.
They didn’t know who I was. To me, also, it was new. For the first time, I was
doing art direction in a film.
But, if somebody made a film today it would be
slightly different from Haqeeqat (1964). It would be very nationalistic and
very jingoistic, wouldn’t it? The atmosphere in the country has also changed.
Yeah, we have also experienced it. A lot of war films
were made in India after Haqeeqat. During the first rule of the BJP, for
example. In the name of patriotism, they made anti-Pakistani films, you know.
And when you make an anti-Pakistani film, [the general public can perceive it
as] anti-Indian Muslim – which is a very dangerous area. To deal with war is
not easy. You have to be politically correct. I see that films like Border,
Refugee and Farz and things like that – such films they were, no doubt, made
with a lot of effort. They try to bring in reality in the war films. But it was
the wrong approach. You can’t make an anti-Pakistani film because there are
more Muslims in India than in Pakistan.
So this actually brings us very well to GarmHava. Now
before we get on to the film, I just wanted to know – was it difficult to raise
finance and get permissions? It’s quite a stinging story. It reminds a country
what we’ve become, what we were at the time. How was it to try and set up the
film?
Actually, it all happened by accident. GarmHava was
not intended to be made at all. I had approached the Indian Finance Corporation
and (B.K.) Karanjiasahab read the script (which I wanted to make). But then he
said, “This is a very negative kind of story. Why don’t you give something
else? Some other script? We would like to finance.” Then, Shama, my wife, who
was writing the script, went to IsmatChughtai and started talking about making
a film. She narrated some stories from the days of the Partition which had
happened in her own home in Uttar Pradesh. That’s how GarmHava was thought of
and then by accident, it was made. And with a lot of theatre people – a lot of
theatre actors acted in this film.
If I say, it is almost like an IPTA film, I wouldn’t
be wrong. It was an IPTA film in a way. It became a success. Although, I had a
lot of problems getting a censor certificate. It took nearly 11 months to get a
censor certificate.
There were a lot of apprehensions. They were unsure of
– because, you know, the underdog – the Muslim – it is about them. And it is a
delicate matter. How the nation would react to a thing like that was a
question. It was very doubtful for the censor board to pass judgement on that.
They were unsure. So, they delayed my certificate. Ultimately, I used a lot of
influence. I knew Indira Gandhi personally. I knew Inder Kumar Gujralsahab
personally – who was the minister of information at the time. When I showed
them the film, I got through. A lot of politicians had seen the film by the
time it was released. The Congress party saw it and then the opposition saw it.
There was a lot of apprehension at the time.
No doubt, I had to spend much more. Nearly Rs 12-15
lakh. I think I spent it by borrowing money from my friends at that time.
That’s how the film was made and released all over the world. But we had a lot
of problems because of the delay in getting the censorship. All my distributors
walked out.
The actual premiere of GarmHava took place in Paris.
The very first public show of the film was in Paris. Then, it got selected for
the Cannes festival. It was recommended by a critic. It was shown at the main
festival itself. There people from the Academy had come to see films and they
selected GarmHava for the non-English language film – for the Oscar. That by
itself became sort of history, you know.
I have to ask because this is a very important
question for me and I’m sure people want to know about it. Was Balraj Sahni
always in your mind for the role? He played the best role of his life in this
film.
Balraj Sahni and I were in the theatre together. I had
worked for his Juhu Art Theatre and he was also in IPTA. He acted in my play –
AakhriShama as Ghalib. There was a close association in a way and I admire his
capability. Ideologically also, he was one with us. All these things helped. It
was automatic for me to think of him as the lead person in the film.
Haan, the mother was a big problem actually. Begum
Akhtar had agreed to do that role. But then at the last minute – when we were
shooting in Agra – I got a message from her that she is unable to come because
her husband doesn’t want her to act in films, although she had a film career
much earlier. During Mehboob Khan’s film, she had acted. But then, I had to
look for somebody in Agra.
We found this old lady. Her name was Badar Begum. She
looked the part, although she was not an actress of any kind. She had only come
to Bombay when she was about 16-17 years old to become an actress. But she
couldn’t get an opportunity and had gone back to Agra. She had become a
prostitute. When we went to meet her, she was running a brothel in Agra. But when
I asked her if she would do the role and that I’m shooting in (R.S. Lal)
Mathur’s house – in the haveli. I asked her if she would join the troupe. She
started crying.
It’s certainly a very poignant story. Now, while
making it, many of the actors must have remembered their own lives in 1947, the
lives of their families and people’s own histories about one person going
there, one not going there. It must have touched a lot of people even while
making it. I mean, the impact is so great on the audience.
Indian films which represented the Muslim lives showed
a decadent life of nawabs, tawaifs, dancing girls and things like that. They
never approached them as part of the Indian masses. That approach, I think, for
the first time ever happened in GarmHava. We became a part of the mainstream –
which was not there before. They made a lot of films, except perhaps a few. For
example, the representation of Muslims in V. Shantaram’sPadosi. There was a
little bit of that but a real effort to show them as part of the Indian
population was never there.
The film has some magnificent scenes. The two scenes
that haunt me include when Balraj Sahni walks into a room and sees his daughter
lying there. We know there is a real-life history behind that and he must have
been really shattered. The other is him telling the mother, “Let’s go.” And she
tells him, “I’m never going to leave this house.” He says, “Don’t be stubborn.”
You can see the man is broken. These two scenes – can you elaborate on their
development?
The scene where his daughter is dead – she has died by
suicide. It was a bit cruel of me for him. This is exactly what had happened in
his own life. His daughter had died by suicide. He was away somewhere in Madhya
Pradesh canvassing for the Congress party for elections. This thing happened in
Bombay.
When we traced, ultimately, the chief minister there –
he gave a private, small aircraft on which Balraj came to Santacruz airport. I
went to receive him there in my car and took him home. He walked straight up to
Shabnam’s room, stood there at the door and saw his daughter dead, lying on the
floor. By then, we had already got the coroner’s certificate because we didn’t
want to wait for Balraj. In exactly the same way, I’ve shot the scene in
GarmHava.
He’s going up the staircase, opening the door and
seeing the body of his daughter. There also, to explain the scene to him and
what he should do – it was very difficult. All through I had to say, “It is
Geeta who is lying dead.” I never even said, “This is your daughter.” “She has died
by suicide. You open the door but no tears should come from you, at all,” I
said. He opened the door and stood there silently.
He understood the whole thing. He was a professional.
As an actor, he was a professional. He had seen this personal tragedy earlier
in his life. If there was a demand of the director or the scene, he would just
do it. He would not mix them up. Emotionally, he never got upset that way.
The second scene I was telling you about when he gets
angry with his mother – but he’s really angry, in general, with himself and
what’s going on. He says, “Come on, let’s lift her and take her.” That was also
– a lot of people in the audience must have felt very attached to that scene
because it reminded them of their life.
That was a very well written scene. All the images
that come when she says that line, “I want to go back to that haveli.” He takes
her. The way she went to that haveli as a bride in a palki. She went to die
there in the same way – in a palki. That’s how she first entered the haveli.
And in the last part, it was also in the same fashion. That was a very touching
sequence. She remembers the words and faces of people, old scenes come back to
her.
How was the film received by Indian audiences,
especially by Hindu groups and by Muslim audiences? Did they have separate
reactions?
Yeah, there was a wrong kind of feeling, especially
with Bal Thackeray. When the film was going to release at the Regal Cinema in
Bombay, somebody had spoken about the film to Thackeray and he wanted to see it
before it was released. I said, “Why should you see it before it is released?
Why don’t you people come? The Shiv Sena can come to the premiere itself.” The
premiere was being inaugurated by Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit – the Maharashtra
governor at that time. But he said, “No, I want to see the film before the
release.” Then, I organised a special screening for him and some of the Sena
people. They all saw the film. But I didn’t go nor my partners went. We were
not there at the screening.
He saw the whole film and he asked for me, “Where is
the director? Where is the producer of this film?” They said, “He has not come,
sir. They have just sent the print for you to see.” He said, “This is exactly
what I want. The Indian Muslim should be a part of the mainstream. That is the
message this film is giving.” There was no problem after that. This was only a
kind of apprehension at the time.
Even L.K. Advani had written wrongly about the film in
their newspaper, the party paper. He said that it looks as if this film has
been financed by Pakistan. I mean, this is a comment which Advani made. Later
on, when I met him sometime in Madras at a film festival, he said, “I’m very
sorry, I made a mistake. I had not seen the film but I wrote it because I got a
report from somebody about the film.” So he apologised for having written that.
No, there were some conservative Muslims who
[expressed reservations], especially about the love affair between cousins. In
a restricted atmosphere, in a Muslim family – these things do happen. I mean,
cousins fall in love with each other because they don’t have the liberty to go
out and meet people. Some Muslims said, ‘No, this kind of thing doesn’t
happen’. Anyway, that was just a very personal reaction.
Well, communally, the situation has become worse.
[Indian society] had doubts about the loyalty of a Muslim. But today, Hindu
fundamentalism has grown. A lot of communal clashes happen. I mean, this whole
secular fabric is being damaged by the present government, the present rulers
of this country. The BJP, in spite of having a Muslim governor in one state or
a minister in the Centre – they’re only a show. They have a lot of money and
have been bought and given positions. Basically, the BJP is an anti-poor and
anti-Muslim group. This is what I feel.
A Kerala Muslim could not be accepted in Punjab. He
had to look for other revenues like the Gulf countries or Saudi Arabia or go to
Canada or something.
India still remains, basically, a secular country. And
this secular fabric is very strong and very well-knit. It cannot be destroyed.
No communal movement is possible in this country. The Indian ethos is that.
https://thewire.in/film/garm-hava-gave-space-for-indian-muslims-in-mainstream-films-m-s-sathyu
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Maharashtra: Muslim Leaders Seek Govt Intervention For
Bakri Eid Preparations
Jul 13, 2020
MUMBAI: After the Maharashtra government issued
guidelines for celebration of Ganesh Utsav in the state, several Muslim leaders
have written to the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to immediately take
necessary decisions on Bakri Eid festival which is falling on August 1.
With just 17 days left the community leaders are
concern on the government preparedness and arrangements of cattle mandis
(makeshift market) in the city in the wake of outbreak of pandemic.
Community leaders Senior NCP leader Nawab Malick, Amin
Patel, Samajwadi party president Abu Asim Azmi, Congress MLAs Zeeshan Siddiqui
and Rais Shaikh met Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh on Monday and discussed a
plan on how to organise the festival without violating the social distancing
and lockdown norms.
"As the government has come out with preparedness
on the Ganesh festival, no decision has been taken on the Bakri Eid. Its high
time that the government should immediately make a standard operating procedure
(SOP) and issue guidelines on the sale and slaughtering of cattle. Festival of
sacrifice is an important religious festival binding on every Muslim and hence
I have written to chief minister and home minister Anil Deshmukh to immediately
take a call on it," said former minister Arif Naseem Khan.
Guardian minister Aslam Shaikh said that the Muslim
leaders and other organisations involved have come up with detail plans on how
to safely celebrate the festival.
In a bid to avoid crowding at Deonar for buying cattle
(goats, sheep) it is proposed that there will be two or three mandis in each 24
wards. It is also proposed that the goat seller as well buyer will wear PPE
kits, one person will have to go to these mandis and select the animals without
touching them. Children will not be allowed said, Gulrezz Qureshi.
There is also suggestion that there should be coupon
system where 10 to 15 people will take prior appointment and come to buy goats.
The goat traders who are mostly coming from Rajasthan
and Madhya Pradesh are largest supplier of cattle to city, they are also
confused as to how would they ferry the cattle in the lockdown from one state
to another.
All India Jamiatul Qureshi, vice president Imran
Qureshi said that all those animal sellers coming from other states will have
to be quarantined.
"Another problem is rains. Goats are allergic to
water and they soon get cold and fall sick and hence we have requested
government to set up sheds for live stocks keeping in mind the monsoon season
as well veterinanrians for health being of the animals," said Qureshi.
Arshad Siddiqui of chairman of Red crescent Society of
India has proposed that Muslims can also contribute their share of Qurbani by
donating money to Jamiat-Ur-Rashad which will sacrifice the animals and will
distribute among the flood affected people in Bihar, UP and Bengal.
General manager of Deonar Slaughter house Yogesh
Shetye said that he is waiting for instructions from government.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/muslim-leaders-seek-govt-intervention-for-bakri-eid-preparations/articleshowprint/76944205.cms
-----
I Am Innocent": Kalyan Singh After Babri Mosque
Demolition Case Hearing
July 13, 2020
Lucknow: Senior BJP leader and former Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on Monday blamed the then Congress government at
the Centre for allegedly levelling "false and baseless allegations"
against him in the Babri mosque demolition case and said that he was
"innocent".
"The then Congress government at the Centre
levelled false and baseless allegations against me and filed a case out of
political animosity," he told reporters after appearing before a CBI
special court in Lucknow.
The 88-year-old leader said, "As a UP chief
minister, I and my government ensured adequate three-tier security of the
disputed structure in Ayodhya."
Mr Singh, during whose tenure the demolition took
place, was assisted by two persons as he walked out of the court after over
three-hour-long questioning.
The CBI court is currently recording statements of 32
accused under the CrPC Section 313, a stage in the trial that follows the
examination of accused.
Other alleged accused, including former Deputy Prime
Minister LK Advani and senior BJP leaders MM Joshi, are yet to be examined at
this stage.
The special court had last week reiterated that a
reminder should be sent to the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for making
arrangements to record his statement through video conferencing.
With regard to another accused Om Prakash Pandey, the
CBI had furnished a report saying he was untraceable after his family claimed
that he became a monk and had not come home for years.
His brother Mahendra Pandey had said that he would try
to find out the whereabouts of his brother and inform the CBI.
The court had then directed the agency to remain in
contact with Mahendra Pandey and furnish further report.
The court has already issued a non-bailable warrant
against Om Prakash Pandey.
ndtv.com/india-news/i-am-innocent-kalyan-singh-after-babri-mosque-demolition-case-hearing-2262083
------
Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in J&K's
Kupwara
Jul 13, 2020
SRINAGAR: Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire by
resorting to unprovoked firing towards Indian positions along the Line of
Control (LoC) in Tangdhar sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, an Army
official said.
There have been no reports of any casualties so far.
"Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire
violation (CFV) along the LoC in Tangdhar sector in Kupwara in the evening
hours by firing mortars and other weapons," the official said.
The Indian Army gave a befitting response to the
Pakistani aggression, he said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pakistan-violates-ceasefire-along-loc-in-jks-kupwara/articleshowprint/76946580.cms
-----
Jaish duo killed, civilian injured in Anantnag
encounter
Jul 13, 2020
SRINAGAR: A Jaish-e-Mohammad commander and his aide
were killed in an anti-terror operation in ViddySrigufwara area of south
Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Monday. A woman living near the encounter site
was also injured in the exchange of fire, IGP (Kashmir Range) Vijay Kumar said.
One of the slain terrorists was identified as Nasir
alias Shahbaz alias Baz Bhai, an ‘A’ category terrorist from Pakistan, while
the identity of the second terrorist, a local, was being ascertained.
In the morning, a joint team of J&K Police, Army’s
3 RR and CRPF’s E/116 Bn launched a cordon-and-search operation in Srigufwara
based on intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists there. As the
security forces neared the suspected hideout, holed-up ultras opened fire at
the search party, triggering an encounter in which the Jaish duo was killed,
IGP Kumar said. Police said the terrorists were given a chance to surrender but
they refused to yield and opened fire at the security forces instead.
A woman government teacher, identified as Arifa Jan,
sustained bullet injuries in the exchange of fire and was taken to the Anantnag
GMC for treatment. GMC principal Dr ShowkatJeelani confirmed that her condition
was stable.
Arms and ammunition along with other incriminating
material were recovered from the spot of the gunfight and searches were
underway, the IGP said. Meanwhile, internet services were temporarily suspended
in Anantnag as a precautionary measure.
As many as 130 local and non-local terrorists —
including some top commanders like Riyaz Naikoo of Hizbul Mujahideen, Qari
Yasir of Jaish, Hyder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Burhan Koka of Ansar
Ghazwat-ul-Hind — have been killed in Kashmir Valley this year so far, IGP
Kumar added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jaish-duo-killed-civilian-injured-in-anantnag-encounter/articleshowprint/76947149.cms
-----
Pakistan
Toshakhana reference against Nawaz: Court notices
displayed at JatiUmra, Model Town
Jul 14 2020
LAHORE: A notice of accountability court (Islamabad)
was displayed at JatiUmra and Model Town residences of former prime minister
Nawaz Sharif on Monday, directing him to appear before it on Aug 17 in the
Toshakhana reference.
According to the notice, “Nawaz Sharif committed
offence of punishable under Section 9 read with Section 10 of the National
Accountability Ordinance 1999 and it has been returned to a warrant of arrest
thereupon issued that the said accused cannot be found and whereas it has been
shown to my satisfaction that the said accused has absconded. Proclamation
under section 87 CrPC is hereby made that the said accused Nawaz Sharif is
required to appear before this court to answer the said reference on Aug 17.”
The accountability court of Islamabad last month had
issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Nawaz Sharif in the reference. Nawaz,
PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and former premier Yusuf Raza Gilani are
accused of receiving luxury vehicles and gifts from Toshakhana.
The NAB reference alleged that Mr Zardari and Mr
Sharif had obtained cars from Toshakhana by paying 15 per cent of the price of
the cars. The bureau further alleged that Mr Gilani had facilitated Mr Zardari
and Mr Nawaz to the effect.
The court directed the Foreign Office to execute
arrest warrants against Mr Sharif through the Pakistan High Commission in
London.
The NAB special prosecutor told the court that Mr
Sharif was residing in Avenfield Apartments in the UK. He suggested that the
court issue a directive to publish the notice in UK newspapers.
Nawaz Sharif has been in London for his medical
treatment since November last. He left abroad after the court granted him bail
in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case, and Al-Azizia reference in which he was
convicted for seven years. The court had given him four weeks permission for
his treatment abroad.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568833/toshakhana-reference-against-nawaz-court-notices-displayed-at-jati-umra-model-town
-----
Infant in Attock diagnosed with poliovirus strain for
which vaccinations halted in 2014
Jul 14 2020
TAXILA: A case of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2
(VDPV2) — a strain of polio for which vaccinations in Pakistan were halted in
2014 —has been detected in Hazro, Attock.
An eight-month-old boy has been diagnosed with VDPV2,
district health authorities confirmed on Monday. They said with this new case
there have been four polio cases detected in Punjab this year, and 56 all over
the country.
Health authorities said Punjab Minister for Health Dr
Yasmin Rashid is expected to arrive in Attock on Tuesday for more information
on the case and to review the arrangements to tackle the spread of polio in the
area.
The detection of VDPV2 in Punjab comes after the
presence of the wild poliovirus, WPV, was also found in the province this year,
District Health Authority Chief Executive Dr Sohail Ijaz said.
He said the emergence of this strain has set alarm
bells ringing due to the failure to eradicate both strains of the poliovirus in
the province. He added that there is a misconception that the VDPV2 strain
occurs due to vaccine inefficiency and that the strain has been reported in 14
other countries as well.
Dr Asad Ismail, the district health officer preventive
services, told Dawn that a polio case has been reported in Attock district for
the first time in 23 years. He said district health authorities are in the
process of verifying the infant’s vaccination history.
“The status of the number of supplementary
immunisation activity (SIA) and routine immunisation (RI) doses is being
investigated,” he said.
Dr Ismail said the baby’s mother came from Hong Kong
and delivered the baby in Pakistan. The baby was born premature and was in an
incubator for weeks, he added.
To a question, he said during polio vaccination
campaigns, children are administered vaccines for poliovirus type 1 and type 3
in the form of oral polio vaccines and vaccinations against type 2 were stopped
in 2014 and the strain has not been detected in environmental samples since
2016.
Measures are being taken to prevent the poliovirus in
the area, Dr Ismail said, adding a vaccination drive will begin in the district
on July 20.
According to information available on the Polio
Eradication Programme website, 12 cases of the wild poliovirus have been
confirmed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight in Sindh, four in Balochistan and one in
Punjab.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568883/infant-in-attock-diagnosed-with-poliovirus-strain-for-which-vaccinations-halted-in-2014
--------
Federal ministers ask PPP chief to answer questions
about corruption
Syed Irfan Raza
Jul 14 2020
ISLAMABAD: Reacting to the allegations levelled by
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari against the prime
minister, federal ministers Murad Saeed and Shibli Faraz on Monday advised him
not to talk “nonsense” but answer questions about corruption committed by his
family.
Communications Minister Murad Saeed challenged the PPP
chief to face him in parliament or in a TV talk show or at a public meeting.
He said the main reason behind Bilawal’s fiery press
conference was a recent report of a joint investigation team which had exposed
PPP leadership’s links with Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch.
He said the PPP leadership was involved in the worst
kind of corruption, while no one could level any allegation of corruption
against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Shibli Faraz
said in a video statement that Mr Bhutto-Zardari was frustrated as he did not
have any political agenda and his press conference was its manifestation.
Mr Faraz said PM’s sister should not be dragged into
politics because she had nothing to do with the government. “The use of such
kind of language about a woman is a very despicable act,” he remarked.
He said Bilawal should be the last person to accuse
the prime minister of committing corruption as no one called Imran Khan “Mr 10
per cent”.
“We strongly condemn Bilawal’s allegations. He should
not say such things. He was either asleep or ignorant of the ground realities,”
the minister maintained.
He said Bilawal, whose family had confined one big party
of the past to Larkana district only, had made a joke of himself by saying such
frivolous things.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1568870/federal-ministers-ask-ppp-chief-to-answer-questions-about-corruption
------
Mideast
Iran offers unconditional support to Hamas, Islamic
Jihad
Jul 13, 2020
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Since Hamas and Islamic Jihad
remained on the sidelines in the Syrian civil war and left their respective
offices in Damascus in 2012, Iran, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime,
suspended its financial support to both movements, cutting off their largest
sources of funding.
The return of these relations, however, seems to be in
the offing, especially with the recent events in the region. On May 28, Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that his government intends to
annex 30% of the West Bank.
Head of the Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh said
July 6 that he had received a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, confirming that his country will continue to provide support to the
Palestinians.
“Iran will spare no effort to support the Palestinian
people to restore their right and hold off the evil schemes of the Zionist
entity,” the message read.
The message comes after Iranian Shura Council Speaker
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf made two phone calls to Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad
Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhalah July 1, to discuss mechanisms and ways to
thwart Israel’s annexation plan.
Ghalibaf expressed his country’s support for the
Palestinian people in the face of the US Middle East peace plan, known locally
as "the deal of the century."
Hamas has made great efforts in the past months in a
bid to restore Iranian support. Hamas condemned the assassination of Qasem
Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, by a US
strike in Baghdad Jan. 3. Haniyeh also traveled to Tehran to participate in
Soleimani’s funeral.
Mahmoud al-Zahar, a member of Hamas political bureau,
had said during an interview with Al-Nahda News July 9, 2019, that Hamas had
been making great efforts in a bid to restore relations with the Syrian
government backed by the Iranian regime.
A prominent Hamas leader who spoke to Al-Monitor on
condition of anonymity said, “Iran decided to provide the Palestinian
resistance with the greatest possible support to confront Israel’s annexation
plan of the West Bank. This support will be greater than ever, with no
restrictions and in any way the Palestinian resistance wishes."
Although Iran announced that it would continue to
support the Palestinian resistance, a major challenge stands in the way, which
is the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s policy to dry up Hamas sources of
funding, taking strict measures to prevent money from outside the Palestinian
territories from reaching the Islamic movement through local banks.
A Reuters report published on April 26, 2019, said
that Hamas is increasingly using sophisticated methods to raise money using
Bitcoins, which highlights the difficulties facing the authorities to track
cryptocurrencies financing groups that some classify as terrorists.
“It is not important here for the public to know how
the support will reach the resistance, but what is important is where and how
such support would be used on the ground to thwart the Israeli annexation
plan,” the source explained.
He added, “The Iranian support will mainly be directed
to the West Bank that is at risk now with the Israeli annexation plan. Support
will also focus on mobilizing the Palestinian people to confront this scheme.”
On July 2, Secretary-General of Fatah’s Central
Committee Jibril Rajoub and Hamas leader Salah al-Arouri, who is based in
Beirut, held a rare joint video conference to discuss a joint plan of action to
counter the Israeli annexation plan.
“We must realize that the battlefield now is the West
Bank and our people in Gaza are ready by all means to [counter the plan]. Abu
Obaida [spokesman for Hamas’ military wing, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades] said
that the annexation is a ‘declaration of war,’” Arouri said during the
conference call.
Islamic Jihad leader Khodr Habib told Al-Monitor,
“Iran’s support is of paramount importance for the Palestinian resistance and
willl significantly contribute to escalate the resistance against the Israeli
occupation in the coming period.”
He stressed that there is ongoing communication
between his movement’s leadership and Iranian officials to discuss mechanisms
to translate what has been agreed upon in recent contacts with Iran on the
ground.
He added, “The resistance factions have been holding
regular meetings to develop practical measures to address the Israeli plan. All
our efforts in the coming stage will be focusing on resisting and thwarting the
[annexation] plan and we will certainly succeed in that.”
Talal Okal, political analyst and writer for the
Ramallah-based newspaper Al-Ayyam, told Al-Monitor, “Iran’s recent stance to
provide the greatest possible support to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the
framework of confronting the Israeli annexation plan, is the culmination of
great efforts made by the leadership of the two movements to restore their
relations with Iran.”
He said that Hamas felt it had made a historic mistake
by detaching itself from Iran over the Syrian conflict, and by looking for
alternative sources of funding, such as Qatari support.
Okal explained that Hamas found out that Qatar’s
support is conditioned by maintaining calm with Israel, which is in direct
conflict with the movement’s principles and goals aimed at perpetuating the
conflict with Israel. Hamas was forced to maintain calm with Israel at the
moment in order to receive more funds from Qatar, especially since it has been
grappling with a major financial crisis since Egypt established a buffer zone
along the borders with the Gaza Strip in 2014 to destroy the border tunnels, he
added.
“Hamas realized that it is in imperative need of the
Iranian support more than any other source of funding, as Iran would provide it
without any conditions or prerequisites,” Okal concluded.
Hassan Abdo, a writer and political analyst close to
Islamic Jihad, told Al-Monitor, “The recent contacts between Hamas and Islamic
Jihad with Iran — and Khamenei’s message — are proof that all differences
between the two parties would remain on hold now as they are insignificant in
light of the Israeli annexation scheme.”
He added, “Many other Arab countries turned their back
on the Palestinians and contributed in intensifying their blockade, making way
for the US deal of the century and the annexation plan, which is part of it.
Iran’s position was exactly the opposite."
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/07/palestinian-hamas-iran-financial-support-israel-annexation.html
-------
Iran praises Turkey’s reopening of Hagia Sophia mosque
MuhammetKursun
13.07.2020
Iran’s Foreign Ministry welcomed on Monday a recent
decision by Turkey to reconvert Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia into a mosque
after serving decades as a museum.
“The decision on the status of Hagia Sophia is
Turkey's internal affair,” ministry spokesman Sayed Abbas Mousavi told Anadolu
Agency.
“This is an issue that should be considered as part of
Turkey's national sovereignty,” Mousevi added.
On Friday, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 cabinet
decree that had turned the Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its
use again as a mosque after 85 years.
The court ruled that the architectural gem was owned
by a foundation established by Sultan Mehmet II, the conqueror of Istanbul, and
presented to the community as a mosque -- a status that cannot be legally
changed.
The Hagia Sophia was used as a church for centuries
under the rule of the Byzantine Empire. It was turned into a mosque following
the conquest of Istanbul in 1453. But in 1934, a cabinet decision had converted
Hagia Sophia into a museum.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/-iran-praises-turkey-s-reopening-of-hagia-sophia-mosque/1909036
--------
Khamenei blueprinted the mullahs’ 25-year self-off of
Iran to China
July 13, 2020
Iran—GholamrezaMesbahi Moghadam, a member of the Iranian
regime’s Expediency Council, shed light on the role of Iranian regime Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei in the sell-off deal with China involving the transfer of
Kish Island, along with military and intelligence cooperation between the
regime and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) with the Chinese government.
“The 25-year cooperation document with China went
through after Khamenei sent a special message and a special messenger to China
and met with the Chinese President. Prior to that, there was no determination
from our government,” Moghadam explained in an interview with the state-run
Asre-Iran website on Saturday.
“Today, our conditions force us to inject more hope to
the society. If hopelessness prevails, there could be social riots and
rebellions. In this regard relationships with China and Russia can provide
paths to new opportunities,” he added. “Today, we are suffering from high
inflation and unemployment, unstable prices and escalating poverty across the
country, and the sanctions and the noel coronavirus have added dilemmas to our
issues.”
While the mullahs’ regime refuses to publish the terms
of this disgraceful agreement, published reports indicate the deal is based on
unbelievable concessions regarding Kish Island and providing massive economic
incentives in return for military and regional support from China.
This agreement is going through while the IRGC’s Mahan
Air flights to China continued during the COVID-19 crisis that led to the
transfer of this lethal illness to the city of Qom and from there to other
parts of the country. This led to widespread protests over the relationship
between the mullahs’ regime in Iran and China.
“Last week, the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] agreed
to the extension of the existing deal to include new military elements that
were proposed by the same senior figures in the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps] and the intelligence services that proposed the original deal, and
this will involve complete aerial and naval military co-operation between Iran
and China, with Russia also taking a key role,” a source told OilPrice.com
recently.
“There is a meeting scheduled in the second week of
August between the same Iranian group, and their Chinese and Russian
counterparts, that will agree the remaining details but, provided that goes as
planned, then as of 9 November, Sino-Russian bombers, fighters, and transport
planes will have unrestricted access to Iranian air bases,” the source told
OilPrice.com. “This process will begin with purpose-built dual-use facilities
next to the existing airports at Hamedan, Bandar Abbas, Chabhar, and Abadan.”
In parallel, these deployments will be accompanied by
the roll-out of Chinese and Russian electronic warfare (EW) capabilities,
sources told OilPrice.com. Part of the new military co-operation will also
include an exchange of personnel between Iran, China and Russia, with up to 110
senior IRGC members going for training every year in Beijing and Moscow and 110
Chinese and Russians going to Tehran for their training.
In return for these military and intelligence
cooperation, the Iranian regime will be providing vast economic incentives,
especially in energy, to China. Tehran has committed to sell its oil, gas and
petrochemical products to China at 12 percent below the average market price, with
an additional six to eight percent discount. Furthermore, China will be allowed
to pay Iran with up to two years in delay and with soft currency. As a result,
China will be purchasing all of Iran’s oil products at a price at least 32
percent lower than the actual price in global markets, according to a July 7
report broadcast by Radio France Internationale.
The terms must be so disgraceful and against Iran’s
interests that the regime’s Majlis (parliament) members say they have not been
informed of the details. This forced government spokesperson Ali Rabiei to
emphasize that the agreement was discussed between Khamenei and Chinese
President Xi Jinping.
https://english.mojahedin.org/i/iran-china-25-year-deal-khamenei-20200713
-------
Iran: State-Run Media Acknowledge How Mullahs’ Regime
Is Using COVID-19 to Quell Restive Society
by Mahmoud Hakamian
13th July 2020
According to the Iranian opposition, nearly 70,000
people have lost their lives due to the novel coronavirus pandemic in Iran.
Since the beginning of this crisis, the Iranian regime resorted to cover–up and
inaction to divert people’s attention from their righteous demands and control
the restive Iranian society. This was because the November 2019 and January
2020 nationwide Iran protests had shaken the regime’s foundations, and the
mullahs know the next uprising will end in their downfall.
While reports from Iran indicated the arrival of
COVID-19, the regime denied its existence to have a larger turnout during its
foundation anniversary and the sham parliamentary elections. When the Iranian
Resistance’s revelations and international community pressure forced the regime
to acknowledge the existence of the virus, it downplayed it. The regime’s president, Hassan Rouhani, led
the campaign of deception and cover-up. On May 23 he said: “Some are trying to
scare people in the country about the Coronavirus disease. We should not
tolerate this.”
Earlier on May 20 he blatantly claimed: “We have been
making progress step-by-step in these three months, having no relapses
anywhere. Altogether, we have made good progress in the fight against this
dangerous virus and have almost managed to contain the disease.”
Meanwhile, on May 24, state television reported: “The
daily number of infections rose by 1.32 percent in the first ten days of the
Iranian month of Ordibehesht [April and May], 1.4 percent during the second 10
days, and 1.48 percent in the third ten days, respectively.”
In other words, the regime’s 40 years of oppression,
export of terrorism and corruption has turned the Iranian society into a powder
keg, ready to explode. Therefore, the mullahs used the COVID-19 as a lever of
oppression to control this restive society, divert people’s attention from
their desire of regime change and prevent possible uprisings by sending people
to the COVID-19 killing zone. Yet, the regime’s inhumane measures have
increased public hatred toward the regime and the society’s explosiveness. This
has become so much imminent that even state-run media are admitting to it and
warning one another about an upcoming “flood of revenge.” In this regard, the
state-run Mostaghel daily published an article. Below are excerpts of its
translation.
It was around midnight when we learned about the gas
price hike from the TV news ticker. We were shocked. They [the government] had
said nothing before, and it all happened suddenly.
People from rural districts, those living under the
poverty line, took their lives in their hands and poured onto the streets. They
were frustrated with crushing poverty and the government’s mismanagement in
providing them with their least needs, and now being ignored about the process
of the fuel price-hike. Then the internet was shut down and people’s connection
with each other and the world was cut. News of unbelievable massacres in
different parts of country were published by unofficial sources, adding to the
protesters’ anger.
The fire, hidden under the ashes of people’s patience,
was expanding and pushing the situation out of [regime’s] control. An
astounding number of deaths, in the absence of fair media, was fueling this
fire. Those who were indifferent were gradually coming to the scene, and this is
something that no government wants to happen. Finally, the use of harsh methods
[of oppression] in dealing with protesters, amid the internet blackout,
temporarily had good results [for the regime]. The situation came under control
without giving a practical answer to people’s demands.
Fear of bullets and pressure pushed the people, who
had hopes of a better life, back. Yet, the principal players of this game know
that what happened in November is a prologue to an upcoming flood from the
slums, which will wash everything with it.
Now, a savior was needed to divert people’s attention
from the November and January incidents. So, came the novel coronavirus. The
government used people’s fear of this invisible enemy to unleash the dragon
among them. Long before its public announcement, COVID-19 had come or had been
brought to Iran. But to defy Trump, they held events marking the 41st
anniversary of the 1979 revolution. And to slap those dissatisfied with the
approbative supervision, the Parliamentary elections were held as scheduled.
Then they said: we just found about the virus’ existence, so people watch
yourselves.
The Coronavirus was a gift from heaven and a savior.
They even put aside China’s management of COVID-19 and instead turned to
preaching and giving advice to people. Although these methods have long proven
to be inefficient in controlling and correcting the situation.
Thus, without any material support, they “asked”
people to stay at home but did not close anywhere. Freeways were opened before
the Nowruz holidays, but people were told “not to travel.” They did not control
city entrances are neglected people’s carelessness in going on vacation. When
the medical staff were being crushed under the heavy wave of horrible deaths,
they sent violet oil so it could, along with camel urine, solve the problem.
Thus, they [the authorities] left hungry and depressed
people alone in a room with a lion and waited for the work to be done.
Meanwhile, without attracting any attention to the skyrocketing prices, some
courts were held as though they were held in a normal situation; each session
could have created a fuss, abandoning the country’s forests to burn in fire and
issuing death sentences for the detainees of the November incident.
While people are just trying to survive, this
instrumental use of the COVID-19 to silence and control the anger of
uncategorized starving people was so ruthlessly done that after six months,
they not only have not achieved any success in controlling the virus, but
according to the official statistics, the situation is out of control.
Thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths per day confirms this. What
other than this crisis could have diverted attention from people’s immersed
anger and unfulfilled demands?
Of course, this souvenir from China will not be left
without a reward. But they should not forget that COVID-19 will end one day.
Then these wounded and deprived people will have nothing else left to lose.
When their anger erupts, it will fight until the [regime’s] destruction, and
you would see what you do not want to see. If they had used the coronavirus
situation to help people, to repair their reputation, undoubtedly, those
marginalized people could have played a pivotal role in balancing the situation
in the future.
The Government did not contain and control the
coronavirus to relevantly control the anger of defiant people. But I wish that
the suffering and illness of the people were not used as a cure for
obliviousness and a means of revenge of the events of November and December.
Because soon, people will come to their table for
eating, and their despair of an empty table will lead them to protest on busy
streets.
https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/inside-source-reports/iran-state-run-media-acknowledge-how-mullahs-regime-is-using-covid-19-to-quell-restive-society/
------
The mullahs’ desperate need for execution and
suppression
7/13/2020
Iran, July 13, 2020—Iranian regime officials confirmed
that on July 8 a man in Mashhad was executed for drinking alcohol on multiple
occasions. Apart from the cruelty of this act, it is a manifestation of the
regime’s reaction to its many crises such as the coronavirus outbreak, economic
deadlock, conflicts between various currents of the regime, and its fear of
another nationwide uprising.
On one hand, the regime has increased its
psychological warfare and propaganda against the Iranian opposition People's
Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and is pressurizing the families of
MEK members, while on the other hand, it has begun a new wave of executions of
prisoners. In this regard, executing a man for drinking alcohol is unique and
unprecedented, even for the brutal regime of the mullahs.
The victim was imprisoned a year ago and had no other
charges but drinking alcohol. The remarks of the victim's lawyer indicate that
the regime was in a hurry to carry out this execution.
Amnesty International issued a statement condemning
the vicious crime of the mullahs’ regime, saying: “Iranian authorities have
once again laid bare the sheer cruelty and inhumanity of their judicial system
by executing a man simply for drinking alcohol. The victim was the latest
person to be executed in Valkalibad prison, the site of numerous secret mass
executions and a grotesque theatre of Iran’s contempt for human life.”
This execution was carried out while in recent days,
the regime’s representative at the United Nations Human Rights Council was
shedding crocodile tears for the killing of IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem
Soleimani, the regime’s terror mastermind.
Carrying out this execution in the city of Mashhad is
not a coincidence. It is worth reminding that the nationwide uprisings in
December 2017 first started in Mashhad. In recent months, many regime officials
have warned about the explosive situation of the Iranian society and the possibility
of new uprisings.
In other news, Hossein Reyhani, a young man who was
arrested during the November 2019 protests in Iran, has been charged with
“enmity against God”, a bogus crime the regime uses to hand out execution
sentences.
At the same time, the regime judiciary is making a
push for the execution of three youths who were arrested in the November 2019
nationwide uprisings.
Previously, the Iranian regime’s judiciary arrested
two elite students Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi for having links with
the MEK. On June 13, Ali Younesi was reported to have contracted coronavirus in
prison.
On June 15, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the National Council
of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) called for an international fact-finding mission
to visit Iran’s prisons and meet with the inmates, especially political
prisoners, and called for immediate action by the United Nations
Secretary-General, the Human Rights Council and Commissioner, and relevant
special rapporteurs, along with international human rights organizations to
save the lives of political prisoners in Iran.
With this new wave of repressive measures, the regime
aims to intimidate the population and preparing the ground for more repression.
At the same time, it fears the public outrage that will result from these
punishments, since these executions can trigger new protests.
The Iranian regime is facing a deadlock. On the one
hand, it needs executions and repression to confront the explosive situation of
the society. But on the other hand, these arrests and executions can themselves
become the source of more protests.
The question is: Will the regime manage to stop
people’s revolt by increasing repression, arrests, and executions of political
prisoners? If the past is prologue, it won’t happen.
https://english.mojahedin.org/i/iran-executions-political-prisoners-20200713
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South Asia
Three killed in Faryab mosque shooting
2020-07-14
At least three people were killed in a shooting at a
mosque in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province on Monday evening, police said.
Karim Yorish, a spokesman for provincial police, told
1TV that that three others were wounded in the attack which happened during
Maghrib prayer in Bibi Ayena area of the provincial capital, Maimana.
The official said that the attackers faced security
forces encounter at a checkpoint while they were fleeing, as a result of which
two were wounded.
Meanwhile, a security source told 1TV that four people
were killed and five others were wounded in the mosque shooting.
According to the source, the deaths included a local
police commander, identified as Abdul Sattar, his brother and son.
http://www.1tvnews.af/en/news/afghanistan/42549-three-killed-in-faryab-mosque-shooting
-------
Lashing Out: China Targets Ted Cruz Amid Mounting
Pressure Over COVID, Hong Kong, Uyghurs
BY TYLER O'NEIL
JUL 13, 2020
On Monday, the oppressive People’s Republic of China
announced it would slap sanctions on Sen.s Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio
(R-Fla.), as well as on Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Religious Freedom
Ambassador Sam Brownback. Their crime? Condemning the Communist regime’s brutal
oppression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, where Muslims are forced into
“re-education camps” and many of the women are sterilized.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said
Cruz, Rubio, Smith, and Brownback had “seriously damaged China-U.S. relations.”
Hua insisted that China was determined to uphold its national sovereignty
against what it claims to be interference in its internal affairs, the
Associated Press reported. The Communist government also reportedly banned them
from entering the country.
Hua did not spell out the specific sanctions against
Americans, insisting that they would correspond to American sanctions placed on
four senior Chinese officials. Americans sanctioned Chen Quanguo, who heads the
northwestern region of Xinjiang; Zhu Hailun, party secretary of the Xinjiang
political and legal committee; Wang Mingshan, party secretary of the Xinjiang
public security bureau; and HuoLiujun, a former top official in Xinjiang’s
police force. The U.S. prohibited Americans from carrying out any property
transactions with these officials and barred three of them from entering the
U.S.
The U.S. sanctions came as a response to China’s
brutal imprisonment of 1 million members of Muslim minority groups in what
China defends as de-radicalization and retraining centers.
Human rights activists have compared the camps to
prisons and worse, claiming that inmates are sentenced there with little due
process. The Uyghurs (the largest Muslim minority targeted) and others are
compelled to denounce their religion, language, and culture and to pledge
allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party and President Xi Jinping. According
to an Associated Press investigation, Uyghur women are forced to use birth
control or undergo involuntary sterilizations.
This horrific mistreatment has contributed to
worsening relations between the U.S. and China. China’s coronavirus
malfeasance, its aggressive takeover of Hong Kong, its attacks on the religious
freedom of Christians, and other issues like trade have worsened relations even
further. The Trump administration also instituted visa bans on Chinese
officials deemed responsible for barring foreigners’ access to Tibet.
Last December, Xinjiang authorities claimed that the
camps had closed and all detainees had “graduated,” a claim difficult to
corroborate independently. Some Uyghurs and Kazakhs have told the AP that their
relatives have been released, but others say their loved ones remain in
detention. In October 2019, the U.S. imposed visa restrictions on Chinese
officials believed to be responsible for the mistreatment of Uyghurs and it
blacklisted more than two dozen Chinese companies and agencies linked to abuses
in the region.
Upon learning of the China ban, Cruz sardonically
tweeted, “Bummer. I was going to take my family to Beijing for summer vacation,
right after visiting Tehran.”
He later clarified that he “did not have plans to
travel to Beijing, where the CCP commits egregious human rights atrocities, suppresses
its people, & allowed [COVID-19] to become a global pandemic that has taken
the lives of more than 570K people worldwide.”
Considering the Chinese Communist Party’s nefarious
acts on coronavirus and its infamous human rights abuses against both Christians
and Muslims, perhaps Brownback, Cruz, Rubio and Smith should be proud to find
themselves the objects of China’s ire. They must be doing something right.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/tyler-o-neil/2020/07/13/china-sanctions-ted-cruz-and-marco-rubio-for-daring-to-criticize-oppression-of-uyghur-muslims-n636965
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China bets on Hainan duty-free shopping mecca to boost
spending at home
13 Jul, 2020
This is the second story in a three-part series
examining China’s plan to transform Hainan into an internationally influential
‘free-trade port’, as Beijing faces what it perceives to be an increasingly
hostile international environment. You can read the first story in the series
here.
Steve Li browses through racks of clothing at a
comfortably air-conditioned shopping centre in tropical Hainan, stopping
occasionally to check price tags for luxury brands ranging from Prada to
Giorgio Armani.
Touted as “the world’s largest duty-free mall”, the
Sanya Begonia Bay International Shopping Centre is at the forefront of a push
by Beijing to turn the island into a global shopping destination that may tempt
Chinese to splurge at home, rather than abroad.
“I’ve already spent about 10,000 yuan (US$1,421) in
this mall,” said Li, who was holidaying in Sanya because the coronavirus had
made international travel nearly impossible.
Li is one of China’s legion of international shoppers
who have been behind a spectacular buying spree in shopping capitals from Paris
to Seoul in recent years.
The No 1 purpose of overseas travel for China’s 150
million outbound travellers in 2019 was “shopping”, according to a survey by
Trip.com and China UnionPay released last November.
Chinese tourists spent US$277 billion overseas in
2018, beating the United States and Germany combined, said the World Tourism
Organisation, a United Nations agency.
For Beijing, however, the exodus of consumer power is
both a sign of national strength and a source of concern. Tourism has been a
big service trade deficit item on China’s balance of international payments.
China reported a total service trade deficit of
US$88.2 billion in the first five months of this year, in which US$73.3
billion, or 83.1 per cent of total, came from tourism, according to official
data.
If Beijing wants to boost domestic consumer spending
in the face of an increasingly uncertain post-coronavirus world, it will depend
in large part on its success on keeping people like Li at home.
President Xi Jinping announced in April 2018 that
Hainan, a popular holiday destination sometimes referred to as China’s Hawaii,
would be made into the nation’s largest free-trade zone.
As part of a final plan unveiled last month, some
imported goods will be made tariff free and the annual per person duty-free
allowance will be lifted to 100,000 yuan from 30,000 yuan.
In late June, the mall was humming with shoppers and
“professional buyers”, known as daigou. Wang Yue, who was picking up duty-free
handbags and lipsticks for her clients in exchange for a fee, was enthusiastic
about the new spending limits, which have also seen customs tariffs on single
items scrapped.
“If there’s an annual duty-free quota of 100,000 yuan,
I will definitely come here often, especially if it is more difficult to get
visas and foreign currencies for overseas trips,” said Wang, who is in her 20s.
Shoppers can snap up an iPhone 11 Pro 512G for 10,210
yuan, which is 20 per cent below the standard selling price of Apple stores in
the mainland, and cheaper than the HK$12,499 it sells for in Hong Kong.
Chen Xiaohua, deputy director of the Hainan
Comprehensive Deepening Reform Committee, the agency coordinating the
free-trade port, said the government's vision was for the island to be the
first choice for Chinese consumers who wanted to buy imported goods.
In 2019, Hainan’s four duty-free malls attracted 3.2
million shoppers – mostly from the mainland – and sold 12.8 billion yuan
(US$1.81 billion) of duty-free products, according to official data.
Joe Gao, a Beijing-based trader whose work frequently
sees him travelling to Hainan and around Asia, said China’s plan to drive
consumer spending cannot be put on a few duty-free malls.
“The key is to see whether it is possible to buy
imported items as easily and cheaply at any Hainan store as in Hong Kong,” Gao
said. “A small bar of Ferrero chocolate is priced at 10 yuan in a Shenzhen
duty-free store, but it is priced only 8 Hong Kong dollars and available
anywhere everywhere in Hong Kong.”
https://www.scmp.com/print/economy/china-economy/article/3092956/china-bets-hainan-duty-free-shopping-mecca-boost-spending
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ADB-Funded Dev in Bangladesh: 40 projects hit by
pandemic
July 14, 2020
Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary
The coronavirus pandemic has slowed down the
implementation of at least 40 of the 49 projects funded by the Asian
Development Bank.
Initial estimate shows that awarding of contracts may
fall by 20 percent this year and disbursement of funds by 30 percent if no
special measures are taken.
In six months till June 30, the achievement in
awarding contracts was only 13.87 percent and that in disbursing funds 21.41
percent of the targets, show ADB documents.
"Given the Covid-19, special measures will be
needed to speed up the project implementation as lockdown has seriously
impacted the project progress," read the documents.
Against such a backdrop, the Tripartite Portfolio
Review Meeting (TPRM) for the ADB-funded projects will be held in Dhaka
tomorrow. This is the first such meeting this year.
The TPRM will be co-chaired by the secretary of the
Economic Relations Division and the country director of the ADB's Bangladesh
Resident Mission.
They will assess the impact of Covid-19 on project
implementation, review key implementation issues that may affect progress,
prioritise actions to meet the targets, and also discuss approval of proposed
projects.
As of June 30 this year, Bangladesh's active portfolio
with the ADB stands at $10.81 billion in the form of loans or grants for 49
projects in six sectors. The amount includes $742 million in loan for the
projects approved this year.
Of the projects, 12 are in the transport sector; nine
in education and health; eight in energy; eight in water, urban infrastructure
and services; seven in agriculture, natural resources and rural development;
and five in the finance sector.
According to the ADB, Bangladesh was performing well
till March when Covid-19 started affecting the implementation of the projects.
To contain the spread of the virus and ensure safety
of workers and employees, the majority of the construction sites were closed
following the shutdown, it said.
Since then, contracts under several packages could not
be awarded and also funds could not be disbursed, seriously impacting the
project implementation, the ADB mentioned in the documents.
The government imposed the shutdown in late March to
contain the spread of the virus. It, however, lifted the restrictions on May 31
as the shutdown started to affect the economy and people's livelihoods.
The Roads and Highways Department is implementing
several ADB-funded projects, including Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban
Transport and SASEC Road Connectivity Project-1 and 2.
Under the urban transport project, a dedicated bus
line or Bus Rapid Transit is being built from Dhaka Airport to Gazipur, while
the two-lane road from Gazipur to Rangpur is being upgraded to four lanes under
the road connectivity projects.
"The implementation of our projects has been
hampered by the pandemic as work of those projects was suspended for more than
two months since late March," RHD Chief Engineer Quazi Shahriar Hossain told
The Daily Star yesterday.
Replying to another question, Shahriar said, "The
pandemic will affect every project, and we have to extend the deadline by at
least three months. We have already got such indications from the project
officials."
The authorities of the fast-track project had a plan
to complete 50 percent of the physical work within fiscal 2019-20, but it was
40 percent as work remained suspended for two months due to the pandemic.
The physical work of the project came to a near halt
after March. Though, most of the workers have returned to the project site,
rain is hampering work, said a project official, seeking anonymity.
The ADB said the implementing agencies are now
planning to reopen construction sites and camps as the government lifted the shutdown.
"All ongoing and upcoming procurement packages
were reviewed, and initial agreement was reached on package-wise contract
awards and disbursement that are likely to happen in 2020," it mentioned.
The ADB's Bangladesh Resident Missionhas prepared guidelineson
health safety for the implementing agencies, contractors and consultants amid
the pandemic.
The contractors are required to maintain a
comprehensive and site-specific health safety protocol in project activities
and ensure safe distancing of the workers, it noted.
https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/adb-funded-dev-bangladesh-40-projects-hit-pandemic-1930005
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U.S. soldier dies of non-combat related incident in
South of Afghanistan
14 Jul 2020
A soldier of the U.S. military died of a non-combat
related incident in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, the Department
of Defense said.
“The Department of Defense announced today the death
of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel,” Pentagon said in
a statement.
It also added “1st Lt. Joseph Trent Allbaugh, 24, from
Folsom, California, died as the result of a non-combat-related incident, July
12, 2020, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation.”
According to Pentagon Allbaugh was assigned to 2nd
Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th ADA Brigade, Fort
Campbell, Kentucky.
https://www.khaama.com/u-s-soldier-dies-of-non-combat-related-incident-in-south-of-afghanistan-08959/
-----
The paradoxical deal of US, Taliban and the Afghan
government
13 Jul 2020
After two decades of war against terrorism and the
Taliban, the United States of America and its allies have signed a landmark
deal with the Taliban in order to diminish the Taliban’s antagonism against
civilian and anti-US atrocities to end at once the past decades of war in
Afghanistan. Zalmay Khalilzad the US special representative of the Afghanistan
reconciliation peace process signed the agreement with the chief committee of
Taliban “Mullah Abdul Ghani brother” in Qatar, Doha on 29 February 2020.
Recently, the former chief advisor of the national security council of America
John Bolton claimed in his controversial book “the room where it happened”;
cited that, trump opposed to continuing US military presence in Afghanistan
because he had campaigned to end “ the Endless Wars” in faraway distanced
unattached to US geography. This deal brings hope, peace, and security to
Afghans through which there will be prosperous modern and educated Afghanistan.
Contrary to Afghans’ hope, the US and Taliban are the
focal points of the agreement regardless of the Afghan legitimate government.
Realistically viewing, there is no room for the Afghan government and it seems
“paradoxical and ambiguous deal” to every rational thinker who knows about
Afghanistan. This reconciliation deal has benefited the Taliban regardless of
their attacks on civilians and government personals. Taliban group have
officially claimed the responsibilities of various martyred in mosques, school
and hospital which is totally against religious Islamic laws and human rights.
According to this deal, ‘US should withdraw all
troops’ within 14 months while it is opposite to the agreement that has been
signed by US and government of Afghanistan in 2014. Another article of the
agreement states that “after this agreement, there should not be any Attack on
US troops”, without delegitimizing any attack on the ANSDF and civilians which
is seemingly an ambiguous deal. Ostensibly, the Taliban’s behavior has not been
changed yet. Because the number of attacks on the National Army of Afghanistan
had recorded high after nineteen years of ANSDF establishment. Although, it’s
agreed by the Taliban to minimize their operations on civilians and Afghan
National Security Forces. Neither they decrease nor take off from battlefields.
Contrary to the agreement, Taliban suicide attacks have been outnumbered or
either it astray to violate the agreement but consistently continuing their
Attacks according to the National Security Council of Afghanistan, in the last
two weeks Taliban killed More than 250 Army Officers.
Despite these domestic issues which briefly mentioned,
and if we look to the foreign aspects in order to bring peace and stability in
the region especially in Afghanistan. Indeed, it must contain, International
and regional consensus in the particular lieu by involving its neighboring
countries specifically four plus two “Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Russia and
the United States of America”.
Though we have taken some steps to enhance the peace
process but experienced the sway of its consequences against the Afghan
government. For instance, the ambiguous role of Iran on Afghanistan land has
not benefited Afghans due to Iran’s auspicious eyed to control economical hub in
the western province of Herat by propagating ethnic and religious sect issues
by stipulating Hazara Shiites, Uzbek and Tajik minorities to strengthen its own
culture role in the region which provokes US interest in the region that
obviously takes a stand to oust Iran’s hegemony at least in Afghanistan. Till
now, we haven’t witnessed any positive role except economical gains and the
untouched market for trade purposes that only benefits Iran’s long term
policies in its own favor. Secondly, it is also believed that Pakistan used the
Taliban for its proxies against India and vice versa, though difficult to
pursue for both parties to step in to and follow there absolute gain against
one and another.
Recently, the New York Times newspaper, reported that
“President Donald Trump knew about the cash assisted to Taliban by the Russian
to kill the US troops in Afghanistan”; Although US secretary of state Mike
Pompeo has talked with Mullah Abdul Ghani Brother the chief committee of
Taliban in Doha about this concerning issue, but Mullah Brother refused such
claims. U.S. and Afghan government prerequisite for a strong consensus in
International, regional and domestic to bring peace and security specifically
in Afghanistan and region. However, it seems that the United States of America
wants to solve the issue in the absence of international, regional and domestic
consensus that it would not be in Afghanistan’s fortune beneficent.
https://www.khaama.com/the-paradoxical-deal-897878/
------
Arab world
Eid Prayers Allowed Only in Mosques, Not in Open
Grounds in Saudi Arabia
July 13, 2020
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's Minister of Islamic Affairs,
Call and Guidance Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Sheikh announced on Monday that Eid
Al-Adha prayers shall be offered only in mosques and not in any open grounds.
In a circular sent to the ministry’s branches in all
regions of the Kingdom, the minister directed that Eid prayers shall be offered
inside big mosques and additional mosques where arrangements are made to hold
the Eid prayer. He said that no Eid prayer shall be offered at open grounds in
light of the prevailing exceptional circumstances.
The ministry has called for the implementation of all
precautionary measures and preventive protocols issued by the competent
authorities.
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/595456/SAUDI-ARABIA/Eid-prayers-allowed-only-in-mosques-not-in-open-grounds
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New fines for firms violating labor rights in Saudi
Arabia
July 13, 2020
RIYADH: New fines are to be imposed on companies that
violate a royal order to support Saudi workers in the private sector
enterprises affected by the repercussions of COVID-19.
The General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI)
has approved the penalties related to the provisions of the labor law and the
unemployment insurance legislation via the unemployment insurance program
(Saned).
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development
and GOSI have been entrusted with imposing adequate penalties on violations of
the terms of the order.
GOSI noted that penalties will vary in size according
to the number of workers whose rights were violated by their employers.
GOSI pointed out that the penalties will be
implemented without affecting more severe penalties stipulated by other
legislation.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1703876/saudi-arabia
------
MCD region received $70 bln to address COVID-19
crisis, mostly went to Arab countries: IMF’s Jihad Azour
DoaaA.Moneim ,
13 Jul 2020
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has provided 15
countries in Middle East and Central Asia (MCD) with $70 billion in facilities
amid the COVID-19 crisis, most of which went to the Arab region, director of
the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF Jihad Azour said.
Azour made his statements during the IMF press
conference held virtually on Monday to announce the update of the regional
economic outlook report.
According to Azour, Egypt, which maintains its
positive economic growth projections, is adopting a number of mechanisms in its
FY2020/2021 budget plan that aim to support the private sector and back the
sectors most affected by the crisis, including tourism, industry and
production, and the Suez Canal. Azour says this is why Egypt is expected to see
an economic slowdown with a positive economic growth.
He added that Egypt has been given a total of $8
billion under the IMF’s rapid finance instrument and the stand-by agreement,
and it is among the countries that have benefited the most from IMF facilities
in the Arab region.
He also disclosed that the MENAP region (the Middle
East, Afghanistan and Pakistan) is expected to witness a contraction in its
growth to -7.3 percent, which is lower than the IMF’s April outlook by 3.1
percent.
Oil importing countries in the region, which include
Egypt, are expected to witness a significant increase in debt levels to reach
95 percent of GDP, Azour said, adding that countries that enjoy robust
fundamentals will be able to absorb such a shock, while others will be affected
severely.
He also added that the private sector and small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) have a great chance to grow amid the crisis, and the
region’s governments should work on supporting such pivotal sectors to achieve
economic development.
Tackling the COVID-19 crisis’ impacts, Azour said that
the MCD region has to work to achieve financial stability, support the private
sector and SMEs, and to push its economy forward by adopting technology
solutions and digitalisation.
In this regard, Azour said that 50 percent of the MCD
population is under the age of 30, which is a potential that should be tapped
in various areas.
Egypt has managed to maintain its positive
macroeconomic projections in 2020 and 2021, and the IMF expects the country to
record a growth rate of 2 percent during 2020, making it the only country to
achieve positive economic growth during the current fiscal year in the Middle
East and North Africa.
In 2021, Egypt is expected to record real gross
domestic product (GDP) of 2.8 percent, while the entire MENA region will
achieve an economic contraction of 3.3 percent during 2020, according to the
IMF.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/3/12/374365/-.aspx
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Sheikh Zayed mosque centre offers sign language tour
to visitors
July 14, 2020
People of determination will be providing special
exclusive tours at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in sign language to the
visitors with hearing impairment and those who are interested, authorities have
announced.
Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre on Monday launched
the "RehaabAlhemam" programme that aims to integrate people of
determination in several initiatives and activities organised by the centre as
part of its commitment to social responsibility and belief in this category's
active and influential role.
The centre's first initiative within the programme
allocated special remote cultural tours in sign language for the
"hearing-impaired community" broadcast live on its Instagram channel
both in Arabic and English, incoordination with Zayed Higher Organisation for
People of Determination, the Dubai Club for People of Determination, Sharjah
City for Humanitarian Services and UAE Deaf Association.
Through the programme, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Centre explores sign language in Arabic and English as a new channel of
cultural communication with "people of determination" across various
cultures worldwide on the broadest possible scale.
An interpreter translated the cultural tours led by
the centre's cultural tour specialists in sign language, which in turn
consolidates the mosque's vision. It allowed this category to learn about the
rich legacy of our late founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who
established noble human values and notions within the UAE society. While he also
believed that this category's expertise could contribute in the overall
developmental process through their active and influential presence in various
fields.
Within this context, the centre is currently training
and empowering people of determination to participate in providing special
exclusive tours in sign language targeting this category and those interested.
The programme allows them to contribute towards
supporting the mosque's civilisational mission, extending bridges of
cross-cultural communication, and spreading the message of tolerance and
coexistence between cultures from Abu Dhabi to the world.
This initiative emanates from the country's wise
leadership's vision that deems people of determination as an active and
influential partner in the comprehensive developmental process, and a focal
part of the community that cannot be overlooked.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/general/sheikh-zayed-mosque-centre-offers-sign-language-tour-to-visitors-
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Egypt condemns latest Houthi missile attack on Saudi
Arabia
SALMA AHMED
July 14, 2020
CAIRO: The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on
Monday strongly condemned an attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemeni Houthi militias.
That morning, the Saudi-led Arab coalition intercepted
and destroyed four missiles and seven bomb-laden drones. According to a
statement published by the Saudi Press Agency, the drones were launched from
the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, at targets in the Kingdom.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed
solidarity with Saudi Arabia “as it faces these assaults that target its
civilians.” It also pledged its full support for any defensive measures
authorities in the Kingdom take to ensure the country remains safe from
terrorism.
The ministry reiterated Egypt’s full support for all
efforts to restore peace and stability in Yemen. It said attacks such as the
latest on Saudi Arabia will result in an escalation of instability, and called
for a ceasefire so that the dispute can be resolved peacefully.
It stressed the importance of engaging in a political
process to find a solution that respects the Gulf Cooperation Council and UN
Security Council resolution 2216. This confirms Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi as
Yemen’s internationally-recognized president and calls for the Houthis to
return control the country’s capital, Sanaa, which was captured in 2014. The
resolution also calls for the Houthis to stop using Yemen as a base from which
to attack neighboring countries.
The Houthis took control of the nation in Sep. 2014.
Saudi Arabia has been leading the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen
since 2015. It includes a number of other Arab nations, including the UAE,
Kuwait and Egypt.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1704356/middle-east
------
Europe
Russia's security forces foils Daesh terror plots
July 14, 2020
According to an official statement, the terrorists
were planning several attacks on schools and hospitals.
The news comes days after the FSB detained a Daesh
sympathiser who was planning a terrorist attack in the Astrakhan region.
"The FSB [Federal Security Service] of Russia in
the Rostov Region has uncovered and stopped the activities of an underground
cell of Daesh supporters, which included six citizens of one of the Central
Asian countries and Russia. They planned attacks on police officers and planned
terrorist acts on medical and educational institutions ", the official
statement from the service said.
According to reports, the head of the cell detonated a
home-made explosive device, killing himself, while the five other members were
arrested by the authorities.
During the raid, officers found weapons, explosive
devices, and drugs in the suspects' apartments.
https://en.abna24.com/news//russias-security-forces-foils-daesh-terror-plots_1054965.html
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German MP urges end to EU-Turkey accession talks in
response to converting Hagia Sophia into mosque
July 13 2020
A German politician has called for ending the
accession talks between the European Union and Turkey following Ankara’s
decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
Florian Hahn, the CDU/CSU’s parliamentary group’s
spokesperson on European affairs, urged giving a response to Turkey’s move,
saying that it was “a provocation of the common European culture.”
He also said that Ankara’s move shows the “alienation
of Turkey that has been growing for years” from the EU.
“We should have the courage to end the EU accession
negotiations with Turkey,” Hahn said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared Hagia Sophia a
mosque on July 10 with the first Muslim prayers to begin in two weeks, after a
top court ruled the ancient building’s conversion to a museum by modern
Turkey’s founding statesman was illegal.
https://www.duvarenglish.com/diplomacy/2020/07/13/german-mp-urges-end-to-eu-turkey-accession-talks-in-response-to-converting-hagia-sophia-into-mosque/
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Major London mosques to reopen on July 25
July 14 2020
Last week the Coordination Committee for Mosques and
Islamic Centres in London met to review whether it would be safe to reopen
mosques due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.
The committee decided that the importance of the
preservation of life was the fundamental consideration, especially given the
heightened risk to BAME communities.
It concluded that mosques will consider reopening for
congregational prayers from July 25th July with with a phased reopening of some
mosques from July 13th for limited prayers. The trial is intended to provide
valuable experience to help ensure that communities are kept safe.
The decision to reopen on July 25 applies to: Islamic
Cultural Centre & London Central Mosque; UKIM West London Islamic Centre;
Finsbury Park Mosque; Al Manaar – Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre; Al Muntada
Al Islami& WLICC; Muslim Welfare House; Mayfair Islamic Centre; Masjid Al
Tawhid; Al-Nagashi Mosque & Centre.
Dr Muhammmed Umar Ebrahimsa, specialist in Infectious
Diseases and General Medicine, said: “Data released prior to July 4 2020 by the
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), suggests that we remain on
the cusp of an increase in the number of infections in the London region, with
an R of 0.8-1.1 or a growth rate of infections of between -4 and +2%.
“On 4 July itself, the government put in place a
further reduction of social distancing and allowed the reopening of most of
businesses and venues. The impact of these changes in activity on the number of
infections is likely to become apparent 2-3 weeks {i.e.by July 25th}. following
their introduction.
“In view of the vulnerabilities of the community and
the possibility of increasing infection in the London region and uncertainty of
the impact of recent changes on the community, I would recommend re-evaluating
the recommencement of congregational prayers in mosques from July 25th.
Simultaneously a trial gradual recommencement of limited congregational prayers
in a select number of mosques could enable us to assess what the impact of
further reopening might be.”
To date more than 60,000 persons have died as a result
of COVID-19 in the UK, more than one tenth of global coronavirus deaths. The
daily death rate from COVID-19 continues to remain around 150 deaths a day, in
excess of the death rate at the time that the lockdown commenced in the UK on
March 23.
Coronavirus has also had a disproportionate impact on
the Muslim community perhaps due to living conditions and the high
representation of Muslims in jobs associated with a high mortality from
COVID-19.
The government gave the green light for mosques around
England to reopen their doors on July 4, and many mosques are indeed operating
now with social distancing restrictions.
But many others have yet to open their doors and have
concluded that the most effective route of reducing the risk of transmission
occurring within mosques is to avoid individuals (symptomatic or asymptomatic)
with COVID-19 coming into the mosque.
https://5pillarsuk.com/2020/07/13/major-london-mosques-to-reopen-on-july-25/
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Muslim Aid chief executive steps down after four years
13 Jul 2020
Jehangir Malik has left his position as chief
executive of Muslim Aid after almost four years in the role.
He has since become programme director at the VCS
Emergency Partnership and a patron at The Feast, according to his Linkedin
profile.
Kashif Shabir has stepped up from his role as
transformation and strategy director at Muslim Aid to become acting chief
executive.
During his time at Muslim Aid, Malik implemented a new
system of corporate governance and increased organisational capacity to deliver
aid. He also oversaw the deployment of frontline support in countries including
Somalia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan, Sudan and Yemen.
Under his leadership, the charity played a prominent
role in the relief effort following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London in
2017.
Malik said: “I am extremely honoured to have played a
key role for the organisation during hugely challenging times. I have witnessed
the dedication, commitment and immense sacrifice of staff as they have worked
tirelessly in implementing the charity’s mission and purpose.
“After almost four years of leading an inspirational team
of people, I feel now is a good time to pass on the baton. I remain committed
to helping to strengthen civil society in challenging times in light of
Covid-19 and beyond.”
Data for the financial year ending 31 December 2018
states that the charity had an income of around £24.5m and spent £23.4m.
Iftikhar Awan, chair of the board of trustees of
Muslim Aid, said: “We thank Jehangir for his contribution to Muslim Aid and we
wish him well for the future. He joined the organisation at a critical time and
has worked tirelessly to make a difference.”
Last year Muslim Aid commissioned independent
investigators to look into serious allegations being made in what it described
as a “malicious leaflet” circulating on social media.
Muslim Aid had been the subject of a Charity
Commission inquiry between 2013 and 2018, which led to a significant
restructure of the charity. The inquiry found that Muslim Aid’s former trustees
were responsible for serious mismanagement, as they failed to adequately
oversee the charity's finances.
Its auditor warned last year that the charity may not
be able to meet its financial obligations, with the charity reporting a £2.3m
deficit in free reserves. The charity said at the time that the deficit
occurred under other the previous management and that it was developing a
recovery plan.
https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/muslim-aid-chief-executive-steps-down.html
------
Johnson makes face coverings compulsory in shops in
England
14 Jul 2020
The British government has made wearing a face covering
compulsory in shops and supermarkets in England from next week.
"The Prime Minister has been clear that people
should be wearing face coverings in shops and we will make this mandatory from
July 24," a statement said last night from Boris Johnson's Downing Street
office.
"There is growing evidence that wearing a face
covering in an enclosed space helps protect individuals and those around them
from coronavirus," it added.
Face coverings have been mandatory on public transport
in England since 15 June, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock will formally
extend that to shops and supermarkets, said Downing Street.
Mr Johnson said last week that tighter rules on
wearing face coverings might be needed but senior minister, Cabinet Secretary
Michael Gove, said on Sunday that wearing masks should be left instead to
people's common sense.
However, during a visit to the London Ambulance
Service yesterday, Mr Johnson offered the clearest signal he was going down the
route of compulsion, saying the Government was looking at the "tools of
enforcement".
Meanwhile, scientists advising the British government
have warned that a second wave of coronavirus infections this winter could be
more serious than the first, with 120,000 UK hospital deaths in a
"reasonable worst-case scenario".
A new report from the Academy of Medical Sciences,
commissioned by the government's chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance,
says action must be taken now to mitigate the potential for a second peak of
Covid-19.
It argues that hospitals could potentially see 120,000
Covid-19 deaths in between September and next June at the same time as battling
a surge in demand due to usual winter pressures, including flu.
The report, from 37 scientists and academics,
acknowledges there is a high degree of uncertainty about how the Covid-19
epidemic will evolve in the UK over the coming months, but sets out a
"reasonable worst-case scenario" that would see the R rate rise to
1.7 from September.
The academic modelling suggests there could be a peak
in hospital admissions and deaths in January and February 2021, similar to or
worse than the first wave in spring 2020. It does not include deaths in the
community or care homes.
The figures do not take account of government
intervention to reduce the transmission rate, or the use of the drug
dexamethasone in intensive care units, which has been shown to cut deaths.
Professor Stephen Holgate, a Medical Research Council
clinical professor of immunopharmacology who led the study, said: "This is
not a prediction, but it is a possibility.
"The modelling suggests that deaths could be
higher with a new wave of Covid-19 this winter, but the risk of this happening
could be reduced if we take action immediately.
"With relatively low numbers of Covid-19 cases at
the moment, this is a critical window of opportunity to help us prepare for the
worst that winter can throw at us."
https://www.rte.ie/news/coronavirus/2020/0714/1153123-uk-masks-covid/
-------
Africa
South African Muslims hail Turkey's Hagia Sophia move
GokhanKavak
13.07.2020
The head of a major Muslim group in South Africa
hailed Turkey’s decision last week to turn Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia back
into a mosque after decades as a museum.
The Muslim Judicial Council is proud that Hagia Sophia
was opened for worship as a mosque, Shaykh Irfaan Abrahams, the group’s head,
told Anadolu Agency on Monday.
He congratulated Turkey and Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan for the decision, calling it “a historic turning point.”
The council also released a statement underlining
their support for Turkey’s decision and the country’s importance for Muslims.
Muslims make up about 2% of South Africa’s population
of 57 million.
The Muslim Judicial Council, founded in 1945, is known
as one of the country’s most important Muslim groups.
On Friday, a Turkish court annulled a 1934 Cabinet
decree that had turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for its use
again as a mosque after an 85-year hiatus. Before that, it had been a mosque
for nearly 500 years.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/south-african-muslims-hail-turkeys-hagia-sophia-move/1909390
--------
Mahmoud Dicko, the populist imam challenging Mali’s
President Keita
13/07/2020
With no end in sight to Mali’s economic and security
crises, a prominent conservative cleric has emerged as the most potent
challenge to a widely discredited political establishment perceived as having
run out of ideas and solutions.
Days after orchestrating a protest movement that
brought down Mali’s prime minister, in April last year, popular cleric Mahmoud
Dicko was asked whether he intended to trade religion for politics.
“I am not a politician, but I am a leader and I have
opinions,” he told French-speaking magazine Jeune Afrique. “If that is
political, then yes, I am political.”
Just over a year later, the prominent imam is at the
forefront of an even larger protest movement that has brought tens of thousands
of protesters to the streets of Bamako to call for another resignation — that
of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the embattled Malian president commonly known as
IBK.
Protesters accuse Keita and his government of failing
to address Mali’s multiple crises, ranging from a continued jihadist insurgency
in the north, to intercommunal violence in the centre and a crippling economic
crisis in the south, where 90 percent of the country’s population lives.
Triggered by the disputed results of legislative
elections in March, the recent protests turned violent at the weekend as
security forces cracked down on protesters and opposition leaders, killing at
least four people in Bamako’s worst civil unrest in years.
The protest movement has brought together a motley
coalition of opposition politicians, anti-corruption activists and religious
figures — with Dicko acting as the undisputed crowd puller, whipping up
hostility towards the government and then calling for restraint.
A one-time Keita ally, the 66-year-old cleric is no
political novice. Dubbed the “people’s imam” by his own supporters, he has
played a prominent role in public life for more than a decade, chairing the
country’s High Islamic Council from 2008 to 2019.
Dicko was born into a leading family from Timbuktu ,
the ancient “city of 333 saints”. As with other local religious leaders, his
brand of Islam defies easy categorisation, blending the social conservatism
nurtured by his training in Saudi Arabia with a form of reverence for the
mystical traditions of West Africa.
The imam first rose to prominence in 2009, leading a
protest campaign that forced Mali’s then President AmadouToumani Touré to water
down a reform of family law that would have expanded women’s rights. More
recently, he secured the withdrawal of a school textbook that touched on the
subject of homosexuality.
In between, the outspoken cleric stirred outrage by
suggesting the 2015 terrorist attack on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako was
divine punishment for Malians who “imported” homosexuality from the West.
And while he welcomed France’s military intervention
to repel jihadist insurgents in 2013, he has since likened the troops’ continued
presence to colonial-era practices, stoking an anti-French sentiment that has
angered Paris and embarrassed Mali’s president.
But the troublesome imam wasn’t always a thorn in
Keita’s side. In 2013, he backed IBK for the presidency and accompanied him on
several trips abroad — most notably in the Gulf, where his Saudi connections
were particularly valued.
His conservative credentials also facilitated on-off
talks with jihadi insurgents back home, as Keita’s government alternated
between armed confrontation and attempts to sway the more moderate, homegrown
factions.
The decision by former prime minister
SoumeylouBoubèyeMaïga to relieve Dicko of that role precipitated the imam’s
fallout with the government. Angered by the snub, the “people’s imam” rallied tens
of thousands of supporters last year to call for the PM’s removal — which he
duly obtained.
According to sociologist Bréma Ely Dicko (no
relation), both the cleric and his mentor Mohamed OuldBouyéHaïdara, also known
as the chériif de Nioro, felt sidelined by the government they once supported.
“They were both frustrated, and the regime they once helped became the regime
they had to fight,” he explained.
In further evidence of his scarcely concealed
political ambitions, Mahmoud Dicko quit the High Islamic Council later that
year to found his own Islamist movement, the Coordination des Mouvements,
Associations et Sympathisants (CMAS). Since then, Mali’s fractured opposition
has gravitated around his movement, hoping to tap on its broad appeal.
“Many opposition figures who would have stood no
chance of seizing power are now relying on the imam and his followers for
leverage, thereby handing him considerable political clout,” said analyst Aly
Younkara in an interview with French daily Le Monde.
With Keita’s many foes now loosely allied in the
so-called June 5 Movement (M5), named after the first day of protests last
month, Dicko has emerged as the unofficial spokesperson for the many grievances
voiced by Malians exasperated by the continuing economic and security crisis.
“We have problems between communities, within the army
and even between clerics – problems everywhere,” Dicko told FRANCE 24’s sister
company, radio RFI in June. “There is poor governance and a deep malaise in the
country. Corruption is rampant. I say it and I say it again!”
The latest wave of protests was sparked by a dispute
over parliamentary elections, which saw the country’s constitutional court
reverse provisional results and hand additional seats to the president's party.
The decision infuriated many Malians, exasperated by cronyism and corruption in
a country starved of functioning public services.
Keita, who won a second term in 2018, has sought to
appease the protesters by promising to dissolve the court and re-run elections
for some contested seats. But the weekend’s bloodshed and the arrest of several
M5 leaders have hardened the movement.
"We are not going to accept this nonsense,"
one M5 spokesman, Nouhoum Togo, told REUTERS on Sunday, referring to the
president’s proposals. "We demand [Keita’s] resignation plain and
simple."
As the crisis festers, much will depend on Dicko’s
stance in the coming weeks — and how far he can control Mali’s feuding
opposition leaders, many of whom are both more secular and more confrontational
vis à vis Keita than he is.
In a sign of the imam’s clout, and of the growing
importance of religious leaders in a secular state with a mainly Muslim
population, both Keita’s envoys and international mediators have been sounding
out the imam before reaching out to the traditional opposition.
On Saturday, Dicko’s supporters erected barricades
around his mosque in Bamako, fearing an attempt to arrest the popular imam. But
the cleric himself struck a more conciliatory tone, appealing for calm and an
end to the violence.
Speaking to FRANCE 24 ahead of the weekend protests,
Dicko claimed the opposition had dropped its demand for the president to step
down, but wanted further gestures from him.
“We think it [the resignation] will cause more
problems than it will resolve," he explained. "Mali's problem is not
about a government of national unity. It is a problem of governance." The
imam stressed that change must be secured through peaceful means, adding: “My
age and my position command that I be measured.”
He repeated that message on Sunday, as some opposition
leaders reportedly went into hiding to escape arrest, pleading for calm in a
video message posted online: “Do not set fire to petrol stations or this
district. Calm down, please! Calm down!
https://www.france24.com/en/20200713-mahmoud-dicko-the-populist-imam-challenging-mali-s-president-keita
--------
Accused Islamist Extremist Mali War Crimes Trial Set
to Start Tuesday in ICC
July 14, 2020
An alleged Islamist arrested in Mali is set to go on
trial Tuesday at the International Criminal Court for orchestrating war crimes
and crimes against humanity in the city of Timbuktu.
Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud was
arrested in 2018 in Mali, where he was said to be a key member of Ansar
Dine ("Defenders of the
Faith"), a militant group that ruled northern Mali for nearly a year in
2012.
Prosecutors allege Al Hassan orchestrated a range of
crimes, including torture, rape, sexual slavery and other inhumane acts. The
chief prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda said, Al Hassan was also accused of
being involved in the destruction of ancient artifacts that paid homage to
supposed idols.
https://www.voanews.com/africa/accused-islamist-extremist-mali-war-crimes-trial-set-start-tuesday-icc
-------
12 accused walk free as Verulam mosque bombing case
struck from roll
July 14, 2020
The Verulam Magistrate's Court on Monday struck off
the roll the case against FarhadHoomer and 11 others who had been accused of
terror attacks in the Durban area in May and October 2018.
In October 2018, police initially arrested 19 people
on charges relating to the planting of a number of incendiary devices at
various locations in and around Durban over the course of several months as
well as the fatal knife attack in May of that year at the Imam Hussain mosque
in Verulam which claimed the life of Abbas Essop, News24 reported.
The police swooped on them in a series of raids during
which a Tanzanian man was also found chained in what they described as a
dungeon in a Reservoir Hills property belonging to Hoomer. It's believed the
Tanzanian man was being held ransom.
The accused were initially facing seven charges
relating to 11 incidents. Charges against seven of the men were dropped early
on in proceedings because they weren't positively identified during an identity
parade.
On Monday, KwaZulu-Natal National Prosecuting
Authority (NPA) spokesperson Natasha Kara said the State had brought a
postponement application for further investigations as there were several
outstanding aspects of investigation.
JUST IN: The case against Durban’s 12 terror accused
men has been struck off the roll. The men appeared in court today. The matter
was struck off the roll as the state had asked for a further postponement. The
case has been ongoing for the last 1 year and 9 months. @etvNewsSA
pic.twitter.com/JCgqtVAs2W
"This includes voluminous downloads and cellphone
analysis. At the time when the accused were arrested, there was a large number
of cellphones recovered, which has resulted in the extensive
investigation," Kara said.
The State presented an argument for postponement in
order to finalise the investigation. A trial could not proceed without this
investigation being completed as a matter of this nature requires extensive
investigation.
Kara said a prosecutor has a duty to ensure all
necessary evidence required to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt be obtained
before setting the matter for trial.
"There have been numerous engagements between the
investigators and prosecution in this matter. Senior Magistrate Irfaan Khalil
declined the State's application and struck the matter off the court roll,
citing unreasonable delays as he found the matter had been on the court roll
for almost two years.
The court further ruled that once the investigation is
completed the State will have to obtain the authority of the Director of Public
Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal to reinstate a prosecution against the accused in
this matter.
"The matter is being closely monitored and worked
on together by the SAPS and the prosecutors of the Organised Crime Office of
the NPA. Investigations will continue," Kara added.
TimesLIVE reported that Hoomer, Ahmed Haffejee‚
GoolamHaffejee‚ Thabit Mwenda‚ Mohamad Akbar‚ Seiph Mohamed‚ Amani Mayani‚
Abubakar Ali‚ Abbas Jooma‚ MahammedSobruin‚ NdikumanaShabani and Iddy Omari
celebrated jubilantly moments after their case was struck from the roll.
https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/12-accused-walk-free-as-verulam-mosque-bombing-case-struck-from-roll-20200714
-------
Tunisia’s President Saied rejects Islamist Ennahda’s
call for government change
13 July 2020
Tunisia’s Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, the
largest in parliament, called Monday for consultations to appoint a new prime
minister, a move opposed by President Kais Saied.
Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh was sworn in in February
after winning a confidence vote in parliament following four months of
post-election deadlock amid tensions with Ennahdha.
Fakhfakh is under investigation over alleged failure
to hand over control of shares he owns in private companies that have won
public contracts.
Ennahdha consultative council asked party leader Rached
Ghannouchi “to carry out consultations... on a change of government,” council
president Abdelkarim Harouni said.
“The economic and social situation is very serious and
can only be overcome by a government whose head is not suspected of any
conflict of interest,” he told a news conference.
“There will be no consultations so long as the prime
minister remains in power,” his office said in a statement after a meeting with
the premier.
In a related development, the head of Tunisia’s Free
Destourian Party (Free Constitutional Party) bloc AbirMoussi said on Monday
that Ennahdha’s leader Rached Ghannouchi, cannot topple the government through
a no confidence vote.
Fakhfakh said last month that the economy would shrink
by some six percent this year as “all state enterprises are in bankruptcy.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/07/13/Tunisia-s-President-Saied-rejects-Islamist-Ennahda-s-call-for-government-change.html
-------
Tunisia PM will reshuffle cabinet amid row with
moderate Islamist Ennahda party
JULY 14, 2020
TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia’s Prime Minister Elyes
Fakhfakh said on Monday he will conduct a cabinet reshuffle in the coming days
amid a row with the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, in what appears to be a
step to remove Ennahda ministers in the government.
Ennahda said on Monday that it wants a new government,
adding that the current coalition had lost credibility due to allegations of
conflicts of interest involving Fakhfakh.
An independent member of parliament published
documents last month indicating that the prime minister owns shares in
companies that had won deals worth 44 million dinars ($15 million) from the
state.
With Fakhfakh’s announced cabinet reshuffle, Ennahda
may find itself out of power for the first time in six years. Ennahda was the
main player in most governments after the 2011 revolution that ended the rule
of former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring.
Unlike the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which was
overthrown by the Egyptian army years ago, Ennahda avoided attempts by its
opponents to isolate it and thenshared power with secular
competitors in 2014.
Fakhfakh’s decision will increase the political
conflict in the country, which is experiencing a tense situation in parliament
and the government just formed five months ago.
At least five Tunisian parties plan to launch a vote
of no confidence in parliamentary speaker Rached Ghannouchi who has been
accused of partisan interests.
Fakhfakh strongly criticized Ennahda, saying in
statement that Ennahda’s calls violated governmental solidarity and continued
to furnish a crisis scene only for its partisan interest.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-tunisia-politics/tunisia-pm-will-reshuffle-cabinet-amid-row-with-moderate-islamist-ennahda-party-idUKKCN24E2MH
------
Southeast Asia
Zuraida: Third vote in Malaysia would cost RM2m per
local council, RM308m for all
14 Jul 2020
BY AZRIL ANNUAR
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — The projected cost of local
government elections for Malaysia’s 154 local councils is RM308 million,
Housing and Local Government Minister ZuraidaKamaruddin told Parliament today.
In her reply to Bukit Bendera MP Wong Hon Wai during
Minister’s Question Time, she said her ministry’s study of the matter put the
cost for each local council election at RM2 million.
“From the legal aspect, we need to amend a few Acts
and Regulations. Among the amendments that need to be made were to the Local
Government Act 1976 and Local Government Elections Act 1960.
“We also need to look at the financial implication
aspect of conducting a local government election and take into account the
implementation mechanism of the federal government, state government and local
authorities.
“The cost for each local government election is RM2
million for each local council. The total will be RM308 million for all 154
local councils nationwide,” said Zuraida.
Zuraida stressed that the so-called “third vote” was
crucial to empower local authorities while strengthening Malaysia’s democratic
process.
PokokSena MP (PH) Datuk Mahfuz Omar then asked Zuraida
if Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition party PAS has agreed to local elections as
it was previously against the idea.
Zuraida shot back at her ally-turned-rival by saying
that none from the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition had given her any support
when the prime minister then, Langkawi MP Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, expressed
disagreement.
“I’ve been waiting for this question, PokokSena. When
I raised this agenda in the previous PH administration, I was told off by
Langkawi (Dr Mahathir).
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/14/zuraida-third-vote-in-malaysia-would-cost-rm2m-per-local-council-rm308m-for/1884291
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Speaker tells Baling MP to apologise, withdraw ‘gelap’
and ‘pakaibedak’ remarks
14 Jul 2020
BY AZRIL ANNUAR
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — New Speaker Datuk AzharAzizan
Harun ordered Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN – Baling) to apologise to
KasthuriraaniPatto (PH – Batu Kawan) for offensive remarks he directed at her
yesterday.
The former Election Commissions chief said Abdul
Azeez’s description of the ethnic Indian lawmaker as gelap (dark) and
recommendation that she pakaibedak (use facial powder) were unparliamentary and
offensive.
“After going through the Hansard, I have made the
decision that the words spoken are offensive. I instruct Baling to apologise
and to retract that statement,” said Azhar, who is also known as Art.
Azeez aimed the remarks at Kasthuriraani yesterday and
triggered an uproar in the Lower House.
After the Speaker’s orders today, Abdul Azeez said he
will comply but wished to explain himself first.
“I had no intention of calling anyone with a racist
slur. I was sitting in that same spot for two years. That area is very dark, it
usually doesn’t receive any attention from the Speaker.
“When I said dark, I meant the area is dark, it’s not
very visible. I think it’s important for netizens to know that I wasn’t calling
any person dark because Allah has made me dark too. So, there’s no reason for
me to call anyone dark.
Azhar then reminded the federal lawmakers to avoid
sexist, racist, offensive and unparliamentary terms.
Kasthuriraani then stood up and thanked Azhar for his
decision but pressed him for a harsher penalty against Abdul Azeez.
She accused the backbencher of being a repeated
offender when it comes to sexist and racist statements.
However, Azhar dismissed this and said he needed to
continue with the day’s proceedings.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/14/speaker-tells-baling-mp-to-apologise-withdraw-gelap-and-pakai-bedak-remarks/1884274
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Ex-PKR MPs seated with Bersatu reps in Parliament for
‘strategic reasons’, says Zuraida
14 Jul 2020
BY AZRIL ANNUAR
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 — The former PKR lawmakers who
left the party with Gombak MP Datuk Seri Azmin Ali were seated with Bersatu MPs
in the Dewan Rakyat as it was “strategic” for them to do so, said
ZuraidaKamaruddin.
The housing and local government minister also told
reporters today that the 11 MPs who helped form the Perikatan Nasional (PN)
government have not joined Bersatu yet.
“For strategic reasons in the Dewan Rakyat, we are
labelled as Bersatu but we are not technically in Bersatu. We are still
refining how we should be moving into Bersatu.
“We are waiting for Bersatu to finish its party
elections and annual general meeting first. Then we will move into Bersatu. We
are also waiting for them to amend the party constitution.
Azmin and his faction left PKR in February after his
long-running cold war with PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim erupted into
open hostilities prior to his exit.
Their departure, along with Langkawi MP Tun Dr
Mahathir Mohamad’s resignation as prime minister, had triggered the collapse of
the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration after 22 months in government.
The Perikatan Nasional administration took over in the
vacuum, with Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime minister
supported by Umno, PAS and GPS.
Azmin and his group were initially presented as
joining Bersatu but later clarified that they have not yet entered the party
officially and were technically independents.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/14/zuraida-ex-pkr-mps-seated-with-bersatu-reps-in-parliament-for-strategic-rea/1884302
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Malaysia does not give citizenship easily, says Home
Minister Hamzah Zainudin
14 Jul 2020
KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 ― Malaysia is a sovereign
country that will not give citizenship easily, including to stateless children,
according to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The citizenship status of an individual is determined
on the basis of the biological parents’ nationality and the legal status of the
marriage at the time of birth, in line with provisions under the Federal
Constitution, Citizenship Rules 1964 and other related legislations, he
explained.
“Parents and guardians of stateless children or
individuals whose citizenship status have not been determined should submit
valid supporting documents to the government before their citizenship
applications can be approved as there had been many citizenship-related
cheating cases reported,” he said during question time at the Dewan Rakyat
sitting here today.
The minister said this in reply to Dr Kelvin Yii Lee
Wuen (PH-Bandar Kuching) who wanted to know about the government’s plan to ease
the process for stateless children in the country to obtain Malaysian
citizenship so that the problem could be solved faster and in a holistic
manner.
Hamzah said the Home Ministry had improved the
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Citizenship Application under Article
15A of the Federal Constitution with shorter processing period for complete
applications received from this year.
He said the improvement of the SOP was based on
compliance with the provisions under Part III of the Federal Constitution and
the Citizenship Rules 1964 and also took into account various aspects including
the welfare of the applicants without neglecting the safety and wellbeing of
the existing citizens.
Replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri
MohdShafieApdal (Warisan-Semporna) on the solution to the stateless children issue,
Hamzah said:
“What’s important is for us to see that if we cannot
give citizenship, we will make sure that they have an identity to live in our
country. For me, they are citizens of the world, whether they are in Sabah or
elsewhere.
“They are human and that’s why we have to ensure that
they have an identity...that’s what we should do, not simply giving citizenship
to all stateless children,” he said.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/14/malaysia-does-not-give-citizenship-easily-says-home-minister-hamzah-zainudi/1884342
------
North America
Islamic groups collaborate to fight against racism
after death of George Floyd
By Karen Jordan
July 14, 2020
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Of the dozens of billboards that line
I-294, some Muslim organizations are hoping one, in the northbound lanes near
Grand Avenue will stand out.
"The billboard is symbolic of the need to
maintain awareness in our community of the presence of systemic racism,"
said Gregory Abdullah Mitchell.
The billboard is part of a campaign launched by the
Islamic groups GainPeace, the Council for Social Justice and the Council of
Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.
"We all acknowledge that this country was built
on the backs of slaves but the reality is racism in this country is still
prevalent to this day," said activist Aminah Ahmed.
Similar billboards went up in Atlanta and Canada. The
organizations also mailed 50,000 postcards like these denouncing racism to
homes around the country.
"We as Americans, we as people of concern are in
solidarity with people of color. People of all races and people of all
backgrounds," said Dr.Sabeel Ahmed with GainPeace.
https://abc7chicago.com/religion/local-islamic-groups-denounce-racism-after-death-of-george-floyd/6315762/
------
Election Advisory: CAIR Urges Muslim Voters in
Alabama, Maine and Texas Muslims to Participate in State Elections Tomorrow
Ibrahim Hooper
July 13, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C.– The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization,
is urging all eligible Muslim voters in Alabama, Maine and Texas to safely
participate in their respective state primary and runoff elections scheduled to
take place tomorrow, July 14th. Voting by mail where possible is strongly
encouraged.
CAIR encourages individuals who plan on voting in
person to abide by the recommended precautions for preventing the spread of
COVID-19 as outlined by the CDC. These include wearing a mask and practicing
social distancing.
For more information about voting by mail visit CAIR’s
new 2020 election website Muslims.Vote and read CAIR’s 50 state guide on voting
by mail, which provides information on what to do for the November 3rd General
Election.
The guide contains a lists upcoming election dates,
whether an excuse is needed to vote absentee and deadlines for requesting and
submitting absentee ballots.
This election advisory is a part of CAIR’s 2020
General Election “Muslims Vote Campaign” to increase Muslim voter turnout
nationwide.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and
advocacy organization. Its mission is to protect civil rights, enhance
understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertadesciviles,
mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los
musulmanesen los Estados Unidos.
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/election-advisory-cair-urges-muslim-voters-in-alabama-maine-and-texas-muslims-to-participate-in-state-elections-tomorrow/
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CAIR-MI Seeks Hate Crime Probe of Warren Mosque
Vandalism
Ibrahim Hooper
July 13, 2020
(FARMINGTON HILLS, MI, 7/13/20) – The Michigan chapter
of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today urged law
enforcement authorities to investigate the recent vandalism of a new Islamic
center in Warren, Mich., as a possible hate crime.
Community members of Al Ihsaan Islamic Center arrived
on Saturday morning to find several of the center’s windows broken and a hammer
left at the scene. The Warren Police
Department has taken an incident report of the vandalism but has not stated
whether or not the incident will be investigated as a potential hate crime.
“Because of increasing hate incidents targeting houses
of worship and minority communities nationwide, we urge local, state and
federal law enforcement authorities to investigate this act of vandalism as a
possible hate crime,” said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. “Given the
history of tense race relations and anti-Muslim incidents in Warren, it is
important that law enforcement investigates this incident with the seriousness
that it deserves.”
Walid also nated that there is a history in Warren of
opposition to the establishment and expansion of Islamic centers as well as
incidents of other mosques being targets of anti-Muslim vandalism and threats
in the same locality.
CAIR urges mosques and other Islamic institutions to
take measures outlined in its “Best Practices for Mosque and Community Safety”
booklet. Advice offered in CAIR’s security publication is applicable to all
institutions, regardless of organizational mission.
CAIR-MI is a chapter of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim
civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance
understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice and empower American
Muslims.
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-mi-seeks-hate-crime-probe-of-warren-mosque-vandalism/
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Coronavirus: California shuts bars, indoor dining and
most gyms and churches
14 July 2020
California governor Gavin Newsom has extended the
closure of bars and indoor dining statewide and ordered gyms, churches and hair
salons to shut in most places as coronavirus cases keep rising in the nation’s
most populated state.
On July 1, Mr Newsom ordered 19 counties with a
surging number of confirmed infections to close bars and indoor operations at
restaurants, wineries, zoos and family entertainment centres like bowling
alleys and miniature golf.
He also imposed additional restrictions on the 30
counties now with rising numbers, including the most populated of Los Angeles
and San Diego, by ordering worship services to stop and gyms, hair salons,
indoor malls and offices for non-critical industries to shut down.
He did not include schools, which are scheduled to
resume in a few weeks in much of the state, but the two largest school
districts, San Diego and Los Angeles, announced their students would start the
school year with online learning only.
California's lockdown comes as the US as a whole
struggles with increasing cases - accounting for around a quarter of the
world's 13 million cases.
At the weekend, Florida recorded the largest
single-day increase in cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic,
with 15,299 recorded.
On Saturday, the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom
reopened at Walt Disney World in Orlando, concerning health experts who have
urged people not to gather in groups.
But the order devastated the world’s fifth-largest
economy, with more than 7.5 million people filing for unemployment benefits.
Like other states that took similar steps, a
subsequent rise in cases and hospital admissions led him to impose new
restrictions this month.
He has compared his strategy of opening and closing
businesses to a “dimmer switch”, highlighting the flexibility needed as public
health officials monitor the virus’s progress
https://www.itv.com/news/2020-07-14/coronavirus-california-shuts-bars-indoor-dining-and-most-gyms-and-churches
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/indian-court-allows-tablighi-jamaat/d/122369