Indian Muslims Should Form Exclusive Party, Consider Moving to Kerala: Controversial Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik
New Age Islam
News Bureau
24 August 2020
Zakir Naik
----
• Tablighi
Jamaat Event: Stranded Since March, 29 Foreign Nationals Hope to Go Home Soon
• Pakistan's
ISI Using Crime Syndicates in France, Thailand To Further Its Agenda
• Counter
Terrorism Unit Files Case Against Bangladeshi In Saudi Arabia
• UAE Dissidents
Establish Association against Normalization of Ties with Israel
• New Zealand
Gunman Planned to Burn Down Mosques After Finishing Shooting
• Washington Is
Full of Zionists Whose Loyalty Is Not To US, But to Israel
• Hezbollah
Could Be Targeted with Ban By Switzerland: Reports
India
• Indian Muslims
Should Form Exclusive Party, Consider Moving to Kerala: Controversial Islamic Preacher
Zakir Naik
• Tablighi
Jamaat Event: Stranded Since March, 29 Foreign Nationals Hope to Go Home Soon
• Urdu Children's
Writer and Editor Murtaza Sahil Tasleemi Passes Away
• Lucknow Admn
Allows Tazias At Home, Azadari With Riders After Talks with Shia Cleric
• Former Imam of
Kanjiramattom mosque misused his position to dupe NRI of Rs 2.25 crore
• Militants
claim killing panchayat member in Kashmir who went missing last week
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan's
ISI Using Crime Syndicates in France, Thailand To Further Its Agenda
• Rohingya
Muslims In Pakistan Decry Global Silence
• Opposition
tried to exploit govt over FATF legislation: Shibli
• Another
Militant Organisation, Khatam-Ul-Ambia, Banned
• PTI, PML-N
trade barbs over Nawaz’s treatment abroad
--------
South Asia
• Counter
Terrorism Unit Files Case Against Bangladeshi In Saudi Arabia
• Afghan
official: Bomb kills 7 civilians in eastern province
• 3 years on,
Rohingya refugee repatriation to Myanmar still uncertain
• Kabul police
chief fired amid surge in Afghan attacks
--------
Arab world
• UAE Dissidents
Establish Association against Normalization of Ties with Israel
• Saudi Crown
Prince Orders Detention of Family Members of Ex-Intelligence Official
• Syria gas
pipeline explosion leads to total blackout: Minister
• After
explosion, Lebanese say ‘Beirut is not for sale’ to corrupt developers
• Iran could
bear responsibility for UAE-Israel reconciliation: Veteran US diplomat
• US hands over
base to Iraqi troops amid calls for withdrawal
--------
New Zealand
• New Zealand
Gunman Planned to Burn Down Mosques After Finishing Shooting
• New Zealand
shooter emotionless as victims' families address sentencing hearing
--------
North America
• Washington Is
Full of Zionists Whose Loyalty Is Not To US, But to Israel
• Pompeo,
Kushner to Middle East as US seeks to forge Arab-Israeli peace deals
• Pompeo pushes
for extension of Iran sanctions, dismissing opposition
--------
Europe
• Hezbollah
Could Be Targeted with Ban By Switzerland: Reports
• Russia, Turkey
'agree in principle' on 2nd batch of S-400 delivery despite US opposition
• Morocco
rejects normalization with Israel ahead of Kushner's visit
• Russia and
Turkey likely to sign S-400 missile deal next year: Ifax
• UK foreign
minister to meet Israeli, Palestinian leaders to press for dialogue
--------
Mideast
• Envoy: IAEA
Chief’s Visit to Iran Not Related to Trigger Mechanism
• Iran
Reiterates Preparedness to Cooperate with Afghanistan in Peace Talks
• Erdogan meets
with Hamas leaders despite $5 mln US bounties, terror designations
• Israeli police
arrest anti-Netanyahu protesters
• Israeli
protesters in thousands stage fresh anti-Netanyahu protest
• Forcibly
silent majority in Persian Gulf region strongly condemns any normalization with
Israel
• Venezuela’s
President Maduro says buying Iranian missiles ‘a good idea’
--------
Africa
• Morocco
Rejects Normalization With Israel Ahead Of Kushner's Visit
• Haftar Rejects
Sarraj’s Call for Libya Truce As ‘Media Marketing’
• Mali junta, W
Africa mediators agree on ‘certain points,’ talks to continue Monday
• Three Shia
mourners killed; dozens wounded in Nigerian police attack
• West African
mediators arrive in Mali, seeking reversal of coup
--------
Southeast Asia
• Tahfiz Fire
Tragedy: Teenager Jailed for Murder Of 23 Individuals Files Appeal
• Religious
affairs minister: Dakwah approach should be appropriate with situation
• Report:
Malaysia to seek settlement with Abu Dhabi over 1MDB issue
• When will
Sabah and Sarawak truly celebrate Merdeka?
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/indian-muslims-form-exclusive-party/d/122706
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Indian Muslims Should Form Exclusive Party, Consider Moving to Kerala: Controversial Islamic Preacher Zakir Naik
August 22, 2020
Zakir Naik
----
Controversial
Islamic preacher Zakir Naik continues to reach out to his followers in India
and across the world on a near-daily basis despite leaving for Malaysia in
2016. Even though India has demanded his extradition on charges of money
laundering and incitement to violence, Zakir Naik continues to propagate his
teachings via frequent videos, which are disseminated via social media.
On Friday, Zakir
Naik's official Facebook channel uploaded a video of him responding to a
follower's question on how Indian Muslims should respond to the
"harassment and oppression" of the BJP government in India.
Zakir Naik
claimed, "In last four-to-six years, there is an onslaught on Muslim
minorities in India. There are lot of lynchings, attacks..." and alleged
there was lot of oppression and persecution under the current government.
Zakir Naik
categorised his response into two: Muslims as a whole and as individuals. Naik
said Indian Muslims as a whole “should be united," noting they are divided
on basis of "different sects in Islam, and belonging to different
political parties and social organisations".
Zakir Naik
declared the different Muslim groups in India "are fighting each other,
criticising each other..."
Referring to the
splintering of Muslim votes, Zakir Naik repeated a controversial claim about
the Muslim population he has made previously. Naik claimed while official
estimates put the Muslim population in India around 200 million, he believes
there are "actually 250 million to 300 million Muslims", a figure
that the “government supresses”. Naik declared India is the country with the
world's largest Muslim population.
Zakir Naik then
declared, "Muslims should make another party, exclusively, only for
Muslims". "This political party should join hands with other
political parties that are not Fascist and not communal," he added. Zakir
Naik opined that such a Muslim political party should join hands with dalits,
adding "dalits are not Hindus".
Zakir Naik
claimed "Babasaheb Ambedkar loved Islam, but unfortunately the Muslims
didn't welcome him, so he chose the second best... he chose Buddhism".
Zakir Naik argued such a political alliance of Muslims and dalits would
represent nearly 600 million people and be a major force.
Zakir Naik
declared Indian Muslims have lacked political leadership.
Referring to
Muslims as individuals, Naik claimed if Indian Muslims could not practice their
faith, they should do Hijira (flight to avoid religious persecution).
"If you
have the means to go to a Muslim-majority country, that should be the best,"
Zakir Naik said, adding he did "not expect" all Muslims of India to
leave the country.
Zakir Naik said
Muslims who could not move out of the country could go to another state,
"which is more lenient towards Muslims". Naik added that the
"best state I can think of" is Kerala. Zakir Naik claimed that
followers of all three major religions—Hindus, Muslims and Christians—each
accounted for about one-third of the population of Kerala.
"The people
of Kerala are not communal in nature. The people of different religions live
harmoniously. There is no friction between different religions,” Zakir Naik
argued. He also added "this government (BJP) doesn't have much hold in the
state of Kerala". “So, one of the best options if you want to do Hijira to
another state, I would say, is Kerala," Zakir Naik said.
He said the
"less communal states" include "Bombay where I come from or
Hyderabad". He said Uttar Pradesh was very communal. Zakir Naik also
endorsed ghettoization, noting Muslims could consider moving to parts of
cities. He cited Dongri and Byculla in Mumbai as options, emphasising the high
population of Muslims in these localities.
https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2020/08/22/indian-muslims-should-form-exclusive-party-consider-moving-to-kerala-zakir-naik.html
--------
Tablighi Jamaat
event: Stranded since March, 29 foreign nationals hope to go home soon
by Sadaf Modak
August 24, 2020
Many of the Tablighis were
in jail for two months
-----
Two days after
the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court quashed FIRs against 29 foreign
nationals in connection with a Tablighi Jamaat gathering in Delhi amid Covid-19
restrictions in March, the men said they would be approaching the trial court
to get possession of their seized passports to return to their countries.
The foreign
nationals from countries such as Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Iran, Djibouti and
Ghana, are currently staying at Ahmednagar in private accommodation arranged by
local residents after their release from jail in June. Many of them were in
jail for two months.
Most of them
came to India before March 10 as part of a religious group to study Islam, they
have told the high court. They have also submitted that they had informed local
authorities, including the police, regarding their visit.
After the Jamaat
gathering in Delhi came under the spotlight, Maharashtra Police booked foreign
nationals, including these 29 men. The police have said they were propagating
Islam and had violated visa and lockdown guidelines. They were booked under
Epidemic Diseases Act, Foreigners Act and IPC sections pertaining to the spread
of infectious diseases.
A division bench
of Justice T V Nalawade and Justice M G Sewlikar Friday quashed the FIRs
against them, observing that there was no evidence in connection to these
charges. The court also said that during a pandemic, instead of being more
sensitive towards “our guests”, they were lodged in jails.
Mensa Ismail
Yusuf, 50, works as a small-time trader in Ghana. He said local authorities
approached the group on March 30 about their travel history while they were
staying at a mosque in Nevasa taluka of Ahmednagar. “We were kept in
institutional quarantine for over two weeks. On April 17, officials came and
took our phones and passports and told us that we will be taken to a hospital.
But instead, we were taken to a jail,” he said.
From then till
their release on June 17, Yusuf said none of them were able to contact their
families back home. He added that no police officer has explained till date why
they were booked. “Our phones were with the authorities and since we did not
know we were being taken to jail, we could not inform our families. We
requested prison authorities to allow us to speak to our family members but
they said it would require the court’s permission,” said Yusuf, who is on his
first visit to India.
Most of the
people in the group cannot speak English and faced difficulty in communication.
He said they
faced difficulties in the congested jail in Parner and due to lack of space and
also ended up spending the month of Ramzan and Eid in jail. Yusuf added that
the families of some of them tried to contact the consulates of their
countries, but did not get any information.
Now, the group
hopes they can return home soon. The state government can file an appeal before
the Supreme Court against the quashing of FIRs.
Lawyers Mazhar
Jahagirder and Zafar Pathan, representing the foreign nationals, said many
others belonging to Tablighi Jamaat, had chosen to plead guilty and pay a fine
to be able to return home sooner than wait for years for completion of the
trials.
These men,
however, chose to file a plea before the high court, seeking quashing of FIRs
filed against them, they said. “We will now file a plea before the trial court
for return of their passports. It will take some time to complete the
procedures,”Pathan said.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/tablighi-jamaat-event-stranded-since-march-29-foreign-nationals-hope-to-go-home-soon-6567073/
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Pakistan's ISI
Using Crime Syndicates in France, Thailand To Further Its Agenda
Aug 23, 2020
In 2012, the same man had
organised a protest in front of the US Consulate in Chiang Mai. This is when he
was noticed by the Thailand police
-----
BANGKOK:
Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI, has been using the services of Pakistan
crime syndicates operating in several countries, including France and Thailand,
to further its agenda, according to a report in the Global Watch Analysis.
Recently,
Thailand Police arrested a Pakistan national named Baqar Shah for his
involvement in multiple illegal activities in the country including money
laundering for the ISI.
He was first
noticed by Thai authorities due to his involvement in organising an
anti-American protest outside the US Consulate in Chiang Mai in September 2012.
In February 2016, his name again surfaced when Thailand Police busted a major
fake passport syndicate in the country and an Iranian national, Hamid Reza
Jafary, and five Pakistanis were arrested.
The six of them
were found to be involved in the supply of fake travel documents and human
trafficking. It is to be noted that Jafary was on the wanted list of security
agencies in several countries including the UK, France, Australia and New
Zealand.
According to
investigations, Jafary and his five Pakistani contacts were supplying forged
passports that were being sold to people from Gulf countries for travel to
Australia and Europe. During the probe, it was found that Gohar Zaman, one of
the five Pakistanis in custody, had close links to Shah.
As the Thai
security agency put Shah under close surveillance, they discovered that he
maintained regular contact with officials from Pakistan Embassy in Bangkok and
his restaurant was being used as a meeting point for Pakistani officials.
"Shah's
main job appeared to be spotting potential assets for Pakistanis in the local
police, immigration, customs and airlines and to develop contacts within the
Muslim community in Chaing Mai and Mae Sot region," according to the
report.
Shah was
blacklisted by the Thai immigration for five years and deported to Pakistan in
2018. However, he managed to sneak back into Thailand under the guise of ISI
mentors on a fresh passport in the name of Syed Baqar Ahmed Jaffri. However,
Thailand Police tracked him down again and he is currently in custody.
A similar
syndicate, pertaining to the supply of forged passports, is reported to be
operational in France. A person with the initials B.H., who is controlling the
syndicate, is believed to have connections at the Pakistani Embassy in Paris.
Citing sources,
Global Watch Analysis reported that a Pakistani restaurant situated near Gare
du Nord, the office of a welfare association in La Courneuve area and a travel
agency in the 10th arrondissement in the Paris, are used as fronts to run the
illegal activities of supplying Pakistani passports and resident permits of
European countries including Portugal, Belgium and France.
The price for
these identity cards and travel documents range between 850 to 1,500 Euros.
During
investigations by the Global Watch Analysis, for instance, copies of fake
travel documents held by a person linked to this network were found. The
individual, who is based in France, has several British and Pakistani
passports, all under different names.
Sources said the
multiple passports would have enabled the person to hold several bank accounts
and credit cards with French banks.
It is well known
that ISI has links with several terror groups of "jihadist tendency".
"It is not excluded that these types of criminal networks, manipulated by
ISI's branches in the Western capitals, may provide their 'services' to members
of the terrorist groups in question infiltrated in the West," the article
concluded.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistans-isi-using-crime-syndicates-in-france-thailand-to-further-its-agenda/articleshow/77701493.cms
-----
Counter
Terrorism unit files case against Bangladeshi in Saudi Arabia
August 23, 2020
The Counter
Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police
filed a case against Bangladeshi expat in Saudi Arabia Mustaq Mohammad Arman
Khan, who claims that he is Imam Mahdi.
An inspector of
the unit filed the case with Ramna Police Station on Saturday on charges of
misinterpretation of religious affairs and spread of provocative speech, said
CTTC Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam.
A graduate from
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2006, Mustaq went
to Saudi Arabia in 2018 and since then was spreading provocative speech, he
said.
Claiming that he
was nominated as Imam Mahdi, Mustaq called upon the youths for Jihad under his
leadership.
CTTC officials
have already arrested 19 youths who were preparing to join him in Saudi Arabia,
Saiful said.
Police will
communicate with the Saudi counterparts to arrange his extradition.
https://www.thedailystar.net/counter-terrorism-unit-files-case-against-bangladeshi-in-saudi-arabia-1949513
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UAE Dissidents
Establish Association against Normalization of Ties with Israel
Aug 23, 2020
The association
named in Arabic ‘al-Rabetat al-Emaratiyat Le Moqavemat al-Tatbi’e’ has been
founded by several prominent UAE dissident figures, including Saeed Nasser
al-Taniji, Saeed Khadim bin Touq al-Mari, Ahmad al-Shaybah, Hamid Abdullah
al-Nuaymi, Hamad Mohammed al-Shamesi and Ibrahim Mahmoud Al-e Haram, the
Arabic-language service of Anadolu news agency reported.
The association
is a civil institute which opposes normalization of ties with Israel in all
forms, including in economic, sports, security, political and social fields.
In a statement,
founders of the association have described the UAE’s attempts to normalize
relations with Israel as “betrayal”.
US President
Donald Trump on August 13, announced a deal brokered by his government between
Israel and the UAE which he said would lead to full normalization of ties
between the two.
Critics see the
deal as the latest attempt by Trump to save his presidential campaign against
the Democrat Joe Biden.
Palestinians
have reacted with shock and dismay after Trump unveiled an agreement between
the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalize ties.
The deal pledges
full normalisation of relationships between the two countries in the areas of
security, tourism, technology and trade in return for suspending Israel's
annexation plans in the West Bank.
Both the
Palestinian leadership and public were caught by surprise when the announcement
came on Thursday.
"We
absolutely had no prior knowledge of this agreement," Ahmed Majdalani, the
Palestinian Authority's (PA) minister of social affairs, told Al-Jazeera, adding,
"The timing and speed of reaching this agreement were surprising,
especially that it came at a critical moment in the Palestinian struggle."
Former PA
minister Munib al-Masri noted Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who ruled Abu
Dhabi for more than 30 years before his death in 2004, had always been a strong
supporter of the Palestinians.
"The late
Sheikh Zayed was a dear brother to me, I knew how much he was proud of his
support for Palestine… I never imagined that in my lifetime I would see the day
in which the UAE would simply sell the Palestinians out for the sake of
normalisation," al-Masri said, noting, "It's very shameful. I can't
believe it until now."
Other
Palestinian officials announced though the news came abruptly, it was not much
of a surprise.
"We were
not surprised that much because the Emirati army was never on the borders ready
to fight Israel," said Mustafa al-Barghouti, leader of the Palestinian
National Initiative and member of the PA parliament.
"We've been
seeing recent strange moves by the UAE such as sending direct flights to
Israel, and there were leaks of secret accords between the two in terms of
scientific and economic cooperation. It is clear that these were preliminary
steps to absorb yesterday's shock," he added.
The PA and all
Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, issued official
statements denouncing the UAE-Israel agreement. Palestinian leaders who spoke
to Al-Jazeera called it a "stab in the back".
"We already
knew that there has been normalisation going under the table, but to formalise
and legalise it that way at this critical moment is shocking. It's a stab in
our back and the back of all Arab nations," stated Majida al-Masri, former
PA minister of social affairs.
Al-Barghouti
emphasised the deal "doesn't introduce any change or progress, it's far
from being genuine peace".
"This is an
attempt to enforce the 'Deal of the Century' that aims to liquidate Palestinian
national rights, it represents a denial of Palestinian, Arab and Islamic
rights," he continued.
Palestinian
leaders stated the deal was "a free gift to Israel" and was made to
help the re-election of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The UAE's
position, in terms of its timing and essence, can only be understood as giving
Israel leverage for free," said Wasel Abu Yousef, member of the PLO's
Executive Committee and leader of the Palestine Liberation Front, adding,
"There's no reasonable justification for it except that it gives more
power to the occupation and increases its crimes against the
Palestinians."
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990602000532
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New Zealand
Gunman Planned To Burn Down Mosques After Finishing Shooting
24 August 2020
The white
supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques had
intended to burn down the mosques afterward, a prosecutor said in court Monday,
while describing two of those praying as making heroic efforts to stop the mass
shooting.
New details
about the March 2019 attacks were outlined during the first day of a four-day
sentencing hearing at the Christchurch High Court.
The hearing gave
some families and survivors their first chance to confront the gunman.
“You killed your
own humanity, and I don't think the world will forgive you for your horrible
crime,” said a tearful Maysoon Salama, the mother of 33-year-old Atta Elayyan,
who was killed in the attacks.
“You thought you
can break us. You failed miserably.”
The gunman,
29-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, pleaded guilty in March to 51 counts
of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism — the first
terrorism conviction in New Zealand's history.
He could become
the first person in New Zealand to be sentenced to life imprisonment without
the possibility of parole.
Tarrant was
brought into the courtroom shackled and wearing a gray prison outfit.
In the dock,
unshackled and surrounded by five officers, he showed little emotion throughout
the hearing.
He occasionally
looked around the room, tapped his fingers, and watched the survivors as they
spoke.
The courtroom
was only half full due to coronavirus distancing requirements, while many
others watched from adjacent courtrooms where the hearing was streamed.
Survivors and
family members occasionally wept and comforted each other.
The hearing
began with prosecutors outlining the attacks in a 26-page summary of facts, the
first detailed account by authorities about what happened that day.
Crown prosecutor
Barnaby Hawes said that two months before the attacks, Tarrant flew a drone
directly over the Al Noor mosque, recording an aerial view of the grounds and
buildings and taking note of the entry and exit doors.
Hawes said the
gunman planned his attacks for when the maximum number of worshippers were
present, and that 190 people were in the Al Noor mosque for Friday prayers on
the day of the attacks.
In his car, the
gunman had six guns — two AR-15 rifles, two other rifles, and two shotguns, the
court heard.
He also brought
with him four modified gas containers which he planned to use to burn down the
mosques after he finished shooting, Hawes said. The gunman later told police he
wished he had used them.
Hawes also
detailed the bravery of Naeem Rashid, who was killed at the Al Noor mosque.
“He ran at the
defendant from the southeastern corner of the room. When Mr. Rashid was
approximately 1 meter from the defendant, the defendant swung the AR-15 around
and fired four shots at point-blank range,” Hawes said.
“Mr Rashid
crashed into the defendant and the defendant went down on one knee,” Hawes
said, adding that Tarrant was able to get back up and shoot Rashid again.
At the second
mosque, Abdul Aziz chased Tarrant down the driveway screaming at him,
prosecutors said, and threw a discarded rifle at his car, shattering a glass
panel. Aziz was not injured.
Tarrant has
dismissed his lawyers and is representing himself during the sentencing,
raising fears he could try to use the occasion as a platform to promote his
racist views.
He can choose to
speak once the survivors have spoken, although the judge will likely shut down
any attempts he makes to grandstand.
New Zealand
abolished the death penalty for murder in 1961, and the longest sentence
imposed since then has been life imprisonment with a minimum 30-year non-parole
period.
Justice Cameron
Mander will decide on the gunman's sentence at the end of the hearing.
The attacks
targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand
and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons.
They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman
livestreamed his attack on Facebook, where it was viewed by hundreds of
thousands of people.
Prosecutors said
that after Tarrant left the Linwood mosque he planned to drive to the town of
Ashburton and attack a third mosque. But he was rammed by two police officers,
dragged out of his car and arrested.
Gamal Founda,
the imam of the Al Noor mosque who survived the shooting, told the court that
the gunman's actions were misguided.
“We are a
peaceful and loving community who did not deserve your actions,” Fouda said.
“Your hatred is
unnecessary. If you have done anything, you have brought the world community
closer with your evil actions.”
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/world-news-new-zealand-gunman-planned-to-burn-down-mosques-after-finishing-shooting/359212
--------
Washington is
full of Zionists whose loyalty is not to US, but to Israel
23 August 2020
By J. Michael
Springmann
The trip of Mike
Pompeo the American Secretary of State to Israel and a number of the Persian
Gulf states including Qatar, where he will meet with representatives of the
Taliban, is not going to do much in the way of security.
This is
especially so since Jared Kushner, Trump's fanatically Zionist son-in-law, will
be traveling to the region later on this week. Hitting many of the same
countries in the Persian Gulf, plus Saudi Arabia and of course, Israel, the
Apartheid Entity, and Morocco, along with them, will be Avi Berkowitz, the man
who helped engineer this horrible deal between the United Arab Emirates and
Israel.
That agreement
is an effort by the Israelis and the Americans to split the united Arab front
against doing deals over the heads of the Palestinians. Pompeo and company
claim it's going to be done for security,
but they didn't really specify what that that is.
However, the New York Post, I think, reports it as ‘countering Iran's
malign influence in the area.’ If I recall correctly, the New York Post also
says that this will be done in a way to ensure that other states will join with
the United Arab Emirates in making similar arrangements with the Zionist
entity, the illegitimate "country" that calls itself Israel.
Added to this,
of course, is Donald Trump's efforts to ensure his reelection in just about two
months. It looks good. It supports his base which includes nearly everybody in
the United States who hates Iran for no particular reason, except that the
media has told them to hate Iran since 1953.
The American
people, particularly the Zionists in the United States, who have great
influence in the media, love this, and they love anything that will help Israel
at the expense of any other country. Their loyalty is not to the United States,
but to Israel. And that's an outrage, especially when many hold or held high positions in
American government, such as the former Undersecretary of the Treasury for
Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker.
So, this
"deal" really does play to Trump's base and it plays to all the
people who love Israel, and it's going to be good for him in the election.
J. Michael
Springmann is an American political commentator, author and former US diplomat
in Saudi Arabia. He is based in Washington. He recorded this article for Press
TV website.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/23/632444/Washington-is-full-of-Zionists-whose-loyalty-is-not-to-US,-but-to-Israel
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Hezbollah could
be targeted with ban by Switzerland: Reports
23 August 2020
Switzerland
could move to ban the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, following a similar
decision taken by its neighbor, Germany, The Jerusalem Post reported Saturday.
The Federal
Council of Switzerland, the collective head of state in the country, has agreed
to review a new application entitled ‘Report on the activities of the Shi’ite
Islamist Hezbollah in Switzerland.’ The new law could lead to the organization
being banned from Switzerland, with its access to bank accounts and assets
seized and frozen within the country.
“On April 30,
2020, Germany banned all activities of the Shi'ite Islamist Hezbollah. Germany
justified the decision with the fact that Hezbollah is calling for armed
struggle and rejecting Israel's right to exist,” the initiative read, the Post
reported.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Hezbollah has
said its role in southern Lebanon is that of resistance against the state of
Israel, and the militant group and Israel often engage in cross-border
disputes.
On Saturday,
Hezbollah said it shot down an Israeli drone in Lebanese airspace. The last war
fought between the entities was in 2006.
Marianne Binder,
a politician of the Christian Democratic People’s Party of Switzerland,
launched the initiative in June.
While the European
Union has previously banned the military arm of Hezbollah in 2013, the
initiative is calling for an outright ban on the entire organization.
Hezbollah’s political arm remains active in some European countries.
“The EU
previously banned the [military] arm that engaged in terrorist activities. It
is not known which activities Hezbollah is developing in Switzerland. In view
of the neutrality of Switzerland, however, the activities of Hezbollah cannot
be legitimized and a report is also advisable for reasons of security policy,”
the document continued, according to the Post.
The UK,
Lithuania and the Netherlands have all already banned the entire organization,
joined by Germany earlier this year. The US, the Arab League and other
countries also designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
The terrorist
group cum political party is also a proxy group of Iran, and while it was
initially created as a bulwark against Israel in the early 1980s, it has sown
chaos across the region from Lebanon to Iraq and Syria.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/08/23/Hezbollah-could-be-targeted-with-ban-by-Switzerland-Reports.html
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India
Urdu Children's
Writer and Editor Murtaza Sahil Tasleemi Passes Away
New Age Islam
News Bureau
24 August 2020
Veteran
children's writer and editor of children's Urdu magazines Murtaza Sahil
Tasleemi passed away on 21 August 2020 in Metro Hospital in Delhi. He was
buried in Imli Wale Qabristan in Rampur. He was under treatment for the last
one year.
Murtaza Sahil
Tasleemi edited various children's Urdu magazines Noor, Batool, Adab-e-Atfal
and Hilal. He was also the editor if Al Hasn't. All these were published by the
Maktaba Al Hasnat of Rampur. Under his editorship, these magazines became the
most popular children's magazine in both India and Pakistan in the 80s and 90s.
Murtaza Savil
Tasleemi was also a prolific writer, poet and novelist. During his literary
career spanning over fourty years he wrote novels, short stories and plays for
children and women, poems and numerous articles on social and moral issues.He
authored over fifty books for children. His demise marks the end of a golden
chapter in children's Urdu literature.
--------
Lucknow Admn
Allows Tazias At Home, Azadari With Riders After Talks with Shia Cleric
Aug 24, 2020
The Lucknow
district administration and Shia clerics have reached a consensus on letting
the faithful keep tazias (a replica of the coffin of Imam Hussain carried
during Muharram procession to mourn the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet
Mohammad) at home and observe Azadari while distancing socially, but the issue
of taking out processions remains unresolved.
Azadari is the
name of the practice followed during the month of Muharram (according to the
Islamic calendar)—mourning the martyrdom of Imam Hussain at the Battle of
Karbala about 1,340 years ago. Shia clerics have already moved court for
permission to hold the Muharram processions.
District
magistrate Abhishek Prakash said, “The administration has allowed the Shia
community members to keep tazias in their homes and observe azadari during
Muharram, but with certain restrictions of social distancing.”
Prominent Shia
cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad had staged a dharna on Saturday evening to protest
against restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus disease pandemic.
Following this,
the state government directed the district administration to initiate talks
with the Shia cleric. District magistrate Abhishek Prakash, along with home
secretary SK Bhagat, held a dialogue with Maulana Jawad .
“The government
has sought a list of Shia clerics in every district, along with their phone
numbers, from me. I will provide it. In every district, the Shia clerics will
hold a meeting with the district’s civil and police officials in order to
coordinate the Muharram activities with them. Everyone knows that tazias and
azadari are an integral part of observing Muharram, and Shias cannot compromise
on these rituals,” he said.
“We had sought
permission for majlis (sermons) in all our Imambaras with a gathering of around
1,000 people. Our Imambaras are quite big and we can follow social distancing
norms there. But after high-level talks with the state government, they allowed
only seven Imambaras in the state capital to hold 60 minutes of majlis with
only 20 attendees. Everyone else can watch online,” the Shia cleric added.
The district
administration also agreed not to harass those who keep tazias at home and
perform azadari, said Maulana Jawad.
He said,
“Lucknow has a sizable Shia population of over three lakh, which takes out a
few processions during Muharram. But due to the pandemic this time, no
procession has been allowed. We have gone to court over this and expect a
decision in a day or two.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/lucknow/admn-allows-tazias-at-home-azadari-with-riders-after-talks-with-shia-cleric/story-DrptWesYboAXDtisRWaxAM.html
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Former Imam of
Kanjiramattom mosque misused his position to dupe NRI of Rs 2.25 crore
24th August 2020
KOCHI: The two
persons, including a former imam of the Kanjiramattom mosque, who were arrested
for cheating an NRI youth of a sum of Rs 2.25 crore after offering to bring him
back home from Qatar had carried out the fraud by citing that they had previously
helped many people including business tycoons return from West Asia.
Mohammed Aslam
Moulavi, 50 -- the imam who had earlier served as the key functionary of a
prominent religious organisation -- misused his position to win the trust of
the victim’s relatives before duping him of the money.
The police
suspect others are involved in the case and an investigation is heading in that
direction.
“There is a
possibility of the involvement of more people. Hence an inquiry is under way,”
said V Rajeev, DySP, District Crime Branch.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2020/aug/24/former-imam-of-kanjiramattom-mosque-misused-his-position-to-dupe-nri-of-rs-225-crore-2187349.html
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Militants claim
killing panchayat member in Kashmir who went missing last week
Aug 24, 2020
Militants in an
audio message claimed to have killed a panchayat member from South Kashmir’s
Khanmoh village who has been missing since August 9, police said.
Panchayat member
Nisar Ahmad Bhat went missing from Shopian and police have been trying to trace
him.
A senior police
officer said that according to family members, Bhat went to Shopian on
Wednesday. “Since then he has been missing. He (panch) was booked under PSA in
1995. There are 12 FIR against him and efforts are on to trace him.”
The officer,
however, said the audio clip seems fake. “We are investigating every aspect of
this case.”
In a 2.56 minute
long message purportedly released by militants, they claimed that Bhat has been
killed and buried at an unidentified place.
An unidentified
person is heard saying that the panchayat member was involved in “anti
movement” activities” and had met his fate. “We have been after him for a long
time and finally got him.”
The message
claimed that the body wasn’t handed over to his family because of Covid-19.
“We understand
the pain of the family. To avoid the spread of Covid-19, the body wasn’t given
to his family. The same way, Indian forces after killing our comrades bury them
at unmarked graves at unidentified locations,” the message said.
Earlier on
August 2, Shakir Manzoor, who was working with 162 Territorial Army battalion
in south Kashmir was abducted from Kulgam district and his burnt vehicle was
found later. Soon after the abduction, police and army had launched a search
operation in Shopian and Kulgam areas. However, the jawan could not be traced.
A similar
message was released which claimed that Manzoor was killed and buried at an
undisclosed location.
In the last two
months five BJP leaders including two sarpanches have been killed in different
parts of Kashmir. Earlier in July, Congress sarpanch Ajay Pandita was killed in
Anantnag district which forced many panchayat members to resign from their
parties.
The government
also shifted dozens of panchayat members and BDC members, majority of them from
the BJP, to safer places after an evaluation of threats from militants.
Soon after
taking charge, Jammu and Kashmir’s new Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had said
adequate security would be provided to panchayat members and political workers
in Kashmir.
Sinha was
speaking at a function in Srinagar in which a large number of panchayat workers
participated and demanded security in the backdrop of attacks on BJP workers in
different parts of the Valley.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/militants-claim-killing-panchayat-member-in-kashmir-who-went-missing-last-week/story-x9a0174WYHiX9hUTNInuRM.html
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Pakistan
Rohingya Muslims
in Pakistan decry global silence
Aamir Latif
23.08.2020
KARACHI,
Pakistan
As the world
prepares to observe the third anniversary of a brutal military crackdown
against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims, hundreds of them living in Pakistan are
still looking for their loved ones who went missing.
Ibrahim Hussein,
56 is one of the Rohingya living in the southern port city of Karachi who still
mourns the death of his dozen family members, including infants.
They were killed
in a crackdown by Myanmar military on Aug. 25, 2017 – which is called the
textbook example of genocide by the UN – forcing around 860,000 people to flee
Bangladesh.
Hussein is also
missing his young niece and cousin, who went missing since then.
"We have
tried our best to locate them. We, during the last three years, have contacted
several human rights groups, including the Red Cross to know about them but of
no avail, " Hussein, who runs a small grocery in Burma Colony, a
middle-income neighborhood of the eastern district of Karachi, Pakistan’s
largest city and the commercial capital, told Anadolu Agency.
Conflicting
reports about the missing duo have further added to his misery.
"They
[family members] were trying to flee together but they soon got separated due
to a stampede-like situation. Several got killed, some managed to cross into
Bangladesh, while the two went missing," he said.
"Some of
our village mates said they [niece and cousin] were also killed along with
other family members. Others said they made their way into Bangladesh with some
other group," said Hussein, who has made Karachi his home since 1982, when
some displaced Rohingya arrived in Pakistan.
Communication
blockades
Internet
blockade and phone restrictions at Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh's
southern district of Cox’s Bazar – home to over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees –
since September last, has further hampered Hussein's efforts to locate the
missing relatives.
"It has
been now three years since we have been approaching every available source to
look for them. Only Allah knows whether they are alive or dead," he said
while trying to hold back his tears.
Mohammad Taha,
another Rohingya, who was born and raised in Karachi, has a similar story to
share.
At least five of
his family members, including two maternal cousins have been missing after the
crackdown.
"Our
relatives who managed to reach Bangladesh, have also been trying to locate them
but still we have no news," he said.
He said it was
becoming very difficult to even get in touch with relatives living in
Bangladesh due to telephone restrictions.
“We have very
limited contact with them. They rarely contact us whenever they get a chance to
get out of the camp and call from a public call office," Taha added.
The port city of
Karachi is home to more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims, the highest number after
Myanmar and Bangladesh, according to unofficial estimates.
They had started
to trickle into the region in the early 1940s – before the creation of
Pakistan.
The first exodus
took place in 1942 following the first army operation that killed over 100,000
Rohingya Muslims.
A majority of
Rohingya refugees, however, made Pakistan their home from 1970-1980 after a
long and grueling journey via Bangladesh to India and then Pakistan.
Since then,
there have been no mass migrations as India closed its borders with Bangladesh
and put restrictions on the travel further to borders with Pakistan.
Former Pakistani
President Ayub Khan, who ruled the country from 1958-1969 had allocated land to
Rohingya refugees in 1962, paving the way for two settlements – Burma Colony
and Arkanabad, which was named after the former Rakhine state – in Karachi’s
eastern neighborhoods.
Global silence
is killing
But what is
hurting Rohingya most is the silence of the international community, even when
the UN dubbed them world's most persecuted people.
"It's been
three years, and nothing concrete has been done to hold Myanmar government
responsible for the genocide, and the safe resettlement of Rohingya Muslims. Instead,
the [Myanmar] government is more vigorously persecuting them," said Noor
Hussein Arakani, a Rohingya community leader.
In November
2019, the International Criminal Court (ICC) approved the launch of an inquiry
over crimes against the Rohingya community, a move rejected by Myanmar, which
is not a party to the Rome Statute.
The Rome Statute
is the founding treaty of the ICC that seeks to protect communities from
genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
"It's only Turkey,
Gambia, and a few other Muslim countries, which consistently fight our case on
the international forums. But, generally, there is a criminal silence over
Myanmar's widespread human rights abuses on the part of so-called
superpowers," he said.
He added that
there was no other leader like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has
been standing beside Rohingya Muslims.
“The entire
Rohingya community prays for him," he said.
Arakani, who
heads Karachi-based Rohingya Solidarity Forum, argued that the key to the
solution of the Rohingya issue is with China.
"It's
China's veto power that has been allowing Myanmar to perpetrate crimes against
Rohingya with impunity. If China today decides, the issue can be resolved
within weeks," he said, adding that Myanmar cannot say “no” to China.
China was one of
the few countries that did not condemn the 2017 brutal crackdown against
Rohingya Muslims, terming it an "internal matter" of Myanmar.
"We appeal
to the Chinese government not to view this [issue] through a political prism.
It is a human issue. China has been a great friend and supporter of Pakistan.
We are thankful to the country for that," he said.
Arakani said
China will win hearts of the entire community if it helps Rohingya to get their
citizenship and other rights.
Myanmar
crackdown
According to
international rights groups, more than a million Rohingya refugees, mostly
women, and children have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar
forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.
Since Aug. 25,
2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state
forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency
(OIDA).
More than 34,000
Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten,
said the OIDA report, titled "Forced Migration of Rohingya: The Untold
Experience."
Some 18,000
Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police and over
115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized, it
added.
The UN has also
documented mass gang rapes, killings – including infants and young children –
brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces.
They are now
facing a threat of forced repatriation by the Bangladeshi government despite no
citizenship rights and safety guarantees from a defiant Myanmar government.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/rohingya-muslims-in-pakistan-decry-global-silence/1950892
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Opposition tried
to exploit govt over FATF legislation: Shibli
24 Aug 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz on Sunday posted on his official
Twitter account the drafts of the proposals made by the opposition parties for
bringing changes to the country’s accountability laws, terming them a “proof”
of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claim that the opposition had tried to make a
bargain with the government during negotiations on the FATF legislation.
On the other
hand, the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) refuted the
minister’s claim, stating that the changes in the accountability laws had come
under discussion at a parliamentary committee constituted by National Assembly
Speaker Asad Qaiser on the legislative business.
In his tweet,
the minister said he was posting the documents as “the PML-N limited” had been
asking the government to tell the nation as to who had sought an “NRO” — a term
frequently used for “deal”.
Former military
dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf had issued the National Reconciliation Ordinance
(NRO) in 2007 after an agreement with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to end
all politically motivated cases against the politicians.
Mr Faraz posted
three pages of the draft proposals submitted by the opposition seeking
amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999 through which,
according to him, the opposition was actually seeking an end to the cases
against its leadership, saying “these are the documents through which the
opposition sought an NRO”.
PML-N says
changes in laws discussed by panel formed by NA speaker
Through one of
the amendments to Section 18, he said, the opposition had suggested a five-year
time frame for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to take cognisance of
any wrongdoing.
The proposed
amendment says: “NAB shall not conduct any inquiry or investigation or file any
reference for an alleged offence after the passage of five years from the date
of the transaction or act constituting the offence.”
The document
shows that the opposition has also proposed a new sub-section suggesting that
“NAB shall not initiate action on allegations contained in a complaint which is
anonymous or pseudonymous”.
The opposition
has also proposed, according to the documents, that NAB shall not tale action
in cases which do not involve public money and where the “amount involved is
less than Rs1 billion”.
Mr Faraz also
posted an amendment to Section 25 suggested by the opposition, which says:
“Where at any time during inquiry or after the authorisation of investigation,
before or after the commencement of the trial or during the pendency of an
appeal, the holder of public office or any other person offers to return to NAB
the assets or gains acquired or made in the course, or as a consequence of any
offence under this ordinance, the chairman NAB may in his discretion, after
taking into consideration the facts and circumstances of the case, accept the
offer on such terms and conditions as he may consider necessary, and if the
holder of public office or any other person agrees to return to NAB the amount
determined by the NAB chairman, who shall then refer the case for the approval
of the court or the case may be, for the release of the holder of public office
or any other person as well as his co-accused.”
Though Mr Faraz
made these documents public on Sunday, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi,
who is the head of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Legislative Business,
had already disclosed most of the details of the opposition’s proposals on the
floor of the National Assembly last month, declaring that the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government had rejected them.
It was after the
foreign minister’s statement in the assembly that the opposition later
boycotted the parliamentary committee which was basically reviewing the laws
that had been introduced by the government to meet the conditions of the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF), alleging that the minister had made public
the discussion which was held in an informal meeting at the residence of the
speaker.
The opposition
had also announced that it would not hold negotiations with the government if
the foreign minister was present in it. Later, the government and the
opposition agreed on the FATF laws in the talks in which the government side
was represented by Law Minister Farogh Naseem.
Mr Qureshi in
his fiery speech in the assembly had alleged that the opposition wanted to have
a “package deal” whereas the government had requested it to delink the FATF
legislation and the NAB issue in the larger national interest.
The foreign
minister categorically announced that a majority of the 35 proposals jointly
made by the PPP and PML-N regarding changes in the accountability laws were not
acceptable to the PTI and Prime Minister Imran Khan as these were against the
party’s core principle of eliminating corruption.
Highlighting the
opposition’s proposals regarding changes in the NAO, the minister had said the
opposition wanted applicability of the accountability law to start from 1999,
reduction in NAB chairman’s tenure, removal of money laundering from the list
of cognisable offences, allowing the convicted persons to remain members of
parliament till disposal of appeals and confining the time of taking cognisance
by NAB of any wrongdoing to five years.
He had ridiculed
the opposition’s proposal that allegations of corruption of less than Rs1
billion should not come under the NAB’s scope.
Opposition’s
response
Interestingly,
no one from the PPP or the PML-N denied the government’s claim about their
proposals.
A senior PPP
leader told Dawn that these proposals had been under discussion at various
levels among the parties for the last more than 10 years and that the party had
only discussed the changes in the NAB laws in the parliamentary committee at
the request of the government.
PML-N lawmaker
Khwaja Asif responded to the foreign minister’s speech the following day in the
National Assembly, but did not talk about their specific proposals which had
been mentioned by the minister. He simply alleged that the minister had
“crossed all the limits of propriety” by disclosing the details of an informal
meeting that was held at the speaker’s residence. He was of the opinion that
there was no need for bringing the informal discussion on record.
Meanwhile, in
response to the information minister’s tweet, PML-N information secretary and MNA
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the “incompetent PTI government did not have a
clue on how to go about the FATF-related legislation which is why the
parliamentary committee was constituted by the speaker to review the
legislation”.
She said the
approval of the special committee had been given by parliament. “Did the
speaker ask for an NRO or did the entire parliament?” she asked.
She reiterated
the challenge to Prime Minister Khan and “his stooges” to name those who had
asked for an NRO. She said “the selected prime minister” had no power or
authority to grant an NRO.
Ms Aurangzeb,
who had also served as the information minister in the previous PML-N
government, said: “This document waving and tweeting by Shibli Faraz shows his
clear absence of confidence in the speaker.”
She said the
information minister’s statements were an open indictment of the parliamentary
committee which also included the government members wanted in the Mallam Jabba
case, Peshawar BRT, Billion Tree Tsunami project, helicopter case, 23 secret
accounts, foreign funding case, sugar and wheat theft and corruption.
Ms Aurangzeb
said the opposition members had already braved “illegal custody and
imprisonment” by NAB in death row cells and had been vindicated by the Supreme
Court and high courts. Moreover, she said, the international rights bodies had
already issued a charge sheet against “the NAB-Niazi alliance” for being an
instrument of political engineering and victimisation.
“Will the
opposition demand an NRO under all these circumstances or those who have been
dodging NAB and the courts, including the president and the prime minister?”
she asked.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1576165/opposition-tried-to-exploit-govt-over-fatf-legislation-shibli
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Another Militant
Organisation, Khatam-Ul-Ambia, Banned
Iftikhar A. Khan
24 Aug 2020
ISLAMABAD: The
government has banned another militant outfit taking the number of outlawed
organisations to 77.
The fresh
addition to the list is Khatam-Ul-Ambia, said to be an offshoot of Ansarul
Hussain which was banned in the late 2016 for its alleged involvement in
recruiting the youth from the Shia community to fight the militant Islamic
State (IS) group commonly known as Daesh.
The process of
maintaining a list of proscribed organisations started on Aug 14, 2001 when
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-i-Mohammad Pakistan were outlawed. Later, on Jan
14, 2002, the government banned Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba,
Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, Tehreek-i-Islami and Tehreek-i-Nifaz
Shariat-i-Mohammadi.
Tehreek-i-Jafria
Pakistan was put on the list on Jan 28, 2002, followed by Al Qaeda on March 17,
2003, Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan and Khuddamul Islam on Nov 15, 2003 and Islami
Tehreek Pakistan on Nov 15, 2003.
Three more
organisations — Jamiatul Ansar, Jamiatul Furqan and Hizbut Tehrir — were banned
on Nov 20, 2003 while Khair-un-Naas International Trust was proscribed on Oct
27, 2004.
Perspective: How
best to tackle violent extremism in Pakistan
The Balochistan
Liberation Army was placed on the list on April 7, 2006, and Islamic Students
Movement of Pakistan on Aug 21, 2006.
Lashkar-i-Islam,
Ansarul Islam and Haji Namdar Group were banned on June 30, 2008 and
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan was outlawed on Aug 25, 2008.
Five militant
organisations from Balochistan — Balochistan Republican Army, Balochistan
Liberation Front, Lashkar-i-Balochistan, Balochistan Liberation United Front
and Balochistan Musallah Difa Tanzeem — were put on the list on Sept 8, 2010.
Three organisations
from Gilgit — Shia Tulaba Action Committee, Markaz Sabeel Organisation and
Tanzeem Naujawanan-i-Ahle Sunnat — and Peoples Aman Committee (Lyari), Karachi,
were placed on the list on Oct 10, 2011.
The Ahle Sunnat
Wal Jamaat, a reincarnation of Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan, was banned on Feb 15,
2012, followed by Al Harmain Foundation and Rabita Trust on March 6, 2012 and
Anjuman-i-Imamia and Muslim Students Organisation (both from Gilgit-Baltistan)
on April 24, 2012.
Tanzeem Ahle
Sunnat Wal Jamaat (Gilgit-Baltistan) was placed on the list on June 5, 2012
while Balochistan Bunyad Parast Army, Tehreek Nafaz-i-Aman, Tahaffuz
Hadudullah, Balochistan Waja Liberation Army, Islam Mujahideen, Jaish-i-Islam
and Balochistan National Liberation Army were banned on Aug 4, 2012.
The list was
widely expanded in 2013 with the addition of the Khana-i-Hikmat
Gilgit-Baltistan on March 13 and Tehreek-i-Taliban-Swat,
Tehreek-i-Taliban-Mohmand, Tariq Jeedar Group, Abdullah Azam Brigade, East
Turkmenistan Islamic Movement, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Jihad
Union, 313 Brigade, Tehreek-i-Taliban-Bajaur, Amar Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil
Munkir (Haji Namdar Group), Baloch Student Organisation-Azad, United Baloch
Army and Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz on March 15, 2013.
Since then, the
list remained unchanged till July 15, 2015, when the name of Daesh (the Arabic
acronym for the militant Islamic State group) was placed on the list of banned
organisations.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar
and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Alami were added to the list on Nov 11, 2016, followed
by Ansarul Hussain on Dec 30, 2016.
Tehreek-i-Azadi
Jammu and Kashmir was the only addition made to the list on June 8, 2017.
Jundullah was the last addition made by the then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
government in 2018.
The first
addition to the list by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government was made on Dec
13, 2018, when Yemen-based Al-Rahmah Welfare Trust Organisation was outlawed.
The Balwaristan
National Front (Abdul Hameed Khan Group) was the first organisation to have
been proscribed on Feb 26, 2019.
The decision to
ban Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) was taken at a
meeting of the National Security Committee, headed by the prime minister and
comprising key cabinet members and military leaders, on Feb 21 last year, and a
notification to that effect was issued by the interior ministry on March 5,
2019.
After a gap of
over two months seven JuD and two FIF affiliates were also included in the
list.
Pak-Turk
International CAG Education Foundation was banned on April 18, 2019.
Hizbul Ahrar and
Balochistan Raaji Ajooi Sangar were added to the list of terrorist outfits on
July 26,2019.
Jeay Sindh Qaumi
Mahaz-Aresar Group, Sindhu Desh Revolution Army and Sindhu Desh Liberation Army
were added to the list this year These three -- one nationalist and two
separatist organisations -- were banned on May 7, 2020.
Ghulaman-i-Sahaba
and Maymar Trust continue to be on a watch list since May 30, 2017 and March
29, 2017, respectively.
Sachal Sarmast
Welfare Trust Karachi and Al-Jaza Patient Welfare Organisation were added to
the watch list in June last year.
Al-Akhtar Trust
and Al-Rasheed Trust have been on the list under the UN Security Council
resolution No 1267 since December 2005.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1576166/another-militant-organisation-banned
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PTI, PML-N trade
barbs over Nawaz’s treatment abroad
24 Aug 2020
LAHORE: Leaders
of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and opposition Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) traded barbs on Sunday over the issue of former premier
Nawaz Sharif’s treatment abroad.
The former prime
minister, serving a jail term in a corruption case, had gone to London in
November last year for treatment of his complicated heart problem after
multiple medical boards formed by the governmentitselfsuggested that treatment
of the ailment was not possible in the country.
Mr Sharif is
still abroad, where the corona virus pandemic reportedly made it difficult for
him to seek medical care.
Punjab Health
Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said in a statement here on Sunday that Mr Sharif had
been allowed to go abroad for treatment on humanitarian grounds. She claimed
that the PML-N supremo, who was admitted to the Services Hospital after falling
ill in Kot Lakhpat Jail, had sought that he would consult his personal
physician, Dr Adnan Khan, for treatment and then requested to be shifted to the
Sharif Medical City Hospital, a health facility run by the Sharifs on the
outskirts of Lahore.
Then he demanded
that he must be sent abroad for treatment, she said, adding Nawaz Sharif had
given his word to the government as well as the court (the Lahore High Court)
that he would return soon after hisrecovery.
The minister
complained that N-League was “playing foul” in the name of treatment of Nawaz
Sharif as the government had not only diagnosed all the diseases afflicting the
ex-PM but also started treating the same and the count of his platelets was on
the rise.
Mr Sharif was
also offered treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi, but he refused, she
said, adding perhaps he had intended to go abroad from day one.
Responding to
the minister’s allegations, Punjab PML-N Information Secretary Azma Bukhari
wondered at the reaction of Dr Rashid who, she said, had personally gone
through medical reports of Mr Sharif many times.
Ms Bukhari said
no one knew better than Dr Rashid and Dr Faisal, special assistant to PM Imran
Khan on health, about the ailment of Mr Sharif.
The N League
leader asked if Dr Rashid was telling the truth now or in the past when the
health minister had been supporting the suggestion for sending the former prime
minister abroad for better treatment.
Sarcastically
saying that Dr Rashid’s change of stance made the people doubtfulabout her
medical degree, Ms Bukhari added the minister should resign from her office at
once after such a ‘blunder’.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1576117/pti-pml-n-trade-barbs-over-nawazs-treatment-abroad
--------
South Asia
Afghan official:
Bomb kills 7 civilians in eastern province
Aug 23, 2020
KABUL: A
roadside bombing on Sunday in eastern Afghanistan killed seven civilians, a
provincial official said, the latest in relentless deadly violence in the
country amid new uncertainties over the start of talks between the Taliban and
the Kabul government.
No one
immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Ghazni province's Jaghatu
district. Three women, two children and two men died when their vehicle struck
the roadside bomb, said Wahidullah Jumazada, a spokesman for the provincial
governor.
Afghan civilians
continue to bear the brunt of the war across their country despite efforts to
launch peace talks and find a road map for post-war Afghanistan.
According to a
United Nations report released in July, 1,282 people were killed in violence in
Afghanistan in the first six months of 2020 and hundreds more were wounded.
Women and
children continue to be disproportionately affected by the direct and indirect
impacts of the armed conflict, comprising more than 40% of the total civilian
casualties, meaning both the killed and the wounded, the UN had said.
The expected
start of talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban has stalled after
Kabul said it would not release the last 320 Taliban prisoners it holds until
the insurgents free more captured Afghan soldiers.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/afghan-official-bomb-kills-7-civilians-in-eastern-province/articleshow/77704124.cms
--------
3 years on,
Rohingya refugee repatriation to Myanmar still uncertain
24 AUG 2020
The plight of
Rohingya refugees living in squalid camps in Bangladesh continues as efforts to
repatriate them to Myanmar have virtually stalled, with the world's attention
focused on the coronavirus pandemic.
Three years ago
on Tuesday, tens of thousands of people from the Muslim minority started
fleeing their homes in the western state of Rakhine to escape a military
crackdown on insurgents.
In the span of a
few months, the Cox's Bazar district near Bangladesh's border with Myanmar
became the world's largest refugee settlement with more than 1 million
refugees.
Since August
2017, over 740,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, according to the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees. A UN fact-finding mission report estimated at least
10,000 were killed in Myanmar.
International
efforts to repatriate the refugees have failed so far. Even as arrangements
were made to facilitate their repatriation, the refugees refused to go back,
fearing violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
The Myanmar
government led by Aung San Suu Kyi does not recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic
group with rights as citizens. Instead, they are branded as illegal immigrants
from Bangladesh.
The refugees say
they will not go back unless they are given citizenship, right to freedom of
movement and guarantees of safety.
A general
election is scheduled to be held in Myanmar in November. But the Rohingya have
not become a campaign issue. Nor are they expected to be, given the
government's position on the minority.
The coronavirus
has also been spreading at the camps, causing increasing concern among the
refugees.
Mohammad Alam, a
21-year-old Rohingya, arrived in Cox's Bazar in August 2017 after the Myanmar
military attacked his village in Maungdaw.
He later married
a fellow refugee. "I am now father of a baby boy and living a secure life
in Bangladesh," he said.
But he said
residents of the camps live in fear of the coronavirus and have been asked to
wear masks and avoid gatherings.
Virus cases were
first reported at the camps in May. By Aug 16, 79 infections had been confirmed
there, including six deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
Many Rohingya
refugees were separated from their family members as they fled to Bangladesh.
After three years, they are still desperate to know what has become of them.
Rafiqua Begum, a
25-year-old mother of three, said she and her children got separated from her
husband Amir Hossain.
"I still
don't know the whereabouts of my husband," she said.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/1973607/3-years-on-rohingya-refugee-repatriation-to-myanmar-still-uncertain
--------
Kabul police
chief fired amid surge in Afghan attacks
23 August 2020
Kabul's police
chief has been fired following a rise in violence and bombings in the Afghan capital
in recent weeks, the Interior Ministry says.
Interior
Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian said on Sunday that authorities dismissed
Ammanullah Wahidi and at least two other security officials over "the
recent rise in insecurity" the national capital.
Another top
security official confirmed the removal of Wahidi, who oversaw security in
Kabul and surrounding districts.
"The people
are worried and the president is upset over these attacks," the official
said. "There will be more changes in the security leadership of Kabul
soon."
The dismissal
came following mortar attacks that hit the presidential palace last week.
At least three
people were killed and about 20 others injured in a string of rocket attacks
that hit Kabul on Tuesday.
Fourteen rockets
were fired into Kabul’s heavily-fortified green zone on Tuesday as the country
marked its 101st independence anniversary. Witnesses said that on same day some
of the rockets struck near the presidential palace — where Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani a short while earlier took part in an independence day event — and
the Defense Ministry.
The area is home
to a number of foreign embassies along with high-profile government
installations.
The attacks came
as Kabul has been rocked by a series of assaults using sticky bombs, homemade
devices attached to vehicles with magnets.
On Saturday,
officials said at least four magnetic bombs had exploded in the Afghan capital
killing at least one security official and wounding six others, including
civilians.
At least seven
civilians were killed in eastern Ghazni province after an improvised explosive
device (IED) struck their vehicle on Sunday, According to the governor's
spokesman Wahedullah Jumazada.
More than 100
IEDs had been detonated across Afghanistan in the past two weeks.
No group has
claimed responsibility for the increasing number of blasts caused by the
devices, but the Afghan authorities have continued to pin the blame on the
Taliban militant group.
Official data
shows that bombings and other assaults by the Taliban have surged 70 percent
since the militant group signed the deal with the United States in February.
The deal
envisages a complete withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, and the Taliban
pledged not to attack American and other foreign forces. They made no such
pledge in relation to the Afghan government and people.
The Afghan
government was a party neither to the negotiations nor to the deal, but it has
been acting in accordance with its terms, including by agreeing to free Taliban
prisoners. The militants have not stopped attacking government targets and
civilians.
Washington
invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban-run government in 2001 on the
pretext of fighting terrorism following the September 11 attacks.
The Taliban,
however, never stopped their attacks, citing foreign military presence as one
of the main reasons behind its continued militancy.
The Daesh
terrorist group has also emerged in the Asian country more recently.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/23/632447/Afghanistan-Kabul-Ashraf-Ghani-Ammanullah-Wahidi--Ghazni--
--------
Arab world
Saudi Crown
Prince Orders Detention of Family Members of Ex-Intelligence Official
Aug 23, 2020
The twitter
account of the Arabic-language al-Ahd al-Jadid news website reported on Sunday
that the family members of Aljabri have been arrested upon an order by bin
Salman.
Aljabri had
earlier this month publicly accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of sending
a team of agents to Canada to kill him.
The accusation
came in a lawsuit filed at the United States federal court by Aljabri who has
accused Prince Mohammed of seeking to silence or kill him to stop him from
undermining the prince’s relationship with the United States and the Trump
administration.
The suit marks
the first time a former senior Saudi official has publicly accused Prince
Mohammed, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, of carrying out a widespread and
sometimes violent campaign to silence critical voices.
Aljabri, who was
a top aide in the Saudi Interior Ministry, now lives in self-imposed exile near
Toronto. Prince Mohammed has been trying to coax him to return to Saudi Arabia
and in March, Saudi Arabia detained two of Aljabri’s adult children and his
brother, prompting accusations by relatives and United States officials that
they were being held hostage to secure Aljabri’s return.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990602000964
--------
Syria gas
pipeline explosion leads to total blackout: Minister
24 August 2020
An explosion on
the Arab Gas Pipeline has caused a power blackout in Syria and initial
indications point to an attack, the energy minister told state-run television
on Monday.
The Ikhbariya TV
channel showed footage of a large fire following the explosion, which officials
told state media occurred between the Syrian towns of Ad Dumayr and Adra,
northwest of the capital of Damascus.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“Assessments
show that the explosion ... was the result of a terrorist attack,” state news
agency SANA quoted Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Ghanem as
saying. He did not provide further detail.
The electricity
minister was quoted by state news agency SANA as saying that power had
gradually started being restored to the country’s provinces.
The Arab Gas
Pipeline system extends from Egypt into Jordan and Syria.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/24/Syria-gas-pipeline-explosion-leads-to-total-blackout-Minister.html
--------
After explosion,
Lebanese say ‘Beirut is not for sale’ to corrupt developers
23 August 2020
Jacob Boswall
In Lebanon,
property developers have spotted an investment opportunity after the deadly
explosion at the Beirut port, and some have harassed tenants to move out or
have lied to tenants, telling them property was unsafe to live in.
The “Beirut is
not for sale” campaign has emerged as a way to save Beirut’s heritage sites and
push back against these shady operations, some of which are said to be linked
to politicians.
Antoine Atallah,
the president of Save Beirut Heritage, an NGO devoted to protecting Beirut’s
architectural and urban heritage, was in Greece when he heard about the Beirut
explosion.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Days later, he
was on a plane back to his home country.
In three decades
of destruction and reconstruction, 32-year-old Atallah has never seen anything
like the mass mobilization to save the city’s heritage following the Beirut
blast earlier this month.
Previous
attempts to save Beirut’s architecture from war and real estate tycoons have
had mixed success.
“In the 1990s
there was lots of mobilization [to preserve heritage], especially around the
downtown. There were movements, but unfortunately they were largely
unsuccessful. After the war, people didn’t have the peace of mind to think
about heritage,” he told Al Arabiya English.
The real estate
sector boomed in the 2000s, piquing public interest in sites of architectural
importance – but it wasn’t enough to stop developers building over ancient
archaeological sites.
Now Atallah is
noticing a different kind of urgency and public interest in saving Beirut’s
heritage.
“All the other
demolitions happened bit by bit. But people need to go back to a city they
still recognize. It is part of the healing process for them to go back to
places that represent them,” he said.
Besides the
shock of the trauma, the geographical damage is also raising the profile of
restoration efforts.
Much of the
recent destruction took place in central East Beirut’s historically significant
neighborhoods that were left relatively untouched by previous waves of war and
urban renewal.
The hip Gemmeyze
and Mar Mkhael neighborhoods, known for their trendy restaurants, bars and
cafes, in East Beirut were hit particularly hard.
“They escaped
most of [the previous] damage. Plus they are areas very present in the minds of
people. [People] identify with these places, not just a single house,” he
continued.
This all means
that public discourse around restoration is changing, Atallah explained.
“For the first
time, everyone is talking about heritage in a different way… that heritage is
not just about the building but also the social fabric that lives in the
material fabric.”
For Atallah and
his colleagues, successful preservation of these important sites doesn’t just
mean protecting buildings. It also means making sure that people continue to
live and work in them.
That is no easy
task. Many home owners and renters living in heritage buildings are keen to cut
their losses and sell up for modest returns. In some cases, property developers
have spotted an investment opportunity, harassing tenants to move out fast for
little compensation.
Naji Raji,
founder of Save Beirut Heritage, helps tenants avoid this trap. He recalls
several cases where landlords have falsely claimed that a building is no longer
fit for use – sometimes sending teams of so-called experts who produce sham
reports declaring structural unsoundness.
“The aim is to
kick them out as soon as possible, so the landlord can demolish the building
and sell the land to developers,” he explained. In some cases, owners have been
approached by companies or individuals with links to political organizations
and security apparatus, Raji added.
To eliminate any
doubt, an official engineering report must be established and sent to the
Directorate General of Antiquities. In most cases, the families are able to
move back in after some simple renovation. If the building is more damaged,
funds and relevant heritage expertise will be needed to carry out more
significant restoration.
But Raji is
aware that many tenants and home owners are still moving out or selling to make
way for large scale development. Often, the residents simply can’t afford to
keep living there – and so they sell up quietly.
“The people who
are thinking of selling will not talk to us. This is a problem, because we
never hear about these things from a direct source.”
Atallah has a
brighter outlook. He is thankful that the media campaign “Beirut is not for
Sale” galvanized public opinion against property vultures so quickly.
“I think we have
averted most of the danger [from exploitative development]. Everyone started
talking about it, it gained speed very quickly.”
As Beirut
continues to rebuild itself, popular support for restoration remains crucial,
Atallah said.
“Today we have
it. However, we are faced with two timeframes: The first is making sure that
people can live in their houses and work in their spaces. The second is the
restoration of heritage structures. We need to find the right formula.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/08/23/After-explosion-Lebanese-say-Beirut-is-not-for-sale-to-corrupt-developers
--------
Iran could bear
responsibility for UAE-Israel reconciliation: Veteran US diplomat
Leen Alfaisal
24 August 2020
Iran bears
responsibility for the reconciliation between Israel and the UAE “in a lot of
ways,” veteran US diplomat and author Dennis Ross told Al Arabiya in an
interview on Saturday.
“They [Arab
states and Israel] see a common threat. Many states in the Arabian Peninsula
see a threat [from] Iran, and they don’t see a threat from Israel,” Ross said.
“So, Israel becomes a kind of a natural partner.”
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Israel and the
UAE announced earlier this month that they would normalize diplomatic ties.
Under the
accord, which US President Donald Trump helped broker, Israel agreed to suspend
its planned annexation of areas of the occupied West Bank.
Ross stated that
the Palestinian issue has become less important within the region, saying that
it is “a reality of others seeing threats that are more immediate to them and
that they have to deal with.”
The deal also
firms up opposition to regional power Iran, which the UAE, Israel and the
United States view as the main threat in the conflict-riven Middle East.
In the
interview, the diplomat laid out the options that the Palestinians have, saying
that “they shouldn’t be aligning with Iran and Turkey, especially given the
Turkish support of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
“They
[Palestinians] should be thinking about what can they do with those in the
region, who fundamentally would like to see a Palestinian state, but who are
also signaling that while they’re prepared to do some things for the
Palestinians, they’re not prepared to wait forever for the Palestinians,” Ross
added.
There is an
“unmistakable message” from the region to the Palestinians, according to Ross,
and that is that Arab states have their own interest and that they won’t forget
the Palestinians. But “if the Palestinians don’t seem prepared to do very much
on their own, they’re not going to wait for them.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/23/Iran-could-bear-responsibility-for-UAE-Israel-reconciliation-Veteran-US-diplomat.html
--------
US hands over
base to Iraqi troops amid calls for withdrawal
23 August 2020
US troops and
their allies have withdrawn from the Taji base north of Iraq's capital Baghdad
and handed it over to Iraqi security forces.
The pullout took
place on Sunday following several rocket attacks targeting the military base.
“The movement of
coalition military personnel is part of a long-range plan coordinated with the
government of Iraq,” the US military said in a statement, adding that the Taji
base held up to 2,000 forces, most of whom departed this summer.
The remaining US
troops, it said, will depart in the coming days after finalizing the handing
over of equipment to Iraqi security forces.
The US military
further said that Sunday’s withdrawal was the eighth transfer of a foreign
portion of an Iraqi base back to local forces.
Major General
Tahseen al-Khafaji, the spokesperson for Iraq's joint operations, confirmed
that the Taji base “was being used to train, prepare, and rehabilitate the
Iraqis by Australian, New Zealand, and American forces.”
“It will now be
dedicated for the usage of the Iraqi security forces,” he told the Iraqi News
Agency.
Meanwhile,
al-Dijlah TV reported that Taji’s training sites had been handed over to the
Iraqis and the remaining sites will follow as scheduled.
Anti-US
sentiment has been running high in Iraq since Washington assassinated top
Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and the second-in-command of the Iraqi
popular mobilization units, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in January.
Following the
attack, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the
withdrawal of all foreign troops.
More than 17
years after the US invasion of Iraq, President Donald Trump said Thursday the
United States would eventually withdraw all American troops from the
conflict-ridden nation, though he did not provide a timetable.
"At some
point, we obviously will be gone,” Trump said in his meeting with Iraqi Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. "We look forward to the day when we don’t
have to be there,” he added before the two men met privately.
There are
currently about 5,000 troops in Iraq. Their assignments include alleged
counter-terrorism operations and training Iraqi security forces.
Throughout their
battle with foreign-backed terrorists, several Iraqi officials and military
commanders came forth to reveal that US troops were in fact assisting the
terrorists.
Trump told
reporters before his meeting with the Iraqi leader that the US military had
very few troops left in Iraq, but was there to help the country if neighboring
Iran should do anything.
He said US
companies were involved in many prospects in Iraq’s oil business, as al-Kadhimi
declared his country open for American businesses and investment.
Al-Kadhimi took
office in May amid growing tensions between the United States and Iraq.
Iraq’s
government objected to the Trump-authorized drone strike in January while Gen.
Soleimani was visiting Baghdad.
The
assassination inflamed anti-American sentiment in Iraq and prompted calls for
the withdrawal of US troops.
Trump threatened
Iraq with sanctions if the country’s leaders followed through on threats to
expel US forces over the drone strike.
Armed Iraqi
factions on Thursday threatened to target US interests in the country after
Trump declined to give a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq during an Oval
Office meeting with al-Kadhimi.
A statement
issued by armed groups calling themselves the "Resistance Factions”
criticized the agenda of al-Kadhimi’s meetings which did not include the
immediate implementation of the decision to remove US troops from the country.
"Al-Kadhimi
must make the implementation of the decision of the Iraqi people his top priority,"
the statement said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/23/632415/Iraq-Taji-base-coalition-forces
--------
New Zealand
New Zealand
shooter emotionless as victims' families address sentencing hearing
24 Aug 2020
A white
supremacist who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand last year
watched without emotion on Monday as relatives of his victims recounted the
horror of a massacre which prosecutors said he carefully planned to cause
maximum carnage.
Australian
national Brenton Tarrant, 29, has pleaded guilty to 51 murders, 40 attempted
murders and one charge of committing a terrorist act during the shooting
rampage in the city of Christchurch which he livestreamed on Facebook.
He could be the
first person in New Zealand to receive a term of life in prison without parole,
when a High Court judge sentences him later this week for carrying out the
deadliest shooting in the country’s history on March 15 last year.
Dressed in grey
prison clothes, Tarrant looked at those delivering victim impact statements
including the mother of Ata Elayyan, the 33-year-old goalkeeper for the New
Zealand futsal team who was slain in the Al Noor mosque.
ARTICLE
CONTINUES AFTER AD
Maysoon Salama
said she constantly wondered what her son was thinking in his last moments
“armed only with his courage”.
“I can’t forgive
you [...] you gave yourself the authority to take the souls of 51 people. Our
only crime in your eyes is that we are Muslims,” she said.
“You killed your
own humanity and I don’t think the world will forgive you for your horrible
crime. May you get the severest punishment for your evil act in this life, and
hereafter.”
Elayyan was near
the back of the mosque while his father, near the front, survived the attack
despite being shot in the head and shoulder.
Gamal Fouda,
imam of Al Noor mosque, told Tarrant that he was “misguided and misled”.
“I can say to
the family of the terrorist that they have lost a son and we have lost many
from our community too,” Fouda said.
“I respect them
because they are suffering as we are.”
Tarrant will be
allowed to speak at some point during the hearings, although Justice Cameron
Mander has powers to ensure the High Court is not used as a platform for
extremist ideology.
Meticulous
planning
The attacks
prompted a global outpouring of grief as well as scrutiny of social media
platforms after the then 28-year-old live-streamed the shootings shortly after
uploading a manifesto.
Crown prosecutor
Barnaby Hawes said Tarrant told police that he wanted to create fear among the
small Muslim minority in New Zealand.
Tarrant had also
expressed regret for not taking more lives and revealed that he had intended to
burn down the Al Noor mosque after the shootings, Hawes said.
“He intended to
instill fear into those he described as invaders, including the Muslim
population or more generally non-European immigrants,” Hawes said.
Tarrant fired
“two precisely aimed shots” at three-year-old Mucaad Ibrahim who was clinging
to his father’s leg, Hawes said. Ibrahim was the youngest victim of the shootings.
The shooter
spent years purchasing high-powered firearms, researched mosque layouts by
flying a drone over his primary target, and timed his attacks to maximise
casualties, the prosecutor said.
While most of
Tarrant’s victims were at Al Noor mosque, he killed seven people at a second
mosque before being detained en route to a third.
Security was
tight outside the court, with police dogs pacing the streets and snipers on
rooftops, television footage showed.
With social
distancing measures in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, some survivors
and victims’ relatives had to view the proceedings in overflow court rooms.
Live reporting
from the courtroom was banned, and other restrictions were put in place on what
the media could report.
Justice Mander
said he would not sentence Tarrant before Thursday so that survivors and family
members of victims had an opportunity to address the court.
A murder
conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison. The judge can impose
a life term without parole, a sentence that has never been used in New Zealand.
The hearings
were adjourned until Tuesday morning.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1576205/new-zealand-shooter-emotionless-as-victims-families-address-sentencing-hearing
--------
North America
Pompeo, Kushner
to Middle East as US seeks to forge Arab-Israeli peace deals
22 August 2020
The Trump
administration will send two top officials to the Middle East this week in a
bid to capitalize on momentum from the historic agreement between Israeli and
the United Arab Emirates to establish diplomatic relations.
Three diplomats
say Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump’s senior adviser
and son-in-law Jared Kushner plan to make separate, multiple-nation visits to
the region in the coming days to push Arab-Israeli rapprochement in the
aftermath of the Israel-UAE deal.
Pompeo is
expected to depart on Sunday for Israel, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab
Emirates, Qatar and Sudan, according to the diplomats, who spoke on condition
of anonymity because the itinerary has not yet been finalized or publicly
announced.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
Kushner plans to
leave later in the week for Israel, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Morocco,
the diplomats said.
Neither trip is
expected to result in announcements of immediate breakthrough, the diplomats
said, although both are aimed at finalizing at least one, and potentially more,
normalization deals with Israel in the near future.
Meeting with Taliban
Pompeo also
plans to meet in Qatar with members of the Talban to discuss intra-Afghan peace
talks that are key to the withdrawal of remaining US forces in Afghanistan, the
diplomats said.
The White House
and State Department had no comment on the planned trips, which will come as
the administration steps up efforts to push for Arab-Israeli normalization even
without a resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
They also come
as the administration has taken the controversial step of triggering the
restoration of all international sanctions on Iran, something that only Israel
and the Gulf Arab nations have publicly supported.
Israel and the
United Arab Emirates announced on August 13 they would establish full
diplomatic relations, in a US-brokered deal that required Israel to halt its
contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.
The historic
agreement delivered a key foreign policy victory to Trump as he seeks
reelection and reflected a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about
archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the
Palestinians.
US and Israeli
officials have suggested that more Arab nations may soon follow the UAE’s lead,
with Bahrain and Oman believed to be closest to sealing such deals.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/22/Pompeo-Kushner-to-Middle-East-as-US-seeks-to-forge-Ara.html
--------
Pompeo pushes
for extension of Iran sanctions, dismissing opposition
22 August 2020
US Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo has said that the Trump administration will continue
Washington's illegal push for an extended arms embargo against Iran despite
being almost unanimously rejected by members at the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC).
The Security
Council voted last week rejecting a US-proposed resolution to extend the
international arms embargo on Iran.
The rejection of
the resolution prompted the top US diplomat to declare on Thursday that a
30-day countdown for the “snapback” of UN sanctions eased under the landmark
2015 nuclear agreement had begun.
Speaking to US
media, Pompeo said on Friday that the US would enforce a sweeping arms embargo
on Iran after UN sanctions are lifted on October 18 under the Iran nuclear
agreement.
“We’re not going
to let them have a nuclear weapon... Every leader around the world knows it’s a
bad idea,” he said, adding, “I have not had a single world leader or one of my
counterparts tell me that they think it makes any sense at all for the Iranians
to be able to purchase and sell high-end weapons systems, which is what will
happen on Oct. 18 of this year, absent the actions that we took at the United
Nations yesterday,” Pompeo told CNBC.
Meanwhile, US
friends and foes alike have declared the US action as illegal and doomed to
failure.
There is
universal consensus that when US President Donald Trump withdrew from the
nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
in 2018, the US lost the standing to trigger "snapback".
Pompeo on Friday
described the United States' most prominent Western allies refusal to go along
with the US as “incomprehensible”.
“To side with
the Russians and the Chinese on this important issue at this important moment
in time at the UN, I think, is really dangerous for the world,” he told US
media, adding, "I assure you the United States will use every tool in its
arsenal to make sure that the Chinese and the Russians are incapable of
delivering weapon systems to Iran ... We will do everything in our power to
make sure that they don’t get the money that comes alongside being a global
arms dealer as well.”
China described
the US’ insistence on the extension of the UN sanctions against Iran as "nothing but a self-serving
political manipulation," stressing once again that Washington has no right
to make such a demand after its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA.
Right after
Pompeo delivered the letter triggering "snapback" on Thursday,
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, mocked the US' “cajoling”
efforts to persuade world countries to join the US-proposed illegal sanctions
against Iran.
1/2 Looks like
there are 2 planets. A fictional dog-eat-dog one where US pretends it can do
whatever it wants without “cajoling” anyone, breach and leave deals but still
benefit from them, and another one where the rest of the world lives and where
intl law and diplomacy reign https://t.co/rRQbRjViyj
— Dmitry
Polyanskiy (@Dpol_un) August 20, 2020
“Looks like
there are 2 planets. A fictional dog-eat-dog one where US pretends it can do
whatever it wants without ‘cajoling’ anyone, breach and leave deals but still
benefit from them, and another one where the rest of the world lives and where
international law and diplomacy reign,” Polyansky tweeted,adding,
"Snapback can be triggered by US only at the first planet. It’s isolated
in the Security Council with its profane, illiterate and egoistic
interpretation of Resolution 2231. Nothing will happen after US letter! Sorry
to see a great country stubbornly humiliating itself!."
2/2 #Snapback
can be triggered by US only at the first planet. It’s isolated in the Security
Council with its profane, illiterate and egoistic interpretation of Resolution
2231. Nothing will happen after US letter! Sorry to see a great country
stubbornly humiliating itself! #Iran
— Dmitry
Polyanskiy (@Dpol_un) August 20, 2020
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/22/632370/US-Pompeo-Iran-Arms-Embargo-JCPOA
--------
Europe
Russia, Turkey
'agree in principle' on 2nd batch of S-400 delivery despite US opposition
Sunday, 23
August 2020
A senior Russian
official says his country and Turkey have agreed in principle on the second
shipment of Russian advanced S-400 missile defense systems despite strong
opposition from the United States.
Dmitry Shugaev,
head of Federal Service of Military-Technical Cooperation, said on Sunday that
Moscow and Ankara are in advanced stage of discussion on the delivery of the
second batch of S-400 Triumf, but the agreement has not yet been signed.
"We are
awaiting for the decision of the Turkish partners to sign another option
contract", Shugaev said in an interview with Zvezda TV, which is run by
the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Also on Sunday,
Sergei Chemezov, head of Russia's Rostec arms firm, said Moscow is likely to
clinch a deal for the delivery of the second batch of S-400 to Turkey next
year.
Chemezov
announced the news in a statement, the Interfax news agency reported.
Rostec is a
Russian holding based in capital Moscow that specializes in consolidating
strategically-important firms, mainly in the defense and high-tech industries.
In late 2017,
Ankara signed a $2.5 billion deal with Moscow to procure the S-400, a
Russian-made mobile surface-to-air defense system designed to destroy aircraft,
cruise and ballistic missiles as far as 402 kilometers away, and can also be
used against ground installations.
It has
previously been sold only to China and India.
Ismail Demir,
head of the Turkish Defense Industries Directorate, previously said that Russia
and Turkey had reached an agreement in principle on the supply of the second
batch of S-400s.
The delivery of
S-400 launchers to Turkey began in July 2019, infuriating the United States,
which had long warned that Turkey, a NATO member, cannot have both the S-400
and American Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets.
Washington
claimed that the S-400 defense systems were incompatible with NATO equipment
and could expose the F-35s to possible Russian subterfuge. Both Turkey and
Russia reject the allegations and continued talks on an additional batch of
S-400s.
The
Russia-Turkey S-400 deal also envisages partial transfer of production
technology to the Turkish side.
As Ankara did
not yield to the US pressure, the S-400 deal prompted Washington to threaten
sanctions and suspend Turkish involvement in its F-35 jet program. Washington
further conditioned the supply of its Patriot missiles to Turkey on returning
the already purchased S-400 systems back to Russia.
Turkey, the
first NATO member to purchase Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems, has
already received a regiment set of the advanced missile systems.
Ankara is
striving to strengthen its air defense, particularly after Washington decided
in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkish
border with Syria, a move that weakened Turkey’s air defense.
Before
gravitating towards Russia, the Turkish military reportedly walked out of a
$3.4-billion contract for a similar Chinese system. The withdrawal occurred
under purported pressure from Washington.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/23/632425/Russia-Turkey-S-400-batch-NATO-US-F-35
--------
Morocco rejects
normalization with Israel ahead of Kushner's visit
Monday, 24
August 2020
Morocco's prime
minister has stressed his country’s opposition to any normalization of
relations with Israel ahead of a visit by the US president's senior advisor
Jared Kushner to the Arab country.
“We refuse any
normalization with the Zionist entity because this emboldens it to go further
in breaching the rights of the Palestinian people,” Saad Dine El Otmani told
his Islamist PJD party on Sunday.
His remarks come
as US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in law is expected to fly
to Morocco in the coming days as part of a his “multiple-nation visit” to the
Middle East that aims to “push Arab-Israeli rapprochement” after Israel and the
UAE reached a much-condemned normalization deal.
Morocco has
categorically rejected any rumors of normalization, insisting that it will not
accept any compromise that undermines the “just Palestinian cause.”
Morocco and
Israel began low-level ties in 1993 after an accord that purportedly sought to
enable “peace” between Israelis and Palestinians was reached. But Rabat
suspended ties with the Israeli regime after the outbreak of a Palestinian
uprising in 2000.
The Associated
Press quoted three diplomats as saying that Kushner will also visit Bahrain,
Oman, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
According to the
diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo will make a separate regional tour.
The diplomats
said they were not expecting “announcements of immediate breakthrough.” Rather,
the visits aim to “finalize at least one, and potentially more, normalization
deals with Israel in the near future.”
Abu Dhabi and
Tel Aviv announced on August 13 that they had reached a deal that would lead to
a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two sides.
The highly
controversial deal, which has since been widely condemned across the occupied
Palestinian territories and the Muslim world, was brokered by Trump, who has
attempted to paint it as a big breakthrough.
The UAE-Israel
deal marks the third such normalization agreement the occupying regime has
struck with an Arab country after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). Abu Dhabi was
already believed to have clandestine relations with Tel Aviv.
Tunisian
journalist tears apart photos of bin Zayed, Netanyahu
The Israeli-UAE
deal has sparked protests in support of Palestine in various countries,
including Tunisia.
Protesters took
to the streets of the Tunisian capital on Saturday, carrying banners reading
“normalization is high treason”.
Pictures of a
Tunisian journalist (seen below) tearing down pictures of Abu Dhabi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
protest at the normalization deal went viral on social media.
The global
campaign launched on August 15 was initiated by the “International Women’s
Coalition in Support of al-Quds and Palestine” in Tunisia, and the al-Baraka
Association for Charitable and Humanitarian Action in Algeria.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/24/632471/Morocco-rejects-normalization-Israel
--------
Russia and
Turkey likely to sign S-400 missile deal next year: Ifax
23 August 2020
Russia is likely
to sign a contract for delivery of an additional batch of its S-400 missile
systems to Turkey next year, the Interfax news agency cited Sergei Chemezov,
head of state conglomerate Rostec, as saying on Sunday.
Turkey bought a
batch of the missile systems from Russia last year, leading to its suspension
by Washington from the US F-35 stealth fighter jet program. The United States
has said that Turkey risks US sanctions if it deploys the Russian-made S-400s.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/08/23/Russia-and-Turkey-likely-to-sign-S-400-missile-deal-next-year-Ifax.html
--------
UK foreign
minister to meet Israeli, Palestinian leaders to press for dialogue
24 August 2020
British foreign
minister Dominic Raab will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this week to press for renewed dialogue
between their governments to pursue a negotiated two-state solution.
“The UK remains
committed to Israel’s security and stability, and the recent normalization of
relations between Israel and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) was an important
moment for the region,” Raab said in a statement on Monday, referring to a
US-sponsored deal when Israel agreed with the UAE to forge full relations.
“Israel’s
suspension of annexation is an essential step towards a more peaceful Middle
East. It is important to build on this new dynamic, and ultimately only the
government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority can negotiate the two-state
solution required to secure lasting peace.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/24/UK-foreign-minister-to-meet-Israeli-Palestinian-leaders-to-press-for-dialogue.html
--------
Mideast
Envoy: IAEA
Chief’s Visit to Iran Not Related to Trigger Mechanism
Aug 23, 2020
“As said before,
IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Gross will travel to Iran tomorrow and
will hold meetings with the Iranian officials on Tuesday and Wednesday,”
Qaribabadi wrote on his Instagram page on Sunday.
“Iran’s trust in
the IAEA has been harmed in recent months. It is necessary that the
director-general’s visit to Iran will build trust,” he added.
Iranian
Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Vienna-Based International
Organization Kazzem Qaribabadi
Qaribabadi said
that the visit is not related to the trigger (snapback) mechanism pursued by
Washington to return all UN sanctions against Iran, and added, “The visit has
not been demanded by the US either and will take place upon an invitation by
the Iranian side.”
“We do not allow
others to manage relations between the Agency and Iran, specially in the
current sensitive conditions,” he underlined, calling on the IAEA to keep loyal
to the three principles of impartiality, independence and professionalism and
not to act beyond the standards and independent data in the safeguards issues
in a bid to remove the misunderstandings and guarantee continued cooperation.
Qaribabadi had
said on Saturday that Grossi is due to travel to Iran in coming days.
“In line with
the current interactions and cooperation between Iran and the Agency and after
receiving invitation from the Islamic Republic of Iran, IAEA Director-General
Rafael Grossi will travel to Iran in the current week (Iranian week which
starts on Saturday),” Qaribabadi said.
“Iran is one of
the main partners of the Agency and we hope that the meeting will lead to the
implementation of mutual cooperation,” he added.
Meantime, Grossi
also said in a post on his twitter page that he is due to to travel to Iran.
“I will travel
to Tehran on Monday for meetings with Iranian authorities to address
outstanding questions related to safeguards in Iran. I hope to establish a
fruitful and cooperative channel of direct dialogue. It is necessary,” he
wrote.
In relevant
remarks late last month, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said
his country would continue its peaceful nuclear program in compliance with the
IAEA rules, emphasizing that Tehran has always removed ambiguities regarding
its nuclear program.
Araghchi added
that Iran is a member of Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its nuclear program
is carried out in coordination with IAEA regulations.
“Whenever our
interests regarding the Nuclear Deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) are
served we will be ready to return to all our JCPOA commitments,” he went on to
say.
As an
accountable country, Iran has removed all ambiguities and misinformation
regarding its nuclear program, the official added.
Pointing to the
US illegal withdrawal from the JCPOA, he reiterated that Iran has fully lived
up to its commitment regarding the JCPOA, but, other parties [the US and
Europe] have reneged on their obligations.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990602000645
--------
Erdogan meets
with Hamas leaders despite $5 mln US bounties, terror designations
24 August 2020
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Saturday with a large delegation of Hamas
leadership, including the Islamist group’s leader Ismail Haniyeh and deputy
leader Saleh al-Arouri, both of whom have a $5 mln bounty on their heads after
being designated as terrorists by the US.
Erdogan also
received the chairman of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh alongside
the accompanying delegation at Istanbul's Vahdettin Palace, according to state
broadcaster TRT.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The meeting took
place behind closed doors in the presence of the head of the Turkish
intelligence service, Hakan Fidan, the presidential communications officer,
Fahrettin Altun and the presidential palace spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin.
The US State
Department had designated Haniyeh, leader of the Islamist Palestinian group
Hamas, as a terrorist in 2018. Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, advocates
Israel’s destruction and is designated as a terrorist group by the United
States and some other Western countries.
More than a week
ago, a report by the Telegraph confirmed Turkey had granted senior operatives
within a Hamas militant cell with citizenship. The Telegraph said it had seen
papers that showed at least one of the 12 senior Hamas members in Turkey had received
Turkish citizenship and an identity number.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/24/Erdogan-meets-with-Hamas-leaders-despite-5-mln-US-bounty-terror-designations.html
--------
Israeli police
arrest anti-Netanyahu protesters
23 August 2020
Israeli police
said Sunday they had arrested 30 demonstrators after thousands rallied in
Jerusalem demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
chanting “Crime Minister” and “You’re fired.”
The
demonstrators, some playing musical instruments, gathered in front of the
premier’s official residence on Saturday night.
Local media
estimated the crowd at around 10,000.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
A police
statement released early Sunday morning said there were outbreaks of violence
during the rally and that officers were hurt.
“During the
protests three policemen were injured by protesters,” police said.
Three of those
arrested would appear in court on Sunday, the statement added.
Protests
demanding that Netanyahu resign over several corruption indictments and his
handling of the coronavirus crisis have been mounting in recent weeks, and the
premier has been scathing in his counter-attack.
Earlier this
month, Netanyahu accused Channel 12 and another private TV station, Channel 13,
of “delivering propaganda for the anarchist left-wing demonstrations” through
extensive coverage of the rallies.
Israel won
praise for its initial response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, but the
government has come under criticism amid a resurgence in cases after
restrictions were lifted starting in late April.
Netanyahu has
himself acknowledged that the economy was re-opened too quickly.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/23/Israeli-police-arrest-anti-Netanyahu-protesters.html
--------
Israeli
protesters in thousands stage fresh anti-Netanyahu protest
23 August 2020
Thousands of
protesters rallied in Jerusalem on Saturday demanding the resignation of
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, chanting “Minister of Crime”,
“You’re fired” and “Free Israel.”
The
demonstrators, some playing musical instruments, gathered in front of the
premier's official residence. Local media estimated the crowd at around 10,000.
Protests
demanding that Netanyahu resign over several corruption indictments and his
handling of the coronavirus crisis have been mounting in recent weeks and the
premier has been scathing in his counter-attack.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
Earlier this
month, he accused Channel 12 and another private station, Channel 13, of
“delivering propaganda for the anarchist left-wing demonstrations” by giving
extensive coverage of the rallies.
Israel won
praise for its initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the government
has come under criticism amid a resurgence in cases after restrictions were
lifted starting in late April. Netanyahu has himself acknowledged that the
economy was re-opened too quickly.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/23/Israeli-protesters-in-thousands-stage-fresh-anti-Netanyahu-protest-.html
--------
Forcibly silent
majority in Persian Gulf region strongly condemns any normalization with Israel
23 August 2020
A powerfully
“silent majority” is strongly rejecting any ties, whatsoever, between the Arab
states in the Persian Gulf region and Israel, days after a much-condemned
normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Abu Dhabi and
Tel Aviv announced on August 13 that they had reached such an agreement that
would lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two
sides.
The highly
controversial deal, which has since been widely condemned across the occupied
Palestinian territories and the Muslim world, was brokered by US President
Donald Trump, who has attempted to paint it as a big breakthrough.
The UAE-Israel
deal marks the third such normalization agreement the occupying regime has
struck with an Arab country after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). Abu Dhabi was
already believed to have clandestine relations with Tel Aviv.
Furthermore, the
Sudanese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Haidar Badawi Sadiq revealed on Tuesday,
in an interview with Sky News Arabic that coup-hit Sudan was trying to follow
the same path that led the UAE to a normalization pact with the Israeli regime,
saying “there is no reason for the hostility to continue between Sudan and
Israel.”
He went on to
say that his respective ministry “does not deny the existence of communication
between the two” sides.
Israeli prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to express his enthusiasm upon hearing
Sadiq’s promising remarks, saying Tel Aviv would “do everything to make this
vision a reality.”
لاحقا للقاء رئيس الوزراء نتنياهو مع رئيس المجلس السيادي السوداني الفريق
أول عبد الفتاح البرهان، يرحب رئيس الوزراء نتنياهو بموقف وزارة الخارجية
السودانية الذي يعكس القرار الشجاع الذي اتخذه رئيس مجلس السيادة السوداني والذي
دعا للعمل على تعزيز العلاقات بين البلدين.
— بنيامين نتنياهو (@Israelipm_ar) August 18, 2020
Reports said on
Saturday that Israel’s Mossad head Yossi Cohen met with the deputy chairman of
the Sudanese Sovereign Council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo in a meeting
mediated by UAE officials. Sudan has denied the report of the meeting.
Cohen, last
week, paid a visit to the UAE and meet with his counterpart, Tahnoun bin
Mohammed Al Nahyan, the national security adviser of the UAE and the son of the
country’s founder.
It was the first
public visit by an Israeli official since the announcement of the so-called
agreement.
Although Sadiq
was relieved from his duties over “unauthorized” comments about a possible
Sudan-Israel agreement, Khartoum has already been in the same race with certain
Persian Gulf states to embrace the occupying entity.
Earlier this
year, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s transitional government, met
with Netanyahu in Uganda, and the clandestine relations between Tel Aviv and
Khartoum can also be traced back to the 1950s, as Columbia University Professor
Joseph Massad has already noted.
Silent majority
against normalizing ties with Israel
The developments
come as civil society groups and unions in the Persian Gulf states and North
African countries are voicing their strong opposition against any normalizing
relations with Israel.
Qatar
Two days after
the announcement of the Israel-UAE agreement, the Persian Gulf Coalition
Against Normalization, which is a Qatari activist group, strongly lambasted the
condemned deal, stressing that it “went beyond normalization into an alliance
with the Zionist enemy.”
The coalition
emphasized that the agreement would not “deter the people of the Persian Gulf
from standing with Palestinian rights”, which the group called the “forcibly
silent majority.”
It also urged
citizens to “to stand against Persian Gulf normalization at all levels and
publicly denounce it and reject all justifications for it.”
Separately,
another activist group, known as Qatar Youth Opposed to Normalization, called
for a unified stance against Israel-UAE agreement.
Qatar has been
under a blockade, since June 2017, by Egypt and three Persian Gulf states,
namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain the allegations of meddling in
regional affairs and supporting “terrorism.”
Riyadh, which
led the quartet states in isolating Doha, is believed to have overt relations
with Tel Aviv.
“We are aware of
the existence of a silent majority that rejects this humiliation and disgrace,”
the Qatar Youth Opposed to Normalization said on Tuesday.
It also
reaffirmed that “attacking Palestine means attacking Arab existence, and
defending it means defending that very existence.”
Bahrain
On Friday, the
Bahraini Society Against Normalization with the Zionist Enemy, which is
composed of eight parties, also called on Manama to adopt a firm position
against normalization ties with Tel Aviv.
It stressed in
its statement that steps toward recognizing the occupying entity “have always
increased its arrogance and aggression against Palestinians.”
نؤكد موقفنا الثابت و مواقف احرار العالم المؤيدة لحقوق الشعب الفلسطيني
الثابتة والمقاومة للتطبيع بكافة أشكاله الرياضية والثقافية والأكاديمية والتجارية
والصناعية وجميع المساهمين فيها.
#BDS #Bahrain #البحرين pic.twitter.com/U263h63noE
— الجمعية البحرينية لمقاومة
التطبيع (@bsaz_bh)
August 15, 2020
The coalition,
which includes Muslim and progressive political parties, urged Manama to affirm
its rejection of normalization in line with the popular position already
adopted by citizens of the tiny Persian Gulf country.
Kuwait
A number of
trade unions and student groups in Kuwait also issued similar statements in
condemning normalization.
Fourteen student
groups, including the university student union, called on Kuwait’s 65-seat
National Assembly – the parliament - to outlaw normalization with the Israeli
regime.
بيان القوى الطلابية الكويتية
بشأن التطبيع مع الكيان الصهيوني
ودعوة لمجلس الأمة الكويتي لتشريع قانون يجرم التطبيع بكافة
اشكالة.#لا_للتطبيع#التطبيع_خيانة
pic.twitter.com/szH7GgMbTH
— اتحاد طلبة جامعة الكويت (@NUKSku) August 18, 2020
Furthermore, 37
members of the parliament signed a joint letter reaffirming their opposition to
ties with Israel.
بيان مشترك للقوى #الطلابية الكويتية
14 كياناً طلابياً كويتياً يصدرون
بياناً يستنكرون فيه التطبيع مع الكيان الصهيوني الغاصب ويدعون لتشريع قانون يجرم
التطبيع#الكويت_تقاطع#كويتيون_ضد_التطبيع pic.twitter.com/RmzUurclxM
— BDS Kuwait حركة (@BDS_Kuwait) August 18, 2020
“The public will
not accept any retreat from the government’s commitment to the primary Arab and
Muslim cause,” the legislators said.
4. Public
Intellectuals:
Oman- statement
by a group of 25 Omani public intellectuals calling for governments to respect
the will of their people.
Kuwait-
statement by group of public figures declaring they stand by Kuwaits civil
society in support for Palestinians pic.twitter.com/UKpx5gPCTd
— Elham Fakhro
(@elhamfakhro) August 16, 2020
The Kuwaiti
lawmakers also stressed that the “crimes of the occupation cannot be removed
from the souls of our people.”
Among the Arab
states of the Persian Gulf region, Kuwait has long resisted the trend toward
normalization with Israel pursued by its neighbors.
37 نائباً في #مجلس_الأمة_الكويتي
يصدرون بياناً بشأن جريمة التطبيع مع العدو الصهيوني
ويؤكدون على موقف #الكويت الثابت بمناهضة التطبيع مع الكيان الصهيوني المحتل#الكويت_تقاطع#كويتيون_ضد_التطبيع pic.twitter.com/zrZIvIzmms
— BDS Kuwait حركة (@BDS_Kuwait) August 18, 2020
Meanwhile,
activists, intellectuals and cultural figures across the Persian Gulf region
have also expressed their rejection of the deal.
Activist slams
Israel for bedeviling Palestinian cartoonist over critical UAE cartoon
Rima Najjar, a
Palestinian social media activists has taken to task a former Israeli
government advisor for trying to bedevil a Palestinian activist over his
critical cartoon about a deal between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi to improve the two
side’s relations.
Mohammad
Sabaaneh is a Palestinian activist, who has likened the Emirati rulers to
toilet paper in a poignant cartoon after Abu Dhabi announced its decision to
clinch a deal with Tel Aviv with the goal of totally normalizing ties with the
occupying regime.
Inciting The
#Gulf Public On Twitter Against ##Palestinian #Cartoonist #MohammadSabaaneh
#UAE #Palestine https://t.co/C7dIFKfOwK
— Mohammad
Sabaaneh (@Sabaaneh) August 20, 2020
Later on, Edi
Cohan, a former Israeli government advisor who introduces himself as “chief
executive officer at Bar-Ilan University International School,” initiated a
trolling campaign against award-winning Palestinian political cartoonist
Sabaaneh based on his cartoon of the UAE’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Zayed as a
toilet paper roll.
Edy Cohen
retweeted Sabaaneh’s cartoon of the ruler of UAE as a toilet paper roll
precisely in order to kindle fires of hateful and frenzied insults in response
to the cartoonist’s depiction. Here is my translation of Cohen’s comment, which
he wrote in Arabic.
"A
Palestinian cartoonist abuses and curses [Persian] Gulf rulers. These
cartoonists are scared to draw Netanyahu, because he could deny their entry to
Israel. This, notwithstanding that the biggest Palestinian community [in exile]
in the world is to be found in Saudi Arabia and then in the Emirates. How weird
you are Palestinians [to bite the hand that feeds you]."
.@EdyCohen,
SHAME! @Sabaaneh, like Dhabiya Khamis @dhabiya1, is inviting us to connect the
dots and call for a free & Arab Palestine. He is not insulting the Emirati
people any more than a critical Trump cartoon insults Americans
Long live all
Arabs free!https://t.co/VYhLnjdj8n
-Rima Najjar (@rima123) August 20, 2020
Mohammad
Sabaaneh responded to Cohen’s incitement against the cartoon on his own
Facebook page with: “One feels as though Edy Cohen represents public opinion in
the [Persian] Gulf … He incites against one of my cartoons and so begins on Twitter
a trolling campaign on my page. Anyone interested in attending the wedding [the
trolling exercise], click on
https://twitter.com/Sabaaneh/status/1296058521889447938?s=09.
The full text of
the Najjar's article is available at the following address:
https://medium.com/discourse/inciting-the-gulf-public-on-twitter-against-palestinian-cartoonist-mohammad-sabaaneh-24bc4b5b534c
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/23/632448/Palestine-Persian-Gulf-Israel-normalization-US-UAE-Qatar-Kuwait-Bahrain
--------
Venezuela’s
President Maduro says buying Iranian missiles ‘a good idea’
23 August 2020
Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday said it would be a “good idea” to look
into buying missiles from Iran, a day after Colombia said Venezuela was
considering such a plan amid growing ties between Caracas and Tehran.
Iran in May
supplied gasoline to Venezuela to ease chronic shortages, triggering alarm
bells in Washington as the two countries expand trade relations amid efforts to
undermine aggressive US sanctions programs.
“It had not
occurred to me, it had not occurred to us,” Maduro said during a televised
broadcast with cabinet members, instructing Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino
to follow up and jokingly telling his cabinet to keep the plan a secret.
For all the
latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
“Padrino, what a
good idea, to speak with Iran to see what short, medium and long-range missiles
they have, and if it is possible, given the great relations we have with Iran.”
Colombian
President Ivan Duque said on Thursday that Maduro is looking to buy Iranian
missiles and is handing over weapons made in Russia and Belarus to Colombian
armed groups, citing intelligence reports.
Weapons
purchases appear relatively unlikely for Maduro, whose government is struggling
to buy basic food and medicine or to provide fuel to the population due to
sanctions as well as chronic dysfunction of the country’s refineries.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/08/23/Venezuela-s-President-Maduro-buying-Iranian-missiles-a-good-idea-.html
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Africa
Morocco rejects
normalization with Israel ahead of Kushner's visit
24 August 2020
Morocco's prime
minister has stressed his country’s opposition to any normalization of
relations with Israel ahead of a visit by the US president's senior advisor
Jared Kushner to the Arab country.
“We refuse any
normalization with the Zionist entity because this emboldens it to go further
in breaching the rights of the Palestinian people,” Saad Dine El Otmani told
his Islamist PJD party on Sunday.
His remarks come
as US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser and son-in law is expected to fly
to Morocco in the coming days as part of a his “multiple-nation visit” to the
Middle East that aims to “push Arab-Israeli rapprochement” after Israel and the
UAE reached a much-condemned normalization deal.
Morocco has
categorically rejected any rumors of normalization, insisting that it will not
accept any compromise that undermines the “just Palestinian cause.”
Morocco and
Israel began low-level ties in 1993 after an accord that purportedly sought to
enable “peace” between Israelis and Palestinians was reached. But Rabat
suspended ties with the Israeli regime after the outbreak of a Palestinian
uprising in 2000.
The Associated
Press quoted three diplomats as saying that Kushner will also visit Bahrain,
Oman, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
According to the
diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo will make a separate regional tour.
The diplomats
said they were not expecting “announcements of immediate breakthrough.” Rather,
the visits aim to “finalize at least one, and potentially more, normalization
deals with Israel in the near future.”
Abu Dhabi and
Tel Aviv announced on August 13 that they had reached a deal that would lead to
a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two sides.
The highly
controversial deal, which has since been widely condemned across the occupied
Palestinian territories and the Muslim world, was brokered by Trump, who has
attempted to paint it as a big breakthrough.
The UAE-Israel
deal marks the third such normalization agreement the occupying regime has
struck with an Arab country after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). Abu Dhabi was
already believed to have clandestine relations with Tel Aviv.
Tunisian
journalist tears apart photos of bin Zayed, Netanyahu
The Israeli-UAE
deal has sparked protests in support of Palestine in various countries,
including Tunisia.
Protesters took
to the streets of the Tunisian capital on Saturday, carrying banners reading
“normalization is high treason”.
Pictures of a
Tunisian journalist (seen below) tearing down pictures of Abu Dhabi Crown
Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in
protest at the normalization deal went viral on social media.
The global
campaign launched on August 15 was initiated by the “International Women’s
Coalition in Support of al-Quds and Palestine” in Tunisia, and the al-Baraka
Association for Charitable and Humanitarian Action in Algeria.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/24/632471/Morocco-rejects-normalization-Israel
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Haftar rejects
Sarraj’s call for Libya truce as ‘media marketing’
24 August 2020
Libyan rebels
led by renegade general Khalifa Haftar have rejected a ceasefire announcement
by the internationally-recognized government in Tripoli.
Ahmed Mismari, a
spokesman for Haftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), told media on
Sunday that the ceasefire announced by the government of Prime Minister Fayez
al-Sarraj “is for media marketing.”
Sarraj had on
Friday “issued instructions to all military forces to immediately cease fire
and all combat operations in all Libyan territories.”
“If al-Sarraj
wanted a ceasefire, he would have drawn his forces back, not advanced towards
our units in the coastal city of Sirte,” said Hatar’s spokesman.
“There is a
military build-up and the transfer of equipment to target our forces in Sirte,”
said Mismari, pledging a response to any raid on positions of the eastern-based
rebels around Sirte and the central district of Jufra.
He did not
elaborate on a parallel call for truce issued by the rival Tobruk-based
parliament on the same day.
Haftar — who is
primarily supported by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, and Jordan —
launched a military offensive in April 2019 to seize Tripoli and unseat the
Government of National Accord (GNA).
The Libyan army,
however, prevented the collapse of the Sarraj government with the help of
Turkey, reversing many of Haftar’s gains near the capital at a later point in
the counter-operation and pushing them back as far as Sirte.
Libya was
plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime ruler
Muammar Gaddafi.
The country has
since split between rival administrations based in Tobruk and Tripoli, each
backed by armed groups and foreign governments.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/24/632468/Libya-Haftar-rejects-ceasefire-Sarraj
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Mali junta, W
Africa mediators agree on ‘certain points,’ talks to continue Monday
24 August 2020
West African
mediators say they have reached an agreement with the junta that has seized
power in Mali on “a number of points,” but some issues remain to be hammered
out during the talks aimed at restoring civilian rule to the country.
Representatives
of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) arrived in
the Malian capital Bamako on Saturday for talks meant to reverse the military
coup d’état that overthrew Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last
Tuesday.
ECOWAS delegates
— headed by former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan — spent all day on
Sunday holding talks with the coup leaders led by Colonel Assimi Goita behind
closed doors.
After nine hours
of discussions, Jonathan said late on Sunday that “we have been able to agree
on a number of points but not yet on all the discussions.”
The ECOWAS
team’s head also said the negotiations will continue on Monday.
Similarly, a
spokesman for the military junta, Colonel Ismael Wague, said they have “reached
compromise on certain aspects and the negotiations will continue tomorrow.”
Neither side
provided further details, but a senior officer close to the junta told Reuters
earlier on Sunday that the talks during the morning session had focused on the
sanctions imposed on Mali in the wake of the coup.
Meanwhile,
French Radio RFI reported late on Sunday that the military has proposed a
three-year transition led by a soldier and made up of mostly soldiers.
It also said
that the junta was ready to allow Keita — who is kept at a military camp
outside the capital — to return to his home or leave the country.
AFP also cited
an ECOWAS source as saying that Malian Prime Minister Boubou Cisse would be
moved to “a secure residence in the capital.”
Jonathan, who
met Keita on Saturday, said the 75-year-old is “very fine.”
The junta of
military officers has controlled the country since Tuesday, when the mutineers
detained Keita at gunpoint and forced him to step down. They have promised to
oversee a transition to elections within a “reasonable” amount of time.
The military
rulers say they “completed the work” of the protesters, who had been calling
for the president’s resignation for months over alleged corruption and
deteriorating security in areas where affiliates of al Qaeda and Daesh Takfiri
terrorist groups are active.
The president’s
ouster has, however, been condemned abroad, with the neighboring countries
calling for his return to power.
The African
Union suspended Mali’s membership over the coup.
In turn, ECOWAS,
which has taken an especially hardline stance, has suspended Mali from its
decision-making institutions, shut borders and halted financial flows with the
country.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/24/632467/Mali-ESCOWAS-coup-talks
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Three Shia
mourners killed, dozens wounded in Nigerian police attack
23 August 2020
At least three
people have been killed and dozens of others injured after Nigerian police
attacked mourners marking the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third
Shia Imam and grandson of Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon Him), in the northern
state of Kaduna.
The casualties
took place on Saturday evening when police and security forces violently
attacked an annual Ashura mourning ceremony that had been organized by the
Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in Hayin Bello neighborhood of Kaduna.
The IMN, led by
prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, said on its Twitter account
that police had also fired teargas at mourners in the ceremony and vandalized
their vehicles.
Update: Some
vehicles belonged to the mourners are vandalized by @PoliceNG bullets, and tear
gas; including their patrol vehicle which they shot tear gas at, that resulted
in a fire. pic.twitter.com/1LunIHS2J9
— Islamic
movement in Nigeria (@imnigeria_org) August 22, 2020
The Nigerian
government has been cracking down on Shia Muslim ceremonies for several years
and has also banned the IMN, whose members regularly take to the streets of the
capital Abuja to call for the release of the their leader.
Zakzaky, who is
in his mid-60s, has been in detention since December 2015 after his residence
in the city of Zaria was raided by Nigeria’s forces, during which he was beaten
and lost vision in his left eye.
During the
brutal arrest, three of his sons were also killed, his wife sustained serious
wounds, and more than 300 of his followers lost their lives.
Zakzaky was
charged in April 2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, the
disruption of public peace, and other accusations. He has pleaded not guilty,
vehemently rejecting all the accusations brought up against him.
In 2016,
Nigeria’s federal high court ordered Zakzaky’s unconditional release from jail
following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.
The IMN members
say the Nigerian government has turned a deaf ear to all protests calling for
the top cleric’s release.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/23/632396/Nigerian-police-attack-Kaduna--mourners-
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West African
mediators arrive in Mali, seeking reversal of coup
22 August 2020
Mediators from
West Africa’s regional bloc arrived in Mali on Saturday for talks aimed at
reversing a coup that has been condemned abroad, but celebrated by many in a
country battling a Takfiri insurgency and simmering political unrest.
After three days
of calm in the capital Bamako after Tuesday’s ouster of President Ibrahim
Boubacar Keita, police used tear gas on Saturday when a scuffle broke out
between a group of 50 pro-Keita protesters and local residents who threw
stones, an eyewitness told Reuters.
The 15-nation
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken a particularly
hard line on the coup. The bloc quickly shut borders and ended financial flows
this week - a move diplomats said was as much about warning opponents at home
as stabilizing Mali.
“They cannot
tolerate this taking place. They are taking it very personally. It is on their
doorstep and they think they are next,” one regional diplomat said.
The presidents
of Ivory Coast and Guinea are among those pushing for a tough response, another
diplomat said, as both have faced violent public protests to their third-term
bids and want the bloc to show it will not tolerate power grabs in its own
backyard.
All eyes are on
the visit by an ECOWAS delegation led by Nigeria’s former President Goodluck
Jonathan.
“We’ll continue
to engage Malian stakeholders until lasting peace is found,” Jonathan said in a
tweet shortly after landing at Bamako airport on Saturday afternoon.
A junta of
military officers has controlled the country since Tuesday, when the mutineers
detained Keita at gunpoint and forced him to resign. They have promised to
oversee a transition to elections within a “reasonable” amount of time.
The ECOWAS
delegation is due to meet the coup leaders, who call themselves the National
Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), and visit Keita and other
detained senior officials among other meetings, according to a provisional
schedule seen by Reuters.
The ouster of
Keita, known as IBK, has been welcomed by many in Mali, which was rocked by
months of protests calling for his resignation over alleged corruption and
worsening security in areas where affiliates of al Qaeda and Daesh Takfiri
terrorist groups are active.
“Reinstating IBK
is out of the question. The only thing they (the delegation) can achieve is the
transition. Under the rules of ECOWAS, ECOWAS should midwife the transition,”
the second diplomat said, referring to the outcome of the delegation’s talks.
On Friday,
thousands of the coup’s supporters gathered in a central square in Bamako to
celebrate the takeover. There is no outward sign ECOWAS’s suspension of
financial relations is yet being felt.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/22/632365/Mali-coup-West-Africa-ECOWAS
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Southeast Asia
Tahfiz fire
tragedy: Teenager jailed for murder of 23 individuals files appeal
24 Aug 2020
KUALA LUMPUR,
Aug 24 — The 19-year-old teenager who was ordered to be detained at the
pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after he was found guilty for the death
of 23 people in a fire at Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah has filed an
appeal against the order.
His lawyer
Haijan Omar when contacted said a notice of appeal against the High Court
ruling on August 17 was filed through e-filing, a day after the decision.
“We filed the
appeal against the conviction and sentence,” he said.
Judge Datuk
Azman Abdullah convicted the teenager on the charges after finding the defence
had failed to raise reasonable doubts against the 23 murder charges faced by
the juvenile and ruled that the youth had intentionally committed mischief to
cause death.
The judge said
since the teenager was a juvenile (16 years old) when the offence was
committed, he had applied Section 97(1) of the Child Act 2001 to sentence him.
He said it was
up to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to determine the terms and conditions of the
teenager’s detention.
On January 28,
2020, Justice Azman ordered the teenager to enter his defence on the charges
after finding that the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a prima facie
case against him.
According to an
amended charge, the teenager, together with another unidentified individual,
was charged with murdering and causing the death of the 23 people staying at
the tahfiz centre at Jalan Keramat Hujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat, Wangsa Maju
here, between 4.15am and 6.45am on September 14, 2017.
He was charged
with 23 counts of murder, each framed under Section 302 of the Penal Code and
read together with Section 34 of the same law, which provides the mandatory
death sentence upon conviction.
However, Section
97(1) of the Child Act 2001 states that a death sentence shall not be
pronounced or recorded against a person convicted of an offence if the child is
under the age of 18, and in lieu of the death sentence, as provided under
Section 97 (2) of the same law, the court shall order the person to be detained
at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/08/24/tahfiz-fire-tragedy-teenager-jailed-for-murder-of-23-individuals-files-appe/1896640
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Religious
affairs minister: Dakwah approach should be appropriate with situation
24 Aug 2020
KUALA LUMPUR,
Aug 24 — Religious agencies play a significant role in ensuring that dakwah (Islamic
preaching) activities, especially among the younger generation, are carried out
through effective methods of communication, said Minister in the Prime
Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Seri Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri.
He said the Semarak
Dakwah motorcycle convoy programme to Orang Asli villages, organised by Yayasan
Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM), should use communication methods that are
easily accepted by the community.
“Religious
agencies like Yadim play a significant role in dakwah; this (convoy) method
will have a positive impact on the younger generation, at least in terms of
effective communication.
“I consider the
convoy participants as dakwah heroes and ambassadors of Yadim. I hope this
effort will run smoothly and the participants will adopt a dakwah approach that
is suitable to the situation,” he told reporters today.
Earlier,
Zulkifli flagged off the convoy, which was headed to Orang Asli villages in
Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan and Bentong, Pahang, at the Islamic Centre Complex
here.
The Semarak
Dakwah programme, held in conjunction with the National Day celebration,
includes counselling sessions, activities involving youths, visits, human
development programmes and Islamic entertainment programmes. — Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/08/24/religious-affairs-minister-dakwah-approach-should-be-appropriate-with-situa/1896595
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Report: Malaysia
to seek settlement with Abu Dhabi over 1MDB issue
24 Aug 2020
BY JOHN BUNYAN
KUALA LUMPUR,
Aug 24 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is set to reopen talks with
Abu Dhabi to resolve disputes over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)
case, in a bid to mend strained bilateral ties.
The Straits
Times today reported that Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein will lead a
special government task force to Dubai this week.
According to
lawyers close to the matter, the task-force will seek a compromise to a legal
challenge filed by Malaysia in a London court over the validity of an
arbitration award that favoured state-owned entities of Abu Dhabi that had
dealings with 1MDB.
The report said
the Malaysian government’s sudden initiative for a settlement with Abu Dhabi
comes just weeks after Kuala Lumpur secured a multi-billion-dollar deal with
the Goldman Sachs Group over numerous 1MDB-related transactions.
Malaysia
received US$3.9 billion in the form of cash and guarantees from the US
financial institution, in exchange for the country dropping charges against the
bank.
However, financial
executives and lawyers familiar with the situation, told the Singapore daily
that the deal would be more complex with Abu Dhabi as the many sensitive
aspects of the dispute that would require major concessions from both
governments.
A former government
official, who was directly involved in the 1MDB saga, told the paper that any
settlement will be political as both sides will not make any admission to
guilt.
Malaysia and Abu
Dhabi forged close ties during the premiership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who
founded 1MDB shortly after coming to power in April 2009.
State-owned
corporations controlled by Abu Dhabi, such as the International Petroleum
Investment Company (Ipic), soon began forging deals with their Malaysian
counterparts.
In 2012, Ipic
guaranteed US$3.5 billion of 1MDB bonds but that arrangement turned into a debt
payment dispute between the two governments.
Ipic later sued
1MDB for defaulting on its debt obligations and both parties reached a
settlement after the dispute went into arbitration in London.
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/08/24/report-malaysia-to-seek-settlement-with-abu-dhabi-over-1mdb-issue/1896534
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When will Sabah
and Sarawak truly celebrate Merdeka?
Joe Samad
August 24, 2020
The word Merdeka
is derived from Sanskrit, meaning independence or freedom. As we join our West
Malaysian friends in celebrating Merdeka Day, Sabahans and Sarawakians often
wonder whether we will ever get the feeling of being independent and free after
57 years in Malaysia.
It was only on
Oct 19, 2009, that the government decided to make Malaysia Day a public
holiday. It took them 46 years to achieve that recognition. Despite Sept 16
being an important date, Malaysia Day is still celebrated under the shadow of
Merdeka Day on Aug 31.
It’s now a
tradition that the official Malaysia Day celebrations alternate between Sabah
and Sarawak on the island of Borneo. This year, it will be held in Sibu.
Relegated to a second tier celebration after Merdeka Day, it is no wonder East
Malaysians feel upset over its lack of prominence.
While East
Malaysians embrace diversity and harmony in race, religion and cultures, West
Malaysian politics still play up Malaysia Tanah Melayu, Ketuanan Melayu, and
now Melayu Raya. All these terms constitute the concept of domination instead
of sharing and bonding under one flag and national pride. As long as this kind
of language and ideology is promoted, we will never be able to close the gap
between Sabah and Sarawak and Malaya, no matter what.
The Pakatan
Harapan (PH) government for all its weaknesses and infighting gave Sabah and
Sarawak the best hope to be recognised as equal partners of Malaysia following
the signing of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) between Britain, Malaya,
Sabah (North Borneo), Sarawak and Singapore.
Last year, 20
items were negotiated to be fulfilled by the federal government and some were
constitutional requirements. There are three items remaining to be negotiated
related to oil and gas and territorial rights of the sea. It is a pity the PH
government fell before it could be announced and implemented.
Under the
Perikatan Nasional government, the items are now in the back burner and
classified under the Official Secrets Act. After 57 years of marriage, we are
still keeping secrets from one another.
The idea of
divorce has crossed many minds in Sabah and Sarawak, but divorce is never easy
and can be quite messy.
The Malaysia
today is not the Malaysia that Sabah and Sarawak signed up for. In a joint
public statement on Aug 1, 1962, as contained in the Inter-Governmental Report
(IGC) issued by the British and Malayan governments, Sabah and Sarawak were
promised safeguards covering religious freedom, the position of the indigenous
races, education, representation in the federal parliament, and control of
immigration, citizenship and the state constitutions.
However, these
rights have been eroded to a large extent and Sabah and Sarawak have now become
vassal states of Malaya. Instead of being equal partners, Sabah and Sarawak are
now relegated to being two of the 13 states in the federation.
When Sabah and
Sarawak asked for more money for development, people like Bruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham
of DAP say we are ungrateful. What he is really saying is we should be thankful
for what we have got, don’t ask for more.
However, unlike
the other Malayan states, Sabah and Sarawak are partners in forming Malaysia.
Without Sabah and Sarawak, there is no Malaysia.
Sabah and
Sarawak occupy a special position in Malaysia and should be accorded class “A”
status over other states.
It’s not as if
we came into Malaysia with empty hands. Being the biggest oil producing states,
Sabah and Sarawak have given more in oil revenue to Petronas and the federal
government. East Malaysians contributed more than we received.
Since Petronas
began extracting oil and gas in Sarawak from 1976 to 2017 (41 years), it had
earned total revenue of about RM660 billion, but only RM33 billion was returned
to Sarawak, said Sharifah Hasidah, the state de facto deputy minister for law.
Sabah has received
about RM15.6 billion in cash payments from Petronas for oil and gas extracted
in the state from 1976 to Dec 31 last year (43 years), said former deputy
economic affairs minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.
In the 2019
Budget, Sabah was allocated RM5 billion for development projects and Sarawak
RM4.3 billion, a pittance compared to the oil revenues extracted from the two
states. When we compare Sabah and Sarawak’s fortunes with those of Singapore
and Brunei, we can see the difference.
Since Singapore
left Malaysia on Aug 9, 1965, it has become an economic powerhouse. Meritocracy
has put a Muslim woman as president of Singapore. Brunei, which refused to join
Malaysia, became an Islamic state and implemented hudud laws. Boycotts around
the world have put the sultanate and its overseas assets under international
pressure.
In Malaysia
corruption is rampant and, for some, has become a way of life.
When Umno
leaders protested in Sabah against Bung Moktar Radin, who is undergoing a
corruption trial, being in charge of the Barisan Nasional-Umno campaign at the
state elections, the leadership in KL says “it is ok”, sending the wrong
signals to the public.
“Malaysia
Prihatin” (Malaysia Cares) has been chosen as the theme for this year’s
National and Malaysia Day celebrations. The question is, how many really care?
Do our political leaders care more for the rakyat than themselves? After coming
into power, they rewarded themselves with plum positions instead of making
sacrifices for the people’s sake as they battle against the impact of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
Ordinary
citizens pay heavy fines and are sentenced to jail but ministers get a slap on
the wrist and get to keep their jobs. It is as if there are two sets of laws –
one for the elite in politics and one for the man in the street. If the
leadership cares, they will have to walk the talk and fulfil their promises –
loyalty to the king and country, freedom of worship, and a just and harmonious
society where everyone is equal under the law.
The views
expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2020/08/24/when-will-sabah-and-sarawak-truly-celebrate-merdeka/
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/indian-muslims-form-exclusive-party/d/122706