Indonesian Bar Shut, Six Employees Arrested After Blasphemy Charges over Free Alcohol Promotion for People Named Mohammad, Maria
New Age Islam News Bureau
28 June 2022
Municipal officers seal
the Holywings bar after police charged six employees with blasphemy over a promotional
activity offering free alcohol for people named "Muhammad" or
"Maria" in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar
Ulfiana
-----
• Taliban’s Alleged Extrajudicial Killings in Afghan
District Worry UN, Rights Groups
• Growing Presence of Pakistani Radicals in Europe
Raises Alarm for Israel
• Kuwaiti Lawyer and Activist Al Shureka’s Twitter
Account Withheld in India for Supporting Beleaguered Muslims
• Rights Groups Warn Against Israeli Move to Register
Land Adjacent To Al-Aqsa
• 'Diminishing Space for Plurality in India': Twitter
Accounts of Several Pakistan Diplomatic Missions Blocked in India
Southeast
Asia
• Indonesian Bar Shut, Six Employees Arrested After
Blasphemy Charges Over Free Alcohol Promotion For People Named Mohammad, Maria
• China: Uyghur student facing trial highlights
government push to jail Muslims
• Kelantan allows Eid ul Azha sacrificial rites, says
state Islamic religious council
• Malaysia, Iran Joint Islamic Art Exhibition Opens in
Kuala Lumpur
• In Indonesia’s ‘Makkah porch,’ Hajj rekindles
centuries-old bond with Arabia
--------
North
America
• US carries out strike inside Syria, targeting
‘senior’ terrorist leader: CENTCOM
• Indirect talks between US, Iran to resume in the
Gulf this week: State Department
--------
Europe
• England: Islamophobia has grown since 2017 London
mosque van attack
• Azerbaijan’s president, OIC chief discuss promotion
of Islamic solidarity
• Sweden’s Kurdish diaspora fear they may pay price
for NATO bid as Turkey fumes
• Over 500 right-wing extremists wanted in Germany:
Interior Ministry
--------
Arab
World
• Abu Dhabi to focus on rehabilitation, treatment
under new anti-drugs initiative
• UAE Minister Almheiri outlines actions to address
global food crisis at Berlin meet
• US, Israeli, Arab officials meet in Bahrain as part
of Negev summit
• Emirates to air Shahid content exclusively on
inflight entertainment system
--------
Mideast
• Library and House of Manuscripts of al-Abbas holy
shrine dedicates shelves for books of 'Fatwa of Defence'
• President Rayeesi: Iran Ready to Help D-8 Countries
in Technological Fields
• Spokesman: Vienna Talks to Continue in A Persian
Gulf State
• Iranian Foreign Ministry Reminds of Numerous Human
Rights Violations by US
• Israel to work with world powers to shape any Iran
nuclear deal: Defence minister
• Türkiye protests 'one-sided sanctions' on Iran,
hopes revival of nuclear deal
--------
Pakistan
• Defence Minister condemns Canadian parliamentarian’s
remarks against Pakistani military leadership
• Former Chief of Pak’s ISI Says Supporting Imran Khan
Need of Hour
• Nascent Pakistan Coalition Govt Comes Under Fire
From Within
• IHC asks defence ministry to submit report on
harassment of Baloch students
--------
South
Asia
• Taliban Convene 'Loya Jirga' In Kabul: Aimed At
Unifying Afghans to Discuss Key Challenges Faced By the Country
• “Tribal Elders and the Ulema” Gather for the
Taliban’s Grand Gathering at the Ulema’s Persistent Request
• Human Rights Watch: Taliban’s Jirga Lacks Legitimacy
If It Excludes Women
• Death toll of children in Afghanistan quake rises to
155
• Central Bank of Afghanistan: Money-Trading Through
Forex Is Illegal
--------
India
• After Teesta Setalvad Arrest, Civil Society Fears
‘Chilling Effect’
• Mohammed
Zubair, one of the founders of the fact-checking website AltNews,
• SC Verdict in Zakia Jafri Case Deeply Disappointing,
Says Congress
• Regrettable that still no agreement on
Constitutional basis for holding elections in Libya: India
• SC to hear plea alleging attacks on Christian
institutions, priests
• Delhi Afghanistan embassy not taking orders from
Taliban
--------
Africa
• Recognise Sharia Court Now – Osun Muslim Community
To State Government
• 5 Nigerians among 30 killed in ethnic violence in
western Cameroon
• Tunisian parties slam attacks on opponents of
constitutional referendum
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/indonesian-bar-alcohol-blasphemy-mohammad-maria-/d/127347
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Indonesian Bar Shut, Six Employees Arrested After
Blasphemy Charges Over Free Alcohol Promotion For People Named Mohammad, Maria
Municipal officers seal
the Holywings bar after police charged six employees with blasphemy over a promotional
activity offering free alcohol for people named "Muhammad" or
"Maria" in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 28, 2022. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar
Ulfiana
-----
June 28, 2022
JAKARTA, June 28 (Reuters) - Indonesian authorities
stripped a bar and restaurant chain in the capital, Jakarta, of its operating
permit after police charged six employees with blasphemy over a promotion
offering free drinks for people named Mohammad or Maria.
Critics have said Indonesia's strict blasphemy laws
are being used to erode a long-standing reputation for tolerance and diversity
in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.
The drinks promotion at the "Holywings"
chain prompted a police investigation after complaints by religious groups. The
six were charged under the blasphemy law, which can be punished by up to five
years in jail, and a blasphemy provision of the internet law, which carries a
maximum 10-year jail term.
In a social media post that was later deleted, the
chain offered a free bottle of gin for men named Mohammad and women named Maria
every Thursday.
On Tuesday, 12 outlets in the capital were sealed off
after authorities said they did not have licences to serve alcohol, the Jakarta
government said in a statement on its website.
Holywings Indonesia has apologised for the promotion,
which it said was created without the knowledge of management.
Police said the employees created the promotion in
attempt to meet sales targets.
Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at Human Rights
Watch, said the blasphemy law and a law regulating online activity was becoming
"increasingly dangerous".
"These six individuals just made an alcohol
promotion, maybe ridiculous in this increasingly Islamic country, but no crime
at all according to international standards," he said.
The blasphemy law has mostly been used against those
deemed to have insulted Islam, including Jakarta's former Christian governor
Basuki "Ahok" Purnama, who was sentenced to two years in prison in
2017 on blasphemy on charges widely seen as politically motivated.
Indonesia has jailed more than 150 people, mostly from
religious minorities, since the blasphemy law was passed in 1965, based on data
collated by Human Rights Watch.
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by Kate Lamb in Sydney and Stanley Widianto
in Jakarta; Additional reporting by Ajeng Dinar in Jakarta; Editing by Ed
Davies, Robert Birsel
Source: Reuters
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original story:
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Taliban’s Alleged Extrajudicial Killings in Afghan
District Worry UN, Rights Groups
FILE - An Afghan man on a
horse crosses a river in Sar-e Pol province, May 8, 2012. Taliban authorities
are being accused of human rights abuses as they attempt to quell a rebellion
in northern Sar-e Pol province in June 2022.
----
June 27, 2022
Taliban authorities in Afghanistan are being accused
of carrying out extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses as they
attempt to quell an armed rebellion in a northern region.
The United Nations and rights watchdogs on Monday
called reports of abuses in the turbulent Balkhab district in northern Sar-e
Pol province alarming and demanded that the ruling Islamist group hold those
responsible.
The accusations stemmed from recent Taliban military
operations against loyalist-turned-rebel commander Mehdi Mujahid and his
fighters in Balkhab.
Mujahid, an influential member of the Afghan ethnic
minority Hazara Shi’ite community, served until recently as the Taliban’s spy
chief for central Bamyan province. He was dismissed for unspecified reasons,
prompting him to break away from the Sunni-based Islamist rulers.
"Amnesty International is gravely concerned by
reports of summary executions and harm to civilians in Balkhab district of
Sari-Pul province,” the global rights group tweeted Monday. “As the de facto
authorities in Afghanistan, the Taliban has a primary responsibility to end the
attacks against civilians and ensure justice and accountability."
Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur
on the situation on human rights in Afghanistan, described as “disturbing”
reports of extrajudicial killings, civilian displacement, property distraction
and other human rights abuses in the northern district.
“Regrettably verification hampered by info blackout,
internet cut & denial of access to media & HR monitors,” Bennett
tweeted.
The Taliban refuted the charges as propaganda.
“The situation in Balkhab has returned to normal. No
one has been oppressed or persecuted. The people are living a peaceful and safe
environment. The propaganda about mistreatment of civilians or casualties is
not true,” the chief Taliban spokesman tweeted Monday.
Taliban officials maintained they had reportedly
dispatched several delegations to Balkhab to unsuccessfully negotiate a
settlement with Mujahid before ordering last week’s military offensive against
his forces
The Defense Ministry in Kabul announced on Sunday that
security forces had evicted Mujahid's fighters from the district headquarters
and surrounding areas, saying fleeing rebels had taken refuge in a nearby
valley, and operations against them were continuing. VOA could not ascertain
from independent sources the veracity of the official claims.
A video speech circulating on social media showed
Mujahid among his fighters somewhere in Balkhab while one of his loyalists
addressed the crowd, accusing the Taliban of sidelining Hazara Afghans from the
national political space.
The insurgent-turned-ruling group seized power in
Afghanistan last August as the United States and NATO partners withdrew their
last troops from the country.
The Taliban installed an all-male interim Cabinet to
govern the conflict-torn South Asian nation, imposing restrictions on women’s
rights to work and education, and cracking down on dissent.
Critics say the new government in Kabul comprises
members of the Pashtun-based Taliban group and doesn’t give representation to
other Afghan ethnicities.
The lack of political inclusivity and respect for
rights of all Afghans, including women, is keeping the global community from
formally recognizing the Taliban as legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.
Taliban leaders reject criticism of their
administration, officially called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and
maintain that their polices are in line with Afghan culture and Islamic
tradition.
Source: VOA News
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original story:
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Growing Presence of Pakistani Radicals In Europe
Raises Alarm For Israel
27 June, 2022
Italy [Rome], June 27 (ANI): Amid the spike in illegal
migration of radical Pakistanis to Europe, the security concerns of Israel is
under threat as this time in Italy where over a dozen people of Pakistani
origin (or nationality), were arrested in Genoa all a part of the “Gabar
Group”.
Genoa is a warning for Italy and Europe, to pay closer
attention to Pakistani migrants and asylum seekers, it also should be a red
flag to Israel given the globalization of jihad.
Israel has declared these groups to have close terroristic
links stating that Europe could become a nursing ground for such
cross-pollination of terror, given the hate for Israel that is found in
Pakistan, the Times of Israel reported.
When arrest warrants were issued for fourteen
Pakistanis in Italy connected with the terrorist attack on the Charlie Hebdo
office in Paris in September 2020, Europe felt a sudden jolt as it confirmed
the growing presence of Pakistani radicals in Europe. The people of Pakistani
origin (or nationality) that were arrested in Genoa are said to be a part of
the “Gabar Group”.
While Genoa comes as a warning for Italy and Europe,
to pay closer attention to Pakistani migrants and asylum seekers, it has become
a red flag to Israel amid perpetration of jihad on a global level.
As per local media reports, a two-year-long
investigation unravelled the active existence of a terrorist cell formed by
young Pakistanis in several Italian provinces and in some European countries.
Calling for terrorist attacks against those who insult the Prophet or Islam,
the extremist sympathisers network across Europe through social media platforms
calling for terrorist attacks against those who insult the Prophet or Islam.
Moreover, Pakistani terror supporters have been under
a constant watch in the UK, Spain, Italy, France and Germany ever since the
arrest of a Pakistani national, Zaheer Hassan Mahmood, for stabbing two persons
outside the French magazine office in Paris in September 2020, Times of Israel
reported.
The magazine had published allegedly insulting
cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan had
openly supported militant organizations like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP)
to take over the streets of Pakistan demanding the ouster of the French
Ambassador.
In December 2020, French authorities arrested four
more Pakistani nationals who had prior knowledge of the attack and were
encouraging Mahmood to carry out the attack through social media. Mahmood
confessed to be a member of a proselytization group based in Pakistan,
Dawat-e-Islami. He told his interrogators that he was influenced by the
Dawat-e-Islami founder, Mullah Ilyas Qadri.
Taking another example into consideration, the Barelvi
group, which claims to be non-violent and non-political, became prominent in
2011 when one of its followers, Mumtaz Qadri shot the then Punjab Governor
Salman Taseer.
Many members of the group were found to be a part of
the Barelvi militant group, Sunni Tehreek. The Pakistan military was anxious
about the group and its activities within the armed forces, especially the
Pakistan Air Force.
In February this year, Spain arrested five more
persons, all Pakistanis, for networking with the Paris attacker, the Times of
Israel reported, citing sources.
These persons were using social networks to urge
compatriots to attack those who raise their voices against Islam and were later
arrested in Barcelona, Gerona, Ubeda (Jaen), and Granada, it added.
All of them admitted to being members of TLP, a group
which had the support of the Imran Khan government as well as the army. With
active and numerous followers in Spain, France, Greece and Italy, these men
were circulating audiovisual material through Facebook and Tik-Tok which
glorified terrorist attacks.
According to the Italian ambassador to Pakistan,
Andreas Ferrarese, as of February 2021, there are around 200,000 Pakistanis in
Italy and only 140,000 are documented. This also gives rise to a large number
of Pakistanis with European passports who can freely travel to Israel without
visas, he said, adding that the growing networking of extremist groups in
Europe may cause harm to Israel in the longer run. (ANI)
Source: The Print
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Kuwaiti Lawyer and Activist Al Shureka’s Twitter
Account Withheld in India for Supporting Beleaguered Muslims
Kuwaiti lawyer Mujbil Al
Shureka
-----
Sakina Fatima
27th June 2022
Renowned Kuwaiti lawyer and rights activist Mujbil Al
Shureka’s Twitter account was “withheld” late on Sunday “in response to a legal
demand” by the government of India.
On Mujbil Al Shureka’s account, a message reads,
“@MJALSHRIKA’s account has been withheld in India in response to a legal
demand.”
In turn, Mujbil Al Shureka (@MJALSHRIKA), from the
Kuwait Institute of Law and Legal Studies, in a tweet wrote, “Dear @Twitter Is
supporting the oppressed Muslims of India a crime? Is highlighting the human
rights violation of a repressive Hindutva regime a sin? If not then why has my
account been blocked for Indian viewers? @TwitterIndia @hrw @amnesty @ndtv
@nytimes @AlJazeera @RT_com.”
Al Shureka is from Kuwait. In his bio on Twitter, says
that he is the “Director of the Centre for Human Rights and International
Humanitarian Law, member of the training body at the Kuwait Institute for
Lawyers and Legal Studies”.
The lawyer, who has 232,010 followers on Twitter, had
been frequently coming out in support of the issues of India’s beleaguered
Muslims.
He has been requesting Indian Muslims to appoint him
as their lawyer so he could take the issue of Babri Masjid to the International
Criminal Court (ICC) at Hague, Netherlands.
Earlier, the Kuwait-based Muslim activist had extended
his support towards the jailed Muslim activists Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and
Siddique Kappan.
He had claimed, “The radicalisation of Hindus by the
RSS/BJP regime has seeped into the veins India’s institutions. That’s why
innocent Muslim activists like #UmarKhalid #SharjilImam & journalists like
#SiddiqueKappan are languishing in jails criminally framed by Hindutva officials.”
Al Shureka had also batted on behalf of journalist
Rana Ayub, who has frequetly been targetted for her rebellion against the
oppression of minorities in India.
Earlier on Sunday, June 26, Journalist Rana Ayyub
posted a notice from Twitter which informed her that the microblogging site
will withheld her account in India under Information Technology Act, 2000.
However, later her account waas restored.
Ayyub took to her Twitter account to post the notice
and said, “Hello Twitter, what exactly is this?”
The notice from Twitter that Ayyub shared read, “In
order to comply with Twitter’s obligations under India’s local laws, we have
withheld the following account in India under the country’s Information
Technology Act, 2000: the content remains available elsewhere.”
“As Twitter strongly believes in defending and
respecting the voice of the people who use our service, it is our policy to
notify account holders if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity
(such law enforcement or government agency) to remove content from their
account. We provide notice whether or not the user lives in the country where
the request originated,” it read.
In effect, the accounts have been geo-restricted, so
while they can still be accessed from IP addresses outside the country, they
will still be unavailable or blocked in India.
Source: Siasat Daily
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original story:
https://www.siasat.com/kuwaiti-lawyer-al-shurekas-twitter-account-withheld-in-india-2358108/
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Rights Groups Warn Against Israeli Move to Register
Land Adjacent To Al-Aqsa
Photo: Tasnim News Agency
----
28 June 2022
Rights groups have warned of “far-reaching
implications” of the Israeli regime's controversial move to start the process
of registering the ownership of land adjacent to the al-Aqsa Mosque in the
occupied East al-Quds.
The process of the “settlement of land title
procedure” was initiated last week in the Abu Thor area as well as the Umayyad
Palaces site adjacent to the southern wall of al-Aqsa Mosque, reports said.
According to Middle East Eye, Israeli rights groups Ir
Amim and Bimkom said in a joint statement on Monday that the fund allocated to
the procedure has been largely utilized to register land for illegal
settlements and will ultimately lead to further Palestinian dispossession.
“[The procedure] carries possible disastrous
ramifications for hundreds of Palestinian homes in Abu Thor, while the other
has an acute potential for escalating tensions due to its highly sensitive
location in close proximity to al-Aqsa,” the statement reads.
“There is grave concern that the state is advancing
the settlement of title process in the Umayyad Palaces/Ophel site to enable
Israeli takeover of this territory through its formal registration as state
land while aiding state-backed settler groups in their aggressive efforts to
gain control of these highly sensitive locations."
Sheikh Najeh Bakirat, deputy director of the al-Quds
Islamic Waqf, in his remarks on Monday stressed that changing the ownership of
Umayyad Palaces was invalid and in breach of the Geneva Convention.
In 2018, the Israeli regime for the first time began
promoting the “settlement of land title procedure”.
In 2020, Ir Amim said the process was being used as a
tool to “seize more land in East Jerusalem [al-Quds], leading to the expansion
of Israeli settlements and further Palestinian dispossession”.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East
al-Quds.
All Israeli settlements are deemed illegal under
international law as they are built on the occupied land. The United Nations
Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied
territories in a series of resolutions.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future
independent Palestinian state with East al-Quds as its capital.
The area south of al-Aqsa Mosque is also the scene of
Israeli excavations that Palestinians say threaten the foundation of the holy
site.
On Monday, the Council of Endowments, Islamic Affairs,
and Holy Places said excavations made by the regime in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa
Mosque were threatening its foundations, saying new cracks have appeared in the
floor of the sacred site.
Source: Press TV
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original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/06/28/684661/Rights-groups-warn-Israel-register-land--al-Aqsa
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'Diminishing Space for Plurality in India': Twitter
Accounts Of Several Pakistan Diplomatic Missions Blocked in India
Representational Image
-----
June 28, 2022
Pakistan has expressed alarm over India blocking
Twitter accounts of Pakistani embassies in several locations.
"Deeply concerning that India has blocked flow of
information to Indian Twitter by withholding access to following official
accounts," the Foreign Office said on Twitter, adding that the accounts
that were withheld in India are official handles run by Pakistan's missions in
Iran, Turkiye, Egypt, and the United Nations.
Yesterday, it was reported in Indian news outlets that
the neighbouring country had also withheld the Twitter handle of the official
Radio Pakistan.
According to India Today, the move came after the
Indian Ministry of Information and broadcasting earlier blocked 16 YouTube news
channels including six Pakistan-based channels, claiming they were
"spreading disinformation related to India's national security, foreign
relations, and public order".
Earlier, Twitter had also blocked accounts of certain
journalists — Indian and international — who are critical of the Modi regime.
Condemning the restriction on Twitter, Pakistan's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted on Monday night that the diminishing space
for plurality of voices and access to information in India was "extremely
alarming".
"Social media platforms must abide by applicable
international norms," it stressed.
In a follow-up tweet, the FO urged Twitter to
immediately restore access to the Pakistan missions' accounts and ensure
adherence to democratic freedom of speech and expression.
Source: Dawn
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Southeast
Asia
China: Uyghur student facing trial highlights government push to jail Muslims
June 27, 2022
A Uyghur student is set to go on trial for
“separatism” in the city of Urumqi on Tuesday in what appears to be the latest
example of the Chinese government’s strategy to unlawfully imprison Muslims in
the country’s Xinjiang region, Amnesty International said today.
Zulyar Yasin was detained at his home in December 2021
and his family were recently informed that he will be sentenced to up to five
years in jail, Amnesty has learned. Yasin appears to have been targeted because
he travelled to Turkey as a teenager.
“This prosecution is only the tip of the iceberg when
it comes to human rights violations against Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Muslims
in Xinjiang, but it provides a snapshot of how the Chinese government’s machine
of repression is operating,” said Gwen Lee, Amnesty International’s China
Campaigner.
“Zulyar Yasin appears to be the latest victim of the
government’s campaign to arbitrarily detain Uyghurs and other Muslims in
prisons on a mass scale. Yasin’s family say the authorities have provided zero
evidence for the ‘separatism’ charges against him.”
Yasin, 25, was in the final year of a five-year land
management and forestry course at Fujian University in south-eastern China when
he was arrested while doing an internship in Urumqi, Xinjiang.
He is set to be defended in court on Tuesday by a
government-appointed lawyer, rather than one of his choosing, contrary to
international fair trial standards.
Yasin spent two years studying finance at Istanbul
University from 2014 to 2016. Uyghurs and other Xinjiang residents who have
spent time overseas have been systematically targeted with arbitrary detention
by the authorities.
Prosecutions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in
Xinjiang are often shrouded in secrecy, but Amnesty has learned of Yasin’s
ordeal through contact with his relatives overseas.
Yasin’s aunt, a Dutch citizen, told Amnesty
International: “The police do not have any evidence for his so-called crime.
There is no law in China – Uyghurs are being targeted and detained for fake
sins. I am broken.”
She has called for the Government of the Netherlands
to intervene in the case.
“Recent Chinese government rhetoric claims people are
being released or ‘graduating’ from the ‘re-education’ camps that have caused
international outrage. But even if true, this is nothing to celebrate when
victims are instead being arbitrarily sent to prison for vaguely worded
offences after unfair trials,” Gwen Lee said.
“Whether confined in a jail or a camp, the
imprisonment, torture and persecution of Uyghurs and other Muslim groups in
Xinjiang is unlawful, widespread and ongoing. The international community,
including the United Nations, must redouble its efforts to address crimes
against humanity and other serious human rights violations committed in
Xinjiang by the Beijing authorities.”
Background
In June 2021, Amnesty International launched a
comprehensive report documenting how China’s crackdown against predominantly
Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang amounted to crimes against humanity.
Based on dozens of testimonies, the report described a
“dystopian hellscape” encompassing grave human rights violations against
detainees, systematic state surveillance of millions of people, and efforts to
root out the religious traditions, cultural practices and local languages of
the region’s Muslim ethnic groups.
Amnesty has also launched an international campaign calling for the release of all people arbitrarily detained in
camps and prisons, and for the closure of the internment camps.
A team led by United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights Michelle Bachelet spent six days in China last month including two
days in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. However, High Commissioner
Bachelet failed to address crimes against humanity by the Chinese government
during the visit.
Source: Amnesty
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Kelantan allows Eid ul Azha sacrificial rites, says
state Islamic religious council
27 Jun 2022
KOTA BARU, June 27 — Muslims in Kelantan are allowed
to perform animal sacrificial rites in conjunction with Eid ul Azha this year
without additional standard operating procedures, said Kelantan Islamic
Religious and Malay Customs Council (MAIK) president Tengku Tan Sri Mohamad
Rizam Tengku Abdul Aziz.
“I don’t think there is any problem...Covid-19 cases
are also under control and on the decline. Muslims can perform ibadah korban
anywhere they want,” he told reporters after launching MAIK Waqf Month at
Kompleks Islam Darul Naim here today.
Commenting on the Waqf Month, Tengku Mohamad Rizam,
who is also Tengku Temenggong of Kelantan, said the programme was aimed at
increasing the knowledge and understanding of Muslims regarding the importance
of endowment.
“We will be promoting MAIK waqf products such as real
estate, health and education,” he said.
In another development, he said MAIK has never
appointed any individual or company to collect funds and donations using the
agency’s name.
Source: Malay Mail
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Malaysia, Iran Joint Islamic Art Exhibition Opens in
Kuala Lumpur
June 28, 2022
Titled “Malaysia-Iran Islamic Art Exhibition 2022”, the
event has been organized by the Iranian Cultural Centre (ICC) in collaboration
with the Visual Arts Department of the University of Selangor (UNISEL).
According to a statement by the Iranian cultural
center, the exhibition is an attempt to embody the spirit of Islam and Islamic
culture. The exhibition includes pieces that incorporate verses from the Holy
Quran and works showcasing the names and attributes of Allah the Almighty as
well as the beauties of what God has created.
The exhibition presents more than 120 artworks from
about 30 prominent Malaysian and Iranian artists, as well as from ICC’s
collection.
Islamic Calligraphy (Quranic Art, Kufi and Persian
Naskh scripts), Paintings and Illuminations, Ceramics & tiles, Glass Works,
metal works, photographs, digital artworks, and a splendid Persian handmade
carpet, are amongst the several Islamic artworks exhibited in a very spiritual
atmosphere.
The exhibition is also known as part of the activities
of Malaysia Islamic Tourism Week (ITW), which takes place from June 20 to July
3, organized by the Islamic Tourism Centre — an agency under the Ministry of
Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.
Iran Cultural Center is recognized as a strategic
partner and collaborator of the ITW and a Certificate Of Appreciation was
presented to Iran Cultural Counsellor Mohammad Oraee Karimi, by YB Dato Sri
Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia during the
Inaugural Ceremony of Islamic Tourism Week (ITW) 2022.
Source: IQNA
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of the original story:
https://iqna.ir/en/news/3479484/malaysia-iran-joint-islamic-art-exhibition-opens-in-kuala-lumpur
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In Indonesia’s ‘Makkah porch,’ Hajj rekindles
centuries-old bond with Arabia
SHEANY YASUKO LAI
June 27, 2022
JAKARTA: As they leave for Hajj, pilgrims from Aceh
prepare for a transformative and spiritually moving experience, which for many
of them also rekindles a special, centuries-old connection they feel for Saudi
Arabia.
The westernmost province of Indonesia, Aceh is the
site of the earliest Muslim kingdoms in Southeast Asia, which began to form in
the late 13th century.
It was the last Southeast Asian port of call for
pilgrimages to the holiest city of Islam, and in the 17th century court
chronicles of Aceh rulers began to refer to it as “Serambi Makkah,” or “Porch
of Makkah” — a term that is still used by the Acehnese today.
Now, the opportunity to depart for the real Makkah and
perform Hajj is something they look forward to for years, if not decades.
“In Aceh it’s about 30 to 31 years,” Mizaj Iskandar,
who has been tasked by the local government with organizing the pilgrimage,
told Arab News.
“They are certainly very emotional because they have
been waiting for so long,” he said. “By the time they receive the call, they
must be moved, happy, and in disbelief. All these emotions you can find in
almost all the participants.”
One of the pilgrims, 58-year-old Kamariah from Aceh
Besar regency, could not find the words to describe how moved she was that she
would be able to see the Kaaba at the center of the Grand Mosque, Masjid
Al-Haram, in Makkah.
“I don’t know how to express how happy I am to see Kaaba,”
she said. “It feels like I will never want to leave it.”
Like other pilgrims, Kamariah has been preparing for
the journey, especially spiritually.
“Before we go to the holy land, we must have already
cleansed our hearts,” she said. “We hope to become good Hajj pilgrims.”
One of Islam’s five pillars of faith, the Hajj was
restricted over pandemic fears to only 1,000 people living in Saudi Arabia in
2020. In 2021, the Kingdom limited the pilgrimage to 60,000 domestic
participants, compared with the pre-pandemic 2.5 million.
But this year, as it has already lifted most of its
COVID-19 curbs, Saudi Arabia will welcome 1 million pilgrims from abroad. More
than 100,000 of them are arriving from Indonesia — the world’s largest
Muslim-majority nation. And among them, 2,022 are from Aceh.
“My family and I have not stopped expressing our
gratitude to Allah, because we have been called this year to go for Hajj,”
Amalia Sabrina, a doctor from Sigli town in the Pidie regency of Aceh, told
Arab News.
“I once had a dream of the event that has now taken
place, and it feels almost like deja vu to be in the same position as in that
dream.”
She arrived in the Kingdom last week and was enjoying
the hospitality with which pilgrims have been received.
“Whether it’s the hotel service, food, laundry,
service at the shops, or the people,” she said. “Everyone has been friendly.”
Sabrina’s younger brother Miftahul Hamdi, a football
player, was also grateful to be in the Kingdom.
“I am so grateful to get this opportunity to go for
Hajj this year,” he said. “Aceh is often referred to as a ‘Makkah porch,’ so
being able to go for Hajj here is just very fulfilling and makes me feel very
grateful.”
The enthusiasm Acehnese have for the Hajj pilgrimage,
a sacred milestone for Muslims, is reinforced by their historical links to
Saudi Arabia.
Marzuki Abubakar, researcher and lecturer at Ar-Raniry
State Islamic University in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, said that Islam
in Aceh has revolved around Arabia ever since its advent in Southeast Asia. The
coastal region also connected the rest of the islands that constitute
present-day Indonesia with the Middle East.
“Aceh was a transit point for Hajj pilgrims to go to
Makkah from all over the archipelago,” he said. “There’s amazing enthusiasm
among Acehnese to go for Hajj.”
What has recently strengthened the bond was the help
the Acehnese received from the Kingdom during one of the darkest periods in the
region’s history — the 2004 tsunami.
“They are emotionally attached to Saudi Arabia because
of the help they received after the tsunami,” Abubakar told Arab News.
Saudi Arabia was one the biggest single donors to the
relief response, when the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami devastated
Aceh, killing more than 160,000 people — nearly 5 percent of the local
population.
Saudi charities helped rebuild houses, medical
facilities and the 17th-century Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh — a
symbol of religion and identity of the Acehnese.
Nurlinda Nurdin, a radio reporter from Banda Aceh, who
performed the pilgrimage in 2006 and spent two months covering Hajj
preparations in Saudi Arabia, said that before the journey she would often fall
ill, but all her ailments were gone when she was there.
“When I arrived in Saudi Arabia, I was always healthy.
I was fully working, didn’t feel exhausted at all, I was enjoying myself, I was
comfortable,” she told Arab News.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2111841/world
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North
America
US carries out strike inside Syria, targeting ‘senior’
terrorist leader: CENTCOM
28 June, 2022
The US military said it conducted a “kinetic strike”
overnight Monday in Syria in an operation that targeted a senior
al-Qaeda-linked terrorist.
“CENTCOM Forces conducted a kinetic strike in Idlib
province, Syria, June 27, targeting Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior leader of
Hurras al-Din, an Al Qaeda-aligned terrorist organization,” a statement from
the US Central Command read.
The US has come under increased criticism for
airstrikes that have killed civilians. But the US said al-Yemeni was alone
while traveling on a motorcycle, and no civilian casualties were reported.
Extremist organizations like Hurras al-Din continue to
present a threat to America and its allies, CENTCOM said, adding that
al-Qaeda-aligned militants use Syria as a safe haven to coordinate with
external affiliates and plan operations outside of Syria.
“The removal of this senior leader will disrupt
al-Qaeda’s ability to carry out attacks against US citizens, our partners, and
innocent civilians around the world,” CENTCOM said.
US-led coalition troops detained a senior ISIS leader
earlier this month, also inside Syria, the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation
Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Indirect talks between US, Iran to resume in the Gulf
this week: State Department
27 June, 2022
The US and Iran will resume indirect talks “in the
Gulf” later this week, a State Department official told Al Arabiya English on
Monday.
The official reiterated previous comments by Biden
administration officials that the US is ready to conclude negotiations and
implement the deal negotiated in Vienna.
“But for that, Iran needs to decide to drop their
additional demands that go beyond the JCPOA,” the official said in a written
response.
Washington said it was grateful to its EU partners,
“who continue to convey messages and are working to advance these
negotiations.”
EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell sounded upbeat
after visiting Tehran over the weekend. He announced that the talks, which have
been stalled for months, while the Biden administration has said Iran is on the
verge of being able to acquire a nuclear weapon “within weeks,” would resume in
the coming days.
Due to Iran’s refusal to meet face to face with US
officials, the EU and Britain have been shuttling back and forth to relay
messages between the two camps.
A senior US official told the Washington Post that
Washington was “keeping our expectations very much in check.”
Analysts and diplomats familiar with the talks were
optimistic that a deal was within reach on more than one occasion. But Iran
came to the table, demanding that the US lift the terror designation imposed on
the IRGC. The Biden administration refused and coupled with Russian obstacles,
the talks were suspended.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Europe
England: Islamophobia has grown since 2017 London
mosque van attack
June 28, 2022
The chairperson of the Finsbury Park mosque in north
London said at a memorial service on the fifth anniversary of the terrorist
attack on the mosque in 2017 that Islamophobia in the United Kingdom has become
worse since the attack.
Mohammed Kozbar expressed frustration that
Islamophobia is "much worse now than it was five years ago" since the
attack and that "Muslims do not feel safe in the U.K."
Makram Ali, a 51-year-old husband, father and
grandfather, was killed when Darren Osborne drove a van into worshippers
outside Finsbury Park mosque after Ramadan prayers on June 19, 2017.
Kozbar noted that, at the time of the attack,
then-Prime Minister Theresa May pledged sitting in his office that "steps
and actions will be taken to seriously tackle this disease which causes
Islamophobia."
However, he explained that a definition of
Islamophobia – a first step in developing any policy or action – has not even
been devised, let alone any steps being taken.
"In fact, it is much worse now than it was five
years ago, with the institutionalization of Islamophobia by this government and
some sections of the media," he said.
"We won’t feel safe until Islamophobia is taken
seriously by the authorities and the police," he added.
The victim's daughter Ruzina Akhtar was also among
those at the memorial service and said that as a Muslim woman, she wants
everyone “to voice any Islamophobic behavior as it still exists, so it is
tackled right away.”
Source: ABNA24
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Azerbaijan’s president, OIC chief discuss promotion of
Islamic solidarity
27 JUNE 2022
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met on Monday with
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein
Brahim Taha to discuss the bloc’s vision to promote Islamic solidarity and
joint Islamic action.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 11th
session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers in the capital Baku.
"President [Aliyev] pledged Azerbaijan's full
support to the Secretary-General's vision and mission to protect and safeguard
the interest of the Muslim world," the OIC said in a statement.
During the meeting, Taha congratulated the Azerbaijani
leader on the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation and voiced
support to the country's efforts to reconstruct its liberated areas.
Source: Yenisafak
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Sweden’s Kurdish diaspora fear they may pay price for
NATO bid as Turkey fumes
28 June, 2022
Kurds in Sweden’s large diaspora are worried they will
become a pawn in the negotiations over Stockholm’s ambition to join NATO if the
West makes concessions to win Turkish support.
Sweden, along with Finland, applied for NATO
membership in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with their bids warmly
welcomed as a “historic moment” by alliance chiefs.
But they have faced opposition from Turkey, which has
been angered by what it says is their support for Kurdish militants and arms
controls on Ankara over a 2019 incursion into Syria.
“We don’t want the Kurds to be on the negotiating
table,” Shiyar Ali, the Scandinavian representative of the mainly Kurdish
regions of northern Syria, said.
Any bid to join NATO, which holds a three day summit
this week, requires backing from each of its 30 members. Turkey has been a NATO
ally for over 70 years.
Sweden’s 100,000-strong Kurdish diaspora and Stockholm's
support for Kurds’ rights has long been points of friction in relations with
Ankara.
“Sweden has been a thorn in Turkey’s side, criticizing
Turkish human rights abuses, there is a strong and vibrant Kurdish diaspora in
Sweden, parts of which is sympathetic to the PKK,” Paul Levin, director at the
Institute for Turkish Studies at Stockholm University, said.
“All these things fly in the face of the Turkish
perspective on these issues that the PKK and their affiliates are an essential
national security threat to Turkey.”
The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) has been waging an
insurgency in Turkey since 1984 in which more than 40,000 people have been
killed.
Sweden has long outlawed the PKK and says it only
provides humanitarian aid to Syria and refugees in the region, mainly through
international organizations.
At the same time as the NATO talks, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch a fresh incursion into northern
Syria to recapture towns held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces,
which are backed by Washington.
The Kurdish YPG militia are a key part of the SDF that
controls large parts of north Syria and is regarded by Washington as an
important ally against ISIS. Ankara sees it as an extension of the militant
PKK, branding it a terrorist group, while Western governments do not.
Aside from its anger with the two Nordic countries,
Turkey has long been infuriated by other support for the YPG, notably from the
United States, France and Germany.
Uncertain road
All that has worried some Kurds, who fear they may pay
the price to placate Turkey and secure Sweden's place in NATO.
Facing a prison sentence, Osman Aytar, an ethnic Kurd,
fled Turkey for Sweden in the 1990s.
“Kurds have been betrayed many times in history,” said
Aytar, a 62-year-old associate professor in social work at the Malardalen
University in eastern Sweden.
“Maybe Erdogan is betting that he can invade new parts
of Rojava [the mainly Kurdish regions of northern Syria] and the West will be
quiet just because of this NATO membership issue. If the West just shuts its
eyes, he will be happy.”
Sweden’s government declined to comment on ongoing
talks with Turkey. Ankara’s embassy in Stockholm also declined to comment. NATO
has said the security concerns raised by Turkey are legitimate.
The complex web of issues has put the Sweden
government - admired around the world for its promotion of human rights and
support for minorities - in a tough spot.
Only this month, the government survived a
no-confidence vote with the help of a former Kurdish peshmerga fighter, who has
demanded continued support for Kurds, further angering Ankara.
A lengthy and uncertain road to NATO membership would
undermine Nordic security and weaken the alliance’s hand in the Baltic.
But meeting Turkey’s demands - which remain unclear -
would damage Sweden’s reputation and could complicate the fight against ISIS.
“We are worried that the Kurds become victims of the
politics,” Ahmed Karamus, the Swedish co-chair of the Kurdistan National
Congress, a Kurdish umbrella group, said.
While the Swedish Kurds spoken to by Reuters are
confident the government will stand up to Turkey, the negotiations are an
uncomfortable reminder that the security of the autonomous area is dependent on
the goodwill of others.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Over 500 right-wing extremists wanted in Germany:
Interior Ministry
Cüneyt Karadağ
27.06.2022
BERLIN
Over 500 right-wing extremists are wanted in Germany,
the country’s Interior Ministry said on Monday.
In an answer to the Left Party's parliamentary
question, the ministry said as many as 568 far-right extremists, including 145
people who committed violent crimes, are sought by Germany as of March 31.
At least 79 of the wanted have fled abroad, the
ministry added.
According to a 2021 report by the German domestic
intelligence service (BfV), there are approximately 33,900 far-right extremists
in Germany, of which 13,500 are “violent.”
The report noted that far-right extremists increased
by 1.8% compared to 2020, the highest level since the statistics were kept.
In recent years, the country has witnessed growing
racism and xenophobia fueled by the propaganda of far-right, anti-Semitic, and
anti-Muslim groups, including the main opposition party Alternative for
Germany, or AfD.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Arab
World
Abu Dhabi to focus on rehabilitation, treatment under
new anti-drugs initiative
28 June, 2022
Government officials in the United Arab Emirate’s
capital of Abu Dhabi have said they will put treatment and rehabilitation at
the focus of a new drugs policy designed to combat the use of narcotics.
The Abu Dhabi Media Office tweeted on Monday that the
‘Integrated Strategy to Combat Addiction’ has several main objectives —
preventing substance use, enabling early identification and intervention,
providing appropriate treatment to substance users and ensuring fast
reintegration of those recovering into their families and society.
“The strategy focuses on supply reduction, prevention
efforts, and early intervention through targeted awareness campaigns, as well
as education programs for parents and key stakeholders from the academic, health
and social sectors,” it tweeted.
It said Abu Dhabi will focus on limit access to
illegal drugs, while ensuring addicts are treated rather than punished.
Under the theme of ‘A Community Safe from Addiction’,
the new strategy will see multiple government authorities - from the police and
schools to hospitals and local clinics – working together to tackle the use of
illegal substances.
The announcement came on the International Day against
Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which falls on June 26.
“The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking comes as a reminder to all societies of the danger of narcotics and
their negative impact on family and societal stability,” Abu Dhabi’s Department
of Community Development tweeted.
On Monday, neighboring emirate Dubai announced its
customs department had made 936 drug seizures across its land, sea, air and
passenger ports in the first four months of 2022. This compares to 558 seizures
in the same period last year.
Source: Al Arabiya
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UAE Minister Almheiri outlines actions to address
global food crisis at Berlin meet
27 June, 2022
Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate
Change and the Environment, participated in the ‘Uniting for Global Food
Security’ Ministerial Conference in Berlin, which was hosted by the German
Government.
The event brought together ministers from the G7
countries, key donor countries, and the most vulnerable and most affected
countries, as well as representatives of UN organisations, philanthropists, and
civil society to drive joint action to enhance global food security.
According to Emiraes News Agency (WAM), addressing the
audience at a roundtable session entitled ‘Diplomatic Efforts and Humanitarian
Action,’ the Minister said: “The UAE pays the utmost attention to enhancing
food security and tackling relevant challenges worldwide. As a donor, a UN
Security Council member, and the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28)
president, the country is committed to collective action to address the global
food crisis and prevent further hunger.”
In this context, she outlined three areas that can
make an immediate and long-term difference. These include championing generous
social protection spending by international financial institutions, channeling
investment into resilient food and water systems, such as drought-resistant
crops and enhanced irrigation, in fragile countries, and scaling up investment
in innovation.
Almheiri highlighted the Agriculture Innovation
Mission for Climate (AIM for Climate) as a prime example of the UAE’s
commitment to driving investment in innovative food systems to tackle food
security challenges. AIM for Climate is a joint UAE-US initiative that seeks to
accelerate and increase investment in climate-smart agricultural R&D and
innovation to help food producers cope with climate change and reduce the
nearly 33 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that food systems
generate.
She added, “I am happy to note here that AIM for
Climate is now supported by a coalition of over 200 government and
non-government partners, and that it intends to increase collective investment
in sustainable and innovative food systems to US$8 billion by COP27.”
Almheiri emphasised the UAE’s readiness to transfer
its experience and expertise to countries that need them in line with its
commitment to supporting nations that share similar climatic challenges in
agriculture.
Speaking on supporting vulnerable communities around
the world facing food insecurity, the Minister said, “To facilitate and
expedite the transportation of aid to those who need it most, we have
established the International Humanitarian City, the largest humanitarian
logistics hub in the world that is home to 54 humanitarian organisations and
nine UN agencies.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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US, Israeli, Arab officials meet in Bahrain as part of
Negev summit
AbdelRaouf Arnaout
27.06.2022
The Negev Summit Steering Committee convened Monday in
the Bahraini capital, Manama, with the participation of Israeli, Arab and
American officials.
Alon Ushpiz, Director General of the Israeli Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, posted photos from inside the meeting, with the
participation of officials from Israel, the US, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the
United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“Working together to translate the full potential of
the Abraham Accords into reality in our region,” Ushpiz said on Twitter.
“Through the Negev Summit, we are creating a real and
positive change in energy, health, food & water security, regional security
and so much more,” he added.
The Israeli diplomat, however, did not mention the
names of the participants in the meeting.
The Negev summit was held last March at the level of
foreign ministers.
In a statement on Sunday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry
said the Negev summit “would become an ongoing process based on six working
groups: Food & water security, energy, health, education & tolerance,
tourism, regional security.”
The goal of the meeting “will be to determine the
working groups’ process. Beyond this, the meeting will also serve as a
milestone ahead of the US President’s expected visit to the Middle East,” the
statement reads.
US President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Israel,
the West Bank and Saudi Arabia in mid-July.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Emirates to air Shahid content exclusively on inflight
entertainment system
June 27, 2022
DUBAI: Emirates has partnered with MBC Group’s
streaming platform Shahid to offer premium content exclusively on its inflight
entertainment system, ice.
The partnership makes ice the only channel to offer
access to Shahid Originals, aside from the streaming service’s own premium
subscription online platform.
“We are excited to offer Shahid’s content for
Emirates’ customers to enjoy, just in time for the busiest travel season of the
year,” said Natasha Matos-Hemingway, chief commercial and marketing officer
(VOD) at MBC Group.
Starting in July, 135 hours of Shahid content from 15
shows will be available on ice.
The content has subtitles to ensure its accessibility
to a large international audience.
The partnership sees Emirates growing its library of
Arabic content on ice, which currently includes over 420 audio channels and 170
film and TV show channels.
“We are excited to welcome the world’s leading Arabic
streaming service content on board so passengers can catch up on all their
favorite entertainment inflight, just as they do at home,” said Patrick
Brannelly, Emirates’ senior vice-president, Retail, IFE & Connectivity.
Shahid’s biggest original production “Rashash,” which
has been hugely popular in the Arab region, will be streamed for the first time
by an airline on Emirates.
Other titles include “Anbar 6,” “Hell’s Gate,” “Al
Shak,” “Dofa'at Beirut,” and “Salon Zahra.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2111916/media
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Mideast
Library and House of Manuscripts of al-Abbas holy
shrine dedicates shelves for books of 'Fatwa of Defence'
June 28, 2022
The Library and House of Manuscripts of the al-Abbas's
(p) holy shrine, affiliated to the Department of Intellectual and Cultural
Affairs, has dedicated a number of shelves for the books of the Holy Defense
fatwa and the Popular Mobilization to be at the service of researchers.
Nizar Hassoun, a member of the lending unit at the
library, said, "due to the large number of books and sources that talk
about the topic of the Holy Defense fatwa and the Popular Mobilization, we have
dedicated new shelves for these books.”
He added that "the number of books that talk
about the fatwa and the Popular Mobilization is constantly increasing, as we
receive many and multiple dedications of books, letters and University theses
every month".
"The books donated to the Library and the House
of Manuscripts of the al-Abbas's (p) holy shrine go through five organizational
steps in order to enter them on the shelves of the library, namely:
The first step: one of the tasks of the lending unit
is to receive books from the donor and give him a receipt with a book of thanks
and appreciation from the library.
The second step: sending the books to the supply unit
in order to Number them in stock.
Step Three: give each book a serial number with
notarization of the title, author, publisher and date of printing.
The fourth step: classify the book by topic and give
it a number (cage, Shelf, book), for easy access by library goers.
Source: ABNA24
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President Rayeesi: Iran Ready to Help D-8 Countries in
Technological Fields
2022-June-27
The Iranian president stressed Iran's policy is base on
cooperation with regional and international organizations, adding that there is
a lot of neglected potential in the D8 countries for increasing trade and
transit of goods.
He, meantime, pointed to the achievements of the
Iranian knowledge-based companies, and said that Iran can share its
technological and knowledge-based companies' achievements with other D-8
countries.
"The United States does not want developing
countries to grow, and it wants them to be dependent on the hegemonic powers
somehow," the Iranian president said.
Isiaka Abdulqadir Imam, for his part, described Iran
as an active member of D-8, and said that two important institutions of the
organization are located in Tehran and Hamedan.
He described the consideration of population capacity for
the member-states of the D-8 organization and the increase of trade exchanges
between the members as his two important management approaches.
The D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, also
known as Developing-8, is an organisation for development cooperation among the
countries, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria,
Pakistan, and Turkey.
The objectives of D-8 Organization for Economic
Cooperation are to improve member states' position in the global economy,
diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance
participation in decision-making at international level, and improve standards
of living. D-8 is a global arrangement rather than a regional one, as the
composition of its members reflects.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Spokesman: Vienna Talks to Continue in A Persian Gulf
State
2022-June-27
The date and the place of the negotiations are almost confirmed,
Khatibzadeh told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on Monday.
One of the countries in the Persian Gulf will host
talks and the negotiations will kick off in the coming days this week, he
added.
Noting that the upcoming talks will be indirect,
Khatibzadeh said that the negotiations will not include the nuclear dimension
and only the matters of dispute will be discussed.
Appreciating the facilitating role of EU Foreign
Policy Chief Josep Borrell during his visit to Iran, he said that the visit was
suggested by the Iranian foreign minister.
Saying that Borrell conveyed the views of the US to
the Iranian side, Khatibzadeh stated that the US has pledged to be committed to
the JCPOA and Resolution 2231, and guaranteed the interests of Iran.
“I can confirm that some agreements on the content and
the form on both issues have been reached, but it remains to be seen whether
the Americans will show in practice that they will pass on Trump's legacy and
be a responsible member,” he added.
Noting that the US has shown how unreliable it is and
does not adhere to what it signs and commits, Khatibzadeh said, "We
proceeded to these negotiations with determination and seriousness, assuming no
definite trust with the American side. The greatest guarantee for our nation is
their own capabilities. The other side withdrew once and saw that we are not
taking a step back in any area and we can take more steps. If we do not take
further steps today, it is because we do not want to, not because we
cannot."
Turning to the visit of the Iraqi foreign minister,
Khatibzadeh described Tehran-Baghdad relations as multi-layered and strategic,
saying the two sides discussed serious projects during Al-Kadhimi's visit.
He appreciated Iraq's role in the Tehran-Riyadh
dialogue, and added, "Al-Kadhimi conveyed points to us from Saudi Arabia,
and the Saudi side is ready to continue the talks at the diplomatic level in
Baghdad and its date will be finalized soon."
Khatibzadeh also said that Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir Abdollahian will depart for Turkey today.
He will visit Turkmenistan afterward to attend the
Summit of Foreign ministers of the Caspian Sea states, he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the senior Iranian diplomat
referred to the situation of the seized Iranian tanker in Greece, and said that
the Greek court has issued the initial verdict correctly.
He called on the Greek government to put this issue
into action as soon as possible.
Turning to the Greek tankers, he said, "The Greek
ambassador is in contact with us and the legal path is underway and they have
consular access."
"We hope that a good agreement will be reached in
the future," he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said
on Saturday that final deal with the world powers in Vienna talks is possible
if the other side reciprocates Iran's seriousness and willingness.
“(I ) Met Josep Borrell in Tehran. Fruitful talks on a
range of bilateral, regional and international issues, including the latest on
the sanctions lifting negotiations,” Amir Abdollahian wrote on his twitter page
after meeting with Borrel in Tehran.
“A final deal is within reach, if other parties have
the will to do so. Iran is resolute on reaching a good, strong and durable
deal,” he underlined.
In recent months, Iran has cited Washington’s
indecisiveness as the reason behind the protraction of the Vienna talks with
the world powers, as a number of key issues remain unresolved, ranging from the
removal of all post-JCPOA sanctions to the provision of guarantees by the
American side that it will not leave the deal again.
In 2019, Iran started its retaliatory remedial
measures by reducing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal after the
European parties to the deal — France, Germany and Britain — failed to fulfill
their commitments to Tehran by confronting the unilateral US sanctions.
Tehran began to gradually remove a cap set in the
JCPOA on its nuclear activities at bi-monthly intervals. At the time, Tehran
insisted if the Iranian economy was shielded from sanctions, it would reverse
its nuclear decision.
On Saturday, Amir Abdollahian and Borrel confirmed
that Tehran and the world powers will resume the Vienna talks on the removal of
the US sanctions in coming days.
Amir Abdollahian said that Tehran is ready to resume
the stalled talks with the G4+1 countries (China, Russia, Britain and France
plus Germany) in Vienna.
He made the remarks on Saturday in a joint press
conference with Borrell in Tehran over the removal of the sanctions under the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
"We are ready to resume the Vienna talks within
the next days," Amir Abdollahian said.
He expressed the hope that the US would "this
time" pursue a "realistic and fair approach" and act
responsibly.
The Iranian foreign minister said he held "detailed,
precise and deep" talks with Borrell on the JCPOA revival negotiations,
adding, "We are going to break the stalemate in the Vienna talks and end
the tension that has existed in recent days."
Borrell, for his part, said talks on reviving the
JCPOA will resume soon in the coming days.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010406000620/Spkesman-Vienna-Talks-Cnine-in-A-Persian-Glf-Sae
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Iranian Foreign Ministry Reminds of Numerous Human
Rights Violations by US
2022-June-27
“The US officials claim that they defend human rights.
They at the same time shoot down an Iranian passenger plane, killing nearly 300
people on board unwittingly. Then they award a medal to the person who
committed the crime,” the foreign ministry wrote in a post on its official
twitter page on Monday.
The post was released on the occasion of the June 1981
terrorist attack on a building in Tehran that led to the killing of the
then-Chief Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti and 72 others and the act of
shooting down an Iranian passenger plane.
The Iranian foreign ministry referred to Afghanistan’s
frozen assets as another example of US anti-human rights acts.
By establishing the Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo prisons,
torturing and brutalizing prisoners, and committing extrajudicial killings, the
US reinvented human rights violations and devised new techniques of flouting
human rights, it added.
“The most obvious example of anti-human rights acts of
the UN government is the targeted assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.
This arbitrary, illegal, and murderous act constitutes violation of many of the
principles enshrined in human rights and international law,” the foreign
ministry said.
In November 2010, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued
a report on the violation of human rights by the US inside and outside its
borders, and urged Washington to sign the international conventions which
prohibit such crimes.
It was stressed in the Foreign Ministry report that
the United States, as a self-proclaimed standard bearer of defense for human
rights in the world, has despite the international community and the UN demand,
and even despite President Barack Obama's promise, still not shut down the
Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib horrendous prisons.
It is stressed in the report that the United States
has not yet joined the most important convention related to the economic,
social and cultural rights that is among the most important human rights
documents.
The Children's Rights Committee of the United Nations,
too, has announced that the United States has been one of the greatest
producers and distributors of the world child pornography products, while it is
now one of the only two countries in the world that have not yet joined the
International Children's Rights Convention.
Also on January 27, 2014, Iran’s Basij (Volunteer)
Force released a comprehensive report on the violation of human rights by the
US inside the country and abroad.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Israel to work with world powers to shape any Iran
nuclear deal: Defence minister
27 June, 2022
Israel will work with world powers to have an impact
on any deal that may emerge from their nuclear negotiations with Iran, Israeli
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on Monday.
Iran and the United States are expected to return to indirect
talks in the coming days amid a push by the European Union to break a
months-long impasse in the negotiations to reinstate a 2015 nuclear pact.
Israel is not a party to the negotiations. But its
concerns about the outcome - and its long-standing threats to take unilateral
military action against Iran - carry weight in Western capitals.
“With the expected or possible resumption of the
nuclear talks, we will continue to work together with the United States and
other countries in order to make our position clear and influence the crafting
of the deal - if there is such,” Gantz told reporters.
Israel has drawn closer in recent years to US-aligned
Arab states which share its concerns over Iran and it has offered them defense
cooperation.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Türkiye protests 'one-sided sanctions' on Iran, hopes
revival of nuclear deal
Merve Gül Aydoğan Ağlarcı
27.06.2022
ANKARA
Türkiye on Monday denounced "one-sided
sanctions" on Iran, and voiced hopes for the revival of the 2015 nuclear
deal.
"We have been against one-sided sanctions on Iran
and do not approve those sanctions," Mevlut Cavusoglu told a joint press
conference with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Ankara.
Cavusoglu expressed hope for the nuclear agreement to
be restored, and for all parties to take the necessary steps in this regard.
Former US President Donald Trump pulled his country
out of the landmark deal in May 2018, which was followed by the reinstatement
of sanctions on Iran under the "maximum pressure" campaign.
Explaining that the nuclear deal would benefit the
region, Türkiye's top diplomat said it would have "positive
reflections" on regional relations and help carry relations forward.
"We'll exert more efforts to increase our trade
volume," Cavusoglu said, adding that the two countries will continue to
cooperate in efforts to defend the Palestinian cause.
Emphasizing that the two countries have
"well-rooted historical relations," Cavusoglu said Türkiye is
determined to further improve relations with Iran in all areas.
The Turkish minister said they addressed not only
regional issues but issues related to terrorism as well.
Türkiye and Iran "have to continue cooperation
because terror is a common enemy for us all," Cavusoglu added.
For his part, the Iranian foreign minister said they
discussed a roadmap to improve relations in many areas. "We'll establish a
committee to deal with climate change issues along our border," he added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Pakistan
Defence Minister condemns Canadian parliamentarian’s
remarks against Pakistani military leadership
June 27, 2022
Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Monday
strongly condemned Canadian parliamentarian’s remarks against Pakistan’s
military leadership and urged the Canadian government to take notice of
irresponsible statement.
Speaking in the National Assembly he said, “Pakistan
and military leadership was
criticized by a Canadian parliamentarian, which is
deplorable, the Canadian
government should take action on irresponsible
statement.”
He said that a protest had also been registered
through diplomatic channel against the remarks but it was necessary to debate
the issue in Pakistan’s Parliament too.
Pakistan is enjoying cordial ties with Canada but the
remarks against
the Pakistan state and its institution cannot be tolerated,
he said.
He alleged that PTI chief Imran Khan is involved in an
anti-state campaign outside the country.
He said that the government in Pakistan had been
changed through legal process and
according to the constitution.
The Minister said that change of government had also
been endorsed by Pakistan judiciary and the majority supported the move.
He said that, in the incident of Isamophobia in
Canada, Muslims from 2017 to 2022 were targeted and killed in various
incidents.”During the last five years, Canada is leading in the cases of
Isamophobia in G-7 countries.
The human rights violations are on the rise in Canada”
he added.
He expressed displeasure over the silence in human
rights violations in Indian Illegally
Occupied Jammu Kashmir, Palestine and against the
Muslim living in India.
The Defence Minister said what an irony it is that
western countries always exercise selective sense of justice and look aside
when there is a matter of the rights of Muslims in Kashmir, Palestine and
Myanmar.
He said it was unfortunate, when the issue of
targeting Muslim come, the international human rights institutions showed
criminal silence.
Khawaja Asif said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
leadership had divided the Pakistan society and overseas Pakistanis.
“9.5 million Overseas Pakistanis are assets of the
country” he added.
He alleged that PTI chief Imran Khan had promoted hate
inside Pakistan and outside Pakistan. He said that all the country’s
institutions had been used by Imran Khan for political victimization.
Leader of opposition in National Assembly Raja Riaz
Ahmed Khan has also condemned parliamentarian remarks against military
leadership.
“The house strongly condemned Canadian
parliamentarians remarks against Pakistan institutions and its leadership.”
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social
Safety Shazia Marri also called upon the Canadian government to take notice of
the irresponsible statement given by a Canadian Parliamentarian against the
democratic system of Pakistan.
“I am truly offended as a Pakistani to hear such an
irresponsible statement made on the floor of the Canadian Parliament,” she
added.
She said the Pakistan government sees the bilateral
relationship with Canada as a respect but it does not mean that its parliament
should raise questions over the Pakistan’s democratic government and the
security institutions.
“Pakistan is a sovereign nation, Pakistan is a nuclear
state, and Pakistan has true democratic system that has to be respected”, she
added.
She said such statements on the international level
are being made only due to the former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s anti-Pakistan
and anti-democratic behavior who is telling blatant lies in his interviews with
the international media.
Responding to the grievances expressed by the Muhammad
Aslam Bhootani, the minister added that the issues and the grievances of
Balochistan needed to be addressed by action not by words.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Former chief of Pak’s ISI says supporting Imran Khan
need of hour
27 June, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], June 27 (ANI): Pakistan’s former
director-general (DG) of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Zaheerul Islam on
Monday said supporting the Chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan was the
need of the hour.
A ceremony was held for Shabbir Awan, a by-election
PTI contestant from PP-7 (Rawalpindi), by the former director-general in Kahota
area Sunday, The News International reported.
The media reports claimed that Islam expressed his
support for the PTI and promised to run his election campaign.
Several reports claimed that the retired Lt Gen
Zaheerul Islam has entered the political sphere and joined a political party
but he has not yet commented on these reports, the Dawn newspaper reported.
A picture of Gen Islam was shared by journalist Saleem
Safi on his Twitter account where Islam could be seen delivering a speech at a
political event while standing at a podium emblazoned with PTI’s flag.
The information secretary of the party Fawad Chaudhry
has dismissed the reports of the former ISI DG joining the political sphere.
Chaudhry stated that the former ISI Director-General
participated in the event to support a candidate of the party, who is also a
relative of the retired general, for the upcoming Punjab Assembly by-polls.
There was no truth to rumours that Gen Islam had
joined the PTI, he was merely expressing support for a PTI candidate who
happened to be a relative of the retired general, Dawn reported citing the PTI
member.
The former general was elected as the ISI chief from
March 2012 to November 2014 and it was also speculated that he was a part of
the negotiations during the party’s sit-in outside the parliament.
Earlier, voting for the first phase of local
government elections was held in 14 districts of Sindh.
The total number of registered voters is 1,149,2680.
The election commission printed 2,950,000 ballot papers for the first phase of
the Sindh LG polls.
While polling began in the morning in all 14
districts, reports of violence, scuffles and ECP mismanagement started pouring
in from upper and lower Sindh regions. These clashes were said to emerge out of
missing election symbols as well. Polling was suspended at various polling
stations.
Source: The Print
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of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/former-chief-of-paks-isi-says-supporting-imran-khan-need-of-hour/1014597/
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Nascent Pakistan Coalition Govt Comes Under Fire From
Within
Amir Wasim
June 28, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Cracks in the 11-week-old ruling alliance
became all too visible on Monday when, one after the other, nearly all
coalition partners made angry outbursts in the National Assembly over the
“change of attitude” of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N),
accusing it of backtracking from the commitments it made ahead of the
no-confidence vote against former prime minister Imran Khan.
The most aggressive stance was taken by the Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F), which was one of the main components of the Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance and a key partner of the PML-N and the
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on the opposition benches during the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) regime.
Federal Minister for Communications Asad Mehmood, who
hails from JUI-F, protested the government’s decision to file appeal before the
Supreme Court a Federal Shariat Court (FSC) decision in the Riba case.
Complaining that the government had made the decision
without consulting his party, the JUI-F leader hinted that his party could even
go to the extent of quitting the ruling alliance if the PML-N did not come out
with a clarification.
The government and the ministry concerned should make
it clear if the banks had gone to court under their directives, he asked,
adding: “If they have done it on their own, then who has given them the
authority to go into the appeal against such decisions and on what grounds? No
government minister can make decisions alone. You cannot file an appeal without
consulting us,” declared Mr Mehmood, who is the son of JUI-F chief Maulana
Fazlur Rehman.
He was speaking on a point of order while the assembly
was approving demands for grants for various ministries and divisions in
connection with the federal budget 2022-23.
“If today any ministry wants to take a solo flight
then it should think and decide about its future. We have decided about our
future. We will spend our lives in accordance with Islam… and we distance
ourselves from such decisions,” he said.
Indirectly threatening to agitate against this move,
Mr Mehmood asked the government to withdraw the appeal in the SC and make a
categorical announcement in this regard.
Another attack on the government was launched from
within the alliance by independent MNA from Gwadar, Aslam Bhootani who lodged a
strong protest against Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for not including
development schemes in his constituency in the Public Sector Development
Programme (PSDP), despite repeated requests by PPP’s Asif Zardari, and even
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“Then, I requested those [quarters] from where we
normally receive telephone calls – if their calls still had any weight – to ask
Ahsan Iqbal, and then he reflected my scheme [in the PSDP],” said Mr Bhootani
without elaborating about the telephone calls. He then regretted that the
allocated amount would also be released in installments.
Interestingly, Mr Bhootani praised the previous PTI
government, stating that it had released billions of rupees and got 100 per
cent allocated amount, which was cut by Mr Iqbal. He said he was happy in the
PTI government, but joined the present coalition for the sake of Mr Zardari,
who had arranged the support of 58 members for the present government.
Khalid Magsi of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) also
expressed similar feelings, saying that it seemed that those who were desperate
to obtain their support at the time of the no confidence vote, “did not like
our faces now”.
Then, Osama Qadri of the Muttahidda Qaumi Movement
(MQM) took the floor and alleged that the PML-N and the PPP were not
implementing the agreements that had been signed with the party at the time of
the formation of the government.
North Waziristan MNA Mohsin Dawar also protested the
failure of the authorities to produce Ali Wazir in the assembly, despite the
issuance of his production orders.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, however, defended the
PML-N and said that the grievances of the allies from Balochistan were genuine
and said the government would make every effort to remove the sense of
deprivation among the Balochistan people.
Earlier, at the outset, lawmakers condemned the
remarks of Canadian parliamentarian Tom Kmiec, who belongs to the Conservative
Party, where he had reportedly talked about the regime change in Pakistan and
the alleged role of the military in this process.
The lawmakers said the remarks were tantamount to
“interference” in Pakistan’s affairs and asked the Canadian government to take
notice of the matter.
The issue was raised by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif
who alleged that the MP had issued the statement at the behest of some
Pakistani expats and the PTI lobbyists, stating that former prime minister
Imran Khan was involved in “an anti-state campaign outside the country.”
He also highlighted some human rights violations in
Canada, saying that Muslims from 2017 to 2022 were targeted and killed in
various incidents related to Islamophobia.
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation Shazia Marri
also condemned the statement and said the regime in Pakistan was changed
democratically and as per the constitution.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1697101
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IHC asks defence ministry to submit report on
harassment of Baloch students
Malik Asad
June 28, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought
a report from the defence ministry on alleged harassment of Baloch students and
directed secretaries of Ministry of Human Rights and Senate to appear before
the court in person and explain reasons why a meeting of the commission formed
to probe into grievances of Baloch students had not yet been held.
Hearing a petition filed by lawyer and activist Imaan
Zainab Mazari-Hazir, the court observed: “The grievances of the students of
Balochistan enrolled in educational institutions are not groundless.”
Previously, the IHC had ordered formation of a commission to probe into the
matter.
According to the order sheet, authored by IHC Chief
Justice Athar Minallah, “the grievances of the students, who belong to the
province of Balochistan, are grave ... racial profiling and treating citizens
differently is one of the most grave violation of guaranteed fundamental
rights.”
The court instructed secretary (Ministry of Interior)
to submit a report before the next proceeding and explain why grievances of
Baloch students had not been attended to.
Justice Minallah ordered defence secretary to submit a
report regarding the progress of disciplinary proceedings against the official
who had visited Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, to inquire about Baloch
students.
Source: Dawn
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South
Asia
Taliban Convene 'Loya Jirga' In Kabul: Aimed At
Unifying Afghans to Discuss Key Challenges Faced By the Country
Jun 28, 2022
ISLAMABAD: The Taliban government has convened a “Loya
Jirga” (grand council of tribal and religious leaders) in Kabul on June 29
saying it is aimed at unifying Afghans from across Afghanistan to discuss the
key challenges faced by the country.
A letter signed by Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad
Hassan Akhund has been circulating on social media stating that a meeting of
ministers, chaired by Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban supreme leader, in
Kandahar discussed calls for a major gathering of scholars in the country.
“It was decided to convene a huge gathering of ulema
(religious scholars) from across the country. A commission led by Deputy Prime
Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been tasked with organising the
meeting,” the letter read.
The gathering, it stated, will be held in Kabul from
June 29 to July 3 and would be attended by well-known scholars and public
figures.
From each district, two religious scholars and one
public figure will participate in the gathering and from each police district,
two public figures and one religious scholar will be in attendance.
“As we are facing a critical situation, we hope this
gathering moves us toward unity and warms the hearts of our citizens to return
to the country,” Abdul Matin Mahir, a prominent Afghan cleric, said.
Human rights advocates claim they do not anticipate
and expect significant improvement from the Taliban jirga.
Heather Barr, co-director of the women’s rights
division at Human Rights Watch, said no one in the Taliban’s Jirga could speak
up and that the assembly may not reflect ethnic diversity.
“People will hope desperately for this jirga to yield
some tiny progress toward ending Taliban violations of the rights of women and
girls; but that doesn’t mean that a decision-making body that excludes women
can ever be legitimate,” Barr said.
“The Taliban appears to be trying to legitimize their
actions against Afghans and the international community by holding this jirga,”
she added.
Political analysts suggested that a jirga with members
who represent Afghanistan’s political diversity, including women, and an open
and transparent agenda, is required in order to make a meaningful effort to
resolve the political crisis.
“There is a narrow chance this gathering will convince
the Taliban to put aside violence and respect human rights and include people
in the country’s politics,” Sayed Sijad Sijadi, an Afghan political analyst,
said.
It is still unclear whether representatives of the
protesting girls, human rights advocates, and women will be invited to the
jirga, despite the Taliban’s previous claims that representatives of all
segments of society will be invited.
According to the National Resistance Front, the
Taliban have formed the Loya Jirga commission and seek legitimacy and
international recognition through this “tribal approach.”
Source: Times Of India
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“Tribal Elders and the Ulema” Gather for the Taliban’s
Grand Gathering At The Ulema’s Persistent Request
By Saqalain Eqbal
27 Jun 2022
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s spokesperson,
Zabihullah Mujahid, announced that a gathering of Islamic clerics will soon be
convened. The gathering will bring many tribal elders and the Ulema from every
province and district together in Kabul.
The gathering will take three days and focus on
various issues, according to the sources, who also added that approximately
three people, mainly clerics, from each village are invited to attend the
gathering.
Without providing a specific date, a senior Taliban
official, Zabihullah Mujahid announced on his Twitter handle that the Taliban
leadership would convene the gathering of Islamic clerics at the Ulema’s
persistent request.
The Kabul Polytechnic University, where the event is
organized, has, however, suspended classes for an eight-day period beginning on
Sunday, June 27th, suggesting that the gathering will take place sometime this week.
Nevertheless, the gathering will reportedly take place
on Wednesday, according to sources in the local news outlets.
The issue of the reopening of the girls’ schools will
be discussed by a gathering of the clerics, according to Anas Haqqani, the Interior
Minister of the Taliban’s government, who stated this some time ago on two
separate occasions, in an interview with CNN and while speaking to a large
audience in the southeast province of Khost.
However, there are no indications as to what the
agenda for the upcoming gathering of the clerics will be.
While spokesperson Mujahid specifically mentions
“tribal elders” and “Islamic Ulema” as the participants of the gathering of the
Taliban, which is to be convened in the Loya Jirga tent in Kabul, the participation
of women and other concerned groups yet remains unclear.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/tribal-elders-and-the-ulema-gather-for-the-talibans-grand-gathering-47393/
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Human Rights Watch: Taliban’s Jirga Lacks Legitimacy
If It Excludes Women
By Saqalain Eqbal
27 Jun 2022
In reaction to the Jirga of the Taliban that will take
place in the Loya Jirga tent, Human Rights Watch said that a decision-making
body, such as a Jirga that excludes women and other groups is not legitimate.
While human rights advocates claim they do not
anticipate and expect significant improvements from the Taliban Jirga in Kabul,
Heather Barr, co-director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch,
said no one in the Taliban’s Jirga could speak up and that the assembly may not
reflect ethnic diversity.
Heather Barr tweeted yesterday, 26th June, that
“People will hope desperately for this Jirga to yield some tiny progress toward
ending Taliban violations of the rights of women and girls; but that doesn’t
mean that a decision-making body that excludes women can ever be legitimate.”
“The Taliban appears to be trying to legitimize their
actions against Afghans and the international community by holding this jirga,”
she said.
Political analysts also support the stance maintained by the Human Rights
Watch by expressing that Afghanistan will not be able to resolve its
overlapping issues with “performative” Jirgas.
A Jirga with members who represent Afghanistan’s
political diversity, including women, and an open and transparent agenda is
required in order to make a meaningful effort to resolve the political crisis,
they suggested.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Death toll of children in Afghanistan quake rises to
155
Jun 27, 2022
GAYAN (AFGHANISTAN): The death toll of children in
last week's devastating earthquake in southeastern Afghanistan has risen to at
least 155, the United Nations said as the scope of the deadliest quake to hit
the impoverished country in two decades comes into focus.
The U.N.'s humanitarian coordination organization,
OCHA, said on Sunday that another 250 children were injured in the magnitude 6
temblor that struck the mountainous villages in the Paktika and Khost provinces
near the country's border with Pakistan, flattening homes and triggering
landslides. Most of the children died in Paktika's hard-hit Gayan district,
which remains a scene of life in ruins, days after the quake.
Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have put the total death
toll from the quake at 1,150, with hundreds more injured, while the U.N. has
offered a slightly lower estimate of 770, although the world body has warned
the figure could still rise.
The quake has also left an estimated 65 children
orphaned or unaccompanied, the U.N. humanitarian office added.
The disaster - the latest to convulse Afghanistan
after decades of war, hunger, poverty and an economic crash - has become a test
of the Taliban's capacity to govern and the international community's willingness
to help.
When the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan as the
United States and its NATO allies were withdrawing their forces last August,
foreign aid stopped practically overnight. World governments piled on
sanctions, halted bank transfers and froze billions more in Afghanistan's
currency reserves, refusing to recognize the Taliban government and demanding
they allow a more inclusive rule and respect human rights.
The former insurgents have resisted the pressure,
imposing restrictions on the freedoms of women and girls that recall their
first time in power in the late 1990s, triggering Western backlash.
Aware of their limitations, the Taliban have appealed
for foreign aid. The U.N. and an array of overstretched aid agencies in the
country that have tried to keep Afghanistan from the brink of starvation have
swung into action. Despite funding and access constraints, convoys of aid have
trickled into the remote provinces.
Source: Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
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Central Bank of Afghanistan: Money-Trading Through
Forex Is Illegal
By Saqalain Eqbal
27 Jun 2022
In a recent statement, the Taliban-led Da Afghanistan
Bank stated that money trading and financial transactions through the Forex
online application is illegal.
Da Afghanistan Bank, in a statement issued on Sunday,
June 26th, announced that it has not licensed or permitted the operation of the
Forex online in Afghanistan, therefore, any financial transaction through the
online platform is against the law.
The Central Bank of Afghanistan restricts the use of
Forex applications in Afghanistan and warns that its usage is associated with
multiple hidden financial risks, despite the fact that many people in
Afghanistan’s capital and provinces continue to use it.
Da Afghanistan Bank has also stated that it is trying
to identify and prosecute anyone involved in the area.
Forex trading entails the speculative purchasing and
selling of currencies for profit. It is an internet marketplace where users can
save or transfer money from one location to another.
Forex is not only the world’s largest market; it is
also the most actively traded. Every day, millions of dollars are supposedly
transacted on the Forex online marketplace.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/central-bank-of-afghanistan-money-trading-through-forex-is-illegal-27438/
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India
After
Teesta Setalvad arrest, civil society fears ‘chilling effect’
Pheroze
L. Vincent
28.06.22
A
civil society struggling to come to terms with the Supreme Court verdict in the
Zakia Jafri case hit the streets on Monday against the arrest of human rights
activist Teesta Setalvad and whistleblower police officer R.B. Sreekumar by
Gujarat police.
During
a protest on Jantar Mantar Road here, several Opposition politicians and civil
society members asserted a citizen’s right to seek redress of injustice.
“What
it (the verdict) means for people like me is that the Supreme Court is saying,
‘Do not come to us for justice’,” scientist Gauhar Raza said.
“It
also sends out the message that we are capable of turning a petitioner into an
accused; and that if under the leadership of the chief minister a carnage is
organised, then the political party, government machinery and perpetrators
would be safe.”
Delhi
University professor Apoorvanand said: “It is the quest for justice that is
being criminalised…. This order will have a chilling effect.”
The
apex court had on Friday accepted a special investigation team’s findings and
upheld a clean chit to then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and 63 others.
Zakia had levelled charges of a larger conspiracy behind the 2002 violence.
In
the context of the conspiracy allegations, the court spoke of a “devious
stratagem to keep the pot boiling… for ulterior design”, which has been cited
by the Gujarat police to justify the
arrests of Setalvad and Sreekumar.
In
attendance at the Jantar Mantar rally were Jairam Ramesh and Ajay Maken of the
Congress, which has been accused of lukewarm opposition to the verdict and the
police action despite Zakia’s slain husband Ehsan having been a former Congress
MP.
Maken
said: “The Congress is standing with all the Opposition parties who are in
support of Teesta Setalvad. We are against her arrest. Everyone who is raising
a voice is being arrested. It is the right of every citizen to point towards
the wrongdoings of the government.”
Cadres
from the CPM and CPIML Liberation, which were among the first to condemn the
arrests, were present in large numbers.
Maimoona
Mollah, president of the CPM-backed Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Delhi, said: “This
is an attack on democracy. It is an attack on protests…. Those who go against
the government are considered guilty and the judiciary is also playing to the
gallery.”
Sucheta
De, Delhi state committee member of the CPIML Liberation’s All India Central
Council of Trade Unions, said: “History will ask who these judges were who
refused to entertain the petition against the murderers, but sent those who
were seeking justice behind bars.”
In
Ranchi, CPI-ML national general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya described the
arrest as unfortunate. "Teesta Setalvad has a national and international
reputation for her activism in anti-communal campaigns and fight for justice
for the victims of the 2002 Gujarat riots. The arrest is like a warning to individuals
and organisations active on such issues. We, on behalf of the civil society and
the Left parties, condemn this arrest," Bhattacharya said, taking part in
a protest staged by the Left parties along with civil society groups and human
rights outfits near Jharkhand’s Raj Bhavan in Ranchi as part of a state-wide
agitation.
The
Working Group of Human Rights in India and the United Nations, of which
Setalvad is a member, said in a statement: “As India is to appear before the UN
Human Rights Council for its fourth review under the UN’s Universal Periodic
Review in November 2022, the government will be required to respond to the
comments and recommendations from UN member states on the issue of human rights
defenders.
“WGHR
calls for the immediate release of its member Teesta Setalvad. It also calls
for the release of R.B. Sreekumar and Sanjiv Bhatt. The systematic targeting of
human rights defenders by the Indian State must stop.”
Bhatt,
a former IPS officer who had accused Modi of allowing the 2002 violence against
Muslims, is serving a life sentence over a custody death.
On
Sunday, the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, had
tweeted: “Deeply concerned by reports of #WHRD Teesta Setalvad being detained
by Anti Terrorism Squad of Gujarat police. Teesta is a strong voice against
hatred and discrimination. Defending human rights is not a crime. I call for
her release and an end to persecution by #Indian state.”
A
statement signed by more than 2,200 people has protested the arrests of
Setalvad and Sreekumar. Among the signatories are the former navy chief,
Admiral Ramdas, Congress MP Kumar Ketkar, actress Shabana Azmi, dancer Mallika
Sarabhai, authors Gita Hariharan and Shamshul Islam, former Planning Commission
member Syeda Hameed, former diplomat Madhu Bhandari, and former IAS officer and
activist Aruna Roy.
“The
State has now used the observations made in the judgment to falsely and
vindictively prosecute those who had struggled for justice even in the face of
State callousness and complicity,” the statement said.
“It
is truly an Orwellian situation of the lie becoming the truth, when those who
fought to establish the truth of what happened in the Gujarat genocide of 2002
are being targeted.”
They
added: “We condemn this naked and brazen attempt to silence and criminalise
those who stand for constitutional values and who have struggled against very
difficult odds to try to achieve justice for the victims of 2002. We demand
that this false and vindictive FIR be taken back unconditionally and Teesta
Setalvad and others detained under this FIR be released immediately.”
The
Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which led the yearlong farmers’ protest against three
now-repealed central agricultural laws, said: “…Human rights activist Teesta
Setalvad who fought for justice for the victims of 2002 Gujarat riots, and
former administrative officer R.B. Sreekumar, were also arrested on 26 June.
Simultaneously, another case has been registered against former IPS officer
Sanjiv Bhatt. We strongly oppose and condemn this dictatorial behaviour by the
Union government.”
The
Delhi Union of Journalists, National Alliance of Journalists and the Mumbai
Press Club too have condemned the arrests.
Additional
reporting by Animesh Bisoee in Jamshedpur
Five
questions
Congress
communications chief Jairam Ramesh said on Monday that five questions would
continue to haunt Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
⚫
Was Narendra Modi not the chief minister of Gujarat when the horrific riots
took place in 2002?
⚫
Why was then Prime Minister Vajpayee so concerned at Modi’s lack of action
during the 2002 violence that he had publicly reminded him to follow his
“rajdharma”?
⚫
Had a Supreme Court bench not described the then Modi government in Gujarat as
“modern-day Neros (who) were looking elsewhere when… innocent children and
helpless women were burning, and were probably deliberating how the
perpetrators of the crime can be protected”? (The court had made the statement
in 2004 while ordering a retrial in the Best Bakery massacre case in Gujarat
and its transfer to Maharashtra.)
⚫
Why did some within the BJP, including Smriti Irani who is now a member of
Modi’s Union government, protest and call for Modi’s dismissal as chief
minister if he were not guilty of any wrongdoing? (In 2004, Irani had
threatened to go on a fast-unto-death if Modi didn’t resign as CM. Irani
repeatedly took Vajpayee’s name. But she soon announced an unconditional
withdrawal of her statement.)
Source:
Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
--------
Mohammed
Zubair, One of the Founders of the Fact-Checking Website AltNews,
Imran
Ahmed Siddiqui
28.06.22
Delhi
police on Tuesday arrested journalist Mohammed Zubair, one of the founders of
the fact-checking website AltNews, on charges of hurting religious sentiments
and promoting enmity.
Ironically,
the same police force, which reports to the Union home ministry headed by Amit
Shah, has not yet arrested the now-axed BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and
Navin Jindal for their derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammed earlier
this month.
Sharma’s
comment had provoked a backlash in West Asia, landed India in the biggest
diplomatic crisis in recent memory and triggered protests in several parts of
the country. At least two youths were killed in India in alleged police firing
after some of the protests turned violent.
Sources
said Zubair, who has used his Twitter handle @zoo_bear to relentlessly call out
the fake narratives of the Right wing, had been under the scanner ever since he
tweeted a video clip that showed Nupur making the derogatory statements.
The
proof had made it difficult for the Narendra Modi government to sweep the issue
under the carpet when several Gulf nations took note and expressed outrage. The
Modi government had little option but to distance itself from the then BJP
spokespersons’ comments and later suspend Sharma and expel Jindal.
Founded
in 2017 as a non-profit, AltNews is among the world’s most prominent
fact-checking outlets. Its founders have routinely faced online trolling and
police cases lodged by Right-wing groups over the past few years.
The
complaint on which Zubair has been arrested is not directly linked to the
Sharma clip that tied the hands of the Modi government.
Sources
said the case against Zubair was based on a tweet by him that came to the
police’s notice after a Twitter handle called Hanuman Bhakt @balajikijaiin
expressed anger at it.
Zubair’s
colleague and AltNews co-founder Pratik Sinha tweeted a little after midnight
that the duty magistrate gave custody for only one day although the police had
sought custody for seven days.
“A
case was earlier registered under sections 153A (promoting enmity between
different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth and language) and
295A (deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feelings) of
the IPC against Zubair,” said K.P.S. Malhotra, DCP (cybercrime).
Zubair
joined the probe on Monday. After gathering sufficient evidence on record, the
police arrested him, Malhotra said. He said the police were producing Zubair
before a magistrate to seek his custody.
Sinha
tweeted: “Zubair was called today by special cell, Delhi, for investigation in
a 2020 case for which he already had protection against arrest from the high
court. However, today at around 6.45pm, we were told that he has been arrested
in some other FIR for which no notice was given, which is mandatory under law
for the sections under which he has been arrested. Nor FIR copy is being given
to us despite repeated requests.
“After
the medical examination, Zubair is being taken to an undisclosed location.
Neither Zubair’s lawyers nor I are being told where. We are in the police van
with him. No police person is wearing any name tag.”
A
former Delhi police officer told this newspaper: “Zubair, who has been
routinely calling out hate mongers belonging to the ruling party, has now been
arrested for hate speech. Many of those whom he had exposed, including Nupur
Sharma, are roaming freely.
“Calling
out hate mongers is now a criminal offence in India. Nothing can be more
ironical than Prime Minister Modi two days ago in Germany describing the
Emergency as a ‘black spot’ on Indian democracy.”
The
old case Sinha referred to dates back to September 2020 when the Delhi police
had booked Zubair under the Pocso Act after he responded to an abusive message
from a Twitter user. Delhi High Court later restrained the police from taking
any coercive action against Zubair.
Quoting
Delhi police’s senior officials, the news agency, ANI, tweeted: “Present case
registered on basis of a post on Twitter by handle Hanuman Bhakt @balajikijaiin
where he showed his anger against another Twitter handle in the name of
Mohammed Zubair regarding the post….
“The
said post of Zubair containing picture and words against a particular religious
community are highly provocative and done deliberately which are more than
sufficient to incite hatred among people which can be detrimental for
maintenance of public tranquillity.”
DCP
Malhotra said the Delhi police were alerted by a Twitter handle which said
Zubair had earlier made an objectionable tweet and his followers and social
media entities had amplified and generated debate and hate mongering in the
thread. “He was examined in this case and his role was found objectionable. He
was evasive on the questions which warranted his custodial interrogation to
unravel the conspiracy in this matter. Accordingly, he has been arrested and is
being produced before a court for seeking police custody remand.”
Opposition
leaders and many social media users expressed solidarity with Zubair and
condemned his arrest.
Congress
MP Rahul Gandhi tweeted: “Every person exposing BJP’s hate, bigotry and lies is
a threat to them. Arresting one voice of truth will only give rise to a
thousand more. Truth ALWAYS triumphs over tyranny.”
Journalist
Rohini Singh tweeted: “Busting fake news and calling out bigotry peddled by
sympathisers and office bearers of the ruling party is a crime in New India.
Another crime is being Muslim and speaking out. @zoo_bear committed both.”
Congress
MP Jairam Ramesh said the Delhi police were acting in a vengeful manner as
AltNews had been exposing the government’s bogus claims.
“AltNews
& zoo_bear have been in the forefront of exposing the bogus claims of the
Vishguru, who has struck back with a vengeance characteristic of him. Delhi
police, reporting to the Union Home Minister, has long lost any pretensions of
professionalism and independence,” he said in a tweet.
Supreme
Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the government “is going after those who are
exposing hate speech”.
Congress
MP Shashi Tharoor termed Zubair’s arrest an “assault on truth” and demanded his
immediate release.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
SC
verdict in Zakia Jafri case deeply disappointing, says Congress
Sanjay
K. Jha
28.06.22
The
Congress on Monday described the Supreme Court verdict in the Zakia Jafri case
as “deeply disappointing” while stressing that no amount of BJP propaganda can
cover up the stain of the 2002 Gujarat violence or Narendra Modi’s failure as
chief minister in handling it.
“The
Supreme Court judgment in the Zakia Jafri case is deeply disappointing,” party
communications Chief Jairam Ramesh said, before posing certain “fundamental
questions”.
“Despite
the judgment dated June 24th, 2022, the following fundamental questions still
remain unanswered: 1. What is the Constitutional & moral responsibility of
the Chief Minister & State Govt in cases of large-scale communal riots? 2.
Is the responsibility in such cases, only ever that of the Collector & Dy.
Commissioner of Police and not of political executive? 3. Will the Chief
Minister, Cabinet and State Government never be held accountable, even if a
State is thrown into a circle of violence & riots?”
Ramesh
referred to then BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s public advice to
Modi to carry out his “rajdharma” (duties of a ruler) and the Supreme Court’s
description in 2004 of the then Gujarat rulers as “modern-day Neros” who had
done nothing as the state burnt.
The
apex court had on Friday accepted a special investigation team’s findings and
absolved Modi and 63 others of charges of a larger conspiracy behind the
violence, as levelled by Zakia Jafri. A mob had burnt alive Zakia’s husband,
former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, with 68 others at Ahmedabad’s Gulberg Society
housing complex on February 28, 2002.
The
Congress has challenged the BJP’s interpretation of the judgment as an
exoneration of Modi from all charges relating to the Gujarat riots. Congress
spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi has argued that the verdict’s context is limited
to the Gulberg Society massacre.
Ramesh’s
statement on Monday reflected the Congress’s stand that Modi and his then
Gujarat government had acted irresponsibly through the riots and their
aftermath, when relief and justice needed to be delivered to the victims.
“Furthermore,
while the Supreme Court has pronounced its judgment, there are five questions
that will continue to haunt the Prime Minister,” Ramesh said. He said these
questions were:
**Was
Narendra Modi not the chief minister of Gujarat when the horrific riots took
place in 2002?
**Why
was then Prime Minister Vajpayee so concerned at Modi’s lack of action during
the 2002 violence that he had publicly reminded him to follow his “rajdharma”?
**Had
a Supreme Court bench not described the then Modi government in Gujarat as
“modern-day Neros (who) were looking elsewhere when… innocent children and
helpless women were burning, and were probably deliberating how the
perpetrators of the crime can be saved or protected”?
**Why
did some within the BJP, including Smriti Irani who is now a member of Modi’s
Union government, protest and call for Modi’s dismissal as chief minister if he
were not guilty of any wrongdoing?
**What
about all the numerous convictions carried out on the basis of evidence
collected by the SIT relating to the Gujarat riots? Can the BJP claim that
those also stand invalidated?
Ramesh
added: “We stand by our colleague, the late Ehsan Jafri, and his family in this
hour. What happened to him in a most tragic manner was the result of a
fundamental lapse on the part of the state government.”
Zakia
has alleged that frantic calls by Ehsan to authorities in Gujarat, as a mob
attacked Gulberg Society, had brought no response.
Ramesh
didn’t comment on the arrest of activist Teesta Setalvad and police officer
R.B. Sreekumar, who had questioned the then Gujarat government’s role during
the riots.
Source:
Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Regrettable
that still no agreement on Constitutional basis for holding elections in Libya:
India
Jun
28, 2022
NEW
DELHI: India has said it is regrettable that there is still no agreement on the
Constitutional basis for holding elections in Libya, saying that the priority
right now is to ensure that elections are held at the earliest in a free, fair,
inclusive, and credible manner.
Counsellor
in India's permanent mission to the UN R Madhu Sudan said on Monday at the
security council briefing and consultations on Libya that New Delhi notes with
concern that the progress seen after the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement is
not only in danger of coming to a halt, but there are also indications of risk
of backsliding.
"We
noted with a high degree of concern the reports of armed clashes and
mobilisations of armed groups in and around Tripoli. It is also regrettable
that there is still no agreement on the Constitutional basis for holding
elections," he said adding that India notes that the Speaker of the House
of Representatives Aguila Saleh and President of the high council of state
Khaled Al-Mishri is scheduled to meet at the UN Office at Geneva on June 28-29
to discuss the draft constitutional framework for holding elections.
"We
urge all parties concerned to strive to resolve all outstanding political
issues peacefully, keeping the larger interests of the Libyan people in mind.
We hope that all parties will work together to maintain peace and stability in
the country. In this regard, we once again reiterate the importance of holding
the Presidential and Parliamentary elections at the earliest. It has been about
half a year since the missed milestone for holding elections as decided by Libyans
themselves. It is important that the stalemate not be allowed to
continue," he said adding that it is important to ensure that the
political process in Libya is fully Libyan-led and Libyan-owned with no
imposition or external interference.
India
underlined that the priority right now is to ensure that elections are held at
the earliest in a free, fair, inclusive, and credible manner. "We hope
that all parties in Libya can unite around this common purpose. It is important
for the Security Council and the international community to support the Libyan
people as they prepare for the elections. The violence of any form could
undermine the progress achieved since 2020, and should be strongly
opposed."
He
further noted that it is also important for the international community to
focus its attention on the threat of terrorism in Africa, particularly in the
Sahel region. Reports of the secretary-general and the panel of experts have
highlighted the presence of training camps of ISIL and its affiliates in southern
Libya.
"ISIL's
continued ability to launch attacks is deeply concerning. The focus of this
Council should be to eliminate every threat posed by ISIL and other terror
groups anywhere in the world. Terrorism is a growing threat to Africa and it is
important for the Security Council to focus on this issue before it is too
late," he said.
India
stressed that it is also important to see concrete progress in the full and
complete withdrawal of foreign forces and mercenaries. "It is regrettable
that after over a year and a half since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement
we are yet to see tangible progress in this regard. The continued presence of
foreign forces and mercenaries is detrimental to the peace and stability of the
country and the region."
"We
would like to stress here that, as noted very clearly by the Panel of Experts
of the Libya Sanctions Committee in their recent report, the so-called military
training provided by some countries and the presence of their troops on Libyan
soil is also a clear violation of Security Council resolutions," he said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
SC
to hear plea alleging attacks on Christian institutions, priests
June
27, 2022
The
Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on “re-opening day itself” a plea
alleging a rising number of attacks on Christian institutions and priests
across the country and seeking the implementation of earlier apex court
guidelines to curb hate crimes.
On
an average, 45 to 50 violent attacks take place against Christian institutions
and priests every month throughout the country, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves
said.
In
May this year itself, 57 cases of violence and attacks on Christian
institutions and priests took place, he added.
“What
you are saying is unfortunate, if it is happening. What we can ensure is that
your matter is listed on the re-opening day itself,” a vacation bench
comprising Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala said when Gonsalves mentioned
the plea and sought its listing for urgent hearing.
The
relief sought included the implementation of the guidelines issued in the
Tehseen Poonawala judgement in which nodal officers were to be appointed to
take note of hate crimes and register FIRs across the nation.
The
bench directed the apex court registry to list the petition on re-opening of
the courts after summer vacation on July 11.
In
2018, the apex court had come out with a slew of guidelines for the Centre and
states. These included fast-tracked trials, victim compensation, deterrent
punishment and disciplinary action against lax law-enforcing officials.
The
court said offences such as hate crimes, cow vigilantism and lynching incidents
should be nipped in the bud.
The
states shall designate a senior police officer not below the rank of police
superintendent as nodal officer in each district, it had said, adding that
these officers will set up a task force to be assisted by one DSP-rank officer
for taking measures to prevent mob violence and lynching.
Source:
Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Delhi
Afghanistan embassy not taking orders from Taliban
June
28, 2022
The
Taliban is trying to establish its control over Afghanistan's institutions, but
there is a big grey area. Most of the country's 70 or so diplomatic missions
still functioning are doing so independently of the hardline regime - which
isn't recognised by other countries - and without any direct funding from
Kabul. The BBC's Zubair Ahmed reports from Delhi.
Visitors
to the Afghan embassy in India's capital - housed in a sprawling compound in
the heart of the city's diplomatic enclave - are greeted by a photograph of
former president Ashraf Ghani when they enter the building. Mr Ghani fled
Afghanistan last August as the Taliban closed in on the capital after the
collapse of his government, which had been backed by the West.
His
photo also hangs on the wall of ambassador Farid Mamundzay's office, which
still has the black, red and green tricolour flag of the republic Mr Ghani used
to head.
"We
have little co-ordination with the Taliban," says Mr Mamundzay, whose
staff continue to carry out functions like issuing visas and passports in the
name of the republic they were appointed to serve.
In
the 10 months since they took power, the Taliban have sent ambassadors to only
four countries: Russia, Pakistan, China and Turkmenistan. But even these
countries haven't accorded formal diplomatic recognition to Afghanistan's new
rulers.
The
Indian government has allowed the embassy in Delhi to function as an extension
of the previous government, like it did during the Taliban's last stint in
power between 1996 and 2001 - the embassy then continued to represent the
government of former president Burhanuddin Rabbani.
Despite
the change in who holds power in Kabul, Mr Mamundzay says the embassy still
follows the rules and policies of the old government that appointed him.
"We
are still representing the former republic, our former democracy. We are not
taking orders from [the Taliban]," he says.
While
the Taliban want to take over the functioning of Afghan missions around the
world, they haven't been able to do so, partly due to lack of money.
Afghanistan's economy has been in freefall since they seized power - foreign
aid dried up and the country's assets were frozen, as the international
community tied funds to progress on issues like human rights and the treatment
of women.
Mr
Mamundzay also says the Delhi embassy and most of its counterparts in other
countries have said they will only accept the regime's control on one condition
- the Taliban must first form a national government which is inclusive, diverse
and gives fundamental rights to women.
Immediately
after coming to power, the Taliban had indicated it might adopt a more flexible
approach to women's rights. But over the past few months, it has adopted
several hardline measures, including requiring women to wear face veils.
Last
week, after more than 1,000 people were killed in the deadliest earthquake to
hit Afghanistan in two decades, dozens of Afghan expatriates huddled together
in the embassy's garden in Delhi - some had come to get their paperwork done,
others were anxious for news from home.
Mr
Mamundzay says that his embassy continues to issue and renew visas and
passports in the name of the former republic - which is, crucially, honoured by
the Taliban authorities.
"[Even]
leaders of the Taliban travel on the passports of the republic," he says,
as countries don't recognise passports and other documents issued by the
Taliban.
While
the number of people travelling from India to Afghanistan has significantly
reduced since the Taliban took over, many still make the trip to visit their
families or get their documents in place.
The
Afghan embassy in Delhi estimates that around 100,000 Afghan citizens live in
India - of these, the ambassador says, some 30,000-35,000 are Afghan refugees
and nearly 15,000 are students.
The
embassy and the consulates in the cities of Hyderabad and Mumbai don't function
in a vacuum - they are in touch with the consular division of the foreign
ministry in Kabul every day over paperwork for Afghan citizens, including
marriage and divorce certificates, and issuance of birth and death
certificates.
Another
issue that requires close co-ordination with the Taliban is humanitarian aid.
"India
has sent aid to Kabul in the aftermath of the earthquake. We were required to
co-ordinate with the foreign office in Kabul," he says.
Funding
crunch
Mr
Mamundzay says the revenues of the Afghan missions in India have dropped
significantly since the Ghani government was ousted.
"There
was a time when we had 10-15 weekly flights to Kabul from here. There was a lot
of trade. We were fully involved and busy. That's not there any more. Revenues
have dropped by 80%," he says.
The
situation is similar in other countries as well. In May, the United States took
control of the Afghanistan embassy in Washington DC and its consulates in New
York and Los Angeles because the missions were facing "severe financial
constraints that made continued operations unsustainable".
In
India, Mr Mamundzay and his staff are counting every penny to keep the missions
going.
Source:
BBC
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-61950476
--------
Africa
Recognise
Sharia Court now – Osun Muslim community to State government
June
27, 2022
By
Francis Ezediuno
The
Osun State Muslim Community has beckoned on the State Governor, Adegboyega
Oyetola to recognise the Sharia Court as part of the judiciary system in the
State.
This
is as the President of the Community, Mustafa Olawuyi disclosed that the
community, as part of its achievements, has established a Sharia court where
many issues have been settled amicably.
Olawuyi
made this known on Sunday while addressing journalists on the sideline of the
community’s 25th anniversary celebration in Osogbo on Sunday.
Olawuyi
noted that the court had been able to settle a lot of cases without anybody
taking offence or resulting into killing or attacking other people.
“We
have been able to settle a lot of issues through the Sharia court, even
boundary issues, we have settled.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
5
Nigerians among 30 killed in ethnic violence in western Cameroon
Aurore
Bonny
27.06.2022
DOUALA,
Cameroon
At
least 30 people, including five Nigerians, were killed and several houses were
torched in an ethnic-related attack in western Cameroon, multiple sources said
on Monday.
The
attack took place between Friday and Sunday in the village of Mesaka in the
Akwaya commune bordering Nigeria, according to a local church and media
reports.
The
Cameroon News Agency (CNA) said these people were killed in an
"inter-tribal clash," and "young men, women, children, and the
elderly were massacred. Some were killed in their houses, while others were
beheaded, and more were shot on their way to farms."
"It
all began with a land dispute between the Oliti and Messaga Ekol ethnic
groups," Reverend Fonki Samuel Forba, moderator of Cameroon's Presbyterian
Church in the southwest, said in a statement on Monday.
On
April 29, members of the Messaga Ekol tribe were ambushed and slain in their
fields. Later, the Messaga Ekol people avenged the killings.
"The
Oliti people then mobilized and got the support of hired armed men and started
very violent, inhuman, and deadly attacks on the Messaga Ekol People," the
preacher said, adding that "more than 30 people were killed, including
five Nigerians."
The
governor of the South West region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, confirmed the incident
to Anadolu Agency without providing any details on the circumstances or the
exact number of casualties.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Tunisian
parties slam attacks on opponents of constitutional referendum
Yamena
Salemi
27.06.2022
TUNIS,
Tunisia
A
coalition of five Tunisian parties has condemned attacks on their supporters
during a protest against a planned constitutional referendum amid a deep
political crisis in the North African country.
Tunisian
President Kais Saied plans to hold a national referendum on an amended version
of the country’s constitution on July 25 and early elections on December 17.
Rival
protests were staged in the eastern city of Sousse on Saturday during which
opponents clashed, prompting security forces to intervene.
The
coalition said its supporters were attacked by Saied’s supporters during the
protest and held the Tunisian authorities responsible for the assault.
It
warned that the attacks on opponents of the referendum “posed a threat to civil
peace” and amounted to “an attempt to silence the opposition.”
There
was no comment from the Tunisian authorities on the allegation.
The
5-party coalition includes the Republican Party, the Democratic Current, the
Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties, the Workers' Party, and the
Democratic Modernist Pole Party.
Tunisia
has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that has aggravated the
country's economic conditions since Saied ousted the government, suspended
parliament and assumed executive authority last year in July. He later
dissolved the suspended parliament.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/indonesian-bar-alcohol-blasphemy-mohammad-maria-/d/127347