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Islamic World News ( 13 Sept 2016, NewAgeIslam.Com)

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ISIL Executes 8 Caged Civilians by Drowning in Water

New Age Islam News Bureau

13 Sept 2016

Afghan Refugees to Celebrate Eid amid Endless Trail Of Grief

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• 22 Missing Indians Have Joined ISIS Loyalists in Afghanistan

• Islamic Organization to Support African Efforts vs. Child Marriage

Arab World

• ISIL Executes 8 Caged Civilians by Drowning in Water

• Over 20 Militant Groups Refuse to Join Nationwide Ceasefire in Syria

• Yemeni Forces Kill Three Qatari Soldiers Fighting alongside Saudi Army

• Russia Affirmes Deal on Grounding Syrian Air Forces Not Signifies No-Fly Zone

• ISIL Continues to Execute Civilians through Barbaric Methods

• Terrorists Shell Numerous Civilian Targets in Four Syrian Provinces

• Yemeni Forces Capture Saudi Military Base in Assir Province

• Saudi Arabia's Key Airbase in Assir Province Targeted by Yemen's Qaher-I Ballistic Missile

India

• 22 missing Indians have joined ISIS loyalists in Afghanistan

• Bakr-Eid Today: RSS’s Muslim Unit Plans To Cut Goat-Shaped Cake

• International standards on use of police force violated in Kashmir: Amnesty

Africa

• Islamic Organization to Support African Efforts vs. Child Marriage

• Cape Town Positioned To Become 'Global Leader' In Halal Tourism

• The African continent celebrates Eid al-Adha

Europe

• Islamic State Exploits European Nations Unprepared For Rising Lure of Radicalization

• 3 Syrians arrested in Germany, believed sent by Islamic State

• Archbishop of Vienna: ‘Many Muslims’ Want European Conquest

North America

• Utah Muslims Face Challenges In America, but Love Its Freedom

• US Confirms Airstrike Killed Islamic State Spokesman

• CIA Chief Warns: Islamic State Will Remain Threat despite Defeats

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Pakistan

• Afghan Refugees to Celebrate Eid Amid Endless Trail Of Grief

• At Least 13 Injured As Police Foil Suicide Blasts Targeting Eid Prayers in Shikarpur

• 402 combing operations conducted in Punjab in three days

• Army pledges justice over police-soldiers ‘scuffle’

Mideast

• Turkish Justice Ministry Demands US Arrest Gülen Over Coup Attempt

• 53 wounded in PKK car bomb attack in Turkey’s Van

• Israel Confirms Air Attacks on Gov't Positions in Syria's Quneitra

• Turkish jets kill 3 PKK militants in southeast

• Turkish intelligence unveils secret codes used before coup attempt

• Intel reports detail alleged links between dismissed mayors, PKK

• Turkey’s ASELSAN, TAI rank among world’s largest defence firms

South Asia

• Ghani Set To Sign Peace Deal with Hekmatyar

• Gen. Raziq says will not return to Kandahar until Tarinkot city fully cleared

• Signing of peace deal with Hezb-e-Islami delayed due to technical issues

• Nothing unpleasant yet, says PM Sheikh Hasina on Eid-ul-Azha

• Bangladesh Police Defend Actions in Killings of Suspected Militants

Southeast Asia

• Myanmar Muslims Combat Nationalist Pressure on Eid

• Bali Tourism Rocked As Islamic Law BANNING Alcohol to Be Introduced

• Duterte denies giving Indonesia OK for planned execution

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/isil-executes-8-caged-civilians/d/108547

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ISIL Executes 8 Caged Civilians by Drowning in Water

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL terrorist group executed over half a dozen Iraqi citizens in Nineveh province by putting them in iron cages and submerging them in water.

"A sum of 8 Iraqi civilians were arrested in al-Douse district in the centre of the city of Mosul on charges of spying for the government and Peshmerga forces and were later submerged in iron cages," a local source said on Tuesday.

The ISIL terrorists recorded the scenes as they were killing the 8 as they were caught in iron cages.

In late August, the ISIL executed 15 Iraqi citizens by drowning and shooting in their heads in Nineveh province.

"The ISIL executed a 25-year-old girl, 14 other civilians by submerging them in the Olympic swimming pool in al-Jouseq region in Southern Mosul on charges of spying for the Iraqi government forces," the Arabic-language media quoted unnamed local sources as saying.

The sources also said that 12 other civilians who worked in a fruit juice shop were shot dead in Bab al-Toub region in the centre of Mosul city on spying charges.

Also in mid-August, the ISIL executed 14 Iraqi citizens by putting them in iron cages and drowning them in water in Nineveh province.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000739

22 missing Indians have joined ISIS loyalists in Afghanistan

Tue Sep 13 2016

At least 22 Indian nationals who went missing earlier this year have reportedly joined the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

According to local media reports citing security sources the 22 individuals joined the loyalists of the terror group in the first of July.

The sources further added that the revelation was made during the interrogation of an Indian woman, 29-year-old Yasmin, who was arrested by the authorities from New Delhi airport earlier last month.

According to Yasmin thirteen of the missing Keralites were men, six women and three children, and “they had left their houses in Kasaragod and Palakkad districts of Kerala between mid-May and the first week of July.”

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) official, close to the investigation, told IANS that all of the missing Keralites had “exited India from Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Mumbai airports for Kuwait, Dubai, Muscat or Abu Dhabi from where they are learnt to have traveled to Afghanistan through Iran.”

This comes as the loyalists of ISIS terrorist group in Afghanistan have been attempting to expand foothold in the country.

The coalition officials had earlier said the loyalists of the terror group have managed to consolidate operations with the main group based in Iraq and Syria as they attempted to establish a regional operational base in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

Source:khaama.com/22-missing-indians-have-joined-isis-loyalists-in-afghanistan-01878

Islamic Organization To Support African Efforts vs. Child Marriage

13.09.2016

Riyadh, Sep 13 (Prensa Latina) The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) confirmed today its participation in a workshop of the African Union (AU) for traditional, religious and parliamentarian leaders seeking to end child marriage in Africa.

OIC, which is made up of 57 Muslim countries, many of them located in Africa, will participate as speaker at the forum, to be held from September 13th to 16th at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, along with the International Islamic Fiqh Academy.

OIC delegates seek to raise the participantsÂ´ awareness on the marriage of minors and other community actions considered harmful, focusing on the role of religious and traditional leaders as important promoters of change in that regard.

During the workshop, specialist Ahmed Abdulaleem from the aforementioned academy member of OIC, presented a research entitled 'Ending child marriage from an Islamic perspective' to understand the phenomenon as harmful for children.

According to a recent research carried out by the Center for Statistics, Training and Economic and Social Research for Islamic Countries entitled 'The situation of children in OIC countries', poverty, protection of girls, family honor and the willingness to reach stability during unstable social periods, are amid the main reasons behind child marriage.

Source:plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=3626&SEO=islamic-organization-to-support-african-efforts

Arab World

ISIL Executes 8 Caged Civilians by Drowning in Water

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL terrorist group executed over half a dozen Iraqi citizens in Nineveh province by putting them in iron cages and submerging them in water.

The ISIL terrorists recorded the scenes as they were killing the 8 as they were caught in iron cages.

In late August, the ISIL executed 15 Iraqi citizens by drowning and shooting in their heads in Nineveh province.

The sources also said that 12 other civilians who worked in a fruit juice shop were shot dead in Bab al-Toub region in the centre of Mosul city on spying charges.

Also in mid-August, the ISIL executed 14 Iraqi citizens by putting them in iron cages and drowning them in water in Nineveh province.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000739

Over 20 Militant Groups Refuse to Join Nationwide Ceasefire in Syria

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- At least 22 terrorist groups, mostly affiliated to the Free Syrian Army (FSA), announced that they would not abide by the truce agreement that went into effect on Monday night.

Faylaq al-Sham, Nouralddeen al-Zinki movement, al-Faoj al-Awal, al-Ferqa 101, Faylaq al-Homs, Jeish al-Islam, Etihad al-Islami al-Ajnad al-Sham, Ansar al-Islam Front, al-Ferqa 13, Liwa al-Fatah, al-ferqa Shomaliyeh, al-Shamiyeh Front, Kataeb al-Safwa al-Islamiyeh, al-Ferqa al-Wosta, Fastwom Kama Amrat, Jeish al-Nasr, Jeish al-Tahrir, Liwa al-Soqouu Jabal al-Zawiyeh, Liwa al-Horiyeh al-Islami, al-Isaleh Front, al-Tamiyeh and Jund al-Badr 313 were the terrorist groups that have put their signatures down the statement to reject the truce.

Reports said earlier today that terrorists violated the temporary nationwide ceasefire brokered by Russia and the US after they launched mortar attacks on government positions in the Northern districts of Aleppo city.

"Militants violated the ceasefire. Army positions were shelled by mortar rounds near the Castillo Road in Aleppo," the source said.

"The Syrian army responded the attacks with artillery fire, while the army units are ready to repel ground attacks by militants if necessary," the source added.

The new nationwide ceasefire regime in Syria came into force on September 12.

On Monday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to retake all of Syria from "terrorists", hours before a ceasefire was to take effect in the evening.

"The Syrian government is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," Assad told Syrian state media after he attended Eid al-Adha holiday prayers in Darayya, a former militant stronghold recently recaptured by the government.

The ceasefire will not include terrorist groups like ISIL and Fatah al-Sham Front (formerly known as al-Nusra Front).

The landmark deal, proposed by the United States and Russia after marathon talks in Geneva on Friday, could also lead to the first joint military operations by Moscow and Washington against terrorists.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000641

Yemeni Forces Kill Three Qatari Soldiers Fighting alongside Saudi Army

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Three Qatari soldiers fighting alongside the Saudi army were killed in retaliatory attacks by Yemeni forces, Qatar's army said.

The Qatari armed forces confirmed the death of the soldiers without specifying how or when they were killed, and no official comment was made by the country, presstv reported.

Earlier, Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters and allied army units killed six Saudi soldiers. Four snipers were gunned down in the Najran province, and two others were killed in Yemeni army's shelling of military positions in the province of Asir.

The retaliatory attacks came after six civilians, three women and three children, were killed after Saudi mercenaries launched mortar attacks on residential areas in the city of Ta'iz Southwest of the country.

Over 10,000 people have been killed since Riyadh launched its airstrikes on Yemen in March last year. The air campaign, which later expanded to include ground operations across the country, is meant to undermine Ansarullah and their allies and restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who currently resides in Saudi Arabia.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000837

Russia Affirmes Deal on Grounding Syrian Air Forces Not Signifies No-Fly Zone

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said the agreement between Russia and the United States on grounding the Syrian Air Force's flights does not signify creation of a no-fly zone in Syria.

"There is coordination in Syria on who will fly where and the Syrian Air Force will fly, but only in accordance with the schedule," Mikhail Bogdanov said, Sputnik reported.

On September 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new plan on Syria, which stipulates a ceasefire that came into force on November 12.

The plan also precludes the Syrian Air Force to fly over territories controlled by the opposition.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000832

ISIL Continues to Execute Civilians through Barbaric Methods

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The ISIL beheaded several civilians the terrorist group has recently arrested in Syria's Deir Ezzur province after hanging them upside-down

The ISIL released a video showing a slaughter house where the terrorist group chooses several people from those whose hands are tied up and are placed on one another to hang them for beheading.

The terrorist group has accused the executed people of informing the Syrian military forces about the ISIL's military positions and phots of the terrorists.

The horrendous crime by the ISIL terrorists was carried out concurrent with Eid al-Adha (the Muslims' feast of sacrifice).

In a relevant development in late June, the ISIL executed 5 journalists and Internet reporters in Syria by beheading, blowing up and planting bombs in their cameras and personal computers.

One of the reporters named Sami Rabah who had made revelations about the unfavorable conditions of the civilians in Deir Ezzur was executed by being tightened to a chair and blowing up his laptop to his face.

Rabah had sent a report to the foreign media on the conditions of civilians in Raqqa city.

Mahmoud Sha'aban al-Haj Khezr who worked for al-A'an radio in Deir Ezzur was also executed by the ISIL by wrapping up his neck in electric cables.

Also, Al-Jazeera television reporter Mohammad Marvan al-Issa was also beheaded by knife.

The ISIL executed Abu Satif who worked for Human Rights watch by plating bomb in his camera and exploded him in the balcony of his house.

Earlier in June, ISIL brutally executed six civilians while trying to flee from the city of Manbij in Northern Syria.

Terrorists arrested members of a family who were trying to escape from the war-torn city of Manbij in Aleppo province, as the Syrian Democratic Forces' rapid advances towards the ISIL-held city has put the Takfiri militants on the verge of a complete fall.

"They were executed by firing squad in front of hundreds of Manbij residents. There were two children among the victims,” local media activist Nasser Taljbini said.

"By executing the family in public, the ISIL was trying to deliver a message to all civilians who are still residing the city of Manbij, threatening anyone who would leave to face a similar fate," he added.

According to local sources, ISIL has been using civilians as human shields in the military operations in Manbij.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000800

Terrorists Shell Numerous Civilian Targets in Four Syrian Provinces

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- ISIL and Fatah al-Sham Front militants attacked a number of civilian targets with multiple launch rocket systems (MRLS) and mortars in four of Syria's provinces over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Groupings of Fatah al-Sham Front (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) and ISIL do not stop making attempts to break the ceasefire regime," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website, Sputnik reported.

Moreover, mortars and AT grenade launchers have been used against a number of settlements in the provinces of Dara'a, Hama and Damascus, according to the ministry.

"Within last 24 hours, in the Aleppo city terrorists have fired MLRS, AT missile complexes and mortars against Ramousseh, Housing Project 1070, the military school of armament and the Castillo trade center."

It is not clear whether the statement by the Russian ministry also referred to attacks that took place after the onset of the ceasefire or not.

Syria government has been engaged in war against several militant groups since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous foreign-backed militants, as well as terrorist groups.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000586

Yemeni Forces Capture Saudi Military Base in Assir Province

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Yemeni army and Popular forces continued their advances inside Saudi Arabia, and took control of a strategic military base in the Southern part of the kingdom.

The Yemeni forces first opened heavy artillery fire on enemy defense lines and fortifications in Saudi Arabia's al-Hanjar military base in Assir province, and then captured the base in a raid on Monday.

The army and popular forces destroyed several military vehicles and equipment of the Saudi forces in fierce clashes, and seized many others.

After taking control of al-Hanjar military base, the Yemeni forces advanced towards al-Sheibani heights and clashed with the Saudi military men.

The Yemeni army is now trying to take control of other Saudi military bases in the Southern parts of Saudi Arabia.

On Monday, the Yemeni popular forces, backed by the country's Republican Guard, continued their large-scale offensive in Jizan Province and captured a major Saudi Arabia's military camp in the region.

"Ansarullah forces and their allies managed to capture the Al-Farida Military Camp in the Jizan region after a fierce battle with Saudi-led Coalition forces," local sources said.

In addition to capturing this military site, the Ansarullah forces and their allies confiscated the Saudi Army's heavy weapons and Abrams Tanks that were left behind.

Al-Farida Military Camp is located near the contested city of Al-Khabuh in the Jizan Province, it was one of the Saudi Army's main bases in this area.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000466

Saudi Arabia's Key Airbase in Assir Province Targeted by Yemen's Qaher-I Ballistic Missile

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Military sources disclosed that the Yemeni army has fired a ballistic missile at a strategic airbase of Saudi Arabia in the Southern part of of the kingdom.

"Saudi Arabia's Khaled bin Abdel Aziz airbase near Khamis Mushait region was hit by Yemen's Qaher-I missile, sustaining heavy losses," a military source said.

There is still no report on the number of casualties, but similar ballistic missile attacks by Yemen have incurred heavy losses on the Saudi personnel and military equipment in the past.

The attack came in response to Saudi Arabia's continued air raids on the civilian population across the impoverished nation.

On Saturday, the Yemeni army and popular forces pounded an industrial zone in the Southern part of Saudi Arabia with as a scud missile.

The Saudi industrial area comprising a power plant and a desalination plant in al-Shaqiq region of Jizan province came under Yemen's Scud missile attack.

The Yemeni ballistic missile precisely hit its target in Jizan Industrial zone, the army reported.

Source: en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000665

India

22 missing Indians have joined ISIS loyalists in Afghanistan

Tue Sep 13 2016

At least 22 Indian nationals who went missing earlier this year have reportedly joined the loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.

According to local media reports citing security sources the 22 individuals joined the loyalists of the terror group in the first of July.

The sources further added that the revelation was made during the interrogation of an Indian woman, 29-year-old Yasmin, who was arrested by the authorities from New Delhi airport earlier last month.

This comes as the loyalists of ISIS terrorist group in Afghanistan have been attempting to expand foothold in the country.

Source: khaama.com/22-missing-indians-have-joined-isis-loyalists-in-afghanistan-01878

Bakr-eid today: RSS’s Muslim unit plans to cut goat-shaped cake

Lalmani Verma

September 13, 2016

The Awadh unit of RSS-backed organisation Muslim Rashtriya Manch has decided not to sacrifice a goat or any other animal on Bakr-Eid, which will be observed Tuesday. Instead, the Manch has decided to celebrate the festival by cutting a cake baked in the shape of a goat.

The 5-kg cake will be cut at the Manch’s Awadh prant office in Lucknow on Tuesday.

At their homes, the Manch workers will not cook biryani. Instead, they will offer sewaiyan and dahi vada to their friends.

Awadh Prant convener of the Manch, Raees Khan, said they want to send a message to society. “Bakr-Eid can be celebrated also by cutting a cake just like people celebrate birth anniversaries,” Khan said, adding that if the practice receives good response, he will try to promote it in other prants too.

Co-convener Hasan Kausar said, “The Bakr-Eid festival spreads a message of humanity. We can sacrifice our children too for Allah but it is not right to kill a goat without any reason and eat its meat.” However, the national convener of the Manch, Mohd Afzal, was not aware about the plans of the Awadh unit.

Source:indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/bakr-eid-rsss-muslim-unit-plans-to-cut-goat-shaped-cake/

International standards on use of police force violated in Kashmir: Amnesty

September 13, 2016

Srinagar/New Delhi: International human rights watch body, the Amnesty International has alleged on Monday that the Indian security forces are using arbitrary and excessive force in response to protests in Jammu and Kashmir which is in violation of international standards. Expressing concern over worsening the human rights crisis in the state, Amnesty International India said that the continued abusive use of pellet-firing shotguns, along with the deployment of the PAVA shells, is extremely worrying.

On 10 September, a man was killed after being fired at by a pellet-firing shotgun in Anantnag district. Another man in Shopian district died after he was hit on the head by a tear gas shell.

At least 78 people, including two security force personnel, have been killed in the state since 8 July, following protests and violent clashes after the killing of a member of the Hizbul Mujahideen armed group. Some demonstrators have thrown stones and attacked police stations, government buildings and politicians’ homes. Security force personnel have fired live ammunition, tear gas and pellets from pump action shotguns.

At least six people have been killed and hundreds blinded or otherwise injured by pellet-firing shotguns. According to media reports, on 2 September, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the use of PAVA (Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide) shells, a chilli-based munition, as an alternative to pellet-firing shotguns, which were to be used only in ‘rare’ cases. However there have been over 100 reported cases of pellet injuries in the first week of September at hospitals in Srinagar.

Full report at:siasat.com/news/international-standards-use-police-force-violated-kashmir-amnesty-1018545/

Africa

Islamic Organization To Support African Efforts vs. Child Marriage

13.09.2016

Source:plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=3626&SEO=islamic-organization-to-support-african-efforts-vs.-child-marriage

Cape Town positioned to become 'global leader' in Halaal tourism

13.09.2016

In the global tourism sector, the Muslim travel market is extensively recognised as a prominent growing sector, projecting to be well worth $200 billion by 2020 according to the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015, which is the most comprehensive research that has been released on the sector.

A recent study has revealed that in 2015 the estimated total Muslim visitor arrivals were 117 million representing close to 10% of the entire travel economy. This global forecast is set to grow to 168 million visitors by 2020 and 11% of the market segment.

South Africa is also one of the five most popular non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations in the global Muslim travel market. Enver Duminy, CEO at Cape Town Tourism highlights how the city is repositioning its Halaal Tourism offering.

"Cape Town is as much about the people and the culture as it is about the mountain and the sea.

The city has a vibrant range of cultures representing our locals, other African nations and international ones. At the heart of our city you’ll find a lively Muslim community whose heritage is closely linked to the history of the Cape. Muslim visitors may be surprised to find themselves so at home in the city, with plenty to see and do.

This city provides a welcoming environment for visitors, and this is true of Muslim visitors, too. Muslim visitors from the UAE, Saudi, Iran, Singapore, UK, USA, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Qatar and from within South Africa will find that there are places of accommodation that cater for their needs, restaurants with Halaal offerings and many tourism businesses geared towards Halaal tourism.

It’s a form of niche tourism we excel at, and we are ideally placed to build on the foundations we already have in this area and market the city more to potential visitors. In part, Halaal tourism is based on the heritage we have, but it’s also about reinventing our approach to this, so creating more experiences with fresh offerings to add value. The potential is so great that we could feasibly reposition it from being niche tourism to a major focus for local tourism companies.

South Africa is one of the five most popular non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations in the global Muslim travel market, so this indicates the room for growth.

Halaal tourism is well-catered for; some points of interest include the iconic Bo-Kaap with its brightly-painted houses, the many mosques around the city, kramats at various places and numerous eateries.

More than that, however, Muslim travellers are just as keen on visiting the big attractions of the city and enjoying nature and wildlife. The beaches are popular with Halaal tourists, and retail experiences such as the V&A Waterfront also appeal.

While the quaint spice shops and smaller community experiences offer a fascinating glimpse into Muslim life in Cape Town, the Halaal tourist is also interested in luxury, high-end fashion, diamond tours, top hotels – all of these are aspirational and desirable.

There are tour companies especially geared towards the Halaal visitor, offering tours that incorporate places of cultural interest, and many tour companies also employ Arabic-speaking guides.

With direct international flights on the rise, access has never been better. Turkey is a hub for air traffic in Europe, and there are direct flights via Turkish Airlines to Cape Town that make the long-haul trip that much easier.

Cape Town could, with a concentrated market effort on the part of tourism professionals across the spectrum, become a global leader in Halaal tourism, and the number-one destination for Muslim holidaymakers.

Source:traveller24.news24.com/Explore/BusinessTravel/cape-town-positioned-to-become-global-leader-in-halaal-tourism-20160913

The African continent celebrates Eid al-Adha

13.09.2016

Millions of Muslims across Africa have marked Eid al-Adha with a call for peace and perseverance.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in his Eid message saluted the âœpiety and sacrificeâ of his countrymen in the face of biting economic downturn, assuring them of better years as his government works to fix the crisis.

"I salute your steadfastness in spite of the difficult economic times the country is going through," said Buhari in a country where about half of the population is Muslim and resides overwhelmingly in the North.

"The lessons of Eid are piety and sacrifice and, my dear brothers and sisters, you have exhibited these in equal measure," he stressed.

Local news media have reported that many Muslim households have been unable to afford sacrificial animals as a result of the rise in the cost of commodities and fall in the purchasing powers of average citizens.

- Kenya: Eid al-Adha a public holiday for the first time

In the Eastern Democratic republic of Congo, Muslims were asked to cease infighting, stay united and continue giving to the poor.

In Kenya, it was history in the making as they celebrated the feast of sacrifice with the government that declared Eid al-Adha a public holiday for the first time.

The Kenyan government said it has realized "œthe pivotal role played by religion in fostering cohesion and positive social order," and was acting in solidarity with Kenyans of the Islamic faith, which make up a little over 10 percent of the population.

In his Eid message to Muslims, Zambiaâ™s president-elect Edgar Lunga asked all religious movements in the country to pray for peace enjoyed in the past 50 years.

"œAfter the elections, there is a strong possibility that we can lose the peace we have enjoyed thus far."

Full report at:worldbulletin.net/headlines/177305/the-african-continent-celebrates-eid-al-adha

Europe

Islamic State exploits European nations unprepared for rising lure of radicalization

Monday, September 12, 2016

BRUSSELS — Pain and confusion mix on Geraldine’s tear-stained face as she recounts how her son Anis, an 18-year-old who grew up half-Belgian and half-Moroccan in one of this city’s notorious Muslim enclaves, went off to Syria and died fighting with the Islamic State group.

But the mother’s sorrow turns quickly to anger when she reveals that the jihadi recruiter who lured her son into the terrorist group’s grip is still operating freely in Belgium.

“The recruiter was the son of an imam,” said Geraldine, who requested that her last name not be revealed. “In June, I told the police. They told me not to say his name publicly. They said he’s been interviewed and they are reopening the case.”

The anguished mother’s predicament stabs at the heart of the Islamic State crisis in Europe. Political and law enforcement authorities across the Continent are struggling to confront the depth of the terrorist group’s recruiting hooks in disaffected Muslim enclaves.

On the front lines are Paris and Brussels, where first- and second-generation North Africans account for 15 percent and 26 percent of the population, respectively. Authorities in both capitals have faced no shortage of criticism for failing to integrate Muslim residents into the societal fabric, resulting in a cohort of disenfranchised young men who are worryingly open to a message of radicalism.

Along with that temptation is the European Union’s wider problem of a security apparatus that is ill-equipped to deal with the threat of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL. Fighters return home from Syria and Iraq with an eye toward sliding easily across Europe’s porous borders and recruiting another generation of followers to carry out violent jihad without leaving their local neighborhoods.

Source:washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/12/isis-exploits-european-nations-unprepared-for-risi/

3 Syrians arrested in Germany, believed sent by Islamic State

September 13, 2016

BERLIN — Three Syrian men believed to have been sent to Germany last year by the Islamic State group were arrested in raids on Tuesday, part of efforts to root out extremists sent to Europe amid the migrant influx, authorities said.

The three are accused of coming to Germany in mid-November at the behest of Islamic State "in order either to carry out an assignment they had already received or to keep themselves ready for further instructions," federal prosecutors said. They are suspected of membership in a foreign terrorist organization.

The men were arrested in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost state, and their apartments searched, prosecutors added. They were identified only as Mahir Al-H., 17; Mohamed A., 26; and Ibrahim M., 18, in keeping with German privacy rules.

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The three traveled to Germany via Turkey and Greece, the route used by most migrants to Europe last year. Mahir Al-H. joined Islamic State in Raqqa, Syria, earlier last year and received weapons and explosives training, prosecutors said, before he and the other two suspects in October told an Islamic State official responsible for "operations and attacks outside the IS area" that they would travel to Europe.

The three were provided with passports by Islamic State and were given a "high four-figure sum" of cash in U.S. dollars as well as cellphones with a pre-installed communication program, prosecutors said in a statement.

The Federal Criminal Police Office said that six locations in two German states were searched Tuesday. It said that, as well as the arrests, "extensive material" was seized as evidence.

The office noted that the attacks in Paris and Brussels over the past year showed that Islamic State has used the migrant flow to send people to Europe. It said that it knows of more than 400 tips about people among the migrants who might have a terrorist background, but most turned out to be wrong. However, more than 60 investigations were opened.

In July, two attacks were carried out in Germany by asylum-seekers who arrived over the past two years and claimed by Islamic State. Five people were wounded in an ax rampage on a train near Wuerzburg and 15 in a bombing outside a bar in Ansbach. Both of the attackers were killed.

Along with two other attacks in the same weeklong period that were unrelated to Islamic extremism, they put the country on edge and stoked tensions over the arrival last year of hundreds of thousands of migrants.

Source:stripes.com/news/europe/3-syrians-arrested-in-germany-believed-sent-by-islamic-state-1.428733

Archbishop of Vienna: ‘Many Muslims’ Want European Conquest

13 Sep 2016

This weekend, the Archbishop of Vienna added his name to the growing list of prelates who are publicly recognizing that the ultimate aim of many Muslims is the conquest of Europe.

In his homily at Sunday Mass, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn (pictured) warned that “Europe is on the verge of forfeiting its Christian heritage,” noting that this loss, which is already being felt, is “not only economic, but above all human and religious.”

The Viennese Cardinal asked the large congregation gathered in Saint Stephen’s cathedral church: “Will there be an Islamic conquest of Europe?”

“Many Muslims want that and say: ‘Europe is finished,’” he said.

The Mass celebrated on 9/11 commemorated the Catholic feast of the “Holy Name of Mary,” which was instituted 332 years ago in gratitude for the liberation of Vienna from the Ottoman Turks. The Battle of Vienna, between the allied Christian forces and 90,000 Islamic invaders, was waged on September 11 and 12, 1683, and marked the turning point in Europe’s 300-year struggle against Islam.

Against this serious backdrop man must first rely on the mercy of God, the Cardinal said. “God have mercy on Europe and on thy people, who are in danger of forfeiting our Christian heritage,” he prayed.

The feast also coincided with the tenth anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s historic “Regensburg Address,” in which he spoke of the important relationship between faith and reason, underscoring differences between the Christian understanding of God and the Muslim concept of Allah.

Whereas for Christians, “not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature,” Benedict said, “for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality.”

Benedict offered these reflections after having quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus regarding the place of violence in Islamic practice.

“Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached,” the citation ran.

Although Benedict acknowledged that the emperor spoke with a “startling brusqueness,” which today “we find unacceptable,” his remarks set off a wave of Muslim retaliation.

An Italian nun was shot to death in Somalia hours after a leading Somali cleric condemned the Pope’s comments. Five churches were firebombed on the West Bank and Gaza strip, while in India and Iraq the pontiff was burned in effigy.

Pakistan’s parliament adopted an official resolution condemning the pope, and its Foreign Ministry demanded that the Vatican’s ambassador apologize for Benedict’s remarks.

Source:breitbart.com/london/2016/09/13/archbishop-vienna-many-muslims-want-european-conquest/

North America

Utah Muslims face challenges in America, but love its freedom

Sep 12 2016

Freedom, fear, hope and cynicism.

Those are just some of the feelings Muslims in this country cope with 15 years after the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

The lives of Muslims in America encompass a complex set of social norms buffeted by political winds and fallout from terrorism.

For Amr Abdelghany, an initial visit to the United States from Egypt was the first time he felt free to practice his religion as he pleased. That was in North Carolina in 2009.

"The governments we see in the Middle East are using religion to control the people," he said Monday at a panel discussion on the campus of the University of Utah hosted by the Hinckley Institute of Politics. "When you are not obeying the king or the president, you are not obeying Allah."

He said it follows that those who oppose their governments — or others — would use religion to foment terror.

Conditions for Muslims in Utah are good, according to Abdelghany, who is the acting president of the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at the U.

"In Utah, I haven't faced any hate speech," he said. "The people here are friendly, open-minded and very accepting of my religion."

He was joined on the panel by Soheila Amirsoleimani, a U. professor of world languages and culture; and Amaal Sharif, an MSA board member.

Although American-born Sharif was too young to remember the aftermath of 9/11, her parents have recounted to her the frightening aspects of some in the dominant white culture demonizing all Muslims and Middle Easterners.

These days, terrorism and the presidential race are cause for concern, she said.

"The fact that Donald Trump says all these things [about banning Muslims] and people support him — that scares me the most," Sharif said. "Don't barter with our lives. Play at politics elsewhere."

Many terrorist acts are blamed on "radicalized" Muslims, said Amirsoleimani. But she disagrees with the label.

Most of the terror is spread by people who are not practicing Muslims, she said.

She also responded to criticism that Muslims don't speak out against terrorism.

"The leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemn acts of terrorism vociferously," she said. "In almost every case, terror is condemned by Muslims, but it is not reflected in the mainstream media."

Responding to a student member of the audience, Amirsoleimani said she was at a loss to propose policies that might ease tensions between the United States and Middle Eastern countries.

"What I see is a complete mess of wrong [U.S.] policies," said the Iranian-born professor.

Source:sltrib.com/news/4343917-155/muslims-face-challenges-in-america-but

US Confirms Airstrike Killed Islamic State Spokesman

September 13, 2016

The Pentagon says it has confirmed a U.S. airstrike last month killed Islamic State's spokesman and chief strategist.

In a statement Monday, Defense Department spokesman Peter Cook said the deadly August 30 strike against Abu Muhammad Al-Adnani near Al Bab, Syria was one of several that have hurt the militant group's ability to operate.

The Pentagon had said shortly after the attack that the U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes against Islamic State had targeted Adnani, but that it was not able at that point to confirm he was dead.

The day after the airstrike, Russia said that its forces had carried out the strike, which a senior defense official told VOA was an "attempt at disinformation."

A U.S. defense official said Adnani was directly involved in recruiting foreign fighters and also directed Islamic State's major attacks outside of its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

"Significant operations carried out on his watch include the Paris attacks, the Brussels airport attack, the Istanbul airport attack, the downing of the Russian airliner in the Sinai, the suicide bombings during a rally in Ankara, and the attack on a cafe in Bangladesh," the official said. "In total, these attacks killed over 1,800 people and wounded nearly 4,000."

Adnani was reported to have been seriously injured eight months ago in Iraq, during fighting near the city of Haditha. He was born in Syria about 39 years ago and was a prominent member of the al-Qaida terror network before aligning himself with Islamic State, where he was considered second in rank to the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Adnani narrated an infamous statement from Islamic State nearly two years ago calling on Muslims living in the West to strike out wherever and however they could.

“If you can kill a disbelieving American or European — especially the spiteful and filthy French — or an Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the disbelievers waging war, including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, then rely upon Allah, and kill him in any manner or way however it may be,” Adnani said in the recording.

The United Nations, which had Adnani on its list of suspected terrorists subject to financial sanctions, has described him as the leader of Islamic State in Syria and chief of its external operations.

The U.S. State Department had also offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Adnani's capture.

Source:voanews.com/a/us-confirms-airstrike-killed-islamic-state-spokesman/3505094.html

CIA Chief Warns: Islamic State Will Remain Threat Despite Defeats

12 Sep 2016

U.S.-led coalition efforts to shrink the territory the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) holds in Iraq and Syria have done nothing to address the jihadi group’s growing and deep-rooted influence in the region, which is expected to remain present for the foreseeable future, according to the CIA Director John Brennan.

During a national security summit on Thursday, Brennan stressed that ISIS’s influence “will remain a presence inside Iraq and Syria for quite a while” despite the significant territory losses the group has recently suffered, reports Voice of America (VOA).

The CIA director, during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in June, provided a dire warning about ISIS’s growing influence, saying that U.S.-led air campaign against the terrorist group had not deterred its “terrorism capability and global reach,” reported Fox News.

He emphasized that ISIS’s influence and international reach was growing, noting that the jihadist organization’s global branches will likely help to maintain “its capacity for terrorism regardless of events in Iraq and Syria, adding, “In fact, as the pressure mounts on ISIL, we judge that it will intensify its global terror campaign to maintain its dominance of the global terrorism agenda.”

Referring to foreign jihadists who fought on behalf of ISIS in the Middle East and are now seeking to return to their home country, CIA Director Brennan noted Thursday, “While some of them may be rehabilitated and see they were on the wrong path, I do think a number of them will remain a challenge for the United States as well as for other governments for years to come.”

Various countries in the Western Hemisphere, including Canada and some nations in Latin America have expressed concern about “hundreds” of their citizens who have traveled to the Middle East as foreign fighters returning home radicalized by ISIS.

“When these foreign fighters return, they will possess operational experience, ties to global extremists, and possible intent to harm Western interests—and they will reside in a region rife with smuggling routes that lead directly and easily into the United States,” warned the U.S. military in March 2015.

In late July, FBI Director James Comey warned that defeating ISIS could lead to an increase in terrorist attacks in Western countries.

“Through the fingers of that crush are going to come hundreds of hardened killers who are not going to die on the battlefield, and they’re going to flow out.” proclaimed Comey, highlighting that to be able to anticipate the possible flow of foreign fighters into the West will require cooperation between various agencies and countries, something that he admitted can be difficult to execute.

Comey’s comments echo other analysts, including Iraqi Maj. Gen. Najm Abdullah al-Jubbouri, chief of the planned offensive to retake Mosul, who has said ISIS is prone to intensify its attacks when it is under pressure. The U.S.-led coalition and even forces loyal to the Russian and Iran-backed regime of Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad have seen some success against ISIS on the battlefield in recent weeks.

However, ISIS’s propaganda and other efforts to promulgate its Islamic extremist ideologies continue to grow stronger. The U.S. military and efforts by other countries have struggled to defang the ISIS ideology.

While ISIS territory is shrinking in its home base of Iraq and Syria, the jihadi group is expanding to various other countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, some European countries, as well as Latin America in the Western Hemisphere.

ISIS has expanded to at least eight countries and regions, including Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sinai, Nigeria, Algeria, the Caucuses, and Afghanistan-Pakistan, according to the Obama administration.

The group is also seeking to officially establish branches in the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Somalia where it already has a presence.

Last month, Emmanuel Khoshaba Youkhana, commander of the anti-ISIS Assyrian Christian commander of the army known as Dwekh Nawsha, told Breitbart News that he expects the U.S.-backed Iraqi military will push ISIS out of Mosul but warned that the terrorist group’s ideological influence will remain alive and a problem for the foreseeable future.

Source:breitbart.com/big-government/2016/09/12/cia-chief-islamic-state-remain-threat-despite-defeats/

Pakistan

Afghan refugees to celebrate Eid amid endless trail of grief

September 13, 2016

PESHAWAR: “What Eid! I have spent my whole life under the shadow of fear, frustration and war ravages.

I have seen my country being devastated by warlords. For us Eid has lost its meaning. I spent years to build walls of my rented mud house in Board Bazaar in Peshawar. Also, I set up a small juice point to feed my seven-member family.

I belong to a war generation. Happiness for me, my family and my Afghan brethren is a far-fetched idea,” Mazar Gul Baba, narrated his tale of miserable life.

The story of 65-year old Mazar Gul Baba is no different from hundreds and thousands of other Afghan refugees who are evacuating camps, open areas, cities and slums soon after Eidul Azha.

According to Afghan consulate sources in Peshawar, around 10,000 Afghan families will be repatriated to Afghanistan soon after Eidul Azha. The Afghan consulate staff has been doubled to facilitate the repatriating families and help them redress their numerous issues regarding their safe and smooth return to their homeland after they have spent over three decades in Pakistan.

Around 10,000 Afghan families to be repatriated soon after Eidul Azha

“We have doubled our staff working in two shifts to provide possible assistance to our repatriating Afghan families, to resolve their issues regarding various valid documents, to ensure their safe and smooth return and their problems are being addressed on priority basis,” a source privy to the Afghan consulate in Peshawar told Dawn.

Afghan refugees used to offer Eid prayers in Board Bazaar, Kacha Garhi, Shamshatu and Jalozai refugee camps but on the Eid, their prayers would be restricted to local mosques because of their mass return prior to Eidul Azha. “This will be my final Eid in KP, my family has left for Afghanistan, I am just staying here to celebrate Eid with my childhood friends,” 18-year old Ahmad Shah told.

Raishama Amin, a resident of Peshawar said that her Afghan spouse had already gone to Afghanistan. She said her family was worried whether or not Pakistani authorities would issue legal status to him. He said he didn’t know how Afghan government would respond to youth who had been born and bred in Pakistan.

Farid Jan, another 56-year-old Afghan refugee who was busy dismantling his mud home on Pandhu Road in Peshawar said that Afghans were the most unfortunate nation on God’s earth as they had been to suffer forever. “We are born to suffer, not to celebrate Eid. Four members of my family were killed in 1987 in airstrikes on Eid day in Kunar province. For me, Eid is rather a nightmare,” Mr Jan recalled with tearful eyes.

“I am not the lone Pakistani married woman who will suffer this mental agony. The number possibly runs in thousands. My cousin has married an Afghan woman. He is facing the same problem in Kabul. In such a bizarre situation how can a family think of celebrating Eid,” the disgruntled woman questioned.

For most Afghan refugees this Eid would be the last one on the Pakistani soil as thousands of Afghan families plan to pack up on the second and third day of Eidul Azha. For many Afghans refugees, this Eid brings frustration, confusion and an endless trail of grief as the news to immediately ‘pack up’ proved just like a thunderbolt. They were not mentally prepared to leave for their homeland in such a short span of time.

Mohammad Ibrahim Zazai, chief of Afghan Students Union (ASU), told this scribe that this time around Afghan refugees would celebrate Eidul Azha being overwhelmed by a sense of alienation and utter confusion in the wake of sudden eviction orders by the Pakistani authorities. He said his organisation was in direct contact with Afghan consulate officials to facilitate repatriating Afghan families and also address Afghan students’ issues forthwith.

“Around 7,000 Afghan students are studying in various educational institutions of Pakistan, majority being in KP.

The repatriating Afghan families are in hot waters these days as they had never thought of such a sudden and forced repatriation. I think even shifting from one room to another is difficult, one can imagine how horrible it is to pack up from country to another,” Mr Zazai remarked.

Not only repatriating Afghan families are undergoing ordeal of pack up but also host families are suffering pain of separation as they had been living together at one place for decades. Most localities where Afghan refugees were living now give a deserted look.

Source:dawn.com/news/1283826/afghan-refugees-to-celebrate-eid-amid-endless-trail-of-grief

At least 13 injured as police foil suicide blasts targeting Eid prayers in Shikarpur

September 13, 2016

SHIKARPUR: At least 13 people, including five cops, were injured as police foiled two separate suicide blasts during Eid prayers in Shikarpur's Khanpur tehsil on Monday.

Police sources said four suicide attackers infiltrated Khanpur during Eid prayers.

Two of the attackers targeted an Eid prayer ground where one assailant blew himself up, injuring 10 people, two of whom were policemen. The other attacker fled, police sources said.

Two other attackers targeted an imambargah but were stopped by police at the entrance on account of appearing suspicious. One of the attackers blew himself up after he was stopped by guards for a search, whereas the other was arrested, police said.

Police officer Bahardin Kerio said the second attacker, a would-be suicide bomber, was shot and wounded at the scene, after which the officers arrested him.

Three police officers were wounded in the explosion. Kerio said one of the wounded officers was in critical condition.

He added that there were hundreds of worshippers inside the imambargah at the time.

Those injured in the blast have been admitted to hospitals in Shikarpur for treatment.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Source:dawn.com/news/1283861/at-least-13-injured-as-police-foil-suicide-blasts-targeting-eid-prayers-in-shikarpur

402 combing operations conducted in Punjab in three days

September 13, 2016

LAHORE: The Punjab police carried out 402 combing operations during the last three days all over the province and arrested 443 suspects, besides 76 proclaimed offenders.

Most of the arrests were made in Faisalabad, Kasur, Lahore, Chinot, Bhakar, Nankana Sahib and Hafizabad.

A senior police officer privy to the information told Dawn the combing operations had been launched in all the districts of the province on the basis of the information from the police sources about the presence of suspects and criminals.

He said the operations were enhanced in the wake of Eidul Azha.

“The Punjab police checked 13,230 people in 402 combing operations during last three days and arrested 443 suspects”, the police official said adding that the raiding teams also managed to arrest 76 proclaimed offenders wanted in many heinous crimes.

During raids, the police also recovered 139 illegal weapons from the custody of the arrested criminals, he said.

Of the total, he said, Faisalabad police arrested 98 suspects and three POs in 46 combing operations carried out in various parts of the district.

443 suspects, 76 POs arrested

Similarly, Lahore police conducted 26 combing operations and arrested 31 suspects, Nankana Sahib police arrested 17 suspects in nine operations, Kasur 75 suspects in 33 operations, Chiniot police arrested 35 suspects and a PO in five operations, Bhakar police arrested 28 suspects and four POs in 27 operations, Hafizabad police 17 suspects and six POs in 32 operations and Sialkot arrested 10 suspects in 14 combing operations.

The official further shared that the Mianwahli police conducted six combing operations, Attock four, Mianwali six, Sialkot 14, Mandi Behauddin 17, Gujranwala eight, Sahiwal, five, Multan, six, Jhang five, Pakpatan seven, and Rajanpur police carried out three combing operations, making arrest of many suspects and criminals.

According to our correspondents, the police and law-enforcement agencies arrested a number of suspects and recovered sizable arms as well as narcotics from their possession during a combing operation conducted across Punjab in the last 24 hours.

Faisalabad: Police conducted a search operation in Gulberg and Jaranwala circles on Sunday night and took into custody over 50 suspects and seized some weapons as well from them.

SSP (Investigation) Dr Farrukh Raza led the operation in Jaranwala and DSP Abid Zafar in Gulberg circle.

Police raided various houses and outhouses in both areas, interrogated about 250 suspects and arrested 51 of them when they failed to satisfy police. Police also recovered two Kalashnikovs, as many pistols, other weapons and narcotics from them.

OKARA: A number of suspects and absconders were arrested in the combing operation launched jointly by police and sensitive agencies in the last 24 hours in the district.

District Police Officer Muhammad Faisal Rana told reporters that a large number of weapons, 9kg hashish and 256 liter of liquor were also recovered from them.

The DPO said the arrested suspects and criminals had been shifted to some unknown place for interrogation.

GUJRANWALA: Dozens of suspects and proclaimed offenders as well as some drug-traffickers were arrested by joint raiding teams of police and law enforcement agencies during a search operation in the city and nearby towns.

The suspects were arrested from Kamoki, Qila Dedar Singh, Wahando, Aiminabad, Alipur Chattha, Wazirabad, Ghakkhar, Sodara and Ahmad Nagar. A huge quantity of arms and narcotics were also seized from the arrested suspects.

The suspects were shifted to the investigation centre.

SIALKOT: Sialkot police took into custody a number of suspects in the limits of four police stations -- Head Marala, Sambrial, Sabzpeer and Pasrur.

DPO Dr Abid Khan said some of the suspects were released after a thorough interrogation.

The DPO said the police recovered four unlicensed pistols from accused Rizwan, Akhtar, Javaid and Dad Khan and two rifles of 12-bore from accused Shah Muhammad and Ghulam Muhammad.

He said the all the six accused were sent behind the bars after registration of cases against them.

SARGODHA: The district police arrested 10 suspects and seized weapons and narcotics from their possession.

The police said various teams conducted search operation in different areas of the district and also recovered three Kalashnikovs, as many rifles, and a pistol as well as 600grams hashish from the arrested suspects.

Police have registered separate cases against the accused and started investigating.

Source:dawn.com/news/1283822/402-combing-operations-conducted-in-punjab-in-three-days

Army pledges justice over police-soldiers ‘scuffle’

September 13, 2016

ISLAMABAD: The army pledged on Monday to dispense justice as it launched an investigation into a reported scuffle between its officials and police patrolling staff on a motorway and ensuing events.

“Law will take its course in disposing the case and justice will be done,” a military spokesman said in a statement on the Saturday incident.

The Inter-Services Public Relations described the incident as “sad” and said that an inquiry was being conducted into the matter.

According to police, Captain Qasim and Captain Danial were signalled to stop on Peshawar-Islamabad motorway near Attock on Saturday by a motorway patrol for alleged “reckless driving”. The two officials driving their private vehicles did not pay heed to the signal and sped away. The patrol team chased them and brought them to a halt.

The drama started as Capt Qasim alighted from his car pointing his pistol at the patrol party while Capt Danial made a phone call and sought help from a nearby army unit. Four vehicles carrying some 25 soldiers led by Maj Zafran arrived at the place and assaulted the policemen.

Later the army men took the policemen to Attock Fort where they were kept in “wrongful confinement” till intervention by higher police officials, police said.

“On the written complaint of Sub-Inspector Atif Khattak, an FIR has been registered under Sections 279, 186, 353, 506, 365, 342, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code at Akora Khattak police station in Nowshera district,” an incident report by police said.

The charges relate to rash driving, obstructing a public servant in discharge of his duty, assault on a public servant, criminal intimidation and threatening to cause death or grievous hurt, kidnapping and rioting while armed with a deadly weapon. Most of the charges are non-bailable offences.

The military has not come up with its account of the incident.

The incident sparked a massive public outrage soon after it became public on Sunday afternoon, with social media getting flooded with thousands of postings asking for strong disciplinary action against the officers and soldiers involved in it.

The row has tarnished the military’s public image which it is desperately trying to improve.

A military official said that an investigation had just started and it would look into different aspects of the incident, including provocative factors. “There has been a history of harassment by motorway police at the section of the motorway where the incident took place,” he added.

Investigations into incidents involving military officers are seldom made public.

Last December, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Senator Nauman Wazir was humiliated by military personnel at a check-post near Nowshera.

On Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani’s intervention, Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif had promised to order an inquiry into the incident and share the findings with him. But nothing was heard about it afterwards.

Meanwhile, police are conducting an investigation into the latest incident

Source:dawn.com/news/1283735/army-pledges-justice-over-police-soldiers-scuffle

Mideast

Turkish justice ministry demands US arrest Gülen over coup attempt

September 13, 2016

The Turkish Justice Ministry demanded Washington on Sept. 13 arrest U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen over the July 15 failed coup attempt, sending the first temporary arrest request to the country, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Ankara accuses Gülen of giving the order for the failed coup attempt and commanding it, a charge he denies.

“This person is being sought on an arrest demand as the person who gave the order for the bloody coup attempt on July 15, 2016, in addition to many crimes committed in our country,” read the script sent to the U.S. Department of Justice.

It stated soldiers belonging to the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ) within the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) attempted an armed military coup under the order and command of Gülen.

The arrest warrant issued by the Ankara 2nd Criminal Court of Peace as a part of the ongoing probe into the coup attempt was also attached to the script.

It also reminded that Gülen had faced up to 15 years in jail on charges of founding and managing an armed terror organization as well as a life sentence for other charges.

The script noted the arrest demand was within the scope of Article 10 of the treaty on extradition and mutual assistance in criminal matters signed between Turkey and the U.S. in 1979.

The ministry had previously sent four separate dossiers to the U.S. Department of Justice, which it said contained evidence of Gülen’s involvement in the coup attempt.

Ankara has repeatedly demanded Gülen’s extradition since the attempted takeover, with U.S. officials insisting that they can only extradite him if Turkey presents proof regarding his direct involvement in the coup attempt.

Last month, a delegation from the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. State Department arrived in Ankara to work on the extradition case. Early in September, a delegation from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) also headed for Washington to discuss the extradition.

On Sept. 9, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ and U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass discussed the extradition of Gülen in a meeting requested by the latter.

In talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the recent G-20 Summit in China, U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly vowed that Washington would ensure that anyone in the U.S. proven to be involved in the coup attempt would be brought to justice.

Source:hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-justice-ministry-demands-us-arrest-gulen-over-coup-attempt.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103844&NewsCatID=510

53 wounded in PKK car bomb attack in Turkey’s Van

September 13, 2016

A total of 53 people were wounded on Sept. 12 when outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants staged a car bomb attack targeting a police checkpoint in the eastern province of Van, on the first day of Islam’s holy Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday.

PKK militants detonated a bomb-laden vehicle parked near a police checkpoint in front of the provincial headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the central Beşyol area at 10:50 a.m., the Van Governor’s Office said in a statement.

Van Governor İbrahim Taşyapan announced that 53 people, including four police officers and four Iranian citizens, were wounded in the attack, which was carried out in one of the city’s busiest spots during the Islamic holiday. He also added that two of the wounded were in critical condition.

The governor also stated that the vehicle, a panel van-type minibus, was probably detonated by remote control ten seconds after it was parked behind the barriers of the checkpoint.

A number of firefighters and health personnel were immediately dispatched to the area as buildings near the scene were damaged and a fire broke out in the aftermath of the attack.

The AKP provincial headquarters and a hotel near the scene were greatly damaged by the explosion, while the windows of nearby houses and storefronts were shattered in the blast.

Security forces’ efforts to apprehend the PKK militants responsible for the attack were ongoing.

In addition, Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) issued a temporary gag order on the attack.

Meanwhile, the attack drew condemnations from the ruling AKP government as well as many main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputies.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the attack could not achieve its ultimate goal due to precautions taken at police checkpoints with barricades.

Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canlikli said that with the attack the PKK had turned to directly targeting civilians and innocent people, a sign showing that they had begun to falter.

Speaking in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır, AKP deputy chairman Mehdi Eker said: “We all have to say ‘stop’ to these traitors with our stance, statements, and prayers [against terrorism].”

Development Minister Lütfi Elvan criticized that the attack came on the first day of Eid al-Adha.

In the opposition ranks, CHP deputy head and Ordu deputy Seyit Torun condemned the attack, saying it was extremely saddening that such attack was staged during an Islamic holiday.

The party’s deputy head, Öztürk Yılmaz, said such attacks would never be accepted by society, urging for calm and caution against provocations.

Early on Sept. 12, two PKK militants, who were in preparation for an attack, were killed during clashes with special operations police in the province’s İpekyolu district.

The attack also comes after a government move to replace 28 local mayors with trustees for their alleged links to terror organizations, including the PKK.

Four district municipality mayors in Van had been replaced by either deputy governors or district governors on Sept. 11, as part of a recent decree law the under state of emergency following the July 15 failed coup attempt.

Source:hurriyetdailynews.com/53-wounded-in-pkk-car-bomb-attack-in-turkeys-van.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103817&NewsCatID=341

Israel Confirms Air Attacks on Gov't Positions in Syria's Quneitra

September 13, 2016

TEHRAN (FNA)- Spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday that the country's warplanes have targeted the strongholds of the Syrian Army troops near the Golan Heights in Southwestern Syrian.

The IDF spokesperson, in a statement, said that the Syrian army's artillery units near the Golan Heights came under attack by the Israeli aircraft.

The General Staff of the Syrian Armed Forces announced minutes ago that the county's air-defense units deployed in the Southwest of the country have shot down two Israeli aircraft in Quneitra province.

"An Israeli aircraft, which had violated the airspace of the Southwestern parts of Quneitra province, was traced and shot downed by the anti-aircraft missiles of the Syrian Army in the early hours of this morning," the country's General Staff said in statement.

No further detail has been released on the type of the aircraft yet.

"Meanwhile, an Israeli spy drone was also targeted by the Syrian army fire on the Western side of Sa'asa' near the Golan Heights," the statement added.

The Israeli military aircraft had violated Syrian territories to back the terrorist groups' offensives on the government forces' positions near the Golan Heights in Quneitra.

Source:en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950623000725

Turkish jets kill 3 PKK militants in southeast

September 13, 2016

At least three militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) were killed in airstrikes carried out by Turkish jets in the country’s southeast, the military announced on Sept. 13.

The Turkish General Staff said in a statement that three PKK militants were killed in a security operation in the Şemdinli district of the southeastern province of Hakkari on the night of Sept. 12.

Three PKK targets were also destroyed in the operation, the statement said.

In separate operation in the Çukurca district, security forces seized weapons belonging to PKK militants.

Both Şemdinli and Çukurca have seen sweeping anti-PKK operations conducted by the military since July last year.

The air strikes came a day after PKK militants detonated a car bomb targeting a police checkpoint in front of the provincial headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the eastern province of Van, wounding 53 people including four police officers and four Iranian citizens.

Source:hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-jets-kill-3-pkk-militants-in-southeast-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103848&NewsCatID=341

Turkish intelligence unveils secret codes used before coup attempt

September 13, 2016

An incumbent Turkish minister recently told the following anecdote, asking not to be named for the sake of the family involved.

In the days after the bloody coup attempt of July 15, the wife of a childhood friend of this minister called him up to say her husband had been taken into custody over alleged links to Fethullah Gülen, the U.S.-resident Islamist preacher who the government holds responsible for masterminding the plot.

The childhood friend was a ranking provincial official and the minister could not imagine that he could possibly have links to Gülen. Promising that he would get back to his friend’s wife, the minister asked security officials a few questions about to case.

His friend had no obvious link to any Gülenists and there was not a single Gülenist with whom he socializes. He had not sent his children to Gülen-linked schools, had no Bank Asya bank account, and did not subscribe to the Zaman newspaper. But the minister’s eyebrows were raised when security people showed him a document from the National Intelligence Organization (MİT). The document said his friend was a user of ByLock and had communicated with only one person via that instant messaging service 109 times over the past year. It also said that person was actually the “imam” - or, in their own terminology, the “political commissar” - of the military network in his province.

What the minister described actually fits the typology of what Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş describes as “crypto” Gülenists, or members of the “Fethullahist Terror Organizayion (FETÖ)” as the government and prosecutors denounce them.

“I decided not to touch the issue after seeing the document,” the minister said. The way that ByLock had been used by his old friend was enough to convince him.

MİT officials believe the plotters of Turkey’s July 15 coup attempt used the ByLock messaging service for secret communications among themselves, and the app might even have been produced in the first place for this purpose.

A former executive of Turkey’s Science and Technology Research Board (TÜBİTAK), who was arrested on Sept. 11 over links to Gülen, is accused of being among the group that wrote the ByLock software.

Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-intelligence-unveils-secret-codes-used-before-coup-attempt.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103843&NewsCatID=409

Intel reports detail alleged links between dismissed mayors, PKK

September 13, 2016

Intelligence reports contain details about a number of incidents used in the decision to suspend 28 mayors across Turkey over alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.

According to the intelligence reports, some of the municipalities from which the 28 mayors were suspended had transported groups of PKK militants, built public gardens in memory of killed PKK militants, or transported ammunition and arms to the PKK.

The alleged incidents that led to the suspensions of the mayors were documented in the reports as follows:

On Jan. 4, seven rocket launchers, 10 guns of various models, seven hand grenades, 24 anti-tank rocket projectiles, 19 RPG cartridges, two transmitters, two assault vests, 29 ammunition clips, eight rucksacks and several other cartridges were seized from vehicles belonging to the municipality of Dargeçit in the southeastern province of Mardin. Three people were arrested over the incident.

On July 9, an attack was carried out using a bomb-laden vehicle. Subsequently, some 20 members of the PKK launched an armed attack on the Cevizlidere Gendarmerie outpost in the Artuklu district of Mardin. They used a vehicle with the license plate “47 AS 012” belonging to the province’s Mazıdağı Municipality. The municipality’s health bureau chief and disinfestation unit chief were among 15 detained after the incident.

Full report at: hurriyetdailynews.com/intel-reports-detail-alleged-links-between-dismissed-mayors-pkk.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103833&NewsCatID=341

Turkey’s ASELSAN, TAI rank among world’s largest defense firms

September 13, 2016

Turkey’s leading defense companies have risen on a list of the world’s top 100 defense giants, compiled by the prestigious U.S. weekly Defense News, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

Turkish Armed Forces Foundation company ASELSAN is ranked 58th in this year’s list, up from 62nd last year.

ASELSAN first entered the list in 2006, when it ranked 93rd. It has risen in the list ever since, and brought in $1 billion in revenue over the past year.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) ranked 72nd, with more than $886.5 million in revenue, climbing by six ranks compared to last year.

Lockheed Martin topped the list with over $40 billion in revenue, followed by Boeing and BAE Systems with $30.4 billion and $25.3 billion, respectively.

Turkey’s defense industry has gained momentum in recent years with the expansion of local producers and domestic firms introducing new products to the market, contributing to Ankara’s goal of relying more on domestic sources than imported products in military equipment.

The country’s defense industry executive committee approved $5.9 billion in new defense projects in March, $4.5 billion of which will be domestically produced.

Source:hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-aselsan-tai-rank-among-worlds-largest-defense-firms.aspx?pageID=238&nID=103852&NewsCatID=345

South Asia

Ghani set to sign peace deal with Hekmatyar

September 13, 2016

KABUL: Afghanistan is close to signing a peace agreement with Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, President Ashraf Ghani said on Monday, in a landmark accord that could pave the way for the warlord’s political return after years in hiding.

Hekmatyar, who heads the now largely dormant Hezb-i-Islami militant group, is the latest among a series of warlords whom Kabul has sought to reintegrate into Afghan politics in the post-Taliban era.

If inked, the deal with Afghanistan’s second-biggest militant group would mark a symbolic victory for Ghani, who has struggled to revive peace talks with the much more powerful Taliban.

“The peace agreement will be finalised very soon,” Ghani said in his address on the occasion of Eidul Azha. “We hope for peace in Afghanistan and to end the war in the country.”

Ghani’s statement comes after months of negotiations with Hizb-i-Islami, which has progressed in fits and starts over differences within the government over the final draft agreement.

On Sunday, Hekmatyar’s son said on Facebook the agreement had been reached but the High Peace Council, the government body responsible for negotiations, said talks were still under way.

Hekmatyar was a prominent anti-Soviet commander in the 1980s and stands accused of killing thousands of people in Kabul during the 1992-96 civil war.

He is widely believed to be living in hiding in Pakistan, but his group says he is inside Afghanistan.

The potential deal, which is unlikely to have an immediate impact on the security situation in Afghanistan, has sparked revulsion from human rights groups.

According to a draft agreement, the government will offer Hekmatyar legal immunity in “all past political and military proceedings” as well as release Hezb-i-Islami prisoners.

Hekmatyar is designated a “global terrorist” by the US and is blacklisted by the UN. The Afghan government would work towards lifting those restrictions, according to the draft agreement.

Source:dawn.com/news/1283727/ghani-set-to-sign-peace-deal-with-hekmatyar

Gen. Raziq says will not return to Kandahar until Tarinkot city fully cleared

Tue Sep 13 2016

The provincial police chief of southern Kandahar General Abdul Raziq has said he will not return to Kandahar until Tarinkot city is fully cleared of Taliban insurgents.

Tarinkot city is the provincial capital of southern Uruzgan province which witnessed heavy clashes last week as the Taliban insurgents launched a coordinated to capture its control.

According to reports, sporadic clashes still continue in parts of Tarinkot city despite the local officials said the Taliban insurgents were pushed out of the city.

The growing threats by the Taliban insurgents to capture the city forced Gen. Raziq to visit Tarinkot and join the Afghan forces in the front line to coordinate counter attacks.

Gen. Raziq is one of the prominent security officials of the country and rose to prominence after 2001 when he was serving as the police chief of Spin Boldak district with his activities prompting dread among the Taliban fighters.

He has imposed an uneasy peace in Kandahar province which was the birth place of the Taliban group.

Being a prized target for the Taliban group, Gen. Raziq ordered the Afghan forces earlier in August last year to execute Taliban detainees who are arrested during the military operations.

Gen. Raziq has escaped a number of coordinated attacks planned by Taliban to assassinate him. He was slightly injured following a suicide attack nearly three years ago, while Taliban militants launched coordinated attack on his family home in Spin Boldak district back in July last year.

Source:khaama.com/gen-raziq-says-will-not-return-to-kandahar-until-tarinkot-city-fully-cleared-01879

Signing of peace deal with Hezb-e-Islami delayed due to technical issues

Mon Sep 12 2016

The signing of peace deal with Hezb-e-Islami led by Gulbuddi Hekmatyar has been delayed due to technical issues, the Afghan High Peace Council (AHPC) said Monday.

According to a statement by AHPC, the signing of the peace agreement was postponed due to Eid holidays but a final agreement has been concluded between the Afghan government and the party.

The statement further added that recently emerged rumors on certain media and social media are baseless, emphasizing that both the Afghan President and Chief Executive Officer are fullly supporting the conclusion of the agreement.

This comes as the Afghan government was expecting to sign thee draft agreement of peace with Hezb-e-Islami on Saturday.

A spokesman for the High Peace Council of Afghanistan Mohammad Amin Muzafari earlier said they expect to conclude the peace deal with Hezb-e-Islami.

He said a peace agreement containing 25 articles has been prepared with the mediation of High Peace Council.

This comes reports emerged earlier suggesting that the party has issued new impossible-to-meet demands to sign a peace agreement with the Afghan government.

According to the reports, the new demands included cancellation of pacts with the United States, a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops and that it be signed by a new government.

The new demands were made as Hekmatyar had earlier said he has changed his conditions for peace process with the Afghan government by stepping back from his demands for the complete withdrawal of foreign forces.

Source:khaama.com/signing-of-peace-deal-with-hezb-e-islami-delayed-due-to-technical-issues-01877

Nothing unpleasant yet, says PM Sheikh Hasina on Eid-ul-Azha

Sep 13, 2016

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said she is relieved that nothing unpleasant has happened on Eid-ul-Azha.

She greeted party politicians and regular citizens at her official residence ‘Ganabhaban’ before welcoming foreign diplomats and top judges on Tuesday morning.

“By Allah’s mercy nothing horrible has happened yet,” she said. “Everyone was able to pray peacefully.”

Security was tight during prayers on the Muslim festival on Tuesday.

A terror attack on a police checkpost near Kishoreganj’s Sholakia prayer ground during Eid-ul-Fitr had made law enforcers take no chances.

That came soon after the Gulshan cafe attack that left 20 hostages, including 17 foreigners dead.

Two police officers were also killed in the deadly Jul 1 attack aimed at foreigners and claimed by the so-called Islamic State.

The prime minister commended the work by law enforcers and said: “Everyone worked fantastically. The detective agencies gathered information on time and used those against terrorists and militants.”

The prime minister talked about measures taken by the Awami League government in the aftermath of the Gulshan and Sholakia terror attack.

“It is not just our (Bangladesh’s) issue. Extremism and militancy are massive problems for the entire world.

“We have to do whatever we can to combat this ...What I want is for everyone to stay away from radical activities.”

Source:bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/09/13/nothing-unpleasant-yet-sayspm-sheikh-hasina-on-eid-ul-azha

Bangladesh Police Defend Actions in Killings of Suspected Militants

Sep 13, 2016

A suspect believed to be linked to a deadly terrorist siege in Dhaka in early July died during a police raid in the Bangladeshi capital over the weekend, amid questions about whether officers killed him or he committed suicide.

Police initially said they had shot dead Shamshed Hossain (alias Abdul Karim and Shamser Uddin) during the operation, but later claimed that he took his own life by slitting his throat.

Hossain is among nearly 20 suspected militants who have been killed during police operations since the attack on the Holey Artisan Bakery café that left 20 hostages and two police officers dead on July 1 and 2.

Human rights groups have raised questions about police practices during such anti-militant raids where relatively few suspects are captured alive, including whether authorities have deprived those killed their day in court.

The recent deaths of suspected militants also added to the country’s record of extrajudicial killings in which scores of people have died to date this year alone, according to human rights groups.

Police are defending the actions of officers during recent raids, saying they face great risk when trying to arrest militants who are not afraid to die or kill policemen while resisting arrest.

“Two police officers were killed by the Holey Artisan attackers. Two more constables were killed in the Sholakia Eid congregation attack. They do not want to see more deaths of colleagues, and resort to shooting at the militants when militants reject the surrender calls,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) spokesman Masudur Rahman told BenarNews.

He was referring to the café attack and a July 7 attack on Bangladesh’s largest annual prayer service that marked the end of Ramadan.

Full report at:benarnews.org/english/news/bengali/police-extrajudicial-09122016154358.html

Southeast Asia

Myanmar Muslims combat nationalist pressure on Eid

13.09.2016

Thousands of Muslims have defied pressure from hard-line Buddhist monks to crowd a muddy cemetery in Myanmar's commercial capital to await the ritual slaughter of Eid al-Adha livestock.

Unlike most Muslim countries, Eid al-Adha starts officially in Myanmar on Tuesday.

Many participants had braved the heavy rains of the previous day to camp out overnight in their vehicles in Yangon's Haling Thar Yar Township among the shrieks and bleats of the animals.

Nearby, police crowded the slaughter zone, urging people not to leave the area before cleaning blood from their bodies and clothes.

Myo Myint, a 51-year-old Muslim man perched on a plastic mat alongside his family outside the compound prayer hall, proudly tells Anadolu Agency that he is from Pabetan Township in downtown Yangon.

“The situation is uncomfortable, but we are happy,” he tells Anadolu Agency.

This year, those gathered were forced to keep their celebrations low-key, fearing reprisals from a nationalist group that last week wrote to local authorities demanding they ban the slaughter.

Full report at:aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/myanmar-muslims-combat-nationalist-pressure-on-eid/645487

Bali tourism rocked as Islamic law BANNING alcohol to be introduced

Tue, Sep 13, 2016

TOURIST hotspot Bali is to ban alcohol under a draconian Islamic laws which would ruin the island’s economy, experts warn.

The Indonesian island could soon be deserted if a controversial new bill is passed, prohibiting the production, sale and consumption of alcohol.

If approved in Indonesia, anyone flouting the ban faces 10 years behind bars.

The move affect all of Indonesia’s 34 provinces, including popular destination Bali, famed for its scenery and nightlife.

Industry experts have warned that the move would effectively kill the tourist trade.

And even if the resort managed to secure an exemption, it would force the price of alcohol to skyrocket.

Haired Sukamdani, of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, said: “No matter how beautiful the country is, if they can’t find alcohol, they [tourists] won’t want to come here.”

Balinese musician Rudolf Dethu, leader of two groups opposing the plans, has warned the bill could be a sign of creeping Islamisation.

The bill is being championed by two influential Muslim parties, which in a country of 260 million is the world’d most populous Muslim nation.

He said: “My concern has always been about pluralism and civil rights.

“For me this is not as simple as banning alcohol. There is a hidden agenda behind it.

“It’s a radicalisation. It’s about assaulting civil rights.

“Don’t let the parliament dictate to you what you can drink or the next time they will dictate what time your girlfriend can come to your house, and then what you can wear.”

The government is currently trying to reconcile the mainly liberal and Hindu provinces of Bali with the conservative Muslim areas, where anyone caught drinking can be caned.

Previous attempts to ban alcohol have fallen flat on Indonesia’s secular government, but Muslim parties are now pushing through the plans.

They claim they are trying to combat the number of dank-related deaths, but experts have pointed out this was due to bootleg alcohol.

Source:express.co.uk/news/world/709831/Bali-alcohol-ban-Islamic-law-tourist-beach-Indonesia

Duterte denies giving Indonesia OK for planned execution

September 12 2016

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte did not give the go-ahead to Indonesia to execute a Philippine woman currently on death row for drug trafficking, an official said yesterday, rubbishing reported comments from the Indonesian president earlier that day.

The clarification came after president Joko Widodo said that Duterte had told him to proceed with the execution of Mary Jane Veloso, according to media reports.

Philippine foreign minister Perfecto R Yasay said in a statement that Duterte never gave his Indonesian counterpart the green light to the execution of Veloso.

“[Duterte] told the Indonesian president that he respects their judicial processes and will accept whatever the final decision they will arrive at regarding her case,” Yasay said.

Emmanuel Pinol, the Philippines’ agriculture secretary who was at the meeting, said Duterte never told Widodo that it was okay to execute Veloso.

“The president never agreed to execute Mary Jane,” Pinol said. “What he said was that we respect your law, we will not interfere with your judicial process but we will ask for clemency.”

Pinol added there was an understanding that Veloso’s execution had been postponed indefinitely.

In a statement posted on the cabinet secretary’s website, Widodo said he had discussed the suspended execution with Duterte during his visit to Indonesia last week, but declined to provide further details.

“President Duterte said at the time to go ahead with the execution,”

Widodo said after conducting Eid prayers in Serang, Banten province.

He said he told Duterte that Veloso had been caught carrying 2.6kg of heroin when she was arrested at Yogyakarta’s airport in April 2010, before being sentenced to death in October the same year.

When he arrived from his visit from Indonesia, Duterte did not give details on the discussion about Veloso’s case, saying what was talked about was not for public consumption.

Veloso was granted a last-minute stay of execution last year when Philippine authorities requested her testimony in an ongoing legal case in her home country after her boss was arrested.

Both Widodo and Duterte are currently waging a war on drugs in their respective countries.

Under Widodo, who took office in 2014, Indonesia has executed 18 people convicted for drug trafficking.

Source:gulf-times.com/story/512580/Duterte-denies-giving-Indonesia-OK-for-planned-exe

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/isil-executes-8-caged-civilians/d/108547

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Islamic World News ( 13 Sept 2016, NewAgeIslam.Com)

ISIL Executes 8 Caged Civilians by Drowning in Water

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