Islamic Extremists Stormed an India-Backed Public Yoga Event in the Maldives Organised By Sports Ministry and Indian Cultural Centre
New Age Islam News Bureau
22 June 2022
People participate in a
mass yoga session near the Dal Lake to celebrate the International Day of Yoga
in Srinagar on June 21, 2022. (Photo by Tauseef Mustafa / AFP)
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• Pakistan's Punjab Imposes 'Emergency' Due To Rise in
Rape Cases
• Indian-American Muslims in Texas and California
Protest against Demolition of Muslim Houses in India
• Tunisia’s President Saied Confirms No State Religion
In New Charter
• Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission Announces Start of
Registration for Music Classes; Centre for Music Is the First of Its Kind in
the Kingdom
India
• Two Factions of the Influential Deobandi Clerics-Led
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind May ‘Merge Soon’ To Have United Voice on Muslim Concerns
• Cop killer among four terrorists slain in twin
J&K encounters
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan-TTP ‘Peace Deal’ Doomed to Fail despite of Afghan-Taliban’s
Push
• Army wants to stay away from polling stations
• Shehbaz deserves at least one year, says Bilawal
• Opposition senators rap govt for ‘legitimising
corruption’
• Maryam Nawaz accuses Imran Khan of ‘blackmailing’
outgoing NAB chief
• Writer Mohammed Hanif announces withdrawal from
German conference over dis-invitation of Palestinian writer
• Pak's top election body reserves verdict in
prohibited funding case against Imran Khan's party
• Progress made in IMF-Pakistan talks on bailout
program: IMF official
--------
North
America
• Border Shelter Housing Muslim Migrants Opens Its
Doors in Mexico
• U.S. Officials Shine Spotlight on China’s Repression
Of Uygur Muslims
• US arrests airman in connection with attack in Syria
• US vows continuing support as Israel heads to
elections
• US remains committed to reopening consulate in
Jerusalem
--------
Africa
• Nigeria Not Healing Christian-Muslim Divide, Says
Bishop
• Burkina Faso announces military zones ahead of
anti-militant operations
--------
Arab
World
• Syria's Tal Rifat surrounded with tunnels by YPG/PKK
terrorists
• Saudi crown prince pays first visit to Turkey since
Khashoggi murder
• Saudi Arabia’s investments in Jordan amount to $14
bln
• Arab-backed development fund to tackle global food
insecurity with $10 bln package
• Saudi Arabia, Egypt sign 14 agreements worth $7.7
billion
• Saudi-Jordanian cooperation ‘a role model’ for the
entire Middle East
• Saudi Cabinet gives green light to Bank of Jordan to
open branches in the Kingdom
--------
Europe
• French Election Result May Lead To More
Islamophobia: Experts
• UN: Executions, trial procedures in Iran of deep
concern
• Britain launches free trade talks with Gulf
countries
• Bosnia braces for peace march to honour genocide
victims
--------
South
Asia
• Taliban Govt Offering Support In Gurudwara Repair,
Say Af Sikhs
• Taliban face growing armed resistance across Afghanistan
• 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Afghanistan kills at
least 280
• Afghanistan and Iran Strike an Agreement Over
Helmand River Water-Sharing
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Targets the Taliban’s Border
Guards in Eastern Afghanistan
• UN Extends Travel Exemptions for the Taliban
Excluding the Two Education Officials
• Taliban calls on UNHCR to address Afghan refugee
issues
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Academic Laments Disconnect Between Islamic
Teachings And Conduct
• Indonesia president to push for peace with Ukraine,
Russia visits: Minister
• Concern rising over persecution of minorities in
Malaysia
• Khairy withdraws ‘main belakang’ defamation appeal
against Anwar
--------
Mideast
• Israel’s Underground Diggings and Tunnels Threaten
Aqsa Mosque
• Israeli troops train for combat in ghost town dubbed
‘Mini Gaza’
• Biden’s Mideast visit will have ‘significant’
impact: Israel’s Lapid
• Tehran Foils Mossad’s Assassination Plot against
Iranian Nuclear Scientists
• Spokesman: Iran Determined to Materialize Technical
N. Rights
• IRGC Commander Underlines Zionist Regime's Political
Collapse
• Iran Downplays US B-52 Bombers' Flight over Persian
Gulf
• Three ‘Mossad-linked agents’ will be tried soon in
Iran: Report
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamic-extremists-yoga-maldives/d/127298
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Islamic Extremists Stormed an India-Backed Public Yoga Event in the Maldives Organised By Sports Ministry and Indian Cultural Centre
People participate in a
mass yoga session near the Dal Lake to celebrate the International Day of Yoga
in Srinagar on June 21, 2022. (Photo by Tauseef Mustafa / AFP)
----
Jun 21, 2022
Malé, Maldives: Islamic extremists stormed an
India-backed public yoga session in the Maldives on Tuesday, with police in the
South Asian tourist paradise firing tear gas to clear the mob.
Dozens of people waving white flags emblazoned with
religious slogans chased out a crowd sitting on gym mats and preparing to mark
International Yoga Day at a football stadium in the capital Male.
Police responded with tear gas and arrested six people
after the mob smashed billboards advertising the event, which was organised by
the sports ministry and the local Indian Cultural Centre.
Local media reports said the mob had claimed the
meditative practice was against the teachings of Islam.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said the attack was of
"serious concern", adding that police were investigating.
"Those responsible will be swiftly brought before
the law," he said on Twitter.
Radicalisation has been a major concern for security
forces in the Maldives, a Sunni Muslim archipelago nation southwest of India
better known for its boutique beachside resorts and celebrity tourists.
Authorities blamed "religious extremists"
for an assassination attempt on parliamentary speaker Mohamed Nasheed last
year.
The government has cracked down on extremism, with
police arresting a suspected Islamic State recruiter in 2019, and foreign
preachers are banned from entering the country.
Tuesday's yoga session in Male was one of many
organised around the world to mark International Yoga Day, an annual event
adopted by the United Nations in 2014.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Pakistan's Punjab Imposes 'Emergency' Due To Rise In
Rape Cases
Representative Image
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Jun 22, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Punjab province has decided to
declare an "emergency" amid a rapid increase in reported cases of
sexual abuse against women and children.
At a press conference on Monday, Punjab Home Minister
Atta Tarar said that an increase in such incidents was a serious issue for
society and government officials.
"Four to five cases of rape are being reported
daily in Punjab due to which the government is considering special measures to
deal with the cases of sexual harassment, abuse and coercion," he was
quoted as saying by Geo News.
"To deal with rape cases, the administration has
declared an emergency," he stated.
The minister said that civil society, women's rights
organisations, teachers, and attorneys would be consulted in the matter.
Besides this, he urged parents to teach their children the importance of
safety.
Tarar stated that the government had also launched an
anti-rape campaign, and that students would be warned about harassment in
schools.
"The accused in a number of cases have been
detained. A system will be implemented in two weeks to reducing the
incidents," he added.
Violence against women cuts across classes in the
country.
Women's harassment at workplace, domestic violence and
other discriminatory activities have also been rampant.
"There were 5,048 cases of workplace harassment
of women and violence against women reported in the country during 2018,
followed by 4,751 cases in 2019, 4,276 cases in 2020 and 2,078 cases in
2021", a human rights ministry document said.
In Global Gender Gap Index 2021 rankings, Pakistan
ranks 153 out of 156 countries, just above Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.
International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS)
said overlapping legal systems, punctured with loopholes and a deeply engrained
patriarchy in the society combine to ensure women survivors of violence are
improbable to get justice as per the opinion of human rights activists, lawyers
and survivors.
"The whole process from the moment a crime is
committed against a woman to registering it with the police -- and then the
court procedure -- is structured in such a way that justice remains
elusive," Nayab Gohar Jan, a prominent rights activist had stated.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Indian-American Muslims in Texas and California
Protest against Demolition of Muslim Houses in India
Photo: IAMC/ Protest in
Texas, California against arrests of Muslims, demolition of Muslim homes in
India
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21st June 2022
Washington, DC (June 20, 2022) – Indian Americans in
two of America’s largest states, Texas and California, protested last weekend
against the increasing persecution of Muslims in India under Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s Hindu extremist government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP).
Globally renowned US-based Islamic scholar Shaikh Omar
Suleiman led the protest in Dallas, which was jointly organized by The Indian
American Muslim Council (IAMC), and North Texas Peace Advocates (NTPA). Shaykh
Alaeddin El-Bakri of the Islamic Society of North America led the Bay Area
protest organized by IAMC, which drew over 500 protesters.
“We will continue to tell Modi, who is a wannabe
Hitler, that you are a coward and that you are not welcome in Texas,” Suleiman
told a cheering crowd. “We will hold elected officials accountable. We will
hold corporations accountable when they deal with [India’s] fascist regime. We
will not stand for the genocide of our brothers and sisters.”
Shaikh Suleiman spoke of the connections between the
Hindu extremist ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the
ideological parent of Modi’s BJP, and Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party, saying both
promoted a hateful and shameless ideology.
“When we talk about the RSS we are talking about the
child of Nazism [which] continues to rear its ugly head on this earth,” he
said. “We are talking about people that are proud of their fascism. “India says
very openly it wants to follow the Israeli model. If India consider the Israeli
model, expert a palestinian resistance.”
Shaikh Suleiman also questioned why Modi, who was
banned from entering the US during 2005-14, was now being embraced by
politicians of both major political parties.
“What changed to where now a man who once could not
even enter this country could address Congress? What changed to where Barack
Obama wrote the introduction for Modi as “reformer in chief” among Time
Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world? What changed for President
Joe Biden to do the exact same thing? What has changed about this man? Nothing
has changed.”
At the Bay Area protests, Shaykh Alaeddin El-Bakri
condemned India’s persecution of Muslims, “I was talking to someone from
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Palestine, and he told me to extend my support to the Indian
Muslim brothers and sisters and tell them we are with them they are uniting us
they are pushing us back,” he said.
Protestors in Dallas’ Dealey Plaza withstood hours of
sweltering heat to amplify their voices marching together and chanting slogans
of support for Indian Muslims. The slogans included, “We Stand With Afreen
Fatima,” and “Stop Indian Muslim Genocide.” Fatima, a 22 year-old activist saw
her house razed to the ground by bulldozers deployed by the Uttar Pradesh
government, after her father was falsely arrested and accused of being the
mastermind behind communal riots.
Protesters at both Dallas and the Bay Area called for
a unified response from the American Muslim community to mobilize US Congress
and the Biden Administration to pressure India to pull back from its severe
persecution of its 200 million Muslims.
Many protesters waved the Indian flag, the tricolor
that is made of saffron, the color of Hinduism, green, the color of Islam, and
white, the color of peace, with a wheel in it.
Speaking at the Dallas protest, Sabiha Shariff, an
Indian American, urged the community to speak up before it is too late. “Don’t
wait for the day when the Indian national flag is changed to saffron and the
chakra [wheel] is changed to bulldozers.”
IAMC President Syed Afzal Ali urged the protesters to
use social media to reach out to elected representatives and the Biden
Administration asking them to act quickly.
“Now is the time for the Biden administration to step
in. No country, ally or otherwise, should be given a pass for genocidal
policies against its minorities,” Ali said.
“We call upon President Biden to immediately and
publicly denounce the Indian government’s use of bulldozers and police violence
against Muslims and to recognize India as a Country of Particular Concern for
its ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedoms and human rights.”
IAMC Bay Area President Jaweed Khan said, “the world
may not know yet what is going on in India, but if we continue to put together
protests like these for people to see how many are truly impacted, we will be
able to make a change.”
Source: IAMC
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Tunisia’s President Saied Confirms No State Religion
In New Charter
A handout picture provided
by the Tunisian Presidency Press Service on June 20, 2022 shows Sadok Belaid,
head of Tunisia’s constitution committee, submitting a draft of the new
constitution to President Kais Saied (R) at the Carthage Palace in Tunis. |
Photo Credit: AFP
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21 June, 2022
Tunisian President Kais Saied confirmed Tuesday that a
draft constitution to be put to a referendum on July 25 will not enshrine Islam
as the “religion of the state.”
“The next constitution of Tunisia won’t mention a
state with Islam as its religion, but of belonging to an umma (community) which
has Islam as its religion,” he told journalists at Tunis airport.
“The umma and the state are two different things.”
Saied took delivery of the draft text on Monday, a key
step in his drive to overhaul the Tunisian state after he sacked the government
and seized far-reaching powers last July in moves opponents called a coup.
Sadeq Belaid, the legal expert who headed the drafting
committee, had told AFP in an interview earlier this month that he would remove
all reference to Islam from the new document in a challenge to Islamist
parties.
His comments, partly referring to Saied’s nemesis
Ennahdha, an Islamist-inspired party which has dominated Tunisian politics
since 2011, sparked a heated national debate.
The first article of Tunisia’s 2014 constitution - and
its 1959 predecessor - defined the North African country as “a free,
independent and sovereign state. Islam is its religion and Arabic is its
language.”
The 2014 document was the product of a hard-won compromise
between Ennahdha and its secular rivals three years after the revolt that
overthrew former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
The new text, produced through a “national dialogue”
excluding opposition forces and boycotted by the powerful UGTT trades union
confederation, is meant to be approved by Saied by the end of June before being
put to voters next month.
That is a year after the former constitutional law
professor sacked the government, later consolidating his power grab by
dissolving parliament and seizing control of the judiciary.
His moves have been welcomed by some Tunisians tired
of the corrupt and often chaotic post-revolutionary system.
Saied has long called for a presidential system that
avoids the frequent deadlock seen under the mixed parliamentary-presidential
system.
Asked about that issue on Tuesday, he said: “Whether
the system is presidential or parliamentary is not the question.”
“What counts is that the people has sovereignty.
There’s the legislative function, the executive function and the judicial
function, and separation between them.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission Announces Start of
Registration for Music Classes; Centre for Music Is the First of Its Kind in
the Kingdom
A Saudi violinist plays
the violin at a musical instruments shop at the Hilla market, in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, on January 20, 2020. (Reuters)
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21 June, 2022
The Saudi Centre for Music began receiving
applications to register for music classes on Tuesday, the official Saudi Press
Agency (SPA) reported citing the Kingdom’s Music Commission.
Supervised by certified music teachers, the Saudi
Centre for Music is the first of its kind in the Kingdom.
It currently has two branches, one in the capital
Riyadh and another in Jeddah. It will soon have a third branch in al-Khobar,
with plans to expand across other areas of the Kingdom.
The center offers a range of classes such as singing
and learning how to play oriental and western instruments including oud, cello,
qanun and violin.
It will soon offer classes to teach playing the ney
(flute), drum and riq (daf).
The center’s programs are suitable for both amateurs
as well as talented musicians who seek to enhance their skills to build a
career in music.
In addition to music lessons, the center includes
several facilities, such as rehearsal and recording studios, which individuals
and institutions can rent.
The Kingdom issued the first license for two music
institutes to operate in the Kingdom in December 2020.
Music, theater, and the arts were included in the
curriculum of public and private schools in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Source: Al Arabiya
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India
Two Factions of the Influential Deobandi Clerics-Led
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind May ‘Merge Soon’ To Have United Voice on Muslim Concerns
Jun 22, 2022
NEW DELHI: Sending out a strong message of solidarity
to the Muslim community, two factions of the influential Deobandi clerics-led
Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind are working on the terms of a possible merger that is
expected to materialise soon.
This message of “unity” comes at a critical time when
the organisation has been very vocal about the threat of communalism, growing
Islamophobia and the persecution of Muslims. From Babri Masjid to the Gyanvapi
Masjid issue and the recent remarks by former BJP spokespersons against Prophet
Mohammad, both factions of JUH have been at the forefront raising the concerns
of Muslims and positioning Jamait as “a voice that matters” within the
community.
Claiming to have the backing of over 1.2 crore
members, the Maulana Mahmood Madani-led faction of JUH and its rival group by
the same name, of which Maulana Arshad Madani is the president, are seen to be
heading for truce.
The move to bury their differences and work out a
strategy for a merger is seen to be a route to strengthen the organisation to
give voice to the community’s concerns as one, sources said. While a formal
roadmap of this unification is yet to be finalised and both factions are
non-committal on the division of roles, the move acquires significance with
both sides seeing this to be a critical moment in the Jamiat’s over 100-year
existence.
The merger has long been in the works since the Delhi
High Court in 2017 directed both factions to settle their differences through
arbitration and arrive at a consensus. It is learnt that at the recent meeting
at Deoband organised by the JUH faction led by Mahmood Madani, where nearly
2,000 members came together, the signal was clear with Arshad Madani joining
the meeting on invitation and conceding that it was time to “be united”. At the
meeting in May, JUH had announced that they will be holding thousands of
‘Sadbhawana Sansads’ to unite the society against hatred and Islamophobia.
“Waqt Aur Halaat Key Chaltey Yeh Zaroori Hai. (The
time and circumstances has made this merger necessary),” Arshad Madani told TOI
on Tuesday. He cited the merger as a way to unite all voices under one banner
and put forth the concerns of Muslims more vociferously in the prevailing
situation. “Our working committee has approved the proposal to merge and left
it to me to negotiate the terms. Now we have to wait for the other faction’s
working committee to decide and put forth their position at their meeting in
July. Things will move from thereon,” Madani said, putting the onus on the
opposite camp to build on the message.
The division in JUH was triggered during the
presidential tenure of Arshad Madani who took on the reins of the organisation
in 2006 when the former president Asad Madani passed away. The latter’s son and
Arshad Madani’s nephew Mahmood Madani was the general secretary of the
organisation. It is learnt that soon trouble broke out over the division of
powers and the working of the organisation between Arshad Madani, and Mahmood
Madani and the members of the executive committee.
Arshad Madani’s decisions related to the organisation
were cited to be autocratic by his opponents. Consequently, Arshad Madani was
dismissed as the president of the united Jamiat, leading him to form a new
executive committee which he claimed to be the true Jamiat. The existing Jamiat
was led by Mahmood Madani, and in April 2008 this faction appointed Usman
Mansoorpuri as their first president. Mahmood Madani became President of this
faction earlier this year.
Source: Times Of India
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Cop killer among four terrorists slain in twin J&K
encounters
Jun 22, 2022
SRINAGAR: Four terrorists, including one involved in
the murder of SI Farooq Ahmad Mir, were killed in two anti-terror operations in
south Kashmir’s Pulwama and north Kashmir’s Baramulla districts on Tuesday.
While two Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were shot dead in an overnight encounter
in Pulwama’s Tujjan area, two Lashkar-e-Taiba affiliates were slain in Tulibal
area of Baramulla’s Sopore.
The Jaish duo slain in Pulwama was identified as Majid
Nazir Wani and Abid Ahmad Sheikh, both from Pulwama. Majid was involved in the
killing of SI Farooq Ahmad Mir, who was shot dead while working in his paddy
fields in Pulwama’s Pampore on June 18, IGP (Kashmir Range) Vijay Kumar said.
Both terrorists were part of several terror crimes including attacks on
security forces and civilian atrocities.
The Lashkar terrorists killed in Baramulla were
identified as Zahid Ahmad Chopan from Shopian and Mohammad Youns Gul from
Pulwama, both of whom had joined terror ranks recently, the IGP added.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan
Pakistan-TTP ‘peace deal’ doomed to fail despite of
Afghan-Taliban’s push
21 June, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], June 20 (ANI): Pakistan’s sheer
desperation for peace with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) comes as the
country’s economy continues to remain in shambles and the prevailing political
instability has made the Pakistani state “weak and vulnerable.”
The differences between the coalition partners –
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on the
transparency issue of the TTP talks led Bilawal Bhutto and Asif Zardari to
reach out to other political parties in the parliament over Pakistan’s talks
with the TTP and constitute a three-member committee.
After much criticism over the absence of the
government’s response to the ongoing ‘peace talks’ between the Pakistan Army,
Afghan Taliban, and TTP, political stakeholders have finally decided to take
cognisance of the matter. Under Pakistan’s constitution, the civilian
government cannot negotiate — at least not directly with those waging an
insurgency against it.
While PPP seems concerned about the concessions TTP is
getting from the army establishment for the success of the dialogue, PML-N has
largely ignored the matter.
In addition, the security establishment fears that the
Afghan Taliban may support TTP in its quest to impose the ‘Sharia Law’, on the
lines of Afghanistan, in Pakistan as well.
There is also a reported push from China to tame TTP
to avoid any nefarious activities against China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
(CPEC) projects and targeting of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Lastly, the
possibility of ‘Pashtun’ nationalism may prove a grave threat to the
Punjabi-dominated army establishment in Pakistan. Therefore, Rawalpindi is opting
for a peace agreement with TTP, like the US-Taliban Doha accord, instead of
military operations as the Pakistan army does not want to lose its “strategic
depth” in Afghanistan by angering its “trusted” Islamist proxy elements.
Even retired officers from the defence forces and law
enforcement agencies have cast aspersions over the dialogue and advised to
“only negotiate the terms of surrender [of TTP militants].”
Overall, the talks have not yielded much in the last
month as differences remain despite the Afghan Taliban’s push and participation
of a suspicious 50-member delegation of tribal elders, dubbed as a Jirga, in
Kabul. As a saving grace for the military establishment, the TTP has reportedly
agreed to extend the ceasefire “indefinitely” to continue negotiations.
Nevertheless, the ceasefire may not hold for long
unless TTP’s demands are not met soon. Based on the past experiences of
negotiations between the Pakistan army and TTP – over a dozen agreements – this
time as well the deal will eventually fall apart, leading to more bloodshed in
the country.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, Taliban’s deputy Emir and minister
of the interior, has played a critical role in facilitating the ‘peace talks’
between Pakistan and TTP, considering his historical closeness to both the TTP
and Pakistan’s security establishment.
Therefore, Haqqani’s role in bringing peace between
the two warring parties will be critical in deciding the future of the
dialogue. Sirajuddin’s appointment as the new interior minister of Afghanistan
was not a coincidence but a planned move by Rawalpindi to put their “trusted
men” at the helm in Kabul.
However, the historical ties between the Haqqani
Network and TTP, both eastern Pashtuns, may prove a roadblock for Pakistan to
pressure Sirajuddin on fulfilling their objectives with the TTP.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province has seen
an uptick in terrorism-related activities since the Taliban took over
Afghanistan in August 2021.
In the ongoing negotiations with Pakistan, TTP has put
forth the following key demands: the reversal of the merger of former Federally
Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with KPK as per the 25th Constitutional
Amendment; substituting all military presence from the region with frontier
corps; enforcement of Sharia law in the Malakand division; release of 102
commanders and fighters and presidential pardon to two key militant commanders;
and complete freedom of movement for the TTP’s members in the Malakand
division.
It is noteworthy that some TTP factions have been
operating with impunity in tribal areas of FATA, enforcing stricter versions of
Islam, and levying taxes on the locals, especially in the Malakand division.
Source: The Print
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Army wants to stay away from polling stations
Imran Ayub
June 22, 2022
KARACHI: Unlike the 2018 general elections, the
country’s military wants to stay away from providing security for upcoming
polling exercises. But while their personnel will not be deployed inside
polling stations, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been assured of
their availability as a ‘quick reaction force’ (QRF) in case a need arises
during electioneering.
This was revealed by ECP Secretary Omar Hamid Khan in
an interaction with journalists after chairing a meeting regarding the upcoming
by-election in Karachi’s NA-245, which had recently fallen vacant after death
of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNA Dr Aamir Liaquat Hussain.
“The ECP chief has recently sent a letter to the army
chief seeking deployment of army troops for security [of the electoral
process],” he said.
“However, it’s now a policy of the armed forces that
they want to stay away from the polling stations. We can’t comment over that.
But it’s our utmost desire that there should be more than just flag marches and
QRF. That’s why the letter was sent to the army chief.”
ECP official says military, paramilitary personnel
will remain in third-tier of security ring, will be available for ‘quick
response’
While he didn’t comment on how sustainable the policy
would prove to be, Mr Khan was sure that the upcoming local government
elections in Sindh and by-polls across the country were likely to be held under
similar guidelines.
Regarding the upcoming local bodies elections in Sindh
and the off-and-on by-elections in different parts of the country, the ECP
secretary made it clear that troops would not be deployed at polling stations,
though the paramilitary Rangers force would “stay close to the polling
stations”.
When contacted, an ECP official confirmed that the
armed forces had, in recent months, opted for positioning as the third tier of
security for protective arrangements during recent elections — both the
by-polls and local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police
authorities, backed by the paramilitary forces — Pakistan Rangers and the
Frontier Constabulary — performed duties as part of the first and second tier.
In the 2018 elections, the ECP had granted broad
judicial powers to the armed forces at polling stations in a rare move that had
attracted serious criticism by the majority of political parties and human
rights groups. At the time, about 371,000 troops were deployed across the
country to control security arrangements; about three times the number deputed
for the 2013 polls.
The ECP secretary’s thoughts came a day after the
commission sought assistance from the armed forces to conduct by-polls in
different national and provincial assembly constituencies of Punjab, Sindh and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as well as both phases of the local government polls in
Sindh.
In a letter written to Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar
Javed Bajwa on Monday, Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja stated
that in view of the charged political atmosphere and the extreme political
polarization in the country, deployment outside polling stations would be
required for by-polls in four Punjab Assembly constituencies of Lahore (PP-158,
PP-167, PP-168, PP-170), one KP assembly seat (PK-7), and one National Assembly
constituency in Sindh (NA-245).
He also criticised comments from various political
circles, including PTI chief Imran Khan, who had questioned the role and
performance of the constitutional body. Claiming that all arrangements were in
place for the first phase of local polls in Sindh, Mr Khan said that polling
was scheduled to be held on June 26 in four divisions — Sukkur, Larkana,
Shaheed Benazirabad and Mirpurkhas. The ECP mentioned that the Pakistan Rangers
would have another task — in addition to providing security — on polling day.
“The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh would also give security to election materials and
supervise its due safe transportation,” he said. “We don’t see any hurdle on
our part in Sindh local bodies elections. We have appealed to the people,
parties and candidates to cooperate with us for peaceful elections, but if any
individual or group creates a law and order situation, the law would take its
course, which would lead to action in line with the set rules.”
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696099/army-wants-to-stay-away-from-polling-stations
--------
Shehbaz deserves at least one year, says Bilawal
M.B. Kalhoro
June 22, 2022
LARKANA: Since the Imran Khan-led government got four
years to rule the country, Shehbaz Sharif should get at least one year to
“serve the nation”, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Tuesday
while addressing a gathering at Larkana’s Municipal Stadium to mark the 69th
birth anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.
“Give this government some time to carry out economic
and electoral reforms. We will then hopefully come out of the mess left behind
by the selected government,” he said.
The Peoples Party chairman expressed hopes that the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) would remove Pakistan from its grey list by
October.
“We fought our case against two FIRs: money laundering
and terrorist financing.
“We were able to persuade countries with which the
former rulers [referring to the PTI-led government] were at odds, that Pakistan
has taken all steps sought by FATF for removal from the grey list,” Bilawal
Bhutto said, calling it “just the beginning of our journey”.
He blamed former prime minister Imran Khan for the
economic crisis and the country’s isolation. Bilawal Bhutto said further ‘good
news is to come” regarding the country’s status in GSP Plus.
“Our slogan is ‘trade not aid’ and we are ready for
economic engagement with other countries,” he said.
It was necessary to send the ‘selected government’
packing because it was a threat to our economy and democracy, Bilawal Bhutto
said. “Imran Khan had inked a wrong deal with the IMF,” he alleged, adding that
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team had saved the country from default.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696107/shehbaz-deserves-at-least-one-year-says-bilawal
--------
Opposition
senators rap govt for ‘legitimising corruption’
Iftikhar
A. Khan
June
22, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The opposition in the Senate on Tuesday continued its protest against the
controversial amendments to the accountability law, accusing the government
of legitimising corruption.
After
getting the chair’s nod for a half-hour discussion on the National
Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendment bill, the opposition members lambasted
Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal for his purported remarks that
corruption did not impede economic development.
Former
minister Shibli Faraz alleged that the present government had come to power
through a conspiracy to give “NRO-2” (relief in corruption cases) to itself. He
said the NAB and the elections amendment bills had been passed in haste,
alleging that both drafts had been amended with an intention to protect
corruption and corrupt practices. “They have solved their cases by enacting an
immoral law,” he remarked.
The
PTI senator lamented that the anti-graft watchdog had been made subservient to
the Interior Ministry. Under Section 25-D of the NAB amendment law, he
maintained, if one of the accomplices entered into a plea bargain, it would not
be used against other witnesses and suspects. He said it was a classic example
of becoming a judge in one’s own case, and noted the amendments had a direct
link with the recent money laundering case against Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif.
Rabbani
suggests parliamentary oversight of defence budget, intelligence apparatus
He
said it was for the defendants to justify accumulation of assets beyond means,
but the controversial amendment reversed the condition and placed the onus of
proof on the prosecution. All of this was being done to quash the corruption
cases worth Rs1,100 to 1,200 billion.
“The
faces of those trying to legitimise corruption should be unmasked before the
people. The leadership of those sitting on my left is corrupt to the core,” Mr
Faraz said, pointing towards the treasury benches.
Senator
Ejaz Chaudhry, also from the PTI, said the premier and 60 per cent of his
cabinet were involved in various cases, adding that an accused could not become
the judge in a case against himself. Under Section 14 of the NAB amendment law,
the definition of assets had been changed and now nobody would be answerable
for the assets amassed in the names of family members.
He
said the amendments would help the leadership of the PPP and PML-N get relief
in corruption cases. He mentioned some ‘tailor-made’ amendments, which
according to him would specifically benefit PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, PM
Sharif, former PM Nawaz Sharif, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz
Ashraf, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbassi and PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz.
Leader
of the House Azam Nazir Tarar said the accountability process should not be
carried out at the cost of human rights and the economy.
PPP
stalwart and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani proposed parliamentary
oversight of the defence budget and the intelligence apparatus.
Taking
part in the budget discussion, he said parliamentary oversight of the defence
budget should be assigned to the defence committees of both the houses that
could scrutinize the revenue expenditure, including pay and allowances,
transportation, light transport/vehicles, rations, petrol, oil and military
businesses etc.
“Once
this practice takes root, later the capital expenditure can also be taken into
consideration,” he suggested.
Mr
Rabbani also proposed parliamentary oversight of the intelligence apparatus,
and said a Standing Committees on Intelligence should be constituted for the
purpose. “This is not a new experience, as such committees existed in
international jurisdictions,” he added.
Noting
that Pakistan’s financial and economic sovereignty had been “sold out” to
international financial “imperialist institutions”, he said the contours of the
budget had been finalised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF
agreement should be renegotiated on new terms and conditions.
“A
lot of water has flown under the bridge, with new realities emerging both in
the national and world economies,” he commented.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696110/opposition-senators-rap-govt-for-legitimising-corruption
--------
Maryam
Nawaz accuses Imran Khan of ‘blackmailing’ outgoing NAB chief
June
21, 2022
LAHORE:
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has said that “strict action” should be taken
against former prime minister Imran Khan for “blackmailing” former NAB chairman
Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal through objectionable videos.
In
response to PTI’s criticism over amendments to NAB law, the ruling party leader
said those who were raising hue and cry over the changes in the accountability
laws targeted their political opponents by blackmailing the former NAB chief.
“He
[Imran Khan] tricked Tayyaba and kept her at Prime Minister House for weeks.
Took videos of chairman NAB from her then blackmailed him through these videos
to get verdicts of their choice,” she wrote on her official Twitter handle on
Tuesday.
In
May 2019, the audio and video clips relating to the alleged conduct of the then
NAB chairman with regard to a woman identified as Tayyaba Khatun facing
investigation by NAB authorities had taken politico-media by storm. The
anti-graft watchdog had rebutted the allegations.
Information
Minister joins the chorus
Meanwhile,
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday
said Imran Khan and the former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman
should be behind bars for trampling upon the law and justice of the country.
Responding
to PTI chief’s statement, Marriyum said, “Imran’s corruption had been exposed
for the entire country to see and he could no longer harp on false narratives
and accusatory politics. The four years of incompetence and corruption were now
known to people who had figured out Imran’s false narrative of accountability
to persecute his political opponents. He went to insane lengths to file false
cases against the opposition, But even after abusing all resources and power,
Imran could not prove a single penny of corruption on the opposition leaders.
He embarrassed himself in front of UK’S National Crime Agency and Broadsheet
where his false allegations were dismissed.”
The
minister said after crushing the masses under inflation for four years and
misleading them over false conspiracy narrative, Imran now wanted to deceive
the nation over NAB laws. This was because he wanted to use NAB for political
victimisation so that he could imprison political opponents in death row cells
once again, she added.
She
pointed out that Imran should have been in jail but instead Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif was appearing before courts over these political cases.
“The
truth was that even after abusing NAB, FIA, and Prime Minister’s Office, Imran
could not prove anything but he continued violating the human rights of
political opponents. Maryam Nawaz too was dragged to courts over these false
allegations and made up cases,” she said.
Imran’s
hoopla over NAB was nothing but an attempt to hide his own corruption, she
added.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Writer
Mohammed Hanif announces withdrawal from German conference over dis-invitation
of Palestinian writer
June
21, 2022
British-Pakistani
writer Mohammed Hanif has announced that he will no longer participate in a
conference held by Goethe Institute in Hamburg, Germany after the conference
disinvited Mohammed El-Kurd, a Palestinian writer and poet.
According
to the writer, Kurd was invited and then disinvited from the “Beyond the Lone
Offender – Dynamics of the Global Right” summit, scheduled to be held from June
23 to 26 in Hamburg, because he was not “respectful enough towards Israel.”
In
another tweet, Hanif wrote, “Mohammed El Kurd’s house was taken over by
settlers when he was eleven. Kurd and his sister Muna have been protesting
since they were children. Haven’t read much Goethe but I don’t think he wanted
the world to be respectful towards a ruthless apartheid regime.”
Hanif
said that he was supposed to speak about the dynamics of right wing structures
and asked how one could have a conversation after silencing a key witness like
Kurd. He also suggested that Goethe Institute should have a “good look” at
themselves.
In
a tweet he also attached a link to read Kurd’s poetry collection and asked the
public to decide who’s being “disrespectful” in this case.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pak's
top election body reserves verdict in prohibited funding case against Imran
Khan's party
June
21, 2022
Pakistan's
top election body on Tuesday reserved its judgement in the much-delayed
prohibited funding case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former prime
minister Imran Khan.
A
founding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member, Akbar S Babar, had filed the
case in 2014 with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), alleging his party
of financial irregularities in the funds received from different foreign
donors.
The
party, however, has denied any wrongdoing, and maintains the funding is not
from prohibited sources.
After
endless delays and squabbling, a bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner
(CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja concluded the hearing, but instead of giving the
verdict, he announced that the ECP would also like to conclude similar cases
against other political parties.
He
didn’t give any deadline for issuing the verdict but told the respondents that
they would be summoned if and when needed.
Earlier,
Babar's financial expert, Arsalan Wardag, told the court that the PTI received
funding from the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, arguing that the party had
11 accounts that it acknowledged it had not disclosed.
He
further said that the PTI never disclosed the source of several donors from
abroad. However, he was reminded by the CEC that PTI lawyer, Anwar Mansoor
Khan, had given his arguments regarding the lack of details of donors because
such details were not required by law at the time of funding.
When
Babar tried to tell the ECP chief that political parties should be held
accountable to set an example, the CEC said that democracy must be strengthened
by restoring voters’ confidence.
"We
will make sure that justice is done to all. I am grateful to both sides, I have
learned a lot," the commissioner added.
He
went on to add that the case was a matter of national interest and soon cases
of other parties would also be finalised. "We will ensure that no one is
discriminated against."
The
case has been a source of political wrangling as parties opposed to the PTI
accused the ECP for failing to conclude the case, while the PTI insisted that
accounts of all major parties should be checked by the ECP instead of singling
it out.
According
to the ECP, one of the reasons for the delay was a scrutiny committee, formed
in March 2018 to examine the PTI’s foreign funding in one month, finally
submitted its report in January this year.
The
report showed that the PTI leadership had committed gross violations of funding
laws by allowing the collection of funds from foreigners.
Babar
later told the media that his objective was to make the PTI as a role model. “I
did not have any personal [grudge] or ego [issue]," he said.
PTI's
Farrukh Habib called on the ECP to conclude the hearings of similar cases
against Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
"For
seven years, we have heard that this is a foreign funding case. Now the ECP
also ultimately recognised the fact that it was a case of prohibited
funding," he said, adding that the PTI funding was done through banking
channels and it would come out clean.
Source:
India Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Progress
made in IMF-Pakistan talks on bailout program: IMF official
22 June,
2022
Important
progress has been made in talks between the International Monetary Fund and
Pakistan to revive the country’s bailout program, the lender’s resident
representative in Islamabad told Reuters on Wednesday.
The
statement comes as Pakistan’s economy teeters on the brink of a financial
crisis, with foreign exchange reserves drying up fast and the Pakistani rupee
at record lows against the US dollar.
“Discussions
between the IMF staff and the authorities on policies to strengthen
macroeconomic stability in the coming year continue, and important progress has
been made over the FY23 budget,” the IMF’s Esther Perez Ruiz said.
Pakistan
unveiled a 9.5 trillion Pakistani rupee ($47 billion) budget for 2022-23 this
month aimed at tight fiscal consolidation in a bid to convince the IMF to
restart much-needed bailout payments.
However,
the lender later said additional measures were needed to bring Pakistan’s
budget in line with the key objectives of the IMF program.
The
two sides held talks on Tuesday night over macroeconomic and fiscal targets, a
Pakistani official told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.
They
said the talks had gone “well” and Pakistan now expected an initial memorandum
on macroeconomic and financial targets and then a staff level agreement in a
few days.
Pakistan
entered the 39-month, $6 billion IMF program in 2019, but only half the funds
have been disbursed to date as Islamabad has struggled to keep targets on
track.
The
last disbursement was in February and the next tranche was to follow a review
in March, but the government of ousted prime minister Imran Khan introduced
costly fuel price caps which threw fiscal targets and the program off track.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
North
America
Border
Shelter Housing Muslim Migrants Opens Its Doors In Mexico
June
21, 2022
A
border shelter for Muslim migrants hoping to gain asylum in either the U.S. or Canada
opened recently in Tijuana, Mexico, according to Border Report.
The
Latina Muslim Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in San Diego,
California, says its new 8,000 square-foot shelter can house up to 150 people
at a time, offering medical, psychological, food, housing and legal aid,
according to Border Report.
“Being
on one of the largest borders in the world, this is a source of pride that
we’re here able to help people arriving at the border. We’ll be able to provide
shelter for Muslims who are seeking to get to the U.S. or Canada, “the
organization’s president, Sonia Tinico, said, according to Border Report.
“They
can pray here and have halal meals that don’t have pork since we don’t eat
pork,” she said. “We’ll have separate areas for women and men,” Tinico added.
The
organization said it had around 18 refugees from Afghanistan in an interview
with CBS 8 San Diego. In total, the shelter was housing 30 migrants from
Pakistan, Kenya and other countries upon opening.
There
is a constant flow of Muslim migrants from African and Asian countries into
South America that hope to reach the U.S., Arab News reported in January.
Source:
Daily Caller
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://dailycaller.com/2022/06/21/mexico-migrants-border-asylum-muslim/
--------
U.S.
Officials Shine Spotlight on China’s Repression Of Uygur Muslims
By
Guy Taylor
June
21, 2022
The
United States is pushing to “strengthen international coordination” against the
Chinese government’s human rights abuses, with a specific focus on banning
products made with forced labor in China‘s Xinjiang region, Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said Tuesday.
The
U.S. and some human rights groups accuse Beijing of genocide against ethnic
Uyghurs in the predominantly Muslim region, and Mr. Blinken sought to highlight
the issue as U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials began implementing a
law prohibiting imports made by forced labor into the United States.
President
Biden signed the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act” into law in December
after it passed through Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and Mr.
Blinken stressed on Tuesday that the administration is now getting the word out
to private companies that they will be held accountable if they are found
importing products made in whole or in part with forced labor.
“Together
with our interagency partners, we will continue to engage companies to remind
them of U.S. legal obligations which prohibit importing goods to the United
States that are made with forced labor,” the secretary of state said in a
statement.
“We
are rallying our allies and partners to make global supply chains free from the
use of forced labor, to speak out against atrocities in Xinjiang, and to join
us in calling on the [Chinese government] to immediately end atrocities and
human rights abuses, including forced labor,” he said.
China‘s
ruling Communist Party denies carrying out human rights abuses and has sharply
rejected assertions by the United States and a range of other nations that
genocide is occurring against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities
in Xinjiang.
Mr.
Biden’s embrace and promotion of the new forced labor imports law
“underscor[ed] our commitment to combating forced labor everywhere, including
in Xinjiang, where genocide and crimes against humanity are ongoing,” the
secretary of state said.
Source:
Washington Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/jun/21/us-officials-shine-spotlight-chinas-repression-uyg/
--------
US
arrests airman in connection with attack in Syria
22
June, 2022
A
member of the US air force has been taken into custody in connection with an
April attack in Syria that wounded four fellow service members, the Air Force
said on Tuesday.
The
US military initially blamed the attack in Green Village in eastern Syria on
indirect fire, possibly a rocket strike.
It
later said further investigation showed the blasts were the result of
“deliberate placement of explosive charges” at an ammunition holding area and
shower facility, and officials said they were looking into the possibility of
an insider attack.
The
Air Force declined to identify the service member.
“As
part of an ongoing investigation, on June 16, an Airman was taken into custody
stateside in conjunction with the attack in Green Village, Syria,” Air Force
spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in a statement.
“After
reviewing the information in the investigation, the Airman's commander made the
decision to place him in pretrial confinement.”
CNN
was first to report the arrest.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US
vows continuing support as Israel heads to elections
21
June, 2022
The
United States on Tuesday promised to maintain its strong support for Israel as
its ally heads to its fifth election in less than four years.
The
snap election -- in which former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to
seek a comeback -- is taking shape weeks before Joe Biden is set to pay his
first visit to Israel as president.
“I
don’t expect political developments in Israel will have implications for what
we are seeking to accomplish together with our Israeli partners -- or with our
Palestinian partners for that matter,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price
said.
“The
strength of our relationship does not depend on who sits in the Oval Office. It
doesn’t depend on who sits in the prime minister’s chair in Israel,” Price told
reporters.
“This
is a strategic partnership between our two countries. It will continue to be a
strategic partnership between our two countries in the coming weeks, in the
coming months as the process plays out.”
The
unwieldy coalition government led by the right-wing Naftali Bennett and
centrist Yair Lapid had sought to tone down and depoliticize Israel’s relations
with the United States, Israel’s crucial ally.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
US
remains committed to reopening consulate in Jerusalem
Servet
Gunerigok
21.06.2022
WASHINGTON
The
US reiterated Tuesday that it remains committed to reopening a consulate in
Jerusalem, Palestine.
"In
the meantime, we have really reenergized the relationship between United States
and the Palestinian Authority, but also with Palestinian people," State
Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters at a news conference.
He
said US officials have been in talks with senior Palestinian leadership, citing
Secretary of State Antony Blinken's talk with Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas and US President Joe Biden's visit to Palestine next month.
"This
does nothing to what remains our objective of reopening a consulate in
Jerusalem," said Price.
When
asked by Anadolu Agency why it took so long for the US to reopen the diplomatic
mission, Price said: "Obviously these are complex issues that we need to
coordinate with the Government of Israel as well. But it is an issue we are
committed to and we are continuing to discuss that with our Israeli partners,
and with our Palestinian partners."
As
part of his election campaign, Biden vowed to reopen the consulate and began to
re-establish diplomatic relations with Palestine, which is a move to reverse a
policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-remains-committed-to-reopening-consulate-in-jerusalem-/2619356
--------
Africa
Nigeria
not healing Christian-Muslim divide, says bishop
By
Junno Arocho Esteves
June
22, 2022
While
the Catholic Church continues to play its part in helping people in Nigeria,
the policies of the current government obstruct a clear path toward peace and
reconciliation between Christians and Muslims, said Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah
of Sokoto.
Addressing
a virtual conference on building peace, hosted by the Kroc Institute for
International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, Bishop Kukah said
the rise of banditry and violence in Nigeria "has taken over and consumed
a lot of the gains we have made."
"Just
to tell you how little progress we have made, we still have a military general
as our president. And, therefore, it is little wonder that this journey has
proven to be a challenge and a source of great difficulty for our people,"
he said June 20.
Attacks
against Christians, especially Catholics, have been on the rise in the country.
On June 5, gunmen entered St. Francis Xavier Church in Owo, killing at least 50
people and leaving dozens wounded.
Most
recently, gunmen attacked churchgoers on June 20 at St. Moses Catholic Church
as well as a neighboring Baptist church in the northern state of Kaduna,
killing three and kidnapping 40.
Bishop
Kukah said Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's "military background and
lack of disposition toward the principles of democracy and
democratization" have eroded the gains in reconciliation between
Christians and Muslims, and "the country is far more divided now than it
has ever been."
"Because
our Muslim president has never developed a sense of fairness — in terms of
power sharing and developing an inclusive system — we are far worse off in
terms of relationships than we were before the end of the military
dictatorship," the bishop said.
Many
Nigerians, he explained, believed that the end of military rule "was going
to be synonymous with freedom. And that freedom was going to come with more
food on the table."
Instead,
"people have become quite desperate and despondent" while others have
resorted to violence and kidnapping for ransom to make ends meet.
Buhari
took power in a military coup in December 1983 and ruled until 1985. The
retired general won election in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019.
"As
I'm talking to you, two of my priests are being held in captivity," Bishop
Kukah said. "They have been in the hands of bandits for the past three
weeks, along with two laypeople. These are the realities that the Church is
facing, so it is increasingly difficult to confront these problems."
Despite
the challenges, Bishop Kukah said the Catholic Church plays a vital role in
bringing hope to Nigerians and encourages them to continue to believe
"that there is no alternative to democracy."
"It
is a difficult journey, but our churches still have the moral authority to
continue to lead our people to a land in which freedom, justice and fairness
can take root," the bishop said.
Source:
UCA News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/nigeria-not-healing-christian-muslim-divide-says-bishop/97740
--------
Burkina
Faso announces military zones ahead of anti-militant operations
21
June 2022
Burkina
Faso's army has ordered civilians to evacuate two large "military interest
zones" ahead of a series of planned operations against militants and the
armed combatants operating across the West African nation.
The
decision was taken at a defense council convened late on Monday.
"All
human activities that risk exposure to the effects of the military operations
which will be conducted shortly are prohibited," said the commander of
national operations, Lieutenant-colonel Yves-Didier Bamouni, on state TV.
"A
period of time will be granted to the resident populations to reach more secure
areas."
One
of the military zones is a rural area of about 2,000 square kilometers
bordering Mali in the northern province of Soum. The other zone covers about
11,000 square kilometers on the southern border with Benin and is mostly
national park land.
Benoit
Doamba, the head of Burkina Faso's parks service, said several militant attacks
had been reported in the parks. "This decision is not taken for nothing.
Substantive work has been expected for some time in order to fully take control
of the situation in the reserves and periphery."
Burkina
Faso has been battling the armed combatants over the past few years.
The
latest announcement comes days after 86 civilians were massacred in a militant
attack in the northern border village of Seytenga. It was the second worst
attack since 2015, when violence attributed to militants linked to al-Qaeda and
the Takfiri Daesh terrorist groups began.
Burkina
Faso's army recently said they had killed at least 128 "terrorists"
in several operations this month.
A group
of military officers overthrew the democratic government in January with
pledges to improve security, but militant attacks and raids have only
multiplied.
Since
2015, violence has left thousands dead and around two million displaced. The
attacks first started in the north near the Mali border but have since spread
to other regions.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Syria's
Tal Rifat surrounded with tunnels by YPG/PKK terrorists
Omer
Koparan and Ethem Emre Ozcan
21.06.2022
TAL
RIFAT, Syria / ANKARA
The
YPG/PKK terror group is using a sophisticated network of tunnels in the Tal
Rifat district in northern Syria to hide and transfer weapons to the front
lines.
PKK/YPG
terrorists continue to hide in Tal Rifat, a mere 18 kilometers (11 miles) from
the Turkish border with a front line to the Operation Euphrates Shield zone,
where Turkish security forces have been providing security since 2016-2017.
Footage
shot by Anadolu Agency shows at least 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of tunnels.
The
tunnels lead to several settlement areas and the front line.
Some
tunnels are hidden underneath concrete barriers and sand. The tunnels are 1.5
meters wide and 2 to 2.2 meters high.
After
spotting an Anadolu Agency drone taking footage, a terrorist tried to shoot it
down.
An
investigation by an Anadolu Agency team on the ground also showed that a tunnel
opens to an old teachers' training institution, signifying civilian
infrastructure is being used by the terrorists.
In
Türkiye's previous cross-border operations, tunnels were discovered that led to
houses, schools, hospitals, and places of worship that were built by terrorists
to use civilians as human shields.
The
YPG/PKK terror group often attacks Jarabulus, Afrin, and Azaz from the Manbij
and Tal Rifat areas in Syria.
The
YPG/PKK terrorists often target Turkish security forces who provide security in
the areas of Operation Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Peace Spring and try
to infiltrate the positions of Syrian opposition fighters from regions that the
terror group was supposed to withdraw from under the agreements with the US and
Russia.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across
its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and
enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive
Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019).
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Saudi
crown prince pays first visit to Turkey since Khashoggi murder
Jun
22, 2022
ANKARA:
Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler will on Wednesday take another step towards
breaking his international isolation by paying his first visit to Turkey since
the murder in 2018 of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul
consulate.
The
talks in Ankara between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan come one month before a visit to Riyadh by US president
Joe Biden, for a regional summit focused on the energy crunch caused by
Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Erdogan's
decision to revive ties with one of his biggest rivals is also driven in large
part by economics and trade.
Turks'
living standards are imploding one year before a general election that poses
one of the biggest challenges of Erdogan's mercurial two-decade rule.
After
Khashoggi's death, Erdogan's Islamic-rooted government released drip-by-drip details
of the gruesome murder that deeply embarrassed the Saudi crown prince.
But
it is now drumming up investment and central bank assistance from the very
countries it opposed on ideological grounds in the wake of the Arab Spring
revolts.
"I
think this is probably one of the most significant visits to Ankara by a
foreign leader in almost a decade," said the Washington Institute's Turkey
specialist Soner Cagaptay.
"Erdogan
is all about Erdogan. He's all about winning elections and I think he has
decided to kind of swallow his pride."
Cagaptay
said Prince Mohammed is also trying to see whether he can win broader backing
ahead of a possible new nuclear agreement between world powers and the Saudis'
arch-nemesis Iran.
"I
think the Saudis are hedging their bets," Cagaptay said.
-
'You should be ashamed' - Turkey's rapprochement with the Saudis began with an
Istanbul court decision in April to break off the trial in absentia of 26
suspects accused of links to Khashoggi's killing and to transfer the case to
Riyadh.
US
intelligence officials have determined that Prince Mohammed approved the plot
against Khashoggi -- something Riyadh denies.
The
court's decision drew strong protests from Khashoggi's Turkish fiancee, Hatice
Cengiz.
But
it paved the way for a visit to Saudi by Erdogan three weeks later, when he
hugged the crown prince.
"He
gets off the plane and hugs the killers," fumed Turkey's main opposition
leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu -- Erdogan's likely chief rival in the presidential
race.
"You
should be ashamed."
Ankara
expects the mending of fences between the two Sunni powers to help prop up the
Turkish economy at a crucial stage of Erdogan's rule.
A
Turkish official said the sides will discuss a range of issues that include
cooperation between banks and support for small and medium-size businesses.
-
Lack of trust - Erdogan's unconventional economic approach has set off an
inflationary spiral that has seen consumer prices almost double in the past
year.
Analysts
believe the resulting drop in Erdogan's public approval and the depletion of
state reserves means the Turkish leader can ill afford to maintain his hostile
stance toward the petrodollar-filled Gulf states.
Turkey's
problems with the Saudis began when Ankara refused to accept Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood from power in Cairo in
2013.
The
Saudis and other Arab kingdoms viewed the Brotherhood as an existential threat.
Those
rivalries intensified after Turkey tried to break the nearly four-year blockade
the Saudis and their allies imposed on Qatar in 2017.
Analysts
believe that Washington is watching this gradual return of regional calm with
an approving nod.
"Encouraged
by the United States, this rapprochement is relaxing tensions and building
diplomacy across the region," said Gonul Tol, Turkish studies director at
the US-based Middle East Institute.
But
Tol questioned whether Prince Mohammed was prepared to fully trust Erdogan.
The
crown prince "will not easily forget the attitude adopted by Turkey after
the Khashoggi affair", she said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Saudi
Arabia’s investments in Jordan amount to $14 bln
22
June, 2022
The
volume of investments made by Saudi Arabia in Jordan spans across 900 projects
and amounts to $14 billion, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on
Wednesday.
The
Federation of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry revealed in a new report
that the volume of trade exchange between the two countries amounted to over $4
billion in 2021, a drastic increase from around $3.1 billion in 2020.
The
volume of Saudi exports to Jordan accounts for $3 billion, while Jordanian
imports to the Saudi market amount to around $1.3 billion.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Arab-backed
development fund to tackle global food insecurity with $10 bln package
21 June,
2022
The
Arab Coordination Group, the second-largest development fund in the world,
launched an initial $10 billion package to tackle global food insecurity, the
Group announced in a statement on Tuesday.
The
$10 billion will be provided as a first step for immediate relief from the
global food security crisis which has worsened tremendously since the onset of
the war in Ukraine, leading to a worsening hunger crisis in many countries.
The
relief package was announced at a meeting of the ACG Heads of Institutions in
Vienna, Austria on Tuesday.
Speaking
at the meeting, OPEC Fund Director-General Dr. Abdulhamid al-Khalifa said the
initiative was launched to initiate “quick, decisive, and forceful action,” to
mitigate the crisis.
“Millions
of people are facing hunger today, and this is something we simply must address
urgently. As a dedicated ACG member the OPEC Fund fully stands by this
commitment,” he added.
The
amount of a minimum $10 billion represents the total of the ACG members’
commitments. Among those, the OPEC Fund already announced a US$1 billion “Food
Security Action Plan” to be deployed over the next three years as immediate
assistance to cover the import costs of basic commodities such as seeds, grains
and fertilizers, while supporting medium and long-term security of food supply
in partner countries.
The
ACG commended other international financial institutions as well as Saudi
Arabia’s role in leading the drive for immediate support to countries most
affected by the global food crisis in the developing world.
Addressing
the climate crisis, the Group also agreed to provide financing to mitigate the
impact of climate change and strengthen climate resilience.
The
Group will launch a detailed action plan at the next UN Climate Conference
COP27 in November in Egypt. The initiative will include a collective financial
commitment and a roadmap to accelerate energy transition, increase climate
resilience and promote energy security.
The
ACG comprises 10 national, regional and international institutions, including
the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in
Africa, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the Arab Gulf
Programme for Development, the Arab Monetary Fund, the Islamic Development Bank
(IsDB), the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the OPEC Fund for
International Development, the Qatar Fund for Development and the Saudi Fund
for Development.
Ukraine,
often referred to as the world’s breadbasket, was invaded by Russia on February
24 in what Moscow calls a “special military operation.”
Since
then, countries across the world have imposed tough sanctions on Russia as the
conflict rages on, heavily disrupting the Ukrainian economy and restricting
global trade.
Trade
has been hit particularly hard since the war because Russia and Ukraine account
for nearly a third of global wheat supplies. Russia is also a key fertilizer
exporter and Ukraine a major supplier of corn and sunflower oil.
In
2021, conflict – in combination with economic shocks – affected around 139
million people worldwide and since the onset of the Ukraine war, this figure is
likely to increase, a recent report released by the UN’s Food and Agriculture
Organization and the World Food Program revealed.
According
to the report released last week, acute food insecurity is expected to worsen
in several countries between June and September this year, indicating that the
hunger crisis is affecting many countries and it is happening at such a rapid
pace.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Saudi
Arabia, Egypt sign 14 agreements worth $7.7 billion
21
June, 2022
Saudi
Arabia and Egypt have signed 14 agreements worth $7.7 billion, Egypt’s General
Authority for Investment and Free Zones said in a statement on Tuesday.
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Egypt on Monday as part of
a tour that will include visiting Jordan and Turkey.
Deals
signed included an agreement between Saudi Arabia’s Acwapower and the Egyptian
Electricity Holding Company to produce and transmit 1100 MW of windpower, the
authority’s statement said.
More
renewable energy agreements were signed, as well as deals involving petroleum
products, food and fintech.
Other
deals involved the development of the multi-purpose terminal at Egypt’s
Damietta port, the authority’s statement said, and the establishment of a $150
million “pharmaceutical city” by Egypt’s Pharco Pharmaceuticals in Saudi
Arabia, the company’s chairman told al-Sharq TV.
There
are currently more than 150 bilateral agreements between the two countries,
according to the Federation of Saudi Chambers.
In
2021, the size of commercial trade between Egypt and Saudi Arabia reached 54
billion SAR ($14 billion), recording a growth of 87 percent compared with 2020.
Saudi
investments in Egypt through more than 6,800 Saudi companies exceed $32 billion
while Egyptian investments in Saudi Arabia through more than 800 Egyptian
companies are worth $5 billion.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Saudi-Jordanian
cooperation ‘a role model’ for the entire Middle East
RAED
OMARI
June
22, 2022
AMMAN:
Saudi Arabia’s longstanding relationship with Jordan is a tale of the two
kingdoms becoming a “role model” for regional and pan-Arab cooperation, that is
expected to be strengthened with several new initiatives on the political and
economic fronts, according to experts.
Ahead
of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit to Jordan, observers point
to the long, shared history, similar culture and values of both peoples, which
have had an impact on diplomatic relations.
“Diplomacy
is not the right word to describe the Amman-Riyadh relations. It’s history,
geography, politics, and common interests,” said Samih Maaitah, former Jordan
minister of media affairs.
In
remarks to Arab News, Maaitah explained that the two nations have become a
“role model” for regional cooperation and coordination, thanks to a “number of
facts, including primarily the similar political and ruling system.”
Maaitah,
a prolific writer, explained that the two countries have long adopted a similar
political approach to regional and international issues, including on
Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. This includes tackling terrorism, and
“nowadays, illicit drug trafficking (from Syria).”
“Since
a stable Jordan is in the very interest of Saudi Arabia, a strong Saudi Arabia
is at the heart of Jordan’s interests. A constant Amman-Riyadh strategic
partnership is a top priority and cannot be compromised or sacrificed. The
leaders of both countries are fully aware of that, and they are acting
accordingly.”
Amer
Sabaileh, a Jordanian strategic analyst and university professor, echoed
Maaitah’s remarks, hailing the progress of ties and calling for stronger
political cooperation and coordination.
Sabaileh
told Arab News that Jordan must take on a role in “Saudi Arabia’s new vision
(2030) and its leaders’ ambitious plan for the entire region.”
“Saudi
Arabia has a progressive and ambitious strategic vision for the entire Middle
East region, and Jordan is urgently required to capitalize on the Saudi crown
prince’s visit to Amman.”
“Constant
Jordanian-Saudi cooperation and coordination serves the interests of the entire
region,” he added.
Saudi
Arabia is Jordan’s largest economic partner, with investments of more than $13
billion. Trade between the two nations reached $5 billion in 2021.
According
to the World Bank, Saudi Arabia is Jordan’s largest donor, having given its
neighbor direct financial assistance of $3 billion, or around 8 percent of
Jordan’s GDP.
In
April this year, Saudi Arabia sent $50 million in direct funding to Jordan, the
fourth installment out of five that Riyadh pledged to the country. According to
the Saudi Press Agency, this assistance was part of a 2018 agreement between
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE to provide a $2.5 billion economic aid
package to Jordan.
The
Saudi-Jordanian Investment Fund, backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund,
recently signed an agreement with Jordan to invest $400 million in a healthcare
facility in the country.
The
project has been described as the “culmination” of Saudi investment in Jordan.
During
the signing ceremony, Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh emphasized that
the leaders of the two nations had a deep-rooted relationship, and urged
greater cooperation on all fronts.
Supporting
this view, Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi said that the
Kingdom was eager to enhance its relations with Jordan.
SJIF
Chairman Hisham Attar explained that the fund’s main objective is to contribute
to economic growth in Jordan through long-term investments in key strategic
sectors, reflecting the vision of the two countries’ leaders.
He
also highlighted the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and the strategy of the
Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia to further promote economic integration.
The SJIF was seeking to become the most impactful investor in Jordan.
The
SJIF and the Jordanian government, represented by the Jordan Investment Fund,
signed a memorandum of understanding on June 16 that would enable the SJIF to
explore investments in the National Railway Network Project.
This
project entails the construction of a 418-kilometer railway line connecting the
Aqaba Container Terminal with the Madouna land port in southern Amman for the
shipment of containers, phosphate, grain, and automobiles, according to an SJIF
statement.
In
June 2021, the SJIF announced a $15 million investment in leading Jordanian
technology company OpenSooq, an e-commerce mobile app that enables
consumer-to-consumer sales, as part of its capital growth investment strategy.
The
fund said at the time that the investment sought to bolster the entrepreneurial
environment in Jordan, that would support the development of local companies,
and provide them an opportunity for regional expansion.
In
March this year, a bilateral agreement that could be worth over $1 billion was
signed by business leaders from Makkah and Amman.
Attending
the signing ceremony between the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and
its Amman counterpart, Jordan’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yousef
Mahmoud Al-Shamali said: “There is a need to strengthen these relations to rise
above $1 billion, especially since Amman is proud of Saudi products, and Saudi
investments are the most important in Jordan.”
Jamal
Shalabi, a political science professor at the Hashemite University of Jordan,
explained that Saudi Arabia has shifted its economic cooperation with Jordan
from “cash assistance to direct investment in services and infrastructure projects.”
“This
is very smart and more sustainable and it has a direct impact on creating jobs
and accelerating economic growth,” he said during a ceremony marking the
centenary of the Jordanian state at the university in April.
According
to official figures, around 430,000 Jordanians work in Saudi Arabia.
Remittances
sent from Saudi Arabia to Jordan have increased by $16.4 million to $1.1
billion during the first four months of 2022, marking a 1.5 percent rise from
the same period last year.
The
Central Bank of Jordan’s data showed that these remittances totaled $3.4
billion at the end of 2021. Most of the remittances from Jordanian expatriates
come from Gulf countries, and from Saudi Arabia in particular.
An
opinion poll conducted by the University of Jordan’s Center for Strategic
Studies in March revealed that Jordanians see an “institutionalized
relationship with Saudi Arabia” as a top priority for their country.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2108456/middle-east
--------
Saudi
Cabinet gives green light to Bank of Jordan to open branches in the Kingdom
June
21, 2022
RIYADH:
The Saudi government gave a green light to the Bank of Jordan to open branches
in the Kingdom to practice banking activities, Saudi Press Agency reported.
King
Salman chaired the Cabinet’s session at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Tuesday.
Listed
on the Amman Stock Exchange, the Bank of Jordan was founded in 1960 and it
operates over 100 branches in the country.
King
Salman updated the Cabinet on messages he sent to Oman’s ruler Sultan Haitham
bin Tariq, Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Kuwait’s Emir Nawaf
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah — along with the message he received from President
of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov.
Subsequently,
the Cabinet went through the meetings and talks in recent days between the
Kingdom’s senior officials and their counterparts in a number of friendly
countries, aiming at expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation in a
range of areas.
The
Cabinet lauded the success of the 13th session of the Joint Moroccan-Saudi
Commission which ministers agreed had served to further strengthen relations
between the two countries.
In
a statement to the Saudi Press Agency, Minister of State and Acting Minister of
Media Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf reiterated the Kingdom’s support for Sudan and its
people, a statement recently expressed to the Human Rights Council. Saudi
Arabia also called on the international community to work toward laying the
foundations for security and peace in the North African country.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2107926/business-economy
--------
Europe
French
election result may lead to more Islamophobia: Experts
ALEX
WHITEMAN
June
21, 2022
LONDON:
Experts fear an intensification of anti-Muslim rhetoric in France after
substantive right-wing breakthroughs cut the government’s majority in the
National Assembly at Sunday’s elections.
Despite
a comfortable win in April’s presidential vote, Emmanuel Macron witnessed his
governing centrist party Ensemble drop from 350 to 245 seats, well short of the
289 needed to form a majority, with major gains made by right- and left-wing
parties.
Jean-Luc
Melenchon’s left-green alliance may have picked up 131 seats, but it was the
jump from seven to 89 of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally that caught
commentators off guard.
The
right will be where Macron looks to forge a governing coalition, said Paul
Smith, associate professor and section lead in French and Francophone studies,
modern languages and cultures at the University of Nottingham.
“Macron
needs 40-odd seats to get to that majority, and I think it’s likely that he
won’t be looking for that support on the left,” he told Arab News.
“He
was meeting party leaders to discuss their priorities, and the parties he’s
closest to are UDI (Union of Democrats and Independents) and part of Les
Republicains.
“Their
election campaigns focused on the cost of living but were infused with identity
politics — and a lack of concern in terms of allying with the far right.”
Emmanuel
Godin, principal lecturer at the University of Portsmouth’s School of Area
Studies, History, Politics and Literature, agreed with Smith, telling Arab
News: “Macron is more likely to work with the right than the left.”
In
playing to the right, Smith believes there will be a perpetuation of a style of
politics that has dominated France in recent years with a normalization of
anti-Muslim sentiment.
“Islamophobia
dressed as secularism won’t be far from the surface,” he said. “We saw this
recently with the backlash to the decision in Grenoble to allow the use of the
burkini in public swimming pools.
“People
should be allowed to go swimming as they like, but this rhetoric of
‘secularism’ overtakes the actual legislative action being taken, and blows
everything completely out of proportion rather than speaking to reality.
“And
that reality is that if secularism plays out properly, it gets strong support
from Muslims as it means they can go about their lives unmolested.”
A
poll conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion supports Smith’s
analysis, with 44 percent of Muslims favoring secularism, compared to 43
percent of those polled without a religion and 42 percent of Catholics.
Citing
the survey, Godin described the reality of French Muslim opinion as “a far cry
from the often caricatural representation of the issue in some media.”
In
Sunday’s legislative elections, Muslim turnout was key to the success of
left-wing candidates.
“Sixty-nine
percent of Muslims voted for Melenchon in the first round of the presidential
elections, and their main reasons were socioeconomic,” said Godin.
“Socioeconomically speaking, a majority of French Muslims are working class.”
Asked
if this means Macron has lost France’s Muslim community, Smith questioned
whether the president had ever held its support.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2108141/world
--------
UN:
Executions, trial procedures in Iran of deep concern
21 June,
2022
Top
UN officials voiced deep concern on Tuesday about human rights violations in
Iran amid reports of rising numbers of executions, including of minors and
Afghan migrants for drug-related offences.
They
spoke as an annual report on human rights in Iran, authored by
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, was presented to the UN Human Rights
Council, a political body consisting of 47 elected members that can authorise
investigations.
“The
Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the increase of executions, including
for drug-related offences,” said Nada Al-Nashif, UN deputy high commissioner
for human rights.
Iran's
envoy told the council that the report contained “unsubstantiated claims” and
“false allegations”.
The
report cited data collected by non-governmental organisations showing that 310
individuals had been executed in 2021 compared with 260 in all of the previous
year. In the first three months of 2022, at least a further 105 people were
executed, it said.
Capital
crimes in Iran include same-sex relations, armed rebellion and “spreading
corruption”. An increasing number of those recently executed were drug
offenders, including several Afghan migrants, the report said.
UN
figures show that hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled to Iran last year
during a major upheaval in their homeland that led to Islamist Taliban seizing
power in August.
The
right of a fair trial in some of these cases had not been guaranteed, the UN
report said.
One
case involved a Kurdish prisoner, Heidar Ghorbani, who was accused of killing
three men affiliated with Iran's Basij paramilitary forces that are under the
command of the elite Revolutionary Guards, the report said. Ghorbani denied the
charges and the execution was carried out while a request for re-trial was
being weighed by the Supreme Court, it said.
It
also mentioned the case of poet and human rights defender Baktash Abtin who
died in January after contracting COVID-19 in prison. Abtin had been jailed on
“national security charges”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Britain
launches free trade talks with Gulf countries
22
June, 2022
Britain
on Wednesday will launch talks over a new free trade deal with six Gulf states,
the trade ministry said, in the latest set of negotiations aimed at increasing
non-EU ties after Brexit.
Trade
minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan will visit Riyadh to begin discussions with the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well as Saudi Arabia.
“I'm
excited to open up new markets for UK businesses large and small, and
supporting the more than 10,000 SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises)
already exporting to the region,” Trevelyan said in a statement.
It
is the fourth set of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks that Britain has launched
this year after India, Canada and Mexico, as London looks to replace continuity
deals it struck before it left the European Union's trading orbit with fresh
post-Brexit agreements.
Britain
said a deal with the GCC could reduce or remove tariffs on UK food and drink
exports to the region, worth 625 million pounds last year, and also benefit
financial services.
While
the Gulf's substantial oil and gas reserves will not be included in any deal,
manufacturing and the supply chain for the sector would be up for negotiation.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Bosnia
braces for peace march to honour genocide victims
Mustafa
Talha Öztürk
21.06.2022
BELGRADE,
Serbia
Bosnia
and Herzegovina is expecting more than 5,000 people to participate in an annual
peace march to honor the Srebrenica genocide victims.
Traditionally,
thousands of people from all over the world come to the Bosnian town of Nezuk
every year to participate in a three-day peace march.
This
year the march will mark the 27th anniversary of the genocide where more than
8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed after Bosnian Serb forces
attacked Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch troops meant to
act as international peacekeepers.
Srebrenica
Ceremonies Organization Board Chairman Hamdija Fejzic told Anadolu Agency that
the 18th march will kick off on July 8 this year to honor 46 victims to be
buried at the Potocari Memorial Cemetery during a collective funeral on July
11.
Fejzic
said they are expecting Hollywood star Angelina Jolie and former Queen of
Jordan Nur al-Hussein to attend this year's commemoration ceremonies.
The
participants will march for three days, and spend the nights in designated
areas. The march is expected to conclude at a cemetery in Potocari, a village
in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina, just northwest of the Srebrenica town, where a
funeral prayer and burial ceremony will be held for genocide victims.
Since
2005, thousands of people have attended the Mars Mira – which means Peace March
in Bosnian – following the same forest path used by the Bosniaks when they were
fleeing the Srebrenica genocide.
In
the early 1990s, Srebrenica was besieged by Serbian forces trying to wrest
territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form their own state.
In
the spring of 1993, the UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a "safe
area." However, Serbian troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic – later found
guilty of war crimes and genocide – overran the UN zone.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/bosnia-braces-for-peace-march-to-honor-genocide-victims/2618968
--------
South
Asia
Taliban
Govt Offering Support In Gurudwara Repair, Say Af Sikhs
Jun
21, 2022
Ambala:
A day after terror attack claimed by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) at
Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Sahib, Karta-E-Parwan near Kabul, Taliban-led
Afghanistan's ministry of interior affairs (MOI) officials met Afghan Sikhs at
Gurdwara Karta-E-Parwan on Sunday afternoon and “offered to support for
reconstruction of the damaged gurdwara”.
Gurnam
Singh, president of Gurdwara Karta-E-Parwan, while speaking to TOI over phone
from Kabul said on Sunday night, “Maulavi Zain Ullah Aber, chief of security
from Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's ministry of interior affairs and other
officials visited us at gurdwara and promised to support for reconstruction of
damaged gurdwara.”
Gurnam
said the Afghanistan government has given financial assistance of 1 lakh
Afghani each for two martyred persons, 50,000 Afghani each for three injured
people and 1.50 lakh Afghani for immediate supplies for maintenance of Gurdwara
Karta-E-Parwan. The government has also deputed sanitation workers to clean the
damaged gurdwara, he added.
Gurnam
added that the Afghanistan officials of Taliban assured that they would make
efforts to ensure their (Sikhs & Hindus) safety.
MOI
Afghanistan from Twitter handle @MOIAfghanistan tweeted in Pashto language,
“The leadership of the Ministry of Interior in a sympathy meeting with Afghan
Sikhs and Hindus: The Mujahideen are committed to protecting the lives and
property of every citizen of this land. This cowardly attack by the enemies of
peace and security of the Afghan people shows that they fear the unity of our
people and we will spare no effort to support you.”
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Taliban
face growing armed resistance across Afghanistan
22
Jun 2022
Amin
Saikal
Ten
months into their extremist theocratic rule in Afghanistan, the Taliban are
facing growing resistance in different parts of the country. Leading the way is
the National Resistance Front (NRF), headed by Ahmad Massoud—the son of the
legendary Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, who, from his native strategic Pajnshir
Valley (north of Kabul), valiantly fought the Soviet occupation in the 1980s
and later the Pakistan-backed Taliban–al-Qaeda alliance. He was assassinated in
2001 by the alliance’s agents two days before 11 September terror attacks on
the US.
Contrary
to the Taliban’s claim that an atmosphere of calm and security prevails in Afghanistan,
there has been growing resistance to their rule. The NRF has mounted
increasingly organised and coordinated operations in Panjshir and the adjacent
provinces of Takhar, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Sar-e Pol, Faryab and Kunar in the
north and northeast. Sporadic armed operations, led by various individuals and
groups, have gained momentum in several other provinces, including Ghor,
located at the centre of Afghanistan, and Samangan.
Some
non-Pashtun figures who had initially been enticed by the ethnic Pashtun
Taliban to join them have now turned against the group. One of them is Mawlawi
Mehadi Mujahid, an influential leader from ethnic Hazara, whose Shia Islamic
sect forms some 15–20% of the predominantly Sunni Afghanistan. Mehadi broke
away from the Taliban after he was sacked as head of intelligence in Bamyan,
the stronghold of Hazaras in central Afghanistan.
Concurrently,
the Taliban leaders do not represent a cohesive group. They hail from rival
eastern and southern provinces. Whereas the radical Haqqani network, which is
intimately linked to Pakistan’s powerful military Inter-Services Intelligence,
claims ascendancy from the east, its more nuanced counterpart, led by Mullah
Abdul Manan Omari’s group, hails from the Taliban’s original heartland of the
southern province of Kandahar.
Initially,
when the Taliban seized power in August 2021 in the wake of the chaotic US and
allied withdrawal and the collapse of the dysfunctional government of Ashraf
Ghani, the Taliban and their Pakistani backers could only rejoice over what
they viewed as an easy victory. They appeared confident that the trophy was
theirs for good.
However,
they either failed to understand or underestimated the complexity of
Afghanistan, as the Soviets and Americans had done before them. Afghanistan is
composed of numerous ethno-tribal micro-societies, with none of them
constituting a majority. This, plus the landlocked but crossroads location of
the country in a traditional zone of regional and international rivalries, has
historically rendered the task of nation-building in Afghanistan very arduous.
The job becomes even more taxing when elements of one of those micro-societies
seek to exclusively rule the others, whether with or without an outside
backer’s support.
The
Taliban hail from the Ghilzai tribe of ethnic Pashtuns—the largest minority in
Afghanistan. This is the first time that elements of the tribe have seized
power, in contrast to their Durrani tribal counterparts, who led the country
for most of its over two centuries’ life. The Taliban leaders are largely
trained in a version of Islam that approximates to a mix of Deobandi, Wahhabi
and Salafist Sunni. Most of their commanders and foot soldiers are poorly
educated, even in literary Islam, in Pakistani madrassas (religious schools)
and have known little more than an austere rural existence. They are divided
from within and insecure in relation to the rest of Afghanistan’s population,
especially in the urban centres, where many experienced liberalist
political–social and economic changes during the two-decade-long US occupation.
While
exuding a sense of religious, political and ethnic supremacy and triumphalism,
the Taliban leaders have expediently targeted women and girls and, more
specifically, two other groups. They essentially view the defiant Shia Hazaras
as deviants and the Sunni Panjshiris and their Tajik kindred, who constitute
the second largest ethnic category in Afghanistan, as traditionally
recalcitrant. The Taliban have unleashed unspeakable discriminatory, horrific
operations against the opposition, involving beating, arrest, torture,
disappearance and killing, to suppress any form of opposition across the
country.
Nowhere
are their atrocities more pronounced than against the NRF and people of the
rapidly dwindling 150,000 or so inhabitants of Panjshir. This is because the
NRF, led by the 34-year-old, Sandhurst-educated Ahmad Massoud, along with most
compatriots in the country, want a free, sovereign and prosperous Afghanistan.
It has advocated a publicly mandated, inclusive pluralist and democratic system
of governance, with Islam as the state religion.
Fearing
Panjshir’s resistance, the Taliban occupied the centre of the valley shortly
after assuming power. As reported by social media and private sources, they
have subjected the Panjshiri inhabitants to heinous punishments. There are
reports of an instance where the Taliban killed a captured NRF fighter and
beheaded his father in front of crowds. Arrest, torture and the disappearance
of any suspected Panjshiri or, for that matter, their Tajik kindred have become
the order of the day in Panjshir and beyond. The Taliban have engaged not only
in massive human rights violations and curtailment of freedom of expression and
press freedom, but also in operations that amount to ethnic cleansing. This is
something that urgently requires a thorough investigation by the United Nations
Human Rights Commission and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The
Taliban, whose continued alliance with al-Qaeda has once again been confirmed
by the UN, have recently raised more fighters wherever they can, given their
own growing numbers killed and injured since March this year. They are
hurriedly focused on building a 100,000-strong force, including a suicide
regiment, fully equipped with billions of dollars’ worth of modern arms left
behind by the US, to battle the opposition, and also their rival terror group,
Islamic State’s Khorasan branch, which the Taliban haven’t been able to
control. In addition, while abhorring modern education, they have reportedly
supported many new madrassas to train jihadis.
Source:
Aspistrategist
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https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/taliban-face-growing-armed-resistance-across-afghanistan/
--------
6.1-magnitude
earthquake in Afghanistan kills at least 280
Sirajuddin
| Naveed Siddiqui
June
22, 2022
An
earthquake of magnitude 6.1 that rocked Afghanistan has killed at least 280
people in the country's east, officials of the interior ministry said on
Wednesday, adding that hundreds of people were injured and the toll was likely
to rise as information trickled in from remote mountain villages.
Most
of the confirmed deaths were in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika, where
255 people had been killed and more than 200 injured, said interior ministry
official Salahuddin Ayubi.
In
Khost province, 25 people had been killed and 90 taken to hospital, he said.
"The death toll is likely to rise as some of the villages are in remote
areas in the mountains and it will take some time to collect details."
Authorities
had launched a rescue operation and helicopters were being used to reach the
injured and take in medical supplies and food, Ayubi added.
Meanwhile,
photographs on Afghan media showed houses reduced to rubble and bodies covered
in blankets on the ground.
According
to US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at 1:54am (PST), about 44 km
(27 miles) from the city of Khost, near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, at a
depth of 51 km. The shaking was felt over some 500km by about 119 million
people in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.
In
Pakistan, tremors were felt in Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Kohat, Mohmand,
Swat, Buner and other parts of Punjab and KP.
People
left their homes in panic for safer places. "It was strong," said a
resident of Peshawar. There were, however, no immediate reports of damage or
deaths.
The
disaster comes as Afghanistan has been enduring a severe economic crisis since
the Taliban took over August, as US-led international forces were withdrawing
after two decades of war.
In
response to the Taliban takeover, many governments have imposed sanctions on
Afghanistan's banking sector and cut billions of dollars worth of development
aid.
Humanitarian
aid has continued and international agencies such as the United Nations operate
in the country.
An
Afghan foreign ministry spokesman said they would welcome help from any
international organisation.
Large
parts of south Asia are seismically active because a tectonic plate known as
the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.
In
2015, an earthquake struck the remote Afghan northeast, killing several hundred
people in Afghanistan and nearby northern Pakistan.
Pakistan
extends condolences
Immediately
after the earthquake was reported, the government of Pakistan extended
condolences and sympathies over the loss of lives and damage to property in the
neighbouring country.
According
to a Radio Pakistan report, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan
was standing with Afghan brothers and sisters in this difficult time and
promised to provide all possible assistance.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1696135/61-magnitude-earthquake-in-afghanistan-kills-at-least-280
--------
Afghanistan
and Iran Strike an Agreement Over Helmand River Water-Sharing
By
Saqalain Eqbal
21
Jun 2022
According
to an official from the Ministry of Energy and Water, Afghanistan and Iran have
resolved their water-sharing disagreement and struck an agreement on the Helmand
water pact.
The
Ministry of Energy and Water said that the water of the Helmand River will be
shared with Iran this year, in accordance with the Helmand Water Treaty signed
between the two countries in 1973.
The
Helmand River has been the major focus of a developing dispute between
Afghanistan and Iran regarding water rights and the construction of Kamal Khan
dam.
The
Iranian government claimed that damming the Helmand will harm the environment,
particularly in Iran’s water-stressed border region with Afghanistan.
The
Afghan government, on the other hand, claimed that the dams are being built to
maintain water security in accordance with the 1973 water treaty with Iran.
An
official from the Ministry of Energy and Water said, “The two sides called for
the implementation of the treaty as the problem was within the area covered by
the treaty.”
Kabul
and Tehran agreed in 1973 to share water from the Helmand River at a rate of 26
cubic meters per second, or 850 million cubic meters per year.
The
Ministry is also intending to resume construction of the Kamal Khan dam, in
south-western Afghanistan, to regulate the Helmand River’s water, according to
the official.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle Targets the Taliban’s Border Guards in Eastern Afghanistan
By
Saqalain Eqbal
21
Jun 2022
The
Taliban’s border guards in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province, have been
targeted by an unmanned aerial vehicle, according to the local sources.
An
unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle, yesterday, 20th June, targeted the 203rd
Mansoori Taliban Corps in Paktia province, located at the east of Afghanistan.
According
to the sources, the attack made the Taliban border guards to believe it was
carried out by Pakistani Border forces, resulting in verbal confrontation
between the group’s border forces and Pakistani border police.
The
details of the incident is not revealed to the media and no casualty is
reported, however, sources confirm that the Taliban’s forces opened aerial
fires at the unidentified aerial vehicle.
However,
the Taliban’s official in the province, Khaliqyar Ahmadzai, the head of
Taliban’s Information and Culture has denied the allegations of the airstrike
by the unmanned aerial vehicle.
This
aerial attack on the soil of Afghanistan comes as a helicopter belonging to the
Taliban forces was shot down by the National Resistance Front (NRF) last week.
Two
Taliban militants were reported to have been killed in the operation by NRF
whereas four other militants were captured by the NRF forces.
Source:
Khaama Press
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of the original story:
--------
UN
Extends Travel Exemptions for the Taliban Excluding the Two Education Officials
By
Saqalain Eqbal
21
Jun 2022
Two
Taliban education officials were barred from traveling by the United Nations on
Monday, according to Agence France Presse, in reaction to the Taliban’s
stringent restrictions on Afghan women.
Said
Ahmad Shaidkhail, the acting deputy Minister of Education, and Abdul Baqi Basir
Awal Shah, also known as Abdul Baqi Haqqani, the acting Minister of Higher
Education, are among the officials now barred from traveling as the UN revoked
travel privileges from them, according to a diplomat who wished to remain
anonymous.
The
travel exemptions that allowed 15 Taliban officials to travel abroad for talks
were scheduled to expire on Monday, 20th June.
The
travel privileges were renewed for at least two months for thirteen officials,
but they were revoked for two education officials because the Taliban restricts
girls’ and women’s access to education.
Heather
Barr, the Co-director of the Women’s Right Division at Human Rights, has
written on her twitter handle, today, that the revocation of the travel
exemptions for the Taliban officials is “better than nothing.”
However,
she also notes wrote that the measure is “nowhere near the display of
solidarity Afghans deserve.”
According
to diplomats, some countries supported withdrawing all travel exemptions owing
to the deteriorating situation of women’s rights, while others objected.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Taliban
calls on UNHCR to address Afghan refugee issues
Jun
21 2022
Kabul,
Jun 21 (IANS): The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has called on the UN
Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to address problems faced by Afghan refugees abroad.
Addressing
a gathering here, acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation Khalil Rahman
Haqqani expressed concerns over the mistreatment of the refugees who have fled
to other nations in the wake of the conflict, reports TOLO News.
"The
rights of refugees, their problems must be raised to the whole world and to
those who are responsible for them," he said.
The
deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate, Bilal Karimi, said there were reports
of Afghan refugees being mistreated in some countries.
"Unfortunately,
we have heard some reports that our citizens are facing problems in some
countries. We call on the officials of these countries to understand the
situation of the Afghans based on their humanitarian and Islamic faith,"
he said at the same gathering.
According
to the UNHCR, Afghan refugees are the third-largest displaced population in the
world, following Syrian refugees and displaced Venezuelans.
There
are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of whom 2.2 million
are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone.
Source:
Daiji World
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=970923
--------
Southeast
Asia
Academic
laments disconnect between Islamic teachings and conduct
Danial
Azhar
June
21, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: An academic believes there is a disconnect between Islamic teachings and
how Muslims conduct themselves in Malaysia.
Anis
Yusal Yusoff of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute of Ethnic Studies
said Muslims appeared to be “selective” over what is permissible and
impermissible in Islam.
“For
instance, both the consumption of pork and corruption are impermissible in
Islam.
“While
many Muslims strictly obey the former, it appears there is a disregard for the
latter,” he said during a forum on the topic of Islam in Malaysia.
Anis
said this was a matter of integrity and questioned how Muslims could continue
to be insistent on only eating in halal-certified outlets yet took or gave
bribes.
He
also said the country needed to rethink the form of Islam currently being
practised, adding that there was a need for a more progressive and inclusive
form of the religion.
Anis
lamented the fact that Malaysia’s public education system did not openly
encourage the learning of other religions or inter-religious studies.
“Why
don’t we have educational trips to churches and other houses of worship, or
invite non-Muslims into mosques?” he asked.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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of the original story:
--------
Indonesia
president to push for peace with Ukraine, Russia visits: Minister
Jun
22, 2022
JAKARTA:
Indonesian President Joko Widodo will visit both Ukraine and Russia next week
to meet his counterparts and push for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing
conflict, his foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Retno
Marsudi confirmed during a news conference the intention of Jokowi, as the
Indonesian president is known, to visit Kyiv in addition to Moscow, which had
been reported in Indonesian and Russian state media. Retno did not elaborate on
what Jokowi, as president of the G20 this year, would discuss with the two
leaders.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Concern
rising over persecution of minorities in Malaysia
18
June, 2022
Kuala
Lumpur [Malaysia], June 18 (ANI): Persecution and sectarianism against
minorities in Malaysia including those of the Shia and Ahmadis depict the
worsening human rights situation in the country, according to an analysis.
Mohd
Faizal Musa, a human rights activist in Malaysia has expressed concern over the
sectarianism against the minorities including Shia and Ahmadis in the country.
According
to Al Jazeera, the escalation of tension between Iran and its American and Arab
adversaries has stirred sectarian sensitivities not only in the region but also
miles away in Southeast Asia, and caused Malaysia, a country with a
predominantly Sunni population, to be once again get sucked into the foreign
rivalries.
“There
are so many lies spread against Shias that they have their different kind of
Quran which is quite a bizarre thought, because, Malaysia is very famous for
Musabka. The administration is promoting this kind of lies in school textbooks.
There are a lot of fear in Shias Muslim and Ahmadi children” rights activist
Faizal Musa said in a podcast.
Recalling
an interview of a secretary-general belonging to an Ahmadi community in
Malaysia, Faizal Musa said, the leader once told him that even teachers refuse
to teach children of the minority community.
“Malaysia
and Indonesia are two different countries, entities and climates (political
climate). Indonesia is colonised by the Dutch and Malaysia by the British.
During the British colonisation of Malaysia, the British introduced the
so-called Islamic department which apparently regulates the certain activities
of minorities,” he said.
“This
propaganda of sectarianism is being promoted by the authorities and the
government agency,” he said further in the podcast.
The
Fatwa Committee for Religious Affairs in Malaysia in 1996, as per Al Jazeera,
issued a religious opinion recognising Sunni Islam as “the permitted form of
Islam” in the country and branding Shia Islam as “deviant”.
When
the new Malaysian government came to power in May 2018, it made several moves
indicating that it would not pursue a policy of favouring one foreign power
over another, especially in the Middle East.
Source:
The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/concern-rising-over-persecution-of-minorities-in-malaysia/1002082/
--------
Khairy
withdraws ‘main belakang’ defamation appeal against Anwar
V
Anbalagan
June
21, 2022
PUTRAJAYA:
Khairy Jamaluddin has dropped his legal battle in the Federal Court to reverse
a lower court’s findings that he is liable for defaming Anwar Ibrahim over a
“main belakang” statement made at a political rally 14 years ago.
A
three-member bench chaired by Nallini Pathmanathan today struck out the former
Umno Youth leader’s two separate applications to obtain leave to set aside a
Court of Appeal ruling delivered in February.
The
other judges were Zabariah Mohd Yusof and Rhodzariah Bujang.
Khairy’s
solicitor, Messrs Shafee & Co, wrote to the Federal Court last month on the
withdrawal and asked Anwar’s lawyers to waive costs.
Lawyer
Sarah Abishegam, who appeared for Khairy today, offered costs of RM2,000 for
both applications.
However,
Gopal Sri Ram, representing Anwar, asked for RM10,000 as they had filed an
affidavit in reply in response to Khairy’s leave applications.
“We
also attended two case managements,” he said in the proceeding conducted
online.
The
bench then ordered Khairy to pay RM10,000 in costs to Anwar, now the opposition
leader.
The
Court of Appeal had earlier affirmed the High Court ruling that Khairy was
liable for defamation, and the RM150,000 in damages awarded to Anwar.
Justice
Darryl Goon, who delivered the ruling, said the defence put up by Khairy to
defeat Anwar’s suit had failed.
He
said the defence of justification and qualified privilege were not made out.
The
bench, also consisting of Lee Swee Seng and Ghazali Cha, dismissed Khairy’s
appeal to include the defence of fair comment to challenge the suit.
Anwar
was also awarded RM60,000 in costs.
Khairy,
who is now the health minister, made the remarks during a ceramah at Lembah
Pantai during the 2008 general election campaign.
Sri
Ram had submitted that Khairy defamed Anwar in front of a Malay crowd by depicting
him as a homosexual and a person of low morals.
“Khairy
was addressing a crowd who understood the context in which the reference
against Anwar was made,” he had said.
In
his statement of claim, Anwar said Khairy had uttered that the then opposition
coalition comprising PAS, DAP and PKR “are in a mutaah marriage as practised by
the Shia sect”.
“They
marry at night and divorce the following day to legitimise a vice. PAS plays
DAP from the left and DAP plays PAS from the right. Anwar plays both from the
back,” he had quoted Khairy as saying.
He
said Khairy was also addressing a Muslim crowd who belonged to the Shafi’i sect
and reference was made to the Shia sect, which was regarded as a deviant group
in the country.
Lawyer
J Leela, who appeared with Sri Ram in the case, said Khairy has so far only
paid RM10,000 in costs though ordered to pay RM60,000.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Israel’s
Underground Diggings And Tunnels Threaten Aqsa Mosque
June
21, 2022 -
MP
Ahmed Abu Halabiya, chairman of al-Quds and al-Aqsa Committee at the
Palestinian Legislative Council, has warned that the Israeli underground
diggings and tunnels under the Aqsa Mosque have become a real threat to its
future.
In
a statement on Monday, MP Abu Halabiya said that stones fell down recently from
a wall inside the Aqsa Mosque compound as a result of cracks caused by ongoing
Israeli diggings beneath the Umayyad Palaces area, which stretches over 800
meters of land between Ein Silwan and the Buraq Wall.
He
stressed that the reoccurrence of fissures and cave-ins at the Aqsa Mosque
endangers the entire holy site in light of the Israeli refusal to allow the
Islamic Awqaf in al-Quds to carry out renovation works.
Source:
ABNA24
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of the original story:
https://en.abna24.com/news//israel%e2%80%99s-underground-diggings-threaten-aqsa-mosque_1268712.html
--------
Israeli
troops train for combat in ghost town dubbed ‘Mini Gaza’
22 June,
2022
The
Muslim call to prayer echoes through a remote town in southern Israel that has
known only war.
Its
500 buildings, the tallest eight stories high, are deserted. Its narrow alleys
are adorned with militant murals and posters honoring slain Palestinian
fighters. It cannot be found on any map.
Officially,
it’s known as the Urban Warfare Training Center. The Israeli soldiers who run
military drills here call it “Mini Gaza.”
The
military began building the $45 million facility in the Zeelim army base in
2005, toward the end of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israeli
rule. Over the previous five years, Israeli troops had battled Palestinian
militants in cities and towns across the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
Since
then, Israel has fought four wars in Gaza against the militant group Hamas,
with some battles erupting in densely populated cities and refugee camps.
Over
4,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than half of them civilians,
according to the UN. Israeli officials say 106 people have died on their side,
including civilians, soldiers and foreign residents.
In
each war, Israel has been accused of using disproportionate force in crowded
residential areas, contributing to the civilian death toll. The military says
it makes every effort to spare civilians, while accusing Palestinian militants
of using them as human shields.
“The
nature of war has changed,” said Col. Eli Abeles, the facility’s commander.
“Today our principal fighting ... is done around built-up areas and in built-up
areas.”
The
tight alleyways, drab concrete buildings and open areas in the roughly 60-acre
(quarter square kilometer) facility are meant to simulate the urban
environments in which Israel’s soldiers often operate.
These
can include Gaza and the West Bank, as well as southern Lebanon, where Israel
has warned potential future fighting with Hezbollah militants would likely take
place.
The
army’s sole official graffiti artist decorates the streets with murals
featuring Arabic slogans and portraits of Palestinian and Lebanese militants.
Between
exercises, soldiers rest in the shade of the buildings, smoking cigarettes
beneath the faded posters, some of which honor those killed in battle with
Israel. Others don red-and-white checkered scarves to role-play militants in an
upcoming drill.
The
training center can accommodate exercises for an entire brigade of 2,000
soldiers at a single time, Abeles said.
Visiting
American troops and forces from European allies - most recently Cypriot
soldiers - have also trained in Mini Gaza.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Biden’s
Mideast visit will have ‘significant’ impact: Israel’s Lapid
21
June, 2022
US
President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel will have a
powerful impact on the region, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told US
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken by phone on Tuesday.
“The
visit will have significant implications for the region and the struggle
against Iran and tremendous potential to significantly upgrade regional
stability and security,” Lapid told Blinken, according to a statement from the
Israeli Foreign Ministry.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Tehran
Foils Mossad’s Assassination Plot against Iranian Nuclear Scientists
2022-June-22
"The
arrest of these Mossad operatives followed a complicated intelligence operation
that lasted eight months," Prosecutor-General of Iran's Sistan and
Balouchestan province Mehdi Shamsabadi told reporters on Tuesday.
"Ample
evidence has been gathered against them in such a way that they did not even
make any objection when a warrant for their arrest was issued," he added.
The
official noted that some members of the cell have been arrested in the
country’s Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan while other members
and operatives have been detained outside the province by Iran's intelligence
forces.
"The
defendants have confessed that some of them had been in direct contact with
Mossad agents," Shamsabadi emphasized.
He
said the case is currently under preliminary investigation and that an
indictment would be filed and sent to court soon.
The
official did not specify the nationalities of the agents.
In
a statement on April 20, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced the arrest of
the three Mossad agents in Sistan and Balouchestan.
It
said at the time that the spies were involved in disseminating classified
information and documents, and noted that the trio had been arrested upon a
judicial order.
Iranian
nuclear scientists have been the target of the western and Israeli spy
agencies' assassination attempts in recent years.
Iranian
nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's car was targeted by an explosion and
machinegun fire in Damavand's Absard 40 kilometers to the East of Tehran on November
27, 2020.
The
nuclear scientist and one of his companions were immediately taken to a nearby
hospital but he could not be saved.
In
June 2012, Iran announced that its intelligence forces had identified and
arrested all terrorist elements behind the assassination of the country's
nuclear scientists.
"All
the elements involved in the assassinations of the country's nuclear scientists
have been identified and arrested," Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced
in a statement.
"A
number of countries, whose territories and facilities had been misused by the
Mossad-backed terrorist teams, have provided the Iranian officials with
relevant information," the statement added.
"Over
the course of the investigations, all other elements behind the assassinations of
the Iranian scientists Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari and Mostafa
Ahmadi Roshan as well as Reza Qashqaei (Roshan's driver) have been
apprehended," the statement read.
"Some
of the perpetrators of the assassination of Dr. Fereidoun Abbasi, the current
head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, are among those arrested," the
ministry added.
According
to the statement, Iran's Intelligence Ministry had detected some of Mossad's
bases within the territories of one of Iran's Western neighbors, which provided
training and logistical support to the terrorist networks.
In
the fifth attack of its kind in two years, terrorists killed a 32-year-old
Iranian scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and his driver on January 11, 2012.
The
blast took place on the second anniversary of the martyrdom of Iranian
university professor and nuclear scientist, Massoud Ali Mohammadi, who was also
assassinated in a terrorist bomb attack in Tehran in January 2010.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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--------
Spokesman:
Iran Determined to Materialize Technical N. Rights
2022-June-22
Rapporteur
of the Iranian Parliament’s Energy Commission Malek Shariati quoted Kalmalvandi
as saying in a meeting with the Commission members that Iran is determined to
materialize the inalienable rights of the country in the technical and
safeguards agreements fields.
The
legislator told MNA that Kamalvandi had participated in a meeting of the
Commission on Tuesday evening to review the recent decisions adopted by the
AEOI against the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s excessive demands.
After
hearing a report by Kamalvandi, members of the parliament’s Energy Commission
unanimously condemned the recent anti-Iran draft resolution issued at the
IAEA’s Board of Governors, and stated that the IAEA issued anti-Iran resolution
under the influence and political pressures of the world powers, Shariati said.
Although
Iran's cooperation in the field of safeguards has been voluntary, members of
the Parliament’s Energy Commission emphasized complete reduction of Iran’s
cooperation with IAEA, he added.
The
US, France, Britain, and Germany spearheaded a resolution at the IAEA’s Board
of Governors, which accused Iran of not cooperating with the UN nuclear
watchdog.
Iran
has denounced the resolution and blamed the US and its three European allies
for the crisis created over its nuclear program, which was under an
unprecedented level of inspections before Washington withdrew from the JCPOA.
In
response to the resolution, Iran decreased its voluntary cooperation with the
IAEA and removed a number of cameras at its nuclear installations.
The
resolution was passed only few days after the IAEA’s chief Rafael Grossi
traveled to Israel and met the regime’s hawkish Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010401000313/Spkesman-Iran-Deermined-Maerialize-Technical-N-Righs
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IRGC
Commander Underlines Zionist Regime's Political Collapse
2022-June-21
"If
you follow the news, you will see that the Zionist regime has collapsed
politically and the US is seeking a reputable escape from the Islamic
world," General Salami said, addressing a ceremony on Tuesday.
He
also said that Iran's history is full of confrontations with different enemies,
noting that the side who always had to retreat was the enemy.
General
Salami described the enemies as dull, incapable and desperate to pursue their
goals, saying, "The desperate arrogant powers seek to find a way
out."
Meanwhile,
the IRGC chief said the enemies could not believe that the Islamic Revolution
is going to celebrate its 44th anniversary despite all their malicious attempts
and plots.
"The
enemy did not think the Iranian nation would come out victorious for 44 years
in a continuous and global struggle," General Salami underlined.
He
added that "the (Iranian) people who have given hundreds of thousands of
martyrs to preserve the Establishment and their revolution will never give up
the ideals and goals of the revolution and will not be separated from their
Imam".
"The
country is gaining more strength and in the near future Iran will be one of the
world's top powers," General Salami stressed.
General
Salami had also in 2020 said that the US had been isolated in the world and was
withdrawing from the region.
“Today
the US, which has been exerting pressures to isolate Iran, has itself been
isolated. The US has gradually lost its political influence in the region and
the world and has been marginalized in the political developments and failed to
score any victory in the battlefield,” General Salami said.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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Iran
Downplays US B-52 Bombers' Flight over Persian Gulf
2022-June-21
General
Shekarchi downplayed the flying of US B-52 bombers over the Persian Gulf,
saying it was just a show.
"The
US is well aware that in case of a strategic mistake, it will experience
irreparable and more dangerous blows than ever before," he added.
The
Israel military said in a February statement that Israeli F-15 fighter jets
have escorted an American B-52 bomber as it made its way en route to the
Persian Gulf.
The
B-52H Stratofortress, which is capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, flew from
its base in the United Kingdom, through the Straits of Gibraltar, over the
Mediterranean, and out over the Red Sea, before traveling back on roughly the
same route to the UK.
Earlier
this month, Commander of the Iranian Army’s Ground Force Brigadier General
Kioumars Heidari warned that Iran will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa if Israel makes
any mistake against Tehran.
“By
the order of the Leader of the [Islamic] Revolution, we will raze Tel Aviv and
Haifa to the ground for any mistake made by the enemy,” he said.
Elsewhere,
General Shekarchi said that the joint military moves made by Israel in
cooperation with a number of regional Arab countries are due to the regime’s
desperation.
He
made the remark on Monday after Israel's minister of military affairs, Benny
Gantz, claimed that the regime is building a US-sponsored regional air defense
alliance in cooperation with some regional Arab states to foil what he
described as “Iran’s attacks”.
“The
main reason behind this measure is merely desperation of the Zionist regime,”
General Shekarchi said.
Pointing
to the reasons behind the regime's establishment of relations with some
regional countries, the commander said, "The criminal Zionist officials
have acknowledged the pace of the collapse of their bloodthirsty regime."
Israel
has been making attempts to draw closer to US-aligned Arab countries in the
Persian Gulf in recent years and has offered them defense cooperation.
In
a briefing to Israeli lawmakers, Gantz unveiled what he dubbed the "Middle
East Air Defense Alliance" and said the regime's cooperation with Arab
states is already under way.
"Over
the past year I have been leading an extensive program, together with my
partners at the Pentagon and in the US administration, that will strengthen the
cooperation between Israel and countries in the region," he said,
according to an official transcript.
He
claimed that the program has already enabled the successful interception of
Iranian attempts to attack Israel and other countries.
Commander
of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy Rear Admiral Alireza
Tangsiri has already warned neighboring countries against allowing Israelis
into the Persian Gulf, saying such a move would bring nothing but chaos and
instability to the region.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010331000342/Iran-Dwnplays-US-B-52-Bmbers'-Fligh-ver-Persian-Glf
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Three
‘Mossad-linked agents’ will be tried soon in Iran: Report
21
June, 2022
Iran
will soon put on trial what it said were three Mossad-linked agents arrested in
April, state news agency IRNA quoted a judiciary official as saying on Tuesday,
amid simmering tensions between the Islamic Republic and arch-foe Israel.
“The
three were planning to assassinate our nuclear scientists according to
intelligence assessments,” Mehdi Shamsabadi said, without specifying the
nationality of the detainees.
IRNA
reported in April the arrest of three people it said were spies linked to the
Israeli intelligence agency in Iran’s southeastern province of
Sistan-Baluchistan.
Iran
and world powers have engaged in negotiations to revive a 2015 nuclear pact
which would curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange to the lifting of
American sanctions, which were reimposed on Iran after former US President
Donald Trump left the agreement in 2018.
Nuclear
talks have stalled since March and Iran has escalated its enrichment program
following a resolution by the UN nuclear watchdog that criticized it for
failing to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamic-extremists-yoga-maldives/d/127298