Islamists Threaten To Behead French Journalist Ophelie Meunier For Her Documentary About Radicalized Islam
New
Age Islam News Bureau
01
February 2022
Ophelia
Meunier
----
• Digital
Platforms Such As Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Reddit, And GitHub Aided Hindutva's
Circulation of Anti-Muslim Hate
• Justin
Trudeau After Putin Remarks: Islamophobia Unacceptable, End Hate And Make
Communities Safer For Muslims
• Pakistan's
Hard-Line Islamists And Religious Political Parties Emboldened By Afghan
Taliban's Victory
• Indonesian
Clerics Report Army Chief For Insulting Islam; May Find Himself Facing A
Blasphemy Charge
Europe
• EU
Official: Belgium Ban On Religious Slaughter Paints Muslims As ‘Medieval’
• Greek
Coast Guard throws 3 migrants into sea, killing 1: Turkish Minister
• We
don't want minority status: Turkish Cypriot president
• Mali
expels Paris envoy over ‘hostile and outrageous’ French comments
• Probe
reveals fraud network allowing Daesh members into Europe, US
--------
India
• Muslims
Donate Land To Build Temple Road In Kerala
• SC
Agrees To Hear Contempt Plea On Friday Namaz Disruptions In Gurugram
• After
‘Dharam Sansad’, Sadhus At ‘Sant Sammelan’ Spew Venom Against Muslims
• ‘Prayer
hall at platform a threat to the national security’: Right wing group writes to
rly officials
--------
North America
• US
Congressman Urges Joe Biden To Reject Appointment Of 'Jihadist' Masood Khan As
Pakistan Ambassador To US
• List
highlights the growing number of Muslim startup companies in America
• US
urges allies to repatriate ISIS detainees after Syria prison attack
• Biden
says he will designate Qatar as a major non-NATO US ally
• US
forces fired Patriot missiles during Houthi attack on UAE: White House
--------
Pakistan
• Imran
Khan's Promotion Of Religiosity Is Unlikely To Find Buyers
• Altaf
Hussain ‘Hate Speech’ Trial Begins In London
• Slain
priest buried in Peshawar amid investigation by CTD
• Ashrafi
condemns killing of Christian priest in Peshawar
• TTP
commander killed in Afghanistan
• Terrorist
killed, arms, explosives recovered in North Waziristan IBO: ISPR
--------
Southeast Asia
• Gov’t
to Keep Damaged Ahmadiyya Mosque as Worship Place
• Japan
adopts resolution on human rights in China
• Mum
to pursue challenge on conversion despite court verdict, says lawyer
--------
Arab World
• At
Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque, President of Israel Says Region Has A Choice: Peace Or
Iranian Terror
• King
Salman Underscores OIC's Role in Uniting Muslims, Shunning Extremism
• Why
Yazidi Survivors Of Islamic State Enslavement And Their Children Are Stuck In
Limbo In Iraq
• Syria:
Almost 500 dead from Hasakah Islamic State clashes, says SDF
• HRW
calls on Egypt to reveal whereabouts of missing Islamist
• Muslim
Brotherhood slams 'members' who bring division to group
--------
South Asia
• Talking
to Islamic Emirate 'Right Thing to Do': Former UN Special Envoy To Afghanistan
• Taliban
Keeps Ex-Afghan President Karzai, Former Chief Executive Abdullah Under Virtual
House Arrest
• Troika
Plus-Extended to be held in Kabul by February end
• It
is too early for India, Russia to recognize Taliban: Russian Deputy FM
• Amir
of Qatar and US Defence Minister discuss cooperation on Afghanistan
• Pakistan-Afghanistan
to create joint committee for resolving Durand Line conflicts
--------
Mideast
• Blinken,
Abbas Discuss Bilateral Relations, Latest Developments In Palestine
• Top
Mossad official quits over dispute with Israel’s spy chief
• Iran
launches campaign to stop social media censorship of iconic anti-terror General
Soleimani
• Israel
punishes three senior officers over 78-year-old Palestinian detainee’s death
• Russia
rejects demand by Israel that it stop jamming GPS signals in Israeli airspace
--------
Africa
• Algerian
FM Says Palestinian Reconciliation Process Has Begun
• Morocco
prosecutors seek double jail time for journalist on appeal
• Wrangle
over interim Libyan government intensifies
• At
least 10 people killed in Kenya bus blast
• African
Union suspends Burkina Faso after military coup
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Islamists
Threaten To Behead French Journalist Ophelie Meunier For Her Documentary About
Radicalized Islam
Ophelia
Meunier
----
January
31, 2022
A
group of policemen is following like a the shadow the French journalist Ophelie
Meunier in the last hours, as after the presentation of a documentary about
radicalized Islam, she is receiving threats for her life. Ophelie, 34, recently
presented a documentary, entitled “Zone Interdite” (trnslt. “Restricted zone”),
about how radical Islam has influenced French society.
The
documentary shows a restaurant where women are given cabins to eat separately
from men and a toy store that sells faceless dolls to comply with strict
Islamic interpretations that forbid the depiction of facial features.
In a
clip posted on Zone Interdite’s official Twitter page, radical Islam expert
Bernard Rougier holds the faceless dolls and teddy bears as he explains: “It’s
a way to show that from childhood, you will be better Muslim than others and
implies that others are not good or true Muslims. And so is the introduction of
an ideological principle into the world of childhood … in that sense it is
quite disturbing, yes”, he says.
The
video with the hidden camera shows the secret reporter going to the shops that
sell the dolls, which also offer books with the same pictures.
She
also spoke with Amine Elbahi, 26, a Muslim lawyer from Roubaix who helped
uncover the publicly funded educational institution that received 53,000 Euros
to teach poor children, but was accused of spreading Islamic teachings. Elbahi
spoke out against the influence of radical Islam in the film and has now been
described as an “infidel” and is threatened with beheading. “I am being
threatened with beheading, tearing apart, attacking, because I made a truthful
speech with my face uncovered, and specifically for the inaction of the mayor
of my community”, Elbahi said.
Following
the screening of the documentary in question, the French authorities closed
down the restaurant “Le Familial” which had secluded areas for Muslim women to
eat alone. The news that the journalist has been threatened has caused outrage
in France, where many believe that the secularism on which modern democracy was
founded is threatened by religious ideologies introduced by immigrants from
abroad.
Eric
Zemour, a right-wing commentator and opponent of Macron, rushed to support
Meunier after it was revealed she had been threatened. “Ophelie is in mortal
danger”, he wrote on Twitter on Saturday as the documentary began to garner
widespread attention. “This happens when you show the French the Islamization
of our country. Millions of patriots thank her for her courage”.
Source:
Protothema
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://en.protothema.gr/france-islamists-threaten-to-behead-journalist-ophelie-meunier/?
--------
Digital
Platforms Such As Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Reddit, And GitHub Aided
Hindutva's Circulation of Anti-Muslim Hate
Photo:
The Wire
-----
Taniya
Roy
01st
February 2022
New
Delhi: Digital platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Reddit, and
GitHub have hastened the proliferation of anti-Muslim hate that forms the
architecture of Hindutva crimes in India, the Culture-Centred Approach to
Research and Evaluation (CARE) has said in its report.
At
least 60% of the participants surveyed said they have come across content on
digital platforms that incites violence against Muslims, the report titled
Experiences of Muslims in India on Digital Platforms With Anti-Muslim Hate
found.
The
report – which involved in-depth interviews of Muslims and 213 hours of online
participant observations on digital platforms – said that the digital
infrastructure of Hindutva is organised around building disinformation and
accelerating the circulation of hate. The data was gathered between November
and December 2021.
CARE
found that while 40% of the participants surveyed said that over the last year
they had been called offensive names as a result of being a Muslim, 60% of the
respondents reported coming across content on digital platforms stating Muslim
immigrants will take over India.
It is
worth noting that the period when the survey was conducted, and particularly
the month of December, registered unprecedented levels of hate on digital
platforms.
The
report further said the narratives of hate are often centred on specific events
and policy decisions made by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and
dissenting responses to Hindutva.
The
report is released at a time when hate speech against Muslims in India has
gained momentum, with several rightwing and Hindutva leaders calling for a
Muslim ‘genocide’ amidst little to no backlash from the government. Many such
militant rightwing leaders have direct connections with BJP. Additionally, it
also comes against the backdrop of several other reports highlighting the lack
of moderation policies by social media platforms against hate speech.
In
fact, for the ruling BJP, WhatsApp has always been more than just a messaging
application, according to TheWire‘s investigation into the Tek Fog app.
December
The
Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) became law on December 11, 2019, when the
Upper House passed the Bill and the president gave his assent. Provocative
speeches on social media followed, and in February, riots broke out in the
national capital, which killed as many as 53 people, causing enormous damage,
mostly to Muslims.
In
2019-2020, Facebook’s data scientists found that there were big spikes in the
prevalence of inflammatory content in three languages – English, Hindi and
Bengali – that coincided with the start of the CAA protests and the start of
the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in India, The Wire had reported.
Between
December 17 and 19, 2021, right-wing activists, hardline fundamentalist
militants and Hindutva organisations came together at Haridwar for an event
called the ‘Dharma Sansad’ or ‘religious parliament’. Over the course of three
days, this event witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of hate speech, call for
mobilisations to kill Muslims and other anti-Muslim sentiment.
BJP
leader Ashwini Upadhyaya, who attended the Dharma Sansad, has previously been
arrested for an event he helped organise in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar where slogans
were raised, calling for violence against Muslims. Another similar event,
calling for Hindutva members to ‘kill and be killed’ to make India a Hindu
Rashtra, was organised in the national capital too.
A few
days later, on January 1, 2022, prominent Muslim women were put up for ‘sale’
on an app on GitHub.
Activists
and civil society groups have expressed deep concerns over Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah’s silence on these incidents.
Islamophobic
memes around COVID-19
In
March 2020 as COVID-19 cases started appearing in India, COVID-related
Islamophobic content proliferated across digital platforms.
The
CARE survey found that 64% of the respondents reported coming across content on
digital platforms that blamed Muslims for the pandemic.
The
framing of questions around intentions of the Tablighi Jamaat gathering in
Delhi held prior to the announcement of lockdown fuelled misinformation around
Muslims’ plots to infect Hindus by spitting on food, and infiltrating
respectable middle class spaces through their everyday jobs. The #CoronaJihad
narrative projected the Muslim as a terrorist attacking Hindu communities with
the COVID-19 bomb.
The
survey asked the participants whether they agreed to this statement : “I have
come across content on Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp that blames Muslims,
suggesting that they are responsible for the spreading of the pandemic.”
Twenty-one
percent of the participants somewhat agreed, 21.5% of the participants mostly
agreed, and 22% of the participants strongly agreed with the statement.
‘Love
jihad’ and violence against Muslim women
According
to the CARE report, the hashtag #LoveJihad is part of a broader global
Islamophobic digital infrastructure that flows from far-right, white
supremacist, anti-immigrant spaces in Europe to the Islamophobic discursive
space in Myanmar, and the anti-Muslim hate in India. The circulation of the
#LoveJihad trope has resulted in violence directed at Muslims, including contributing
to the genocide in Myanmar. Moreover, the #LoveJihad conspiracy has been
legitimised through the policy structures pushed by Hindutva.
The
imaginary right-wing conspiracy of ‘love jihad’ claims that Muslim men ‘lure’
Hindu women into wedlock for the purpose of converting them to Islam.
Despite
there being no evidence of a Muslim plot to convert Hindu women through
marriage, right-wing groups have long been working to prevent interfaith
marriages in India. The Special Marriage Act of 1954 provides a clear legal
framework for marriages between adults from different religious communities.
However, authorities often refuse to register such marriages on frivolous
grounds.
Fifty-nine
percent of the participants surveyed agreed that they had come across digital
content stating Muslims targeted Hindu women for marriage. The survey asked the
participants whether they agreed to this statement: “I have come across content
on Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp that states Muslims are targeting Hindu
women for marriage.” Eighteen percent of the participants indicated they
somewhat agreed, 20.9% of the participants stated they mostly agreed, and 20.3%
of the participants stated they strongly agreed with the statement.
Against
this backdrop of the ‘love jihad’ conspiracy narrative, digital platforms are
rife with content targeting Muslim women with sexual violence.
On
January 1, ‘Bulli Bai’ app on GitHub targeted Muslim women – including
journalists, activists and students – by putting them up for ‘auction’, in a
similar fashion to the earlier ‘Sulli Deals’ app. It used images stolen from
social media apps to ‘auction’ women, an act that has been compared to “online
sexual violence” and promoting “the crimes of trafficking and sexual slavery”.
‘Bulli’
and ‘Sulli’ are supposedly offensive term used against Muslim women.
The
threats of sexual violence targeting women are carried out alongside
dehumanising content depicting Muslims as animals. Fifty-five percent of the
participants surveyed said they have come across content digital platforms that
compare Muslims to pigs and dogs.
Students,
activists, civil rights groups and even retired service chiefs have called on
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak out and take action against hate speech.
Source:
The Wire
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://thewire.in/communalism/india-anti-muslim-hate-twitter-facebook-whatsapp-hindutva-modi-bjp
--------
Justin
Trudeau After Putin Remarks: Islamophobia Unacceptable, End Hate And Make
Communities Safer For Muslims
The
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau/ Reuters/File
------
January
31, 2022
Canadian
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Islamophobia was “unacceptable” and
stressed the need for putting an “end” to such hate against Muslim communities
as world leaders make effort to bridge the gap between different communities
following attacks in the past.
The
Canadian PM also appointed a Special Representative on combatting Islamophobia,
according to his tweet on Saturday.
“Islamophobia
is unacceptable. Full stop. We need to put an end to this hate and make our
communities safer for Muslim Canadians. To help with that, we intend to appoint
a Special Representative on combatting Islamophobia,” it read.
The
Canadian PM joins Russian President Vladimir Putin, who on December 25 while
addressing an annual news conference, had said that insulting Prophet Muhammad
(Peace Be Upon Him) does not count as the expression of artistic freedom.
“Insults to the prophet (PBUH) are a violation of religious freedom and sacred
feelings of people, who profess Islam. These acts give rise to extremist
reprisals,” the Russian president had said.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan on Sunday welcomes Canadian PM Trudeau’s tweet and
“unequivocal condemnation” of Islamophobia and plan to appoint a Special
Representative to combat this contemporary scourge. “His timely call to action
resonates with what I have long argued. Let us join hands to put an end to this
menace,” it read.
The
Canadian premier also shared a statement. ‘Islamophobia and hate, in any form,
have no place in Canada,” it read.
“Today,
the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion,
highlighted the federal government’s intention to appoint a special
representative on combatting Islamophobia. This appointment will be part of a
renewed Government of Canada Anti-Racism Strategy,” it added.
Last
year, according to the statement the Canadian government announced its
intention to make January 29 a National Day of Remembrance of the Québec City
Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia. This year, on the eve of the
five-year anniversary of this act of terror, the Government of Canada stood
with and supported Muslim communities across Canada and reaffirmed its
commitment to take action to denounce and tackle Islamophobia and hate-fueled
violence.
“Islamophobia
is a concrete and daily reality for Muslim communities across Canada and around
the world. As we honour the victims, we must remember that we have a
responsibility to combat discrimination and continue to build a more inclusive
Canada,” it read.
The
special representative appointment was one of the recommendations put forward
during the virtual National Summit on Islamophobia in July 2021 that is part of
Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to tackle Islamophobia in all its forms.
“Confronting
Islamophobia is an important part of this strategy. It includes a
whole-of-government approach to tackling systemic racism with dedicated
knowledge and expertise through the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, as well as
investments to empower communities to combat different forms of racism,
including Islamophobia, and to advance digital and civic literacy initiatives
that address online disinformation and hate speech,” it read, adding that
details on the role and mandate of the special representative would be
confirmed at a later date.
Four
members of a Pakistani Canadian family were killed and a nine-year-old boy
suffered serious injuries when they were run over by a pickup truck in Ontario,
Canada on June 7, 2021. According to the Canadian police, the family, who moved
to Canada from Pakistan in 2007, was "targeted because they were
Muslim."
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan's
Hard-Line Islamists And Religious Political Parties Emboldened By Afghan
Taliban's Victory
Maulana
Fazlur Rahman, head of the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam party. (file photo)
----
January
31, 2022
The
Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has increased the threat posed by Islamist
forces in neighbouring Pakistan, experts say.
The
Afghan militants' victory has not only bolstered Pakistani Islamist insurgents
but also strengthened religious political parties that share the Taliban’s
extremist views.
Analysts
say the rising popularity of some Islamist parties could even pose an electoral
threat to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ruling Tehreek-e Insaf in the 2023
general elections.
“There
is no doubt that with the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, support for the religious
parties will increase in Pakistan,” Islamabad-based political analyst Nazr-ul
Islam told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal.
Electoral
support for Islamist hard-liners remains relatively limited in Pakistan, a
predominately Islamic country of some 220 million. But the power base of
Islamist parties -- which can mobilize mass street protests and control
Pakistan’s vast network of madrasahs, or religious seminaries -- is growing.
Violent
Street Protests
In
November, Khan’s government released the jailed leader of the extremist
Tehrik-e Labaik Pakistan (TLP) and lifted a ban on the party under a deal to
end weeks of violent clashes between security forces and TLP supporters.
More
than 2,000 jailed TLP activists were freed, and the group was allowed to
contest elections again.
In
exchange, the TLP promised to renounce violence and drop its longstanding
demand for the expulsion of France’s ambassador over caricatures of the Prophet
Muhammad that were published by a French satirical magazine.
The
TLP continues to oppose any change to Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy laws
--particularly reforms that would eliminate the death penalty in blasphemy
cases.
It
also continues to demand that, like in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Shari’a law
be implemented across Pakistan.
Husain
Haqqani, a South and Central Asia expert at the Hudson Institute who previously
served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, recently told the
Financial Times of London that “Taliban beliefs and ideas” spill over to
Pakistan every time the Taliban is in power in Afghanistan.
Rising
Political Clout
The
Afghan Taliban’s victory has unleashed a surge of support for other hard-line
political forces in Pakistan.
The
Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (JUI-F) party won a major victory in local elections held
in December in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, which borders
Afghanistan.
The
JUI-F won more than half of the available seats, including the mayor’s office
in the provincial capital, Peshawar.
Islam,
the Pakistani analyst, says part of that election victory can be attributed to
the fact that JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rahman is an outspoken supporter of
the Afghan Taliban. Rehman is also a vocal member of an opposition coalition
against the prime minister.
Khan
blamed his party’s poor showing on bad candidate selection. But observers say
the JUI-F’s victory suggests the possibility of a more sustained political
challenge in the months and years ahead from Islamist parties.
“We
cannot ignore the fact that the change in neighboring Afghanistan has
definitely had effects on the politics here,” Islam told RFE/RL.
Hafiz
Hamdullah, a JUI-F leader from the southwestern province of Balochistan, says
his party demands the Pakistani government and the international community
recognize the Taliban-led government in Kabul. No country has yet done so.
For
his part, the Pakistani prime minister welcomed the Taliban’s military victory
in Afghanistan in August and has lobbied for more international assistance to
the Taliban-led government. But his government also has said Islamabad should
not damage its international relations by recognizing the Taliban before the
United States and the European Union.
Hamdullah
told RFE/RL that the United States “should accept the Taliban as a just
government and help them to bring stability and ensure peace and security in
the region.”
Shamim
Shahid, a political analyst in the northwestern city of Peshawar, says many
Pakistanis sympathize with that view -- particularly in the provinces of
Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He
says that has helped the JUI-F benefit the most so far in terms of the growing
support of Pakistani voters for Islamist parties.
“The
JUI-F is cashing in on the situation and will have an increase in its support,”
Shahid says.
By
comparison, Shahid says, the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam faction of the late cleric
Sami-ul Haq (JUI-S) has yet to capitalize on the growing support for Islamist
parties in Pakistan.
Like
the JUI-F, the JUI-S has demanded that Pakistan preserve the death penalty in
blasphemy cases, establish Shari’a law in Pakistan, and recognize the
Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.
The
JUI-S does not have any representatives in Pakistan’s parliament. But analysts
are closely monitoring popular support for the party.
That
is because the JUI-S runs the Darul Uloom Haqqania religious seminary, located
in the northwestern town of Akora Khattak, which has earned a reputation as
Pakistan's so-called “university of jihad.”
The
seminary is known for preaching a fundamentalist brand of Islam and schooling a
generation of fighters for both the Afghan Taliban and the Tehrik-e Taliban
Pakistan militant group.
Source:
Gandhara
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://gandhara.rferl.org/a/pakistan-hard-line-islamists-taliban-victory/31680060.html
--------
Indonesian
Clerics Report Army Chief For Insulting Islam; May Find Himself Facing A
Blasphemy Charge
General
Dudung Abdurachman has been accused of blasphemy for saying God isn't an Arab.
(Photo: tniad.mil.id
----
Konradus
Epa
January
31, 2022
A top
Indonesian general says controversial comments he made about God that enraged
Muslim groups were aimed at upholding diversity and defending religious
minorities such as Christians from intolerance.
Army
Chief of Staff General Dudung Abdurachman may find himself facing a blasphemy
charge after a coalition of clerics reported him to the Army Military Police
Command for his statement that God is not an Arab.
Abdurachman
responded to the reports by quoting a statement from Muhammad Luthfi bin Ali
Yahya, a moderate Muslim cleric and presidential advisory council member of
Arab descent: “Don’t give an opportunity to the intolerant group and we must
commit to Pancasila (five founding principles), the constitution, the Unitary
State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and Unity in Diversity.”
“Indonesia
was built from diversity and difference [of opinion]. We should respect it
because it becomes our strength,” he said on Jan. 29 at a book launch in
Jakarta.
He
further said that it would be dangerous if an intolerant group was allowed in
Indonesia.
Petrus
Selestinus, a Catholic layman and chairman of a lawyers’ group, said the
coalition reporting the statement is OK because it has the right to do so under
the constitution but the case isn’t blasphemy.
“According
to me, Dudung Abdurachman’s statement doesn’t have criminal or blasphemy
aspects,” he told UCA News on Jan. 31.
The
general’s statement was reported by the Coalition of Indonesian Muslim Clerics,
Habib and Lawyers of Anti-Blasphemy on Jan. 28.
It
was posted on YouTube by Deddy Corbuzier, an Indonesian actor, on Nov. 30,
2021.
“If I
prayed, I prayed simply … and I only used the Indonesian language because our
God isn’t an Arab,” Abdurachman says in the video.
Damai
Hari Lubis, coordinator of the coalition, said in his statement on Jan. 30 that
it reported Abdurachman on Jan. 28 and the report was received by Agus Prasetyo
from the Army Military Police Command.
The
coalition is hoping legal action will be initiated against the army general so
as to prevent further cases of blasphemy and hate speech.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/indonesian-clerics-report-army-chief-for-insulting-islam/95929#
--------
Europe
EU
official: Belgium ban on religious slaughter paints Muslims as ‘medieval’
January
31, 2022
Belgium’s
ban on the religious slaughter of animals by Muslims and Jews has the potential
to paint both minorities as “medieval” with no regard for animal life, the EU’s
top official tasked with fighting antisemitism across Europe has said.
The
regions of Flanders and Wallonia have banned the killing of animals without
pre-stunning since 2019, citing animal welfare. Muslims and Jews eat halal and
kosher meat which is obtained only through ritual slaughter without
pre-stunning the animal.
In an
interview with POLITICO magazine at the European Jewish Community Centre in
Brussels, Katharina von Schnurbein said: “The discussion itself puts the Jews
and also the Muslims in this case into a corner of ‘you do harm to animals, or
you are medieval.’”
Although
the ban was challenged by religious groups, the EU Court of Justice upheld it.
The court said that EU countries can restrict no-stun slaughter in order to
promote animal welfare.
The
court also stated that it should not infringe on religious rights. Bans are
permissible provided countries do not contravene the EU’s charter of
fundamental human rights, it ruled.
Schnurbein
said: “In some countries, we have seen also that this was only the start, and
then the discussion about circumcision was next.”
Religious
groups have apprehensions that the ruling by Belgium sets a precedent that can
be followed by more bans across Europe, she said, adding that it is “difficult
to say” if other countries will follow the suit.
EU
countries like Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark and Austria already restricted
religious slaughter before Belgium.
In
the UK some animal rights groups are lobbying to slaughter animals without
stunning them. A report by the British think tank, The Centre for Muslim Policy
Research (CMPR) said: “The slaughter of animals for food production as per the
religious rituals of Muslims and Jews is currently under threat from animal
rights organisations who are campaigning to implement a blanket ban on
slaughter without stunning.”
Source:
5pillarsuk
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Greek
Coast Guard throws 3 migrants into sea, killing 1: Turkish Minister
Kemal
Karadağ
01.02.2022
The
Greek Coast Guard threw three migrants into the sea, killing one of them,
Turkiye's interior minister announced late Monday.
In a
Twitter post, Suleyman Soylu said that following the incident off the coast of
Cesme district in Turkiye’s Izmir province, two of them were rescued while the
other one died.
He
added that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) "must also
be held accountable.”
Soylu
also shared footage of one of the rescued migrants.
One
of the migrants said Greek police took their mobile phones and money, and even
though one of his relatives said he did not know how to swim, the Greek Coast
Guard did not take this into account and threw them into the sea.
"The
Greek Coast Guard gave us lifejackets before they left us in the sea, but they
were for children and too small. They did not fit on us. My cousin said he did
not know how to swim. But they didn’t listen to him. They threw us into the
water and he drowned there," he said.
"His
last words were: 'I can’t swim! I don’t know how to swim!’"
The
migrants said that after they reached an island by swimming, the Turkish Coast
Guard arrived and rescued them.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
We
don't want minority status: Turkish Cypriot president
Muhammet
İkbal Arslan
31.01.2022
Turkish
Cypriots neither want to be an authority under a so-called "Republic of
Cyprus" nor a minority on the island, the president of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Monday.
"We,
Turkish Cypriots, don't want to be an authority under the Republic of Cyprus.
We don't want to be a minority on the island," Ersin Tatar said In an
exclusive interview with Greek Cypriot newspaper Filelefheros.
"The
reality is that there are two different peoples on the island: Turkish Cypriots
and Greek Cypriots," said Tatar urging Greek Cypriots to "accept and
reaffirm the sovereign equality of Turkish Cypriots."
He
underlined that due to the EU membership and international recognition of the
Greek Cypriot administration, there was an imbalance between the two sides on
the negotiating table.
"We
aren't recognized, but we have a separate state. We want recognition of our
sovereign equality and our equal international status," he added.
Turkish
and Turkish Cypriot officials have argued that a two-state solution would be
the fairest way to solve the ongoing dispute on the long-divided island.
Tatar
said he had told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that formal negotiations
could not begin as there was no common ground between the sides, stressing that
despite this, he was ready to partake in informal dialogue.
"I
told the British ambassador, who was here a few days ago: 'Invite me and
Anastasiadis to London for dialogue in a different environment where we can
speak and discuss," said Tatar.
"There
may not be common ground today, but there may be two years later. We must
continue dialogue for a better Cyprus with our hopes, which are revived
constantly," he added.
"The
adoption of the sovereign equality of Turkish Cypriots is taken before the UN
Security Council, it is accepted, and if the Greek Cypriots do not object, we
can negotiate the Cyprus problem in all its aspects,” he emphasized, mentioning
that there are two separate states in Cyprus in 60 years and that this should end
soon.
Tatar
explained the reasons why the Turkish Cypriot side insists on demanding
sovereign equality and equal international status together with the historical
process, noting that the Greek leadership wanted to connect Cyprus to Greece
long ago.
There
are many documents indicating that this movement began from 1878, when the
British arrived on the Island, he said.
East
Mediterranean hydrocarbons
The
Greek Cypriot side wrongly believe they own all of Cyprus and the rights to its
exclusive economic zone in the Eastern Mediterranean, Tatar said, underscoring
Turkish Cypriots only wanted their "fair share" of rights to
hydrocarbons in the island's surrounding waters.
"We
don't want your share, we want our share," said the Turkish Cypriot
leader, adding that the TRNC "trusts Turkiye and moves with Turkiye."
He
also noted that Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had proposed to
discuss these issues in a conference, but that the Greek side had turned down
this offer.
Decades-long
dispute
Cyprus
has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish
Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a
comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic
attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into
enclaves for their safety.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/we-dont-want-minority-status-turkish-cypriot-president/2490295
--------
Mali
expels Paris envoy over ‘hostile and outrageous’ French comments
January
31, 2022
BAMAKO:
Mali on Monday gave the French ambassador 72 hours to leave the country after
“hostile and outrageous” comments by former colonial power France about its
transitional government, it said in a statement read on national television.
French
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday that Mali’s junta was “out
of control” amid escalating tensions between the West African state and its
European partners following two coups.
He
also called the junta illegitimate. French Defense Minister Florence Parly said
on Saturday French troops would not stay in Mali if the price was too high.
“The
French ambassador to Bamako was summoned and notified of a decision by the
government inviting him to leave the national territory within 72 hours
following hostile and outrageous comments by the French foreign affairs
minister recently,” the government statement said.
There
was no immediate comment from Paris.
France
has had troops in Mali since 2013, when it intervened to drive back militants
who were advancing on the capital. The extremists have since regrouped and are
waging an increasingly bloody insurgency across the Sahel region.
Relations
between Mali and its former colonizer deteriorated this month when the junta
went back on an agreement to organize elections in February and proposed
holding power until 2025.
It
has also deployed Russian private military contractors, which some European
countries have said is incompatible with their mission.
Mali
last week asked Denmark to withdraw its troops belonging to a European task
force in the country, which set off a fresh crisis. France asked Mali to let the
Danish troops stay, and Mali’s government spokesman told France to keep its
“colonial reflexes” to itself.
“Reports
the French Ambassador has been declared Persona Non Grata by Mali transitional
authorities are unacceptable. Denmark stands in full solidarity with France,”
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said in a tweet on Friday.
“Such
irresponsible behavior is not what we expect from Mali, it will loose
international credibility.”
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2015536/world
--------
Probe
reveals fraud network allowing Daesh members into Europe, US
January
31, 2022
LONDON:
An expansive online industry providing Daesh members with fake passports and
official travel documentation is allowing terrorists to escape Syria and come
to Europe and the US, an investigation has revealed.
The
EU is the most popular destination for Daesh members, but some have traveled to
Mexico and on to the US on fake Russian passports, as well as to Ukraine,
Afghanistan, Niger and Mauritania, according to the investigation by The
Guardian.
The
newspaper identified at least 10 cases in which Daesh members entered Turkey
from Syria illegally, purchased passports for up to $15,000 from an
Istanbul-based extremist network, and departed from Istanbul Airport.
The
findings are likely to fuel fears that Daesh members are leaving the Middle
East undetected by security services, posing a significant threat in the
countries they end up in.
An
Uzbek who runs one of the most successful networks told The Guardian: “I do not
ask about which group someone is with. I am willing to work with anyone. It is
not my job to see who is bad and who is not. The security services should deal
with it.”
In
2015, Western officials warned that the then-growing “caliphate” had acquired
equipment such as blank passport books and printers that could be used to make
Syrian and Iraqi passports for fighters to travel overseas with.
While
border agencies have since invested in technology to root out the fakes, the
investigation revealed that passports made by the counterfeiters could evade
airport security and pass undetected.
In
some cases, EU citizens arrive in Turkey and make contact with the network.
They then sell their passports for around €2,500 ($2,786) to the extremists,
who edit the photo and sell the passport on to a client for up to €8,000.
The
original seller then claims they lost their passport and proceeds through the
official process to recover it.
“In
the past the quality of passports on the market was bad so there was a limited
number of countries one could travel to from Syria,” said one seller.
“Now
those passports are of such good quality that if you have enough money, you
could go absolutely anywhere.”
The
high-quality fakes are advertised on encrypted messaging channels such as
Telegram and Signal, in which they are shown to pass tests designed to prevent
forgery.
A
source at the US Department of Homeland Security told The Guardian: “There is a
particular seller in Turkey who provides IS (Daesh) members with very high
level (i.e. well-forged) documents. We are aware of IS members using these fake
passports to cross to Europe, and European security is not successful in
arresting them all.”
The
fraudsters currently make the most profit from fighters looking to leave Syria,
but they are now looking to expand to new frontiers.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2015451/world
--------
India
Muslims
donate land to build temple road in Kerala
01st
February 2022
MALAPPURAM:
Sending out a message of religious harmony, two Muslims in the district have
come to the aid of a 500-year-old Hindu temple that lacked proper accessibility
by donating land for the construction of a road.
C H
Aboobacker Haji and M Usman, residents of Koottilangadi panchayat, have handed
over four cents of land to the panchayat that will construct the 60-metre road
with 10-feet width for Koottilangadi Kadungooth Mahadeva Temple. Authorities
said the road will be built soon using
panchayat and MLA funds. Local residents cleared the thick vegetation
covering the area last Sunday.
Rahoof
Koottilangadi, a former panchayat member, said some people tried to create a
rift in society citing the road issue. “The temple didn’t have any proper road.
Some people had even run a hate campaign on social media intending to a create
rift,” he said. In order to protect communal harmony, a meeting of the
panchayat authorities, revenue officials, Malabar Devaswom Board authorities
and the residents under the chairmanship of Mankada MLA Manjalamkuzhi Ali was
held recently.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
SC
agrees to hear contempt plea on Friday Namaz disruptions in Gurugram
Feb
01, 2022
The
Supreme Court on Monday agreed to expedited hearing on a contempt plea filed by
former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb, demanding action against Haryana
government officials over Friday namaz disruptions by right-wing groups in
Gurugram.
A
bench, led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, took note of the submissions of
advocate Indira Jaising, who said state government officials have not been
following the 2018 apex court judgment on stopping hate crimes.
“This
is not based only on newspaper reports. We have ourselves filed complaints. We
are not asking for any enforcement of FIR (first information report). This
court has laid down preventive measures and they are not being followed at
all,” Jaising, appearing for Adeeb, told the bench, which included justices AS
Bopanna and Hima Kohli.
“I
will look into it and post before the appropriate bench immediately,” the chief
justice said.
Adeeb’s
petition claimed that in recent months, there has been a constant rise in
incidents around Friday prayers offered by Muslims. These incidents, the plea
said, took place at the behest of certain “identifiable hooligans, who portray
themselves falsely in the name of religion and seek to create an atmosphere of
hatred and prejudice against one community across the city.”
Adeeb’s
contempt plea seeks action against Haryana’s chief secretary, Indian
Administrative Service officer Sanjeev Kaushal, and the director general of
police, Indian Police Service officer PK Agrawal, for not complying with the
Supreme Court’s 2018 judgment in which a string of directives was issued to all
state governments to prevent hate crimes through strict measures.
One
guideline said states shall designate a police officer not below the rank of
superintendent as the nodal officer in each district. These officers will set
up a task force to be assisted by a deputy superintendent of police to take
measures to prevent mob violence and lynching.
Right-wing
groups have been opposing Friday prayers at open spots, which had earlier been
demarcated by the administration. As the disruptions grew increasingly charged,
Haryana chief minister ML Khattar on December 11 suspended namaz in public
places, including six open spaces agreed upon by Hindu and Muslim groups for
which the Gurugram administration had previously given its nod.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
After
‘Dharam Sansad’, Sadhus at ‘Sant Sammelan’ spew venom against Muslims
February
1, 2022
New
Delhi: Emboldened by the government’s soft stance, pro-RSS sadhus (Hindu monks)
reared their heads yet again and spewed venom against Muslims. On Saturday, at
a gathering called as “Sant Sammelan” in Allahabad, they passed three offensive
resolutions urging that the government declare India a “Hindu Rashtra” and
introduce the “death sentence” for religious conversion organizers and stop
usage of ‘minority’ term.
One
of the conveners of the event even threatened that if the two people arrested
in connection with the Haridwar hate assembly (Dharma Sansad) were not released
within a week, there is a possible bombing of an “Assembly”
A
senior monk admitted that Sant Sammelan was a Dharma Sansad by another name.
The
400 sadhus in attendance agreed to add “Hindu Rashtra” to “India” in their
writings and communications from now on.
They
urged that the Narendra Modi regime in Delhi and Yogi Adityanath’s government
in Uttar Pradesh prohibit the usage of the terms “minority” and “majority.”
The
event was planned to coincide with the annual, month-long Magh Mela, which began
on January 14, saw three resolutions ratified.
*
Declare India a Hindu Rashtra.
*
Declare all religious conversions a “rarest of the rare” crime, with capital
punishment introduced for the organisers.
*Release
Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati and Waseem Rizvi aka Jitendra Narayan Tyagi from
jail.
“If
Narasinghanand and Tyagi are not released within a week, we will organise a
massive demonstration across the country,” said Narendra Anand Giri, one of the
Sant Sammelan’s conveners.
He
then made an odd comparison between the gathered sadhus and Bhagat Singh, the
revolutionary freedom fighter who bombed the Central Legislative Assembly in
Delhi in 1929 in defiance of a British law.
“If
the government delays their release, an incident like the bombing of the Assembly
could occur, since we are prepared to become Bhagat Singh,” Giri added.
“I
don’t know anything other than that India was partitioned on the basis of
religion and that we are already a Hindu Rashtra,” Giri stated when reminded
that Bhagat Singh was on the opposite end of the political spectrum from Hindu
Rashtra advocates as an atheist and socialist.
The
Haridwar incident sparked protests in India and overseas, with petitioners
asking the Supreme Court to intervene, allowing them to apply to local authorities
to prevent similar Dharma Sansads from occurring elsewhere.
Because
of the uproar, Anand Swaroop, a Haridwar-based sadhu who had previously planned
a Dharma Sansad in Allahabad on January 22 and 23, claimed the name had been
changed to “Sant Sammelan.”
He
went on to say that the event had been postponed at the suggestion of several
sadhus who planned to visit Allahabad later for the Magh Mela.
Swaroop
is one of a half-dozen people who have been questioned in connection with the
Haridwar FIR. Despite the Supreme Court’s notice to the Uttarakhand government,
just two of the eight accused of calling for Muslim genocide have been
apprehended, with Anand Swaroop being one of them.
Source:
Muslim Mirror
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/after-dharam-sansad-sadhus-at-sant-sammelan-spew-venom-against-muslims/
--------
‘Prayer
Hall At Platform A Threat To The National Security’: Right Wing Group Writes To
Rly Officials
Feb
01, 2022
Right-wing
organisation Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) on Monday wrote to the Indian
Railways regarding a Muslim prayer hall at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna
(KSR) Railway Station (Bengaluru central), calling it a ‘threat to national
security’. The letter was sent hours after the members of the organisation
stormed into the ‘prayer hall’ on Monday while people were praying inside.
HJS
spokesperson Mohan Gowda in his letter to the station manager said that it is
condemnable that the resting room of workers has been converted to a place of
prayer by Muslims at Platform No 5.
“This
is a very serious issue and a threat from the national security standpoint of
view. Bengaluru KSR Railway Station is an important station in the state. Even
though there are many masjids around the railway station, giving permission to
perform prayers on the platform seems to be a conspiracy,” read the letter.
Allowing
the prayer inside the railway station could lead to “chances of demands to
convert this place into a masjid”, stated the letter. It further claimed that
Bengaluru has been made a “haven of terror activities” pointing out that the
National Investigating Authorities (NIA) had arrested West Bengal-based Adil
Asadullah from the Bengaluru Cantonment station in 2018.
“In
2019, the NIA had arrested a terrorist, Mohammed Akram, from the Majestic Area
(where the railway station is located) in Bengaluru. The police had arrested a
Bangladesh-based terrorist, member of Jemaat-ul- Mujahideen, who was hiding in
the Cottonpet Masjid in Bengaluru. Keeping this background, how appropriate is
it to allow prayers on the platform? It is requested to take immediate action
against those who have permitted the unauthorised place. Prayers should not be
allowed at the resting room,” the letter added.
The
letter also stated if no action is taken, there will be a severe protest.
A
senior railway official, pleading anonymity, said that they have received the
letter from the organisation but the claims made by them are unsubstantiated.
“The prayer hall has been at the railway station for several years now and
there has not been any problem so far. We also have a temple on the railway
station premises. This is an attempt to create a political issue,” said the
official. “Utter nonsense and factually incorrect,” said the official on the
organisation’s claim that the railway station was a hub of terror activities.
In
another development, Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister V Sunil Kumar
on Monday justified the banner saying only Hindu traders will be allowed at a
local fair in Ullal in Dakshina Kannada district.
“Only
those who worship the gods of this land are allowed to trade here,” proclaimed
a banner at a temple fair in Karnataka last week. The posters were later
removed by the police. Kumar said that his prime priority will be to ensure
that the activists who displayed the banners do not face any problems.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
US
Congressman Urges Joe Biden To Reject Appointment Of 'Jihadist' Masood Khan As
Pakistan Ambassador To US
Jan
31, 2022
NEW
DELHI: US Congressman Scott Perry has written a scathing letter to US President
Joe Biden over the proposed appointment of Masood Khan as Pakistani envoy to
the US. In the letter, Perry has called Khan a "terror sympathizer"
who praised "terror organisations/terrorists like Hizbul Mujahideen and
Burhan Wani".
"While
I'm encouraged that the State Department has reportedly placed a pause on
approving Masood Khan as the new Ambassador from Pakistan, a pause is not enough.
I urge you to reject any diplomatic credentials presented to you by Masood Khan
... and reject any effort by the Government of Pakistan to install this
jihadist as Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States,” the US Congressman
wrote in the letter dated January 27, 2022.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
List
highlights the growing number of Muslim startup companies in America
January
31, 2022
By
Joseph Hammond
(RNS)
— A global list of Muslim startup companies includes a plurality of companies
started in America. The list, the fourth such compilation put together by the
Center for Global Muslim Life, highlights Muslim-founded or Muslim-focused
startups and was announced at the group’s Global Muslim Impact Forum last week.
“There
were 50 companies on the list in years past. We had 100 companies this year to
show the growth in the space since the last time we published in 2017,” said
Dustin Craun, the CEO of the Center for Global Muslim Life, a think tank based
in San Diego, California, with a focus on Muslim social impact, from the arts,
to food, to tech.
The
list includes new ventures from actor Riz Ahmed, chef CZN Burak, activist
Malala Yousafzai Malik, comedian Hasan Minhaj and other Muslim celebrities. The
businesses included are diverse, ranging from new Islamic seminaries and
Muslim-focused smartphone applications to fintech (finance/technology), media
and fashion.
This
is the fourth edition of the list, which was first compiled in 2015 and again
for each of the next two years. Past appearances on the list have included
LaunchGood, Noor Kids and Haute Hijab.
While
65 countries have been represented on the list, of the 100 companies selected
for 2022, some 43 are based in the United States.
“In
many ways, though, it can be important to think of the cities these companies
are based in rather than the countries,” noted Craun. “New York, for example,
can clearly be thought of as an important city in the Islamic world due to
several reasons: its international population, importance to global finance and
home of the UN HQ.”
This
year’s list was also geographically diverse within the United States, with
companies in the traditional startup hotbeds of New York City and Silicon
Valley, but also more unexpected locations like Puerto Rico.
The
United States is also a target market for many of the international startups
mentioned in the report. A colorful example includes retired UFC athlete Khabib
Nurmagomedov, who plans to launch a series of mixed martial arts gyms in the
United States and is an investor in the U.S.-based Islamic fintech company Wahid
Invest. The number of fintech companies on the list has increased over the
years in line with the wider fintech industry.
Another,
Tarteel, uses an AI-assisted program to improve pronunciation of Quranic
recitation and has already attracted more than 200,000 users. In a similar
vein, Qariah offers access to female recitations of the Quran.
How
much these startups have raised individually was unclear, though globally the
report says the companies on the list have raised more than $400 million and
that it’s a requirement for the list that the companies have launched.
Source:
Religion News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
urges allies to repatriate ISIS detainees after Syria prison attack
31
January ,2022
The
United States on Monday urged its allies to repatriate suspected Islamic
State-linked nationals detained in northeast Syria, after the terrorist group
launched an attack on a prison to free its fighters.
Washington
called on its partners in the international coalition to defeat ISIS, “to
improve the secure and humane detention of ISIS fighters, support
rehabilitation initiatives, and urgently repatriate their nationals and other
detainees remaining in northeast Syria,” in a statement from State Department
spokesman Ned Price.
ISIS
fighters on January 20 launched their biggest assault since the loss of their
“caliphate” nearly three years ago, attacking the Ghwayran prison in the
Kurdish-controlled northeast Syrian city of Hasakeh to free fellow jihadists,
sparking battles that left over 370 dead.
After
six days of intense fighting, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
announced on Wednesday they had recaptured the prison, but intermittent clashes
continued until Saturday between Kurdish fighters and militants near the jail.
Senior
ISIS leaders were captured or killed during the fighting, Price said, praising
the SDF “for their heroic and effective response to the sustained ISIS attack.”
Most
nations have been reluctant to repatriate their ISIS suspects from northeast
Syria, preferring to leave them in the custody of Kurdish authorities.
But
the Kurdish administration has long warned it does not have the capacity to
hold, let alone put on trial, all the ISIS militants captured in years of
operations.
Authorities
say more than 50 nationalities are represented in Kurdish-run prisons holding
more than 12,000 ISIS suspects.
The
Kurdish administration’s foreign policy chief Abdulkarim Omar said it was up to
the international community to put foreign militants on trial or repatriate
them.
The
ISIS threat is “like a fireball, it gets more dangerous and complicated with
time,” he told AFP.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Biden
says he will designate Qatar as a major non-NATO US ally
31
January ,2022
US
President Joe Biden revealed Monday that he would designate Qatar as a major
non-NATO ally, joining the likes of Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait.
“I am
notifying Congress that I will designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally to
reflect the importance of our relationship, I think it’s long overdue,” Biden
said ahead of his meeting with the Qatari emir.
The
White House said Biden’s meeting with Qatar’s Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani would
focus on the latest developments in the Middle East, the situation in
Afghanistan and global energy security.
For
his part, the Qatari emir said the discussions would include the “equal rights
of Palestinian people.”
Washington
is looking to Qatar as part of its efforts to secure alternative energy
supplies for Europe as tensions with Russia over a potential invasion of
Ukraine linger.
“This
past year our partnership with Qatar has been central to many of our most vital
interests: relocating tens of thousands of Afghans, maintaining stability in
Gaza and providing life-saving assistance to the Palestinians, keeping pressure
on ISIS and deterring threats across the Middle East,” Biden said.
Qatar
also represents US diplomatic interests in Afghanistan, following the chaotic
withdrawal ordered by Biden last summer.
Other
major non-NATO allies include Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain,
Brazil, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand,
Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Tunisia.
Taiwan
is treated as a major non-NATO ally but without a formal designation.
The
status, under US law, “provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the
areas of defense trade and security cooperation.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
forces fired Patriot missiles during Houthi attack on UAE: White House
31
January ,2022
US
military forces deployed Patriot surface-to-air missiles at the ballistic
missiles fired by the Houthis during the weekend attack on Abu Dhabi, a senior
White House official said Monday.
The
UAE said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the
Iran-backed Houthis before destroying the launching site in Yemen early Monday.
Although
no damages or injuries were reported, this was the third attack in the last two
weeks.
“I
can tell you… US military personnel responded to an inbound missile threat on
the UAE. This involved the employment of Patriot interceptors [along with]
efforts by the armed forces of the UAE,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
said during a press conference.
She
added: “I would say we are working quite closely with them… and we are very
focused on working with them and defending against all threats to their peoples
and territories.”
The
latest attack by the Houthis, which US President Joe Biden removed the terror
blacklist in one of his first foreign policy moves after taking office,
coincided with the first-ever visit to the UAE by an Israeli president.
Before
meeting Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Biden said the US was in “daily
contact with the UAE” to address these threats. “I’ve directed Secretary Austin
to do everything he can to communicate the support of the United States for the
UAE, Saudi Arabia and throughout the Gulf region. America will have the backs
of our friends in the region,” Biden said.
On
January 17, the Houthis launched a deadly attack using cruise and ballistic
missiles and drones to target Abu Dhabi. The strike led to a fire breaking out
and the explosion of three petroleum tankers, killing three people and wounding
six others.
That
was followed by another attack against Abu Dhabi on January 24, but UAE
authorities - with US forces - said they successfully intercepted the two
Houthi ballistic missiles with no casualties.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Imran
Khan's promotion of religiosity is unlikely to find buyers
01st
February 2022
Pakistani
Prime Minister Imran Khan published an op-ed in January in The Express Tribune,
a local daily, that read more like a Friday sermon than the words of a
politician. This came just a few months after his government set up a committee
to generate religious messaging for domestic and international audiences. It
also designed a school curriculum that introduces mandatory Islamic education
at an even earlier age.
These
developments might prompt one to ask whether Pakistan is entering another
1980s-style phase of government-enforced religiosity. Despite appearances,
however, the answer is no. It is, rather, a coping mechanism for two political
problems Mr Khan is confronting today.
The
first is the rise of Tehrik-e-Labbaik Pakistan, a clerical party capitalising
on anti-blasphemy vigilantism and urban working class discontent across the
country. The Islamist group has grown so powerful that the government was
forced to make significant concessions, including lifting a ban on it in the
face of violent protests.
The
second is that Mr Khan and the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party that he
heads have completed more than three quarters of their first term. Their
failure to fulfil extravagant promises of transformational reform threatens
their 2023 election prospects, especially since it is alleged that the party's
2018 victory is owed more to interventions from the army and judiciary than it
is to the voting public.
The
kind of political Islam that Mr Khan is espousing today harks back not only to
his very first steps in politics, but to many of Pakistan's previous leaders
who grappled with similar problems. If history is any guide, the greatest
challenge to these policies will come not from progressive forces but from the
traditional leaders of the country’s religious denominations, who fiercely
resist any intrusions into their domain.
Although
now largely forgotten, Mr Khan’s unexpected journey in the 1990s from celebrity
cricketer to conservative politician was guided by several figures from the
Jamaat-e-Islami movement that shaped the intellectual foundations of Islamist
politics across the entire Muslim world. One such figure was the late Hamid
Gul, who headed Pakistan's spy agency in the 1980s. Gul was an outspoken
Islamist and the standard bearer for Pakistan's dual policy of Islamisation and
militarisation.
By
1993, then prime minister Nawaz Sharif decided to try to break politics free
from its army patrons, just like another former prime minister, Zulfiqar Ali
Bhutto, did before him. This prompted Gul and other figures to publicly call
for a "third force" to compete with the Bhuttos and the Sharifs, by
then established political dynasties. Mr Khan’s wild popularity after leading
the Pakistan cricket team to a World Cup triumph was certainly attractive. More
importantly, Mr Khan had repeatedly proved his loyalties by willingly
captaining a national team under close military oversight for a decade. It is a
role that he continues to faithfully play today.
Mr
Khan, by now retired from sport, toured Pakistan in 1994-95 with the support of
Gul and the other members of the Jamaat-e-Islami, during which time he employed
a rhetoric that remains almost unchanged today. His core argument remains that
the Sharifs and Bhuttos are corrupt and have failed to serve the public. But
this strategy is mixed with a heavy dose of conservative cultural nationalism;
an appeal for pride in "traditional" Islamic values, paired with
criticism of women’s rights movements and so-called western ideas said to
threaten the unity of the family and the nation.
Much
of this rhetoric appeals to the country’s university-educated middle class.
However, their anxieties about losing their religious and cultural identity to
westernisation – and sometimes so-called "Indianisation" – are
surpassed by an even greater insecurity about falling behind the rest of the
world. The importance attached to understanding science, technology, management
and finance translate into deep reservations about the clerics, who are often
regarded as factional and under-educated, suitable at best to guide the working
class but not the nation as a whole. Their ideal figure is someone who combines
high levels of modernism and Islamic learning – the Islamic intellectual.
But
religion is, in fact, one of the few areas in Pakistan where power flows from
the bottom-up. In a country that remains rural and poor for the most part,
clerics are far better organised and enjoy much larger followings than
intellectuals. As a result, the modernists have been at their most powerful
when Pakistani politics are at their least democratic. Political rulers have
repeatedly attempted to redefine Islamic ideology, often in reaction to attacks
on their policies from the religious right. In almost every case, such ventures
have only further galvanised competition from the clergy.
The
state has bought time through selective accommodation, while building new
structures meant to regulate clerics and also disseminating its own Islamic
messaging, designed by modernists. This has increased the establishment’s
confidence in its growing efforts to promote greater tolerance. Notable recent
examples include the firm support for the construction of a Hindu temple in
Islamabad and the state-funded restoration of temples damaged in mob attacks
elsewhere.
Ultimately,
this accommodation suffers from an Achilles' heel that many of Pakistan's
leaders have encountered before. The problem for the establishment is that
Pakistan’s model of managed democracy requires limiting public participation in
politics, thereby robbing the government and its policies of deeper legitimacy.
This is especially true when they persistently fail to deliver results for the
masses.
Source:
The National News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Altaf
Hussain ‘hate speech’ trial begins in London
Atika
Rehman
February
1, 2022
LONDON:
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) supremo Altaf Hussain appeared at the
Kingston-upon-Thames crown court on Monday to mark the first day of his trial
centering on a terrorism offence.
Mr
Hussain was charged with inciting violence in an incendiary speech relayed from
the United Kingdom to his followers in Pakistan on Aug 22, 2016. He was
arrested and released on bail before charges were filed in 2019, three years
after Scotland Yard launched an investigation into speeches made in the UK that
allegedly encouraged violence in Karachi.
Mr
Hussain has pleaded not guilty to the charge filed under Section 1(2) of the
Terrorism Act (TACT) 2006.
The
68-year-old appeared confident and in high spirits as he entered the court
premises flanked by London-based party workers and relatives. As he disembarked
from his vehicle, he spoke briefly with reporters and said he has faith in the
British judicial system but will not comment on the trial as it was a sub
judice matter. He entered the court in a wheelchair.
“I
have endured such difficulties and tests during my 45-year struggle numerous
times,” he said. “God has given me strength and I have remained steadfast. I
have not been despondent even in the face of the biggest challenges. Neither am
I despondent today. I beseech my supporters not to pay attention to rumours
during this difficult time, but stay united and pray.
MQM
founder urges political parties to work for the prosperity, peace of Karachi
“I
cannot comment on the present situation of Karachi, as to what should happen
and what should not happen. I can give well wishes, and pray. Whoever is in
politics and the parties there should work for the prosperity and peace of
Pakistan’s biggest economic city.”
When
asked about his health, Mr Hussain said he has not felt his best since he
contracted Covid-19 early last year.
The
hearing was adjourned after jury selection, with the jurors set to take oath
before Justice May on Tuesday (today). Due to Covid-19 restrictions and social
distancing rules, the courtroom had a limited number of seats.
The
charge as stated by the UK police is that Mr Hussain had “on 22 August 2016
published a speech to crowds gathered in Karachi, Pakistan which were likely to
be understood by some or all of the members of the public to whom they were
published as a direct or indirect encouragement to them to the commission,
preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and at the time he published
them, intended them to be so encouraged, or was reckless as to whether they
would be so encouraged”.
The
Met Police at the time had also said: “Hussain was previously arrested on 11
June [2019] on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or assisting offences
contrary to Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007. He was released on bail
and subsequently charged as above.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1672572/altaf-hussain-hate-speech-trial-begins-in-london
--------
Slain
priest buried in Peshawar amid investigation by CTD
February
1, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Slain priest Pastor William Siraj was laid to rest here on Monday amid
investigation by the counter-terrorism department into the gun attack.
He
was targeted in his moving car by two gunmen on a motorcycle on the Ring Road
in the limits of the Gulbahar police station. The attack left another priest
injured.
The
last rites of William Siraj were performed at the All Saints Church here, where
members of the Christian community, including his family members, showed up in
large numbers.
He
was later laid to rest in the Wazir Bagh Christian cemetery.
PM
aide Ashrafi visits church, says such attacks fuelling Islamophobia
Also
in the day, special assistant to the prime minister on religious harmony
Maulana Tahir Ashrafi visited Saint John’s Church and met leaders of the
Christian community to condole the killing of the priest. Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters,
bishop of the Diocese of Peshawar, was also present there.
Mr
Ashrafi told reporters that the priest’s killing was not an attack on some
individual, sect or religion and instead, it was an attack on entire Pakistan.
He
said such incidents were creating problems for Muslims across the world by
fuelling Islamophobia.
He
said the federal and provincial governments and all law-enforcement agencies
stood firm with their Christian brethren and would bring those involved in the
killing of the priest to the task.
Accompanied
by religious scholars from other sects, the PM’s aide said the misuse of
blasphemy law in the country had reduced to a great extent due to the
government’s efforts.
“No
case of the misuse of blasphemy law has been reported in the country during the
last one year,” he said.
Mr
Ashrafi said the priest attack was meant to cause fear and chaos in the country
and damage the country’s image abroad.
He
said an Islamic scholar was shot dead in Peshawar a week ago, while a Sikh was
also shot dead here.
Mr
Ashrafi said attempts were also being made to stoke sectarian hatred in the
country.
He,
however, said investigations were going on into the attack and facts related to
it would come out soon.
“Members
of all sects and faiths have paid a heavy price for the restoration of peace in
the country and it is responsibility of all Pakistanis to maintain this peace,”
he said.
The
PM’s aide said protection of the minorities in an Islamic country was
responsibility of the state as well as all Muslims.
“Pakistan
has paid great price for the restoration of religious dialogue,” he said.
Bishop
Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters thanked Maulana Ashrafi and provincial government and
police department for ‘standing with Christians during the current hour of
trial’.
Meanwhile,
the CTD registered an FIR of the attack on the complaint of survivor Patrick
Naeem as part of investigation.
Mr
Naeem said two men on a motorcycle opened fire on the car used by him and the
deceased to return home after attending a service at the church.
Meanwhile,
the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned the priest’s killing.
In a
statement, the HRCP said it saw the attack as a ‘blatant one not only on
Pakistan’s Christian community but on all religious minorities, whose right to
life and security of person remains under constant threat’.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1672653/slain-priest-buried-in-peshawar-amid-investigation-by-ctd
--------
Ashrafi
condemns killing of Christian priest in Peshawar
January
31, 2022
Police
on Monday launched a probe into the killing of a Christian priest — who was
shot dead by unidentified attackers — in Peshawar, according to Geo News.
The
matter was sent to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) after a section
related to terrorism was added to the First Information Report (FIR).
Meanwhile,
addressing a press conference, Special Representative to the Prime Minister on
Religious Harmony Tahir Ashrafi strongly condemned the target killing of the
priest — identified as William Siraj — and termed it a conspiracy against the
country by anti-state elements.
He
said that it was highly deplorable incident of target killing, adding that it
was not the assassination of a Christian priest rather it was killing of a
Pakistani, which would not be tolerated and the culprits would soon be brought
to justice.
He
said that the incident was an attempt to sabotage peace and interfaith harmony
in the society by India, who had been involved in such criminal activities in
the past.
He
said that the Pakistan Ulema Council also condemned the killing of William
Siraj and gave a strong message to the world that Muslim and minority
communities are united in Pakistan.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
TTP
commander killed in Afghanistan
January
31, 2022
A
wanted militant commander belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP), Rafiullah, was killed during infighting in Afghanistan, sources said on
Monday.
The
sources in Afghanistan said the latest bout of infighting within TTP ranks was
due to funds and positions within the militant organisation.
The
militant’s death comes less than a month after the operational commander and
the spokesperson of the TTP, Muhammad Khurassani, was killed in Afghanistan’s
Nangarhar province.
Rafiullah,
known by various codenames, was known to support the former intelligence agency
of Afghanistan, NDS, Baloch militants and the militant Islamic State (IS).
The
militant commander was wanted since 2011 in various incidents of terrorism and
was known to facilitate suicide bombers and arrange transport and lodging for
them.
He
had facilitated the suicide bombers who attacked Quetta Civil Hospital and
Serena Hotel.
Rafiullah
had also facilitated attacks on various law enforcement agencies and was said
to be the operational commander of the attacks on Major Naeem, Inspector Kabir,
Baaz Mohammad and Haji Gulab of Kuchlak and a bank robbery in the same town.
The
militant was also linked to kidnapping for ransom incidents involving doctors.
Earlier,
Pakistan’s security czar had said that the TTP had unilaterally scrapped a
ceasefire agreement with the government.
National
Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf told the National Assembly Standing
Committee on Foreign Affairs that organised terrorist networks were still
operating on Afghan soil, which was still being used against Pakistan.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/31/terrorist-commander-killed-in-ttp-infighting/
--------
Terrorist
killed, arms, explosives recovered in North Waziristan IBO: ISPR
January
31, 2022
RAWALPINDI:
A wanted terrorist was killed, arms and explosives were recovered in
intelligence based operation in North Waziristan on Monday, Inter Services
Public Relations (ISPR).
According
to military’s media wing, the security forces on an intelligence tip-off
regarding presence of extremist conducted operation in Dosali area of North
Waziristan district.
Source:
Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/31/170789/
--------
Southeast Asia
Gov’t
to Keep Damaged Ahmadiyya Mosque as Worship Place
BY
:MARIA FATIMA BONA
JANUARY
31, 2022
Jakarta.
The government will retain a damaged mosque belonging to Ahmadiyya followers in
Sintang, West Kalimantan as a worship place for Muslims although its dome has
been removed by protesters.
A
group of protesters attacked the Miftahul Huda Mosque last September and
expelled Ahmadiyya followers, saying that their belief didn’t represent Islamic
teachings.
A
Religious Affairs Ministry official said on Sunday the damaged mosque should be
retained as a worship place for all Muslims.
“The
property in Sintang is expected to remain as a mosque for all Muslims to come.
Should the mosque’s function be shifted, there must be a further discussion
with Ahmadiyya followers as the owner,” Wawan Djunaedi, the head of the
ministry’s Center of Religious Harmony, said in a statement.
Djunaedi
also asked regional governments to facilitate those from all faiths who propose
temporary places of worship due to their issues of eligibility in building one.
“District
administrations should ensure the constitutional rights of Indonesians,
especially regarding the ability to worship collectively at their permanent or
temporary places of worship,” he added.
Additionally,
Djunaedi also asked fellow Muslims to welcome the Ahmadis to their local mosque
or musalla.
The
community had been facing attacks from the locals since 2004. The situation was
worsened by the Islamic People’s Alliance’s attack on the mosque which had
previously been sealed by the Sintang administration on September 3, 2021.
Source:
Jakarta Globe
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://jakartaglobe.id/news/govt-to-keep-damaged-ahmadiyya-mosque-as-worship-place
--------
Japan
adopts resolution on human rights in China
February
1, 2022
TOKYO:
Japan’s parliament today adopted a resolution on the “serious human rights
situation” in China, and called prime minister Fumio Kishida’s government to
take steps to relieve the situation, as the Beijing Winter Olympics loom just
days ahead.
Japan
has already announced it will not send a government delegation to the Games,
following a US-led diplomatic boycott over concerns about China’s human rights
condition, although Tokyo avoided explicitly labelling its move as such.
Since
taking office in October, Kishida has said on multiple occasions that Japan
would not mince words with China when necessary, and in November appointed
former defence minister Gen Nakatani as his aide on human rights.
The
resolution, adopted by the lower chamber, said the international community has
expressed concerns over such issues as internment and the violation of
religious freedom in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, Tibet and Hong
Kong.
“Human
rights issues cannot just be domestic issues, because human rights hold
universal values and are a rightful matter of concern for the international
community,” the resolution said.
“This
chamber recognises changes to the status quo with force, which are symbolised
by the serious human rights situation, as a threat to the international
community,” it said.
US
president Joe Biden in December signed into law legislation that bans imports
from China’s Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labour.
Washington
has labelled Beijing’s treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority genocide.
China
denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of
the world’s materials for solar panels.
The
conservative wing of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) sought the
adoption of the resolution ahead of the Feb 4 opening of the Beijing Winter
Olympics although there were worries in the government about a potential
economic impact, Jiji news agency has said.
There
have long been competing views within the LDP about the approach to China.
The
party’s more conservative wing is hawkish on China policy and seen as concerned
primarily with defence issues.
Other
members of the party have pushed to preserve Japan’s deep economic ties with
its neighbour.
The
parliamentary resolution called on the Japanese government to work with the
international community in addressing the issue.
“The
government should collect information to grasp the whole picture … monitor the
serious human right situation in cooperation with the international community,
and implement comprehensive relieving measures,” it said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mum
to pursue challenge on conversion despite court verdict, says lawyer
January
31, 2022
PUTRAJAYA:
A Buddhist mother who embraced Islam but failed to convert her two children
will pursue her case in the Federal Court despite the Selangor Islamic
Religious Council (Mais) failing to obtain leave on the issue of unilateral
conversion last week.
Lawyer
Arham Rahimy Hariri, who is representing the mother, said questions for his
client’s leave application were framed from an administrative law perspective.
“We
are not abandoning our application for leave just because Mais failed (to
persuade the bench to hear the merit of their complaint).
“We
are not disheartened by the apex court ruling last week,” he told FMT.
Arham
said the mother’s leave application will be heard on April 12.
On
Nov 24, the mother filed three questions of law, one of which was whether
Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution had been erroneously relied upon
and/or applied in the case of M Indira Gandhi v Pengarah Jabatan Agama Islam
Perak & Ors.
Article
12 (4) states that the religion of a person under the age of 18 shall be
decided by his parent or guardian.
On
Oct 27, the Court of Appeal held the High Court was right to allow the father
of Buddhist faith to quash the unilateral conversion of his children to Islam
by their mother.
Judge
Zabidin Mohd Diah said the appeals court was bound by the 2018 apex court
ruling in Indira’s case, which held that a spouse of a civil marriage who
embraced Islam cannot unilaterally convert their children.
On
Jan 26 this year, the Federal Court dismissed a bid by Mais to restore the
conversion of five children to Islam, carried out unilaterally by their father.
Chief
Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said the issue of unilateral conversion had been
settled in Indira’s case.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
At
Abu Dhabi Grand Mosque, President of Israel Says Region Has A Choice: Peace Or
Iranian Terror
By
Lazar Berman
31
January 2022
During
a visit to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi on Monday, President
Isaac Herzog said the Middle East had a stark choice of possible futures,
between one of hope and peace and another of Tehran-led chaos.
“There
are only two alternatives for this region,” he said, standing outside the
mosque in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.”One is peace, prosperity,
cooperation, joint investments and a beautiful horizon for the people, or
alternatively, what Iran is doing, which is destabilizing the region and using
its proxies to employ terror. These are the two alternatives, and this visit
symbolizes hope, peace, and a great future for our nations, the region, and the
world at large.”
The
night before, the UAE announced it shot down a ballistic missile fired at it by
the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group.
Herzog
and his wife, Michal, concluded their historic visit to the UAE with the mosque
tour.
The
first lady was presented with a bespoke traditional robe, and the president
signed the mosque guest book. They were then given a tour explaining the
mosque’s architecture and construction.
Herzog
summarized his trip as “very moving,
historic, and exciting.”
Earlier
Monday, Herzog opened Israel national day at Expo 2020 Dubai, saying that
Israelis share Emiratis’ “high regard for religious faith bound with
ingenuity.”
“Part
of the novelty of the UAE is the combination of an innovative spirit and
forward-thinking approach, with deep respect for the glorious Muslim
tradition,” the president said.
“We
admire the course you have charted,” he declared.
Herzog
and the first lady were welcomed at the Dubai expo with an honour guard,
followed by the raising of Israel’s flag at the site’s central plaza and the
playing of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem.
“Israel
is a country in which obstacles become opportunities, and where the impossible
is a tantalizing challenge,” Herzog said in a speech. “This pavilion has
provided a phenomenal taste of what we have to offer — from water tech and sustainable
agriculture to public health to smart cities and groundbreaking solutions for a
circular economy.”
He
called the pavilion “a practical display of cooperation between nations, of the
future we can all imagine. This imagination turned into reality right here,
when the UAE and its leaders daringly signed the historic Abraham Accords.”
Herzog
concluded his remarks in Arabic, saying, “May God bless you and grant you long
lives. Thank you very much.”
Speaking
before Herzog, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s tolerance and
coexistence minister and Expo 2020 Dubai commissioner-general, said, “Israel
has much to offer on our global platform.”
After
his visit to the Israeli pavilion, Herzog met with Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
According
to the president’s office, the two men discussed the bilateral relationship in
trade, investment, tourism, and innovation.
Israel
and the UAE forged ties in the United States-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020,
bringing over a decade of covert contacts into the open, and have seen their
relationship flourish since then.
Herzog
and his wife landed in Abu Dhabi on Sunday morning for the first-ever official
visit by an Israeli president to the UAE.
Meeting
with Jewish leaders Sunday night, Herzog expressed his thanks to the UAE’s
powerful Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed — known as MBZ — calling the
UAE’s de facto ruler “a bold leader, an amazing leader with whom I spent a few
hours today and from whom I drew immense inspiration.”
The
president also thanked former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former US
president Donald Trump, and Bahrain’s King Hamid bin Isa al Khalifa for
bringing about the Abraham Accords.
Rabbi
Elie Abadie, senior rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, told The Times
of Israel that “it was emotional to see the president of the State of Israel
here in an Arab country for the first time in history.”
Earlier
in the day, Herzog met with MBZ for over two hours.
Afterward,
Bin Zayed invited Herzog for an unscheduled follow-up personal meeting at his
private palace.
The
president and first lady were given a festive welcome by the UAE’s Foreign
Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, which included the playing of both
countries’ national anthems, and a 21-gun salute. Afterward, they held a
working meeting, then had lunch with members of Herzog’s delegation.
During
the journey from Israel, the president’s plane flew over Saudi Arabia, a
powerful Sunni state with which Israel does not have formal diplomatic
relations. According to Herzog’s office, he entered the cockpit to view the
Saudi desert, and remarked: “Without a doubt, this is truly a very moving
moment.”
Source:
Times Of Israel
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
King
Salman Underscores OIC's Role in Uniting Muslims, Shunning Extremism
31
January, 2022
Secretary
General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha
received on Monday a written message from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
King
Salman stressed the confidence the OIC chief enjoys among members of the
organization, highlighting Taha's determination to develop its work and serve
the just causes of the Islamic nation.
The
message was handed to Taha during a meeting with Saudi Arabia's permanent
representative at the OIC, Dr. Saleh al-Suhaibani, at the organization's
headquarters in Jeddah.
King
Salman stressed that Saudi Arabia will not spare an effort in supporting
everything that would help achieve the goals of the OIC to in turn establish
prosperity, stability and peace in the Islamic world.
Source:
Aawsat
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Why
Yazidi Survivors Of Islamic State Enslavement And Their Children Are Stuck In
Limbo In Iraq
February
1, 2022
By
Nadia Al-Faour
From
outside, the unassuming two-story house in Irbil, capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan
region, resembles a regular family daycare center. It echoes with the happy
shrieks of children playing behind its high walls.
However,
the compound holds a closely guarded secret: These are the children of Yazidi
women who were raped in captivity by Daesh militants.
The
extremists tore through Sinjar, ancestral home of Iraq’s Yazidi minority, on
Aug. 3, 2014. Some families fled in terror and sought refuge on nearby Mount
Sinjar, where they were left exposed to the elements, without food or water.
Those
unable to escape found themselves surrounded by black-clad militants who
massacred the men and sent the boys to training camps, where they were forced
to convert to the group’s warped interpretation of Islam.
The
Yazidi women and girls, meanwhile, were held captive, to be distributed to the
militants as sex slaves and domestic servants. They were taken deep into
Daesh-held territory in western Iraq and neighboring Syria, where they were
sold as chattel at medieval-style slave markets.
Many
chose suicide rather than submit to rape and servitude. Others would end up
carrying their rapists’ children.
Following
the territorial defeat of Daesh — first in Iraq in late 2017, then in Syria in
early 2019 — many of the captive women and girls managed to escape or were
ransomed by family and government authorities.
While
some took their children with them, others were separated from them. Physically
and emotionally scarred by years of abuse, many were taken in by aid agencies
or sent to other countries for specialist treatment.
The
accelerated flight of Yazidis following the depredations of Daesh terrorists
has brought the ancient community in Iraq to the brink of extinction.
Those
women who wanted to return to their homelands following their liberation were
presented with a stark choice: Abandon the children fathered by their Daesh
captors or forever be exiled.
The
decision by Yazidi elders to reject the children of Daesh seems callous and
anachronistic to many observers. According to the Supreme Yazidi Spiritual
Council, however, it is theologically impossible for anyone, including
children, to convert to the Yazidi faith; they must be born to two Yazidi
parents.
The
Yazidi form one of the oldest ethnic religious groups in the world. They are
now spread thinly across the Middle East, Central Asia and Europe, having faced
repeated bouts of genocide and persecution for their beliefs.
In
the eyes of Daesh, the Yazidi are infidels and devil worshipers who are to be
exterminated, their persecution justified by Shariah.
“While
I have the utmost respect for the Yazidi religion, I believe the issue of
reuniting the mothers with their children is not a religious one,” said Peter
Galbraith, a former US diplomat, who has played a leading role in efforts to
return children to their mothers.
“It
is a fundamental human right. The mothers have the right to their children and
the children have the right to their mothers,” he told Arab News.
The
theological case for the rejection of the children is not the only obstacle.
Another complication is Article 26 of the Iraqi Nationality Law, which
stipulates that if a child’s father is Muslim the child must inherit the
father’s religious status.
“It
is agreed by all that Daesh were not real Muslims — their twisted savagery is
not a real representation of the religion,” Vian Dakhil, a Yazidi member of the
Iraqi parliament, told Arab News. “Yet according to Iraqi law their children have
been registered as Muslims.”
A
report published in 2020 by human rights monitors Amnesty International, titled
The Legacy of Terror: Plight of the Yazidi Survivors, featured accounts by
several women of how they were forced to make the heart-wrenching decision of
whether to give up their children or their identity.
Hanan,
24, was persuaded by her uncle to leave her daughter at an orphanage, on the
understanding that she could visit whenever she wanted. But after the child had
been dropped off, Hanan’s uncle told her: “Forget your daughter.”
Sana,
22, took her daughter with her when she was rescued. After daily threats,
however, she decided to leave the child with an aid agency.
“In
that moment it felt like my backbone broke, my whole body collapsed,” she told
Amnesty.
All
of the women interviewed for the report displayed signs of psychological trauma
and several said they had contemplated suicide. Few have any way to communicate
with their children.
“What
happened was a real catastrophe and the women who were raped were not only
victimized but also faced more problems when the children were born,” said
Dakhil.
“It
is a human matter; it is motherhood, despite it coming from rape. We cannot
force the girls to leave or abandon their children. There must be a solution.
There have been girls who were convinced that what happened to them was
abnormal and so have decided to give up their kids.”
Women
who were able to reunite with their children are not faring much better; they
are forced to live in secrecy in Irbil, fearing for their safety should they be
discovered.
In
2019, Iraq’s President Barham Salih drafted the Yazidi Female Survivors Bill,
which became law in March last year. It represented a watershed moment in
efforts to address the legacy of Daesh crimes against Yazidis and other
minorities, as it officially recognized acts of genocide and established a
framework for the provision of financial support, and other forms of redress,
to survivors.
In
focusing institutional attention on the female survivors of conflict-related
sexual violence, the law placed Iraq among the first countries in the Arab
world to recognize the rights of such survivors and take steps to redress their
grievances in line with international standards.
Almost
a year later, however, little has been achieved in terms of reparations for
survivors.
“The
vote to approve the bill has been passed; the only problem lies with actual
implementation, which hasn’t really started,” said Dakhil.
“The
government claims allocating money is a problem but this is unacceptable, as
these people are in dire need of assistance and aid. The bill was created for
this issue. We will try our best to implement it fully.”
Pari
Ibrahim, director of the Free Yazidi Foundation, told Arab News: “The issue of
those Yazidi women who have children born from rape is the most challenging one
for the Yazidi community.
“Our
position, as a Yazidi women-led organization, is that the final decision of the
individual survivor is more important than any other view, including those of
family members or religious leaders.”
Several
of the women want to move to Australia to live with other Yazidi survivors. The
Netherlands is also touted as a potential option. However, border restrictions
resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed the asylum process.
“The
best solution is for them to be resettled abroad in another country, where they
can live without stigma,” said Ibrahim.
“But
no matter what, their rights and their wishes should be respected after all the
suffering they have endured. This issue is intensely painful for the Yazidi
community — but not more painful than the trauma inflicted upon Yazidi
survivors. We must respect and defend their rights.”
Source:
Eurasia Review
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Syria:
Almost 500 dead from Hasakah Islamic State clashes, says SDF
31
January 2022
Kurdish-led
forces in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakah said on Monday that last
week's clashes at a detention centre costs the lives of just under 500 people,
including four civilians, 77 prison staff and 374 prisoners.
Announcing
the death toll at a press conference on Monday, the Syrian Democratic Forces
(SDF) said that the heavy fighting since Islamic State group (IS) militants
first attacked the prison in the Ghwayran neighbourhood had seen them lose 40
fighters.
"We
thank our people in Hasakah for their vigilance and spirit of sacrifice, and we
also thank them for their help and their honourable standing with their
forces," said an SDF spokesperson.
"We
also say to our people in north and east Syria that it has become necessary to
show more caution and vigilance towards all attacks by IS and others as well,
and that they must organise themselves stronger, and defend their
neighbourhoods, villages and homes."
Around
3,500 prisoners were held at the al-Sinaa detention centre when, on 20 January,
IS fighters rammed two explosives-packed vehicles into the facility.
Fighting
around the prison saw around 45,000 people forced to flee their homes in
Hasakah, while aid organisations raised fears about the situation for hundreds
of minors held in the prison.
Save
the Children said last Monday that it had evidence of multiple child deaths and
casualties at the prison.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syria-hasakah-clashes-sdf-announce-dead
--------
HRW
calls on Egypt to reveal whereabouts of missing Islamist
31
January, 2022
Human
Rights Watch on Monday called on the Egyptian authorities to reveal the
whereabouts of a Muslim Brotherhood member who reportedly disappeared following
an unscheduled landing in Egypt.
Hossam
Menoufy Sallam was travelling on January 12 on a direct flight from Khartoum to
Istanbul when his flight made an unscheduled landing in Luxor in Egypt's south,
HRW said.
The
unplanned landing took place as a "routine procedure" after the smoke
detection system went off in the cargo cabin, the Khartoum-based Badr Airlines
said in a statement.
"After
all passengers disembarked to the transit lounge, security officers summoned
Menoufy and checked his passport and travel documents," HRW said in its
report.
"He
was last seen by witnesses in the custody of Egyptian officials," the New
York-based group added.
Egypt's
interior ministry issued a statement on January 15 saying that Menoufy was held
in custody pending investigations.
"The
Egyptian government should immediately disclose Hossam Menoufy's whereabouts
and allow his lawyer and family to see him," said Joe Stork, HRW's deputy
Middle East director.
"Forcibly
disappearing him is a serious crime," he continued.
Local
media in Egypt reported that Menoufy was a leading figure of the militant group
Hasm, believed to be a breakaway faction of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
Egyptian
activists suggested that the forced landing of the Sudanese flight points to
the close cooperation between Egypt and Sudan, where the military led by
General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan staged a coup on October 25.
Egypt
launched a harsh crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood group after the 2013
military ouster of late president Mohamed Morsi, who hailed from the group.
Thousands
of the group's supporters have since been jailed on terror-related charges.
The
Brotherhood was designated a "terrorist organisation" in late 2013.
The group has consistently denied any links with violence.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/hrw-calls-egypt-reveal-whereabouts-missing-islamist
--------
Muslim
Brotherhood slams 'members' who bring division to group
January
31, 2022
Egypt's
Muslim Brotherhood announced on Sunday that its members who are working to
divide the movement will be "disowned". The Brotherhood used its
website to accuse "some members" of "violating its regulations
and rejecting all attempts to unite the ranks."
It
also declared that the committee given the responsibility of doing the work of
the supreme guide is "invalid". Everyone who took part in the
creation of the committee "has chosen to leave the group" because of
such division.
In
order to preserve its unity, it called on members to respect the allegiance
pledge to the movement.
The
past few months have seen administrative disputes between acting general guide
Ibrahim Mounir and Mahmoud Hussein, the former Secretary-General of the
Brotherhood. Mounir has decided to refer Hussein and others to an
investigation, and has formed a committee to manage the group's affairs and
hold internal elections to end the division.
Source:
Middle East Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South Asia
Talking
to Islamic Emirate 'Right Thing to Do': Former UN Special Envoy To Afghanistan
01st
February 2022
The
former UN special envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, said that dialogue is a
"positive thing" and should be continued with the Islamic Emirate.
In an
interview with TOLOnews, Eide said that the humanitarian crisis is very
concerning and the international community should increase its engagement with
Islamic Emirate.
“I
think there is not an alternative to talking, you know, all through the years,
every time there has been a new phase, there has been criticism of talking to
the Taliban. I always thought it is the right thing to do. The alternative is
that the situation becomes even worse today and I do not think that it is in
anybody’s interest… My view has always been that dialogue is a positive thing
and it should be continued where it is possible,” Eide told TOLOnews.
“I
think there are significant resources coming in, but it is very insufficient
and the international community should engage much more strongly, in particular
when it comes to the humanitarian crisis. Over the last few days, the head of
the Norwegian Refugee Council, the secretary-general of the UN has called for
much more vigorous resources to be brought into Afghanistan, I think there is
no time to lose and we cannot wait any longer and see more people dying, more
people being at the risk of dying. That is totally unacceptable. We have been
with the Afghan people for decades and we cannot let the Afghan people be
doomed to death,” said Kai Eide.
The
former envoy said the Islamic Emirate should include people who are not from
the Taliban movement into the government, in order to see a a more inclusive
government than the current government.
“There
should be a government that includes people who (do) not belong to the Taliban
movement. I think it is very important that other persons be brought in; if it
is done via this mechanism or that mechanism, is not important, but you need a
government seen to be more inclusive than the current government,” said Kai
Eide.
Meanwhile,
the Islamic Emirate’s officials said the government is going to add more
qualified figures to the government ranks.
“The
Islamic Emirate has attempted to recruit some deserving people to the
government, particularly in technical sections, and it will follow through on
its pledge to recruit more faces in high positions,” said Inamullah Samangani,
deputy spokesman of the Islamic Emirate.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-176532
--------
Taliban
keeps ex-Afghan president Karzai, former chief executive Abdullah under virtual
house arrest
Feb
1, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai and the country's erstwhile chief
executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah are suspected to be under house arrest in Kabul,
with cautious social media interactions and occasional visits by foreign
dignitaries under Taliban surveillance their only known link with the world
outside.
Amid
the flight of Afghan leaders and officials in the wake of the Taliban's
takeover of Kabul last year, Karzai and Abdullah had stayed back and engaged
with leaders of the new regime, including the Haqqani Network, to work out the
modalities for an inclusive government.
Since
the announcement of an interim government last September, neither has been seen
in public, strengthening speculation that they could be under virtual house
arrest. Karzai lives with his family in a government accommodation in the
vicinity of the presidential palace, while Abdullah stays in his personal
residence.
Both
are active on Twitter, although there has been no post yet even remotely
critical of the performance and policies of the Taliban. Select guests,
including foreign dignitaries, are allowed to meet them, but any correspondence
with the duo requires the Taliban's approval.
TOI attempted
to find out why they did not opt to flee the country after the Taliban entered
Kabul, by which time scores of other former officials and even warlords like
Abdur Rasheed Dostum of Mazar-i-Sharif or Ismail Khan of Herat had already
left.
"These
leaders had been in contact with the senior Taliban leadership for a long time.
Their criticism of the former president Ashraf Ghani and his government had
further softened the stance of the Taliban towards them," said Abdul Haq
Omari, an Afghan journalist. "They knew beforehand of the agreement
between the Taliban’s Doha office and the Americans that the group’s fighters
would not enter Kabul without a formal transfer of power. They were also
assured of participation in the process."
Everything
went haywire thereafter, sparked by the massive evacuation of foreign and
Afghan nationals, coupled with the complete collapse of the government
machinery led by former president Ashraf Ghani. Omari said it was Karzai who
asked the Taliban to enter the capital to restore law and order.
"Since
he and Abdullah were in contact with both the Americans and Taliban, they had a
plan," said Ali Akbar Khan, a Peshawar-based journalist who had closely
monitored last year’s events in Kabul. "They were the ones who engaged
with the Taliban and Haqqani Network leaders after the fall of Kabul. They had
the Taliban's ear and their emphasis on forming an 'inclusive government' was
highlighted by media. They thought that their guidance and advice was
unavoidable for the Taliban."
Karzai
and Abdullah were further emboldened by the secret visit of CIA director
William Burns to Kabul and his meeting with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the
current Afghan deputy prime minister. A role in the future Afghan government
for both was allegedly discussed in that meeting.
The
Taliban's plan, which was kept a secret until the announcement of their
government, turned out to be completely the opposite of what Karzai and
Abdullah had expected. The new Afghan government was neither inclusive, nor did
it have any representation for women. Another move that surprised many within
and outside the country was Mullah Baradar, till then believed to be the prime
candidate for head of government, being made deputy PM along with Abdul Salam
Hanafi, another Taliban leader.
Both
Karzai and Abdullah are, however, still considered valuable by the Taliban.
"The regime realises that both are prominent Afghan figures having global
acceptance and recognition. Instead of allowing them to leave the country, they
think their stay in the country would be more beneficial," said Syed Waqas
Shah, a Pakistani journalist who covered the war against terror in Afghanistan
for over a decade.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Troika
Plus-Extended to be held in Kabul by February end
01
Feb 2022
Russian
special representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said that extended Troika
Plus to be held in Kabul this time and added that the exact date of the meeting
is being coordinated, TASS news agency reported.
Zamir
Kaboluv added that the participating countries (Russia, the US, China,
Pakistan) of the Troika Plus-extended on Afghanistan are now considering the
date of the meeting in the Afghan capital Kabul.
“Currently,
we are coordinating the date of the next round of talks with our partners in
the extended Troika, which will be held in Kabul by the end of February,” he
said.
Zamir
Kabulov said his country is focusing the attention of the extended troika on
the completion of the inter-Afghan peace process and the participation of the
international community in the inclusive post-war rehabilitation of
Afghanistan.
The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has not commented on the issue yet.
Source:
Khaama Press
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/troika-plus-extended-to-be-held-in-kabul-by-february-end-9875767/
--------
It is
too early for India, Russia to recognize Taliban: Russian Deputy FM
01
Feb 2022
Deputy
Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Varshinin said that it is too early for both
Russia and India to recognize the interim government of Afghanistan but added
that they will continue providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people.
The
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister expressed the remarks in New Delhi on Monday,
January 31, 2022, following consultations between the Russian and Indian
Foreign Ministries.
Varshinin
said that the positions of India and Russia are the same and identical and that
it is premature to discuss recognition of the interim government in
Afghanistan.
“We
expect the current Afghan leadership to fulfill the obligations they have
assumed, especially with regard to the inclusivity of the government and with
regard to other measures, including in the human rights area.” Said the Russian
Deputy FM.
The
Russian diplomat also criticized the 20-year presence of the US and its allies
in Afghanistan that caused the deplorable situation in Afghanistan especially
form a human rights perspective.
Source:
Khaama Press
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--------
Amir
of Qatar and US Defense Minister discuss cooperation on Afghanistan
01
Feb 2022
US
secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin
Al Thani on Monday, January 31, 2022, and discussed regional security issues
including cooperation on Afghanistan, said Pentagon Press in a statement.
“Secretary
of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Al Thani at the
Pentagon to affirm the strength of the US-Qatar defense partnership and its key
role in the US strategic bilateral relationship.” Reads the Pentagon statement.
The
statement further reads that Austin has reiterated heartfelt gratitude to the
Amir of Qatar for his indispensable and ongoing support of the US in
Afghanistan.
Both
have also discussed security concerns in the regions, de-escalating tensions in
the region, and the full scope of threats from Iran.
Qatar
has allocated a team of its diplomats in Kabul to carry out consular services
of the US embassy in the Afghan capital.
Qatar
was also the biggest transit country for the US during the chaotic evacuation
of the US from Kabul last year.
Source:
Khaama Press
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--------
Pakistan-Afghanistan
to create joint committee for resolving Durand Line conflicts
31
Jan 2022
Pakistani
NSA’s Moeed Yusuf’s two-day visit to Kabul came to an end and a joint committee
for resolving Durand Line conflicts has been agreed upon during his visit with
the IEA’s officials.
Pakistan’s
ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan in a Twitter post said that Moeed Yusuf
had fruitful meetings in Afghanistan.
Mansoor
Ahmad Khan said that the Yusuf’s meetings in Kabul were concentrated on
humanitarian engagement, transit, trade, and providing facilities to the
people’s relations of both countries.
Meanwhile,
the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said that they have
agreed on a mechanism for facilitating activities on Durand Line.
The
Ministry has also said that Pakistan has suggested training Afghan employees in
the areas of health, civil aviation, customs, and other areas.
Source:
Khaama Press
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Blinken,
Abbas discuss bilateral relations, latest developments in Palestine
Halime
Afra Aksoy
01.02.2022
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed
bilateral relations and the latest developments in Palestine in a phone call
Monday.
Abbas
reiterated to Blinken that the current situation is not sustainable, the
Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.
The
Israeli occupation should halt settlement activities and attacks by Jewish
settlers as well as the expulsion of Palestinians from Jerusalem neighborhoods,
he said.
Abbas
also stressed the need to stop unilateral Israeli practices that undermine the
two-state solution as well as to implement the agreements signed between the
two sides.
He
pointed out the importance of continuing to work to strengthen relations with
the US and to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of these relations.
Blinken
meanwhile affirmed the US commitment to the two-state solution.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Top
Mossad official quits over dispute with Israel’s spy chief
31.01.2022
JERUSALEM
A
senior official in Israel’s spy agency Mossad has resigned over a dispute with
the agency's director David Barnea, according to local media on Monday.
The
commander of the Caesarea unit, which is responsible for Mossad’s special
operations, submitted his resignation over a clash of opinions with Barnea,
Channel 13 reported.
Mossad
does not disclose the names of its officials and agents due to the secrecy of
their work, but the channel identified the commander as “B”.
According
to the broadcaster, the Mossad chief told the commander that he intended to
make massive changes in the way the unit operates due to the difficulty of
operating Israeli agents abroad.
As
the commander failed to implement the necessary changes, a heated discussion
erupted between the two men during which the Mossad chief criticized the
commander and his senior officials.
“You
have turned into a burden on the organization and we are obligated to make the
changes,” Barnea reportedly told the commander.
After
the meeting, the Israeli commander, his deputy and a number of agents resigned
in protest.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Iran
launches campaign to stop social media censorship of iconic anti-terror General
Soleimani
February
1, 2022
Iran's
Media Cultural Center has launched a campaign to counter Instagram and other
US-based social media giants in their effort to censor the country's top
anti-terror commander and icon, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was
assassinated in a US drone attack in Iraq two years ago.
The
‘Stop the Censorship’ campaign was launched by Tehran municipality’s Media
Cultural Center with the aim of supporting the name and image of General
Soleimani against censorship and other hostile actions by Instagram and other
US social media platforms.
Under
former US President Donald Trump’s order, the US military conducted an air
operation on January 3, 2020, targeting General Soleimani near Baghdad
International Airport after his arrival. The attack also killed the general’s
companions, including Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units
(PMU) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Both
commanders were highly popular because of the key role they played in
eliminating the US-sponsored Daesh terrorist group in the region, particularly
in Iraq and Syria.
The
Media Cultural Center said in a report that the censorship scenario in social
media platforms, especially those affiliated with the US-based Meta Inc.,
including Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, was started by the Zionist leaders,
exactly when millions of Iranians named General Soleimani a "national
hero," and a "legend against terrorism and Daesh," and then began
to share this with other users across the globe.
According
to the report, the results of a survey by Center for International and Security
Studies at Maryland (CISSM) showed that General Soleimani is popular with
millions of Iranians.
Source:
ABNA24
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Israel
punishes three senior officers over 78-year-old Palestinian detainee’s death
01
February ,2022
The
Israeli military said on Tuesday it would reprimand a senior officer and remove
two others from leadership roles over the death of a 78-year-old Palestinian
who was dragged from a car, bound, and blindfolded after being stopped at a
checkpoint.
It
said the soldiers believed Omar Asaad was asleep when they cut his zip-ties and
left him face-down in an abandoned building where he had been detained with
three other Palestinians. The other detainees said they did not know he was
there until after the army left.
It’s
unclear when exactly he died. He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead
after the other detainees found him unconscious.
“The
investigation concluded that the incident was a grave and unfortunate event,
resulting from a moral failure and poor decision-making on the part of the
soldiers,” the military said in a statement. A separate criminal investigation
by the military police is still underway.
Asaad
had American citizenship and extended family living in the United States. The
State Department had expressed concern over his death and called for an investigation.
Two members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation called on the Biden
administration to investigate.
The
Israeli military says it thoroughly investigates such incidents. But rights
groups say Israel rarely holds soldiers accountable for the deaths of
Palestinians. Even in the most shocking cases — and those captured on video —
soldiers often get relatively light sentences. Palestinians insist they suffer
systematic mistreatment living under military occupation.
A
Palestinian autopsy said Asaad died of a heart attack “caused by psychological
tension due to the external violence he was exposed to.” It said he suffered
from underlying health conditions, but also found bruises on his head, redness
on his wrists from being bound, and bleeding in his eyelids from being tightly
blindfolded.
Asaad
was stopped at around 3 a.m. at a temporary checkpoint in his home village of
Jiljiliya, in the occupied West Bank. The military said he did not have any
form of ID and “refused to cooperate with the security check." Its
investigation found there was no use of violence “apart from when (Asaad) was
apprehended after refusing to cooperate.”
It
said the soldiers “did not identify signs of distress" when they released
the detainees a half-hour later. They “assumed that (Asaad) was asleep and did
not try to wake him.”
The
military said the commander of the battalion will be reprimanded and that the
platoon commander and company commander will both be removed from their
positions and barred from commanding roles for two years.
Assad
was born in Jiljilya but spent about 40 years in the United States. He became a
US citizen before he returned to his home village in 2009 to retire with his
wife, Nazmia, his family told The Associated Press.
Israel
captured the West Bank in the 1967 Middle East war. The Palestinian Authority
administers parts of the territory, but its 2.5 million residents live under
Israeli military rule. Israeli soldiers often carry out nighttime raids, which
they say are necessary for arresting Palestinian militants, and set up
temporary checkpoints where Palestinians are stopped and searched.
Asaad’s
nephew, Assad Assad, said his uncle and aunt left Jiljilya for Chicago in 1969
in hopes of finding better work. They moved to Milwaukee in 1974 and prospered,
opening convenience stores and a restaurant, he revealed.
They
were among dozens of Jiljilya residents who have returned to the village over
the years to build retirement homes, Assad Assad said.
“They
built mini-castles to retire in,” he said. “Very quiet, all you see is olive
trees. At night, because we’re high in the mountains, you smell the orchards of
oranges.”
Omar’s
nephew and his son, Hane Assad, both described him as a philanthropist who was
the life of the party. Hane Assad told the AP his father would often hand out
money to the poor.
“He
just loved everybody, no matter what race you were, what culture you came
from,” he said. “He just saw you as a human being.”
His
favorite dish was maqluba, a mix of rice and meat — and he loved playing cards,
Assad Assad said. He was coming home from playing cards with a cousin when the
soldiers stopped him, he said.
Hane
Assad said his mother and father were set to visit him at his home in
Chesapeake, Virginia, before his father died. Assad said his father was too old
and weak to fight anyone, let alone a group of soldiers.
“He
was very weak,” Hane Assad said. “He walked with a cane. It takes him five
minutes to get to the car, the way he walks. He doesn’t have the power of 30
soldiers... The military said ‘we left and he was fine.’ It doesn’t make
sense.”
Assad
said he’s always afraid when he returns to Jiljilya because the Israelis who
operate the checkpoints are rude and disrespectful. He said he was once
detained for four hours on the way to his grandmother’s funeral.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Russia
rejects demand by Israel that it stop jamming GPS signals in Israeli airspace
Iyad
Nabulsi
01.02.2022
Russia
has rejected a demand by Israel that it stop using defense systems in Syria
that jam GPS systems in Israeli airspace and affect landings by commercial
aircraft at Ben Gurion Airport in the capital Tel Aviv, Israeli media reported
Monday.
Israel
sent a letter to Russia stating that the defense systems operated by Russia at
Khmeimim Air Base in the Syrian port city of Latakia cause electromagnetic
interference in the GPS systems of the planes landing in Tel Aviv, the official
Israeli KAN channel reported.
Rejecting
Israel's demand, Moscow emphasized that the systems were placed to protect its
soldiers in the region.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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--------
Africa
Algerian
FM says Palestinian reconciliation process has begun
31
January ,2022
A
process to reconcile the Palestinian factions has begun, said Algerian Foreign
Minister Ramtane Lamamra, whose country said last month that it would host the
inter-Palestinian talks.
“The
journey to Palestinian reconciliation has started and Algeria has a long
experience in bringing the Palestinians together,” he told a news conference in
Kuwait on Monday.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Morocco
prosecutors seek double jail time for journalist on appeal
31
January ,2022
Moroccan
prosecutors have requested the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for
journalist Soulaimane Raissouni as he appeals against a five-year jail term for
indecent assault.
The
49-year-old former editor of the now-defunct Akhbar Al Yaoum is one of several
journalists critical of Morocco’s government to have been jailed for sex
crimes.
Raissouni
was arrested in May 2020 after a young LGBTQ activist pressed charges against
him.
He
has always maintained his innocence and says he was prosecuted “because of his
opinions.”
After
he was detained, he held a 122-day hunger strike, missing much of his initial
trial.
The
prosecution told the court in Rabat on Monday that “the evidence irrefutably
proves Mr Raissouni’s guilt” and asked for the maximum sentence against him.
Raissouni,
who was in the courtroom, did not react.
The
evidence includes an audio recording that has not been made public.
The
plaintiff has asked for the original five-year jail term to stand and for
damages of up to 500,000 dinars (47,000 euros).
Raissouni’s
defense reaffirmed his innocence and called for his conviction to be quashed.
Media
watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said his original trial was “tainted
by irregularities.”
Moroccan
authorities insist his trial was fair and that the charges have nothing to do
with his journalism.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Wrangle
over interim Libyan government intensifies
31
January ,2022
The
speaker of Libya's eastern-based parliament said on Monday the chamber would
choose a new interim prime minister next week, but the current incumbent
rejected the move.
The
speaker, Aguila Saleh, told parliament it would vote on Feb. 8 on a new prime
minister to replace Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the Government of National
Unity (GNU) that was installed last year through a UN-backed process.
Dbeibah
told Reuters that Saleh was conducting “a desperate attempt to renew division”
and said the GNU would continue to function until new elections are held.
Political
manoeuvring has intensified among factions and leaders from across Libya's
fragmented political spectrum since last month's failed presidential election,
with the fate of a fragile peace process hanging in the balance.
Many
Libyans fear a dispute over the interim government could derail any new attempt
to hold national elections or trigger major fighting among rival factions after
18 months of comparative calm.
Libya
was ruled by rival administrations running parallel states in east and west
from 2014 until Dbeibah's government was installed last year through a
UN-backed process.
Western
countries have said they will continue to recognise the GNU and have urged a
new push for elections. The UN special adviser to Libya has said elections
should be the priority rather than a new transitional government.
Saleh
said in parliament on Monday that he opposed what he termed foreign
interference in Libya.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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At
least 10 people killed in Kenya bus blast
Andrew
Wasike
31.01.2022
NAIROBI,
Kenya
At
least 10 people were killed when a passenger bus hit an improvised explosive
device (IED) on a highway in northeastern Kenya, police said on Monday.
Eight
passengers were injured in the explosion, which occurred when a bus ran over an
IED on the Arabia-Mandera highway, according to George Seda, a regional police
commander.
Police
believe the bomb was planted by the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terror group.
The
group, which is linked to the al-Qaeda terror network, has carried out several
attacks in Mandera, a Kenyan border town that is just 370 kilometers (230
miles) from Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.
Seda
said security forces have been deployed in the area to track down the
attackers, but no arrests have been made yet.
Monday’s
blast came after several Western countries issued a terror warning for Kenya
over the weekend.
Kenyan
authorities had responded to the advisory by scaling up security operations in
vulnerable areas.
Past
attacks
Al-Shabaab
terrorists have carried out several such IED attacks in Kenya, targeting
security patrols on key routes along the porous Kenya-Somalia border, according
to Kenyan authorities.
The
latest incident was on Jan. 7, when four police officers were killed in an
al-Shabaab attack in the town of Lamu, along the East African coast.
That
came just over a month after two police officers were killed and 12 others
injured in an al-Shabaab ambush in Mandera.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/at-least-10-people-killed-in-kenya-bus-blast/2489974
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African
Union suspends Burkina Faso after military coup
January
31, 2022
OUAGADOUGOU:
The African Union has suspended Burkina Faso from all its activities in
response to last week’s military coup, effective until constitutional order is
restored, the AU said on Monday.
Burkina
Faso had already been suspended from the West African regional bloc, the
Economic Community of West African States, though ECOWAS stopped short of
imposing sanctions after the Jan. 24 coup that ousted President Roch Kabore.
An
ECOWAS delegation along with a United Nations envoy were due to visit Burkina
Faso on Monday to meet with the coup leaders before deciding on next steps.
“Council
decides in line with the relevant AU instruments... to suspend the
participation of Burkina Faso in all AU activities until the effective
restoration of constitutional order in the country,” the AU Political Affairs,
Peace and Security Department said in a Twitter post.
The
AU suspended two other West African members, Mali and Guinea, after their own
military takeovers last year. The coup in Burkina Faso was the fourth in the
region in 18 months.
ECOWAS
and its international allies have condemned the coup, which they fear could
further destabilize a country beset by Islamist violence, but find themselves
with limited leverage.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2015426/world
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