Jihadists in Niger Kill More than 100 Civilians in Mounting Violence in Two Villages
New
Age Islam News Bureau
06
January 2021
Photo for representation. iStock
-----
•
NIA Finds No ‘Love Jihad’ in the Union of Chennai-Dhaka, Muslim Boy – Hindu
Girl Couple Who Studied In London
•
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Says Covid Vaccine Permissible Even If It Has Pork
•
Pak SC Order: Start Reconstruction Of Demolished Temple Within Two Weeks
•
Afghan Officials Sceptical Of Tehran's Offer to Send Iran-Led Militia to Fight
Islamic State
•
Indonesia Islamic Council Hopes For Halal Ruling before Mass Vaccination
•
Saudi Arabia Says Full Ties Restored Between Qatar and Embargo Nations
•
US Welcomes LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s Arrest on Charges of Terror
Financing
•
Serbian Army Unites Muslims, Orthodox Soldiers
•
Iran Vows To Deliver ‘Decisive Response’ To Any Israeli Move Against It
Africa
•
Jihadists in Niger Kill More than 100 100 Civilians in Mounting Violence in Two
Villages
•
Niger: 3-Day National Mourning For Terror Victims
•
US Secretary of State Pompeo signs on Sudan’s removal from Sponsors of
Terrorism list
•
Three Algerian activists on hunger strike hospitalized in prison protest
•
Tunisia pushes for UN monitors to support Libya’s ceasefire
•
Tunisian PM sacks interior minister, baring tensions with President Kais Saied
•
Turkey provides commando training to Somali soldiers
•
Top Turkish diplomat, Libyan counterpart discuss ties
--------
India
•
NIA Finds No ‘Love Jihad’ in the Union of Chennai-Dhaka, Muslim Boy – Hindu
Girl Couple Who Studied In London
•
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Says Covid Vaccine Permissible Even If It Has Pork
•
Didn't Sign Letter Supporting Love Jihad Law, Say Former Kerala HC Judges
•
SC Refuses to Stay UP, Uttarakhand 'Love Jihad' Laws But Issues Notices to
States, Says It is Not a Bad Case
•
AR Rahman on Why He Embraced Islam But Wouldn’t Want To Impose It on Anyone
Else
•
Covid-19: Arrangements being made to vaccinate Haj pilgrims, says Union
Minister Naqvi
--------
Pakistan
•
Pak SC Order: Start Reconstruction Of Demolished Temple Within Two Weeks
•
Let Us Live: Hazaras Demand PM, COAS Ensure Their Safety
•
Minister hints at foreign hand behind Karak incident
•
Hazara Shia Muslims mourn miners, vow to continue sit-in in Pakistan
•
Poachers' Paradise: Gulf Hunts Fuel Pakistan Falcon Trafficking
•
Govt invites opposition for Kashmir action plan talks
•
Pakistan wants unity of Islamic world to address confronting issues: Ashrafi
--------
South
Asia
•
Afghan Officials Sceptical Of Tehran's Offer to Send Iran-Led Militia to Fight Islamic
State
•
Rohingya Photojournalist Released on Bail from Bangladesh Prison, Still Faces
Charges
•
UNAMA Welcomes Second Round of Peace Negotiations
•
6 ANA Soldiers Killed in Insider Attack: Ghazni
•
US Blames Taliban for Plotting Afghan Assassinations
--------
Southeast
Asia
•
Indonesia Islamic Council Hopes For Halal Ruling before Mass Vaccination
•
Australia Says Indonesia Must Ensure Cleric Linked To Bali Bombings Is Not A
Threat
•
Selangor Surau, Mosques Get Nod To Hold Friday, Obligatory Prayers For
Stipulated Congregation
•
Voters in Malaysia, especially Malays, want Umno to stick with Perikatan
Nasional: Survey
------
Arab
World
•
Saudi Arabia Says Full Ties Restored Between Qatar and Embargo Nations
•
Oil hits 11-month high after Saudi Arabia pledges voluntary output cut
•
Saudi Arabia deepens cuts as OPEC+ agrees oil output rollover
•
Qatari stocks experience sharp rise as Gulf tensions ease, Dubai extends
•
Full transcript of AlUla GCC Summit Declaration: Bolstering Gulf unity
•
Only hundreds of US troops will remain in Iraq: PM Kadhimi
•
Iraq sues US for disastrous uranium bombings
•
Riyadh tries to demonize Iran as it restores diplomatic ties with Qatar
--------
North
America
•
US Welcomes LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s Arrest on Charges of Terror
Financing
•
Biden vowed to repeal Trump’s Muslim ban. That should be just the start.
•
Move in US to strip Pakistan of major ally status has little support
•
US collects $7 million in Iranian assets for victims of terrorism fund: Justice
Dept.
•
US hits Iran with fresh sanctions targeting steel sector
•
US continues to provoke Iran into war: Analyst
--------
Europe
•
Serbian Army Unites Muslims, Orthodox Soldiers
•
EU concerned about Iran’s breaching nuclear deal
•
Russia calls Iran’s increased enrichment of Uranium ‘a step away from nuclear
deal’
•
Austria: Victims of 'terror' operation suffer trauma
•
EU welcomes Saudi Arabia, Qatar borders reopening
•
Turkey rescues nearly 80 irregular migrants in Aegean
•
French Imam Will Be Prosecuted for 2017 Antisemitic Sermon at Mosque in
Toulouse
--------
Mideast
•
Iran Vows To Deliver ‘Decisive Response’ To Any Israeli Move Against It
•
Netanyahu’s hopes for re-election hinge on COVID-19 vaccination campaign
•
Israeli forces shoot, kill Palestinian over alleged stabbing attack
•
Security Source: Iran Done with Tolerating Israel, Punishment Awaiting
Netanyahu Now
•
AEOI Head: Iran to Boost No. of Centrifuges by 1,000 Soon
•
Iran denies seized South Korean ship and crew being used as hostages
•
Israeli security official kills Palestinian attacker in West Bank
•
Turkish university teachers protest against Erdogan-appointed rector
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
--------
Jihadists
In Niger Kill More than 100 100 Civilians In Mounting Violence in Two Villages
January
5, 2021
Photo for representation. iStock
-----
More
than 100 civilians were killed in Niger over the weekend by extremists who
attacked two villages, as insurgent violence mounts in the West African nation.
The
attacks on the western villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye took place on
the same day that Niger announced that presidential elections would go to a
second round on February 21.
Nigers
Prime Minister Brigi Rafini visited the two villages Sunday.
We
came to provide moral support and present the condolences of the president of
the republic, the government and the entire Niger nation, he said.
The
villages in the insecure Tillaberi region were attacked Saturday after
residents killed two rebel fighters, local officials said.
The
attacks are among the deadliest in Niger and come on the heels of several
others, including one by the Islamic State West Africa Province in the Diffa
region a few weeks ago in which dozens of people were killed.
Niger
and neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali are battling the spread of deadly
extremist violence which is displacing large numbers of people, despite the
presence of thousands of regional and international troops.
A
year ago, extremists staged mass attacks on Niger's military in the Tillaberi
region, killing more than 70 in December 2019 and more than 89 in January 2020.
The
area is also where four U.S. Special Forces soldiers were killed along with
five Nigerien colleagues in October 2017.
While
no group has claimed responsibility for Saturdays killings, the Islamic State
in the Greater Sahara has been mounting attacks there for some time.
Niger
is pressed on all sides by extremist groups and must deal with spillover
instability from both Mali and Nigeria.
The
cross-border conflict has become more deadly as it mixes with local Niger
dynamics, according to Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center
for Strategic and International Studies.
Extremist
groups Islamic State in the Greater Sahara and the al-Qaida-linked JNIM have
been successful at strategically wiping out local traditional leaders and then
inciting attacks between rival ethnic groups or communities, he said.
They
create uncertainty, unrest and disequilibrium that allows them to exploit
grievances, intercommunal tensions, which they then use to make alliances, he
said.
The
Niger government has been good in what Devermont called course correction, and
it has done a better job with community involvement than neighboring
governments of Mali and Burkina Faso.
However,
their capacity is limited as extremists from various groups exploit ethnic
tensions across the vast country.
Its
a wide swath in which different groups are operating in Niger, which means that
the government has got a huge challenge on their hands, Devermont said, noting
that the incoming government will have a lot to deal with when it eventually
takes office.
Niger
was largely spared mass atrocities by armed groups and state forces in
comparison to Mali and Burkina Faso until 2020, according to research
consultancy MENASTREAM which focuses on security and conflict in the Sahel and
North Africa.
Niger's
upcoming second-round election in February will pave the way for the countrys
first democratic handover of power from one elected president to another.
Niger
has experienced four coups since it became independent from France in 1960.
President
Mahamadou Issoufou, who has served two terms, is stepping down.
Former
Foreign Minister Mohamed Bazoum of the ruling party will face off with former
President Mahamane Ousmane on February 21.
Bazoum
on Sunday posted a video to social media expressing his condolences to the
victims.
The
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attacks and reaffirmed
the solidarity and support of the United Nations to the government and people
of Niger in their fight against terrorism, violent extremism and organised
crime, according to a statement from spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The
U.N. Refugee Agency also condemned the twin attacks, saying they forced at
least 1,000 to flee, many by foot, in a region already hosting 60,000 Malian
refugees, 4,000 people who have fled Burkina Faso and more than 138,000
internally displaced Nigeriens.
We
express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of these
outrageous attacks on peaceful communities, said the UNHCRs representative in
Niger, Alessandra Morelli.
Communities
which are now torn apart by brutality and forced to flee in a region where tens
of thousands of people displaced by violence are hosted and hoping to rebuild
their lives.
Niger,
Burkina Faso, and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicenter of one of the worlds
fastest-growing displacement and protection crises, the refugee agency said.
Nigerias
President Muhammadu Buhari also condemned the killings, saying instability in
one part of Africa had implications for the security of others, in a statement
from his office in Abuja.
I
am profoundly shocked by the large scale death of innocent people at the hands
of these callous militants who have no regard for the sanctity of human life,
he said.
We
are facing grave security challenges on account of the evil campaign of
indiscriminate violence by terrorists in the Sahel and only united action can
help us defeat these vicious enemies of humanity.
https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/jihadists-in-niger-kill-at-least-100-civilians-in-mounting-violence-121010500534_1.html
--------
NIA
Finds No ‘Love Jihad’ in the Union of Chennai-Dhaka, Muslim Boy – Hindu Girl
Couple Who Studied In London
Neeraj
Chauhan
Jan
06, 2021
The
National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently questioned on WhatsApp an Indian
woman from a Chennai business family who converted to Islam to marry the son of
a Bangladeshi politician after meeting him in London, where they studied
together, to find out if their marital union was a case of what some Hindu
groups describe as “love jihad”.
The
agency did not find any evidence that the interfaith marriage was “love jihad”,
a term groups use to describe some relationships between Muslim men and Hindu
women, but one that the courts and the Union government do not officially
recognise. The woman said she was happy with her husband and had willingly
converted to Islam, people familiar with the development said on condition of
anonymity.
Her
father, a Chennai-based businessman, complained in May last year that she was
abducted in London by the son of a leader of the Bangladesh National Party
(BNP) and a former member of Parliament. He alleged that she had been forcibly
taken to Bangladesh after she was radicalised and converted to Islam. The woman
studied in London with the Bangladesh politician’s son.
Tamil
Nadu Police asked the NIA to investigate the matter because it had
international ramifications.
After
recording her parents’ statement, the central anti-terror agency contacted her
on WhatsApp. “During the questioning (over WhatsApp), she told us that she
married him willingly after converting to Islam and has not been forced at all
in the marriage. She said she is happy,” said an NIA officer who didn’t want to
be named.
Officials
cited above said their probe in the case was “more or less over” and a closure
report will be filed in court after other verifications are completed.
This
is not the first time that an NIA probe of a “love jihad” angle has not yielded
any evidence of a conspiracy.
An
NIA spokesperson said the case is under investigation.
“A
complaint of kidnapping was filed last year and we had registered a case,” said
Chennai commissioner of police, Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, unable to recall the
sections under which the case was registered. “Since we transferred the case to
the NIA, we aren’t aware of further details or the present status of the
investigation.”
Another
senior official of Tamil Nadu police who did not wish to be named said, “When
we get a complaint of such a nature which has international and religious
ramifications, we don’t investigate.”
“Our
stand is to transfer it to the appropriate agency and in a case like this it is
the NIA.” The official, however, could not recall the complaint made last year.
NIA’s
probe of interfaith marriages in Kerala, including that of Hadiya’s marriage to
Shafin Jehan that became a cause célèbre, revealed that there had been no
coercion to marry the brides and convert them to Islam. It examined several
cases in Kerala where it was alleged that the woman had been forced to convert
to Islam. The Supreme Court too, in 2018, overruled a Kerala high court order
that annulled the marriage of Hadiya to Jehan, saying the right to marry a
person of one’s choice was integral to Article 21 (right to life and liberty)
of the Constitution.
The
Central government has said in Parliament that there was no term such as “love
jihad” in the law. Union minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy said in the
Lok Sabha in February 2020: “Article 25 of the Constitution provides for the
freedom to profess, practice and propagate religion subject to public order,
morality and health. Various courts have upheld this view including the Kerala
high court. The term ‘love jihad’ is not defined under the extant laws”.
However,
two stringent recent laws in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh appear to want to
crack down on interfaith relationships that allegedly use marriage as a lure to
force Hindu women to convert to Islam. The stringent laws do not use the words
“love jihad”, and the UP law has already been challenged in the Supreme Court.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nia-probes-union-of-chennai-dhaka-couple-who-studied-in-london-finds-no-love-jihad/story-hkQmEUbQyxBACkC0DXADSL.html
--------
Jamaat-e-Islami
Hind Says Covid Vaccine Permissible Even If It Has Pork
Fatima
Khan
5
January, 2021
Representational image | Bloomberg File Photo
-----
New
Delhi: The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) has become the first Muslim body in India
to categorically state that Muslims are permitted to use the Coronavirus
vaccines, even if they contain pork extracts, as it sought to dispel all
rumours suggesting otherwise.
In
an advisory issued Saturday, the JIH said, “Islam gives great importance to
human life and also emphasizes on its protection.”
It
added: “If an impermissible object is transformed into another thing, totally
different in properties and characters, may be considered as clean and
permissible. On this basis, the use of Gelatine derived from the body part of a
haram animal has been considered to be permissible by Islamic jurists. Same is
the opinion of some jurists about pork Gelatine.”
JIH
vice-president Salim Engineer said there is no objection in using a vaccine
which uses pork, if it is the only option. “If there are other options, then
that’s great. But if this is the only option available, then there should be no
guilty conscience in using the vaccine. This is a matter of life and death,”
Engineer told ThePrint.
Even
as spokespersons of Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca — the three top vaccine
makers — have clarified that pork products are not part of the vaccines,
pork-derived gelatin is known to be used as stabilisers for safe storage and
transportation of the shots.
Last
week, Mumbai’s Raza Academy wrote to the World Health Organization (WHO)
seeking details about all the vaccines being developed and whether they contain
pork extract.
“We
just wanted to know which vaccines contain what elements. If there are vaccines
that don’t contain pork then we will use those. This isn’t an advisory, but
merely a request for transparency,” Saeed Noori, general secretary of Raza
Academy, told ThePrint.
He
added that “other groups in India such as the Hindu Mahasabha have also made
similar requests”.
Swami
Chakrapani, president of the Hindu Mahasabha, had written to President Ram Nath
Kovind demanding that the government and pharmaceutical companies clarify
whether Covid-19 vaccines contain cow’s blood.
‘Vaccine
can be used by Muslims, ignore rumours’
IAS
officer Sanjay Dixit had in December called for “Muslims (to) boycott Covid
Vaccine”.
“In
the name of the pious Shari’a, I appeal to all my Muslim believers to not take the
Covid vaccine as it is not Halal certified. Moreover, no Maulana was associated
with its development,” Dixit had said in a tweet.
His
tweet triggered an online debate with many including actor Sushant Singh
pointing out that the Pfizer vaccine has been developed by a Muslim couple.
ThePrint
spoke to leading Muslim scholars of various Islamic bodies on whether there is
any basis to the claim that Muslims cannot use the vaccine if it contains pork.
Kalbe
Jawad, prominent Shia cleric and member of the All India Muslim Personal Law
Board (AIMPLB), said the vaccine would be permissible and anyone who suggests
otherwise “only hates Muslims”.
“If
the most reputed clerics across the world have said the vaccine can be used by
Muslims, then our opinion should be based on that and not on any ignorant,
uninformed rumours,” Jawad told ThePrint, adding that “we should ignore such
baseless rumours”.
“I
would say anyone who tries to spread such rumours just hates Muslims, and is an
enemy of the community, nothing else,” he added.
Mahmood
Madani, general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind (JUH), said the contents
of the vaccine are not in public domain.
“No
one knows what the vaccine contains. But if there is only one vaccine and it
contains pork extracts, then there is no option but to use it,” Madani told
ThePrint.
‘Part
of hateful propaganda’
Experts
also cautioned against saying anything that would “cause needless disrepute to
the Muslim community”.
“Islam
prioritises human life, and there is no debate on this. Islam has porhibited
pork and alcohol, but only for eating and drinking, not for using as medicines
or for saving lives,” said Akhtarul Wasey, professor of Islamic studies at
Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia.
Wasey
added that it is “hateful propaganda” to suggest that Muslims can’t use the
vaccine.
“Some
people have grown used to seeing Muslims insulted and despondent. This is part
of the same propaganda that was seen at the time of the polio vaccine drives.
Muslim scholars had to later step in to clarify that there is nothing against
vaccines, and the scholars should play the same role now,” Wasey added.
https://theprint.in/india/ignore-baseless-rumours-muslim-scholars-say-covid-vaccine-permissible-even-if-it-has-pork/579812/
--------
Pak
SC order: Start reconstruction of demolished temple within two weeks
Jan
5, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered authorities on Tuesday to start
reconstruction of a century-old samadhi (shrine) of a Hindu saint that was
demolished by a mob led by an extremist Islamic cleric on December 30 in Karak
district of the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
Chief
Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed had taken suo motu cognisance of the attack on
the shrine and directed the KP’s chief secretary, police chief and the head of
a commission on minorities' rights to visit the site and submit a comprehensive
report by January 4.
During
the hearing, a three-member bench headed by the chief justice was irked by the
police’s failure to protect the Hindu temple and asked the KP police chief, Dr
Sanaullah Abbasi, how the incident could have occurred with a police post next
to the shrine. “What was your intelligence agency doing when the mob was
gathering,” the CJP asked.
Abbasi
replied that 92 police officials who were on duty, including the area’s
superintendent and deputy superintendent, have been suspended and at least 109
suspects have been arrested.
He
informed the apex court that a local cleric, Maulana Sharif, had incited the
mob to attack the Hindu temple.
The
top judge remarked that suspending police officials was not enough. “This
incident has shown Pakistan in a negative light worldwide,” he observed.
The
CJP also directed the Evacuee Property Trust Board (EPTB) to clear
encroachments from temples across the country and take action against officials
involved in the encroachments.
He
told EPTB chairman Shoaib Suddle “not sit on the chairman’s seat with
government mentality”. “Your employees are doing business on land meant for
shrines. Arrest them and start the reconstruction of the temple,” Justice Ahmed
ordered.
“Money
should be taken from Maulvi Sharif for reconstruction of the shrine,” the CJP
remarked.
The
EPTB chairman told the court that the shrine was run by the Hindu community
itself and it was non-functional, which was why EPTB officials were not present
there.
However,
Pakistan Hindu Council chief Ramesh Kumar contradicted the EPTB chairman’s
claims and informed the court that fairs were held at the shrine and around
300-400 Hindus visited it every month.
“The
shrine was also destroyed in 1997. After the EPTB’s refusal, the council gave
money for its reconstruction,” Kumar informed the court.
The
bench directed that details of functional and non-functional shrines, records
of disputes on EPTB lands and a report on the performance of the EPTB chairman
be submitted to the court within two weeks. It also directed the KP branch of
the EPTB to hold discussions with the provincial minorities commission.
The
apex court said a detailed judgment would be released later and adjourned the
hearing for two weeks.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-sc-orders-authorities-to-start-reconstruction-of-demolished-temple/articleshow/80121761.cms
--------
Afghan
Officials Sceptical Of Tehran's Offer to Send Iran-Led Militia to Fight Islamic
State
Ali
M. Latifi
Jan
5, 2021
KABUL,
Afghanistan — The Fatemiyoun Brigade, a militia of Afghan refugees created by
Iran to fight in Syria, held a public symposium in the Iranian city of Mashhad
in August 2020. According to online promotional material, the conference was
held to highlight the group’s “ultimate aim” to “expel US forces from the
region.”
To
policymakers and analysts in neighboring Afghanistan, the statement hit far too
close to home. The country, which shares a 936-kilometer (582-mile) border with
Iran, has been the theater of Washington’s longest-ever foreign incursion.
Then,
on Dec. 21, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appeared on Afghan
television and put forth a disquieting offer to the Afghan government. “The
Afghan government, if willing, can regroup [the Fatemiyoun]. … For the fight
against Daesh and for the fight against terrorism and for the protection of
Afghanistan security,” Zarif told TOLOnews, using the Arabic acronym for the
Islamic State (IS).
The
offer came after Zarif said the Afghans were in Syria “voluntarily” and that
the force numbered no more than 5,000 fighters. Both claims have been heavily
reputed by Afghan politicians, families of former fighters and rights groups.
Watching
the interview, Abdul Sattar Hussaini, a member of parliament from the western
province of Farah, which shares a porous border with Iran, felt both angered
and vilified.
“Why
are you trying to return our own people back to us. Who are you to return
Afghans to Afghanistan?” Hussaini said in response to Zarif’s offer, which he
noted further proves Tehran’s yearslong interference in Afghan matters.
In
response to Zarif’s comments, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement,
“The Constitution, national interests, and foreign policy of Afghanistan do not
permit that Afghan citizens, expect from being under the national flag, enter
regional wars and conflicts in different countries.”
Hussaini
and others speaking to Al-Monitor said Kabul’s response was lacking when it
came to denouncing the Iranian claims. He pointed to an official visit by
Afghanistan's national security adviser Hamdullah Mohib to Iran in the days
following Zarif’s statements as proof that the Afghan government did not go far
enough.
Beyond
his resentment at the audacity of the statement, Hussaini sees the proposal as
clear evidence of what he has been saying for years, based on both his 13 years
working in border security in the western zone and his time in the parliament —
that Iran is actively supporting armed groups, including the Taliban, in
Afghanistan.
Hussaini
said that Iranian spies have been arrested along the western zone of
Afghanistan. “One of them was caught after photographing each of our airports,”
he said.
But
he noted that Tehran’s efforts in Afghanistan go beyond simple espionage. He
said that at least 30%-40% of the Taliban’s armaments come from the neighboring
Islamic Republic. Hussaini’s statement falls in line with years of reports from
residents and officials in the provinces of Herat, Farah, Ghazni, Helmand and
Kandahar that Tehran is aiding and abetting the Taliban.
Hussaini
said he has clear evidence that “the orders for the Taliban to fight in Farah
came straight from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
He
added that Iranian fighters have stood side by side with Taliban forces across
Afghanistan’s western and southern zones, noting, “They dress like us, talk
like us and try very hard to blend in.”
Hussaini
said these Iranians operate in a very systematized manner and possess pictures,
maps and GPS details of Afghanistan.
Abdul
Qayyum Rahimi, who served as governor of Herat, home to Afghanistan’s largest
border with Iran, in 2019-20, agrees with Hussaini’s assertions. He told
Al-Monitor that though Zarif claimed Iranians “just like officials of other
countries met the Taliban delegation either in Doha or in their respective
capitals,” as part of the US-initiated peace talks, Tehran’s connections to the
Taliban started well before 2018.
He
added, “Their interactions did not start yesterday; it was long before the
peace talks.”
Hussaini
said that Tehran’s interference in Afghan affairs date back to the Soviet
occupation of the 1980s. “This was long before the United States entered
Afghanistan and will continue long after,” he added.
Despite
Zarif’s disavowal of such statements, both Hussaini and Rahimi said there is
clear evidence that Taliban officials are residing in various parts of Iran and
that their fighters have been treated in Iranian health facilities.
Rahimi,
Hussaini and other sources Al-Monitor spoke to all said the Afghan people don’t
look highly upon foreign-trained militias, including the Fatemiyoun.
Rahimi
said if the Fatemiyoun were ever to shift from fighting so-called IS forces in
Syria to Afghanistan, it could only create more tensions in the country. “It’s
a huge risk. It could lead to sectarian, tribal and ethnic disputes in our own
country,” he noted.
But
the complications surrounding the Fatemiyoun in Afghanistan have already led to
difficulties within the country. Last February, a new article in the Afghan
penal code set out to prosecute “a person who participates in wars or internal
armed conflicts of other countries” with a prison sentence of up to seven
years. One 23-year-old from Sar-e Pol province has already been detained for at
least a year under the law.
This
of course raises questions of how Kabul can prosecute its own citizens for
committing crimes sources say were prompted by poverty and well-documented
ill-treatment in a neighboring country.
Ultimately,
Zarif’s comments, along with the reports of Iran’s role in assembling the
Fatemiyoun and their alleged assistance to the Taliban point to a clear fact,
according to Hussaini. "Afghanistan has no worse enemy on this Earth than
Iran,” he concluded.
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2021/01/iran-afghanistan-zarif-fighters-syria-fatemiyoun-mashhad.html
--------
Indonesia
Islamic council hopes for halal ruling before mass vaccination
JANUARY
6, 2021
JAKARTA
(Reuters) - Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical council hopes to issue a ruling
on whether a COVID-19 vaccine is halal, or permissible under Islam, before the
country is due to start a mass inoculation programme using a Chinese vaccine
next week.The world’s largest Muslim-majority country plans to launch
vaccinations on Jan. 13 after obtaining 3 million doses from China’s Sinovac
Biotech.
Controversy
over whether vaccines adhere to Islamic principles has stymied public health
responses before, including in 2018, when the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI)
issued a fatwa declaring that a measles vaccine was forbidden under Islam.
“Hopefully
the edict can be declared before the government starts its vaccination
program,” said Muti Arintawati, an official at MUI in charge of analysing food
and drugs to assess whether they are halal.
She
said data was still being gathered before MUI could make a final edict.
Indonesia
is struggling with the worst COVID-19 outbreak in Southeast Asia and
authorities are relying on a vaccine to help alleviate dual health and economic
crises ravaging the country.
Asked
about the risk of public resistance, a health ministry official said the
government would wait to see how MUI handled the issue.
In
a bid to boost acceptance, President Joko Widodo has said he will be the first
to receive a vaccine shot next week.
Dicky
Budiman, a researcher at Australia’s Griffith University, said authorities
needed to be transparent on the halal certification to reassure the public.
The
New York Times reported that Sinovac told Indonesia’s state-owned drugmaker Bio
Farma that the vaccines were “manufactured free of porcine materials.”
Bambang
Heriyanto, Bio Farma’s corporate secretary, confirmed receiving the statement,
but said the halal status was decided by MUI. Sinovac did not immediately
respond to a request for comment.
Ahmad
Ishomuddin, an official at Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s biggest mainstream
Muslim organisation, said emergency vaccines that were not halal could be used
if there were no other options.
Indonesia’s
food and drug agency (BPOM) needs to issue emergency use approval for
vaccinations to start.
In
neighbouring Malaysia, religious authorities have declared COVID-19 vaccines
were permissible for Muslims, and mandatory for those the government has
identified to receive them.
Malaysia
does not require vaccines to be certified halal, though authorities are
planning to introduce a certification framework this year to allay concerns
among some Muslims.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-indonesia-vaccine/indonesia-islamic-council-hopes-for-halal-ruling-before-mass-vaccination-idUSKBN29B121
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Saudi
Arabia says full ties restored between Qatar and embargo nations
Naveed
Siddiqui
06
Jan 2021
Full
ties have been restored between Qatar and the four nations that severed
relations with Doha in a rift that began over three years ago, Saudi Arabia's
foreign minister said on Tuesday.
Saudi
Arabia led a coalition of countries in the Gulf and beyond that cut ties and
transport links with Qatar in June 2017, charging that it was too close to Iran
and backed radical Islamist groups — allegations Doha has always denied.
“What
happened today is ... the turning of the page on all points of difference and a
full return of diplomatic relations,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan told a press
conference at the conclusion of a landmark regional summit in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi
state media said that de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met
separately with Qatar's ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, after the pair
publicly embraced at the airport.
“During
the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations between the two brotherly
countries and ways of consolidating the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) joint
action,” the official Saudi Press Agency said.
Leaders
of the six-member GCC signed two documents on Tuesday, the Al-Ula Declaration,
named after the Saudi city where this year's regional summit was held, and a
final communique.
Three
GCC members — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — took part in
the three-and-a-half year blockade, alongside Egypt.
Qatar
is also a GCC member state, along with Kuwait and Oman, which remained neutral
in the spat.
The
documents are general in terms, but Prince Mohammed said earlier that the Gulf
states had inked an agreement that affirms “our Gulf, Arab and Islamic
solidarity and stability”.
He
called for unity to confront challenges facing the region, singling out “the
threats posed by the Iranian regime's nuclear and ballistic missile programme
and its plans for sabotage and destruction.”
The
summit comes a day after it was announced that Saudi Arabia would reopen its
airspace and sea and land border to Qatar under the deal signed today.
Under
the agreement, Qatar will suspend lawsuits related to the boycott, a senior US
official earlier said.
All
of the countries are US allies. Qatar hosts the region's largest US military
base, Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, and Saudi Arabia and the
UAE host US troops.
The
development is the latest in a series of Middle East deals sought by Washington
— the others involving Israel and Arab states — aimed at building a united
front against Iran.
White
House senior adviser Jared Kushner, assigned to work on the dispute by US
President Donald Trump, also attended the ceremony in the historical city of
Al-Ula along with Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook, a special
State Department adviser.
'Pakistan
welcomes positive developments in the Gulf'
Meanwhile,
the Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday issued a statement welcoming the decision by
Saudi Arabia and Qatar to reopen land, air and sea borders between the two
countries.
"We
also appreciate other steps being taken by the countries of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC), which will contribute to the resolution of
outstanding issues between the countries of the organisation persisting for
almost four years.
"Pakistan
lauds the positive role played by the Emir of Kuwait towards the resolution of
the differences between the countries of the council. His persistent and
sincere efforts, and cooperation of the GCC countries, led to this important
and amicable outcome," a statement by the FO spokesman said.
"We
hope that the GCC Summit, being held today in Riyadh, will further build on
these encouraging developments and lead to enhanced confidence and cooperation
among the countries of the organisation."
Pakistan
continues to accord high importance to its relationship with the council, as
well as its bilateral relations with all GCC countries, the FO spokesman said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1599844/saudi-arabia-says-full-ties-restored-between-qatar-and-embargo-nations
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US
welcomes LeT commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi’s arrest on charges of terror
financing
Rezaul
H Laskar | Edited by Sohini Sarkar
Jan
05, 2021
The
United States on Tuesday welcomed the arrest of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi by Pakistani authorities on charges
of terror financing but also called for his prosecution for his role in the
2008 Mumbai attacks.
“We
welcome Pakistan’s arrest of terrorist leader Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi as an
important step in holding him responsible for his role in supporting terrorism
and its financing,” the US state department’s bureau of South and Central Asian
affairs said on Twitter.
“We
will follow his prosecution & sentencing closely & urge that he be held
accountable for his involvement in the Mumbai attacks,” it said.
Lakhvi,
one of the alleged masterminds of the Mumbai attacks, was arrested by Pakistani
authorities on January 2 on charges of involvement in terror financing, almost
five years after he was freed on bail.
His
whereabouts had not been known since he was released on bail from a jail in
Rawalpindi in April 2015. However, it was widely believed he had continued
playing a key role in directing the activities of LeT even while he was in
prison after being arrested in the aftermath of the Mumbai carnage.
Six
US citizens were among the 166 people killed when a 10-member LeT team attacked
Mumbai in November 2008.
A
spokesperson for the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Pakistan’s Punjab
province said in a statement that Lakhvi was arrested on charges of terrorism
financing during an intelligence-based operation.
“He
is accused of running a dispensary [and] using funds collected for terrorism
financing. He [and] others also collected funds from this dispensary and used
these funds for further terrorism financing. He also used these funds for
personal expenses,” the spokesman said.
Lakhvi,
who is also a UN-designated terrorist, will face trial in an anti-terrorism
court in Lahore, the spokesperson said.
Last
year, LeT founder Hafiz Saeed was convicted in five separate cases of terror
financing and given a jail term ranging from five years to fifteen-and-half
years. These sentences will run concurrently.
Lakhvi’s
arrest came weeks ahead of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) planned
reassessment of Pakistan’s efforts to counter terror financing. In October last
year, the multilateral watchdog retained Pakistan in its “grey list” for
failing to fully deliver on an action plan to fight terror financing, and gave
the country time till February to address what it said were “very serious
deficiencies”.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/us-welcomes-let-commander-zakiur-rehman-lakhvi-s-arrest-on-charges-of-terror-financing/story-PjypeqBZXfkhinxE05lbhM.html
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Serbian
army unites Muslims, Orthodox soldiers
Talha
Ozturk, Aleksandar Nicifirovic?????
05.01.2021
BELGRADE,
Serbia
The
Serbian Armed Forces have become a symbol of interfaith tolerance in the
Western Balkans with Christian and Muslim soldiers equally observing their
faiths.
A
mosque and church built seven years ago in the Rifat Burdzovic - Trso barracks
in Novi Pazar allows Muslims to pray and Orthodox soldiers to worship in a
chapel.
Muslim
soldier Elvir Smailagic told Anadolu Agency that differences between soldiers
working in the same barracks are a great wealth.
"By
building these places of worship, Serbia has shown that it does not
discriminate between its citizens," said Smailagic, who emphasized that
every soldier who enters the mosque to worship exits with spiritual satiety.
"This
makes it easier to perform difficult tasks. The gates of the Serbian army are
open to all Muslims in the country," he said.
Pastor
Vladan Vukovic serving as a priest in the barracks said sheltering places of
worship for two different religions under one roof shows that people are equal
in God's sight.
"This
is a spiritual refuge for all military members. Today, people are struggling
with many difficulties and stresses. This is like a spiritual refuge for all
members of the Serbian army. Soldiers can find the peace they lost while
dealing with the hardships of the world," said Vukovic.
Serbia
is the largest state of former Yugoslavia with a population of 7 million with
mostly Orthodox Christians. They are followed by Catholics with Muslims
rounding out the top three religious groups.
Novi
Pazar is a beautiful sample of inter-religious harmony with a population of 82%
Muslim.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/serbian-army-unites-muslims-orthodox-soldiers/2099237
--------
Iran
vows to deliver ‘decisive response’ to any Israeli move against it
05
January 2021
Iran
said on Tuesday it would deliver a “decisive response” to any Israeli move
against it, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would not allow
Tehran to develop nuclear weapons, a news agency close to the Revolutionary
Guards said.
On
Monday, Iran said it resumed 20 percent uranium enrichment at a nuclear
facility, a move that coincides with rising tensions with the United States in
the last days of President Donald Trump’s term. The decision is the latest of
several Iranian breaches of a 2015 nuclear accord with world powers.
Netanyahu
said the move was aimed at developing nuclear weapons and Israel would never
allow Tehran to build them. Iran says it has never sought nuclear weapons.
Iran’s
Nour News quoted an unnamed security official as saying: “This regime (Israel)
should be aware that any aggression against Iran’s interests and security from
any side and in any way, whether (Israel) admits or denies responsibility, will
face a decisive response from Iran against this regime.”
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
statement was widely carried by Iranian news agencies and state media.
Separately,
Iran on Tuesday gave more details about its enrichment decision by saying it
had the capacity to produce up to 9 kg of 20 percent enriched uranium per
month.
“At
present, we produce 17 to 20 grams of 20 percent uranium every hour,” Ali Akbar
Salehi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said according to state
media. “We have a monthly production capacity of 8 to 9 kg to reach the 120 kg
stipulated by the law.”
The
decision to enrich to 20 percent purity was one of many moves mentioned in a
law passed by Iran’s hardline-dominated parliament last month in response to
the killing of the country’s top nuclear scientist, which Tehran has blamed on
Israel.
Tehran
started violating the accord in 2019 in a step-by-step response to Trump’s
withdrawal from the nuclear accord in 2018 and the re-imposition of US
sanctions lifted under the deal.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/05/Iran-vows-to-deliver-decisive-response-to-any-Israeli-move-against-it
--------
Africa
Niger:
3-day national mourning for terror victims
Kané
Illa
05.01.2021
The
Nigerien government has declared a three-day national mourning starting Tuesday
to pay tribute to the victims of attacks on two villages near the Malian border
over the weekend.
"A
three-day national mourning has been decreed from Tuesday, January 05,
2021," government spokesperson Abdourahamane Zakaria said in a statement
late Monday.
"The
flags will be half-masted throughout the territory," he added.
Terrorists
attacked Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye villages near the Malian border in
southwestern Niger on Saturday, Interior Minister Alkache Alhada said.
The
official delegation visiting the scene confirmed that 100 people, 70 in
Tchombangou and 30 in Zaroumadareye, lost their lives in the attacks. Hundreds
of survivors fled the scene on foot.
Local
sources said 25 wounded were evacuated to Niamey and Ouallam for treatment.
UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned Saturday’s attack by
unidentified gunmen.
Last
month, at least 28 people were killed and hundreds more wounded in an attack,
later claimed by the Boko Haram terrorist group, in Niger’s southeastern Diffa
region, according to the UN.
The
Tillaberi region, where the recently attacked villages are located, has been
frequently targeted by terrorist groups based in Mali since 2017, with a state
of emergency declared in the area.
Niger,
Burkina Faso, and Mali in the Sahel are at the epicenter of one of the world’s
fastest-growing displacement and protection crises.
The
region is already hosting 851,000 refugees and nearly 2 million displaced
people, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/niger-3-day-national-mourning-for-terror-victims/2098612
--------
US
Secretary of State Pompeo signs on Sudan’s removal from Sponsors of Terrorism
list
Rawad
Taha
05
January 2021
US
Secretary of State Pompeo signed on the order to remove Sudan from the list of
State Sponsors of Terrorism on Tuesday.
“After
months of negotiations, I signed the order to remove Sudan from the list of
State Sponsors of Terrorism and ensure compensation for American victims of
terrorism and their families. Once in a generation opportunity for freedom --
huge benefits,” Pompeo added on Twitter.
Outgoing
US President Donald Trump had announced in October that he would take Sudan off
the list, which also includes North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
Sudan's
new civilian-led government had advocated for the step following its rise to
power after the fall of former President Omar al-Bashir and his military
regime.
As
part of a deal, Sudan agreed to $335 million to compensate survivors and
victims’ families from the twin 1998 attacks on US embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania, carried out when al-Bashir was welcoming al-Qaeda, and a 2000 attack
on the USS Cole off Yemen’s coast.
Sudan’s
transitional government, which took over last year following Bashir’s
overthrow, has also agreed to recognize Israel, a major goal for Trump,
although Khartoum has sought to downplay the connection.
Sudan
became the third Arab state - after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain - to
move to normalize relations with Israel this year. After Sudan, Morocco also
established diplomatic ties with Israel.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/05/US-Secretary-of-State-Pompeo-signs-on-Sudan-s-removal-from-Sponsors-of-Terrorism-list
--------
Three
Algerian activists on hunger strike hospitalized in prison protest
06
January 2021
Three
Algerian activists awaiting trial in prison were rushed to hospital Tuesday, 10
days after they began a hunger strike protesting their detention, the CNLD
prisoners’ rights group said.
Mohamed
Tadjadit, Noureddine Khimoud and Abdelhak Ben Rahmani began their hunger strike
in a jail in the capital Algiers on December 27 to protest the extension of
their pre-trial detention and denial of bail.
Their
lawyer, Meriem Kacimi, confirmed the three had been taken to hospital in
Algiers.
“They
are tired but they are now being monitored,” she said. “The doctors are
awaiting the results of their tests.”
The
three men are activists linked to the long-running Hirak mass protest movement.
They
face multiple charges, including damaging national unity, insulting the
president, inciting protest and spreading false news – with evidence based on
messages and videos posted online – the CNLD said.
Tadjadit
and Khimoud, 25, have been in detention since August 2020, arrested the day
after taking part in a protest in Algiers.
Thirty-eight-year-old
Rahmani was arrested in October.
Tadjadit,
26, dubbed the “poet of Hirak” for verses recited during demonstrations or
posted on social media, already served a short jail sentence in 2020 for
“undermining the national interest.”
Algerian
authorities have arrested and prosecuted several activists in a bid to stem the
Hirak protests.
The
Hirak launched vast street demonstrations in early 2019 to oppose
then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term in office.
Following
his resignation that April, the Hirak kept up the pressure to demand a full
overhaul of the ruling system in place since the North African nation’s 1962
independence from France.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/06/Three-Algerian-activists-on-hunger-strike-hospitalized-in-prison-protest
--------
Tunisia
pushes for UN monitors to support Libya’s ceasefire
05
January 2021
Tunisia,
the current president of the UN Security Council, called Monday for a
resolution sending international monitors to support Libya’s brittle ceasefire
to be adopted as soon as possible.
“We
hope that it will be adopted as soon as possible” because “there is a momentum,
yet it’s a little bit fragile,” said Tunisian ambassador to the UN Tarek Ladeb,
referring to the negotiations between Libyan parties and the UN mission there.
At
the end of last year, UN chief Antonio Guterres proposed using international
monitors in Libya amid hopes that foreign fighters will soon leave and the
country can turn the page on a decade of war.
The
warring sides reached a ceasefire on October 23 in Geneva under which all
foreign forces are to leave within three months -- that is, by January 23. The
international observers would monitor their departure.
Guterres
asked for a group that would include civilians and retired soldiers from
regional groups such as the African Union, European Union and Arab League.
He
called in particular for all nations to respect the UN arms embargo on Libya,
which has been flagrantly violated.
In
early December, UN envoy Stephanie Williams estimated that 20,000 foreign
troops and mercenaries remained in the country in a “shocking violation of
Libyan sovereignty.”
Under
Guterres’ proposal, monitors would initially operate in a triangular section of
Libya around Sirte.
The
observers would expand to other parts of the country until they can be replaced
by a unified Libyan national force.
Tunisia,
a non-permanent member of the Security Council, assumed its rotating presidency
in early January. Its work program does not at this stage include a meeting on
Libya until the end of the month.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/05/Tunisia-pushes-for-UN-monitors-to-support-Libya-s-ceasefire
--------
Tunisian
PM sacks interior minister, baring tensions with President Kais Saied
05
January 2021
Tunisian
Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi on Tuesday sacked his interior Minister, who is
close to President Kais Saied, a move underscoring tensions between the
country’s two most powerful leaders.
Saied
and Mechichi are at odds over their respective powers and political alliances.
With the dismissal of Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine, the tensions could
mushroom into a crisis threatening a collapse of the technocratic government.
A
cabinet statement said Mechichi would supervise the interior ministry on an
interim basis pending the appointment of Charfeddine’s successor. No reasons
were given for his removal.
Mechichi
is expected in coming weeks to reshuffle his cabinet amid demands from
pro-government parties in parliament to include party figures in the
government. Opposition parties and the presidency want a continued technocratic
cabinet.
Parliament
approved a technocratic government in a confidence vote four months ago, hoping
to end months of political instability and focus on tackling worsening economic
and social problems.
Though
Saied proposed Mechichi as premier in the new government, Tunisian politicians
said he subsequently withdrew his support, underlining brewing tensions between
the presidency and government.
While
previous bouts of political discord in Tunisia focused on the split between
secularists and Islamists, or over economic reforms, more recent tensions seem
rooted in the division of powers between president and parliament.
Tunisia
is the only Arab country to have managed a peaceful transition to democracy
after the “Arab Spring” uprisings that swept through the region in 2011.
But
the North African nation’s economy has been crippled by high debt and
deteriorating public services, made worse by the global coronavirus pandemic.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2021/01/05/Tunisian-PM-sacks-interior-minister-baring-tensions-with-President-Kais-Saied
--------
Turkey
provides commando training to Somali soldiers
Zafer
Fatih Beyaz
05.01.2021
Some
150 Somali army soldiers are receiving special commando training in Turkey
under a military cooperation pact between the two countries, the Turkish
National Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The
training of the Somali Armed Forces soldiers is taking place at the
Counter-Terrorism Training and Exercise Center in Turkey’s southwestern
province of Isparta, said a ministry statement.
"We
are providing Commando Basic Training to 150 guest military personnel from the
Somali Armed Forces,” said the statement.
“The
training, which began on Dec. 21, 2020, has been continuing as planned."
Last
August, Turkey’s Ambassador to Mogadishu Mehmet Yilmaz told Anadolu Agency that
Turkey is on track to train some one-third of Somali military forces, totaling
around 15,000-16,000 personnel.
Relations
between Turkey and the Horn of Africa nation are historically strong, and
picked up pace after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s official visit in 2011,
making him the only non-African leader to visit Somalia in 20 years.
Turkey
has also been continuing its support to Somalia with humanitarian aid in the
areas of health, education and security.
As
it has extensive experience fighting terrorists, Turkish training of the Somali
military is also helpful in countering Somalia’s own terrorist threat.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/turkey-provides-commando-training-to-somali-soldiers/2099383
--------
Top
Turkish diplomat, Libyan counterpart discuss ties
Behlul
Cetinkaya
05.01.2021
The
Turkish foreign minister held a phone talk with his Libyan counterpart on
Tuesday, a diplomatic source said.
Mevlut
Cavusoglu and Mohamed Taher Siala discussed bilateral relations, the latest
situation after a cease-fire in Libya, and the UN initiative to find a solution
to the Libyan crisis.
In
October last year, the UN announced a permanent cease-fire agreement between
Libya's warring rivals during its facilitated 5+5 Libyan Joint Military
Commission talks in Geneva.
Libya
has been torn by civil war since the ouster of late ruler Muammar Gaddafi in
2011.
Based
in the capital Tripoli and currently led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, the
Government of National Accord was founded in 2015 under a UN-led agreement. But
efforts for a long-term political settlement have failed due to a military
offensive by militias loyal to Haftar.
Al-Sarraj's
government has been battling Haftar's militias since April 2019 in a conflict
that has claimed thousands of lives.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/top-turkish-diplomat-libyan-counterpart-discuss-ties/2099191
--------
India
Didn't
sign letter supporting Love Jihad law, say former Kerala HC judges
05th
January 2021
KOCHI:
Former Kerala High Court judges refuted reports that they were signatories to
the campaign extending support to the implementation of the Love Jihad law in
Uttar Pradesh.
While
a former HC judge said he was told about the campaign but never gave his
support, another judge said he is not even aware of the signature campaign.
A
statement had claimed that four former HC judges have signed the letter sent to
the UP Chief Minister.
As
many as 200 retired bureaucrats and judicial officers, including former chief
justices of high courts, chief secretaries and DGPs, have sent a letter to CM
Yogi Adityanath in support of the new law against religious conversions in UP.
Justice
Balakrishnan Nair, former judge of the Kerala HC, whose name appeared in the
statement, said that nobody has contacted him in connection with the statement.
"I
am not aware of the statement and have not signed or supported any
campaign," he said.
Another
judge, who sought anonymity, said he did not want his name to be dragged into
controversies. Meanwhile, a former Kerala HC judge admitted that he gave a
digital signature supporting the law.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2021/jan/05/didnt-sign-letter-supporting-love-jihad-law-say-former-kerala-hc-judges-2245946.html
--------
SC
Refuses To Stay UP, Uttarakhand 'Love Jihad' Laws But Issues Notices to States,
Says It is Not a Bad Case
Aneesha
Mathur
January
6, 2021
The
Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to put a stay on laws against the so-called
practice of 'love jihad' brought in by the state governments of Uttar Pradesh
and Uttarakhand.
Hearing
pleas against the laws, the Supreme Court issued notices to both states on the
challenges to their respective laws.
Chief
Justice of India SA Bobde issued notices to Uttarakhand and UP, and said
similar petitions are pending before the Allahabad High Court and the
Uttarakhand High Court.
"We
are saying you go to the high court and then come here. We are not saying you
have a bad case," the court told the petitioners.
The
court has scheduled the next hearing after four weeks.
The
PILs were filed in the Supreme Court to challenge the UP government's
Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion ordinance, 2020, and the
Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act, 2018.
The
petitions have claimed that UP government's 'love jihad' law and the
Uttarakhand law violate the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21 and
freedom to practise religion under Article 25.
The
pleas also argue that the 'love jihad' ordinance passed by the UP government
and the Uttarakhand law violate the provisions of the Special Marriage Act by
placing restrictions on inter-religious marriage, and "would create
fear" in society.
In
addition, the plea claims the law would "be a potent tool in the hands of
bad elements of the society to use this ordinance to falsely implicate
anyone."
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/sc-refuses-to-stay-up-uttarakhand-love-jihad-laws-issues-notices-to-states-1756362-2021-01-06
--------
AR
Rahman on why he embraced Islam but wouldn’t want to impose it on anyone else
Jan
06, 2021
AR
Rahman is one of the many artists who has a painful story of struggle and hs
climbed the ladder of success, one step at a time. The Oscar-winner is one of
the very few who has actually put India on the global map in the world of
music. However, besides his music, his conversion to Islam remains a topic of
discussion even today.
AR
Rahman was born Dileep Kumar, but embraced Islam, along with his family, some
time after the death of his father, music composer RK Shekhar, and some time
before the release of his first major project, Roja. His friend Trilok Nair had
told Krishna Trilok in his authorised biography, Notes of a Dream, that
Rahman’s mother Kareema Begum had insisted on changing his name in the film’s
credits at the last minute. He said, “It was a pretty big request to make so
late in the day, but she was particular about it. She said it really, really
mattered to her personally. In fact, she would’ve rather not had his name
appear at all, than not have his new name appear on the credits.”
Rahman
doesn’t believe in imposing his religious beliefs on others. He once told
Hindustan Times Brunch in an interview, “You can’t impose anything. You can’t
ask your son or daughter to not take history ‘coz it’s boring, and to take
economics instead, or science. It’s a personal choice.”
Rahman
had said that a lot of people ask him if they would become successful on
converting to Islam but he prefers to keep quiet. “It’s not about converting to
Islam, it’s about finding the spot and seeing whether it presses the button in
you. The spiritual teachers, the Sufi teachers, taught me and my mom things
that are very, very special. There are special things in every faith, and this
is the one we chose. And we stand by it.”
He
added, “Prayer has been extremely beneficial. It has saved me from many falls.
In between prayers, I think, ‘Oh, I have to pray, so I can’t do this mischief’.
People from other faiths do the same thing and are peaceful too. For me, this
works!”
Rahman’s
daughter, Khatija, had stood her ground without calling for her father’s help
when she was criticised for wearing a burkha at an event she attended with him.
On
being asked to comment on the matter, Rahman said in an interview to The Quint
that he’d wear a burqa too, if it were possible. He said, “A male is not
supposed to wear a burqa, otherwise I will wear one. It would be so easy to go
and shop, find steady life. You know, I think, she finds her freedom. Because
she is somebody who will go for a funeral of a maid’s mother or maid’s
relative. And I get awestruck with her simplicity and what she does socially.”
https://www.hindustantimes.com/music/ar-rahman-on-why-he-embraced-islam-but-wouldn-t-want-to-impose-it-on-anyone-else/story-rBaJaEn8ODrhVD5Fum1eqJ.html
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Covid-19:
Arrangements being made to vaccinate Haj pilgrims, says Union Minister Naqvi
Posted
by Arpan Rai
Jan
06, 2021
Arrangements
are being made to provide coronavirus vaccine to Indian Haj pilgrims, the Union
Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Tuesday.
He
was speaking at a meeting of the Haj Committee of India officials and Haj Group
organisers at Haj House here.
“Today
discussed various issues concerned to Haj 2021 with Haj Committee of India
officials and Haj Group Organisers at Haj House in Mumbai. Arrangements are
being made to give Corona vaccine to all the people who will go to perform Haj
from India,” the Union Minister informed via Twitter.
The
last date for submission of forms for Haj 2021 has been extended till January
10, 2021.
Last
month, during a meeting with the Haj Committee here to discuss the preparations
and registrations for Haj 2021, Naqvi lauded the committee for making the
registration process “100 per cent” digital, in turn making India the “first
country” to do so.
In
another tweet, the Union Minister on Tuesday slammed the Opposition for raising
questions on the measure taken by the Centre to combat the coronavirus
pandemic.
“Those
people who earlier raised questions on welfare measures taken by Narendra Modi
government during the corona crisis, are now trying to create confusion on the
Corona vaccines which have been developed by hard-working scientists of our
country,” he said in a subsequent tweet.
“...Some
failed and frustrated political players’, who are unable to convince the
people, are trying to confuse by using Corona vaccine as confusion rexine.”
Last
week, Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) announced “restricted emergency
use” for two Covid-19 vaccine candidates -- Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN and Serum
Institute of India’s Covishield.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/covid-19-arrangements-being-made-to-vaccinate-haj-pilgrims-says-union-minister-naqvi/story-Cb5nIE8PCbSTduN2kuSv0J.html
--------
Pakistan
Let
us live: Hazaras demand PM, COAS ensure their safety
Sumaira
Jajja
06
Jan 2021
KARACHI:
“The zulm that was done to our people, even animals don’t do this to their
foes. This genocide must stop now,” a visibly shaken Hazara woman said at the
protest condemning the Mach massacre on Tuesday outside the Karachi Press Club.
The
emotionally charged protest was organized by the residents of Hussain Hazara
Goth in solidarity with the victims of the Mach coal mine attack where 11
Hazara Shia miners were brutally murdered. The Islamic State group, also known
by the Arabic acronym Daesh, claimed responsibility for the killing.
Sit-ins
by the members of Hazara community were held at various spots in the city
including Abbas Town and Numaish, as well as the emotionally charged protest at
KPC. Over 200 men, women and children from the Hazara community demanded that
Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa
ensure the safety of their community.
“Their
limbs were tied, their mouths stuffed shut and then they were slaughtered. Is
this Madina ki riyasat? This slaughter must stop. We want this genocide to
stop,” a young woman at the protest said.
Sit-ins
held at various spots in city in solidarity with mourners in Quetta
Yet
another questioned whether these Hazara men were any lesser Pakistanis. The
girls lamented that the media did not give the massacre adequate coverage and
their grievances remained unheard.
Holding
red and green flags printed with “Ya Hussain”, many other youngsters were seen
holding placards which urged that “ethnic cleansing” of Hazaras be stopped.
The
protest moved many, including many hardened and sceptical journalists at the
press club, who stepped outside to show solidarity with the stoically resilient
Hazaras. The protesters were also joined by relatives of Baloch missing persons
who condemned the Mach massacre strongly.
‘Why
are we being killed?’
“We
have some questions. In the past 20 years we have lost thousands of lives. The
only slogan we ever raise is “Pakistan Zindabad”, we have never said [anything]
anti-Pakistan and this is what we get,” questioned a speaker. “Why are we being
killed? What is our fault? This ethnic cleansing of Hazara community will
continue till when? Are we not Muslims? How is Daesh finding a foothold in
Pakistan? We are a peaceful people, please let us remain peaceful. Yesterday a
sister of ours said in Quetta that all the men in her family were killed. The
way things are, no man from our community will be left,” he said.
The
protestors said that if the demands of mourners in Quetta are not accepted,
they will continue their protests and stage a dharna.
“The
Hazaras are peaceful people. We have spent over 20 years picking the bodies of
our loved ones. They killed our students, college-going youngsters, we have
been held hostage in a small zone in Quetta. We want the government to provide
security to us and ensure our safety,” they stressed.
The
protestors strongly questioned why security institutions were unable to end the
“genocide” of the Hazaras.
Dharnas
Meanwhile,
protests mainly organised by Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), supported by
other parties, were attended by hundreds of people including men, women and
children, adds Our Staff Reporter. The sit-ins were held in North Karachi near
Powerhouse Chowrangi, Numaish traffic intersection and Abbas Town on main Abul
Ispahani Road.
“If
someone really is concerned about our security and tragedy we are facing, it
must be reflected by their moves,” said Maulana Sadiq Jaffery, senior leader of
the MWM while addressing the protesters at Numaish. “It’s so unfortunate the
presence of hundreds of women and children [in] chilling cold in Quetta has not
inspired the authorities. These protesters want peace, not violence or
bloodshed. So protest is the only option left for us to convey our concerns
which would continue.”
The
sit-in continued for hours and remained peaceful, though it badly affected the
traffic flow on respective roads. The first sit-in was staged in North Karachi
and in the evening, hundreds of people converged at the Numaish traffic
intersection.
Along
with the MWM, the Shia Ulema Council, Jafria Alliance, Imamia Students
Organisation and Jafria Students Organisation also participated in the protest.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1599963/let-us-live-hazaras-demand-pm-coas-ensure-their-safety
--------
Minister
hints at foreign hand behind Karak incident
Amjad
Iqbal
06
Jan 2021
TAXILA:
A Nagar Kirtan was held on Tuesday at the Gurdwara Punja Sahib in Hassanabdal
to mark the 354th birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh — the 10th spiritual
Sikh master — amid strict observance of Covid-19 standard operating procedures
(SOPs).
A
Nagar Kirtan is a Sikh custom involving singing of hymns. A large number of
Sikhs from across the country, especially Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, participated in
the event. Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Evacuee
Trust Property Board (ETPB) made necessary arrangements for the occasion.
Adequate measures were put in place by the police department to ensure
security.
Punjab
Human Rights and Minority Affairs Minister Ijaz Alam Augustine was chief guest
at the anniversary celebrations. Speakers from the Sikh community paid tributes
to Guru Gobind Singh who was a warrior, poet and philosopher, especially
notable for founding the Khalsa - considered to be the highest order in the
religion.
Guru
Gobind Singh’s birth anniversary observed
Pardhan
of the committee Sardar Satwant Singh said Jan 5 was a special day in the Sikh
faith as it marked the birth anniversary of the 10th guru, adding that Gobind
Singh became a guru at the age of nine after the death of his father Guru Tegh
Bahadur and was assassinated in 1708 at the age of 41.
Mr
Augustine said participation in such events by people from different faiths
helped build understanding of traditions and beliefs of minorities.
He
said they were happy that under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan,
the government had stood by religious minorities, adding that it would fulfill
its promise of religious freedom as envisaged by the father of the nation.
The
government is providing all possible resources to minorities for their welfare,
he said, adding that diversion of water from the temple would be addressed with
consultation from relevant departments.
Whilst
talking about the incident last week in Karak when an angry mob set a Hindu
temple on fire, he said a foreign hand was involved in the incident, adding
that elements involved in the case were the ones who had been exposed by the
European Union’s DisinfoLab.
He
said the government had announced that it would rebuild the temple and those
involved in the incident would be dealt with an iron hand as per law.
“We
will ensure protection of sacred places of minorities at any cost,” he said.
Responding
to another question, Mr Augustine said the Punjab government was taking special
measures to protect the rights of children along with other citizens.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1599900/minister-hints-at-foreign-hand-behind-karak-incident
--------
Hazara
Shia Muslims mourn miners, vow to continue sit-in in Pakistan
05
January 2021
Thousands
of mourners from the Shia Hazara Muslim community say they will continue their
protest sit-in alongside the bodies of the miners recently killed by Daesh
terrorists in the troubled southwestern Pakistan.
Shia
leaders said on Tuesday that they would not leave the protest site, on the
outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province, until Prime Minister
Imran Khan meets them and the killers are brought to justice.
"We
have become tired of picking up the bodies of our people," said Syed Agha
Raza, a Hazara political leader.
Agha
Daud, the chief of Balochistan Shia Conference, voiced concern, noting,
"The latest wave of killings will spread to other cities, including
Quetta, if decisive action is not taken at this stage."
Masooma
Yaqoob Ali, a female protester, said her elder brother, along with four other
relatives, was among those killed. "Now we have no male member [of our
family] to take coffins of our brother and other relatives to the graveyard for
burial," she said.
Since
Monday, up to 2,500 protesters had gathered with the bodies in coffins and
blocked a highway on the outskirts of Quetta, demanding justice.
At
least 10 miners were kidnapped before dawn on Sunday near the remote coal mine
in the southwestern mountainous Machh area, 60 kilometers southeast of Quetta
City. Several of them were beheaded by the militants.
Hours
later, the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the
massacre.
This
was the first major attack targeting the Hazaras since April last year, when a
bomb blast killed at least 20 people at a market in Quetta.
The
Shia Muslims of the Hazara minority frequently come under attack by the
terrorists active in Balochistan.
In
2013, three separate bombings killed more than 200 people in different Hazara
neighborhoods.
Quetta,
the largest city of Balochistan, has seen several bombings and shooting attacks
over the past years.
Pakistan's
restive and mineral-rich Balochistan Province was rocked by a series of
terrorist attacks in late 2016, raising fears about an increasing presence of
armed militants in the area, including terrorists linked to Daesh.
Separatist
militants in the province have also been engaged in a decades-long campaign
against the central government.
Despite
frequent offensives by the Pakistani army, acts of terror by militants continue
to target security forces as well as civilians.
Thousands
of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks
since 2001, when Pakistan entered into an alliance with the United States in
Washington's so-called war on terror.
Thousands
more have been displaced by the wave of violence sweeping the country.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/05/642344/Hazara-Shia-Muslims-mourn-miners,-vow-to-continue-sit-in-in-Pakistan
--------
Poachers'
paradise: Gulf hunts fuel Pakistan falcon trafficking
Jan
6, 2021
KARACHI:
Since learning to capture birds as a teen, Muhammad Rafiq has amassed a small
fortune in Pakistan trapping and trafficking falcons -- including some
endangered species -- for wealthy Gulf Arabs.
A
single falcon can fetch up to tens of thousands of dollars on the black market,
which allowed Rafiq to renovate his family home.
"Every
season, dealers come from Karachi and leave their contacts with us, and we call
them back if we catch something," said the 32-year-old, from a nearby
coastal village.
He
recently trapped a peregrine falcon on a one-week hunting mission.
"I
desperately needed money," he told AFP. "And God has listened to
me."
For
years, Pakistan has stood at the nexus of the falcon trade, both as a source of
the birds of prey, and then as a destination to hunt with them.
Falcon
poaching is officially banned, but demand for the birds is rising, according to
the World Wildlife Fund in Pakistan.
It
estimates that up to 700 falcons were illegally smuggled out of the country
last year alone, often by organised criminal networks.
Their
destination isFnormally Gulf countries, where falconry is a treasured
tradition.
Owners
treat the birds "like their own children", said Margit Muller, the
director of Abu Dhabi's falcon hospital, which treats 11,000 falcons annually,
a number that has more than doubled in the past 10 years.
One
conservationist told AFP an Arab falconer usually owns around five to six
hundred birds, most of which will be captured in the wild in Pakistan or Mongolia.
Wild
birds are prized over those bred in captivity because they are believed to be
better hunters, though there is no evidence to support those claims.
Every
winter, lavish hunting parties from the Gulf flock to Pakistan's sprawling
deserts, where they are given permits to use their falcons to hunt houbara
bustards, a migratory bird wrongly prized as an aphrodisiac and classified as
vulnerable by conservationists.
These
excursions have cast a spotlight on the deep ties between Pakistan and its allies
in the Gulf.
For
decades, the Gulf states have propped up Islamabad's ramshackle finances with
generous loans, with one of the expectations being that they can continue to
use Pakistan as a hunting playground.
Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and two other royals were granted permission
to catch bustards by Prime Minister Imran Khan's government in December last
year, a soft diplomacy tactic that Khan had openly disagreed with when he was
in the opposition.
The
government also presents falcons as gifts to world leaders.
"Our
officials are working like pimps for the Arabs," a government official
requesting anonymity told AFP.
A
brief ban on the bustard hunts was overturned in 2016 by the Supreme Court, but
conservationists are now pushing for the export of falcons to be regulated in
an ongoing case at the Islamabad High Court.
Every
year, falcons escape the harsh Siberian winter and fly thousands of miles to
warmer regions, including southern Pakistan.
During
the migratory season, wildlife traffickers descend on villages along the
Arabian Sea coastline, offering fishermen cash to briefly abandon their boats
and try their hand at poaching.
"We
pay them in advance, send food to their families and if they catch a bird that
is precious, we happily give them motorbikes," said one trafficker who
spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity.
A
range of tactics can be employed -- sticky liquids, net traps or, most
commonly, using smaller birds as bait.
Poachers
especially target the peregrine falcon, whose populations remain stable -- but
also the saker, which is endangered.
Bob
Dalton, a veteran falcon conservationist, helped oversee the rehabilitation of
dozens of falcons seized by Pakistani authorities in October, with officials
estimating the cache to be worth well over $1 million.
"The
illegal trade is growing, there is more money being spent, more pursuit from
the Gulf," he told AFP.
"With
the exception of one or two species, most falcon populations are in decline or
on the point of being unstable."
With
ongoing efforts to curtail rampant poaching failing, some officials in Pakistan
have suggested regulating the falcon trapping market, inspired by a scheme
involving another rare native species, the markhor -- an elusive mountain goat
with striking twisted horns found in Pakistan's mountainous north.
Every
year, foreigners shell out tens of thousands of dollars for a handful of trophy
hunting permits, providing a financial incentive for communities to prevent
poaching.
Naeem
Ashraf Raja, the director of biodiversity at the ministry of climate change,
said markhor numbers have rebounded as a result of this controversial
conservation method.
With
hunting parties set to descend on Pakistan again over the next few months,
Kamran Khan Yousafzai, the president of Pakistan's Falconry Association, said
the country desperately needs to implement a sustainable wildlife programme.
"Arab
falconers can't resist coming to Pakistan. They have been coming to these
hunting grounds for generations, and unless they face any real problems, they
are not going to search for new destinations."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/poachers-paradise-gulf-hunts-fuel-pakistan-falcon-trafficking/articleshow/80127578.cms
--------
Govt
invites opposition for Kashmir action plan talks
Iftikhar
A. Khan
06
Jan 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Tuesday invited the opposition for
talks to hammer out a comprehensive action plan aimed at resolution of the
lingering Jammu and Kashmir dispute after the Senate saw the two sides engaging
in a blame game over the issue.
“Let
us join hands on this issue. This is a continuous battle and we will have to
fight it collectively,” he said after shaming the lawmakers from three
mainstream opposition parties — the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan
Muslim League (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) — with a forceful retort
to their remarks and accusations over the government’s handling of the Kashmir
issue.
The
foreign minister was winding up a discussion on Kashmir in the house to mark
the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination day.
On
Jan 5, 1949, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had passed a resolution
supporting the Kashmiris’ right to decide their future by themselves through a
UN-sponsored plebiscite.
Two
sides engaged in blame game over the issue in Senate
PPP
parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman, while initiating the debate,
noted that the Kashmir issue would have been in a different global dimension
had Zulfikar Ali Bhutto been alive. Rana Maqbool of the PML-N accused the
PTI-led government of putting the Kashmir issue on the back burner. Maulana
Abdul Ghafoor Haidri of the JUI-F alleged that Narendra Modi and Imran Khan had
been brought into power under a plan for held Kashmir’s complete occupation by
New Delhi.
In
his speech, Foreign Minister Qureshi criticised the opposition for using the
Kashmir issue for political point-scoring and having the cheek to ask what the
present government had done on the dispute. He said working for the Kashmir
cause was an obligation of the government and it would do its best with honesty
and sincerity.
He
agreed with Ms Rehman’s statement about Z.A. Bhutto, but regretted that his
successors in the PPP turned their eyes away from Kashmir. The remarks prompted
Sherry Rehman to stage a walkout from the house.
“Sorry
to see the govt playing politics even on Kashmir in Senate. This is the first
time any sitting Govt has stirred poison into what we see as a non-divisive
non-partisan issue,” she tweeted shortly after the walkout.
In
her absence, the foreign minister continued firing salvos, saying he had
invited Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar and Mushahid Hussain Sayed for a briefing
on Kashmir. “I wish they had shown greatness, rising above political
expediencies,” he added.
The
minister’s claim was also questioned by Ms Rehman in another tweet. “Shocked to
hear FM saying that he invited myself, Naveed Qamar and Mushahid Hussain to his
Kashmir briefings and that we did not go, because each time all 3 of us went.
Only once I was in Karachi at short notice and I personally regretted but my
colleagues went! We’ve never done such politics,” she tweeted.
Mr
Qureshi also reminded Ghafoor Haidri that his party chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman
had a chance to plead the case as chairman of the Kashmir Committee for a long
time, but he could not pay attention to the matter.
In
response to the PML-N allegation of putting the Kashmir issue on the back
burner, the minister said: “I am aware of your political compulsions, but it is
known to all who did it.”
He
referred to the claim by former Foreign Office spokesperson Tasneem Aslam that
ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif had asked the diplomats not to speak against
India and on the subject of Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav during the PML-N
tenure.
About
the change of occupied Kashmir’s status, he said it was part of the BJP’s
manifesto even when Indian Prime Minister Modi was a guest of then premier
Sharif at Jati Umra. He regretted that he had written letters to Leader of the
Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and PPP chairman Bilawal
Bhutto-Zardari, inviting them for a briefing on Kashmir, but they had not
responded to his letters.
Earlier,
opening the debate on Kashmir in the house, Sherry Rehman said the right to
self-determination was one of the most fundamental rights guaranteed by the UN
and all international charters. “What the Modi regime has done is actually
unconscionable and unprecedented in the history of any nation. He has brought
his violent, colonising rule to an entire valley of people. From the use of
pellet guns to blinding and completely crippling young people who come out on
the streets to ask for their rights. Can the international community not see
this?” she asked.
“We
have had important reports from the UN, EU (European Union) and human rights
organisations from all over the world, including India, reporting on the level
of impunity given freely to Indian occupation forces numbering 800,000 to
900,000. They have made this beautiful valley into a valley of blood and tears.
A valley of mass graves and illegal detentions, where you have people
disappearing overnight, throttled by the guns and torture of the Indian
military and security forces, who are protected by the Armed Forces Special
Powers Act and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978. Had this been
anywhere else, the whole world would have objected,” she added.
“Modi
sarkar tried to take over the Kashmiris’ right to domicile, and not just to
self-determination but also to live and breathe freely… The women are raped,
their children are under detention… There have been hundreds and thousands of
people who have disappeared and the brave Kashmiri people have constantly
resisted the guns, tanks and the constant state of being jailed and living in
an open jail. While the international community has turned away from it,” Ms
Rehman regretted.
“As
today is Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto’s birth anniversary, I wonder how he would
have fought the case of Kashmir both at the UN with the international community
and at the OIC. With all global leaders, SZAB would have made his voice heard
and would have made Pakistan proud. He would have seen to it that the
Kashmiris’ voice is heard,” she added.
Crackdown
on opposition Taking part in a debate on ‘unprecedented crackdown’ on
opposition workers, Sherry Rehman said no democratic government in the
country’s history had ever victimised the political opponents the way the PTI
government was doing.
She
said the National Accountability Bureau had conducted inquiries against 18 PTI
ministers [for their alleged involvement in corruption], but none of them was
ever remanded in NAB custody for 90 days or handcuffed like the opposition
leaders facing maltreatment.
The
PPP senator said main opposition leaders were in jail, including Syed Khursheed
Shah, Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz and Khawaja Asif. “The accountability is
only for the opposition,” she said, warning the PTI government that it could
face the same situation in future.
She
said the foreign minister in his policy statement in the house also tried to
make the Kashmir issue controversial.
Ms
Rehman pointed out that all right-wing governments of the world were busy in
providing relief to the masses in this time of pandemic, but the PTI government
was least bothered about skyrocketing prices of commodities. As many 60 per
cent of the people of Pakistan had become food insecure, but the government was
busy only in making arrests, she added.
She
said the government would fail in its design to reverse the 18th Amendment and
make changes in the NFC Award.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1599945
--------
Pakistan
wants unity of Islamic world to address confronting issues: Ashrafi
January
06, 2021
ISLAMABAD
- Special Aide to Prime Minister on Religious Harmony and Middle East Hafiz
Tahir Ashrafi on Tuesday said, Pakistan wanted unity and stability of Islamic
world to address all confronting issues of Muslim world amicably through
dialogues. Talking to media, he said that all the prevailing issues and
challenges of Muslim world could be settled through unity and stability of
Islamic world as it required desperate need for unity and reconciliation to
address the issues of Kashmir and Palestine and to make an end to foreign
interference in internal issues of Islamic world. He stressed ensuring effective
role of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was need of the hour to
resolve the issues. Pakistan aims unity and stability of Muslim world and OIC
should be made more effective and imperative to address confronting issues of
Islamic world. He expressed the hope that all the confronting issues of Islamic
world would be addressed amicably through dialogues and peaceful talks.
Responding to a question, he said reconciliatory process had been started in
Gulf countries with efforts of Ameer-e-Kuwait to address the confronting issues
and in this regard, positive response from the leadership of Qatar and Saudi
Arabia was very welcoming and encouraging. Pakistan endorses reconciliation
process among Gulf countries and role of Ameer-e-Kuwait and Khadim-e-Harmain
Al-Sharifain Shah Salman bin Abdul Aziz in this regard was very laudable and
welcoming. Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, said that Ameer-e-Kuwait and
Saudi Crown Prince Ameer Muhammad bin Salman had strengthened Islamic Ummah and
Arab world for moving towards reconciliatory process to address issues.
Hafiz
Tahir Ashrafi also stated that coordination and consultation should also be
made with Khadim-e-Harmain Al-Sharifain Shah Salman bin Abdul Aziz and
Ameer-e-Kuwait to resolve confronting issues of Islamic world. Ashrafi said
that a forum was being established on informal level between leading
personalities of Pakistan and Arab countries to improve and strengthen ties
between Pakistan and Arab Islamic Countries.
https://nation.com.pk/06-Jan-2021/pakistan-wants-unity-of-islamic-world-to-address-confronting-issues-ashrafi
--------
South
Asia
Rohingya
Photojournalist Released on Bail from Bangladesh Prison, Still Faces Charges
January
05, 2021
A
Burmese photojournalist has been released on bail from a Bangladeshi prison,
but he still faces charges and up to three years in prison.
Bangladeshi
authorities arrested Abul Kalam, Dec. 28 as he was photographing buses taking
Rohingyas from the Kutupalong camp to a new camp on the island of Bhasan Char.
In
an appearance in court Dec. 31, officials charged Kalam, a Rohingya refugee,
with assaulting and interfering with public officials, charges that could carry
a three-year prison sentence, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reported.
RSF
says the real reason for Kalam’s arrest was “the local authorities are annoyed
by his coverage of their handling of the Rohingya refugee issue, in particular,
the forced transfer of the refugees to Bhasan Char.”
The
group is calling for all charges against Kalam to be dropped.
In
early December the Bangladesh government began sending some Rohingya refugees
to Bhasan Char island, despite calls from human rights groups to halt the
process.
Government
officials say relocating the Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char will ease overcrowding
in the camps, which were set up to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of
Rohingya, a Muslim minority that fled violence in neighboring Myanmar in 2017.
https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/rohingya-photojournalist-released-bail-bangladesh-prison-still-faces-charges
--------
UNAMA
Welcomes Second Round of Peace Negotiations
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
05
Jan 2021
UNAMA
on Tuesday welcomed the return of negotiators to Doha and the organization
looks forward to a speedy resumption of talks between the negotiating teams.
According
to the statement, the negotiators are valuable in helping to reach a lasting
peace and end the violence, negotiators are facing daunting challenges and more
work remains to be done.
Both
teams cooperated well in the first round of the talks and made genuine progress
as they have agreed on a code of conduct for future negotiations and exchanged
draft agenda item, the statement read.
“I
urge both sides to use this opportunity to move ahead to create the conditions
for a reduction in violence that will end further loss of Afghan lives and
reach a political settlement that is acceptable to all segments of Afghan
society,” said Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative
for Afghanistan.
The
statement quoted Debora, “A cessation in fighting would create a better
atmosphere for talks, provide hope to the people, and allow humanitarian actors
to deliver much-needed winter assistance to Afghans across the whole country.”
United
Nations will remain in close contact and ready to support negotiating parties
as the second round of peace is set to soon begin in Doha, Qatar.
This
comes as the Peace negotiating team from the republic side left for Qatar,
Sayed Saadat Mansoor Naderi indicated the negotiators held 86 meetings with different
layers of Afghan society during the break, and the top demands of the Afghans
are nationwide ceasefire and peace.
Mohammad
Masoom Stanekzai, the lead body of negotiators expressed his hope that both
sides of negotiating teams would reach a result that represents the overall
demands of the Afghan people.
Chief
negotiator Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai said he hopes that both sides of the
negotiations reach a result that represents the demands of the Afghan people.
A
permanent end should be put to bloodshed in the country, he added.
As
the team left for Doha, US special envoy to Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay
Khalilzad met with Jihadi Leader Abdul Rab Rasool Sayaf in Kabul on Tuesday.
https://www.khaama.com/unama-welcomes-second-round-of-peace-negotiations-334422/
--------
6
ANA Soldiers Killed in Insider Attack: Ghazni
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
05
Jan 2021
Local
officials in Ghazni province said, six Afghan National Army members were killed
in an insider attack by the Taliban infiltrators on Tuesday.
According
to the officials, Six ANA personnel were killed in a security outpost in the
Tawhid Abad area of Ghazni province on Monday night.
The
assailant has reportedly poisoned the soldiers before murdering them, media
reported the attacker was a resident of Kandahar province.
On
the other hand, 203 Thunder Military Corps stated, that Two ANA soldiers were
killed and five others were wounded.
Following
the murder of seven of his comrade with the support of Taliban militants, the
attacker escaped the area.
Zabiullah
Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman confirmed the incident to the media and said that
Seven Afghan national army soldiers were killed and one was captured.
Earlier,
Security officials in Kandahar province say eight police officers have been
killed in an insider attack in Kandahar province.
According
to reports the infiltrator was a pro-Taliban and was against the government.
Kandahar
police spokesman Jamal Barakzai told the media, that the incident took place
last night in the Arghandab district center of the province.
https://www.khaama.com/6-ana-soldiers-killed-in-insider-attack-ghazni-444554445/
--------
US
Blames Taliban for Plotting Afghan Assassinations
By
Ayaz Gul
January
04, 2021
ISLAMABAD
- The United States has directly accused the Taliban of being behind a recent
wave of high-profile assassinations in Afghanistan, urging the insurgent group
to stop the violence “for peace to succeed.”
Monday’s
charges came hours after the Taliban accused U.S. forces of launching
airstrikes against insurgent-held areas in violation of their 2020 bilateral
agreement aimed at ending the long-running Afghan war.
The
controversy erupts as insurgent leaders and representatives of the U.S.-backed
Afghan government are due to reconvene in Qatar Tuesday for a next round of
peace negotiations.
A
spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan rejected as “false” allegations they
violated the agreement with the Taliban.
Col.
Sonny Leggett stressed in a statement Monday the U.S. military has been “clear
and consistent” in its resolve to defend Afghan security forces against Taliban
attacks.
“We
renew our call for all sides to reduce violence,” Leggett said on Twitter. “The
Taliban's campaign of unclaimed attacks & targeted killings of government
officials, civil society leaders & journalists must also cease for peace to
succeed.”
This
is the first time Washington has blamed the Taliban for weeks of largely
unclaimed attacks in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and elsewhere in the
conflict-torn South Asian nation.
The
violence has over the past two months claimed the lives of at least five
journalists, a provincial deputy governor, civilian society activists and a
renowned election observer.
Islamic
State militants have claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, though the
Afghan government has accused the Taliban of being behind all of them.
For
their part, insurgents have denied involvement and instead alleged the violence
is the work of so-called "spoilers” within Afghan security institutions to
subvert the U.S.-initiated peace process.
Earlier
Monday, the Taliban issued a statement accusing U.S. troops of repeatedly
carrying out airstrikes on insurgent-held areas in Kandahar, Nangarhar and
Helmand provinces “over the past few days” in support of Afghan security
forces.
Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid insisted the airstrikes have hit targets in
“non-military zones” in violations of their February 29, 2020, agreement with
the U.S.
Mujahid
demanded the U.S. military immediately halt the air raids and warned the
Taliban “will be forced to respond seriously, and all responsibility shall fall
squarely on American shoulders."
The
U.S.-Taliban agreement has stopped insurgent attacks against U.S. and NATO-led
allied troops in Afghanistan. It has also initiated direct peace talks between
the Taliban and Afghan government in September.
The
so-called intra-Afghan negotiations will resume Tuesday in the Qatari capital
of Doha, where the Taliban maintains its political office.
President
Donald Trump’s special envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad,
on Monday described as “unacceptable” the current level of violence, including
targeted killings.
“Those
perpetuating the violence seek to undermine the peace process and the country's
future. They do not reflect the will of the Afghan people, who yearn for
peace,” Khalilzad said on Twitter.
The
U.S. envoy, who negotiated and signed the February deal with the Taliban, made
the remarks on his latest trip to the region, including Doha, to push forward
the Afghan peace process.
“I
return to Doha and the region with expectations that the parties will make
tangible progress in the next round of Afghanistan Peace Negotiations,” he
said.
Khalilzad
reiterated his call for both Afghan rivals to quickly reach an agreement on a
political settlement and an “immediate significant” reduction in violence or a
cease-fire.
The
U.S. has started a “conditions-based” phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from
Afghanistan under the deal with the Taliban, which requires all U.S. and
NATO-led allied forces to be out of the country by May 2021.
U.S.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged last week that since the signing of
the deal, U.S. soldiers have suffered no deaths in Afghanistan. He said Trump’s
peace initiative also has made “incredible progress” toward ending years of
Afghan hostilities.
“No
U.S. servicemen have been killed in Afghanistan in almost a year, and Afghans
are finally discussing peace and reconciliation among themselves. Such
incredible progress,” Pompeo said in a series of tweets.
The
United States had fewer than 13,000 troops in Afghanistan at the start of 2020.
But that number has been significantly reduced since the deal with the Taliban,
and there will be around 2,500 U.S. forces left in the country by the middle of
this month.
https://www.voanews.com/usa/us-blames-taliban-plotting-afghan-assassinations
--------
Southeast
Asia
Australia
says Indonesia must ensure cleric linked to Bali bombings is not a threat
05
January 2021
Indonesia
must ensure a radical cleric and suspected mastermind of the 2002 Bali bombings
does not incite more violence when he is released from jail this week,
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said on Tuesday.
Abu
Bakar Bashir was jailed in 2011 for links to militant training camps in the
Indonesian province of Aceh. He is considered the spiritual leader of the al
Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network, which was accused of orchestrating
the bombings of nightclubs on the holiday island of Bali.
“Our
embassy in Jakarta has made clear our concerns that such individuals be
prevented from further inciting others to carry out future attacks against
innocent civilians,” Payne said in a statement.
Bashir,
82, denied any involvement in the Bali bombings. A lawyer for Bashir did not
immediately respond to a request for comment on his release, due on Friday.
The
Bali bombings killed more than 200 people, among them scores of Australians. JI
operatives were also accused of organizing an attack on the J.W. Marriott hotel
in Jakarta that killed 12 people in 2003.
A
senior JI operative was believed to have made bombs for both attacks.
Payne
said Australia has told Indonesia to ensure he is no longer a danger to others.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/05/Australia-says-Indonesia-must-ensure-cleric-linked-to-Bali-bombings-is-not-a-threat-
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Selangor
surau, mosques get nod to hold Friday, obligatory prayers for stipulated
congregation
06
Jan 2021
SHAH
ALAM, Jan 6 — The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) has allowed
Friday and obligatory prayers in the state to be conducted according to the
number of stipulated worshipers on Monday.
Jais
director Datuk Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad said the determination of the congregation
number was based on the current development of the localised Covid-19 pandemic
involving mosques and surau permitted to hold Friday prayers as well as surau
in the state.
He
said for the state mosque and the Tengku Ampuan Mosque in Bukit Jelutong, a
congregation of 500 people is allowed for Friday prayers and 150 for obligatory
prayers.
“For
39 management mosques and 17 institutional mosques, a congregation of 300
members are allowed for Friday prayers with 150 people for daily congregation
prayers.
“For
mosques and surau permitted to hold Friday prayers in Kuala Selangor, Sabak
Bernam and Hulu Selangor districts, the number of Friday prayer congregants is
according to the actual capacity of the main prayer hall with a physical
distancing of 1.5 metres while for obligatory prayers, the number is up to 40
worshipers including the administrators,” he said in a statement
He
added that for mosques and suraus permitted to hold Friday prayers in the
districts of Klang, Petaling, Kuala Langat, Sepang, Hulu Langat and Gombak,
only 40 pilgrims including the facility administrator are allowed for Friday
prayers and obligatory prayers.
He
said all surau, including institutional surau throughout the state, are allowed
to have 40 people to perform the obligatory prayers.
Commenting
further, Mohd Shahzihan said in his discussion with the Sultan of Selangor,
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah on allowing prayers yesterday, His Highness
expressed his disappointment that some parties claimed that mosques and suraus
in the state had been closed.
He
said, he was also saddened by the perception of some people that the decision
made earlier was like preventing Muslims from worshiping in mosques and surau.
“In
fact, mosques and surau in Selangor continue to be opened in stages based on
the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this matter was not
published by the media because there were changes according to local
circumstances.
“Therefore,
the Sultan wants the new permitted opening for the prayers to reach the
parishioners and to fully comply with the standard operating procedures set so
that mosques and suraus do not cause new outbreak of the Covid-19,” he said. —
Bernama
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/01/06/jais-friday-obligatory-prayers-allowed-in-selangor-for-stipulated-congregat/1937757
--------
Voters
in Malaysia, especially Malays, want Umno to stick with Perikatan Nasional:
Survey
Shannon
Teoh
JAN
5, 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR - Malaysians, especially the Malay majority, want Umno to remain part of
the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, a survey in late December by Merdeka Centre,
a top polling firm, showed.
The
largest party in the ruling PN pact has intensified calls in recent days to cut
ties with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and
force snap polls less than a year after forming the government together.
The
survey found only 31 per cent of voters agreed that Umno should withdraw from
PN, with 44 per cent disagreeing. Crucially, only 21 per cent of Malays - who
form the majority in more than half of the 222 parliamentary seats - said Umno
should pull out from the pact that unites the country's three main Malay-Muslim
parties while 62 per cent wanted PN to stay intact. The other main Muslim party
is Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).
However,
the poll between Dec 23 and 31 also showed the 1,202 respondents were nearly
evenly split on whether Umno should head into the next election as part of PN.
Among Malays, 36 per cent said Umno should go it alone and just over half
wanted the once-dominant party to join forces with Tan Sri Muhyiddin's coalition.
"In
our view, PN's dominance among the Malay electorate will be negatively affected
should Umno decide to go it alone and, along with it, cast uncertainty as to
the outcome if elections were held," the Merdeka Centre said in a press
release on Tuesday (Jan 5).
It
added that this scenario could create similar conditions to the watershed 2018
election, when Umno's six decades of uninterrupted rule was ended by Pakatan
Harapan (PH), as Malay voters were split three ways.
Mr
Muhyiddin and his party were part of PH in that poll but defectors in the
coalition led by him joined hands with Umno and PAS last February, leading to
the Bersatu president being sworn in as Prime Minister in March with a new
ruling pact, PN.
But
Umno chafed at playing second fiddle to Bersatu in terms of government posts as
well as influence over decision-making, culminating in a threat to torpedo the
administration's Budget 2021 during the year-end parliamentary sitting.
Umno
stayed its hand amid concerns that Malaysia's efforts to mitigate the impact of
the Covid-19 pandemic would be jeopardised if government spending was not
approved.
The
party's annual general meetings last weekend however saw about three quarters
of its divisions resolve to ditch Bersatu and force fresh elections by March.
Umno's
top leadership is set to decide on Wednesday on whether to ratify these
resolutions. The Straits Times understands that party president Ahmad Zahid
Hamidi - who has found himself sidelined by PM Muhyiddin - wants Umno's leaders
to resign government positions by next month.
On
Monday, Kelantan Umno chief Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub resigned as Malaysian Palm Oil
Board chairman, while Zahid on Tuesday replaced the Umno-led Barisan Nasional
(BN) coalition's secretary general Annuar Musa with his own loyalist Datuk Seri
Ahmad Maslan. Tan Sri Annuar is one of several Umno leaders in the Muhyiddin
Cabinet who still support cooperation with Bersatu.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/voters-in-malaysia-especially-malays-want-umno-to-stick-with-perikatan-survey
--------
Arab
World
Oil
hits 11-month high after Saudi Arabia pledges voluntary output cut
06
Jan 2021
Oil
prices rose on Wednesday to their highest since February 2020 after Saudi
Arabia agreed to reduce output more than expected in a meeting with allied
producers, while industry figures showed United States crude stockpiles were
down last week.
Brent
crude rose as much as nearly one per cent to $54.09 a barrel, the highest since
Feb 26, 2020. It was at $53.87 a barrel at 0536 GMT after jumping 4.9pc on
Tuesday.
US
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures reached $50.24 a barrel, also the highest
since Feb 26, before slipping to $50. The contract on Tuesday closed up 4.6pc.
Saudi
Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, agreed on Tuesday to make additional,
voluntary oil output cuts of one million barrels per day (bpd) in February and
March, after a meeting with the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (Opec) and other major producers that form the group known as Opec+.
The
reductions agreed by Saudi Arabia were included in a deal to persuade other
producers in the Opec+ group to hold output steady.
With
coronavirus infections spreading rapidly in many parts of the world producers
are trying to support prices as demand takes a hit from new lockdowns being put
in place.
“Despite
this bullish supply agreement, we believe Saudi’s decision likely reflects
signs of weakening demand as lockdowns return,” Goldman Sachs said in a note,
although the investment bank maintained its year-end 2021 forecast for Brent of
$65 a barrel.
Opec
member Iran’s seizure of a South Korean tanker in the Gulf on Monday also
continued to support prices. Tehran denied it was holding the ship and its crew
hostage after seizing the tanker while pushing for Seoul to release $7 billion
of funds frozen under US sanctions.
Meanwhile,
US crude oil inventories dropped by 1.7 million barrels in the week to Jan 1 to
491.3m barrels, data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute
showed late on Tuesday.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1600023/oil-hits-11-month-high-after-saudi-arabia-pledges-voluntary-output-cut
--------
Saudi
Arabia deepens cuts as OPEC+ agrees oil output rollover
05
January 2021
Saudi
Arabia will make additional, voluntary oil output cuts of one million barrels
per day (bpd) in February and March as part of a deal under which most OPEC+
producers will hold production steady in the face of new coronavirus lockdowns.
Saudi
is going beyond its promised cuts as part of the OPEC+ group of oil producers
to support both its own economy and the oil market, Energy Minister Prince
Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Tuesday.
The
move follows two days of talks among OPEC+ producers that will see most members
hold output steady next month.
Two
producers - Russia and Kazakhstan - will be allowed to bump up their output by
a combined 75,000 bpd in February and a further 75,000 bpd in March,
Kazakhstan’s energy minister said.
Benchmark
Brent oil was trading up about 5 percent at more than $53 per barrel at 1836
GMT.
Russia
and Kazakhstan had pushed for the group to raise production by 500,000 barrels
per day (bpd) for February, as it had done for January, while others wanted no
increase.
An
internal OPEC+ document dated Jan. 4 seen by Reuters highlighted bearish risks
and stressed that “the reimplementation of COVID-19 containment measures across
continents, including full lockdowns, are dampening the oil demand rebound in
2021”.
Saudi’s
energy minister on Monday urged caution, noting still fragile fuel demand and
the unpredictable impact of new variants of the coronavirus.
New
variants of the coronavirus first reported in Britain and South Africa have
since been found in countries across the world.
OPEC+
producers have been curbing output to support prices and reduce oversupply
since January 2017.
As
COVID-19 hammered demand for gasoline and aviation fuel and slashed Brent oil
prices, OPEC+ was forced to boost its output cuts to a record 9.7 million bpd
in mid-2020.
This
month’s 500,000 bpd rise in output narrowed OPEC+ cuts to 7.2 million bpd.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/economy/2021/01/05/Saudi-Arabia-deepens-cuts-as-OPEC-agrees-oil-output-rollover
--------
Qatari
stocks experience sharp rise as Gulf tensions ease, Dubai extends
05
January 2021
Qatar’s
stock market rose sharply in early Tuesday trade, buoyed by an easing in the
Gulf’s more than three-year diplomatic rift, while Dubai climbed for a third
session amid growth in the United Arab Emirates’ non-oil private sectors.
Saudi
Arabia agreed to reopen its airspace and land and sea border to Qatar in a deal
towards resolving a dispute that led Riyadh and its allies to impose a boycott
on Qatar in 2017.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
A
Gulf Arab summit will be held later on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss steps
towards ending the diplomatic row. Qatar’s ruling Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
al-Thani will attend the summit.
“This
is a long awaited outcome, and I see it as positive step towards dispute
resolution. We should see significant cost saving for some Qatari companies on
the fuel and logistics side,” said Joice Mathew, senior research manager at
United Securities.
The
Qatari index rose 1.8 percent, with all constituents trading in the green.
Industries
Qatar led the gains with a 3.3 percent jump, while the Gulf’s largest lender,
Qatar National Bank, added 2.2 percent.
Among
property stocks, Barwa Real Estae was up 1.2 percent.
In
Saudi Arabia, the index was up 0.2 percent. Consumer food and beverage company
Almarai climbed 3.8 percent, while the country’s largest lender, National
Commercial Bank, was up 0.6 percent.
The
Dubai index was up 0.7 percent, with Emaar Properties advancing 2.7 percent in
its third straight rise. Dubai Islamic Bank gained 0.6 percent.
Activity
in the United Arab Emirates’ non-oil private sector grew in December as its
Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which covers manufacturing and services, rose
to 51.2 in December from 49.5 in November, a survey showed. The 50.0-mark
separates growth from contraction
Abu
Dhabi’s index was down 0.2 percent, with Abu Dhabi Bank shedding 0.2 percent.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/markets/2021/01/05/Qatari-stocks-experience-sharp-rise-as-Gulf-tensions-ease-Dubai-extends
--------
Full
transcript of AlUla GCC Summit Declaration: Bolstering Gulf unity
Tuqa
Khalid
06
January 2021
The
Gulf countries signed the AlUla Declaration at the conclusion of the GCC Summit
on Tuesday, ending the dispute with Qatar and calling for unity and
strengthening relations.
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said during the summit there was an
urgent need for Gulf countries to unite their efforts, especially in the face
of the Iranian threat in the region.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Find
below the full text of the AlUla Declaration:
"The
41st Summit of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC)
affirms the commitment of the Member States to the goals stipulated in the GCC
Charter:
To
achieve coordination and integration between the Member States in all fields to
eventually reach a union of states.
To
achieve security, peace, stability, and prosperity in the region by working as
a single, unified economic and political group and contribute
The
outcomes of the 41st GCC Summit, which was titled “Summit of Sultan Qaboos and
Sheikh Sabah”, reflects the hopes and aspirations of the region’s peoples to
restore collaboration among all Member States to its natural path, and further
strengthen the bonds of brotherhood among them.
The
signature of the Arab Republic of Egypt on the Al-Ula Statement confirms the
strengthening of diplomatic relations between Egypt and GCC states. This
confirmation extends from the GCC Charter, which stipulates that coordination,
cooperation and integration between the GCC states aims to reinforce and serve
Arab interests.
The
world’s answers to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have
demonstrated what can be achieved when the global community works together.
During
the presidential term of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the G20 states managed to
accomplish unprecedented achievements in this area. Responding to the pandemic
and its effects requires robust GCC coordination, particularly in the following
areas:
The
full implementation of the vision put forth by the Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in the
36th GCC Summit in December 2015. This includes abiding by a timetable, the
completion of economic integration, the implementation of joint defense and
security systems, and a unified foreign policy for the Member States.
Establishing
and running the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control, which was
approved by the 41st GCC Summit based on the vision of the Custodian of the Two
Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz to coordinate efforts in combating
COVID-19 and other epidemics.
Completing
the requirements for the Customs Union and the Common Gulf Market. This
includes achieving full economic citizenship that grants citizens of GCC
countries the freedom to work, move and relocate, and invest in the Member
States. As well as equal access to education and health care, the construction
of the Gulf railway network, the creation of food and water security systems,
and continuing to encourage joint projects that localize investment in the
Gulf.
Utilizing
the advanced cooperation frameworks developed during the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia’s G20 presidency in all sectors. This includes economic stimulus and
business initiatives, enhancing civil society institutions, empowering women
and youth in economic development, and encouraging digital entrepreneurship. In
turn, the Supreme Council tasks the General Secretariat to follow up and
develop programs to execute the mentioned objectives in collaboration with
specialist consultancies.
Developing
technical capabilities at government entities, including artificial
intelligence to ensure quick and efficient execution of services. Upgrading
school curriculums, healthcare, e-commerce, and enhancing relations between the
Council and the Digital Cooperation Organization established in 2020 to further
advance digitization goals among the Member States.
Strengthening
governance, transparency, accountability, integrity, and anti-corruption
mechanisms through Joint-Gulf action and in all entities of the GCC, including
its specialized bureaus. As well as benefiting from the agreements of the G20
framework and the “Riyadh Initiative” pertaining to cooperation in
investigations of cross-border corruption and the prosecution of the
perpetrators in order to mitigate the impact corruption has on economic growth,
sustainable development, and mutual trust between governments and their
peoples.
Stemming
from the Joint-Defense Agreement and the principle of collective security for
GCC countries: Further military integration among GCC countries under the
supervision of the Joint-Defense Council, the Supreme Military Committee, and
the unified military leadership of the GCC, to face emerging challenges.
Continuing
the actions taken by the GCC countries, and the G20 headed by the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, to confront the pandemic and mitigate its effects locally,
regionally, and internationally, including assisting underdeveloped countries
in health and economic fields.
Strengthening
the regional and international role of the GCC by unifying policy and
developing strategic partnerships between the GCC and other states, groups,
regional organizations, and international organizations in the interest of
serving common goals.
The
“Sultan Qaboos and Sheikh Sabah Summit” reaffirms the keenness of the leaders
of the countries of the GCC to reinforce the Council’s strengths, realize the
aspirations of the citizens of the Gulf, and overcome all obstacles that hinder
collaboration among Member States."
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2021/01/06/Full-transcript-of-AlUla-GCC-Summit-Declaration-Bolstering-Gulf-unity
--------
Only
hundreds of US troops will remain in Iraq: PM Kadhimi
06
January 2021
Iraqi
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Khadhimi says only hundreds of US troops will remain
in the Arab country following the pullout of half of them within the next few
days.
“As
a result of the ongoing strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States,
batches of American forces have been withdrawn within technical schedules
during the past months. The withdrawal of more than half of those forces will
be completed within the coming days,” Kadhimi said in a televised speech on the
eve of the centenary of the Iraqi Army Day.
He
added, “Only hundreds of them will remain, for cooperation in the fields of
training, rehabilitation, armament and technical support. Their redeployment
outside Iraq is scheduled entirely within agreements between the two
countries.”
Kadhimi
highlighted that the withdrawal of the US forces “was based on the readiness of
Iraqi armed forces and security forces to protect the land of Iraq and preserve
the dignity of people.”
The
prime minister noted that Iraqi will not allow its territory to be the scene of
regional or international conflicts.
“The
Iraqi army is ready to fulfill its duty, and on the day of our brave army, we
announce that 2021 will be the year of Iraqi accomplishments at all levels,” he
said.
The
comments came days after Iran and Iraq marked the first anniversary of the
martyrdom of top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem
Soleimani and his Iraqi trenchmate Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of
the Popular Mobilization Units, along with their companions in a US terror
drone strike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International
Airport on January 3, 2020.
Angered
by the assassinations, Iraqi lawmakers approved a bill two days later,
demanding the withdrawal of all foreign military forces led by the United
States from the country.
The
Iraqi government has since been in talks with the American side over a
framework for a pullout of foreign troops from the Arab country.
On
the weekend, thousands of Iraqi mourners packed the streets leading to
Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, condemning the American occupiers for the
assassinations and renewing the call for them to withdraw from Iraqi soil.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/06/642388/Only-hundreds-of-US-troops-to-stay-in-Iraq-prime-minister-Kadhimi-says
--------
Iraq
sues US for disastrous uranium bombings
05
January 2021
Iraq
files its first lawsuit against the United States for bombing the Arab country
with depleted uranium several times over the course of two decades.
On
Tuesday, Iraq’s al-Maaloumah news website reported the initiation of the legal
proceedings related to the bombing spats that plagued Iraq with rampant and
deadly radioactive contamination.
The
lawsuit was lodged by Hatif al-Rikabi, the Iraqi parliament’s legal advisor,
with a Swedish court in Stockholm on December 26.
The
suit demands compensation for the repercussions of the bombings that targeted
the country’s former nuclear installations twice in the 1990s and once in the
2000s, said al-Rikabi, who is also a member of Baghdad’s negotiation team with
the United Nations.
He
said the weapons used in the assaults included bombs and missiles.
The
Iraqi legal team is trying to have the United Nations issue a resolution that
would oblige Washington to pay the reparations.
Attacks
against the former Iraqi regime’s nuclear facilities that also include one
Israeli aerial assault in 1981 have afflicted the country with such contamination
levels that have so far led to thousands of deaths.
The
fatalities have been ascribed to the various kinds of cancer, apoplexy, and
endless birth defects that have resulted from the fallout of the attacks.
During
2004, the US military also laid two massive military sieges to the city of
Fallujah, using large quantities of depleted uranium ammunition.
Officials
statistics show that by 2005, cancer rate in Iraq had doubled to at least 1,600
out of 100,000 people. Prior to the First Persian Gulf War in 1991, the rate
had stood at 40 out of 100,000 people.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/05/642357/Iraq-sues-United-States-uranium-bombings
--------
Riyadh
tries to demonize Iran as it restores diplomatic ties with Qatar
05
January 2021
Saudi
Arabia tries to demonize Iran again as it enters a détente with Qatar, more
than three years after Riyadh and its allies broke off their ties with Doha,
citing its close relations with Tehran, among other things.
On
Tuesday, the northwestern Saudi city of al-Ula hosted a meeting of the Persian
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which was entitled to resumption of diplomatic
relations between the kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt on
the one side, and Qatar on the other.
The
quartet severed their ties with Qatar in 2017, faulting Doha’s favorable stance
towards Iran, accusing it of supporting “terrorism” due to its backing of
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and the Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas,
and claiming that Doha was sowing regional instability.
They
called on Doha to downgrade its ties with Tehran and cease its support for the
Islamic groups, among other excessive demands, which Qatar rejected as an
attack on its sovereignty.
Chairing
the meeting, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Persian Gulf states
had reached a “solidarity and stability” agreement that had closed up the
rifts.
He,
meanwhile, went on a barrage of accusations, in which the Islamic Republic took
center stage.
“We
are in utmost need to unite our efforts to advance our region and confront the
challenges that surround us, particularly the threats posed by the Iranian
regime,” the crown prince alleged.
He
urged the regional council to stand against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic
missile programs as well as what he called “destructive sabotage projects.”
Regional
powerhouse Iran’s steady growth and burgeoning influence has hardly sat well
with the kingdom over the past years. Riyadh cut its diplomatic ties with
Tehran in early 2016 after angry protests in front of its Iran-based diplomatic
missions against its execution of senior Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Bin
Salman’s designation in 2017 as the next in line to assume Saudi kingship was
followed by an exponential increase in Riyadh’s animosity towards Tehran.
Under
bin Salman, the kingdom acted as one of the main forces which prompted the
United States’ 2018 withdrawal from a historic nuclear deal with Iran, after
which Washington returned its draconian sanctions against Tehran.
Observers
say the Saudi royal tries to regularly demonize Iran in order to deflect
attention from his own grave human rights violations, including overseeing a
hugely deadly war on Yemen since 2015, his widely-reported ordering of the 2018
assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and an ongoing crackdown
against the kingdom’s Shia minority and oppositionists.
They
also remind that bin Salman’s oft-repeated accusations of destabilization
against Iran that Tehran rejects as baseless flies in the face of Riyadh’s
widely-reported and drawn-out record of supporting regional Takfiri terrorist
outfits.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/05/642345/Saudi-Arabia-Qatar-Iran-GCC
--------
North
America
Biden
vowed to repeal Trump’s Muslim ban. That should be just the start.
by
Aarti Kohli and Hammad Alam
Jan.
5, 2021
President-elect
Joe Biden has pledged to repeal the Trump administration’s cruel Muslim and
African bans on his first day in office. That is, indeed, an urgent and
necessary move. But the work of healing from the damage caused will not simply
end with the stroke of a pen. Repealing the discriminatory travel bans is only
the first step in what should be a deeper transformation of our nation’s
policies.
The
bans have taken an immeasurable toll since they were enacted. Ramez
Alghazzouli, a Syrian American man, was separated from his wife Asmaa for years
before she was able to receive a visa and reunite with him in the United
States. “This can destroy a human being. I’m not an emotional guy but it
distracted and destroyed me,” Alghazzouli has said of his family’s journey. His
story is one of thousands.
A
few weeks ago, as part of our nearly four-year-long fight against the bans, our
coalition met with members of the Biden transition team to reiterate the urgent
need for repeal, make specific recommendations to address the harms suffered by
those impacted, and underscore the need to undo the bigotry the bans are
premised on. These are critical steps as we continue to work for a more just
and inclusive America.
First,
the Biden administration should work to reunite families separated by the bans
by expediting consideration of visas for those who have been refused or held in
administrative limbo. More than 41,000 people have been refused visas based on
the bans. The stories of those affected include Yassin Terou, a recently
naturalized Syrian American restaurant owner who has been indefinitely
separated from his ailing and nearly 70-year-old father. Or Mohammed Salem Ali,
a 64-year-old Somali man living in Malaysia whose wife and children were
admitted as refugees 10 years ago, and who dreams of attending his daughter’s
college graduation next spring. Reuniting families is not only a policy
imperative; it is core to our country’s social and moral fabric. The Biden
administration must make amends for the immense harm sustained by individuals
and families, including Americans.
Second,
the next administration should increase refugee numbers from the countries
impacted by the bans. The number of refugee admissions has decreased
dramatically after the initial admission of more than 207,000 refugees in 1980,
when the Refugee Act was passed. For 2020, President Trump set the number at
just 18,000, having already severely restricted refugee resettlement from
nearly a dozen Muslim-majority nations through his so-called refugee ban.
Meanwhile, Syrians who have suffered from a nearly decade-long civil war
continue to be barred indefinitely, and Yemenis who have witnessed a near-total
health-care and economic collapse are denied refuge. Biden’s intent to increase
refugee admissions to 125,000 is welcome, but to truly heal the wounds from the
incalculable harm inflicted by the bans, including Trump’s refugee ban, the
incoming administration must prioritize admissions from impacted countries.
Doing so will help restore the United States’ promise as a haven; failing to do
so risks repeating the tragic mistakes of our past.
Finally,
the Biden administration must take steps to address the deeper context from
which such prejudiced policies arose in the first place. The bans are premised
on the false and bigoted claim that African, Muslim and other communities
constitute an inherent threat to our country’s national security. Other
policies pre-dating the bans have long been justified on the same premise. Biden’s
administration should consult with these communities, their leaders, and
grass-roots organizations serving them to ensure they are no longer treated as
suspect. It must end discriminatory policing and surveillance programs, such as
the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Violent Extremism and the
targeting of Black, Arab, South Asian, and other communities under policing
partnerships such as the Joint Terrorism Task Force. These programs treat Black
and brown people as suspect and inherently violent, criminalizing our
communities and eroding trust while failing to achieve their own stated goals.
Our communities deserve safety and dignity, not suspicion and bigotry.
Repealing
the bans is a promising start, and we welcome the steps being taken by Biden’s
transition team to deliver that long-awaited relief. But repeals must go hand
in hand with deliberate steps that reflect the promise we all seek from this
nation: building an inclusive vision of what the United States can be, valuing
immigrants and refugees based on our shared humanity, and providing true
sanctuary to all.
A
repeal of the bans does not finish the work. It only begins it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/05/biden-trump-muslim-africa-ban-immigration-next-steps/
--------
Move
in US to strip Pakistan of major ally status has little support
Anwar
Iqbal
06
Jan 2021
WASHINGTON:
A Republican lawmaker has moved a bill in the 117th Congress, seeking to strip
Pakistan of its status as a major non-Nato ally of the United States.
The
US media, however, pointed out that “the legislation comes at a moment of
uncertainty over the incoming Biden administration’s posture towards Pakistan
after four years of tumultuous relations in the Trump era.”
“There
was no indication the bill will have momentum before the House Foreign Affairs
Committee,” noted The Washington Times newspaper while commenting on the move.
The
mover, Congressman Andy Biggs, although a prominent Republican from Arizona, is
not a member of the committee.
But
the relations did show some signs of improvement during the last two years of
the outgoing administration when it initiated a peace process with the Afghan
Taliban with Pakistan’s help. The process led to a peace agreement between the
United States and the Taliban but could not achieve the desired results of a
complete troop-withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The
incoming Biden administration, although not as keen on a military withdrawal as
President Trump has been, also wants to reduce America’s military footprints in
Afghanistan. And foreign policy experts in Washington say that the new
administration may not want to start its tenure with a major rupture with
Pakistan, as it could further complicate peace efforts in Afghanistan.
The
bill will need support from President-elect Joe Biden’s Democratic Party to
pass as Democrats are a majority in the House of Representatives.
The
Washington Times also pointed out that the bill, introduced on Sunday — the
first day of the 117th Congress — “drew little US media notice but triggered
headlines in India, which … has long been critical of US-Pakistan relations.”
https://www.dawn.com/news/1599981/move-in-us-to-strip-pakistan-of-major-ally-status-has-little-support
--------
US
collects $7 million in Iranian assets for victims of terrorism fund: Justice
Dept.
Tuqa
Khalid
05
January 2021
The
United States government collected $7 million in Iranian funds to be allocated
to compensation to American victims of state-sponsored terrorism, the Justice
Department said on Tuesday.
The
funds were the US share of a civil forfeiture that targeted attempts to violate
sanctions on the Iranian regime and Iranian nationals with fraudulent transfers
of approximately $1 billion of Iranian-owned funds to accounts around the
globe, the department said in a statement.
“The
funds subject to today’s stipulation had been destined to benefit criminal
actors who engaged in an elaborate scheme to violate US sanctions against Iran,
one of the world’s leading state sponsors of terrorism,” said Acting Assistant
Attorney General David Burns of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
The
Justice Department said that between 2011 and 2014 three Iranian nationals and
one US citizen defrauded South Korean banks by submitting false documents
showing that Iranian companies were doing legitimate business with Korean
companies.
“Based
on these false documents, the conspirators succeeded in unlawfully transferring
approximately $1 billion worth of Iranian-owned funds out of South Korea and
into the world’s financial markets,” the statement read.
The
$7 million will be allocated to the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism
Fund, which Congress set up to provide compensation to certain individuals who
were injured in acts of international state-sponsored terrorism, including
victims of the 1979 US embassy hostage situation in Iran, among others.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/05/US-collects-7-million-in-Iranian-assets-for-victims-of-terrorism-fund-Justice-Dept-
--------
US
hits Iran with fresh sanctions targeting steel sector
05
January 2021
The
US imposed fresh Iran-related sanctions targeting the steel sector on Tuesday,
according to the Treasury Department’s website, continuing to increase pressure
on Tehran in the final weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Washington
blacklisted more than a dozen entities and one person, according to the
website.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
designated a China-based supplier of graphite electrodes, a key element in
steel production, as well as twelve Iranian producers of steel and other metals
products, and three foreign-based sales agents of a major Iranian metals and
mining holding company,” a statement released by the US Treasury added.
The
statement added that the Iranian metals sector is an important revenue source
for the Iranian regime, generating wealth for its corrupt leaders and financing
a range of nefarious activities, including the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction and their means of delivery, support for foreign terrorist groups,
and a variety of human rights abuses, at home and abroad.
“The
Trump Administration remains committed to denying revenue flowing to the Iranian
regime as it continues to sponsor terrorist groups, support oppressive regimes,
and seek weapons of mass destruction,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.
The
sanctions were placed according to Executive Order 13871, which imposes
sanctions on several sectors of the Iranian economy, including Iran’s steel
sector, that according to the Treasury’s website continue to generate
significant revenue for the Iranian regime.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/05/US-hits-Iran-with-fresh-sanctions-targeting-steel-sector
--------
US
continues to provoke Iran into war: Analyst
05
January 2021
The
United States continues to provoke Iran into a war, and that is the goal of
Washington and Israel, an American author and political analyst says.
Daniel
Kovalik, an academic at the University of Pittsburgh, made the remarks in a
phone interview with Press TV on Tuesday after the United States reversed a
decision to bring an aircraft carrier home from the Persian Gulf, claiming the
decision was due to "recent threats" from Iranian officials.
On
December 31, acting US defense secretary Christopher C. Miller ordered the USS
Nimitz, which has been patrolling Persian Gulf waters since late November, to
"transit directly home to complete a nearly 10-month deployment."
Citing
US officials then, The New York Times said the move was part of a
"de-escalatory" signal to Iran in efforts to avert stumbling into a
crisis in the final days of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Iran
has slammed the new psychological war waged by the outgoing US administration
against Tehran, warning that the country will strongly defend its interests in
case of any miscalculations by the United States in the region.
Speaking
at a press conference on Tuesday, Ali Rabiei, the Iranian administration’s
spokesman, said Tehran has evidence that some in the US are seeking to trigger
a new conflict in West Asia.
“It
is very unlikely that the US administration will miscalculate Iran’s resolute
intentions as well as its deterrence and retaliation capability. We have made
it clear to them that we will not start any war directly or indirectly, but if
a blatant mistake is made by the United States, we will defend our security and
vital interests with full force,” Rabiei added.
Read
more
US
aggression against Iran could ignite global catastrophe
“Well,
I'm very concerned by this decision to keep this carrier in the Persian Gulf. I
think it shows that the US continues to want to provoke Iran into a war. I'm
pretty convinced that that is the goal of both the US and Israel Kovalik told
Press TV.
“And
I think this decision confirms that for me. I think the goal in the Middle East
and West Asia for the United States and Israel, the main goal is to neutralize
Iran as a regional power. How that is done? I think it's not clear how that
will happen,” he added.
“I
think the US will continue massive economic sanctions, and again some sort of
military assault. I think, we see some antecedents for this in Iraq and Syria,
and Libya. We know that the US is willing to sow chaos and destruction in order
to undermine a power such as Iran,” he stated.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/05/642335/US-continues-to-provoke-Iran-into-war
--------
Europe
EU
concerned about Iran’s breaching nuclear deal
Agnes
Szucs
05.01.2021
BRUSSELS
The
European Union on Tuesday reminded Iran of the severe consequences of breaching
the 2015 nuclear deal.
The
EU spokesperson called Iran’s renewed nuclear enrichment activities
“regrettable”.
“This
action is in breach of Iran’s nuclear commitments and will have serious
implications,” Peter Stano warned.
“We
are highly concerned by the measures taken by Iran”, he added.
However,
Stano also stressed the importance of the international agreement and the
bloc’s commitment to maintaining it.
Late
last week, Iran confirmed a plan to increase uranium enrichment up to 20% as a
counter-measure against the US sanctions.
The
nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK,
Germany, and the EU.
The
US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018. Following the
confrontations with the US, Iran announced to stop complying with the 2015
nuclear deal last year.
Under
the nuclear agreement, Tehran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67%. Iran,
later on, breached the threshold in response to the US withdrawal from the deal
and raised the level to 4.5%.
Since
the beginning of the conflict, the EU diplomacy along with the UK, Germany, and
France have been trying to reassure Iran’s return to the pact by various
diplomatic means, including triggering the dispute mechanism solution under the
treaty.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-concerned-about-iran-s-breaching-nuclear-deal/2099067
--------
Russia
calls Iran’s increased enrichment of Uranium ‘a step away from nuclear deal’
Rawad
Taha
05
January 2021
Moscow
called Iran’s decision to enrich Uranium to 20 percent a step away from nuclear
deal, reported Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency on Tuesday.
“Tehran’s
moves to enrich uranium fuel to 20 percent are a deviation from the provisions
of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran
nuclear deal” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released by
Sputnik.
Iran
has started producing 20 percent enriched uranium, the country’s nuclear
organization said, confirming an announcement by the UN atomic watchdog that it
was now exceeding the threshold set by a 2015 nuclear deal. The decision has
sparked a series of statements condemning the increase in enrichment from
multiple countries including the European Union, US, Israel, Japan, China, and
others.
Russian
Foreign Ministry added that these actions cannot be considered a violation of
the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, since Iran maintained
transparency in everything related to its nuclear program and has allowed
inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor the
increase of enrichment.
China’s
Foreign Ministry urged calm and restraint on Tuesday after Iran said it had
resumed 20 percent uranium enrichment, breaching a 2015 nuclear pact with major
powers, including China.
Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, speaking to reporters, said all
parties should avoid taking steps that could exacerbate tensions.
Japan’s
top government spokesman on Tuesday said the country was deeply concerned about
Iran’s latest announcement of a resumption of 20 percent uranium enrichment.
“The
government has strong concerns about this move, which is a breach of a nuclear
agreement,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato told reporters.
The
US also criticized Iran’s statement that it had begun the process of enriching
uranium to 20 percent, well above the limit set in the 2015 nuclear deal that
Washington abandoned, as a form of “nuclear extortion.”
The
European Union said Tuesday it would redouble its efforts to save the Iran
nuclear agreement despite what it calls Tehran’s “important breach” of
commitments made in the 2015 deal by starting to enrich uranium to new levels.
EU
spokesman Peter Stano said that Iran’s actions “will have serious implications
when it comes to nuclear nonproliferation.” Stano said it was in everyone’s
interest to rescue the deal and said the 27-nation bloc “will strengthen” its
attempts to make sure all adhere to the commitments made in the landmark deal.
Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that arch foe Iran’s renewal of
uranium enrichment proves that it is seeking to build nuclear arms despite its
denials.
Netanyahu
said in a statement that the move “cannot be explained in any way except as the
continued realization of its intention to develop a military nuclear program”.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2021/01/05/Russia-calls-Iran-s-increased-enrichment-of-Uranium-a-step-away-from-nuclear-deal-
--------
Austria:
Victims of 'terror' operation suffer trauma
Askin
Kiyagan and Mehmet Nur Ucar
05.01.2021
An
imam and his family in Vienna have continued to suffer from the psychological
and physical effects of police violence after their home was raided under the
pretext of a "terror operation."
Vienna
police on Nov. 9 raided 60 addresses and detained 30 Muslim activists and
academics in an operation dubbed "Operation Luxor" on charges of
"establishing a terrorist organization, financial support for terrorism,
organized crime formation, and money laundering."
The
police using disproportionate force against people well-known to the public and
treating them as terrorists led to reactions from various groups. Many
non-governmental, journalists and writers called for the issue to be urgently
clarified.
Excessive
police force during the raids has left its mark on the members of a family that
were subjected to violence by the security forces.
Among
them, an imam whose home was raided spoke to Anadolu Agency about what they experienced
during and after the police operation.
The
imam, who has asked not to be named and so will be referred to as I.M.E., has
resided in Austria since 1998 and said he has been working as a manager at a
non-governmental organization alongside his services as an imam for the local
Muslim community.
An
Austrian national, I.M.E. said he thought a thief had entered their dwelling or
that a fire had broken out when he first heard the noise and commotion until
coming face-to-face with the police officers at their door.
"They
laid me on the ground without any warning. I didn't resist at all and remained
very calm. Even though I was calm and didn't resist, one of them got on my back
with his knee," he recounted.
He
said he yelled in pain as the bulky police officer exerted pressure on his back
where he suffered from a condition in his chest and ribcage. "As if that
wasn't enough, while I was facedown on the ground, they forcefully and
erratically turned my head to the right and left to take my photo."
The
police would only later show him their warrant by which they conducted a
meticulous search of his home, said the imam, adding that he thought he would
die throughout the ordeal.
'Losing
confidence in my country'
I.M.E.
still wonders why he was subjected to this kind of treatment.
"I've
always stressed the importance of adapting to this country, as well as
respecting and obeying the laws in my khutbahs [public sermons]. I opposed all
forms of extremism and terror, from whichever source, and [urged] working towards
strengthening peace," he said.
Adding
that the experience had been a blow to his confidence in his country, he said
the Austrian officials should have spent more time finding the actual
terrorists who committed terror attacks instead of monitoring Muslim civilians.
The
government could have sent normal police to his door instead of the special
forces, he said, voicing his disappointment.
He
recounted that was subsequently questioned for 12 hours before being allowed to
return home, where he had to learn what the other members of his family had
experienced during the raid.
After
witnessing the police barge in with long-barreled firearms, his wife fainted
and remained unconscious for 10 minutes, while their 8-year-old daughter
screamed when she heard his father's voice but was prevented by the police from
reaching his side.
"After
this incident, my wife and daughter didn't want to encounter any police officer
in any way. My wife and daughter couldn't sleep for the first three days after
the incident. They suffered from hallucinations about the incident like the
police's clamor," he said.
With
his own chest pain having worsened after the raid, he added that he had been
deemed unable to work by medical professionals.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/austria-victims-of-terror-operation-suffer-trauma/2099064
--------
EU
welcomes Saudi Arabia, Qatar borders reopening
Busra
Nur Bilgic Cakmak
05.01.2021
The
EU on Tuesday welcomed the opening of borders and airspace between Saudi Arabia
and Qatar ahead of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.
Speaking
in the daily press briefing, EU spokesperson Peter Stano said “this will
hopefully lead to restoring the unity of the GCC and towards the resumption of
the full cooperation within this regional grouping.”
The
crisis in the past three years had impacts beyond the Gulf region, Stano said
and added that the EU has been supporting a negotiated inter-Gulf solution.
Saudi
Arabia and Qatar agreed to reopen airspace and sea and land borders as of
Monday night, a move signaling an end to a feud of more than three years
between Doha and its neighbors.
The
developments mark a breakthrough in efforts to end a diplomatic crisis that has
seen Qatar facing a blockade by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, and Egypt since June 2017.
Accusing
Qatar of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs, the four
countries cut ties with Doha and imposed a land, sea, and air blockade on the
country.
Doha
has vehemently denied the allegations, accusing its neighbors of attacking its
sovereignty, and voiced readiness for dialogue to end the impasse.
The
GCC summit is set to kick off in the Saudi capital Riyadh today.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-welcomes-saudi-arabia-qatar-borders-reopening/2099047
--------
Turkey
rescues nearly 80 irregular migrants in Aegean
Sabri
Kesen, Ali Balli, Mehmet Yavas
05.01.2021
Turkey
rescued nearly 80 asylum seekers, including a group pushed back by the Greek
Coast Guard into Turkish territorial waters in the Aegean Sea, a security
source said Monday.
Nineteen
asylum seekers were stranded on a dinghy due to an engine breakdown and were
rescued off the coast of Marmaris district in Turkey’s southwestern Mugla
province, said the source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on
speaking to the media.
Another
group of 34 asylum seekers were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard, who were
conducting a routine patrol off the coast of Bodrum district in Mugla province.
Separately,
another Turkish Coast Guard team was dispatched off the coast of Ayvacik in
northwestern Canakkale province to rescue 26 asylum seekers.
The
asylum seekers were trying to reach Greece’s Lesbos (Midilli) Island on a
dinghy and a life boat.
Security
sources said the asylum seekers were pushed back to Turkish territorial waters
by the Greek Coast Guard.
After
routine checks, all of the asylum seekers were taken to the provincial
migration authority.
Turkey
has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to
start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Earlier
this year, the country opened its gates to irregular migrants seeking to reach
Europe, accusing the EU of failing to keep its promises under a 2016 migrant
deal.
Turkey
has repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing back asylum
seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by
endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-rescues-nearly-80-irregular-migrants-in-aegean/2098370
--------
French
Imam Will Be Prosecuted for 2017 Antisemitic Sermon at Mosque in Toulouse
JANUARY
5, 2021
A
French imam is to be prosecuted for racial hatred over a sermon he delivered in
2017 calling for Muslims to “fight the Jews.”
Algerian-born
Mohamed Tatai was indicted at the end of 2018 for “public verbal provocation to
hatred or violence” following an investigation into the sermon, which he gave
at the En Nourr mosque in the Empalot district of the city of Toulouse in
December 2017.
Tatai
allegedly cited a hadith — a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad — that
“on Judgment Day the Muslims will fight and kill the Jews.” Video of his
remarks was obtained by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which
then posted Tatai’s sermon online.
Shimon
Cohen — a lawyer for CRIF, the representative organization of the French Jewish
community — confirmed on Tuesday that Tatai was being prosecuted for “inciting
discrimination, hatred or violence […] because of the origin or membership of a
specific ethnic group, nation, race or religion.” A date for the 57-year-old
imam’s trial has not been set.
Lawyers
for Tatai expressed confidence that the charges against him would not pass
muster in court. In a statement, his legal team claimed that Tatai had “always
been on good terms with the representatives of the Jewish community,” and that
he had “largely explained the meaning of his preaching and the total exclusion
of any incitement to hatred.”
Toulouse
is remembered as the location of one of the worst atrocities committed against
French Jews by violent Islamists. In March 2012, Mohamed Merah shot dead three
young children and a teacher at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish school during a 10-day
terror spree.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/01/05/french-imam-will-be-prosecuted-for-antisemitic-sermon-at-mosque-in-toulouse/
--------
Mideast
Netanyahu’s
hopes for re-election hinge on COVID-19 vaccination campaign
06
January 2021
For
media-obsessed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the coronavirus vaccine has
arrived just in time.
With
elections approaching in March, Netanyahu has placed his world-leading
vaccination drive at the center of his reelection campaign — launching an
aggressive media blitz portraying him as almost singlehandedly leading the
country out of the pandemic. He appears to be betting that a successful
vaccination effort can persuade voters to forget about his corruption trial and
the economic damage caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Netanyahu,
like his good friend Donald Trump and other world leaders, frequently tries to
use social media and tightly controlled press conferences to bypass the
traditional media — and the scrutiny that has come along with it. While this
strategy has often served Netanyahu well, his obsession with controlling the
message also threatens to backfire.
It
lies at the heart of a corruption case in which he is accused of granting
favors to powerful media figures in exchange for positive coverage of him and
his family. An expanded indictment released this week outlined 150 incidents
showing detailed control he allegedly tried to exert over the media. This
included pressure on a news site to drop critical coverage about a lacy dress
worn by his wife, and pushing the site to publish photos of her meeting actor Leonardo
DiCaprio.
Netanyahu’s
tactics have also contributed to a nascent uprising in his own party.
Two
prominent defectors accused him of creating a “personality cult” in their
resignation speeches.
Since
he became the first Israeli to be vaccinated two weeks ago in a festive event
broadcast live on national television, Netanyahu’s office has pumped out a
constant stream of statements, tweets and videos showing the prime minister
extolling the virtues of the vaccine and claiming credit for making it available
to the broader public.
“I
have brought the vaccines and you are giving the vaccines,” he recently told
health workers at a clinic in an Arab town in northern Israel as he implored
residents to get the shot. “The whole world is amazed at Israel. They are
writing that Israel is a wonder.”
By
many counts, Israel has pulled off a significant achievement so far. In just
over two weeks, the country has given nearly 1.4 million people the
Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, roughly 15 percent of its population. That is the
highest level in the world on a per capita basis, according to “Our World in
Data,” an open source research site that compares official government
statistics. Israel aims to vaccinate most of the population by the end of March
— just around election time.
Netanyahu
has made the campaign deeply personal.
He
welcomed the first shipment of vaccines at the airport. He got vaccinated on
national TV, and he made sure to be at health clinics to greet the 500,000th
and 1 millionth people to be vaccinated — with both events streamed live on
YouTube.
Netanyahu
boasts of his relationships with the chief executives of Pfizer and Moderna,
implying his connections helped acquire millions of hard-to-get doses of
vaccines. “I speak to them all the time,” he recently quipped.
Netanyahu
rose to prominence in the 1990s in great part thanks to his mastery of the
media. He is at ease on camera and capable of speaking in clear sound bites in
both Hebrew and American-accented English. Despite his skill as a communicator,
he has had a rocky relationship with the Israeli media.
Sounding
much like Trump, he accuses the media of having a liberal bias and leading a
“witch hunt” against him. He has embraced social media and brags about
circumventing the traditional media to spread his messages. When he invites
reporters to his press conferences, he rarely takes questions.
Last
week, Netanyahu welcomed the convicted US spy Jonathan Pollard to Israel,
capping a 35-year saga. “What a moment,” Netanyahu declared on the airport
tarmac in the middle of the night. Only no media were invited to witness the
moment. Netanyahu’s office later released smartphone photos and video taken by
an aide.
Materials
distributed by his political party, Likud, go even further. In November, it
released a video of Netanyahu getting a haircut and going to a vegetable store
— a message that he was doing his part to help struggling businesses hurt by
the country’s economic crisis.
“We
thank you for the 24 hours every day that you give to the people of Israel,”
the barber told him. “Prime Minister No. 1!” a supporter shouted as he exited
the minimarket.
Gideon
Saar, a Netanyahu stalwart, broke away from Likud last month to form his own
party, accusing Netanyahu of turning Likud into a tool for personal survival as
he goes on trial.
Zeev
Elkin, a longtime confidant of Netanyahu, later joined Saar. “Mr. Prime
Minister, you’ve destroyed the Likud and brought an atmosphere of a cult of
personality, sycophancy, fear of expressing criticism, and a Byzantine court,”
he said.
Saar’s
new party, courting other right-wing voters disenchanted with Netanyahu’s rule,
has emerged as a formidable force. Opinion polls forecast Saar’s party
finishing second, behind the Likud, but at the head of a mix of anti-Netanyahu
parties that together could end Netanyahu’s 12-year reign.
Netanyahu
accuses his rivals of being motivated by little more than sour grapes and
shared animosity toward him. He says they are focused on petty politics while
he is carrying out “a giant vaccination operation” that will make Israel the
first country to exit the coronavirus crisis.
It
remains unclear whether Israel will procure enough vaccines to keep up the
torrid pace of inoculations. It also is unclear whether Netanyahu’s message
will resonate with the legions of voters who have lost their jobs — especially
with the country in its third lockdown as it faces a new outbreak.
Meanwhile,
Netanyahu’s corruption trial, set to resume in the coming weeks, looms. He has
been charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. The most serious
charges claim he promoted lucrative regulations that benefited the Bezeq
telecom company in exchange for favorable coverage about him on the company’s
popular Walla news site.
“He
wants to be loved by the media, but he hates the media at the same time,” said
Tehilla Shwartz Altshuller, a senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/coronavirus/2021/01/06/Netanyahu-s-hopes-for-re-election-hinge-on-COVID-19-vaccination-campaign-
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Israeli
forces shoot, kill Palestinian over alleged stabbing attack
05
January 2021
Israeli
forces have shot and killed a young Palestinian over an alleged stabbing attack
in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem.
The
Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the deadly shooting on Tuesday and said
Ahed Abd al-Rahman Ikhlil, a 25-year-old man from the nearby town of Beit
Ummar, had been shot and killed by Israeli fire in Bethlehem.
Images
from the scene showed the 25-year-old lying immobilized on the ground and an Israeli
soldier inspecting him.
The
Israeli military claimed that the young Palestinian had attempted to carry out
a stabbing attack against the occupying forces near the Gush Etzion settlement
junction, north of the West Bank city of al-Khalil (Hebron).
Israeli
media said the forces closed the permanent military checkpoint at the entrance
of Beit Ummar in the aftermath of the shooting, preventing residents from
leaving or entering the town.
Moreover,
Yusef Abu Maria, a rights activist in the town of Beit Ummar, told the
Arabic-language Palestinian Safa news agency that the occupation forces had
"stormed the house of the martyr's family and summoned them for
investigation at the Etzion center."
Many
Palestinians have sustained injuries or lost their lives in similar incidents
due to allegations that they attempted stabbing or car-ramming attacks.
The
Tel Aviv regime has been criticized for its extensive use of lethal force and
extrajudicial killings against Palestinians who do not pose an immediate threat
to the occupation forces or to the Israeli settlers.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law. The UN Security
Council has condemned Israel's settlement activities in the occupied
territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians
want the West Bank as part of a future independent Palestinian state with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/01/05/642349/Israeli-forces-shoot,-kill-Palestinian-over-alleged-stabbing-attack
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Security
Source: Iran Done with Tolerating Israel, Punishment Awaiting Netanyahu Now
2021-January-5
The
news outlet pointed to the Tuesday threat by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu
that he would block Iran's acquisition of the nuclear weapons, and quoted
"an informed security source" as saying while the Israeli regime has
been seeking to thrive on growing instability in the region, "the Islamic
Republic's policy entailed avoiding escalating trends in dealing with these
devilish acts".
"Yet,
this approach has caused misunderstanding for the Zionist regime leaders who
intensified tensions in the region," he said, and added, "Hence, the
situation has given rise to a national demand for inconsiderate and decisive
confrontation against the Zionists' devilish acts."
The
unnamed security source said Netanyahu's reaction implied an acknowledgement of
the Zionist regime's role in the hostile actions against Iran in recent months.
"Under
these circumstances, the Zionist regime should wait for the outcomes of
incidents whose responsibility falls on the regime's leaders," he said.
"The
regime should realize that any kind of aggression against Iran's interests and
security, no matter it claims or denies the responsibility, will face the
Islamic Republic's crusing and decisive response," he warned.
Iran
on Monday started the process for enriching uranium to the 20-percent purity
level. The product is used to fuel the Tehran Research Reactor that produces
radioisotopes for cancer diagnosis. The operation had ceased under the nuclear
deal between Iran and the six world powers, but after five years of compliance
with the agreement and receiving no merit, Tehran started a trend last year to
row back on its undertakings to stimulate the EU - and the US that exited the
deal in May 2018 - to stop defying their committments.
A
day later, the Israeli prime minister escalated tensions and accused Iran of
plans to develop nuclear weapons.
“Israel
will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu claimed.
Also,
when asked during an interview with Israel's Ynet if there is a chance the
situation with Iran will “erupt,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he sees a
possibility of “events” happening in the Iranian front.
“I
don’t know if the situation will erupt,” he said. “An eruption of the situation
is a function of what will happen in these events. I must add that the IDF and
the rest of the Israeli security forces are on alert and are well aware of what
is happening in this front.”
This
current period of time is a sensitive one, especially due to the coming changes
in the US administration, Gantz said.
Iran
has accused Israel of the November assassination of its highly renowned nuclear
scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and an earlier sabotage attack on its nuclear
facility in Natanz. Even US officials have accused Israel for the two incidents
and former CIA Chief John Brennan called the assassination a crime that risked
inflaming conflict in the region.
“This
was a criminal act & highly reckless. It risks lethal retaliation & a
new round of regional conflict,” Brennan said in a series of tweets.
“Such
an act of state-sponsored terrorism would be a flagrant violation of
international law & encourage more governments to carry out lethal attacks
against foreign officials.”
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991016001061/Secriy-Srce-Iran-Dne-wih-Tleraing-Israel-Pnishmen-Awaiing-Neanyah-Nw
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AEOI
Head: Iran to Boost No. of Centrifuges by 1,000 Soon
2021-January-5
"One
thousand centrifuges are being installed inside the country,” Salehi said on
Tuesday, adding, "Until three or four years ago, we used to produce an
average of 4 to 5 tons of yellowcake, but for the past two years, we have
increased the production of yellowcake to 30 tons."
Stressing
that Iran can produce about 8 to 9 kg per month to reach 120 kg in line with
the implementation of the Parliament's strategic action to lift sanctions, he
noted, "Iran has produced 20% enriched uranium in 24 hours."
"This
year, the production of yellowcake will be between 35 and 40 tons, which means
that we have 8-folded the production of yellowcake," the AEOI chief went
on to say.
"We
can produce about 17 to 20 grams of enrichment per hour," he added.
"We
are currently installing one thousand IR-2m centrifuges, but 2 cascades are
installed and working," Salehi elaborated.
Iranian
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that resumption of 20% uranium
enrichment operation in the country is totally based on the Non-proliferation
Treaty and Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, stressing that Tehran will not
be excited by Washington’s likely return to the JCPOA.
Araqchi
said in a televised program on Monday that the recent restarting of uranium
enrichment up to 20% purity is in full compliance with the NPT, JCPOA and the
safeguards, stressing that if the US returns to its JCPOA commitments the move
will not make Iran happy.
“Westerners
are suffering from a delusion and think that due to pressures imposed on the
country by US sanction in the past years, the Islamic Republic is ready and
will quickly embrace America’s return to the deal and so they can set
conditions for the lifting of the sanctions. This is a completely wrong and
delusional understanding,” He added.
“Steps
in reducing JCPOA-related commitments come in response to other parties’
failure to fulfill their obligations under the deal after the unilateral
withdrawal of the United States,” the diplomat reiterated.
Referring
to the 20% uranium enrichment, Araqchi noted, “The IAEA had been fully informed
about the decision and all the required legal steps had been taken in presence
of IAEA inspectors.”
“The
steps are a right for Iran according to article 36 of the JCPOA,” he said.
The
diplomat stressed that the enriched uranium is for the use of a research
reactor.
“We
adhere to our principle on nuclear weapons being religiously forbidden. Nukes
have no place either in our religious principles or in our defensive and
security calculations,” he said.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991016000862/AEOI-Head-Iran-Bs-N-f-Cenrifges-by-000-Sn
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Iran
denies seized South Korean ship and crew being used as hostages
06
January 2021
Iran
denied on Tuesday it was using a South Korean ship and its crew as hostages, a
day after it seized the tanker in the Gulf while pressing a demand for Seoul to
release $7 billion in funds frozen under US sanctions.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
seizure of the MT Hankuk Chemi and its 20-member crew near the strategic Strait
of Hormuz has been seen as an attempt by Tehran to assert its demands, just two
weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office in the US.
Iran
wants Biden to lift sanctions imposed by outgoing President Donald Trump.
Tehran’s critics have long accused it of capturing ships and foreigners as a
method of gaining leverage in negotiations.
“We’ve
become used to such allegations,” Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei told
a news conference. “But if there is any hostage-taking, it is Korea’s
government that is holding $7 billion, which belongs to us, hostage on baseless
grounds.”
South
Korea summoned the Iranian ambassador, called for the ship to be released and
said it was dispatching a delegation to Iran to discuss it. Iran says the ship
was held over environmental violations.
Iran’s
ability to challenge shipping in the Gulf is one of its main points of leverage
in what is expected to be a difficult negotiation when the Biden administration
takes office on January 20. In 2019, Iran held a British tanker for two months.
South
Korea, like other countries, is required to limit Iran’s access to its
financial system under the US sanctions, which were imposed by Trump after he
abandoned a nuclear agreement reached with Iran under predecessor Barack Obama.
Iran
says the sanctions are illegal and have hurt its economy, including its ability
to respond to the worst outbreak of COVID-19 in the Middle East.
Biden
aims to revive the nuclear agreement, but any thaw is likely to pose a
diplomatic challenge. Since Trump abandoned the deal, Iran has taken steps that
violate it; Biden says Iran must be fully compliant before the deal can be
restored, while Iran says Washington must first lift the sanctions.
On
Monday, Tehran announced it had stepped up uranium enrichment at an underground
facility, its latest move in violation of the nuclear deal’s terms.
Crew
‘safe’
South
Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on Tuesday she was making
diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the tanker and had made contact
with her counterpart in Tehran.
Iran’s
ambassador in Seoul, Saeed Badamchi Shabestari, asked about the status of the
ship’s crew before his meeting at the foreign ministry, told reporters “all of
them are safe”.
In
addition to a South Korean delegation expected to go to Iran as soon as
possible to try to free the ship, South Korea’s vice foreign minister, Choi
Jong-kun, is scheduled to visit Iran on Sunday. Iranian state TV cited a Tehran
government official as saying the visit had been scheduled earlier, to discuss
the frozen funds.
Iran’s
foreign ministry also said the visit was not linked to the tanker. “This matter
is moving along ... its legal path and does not require a diplomatic trip,” the
state news agency IRNA quoted ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying.
“The
Korean government’s behavior in this regard is incomprehensible. ... We urge
(them) to approach this technical issue rationally and responsibly,”
Khatibzadeh said.
‘Armed
soldiers’
The
ship’s Busan-based operator, Taikun Shipping Co Ltd, told Reuters there had
been nothing to indicate before the vessel was seized that Iranian authorities
were probing possible violations of environmental rules.
“If
it really was marine pollution, as they say, the coastguard was supposed to
approach the ship first,” Taikun’s management director, Lee Chun-hee, said by
telephone. “But, instead, armed soldiers approached the crew and said they
needed to be investigated.”
Last
Sunday, the Tehran Times newspaper reported Iran was hoping to negotiate an
agreement to use the frozen funds to trade for commodities, including
coronavirus vaccine doses.
According
to South Korean news agency Yonhap, a foreign ministry official said the
Iranian government had tried to secure vaccines through the global COVAX
initiative, backed by the World Health Organization. Tehran had been in talks
with the ministry and the US Treasury to pay for the doses with South Korean
won.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/06/Iran-denies-seized-South-Korean-ship-and-crew-being-used-as-hostages
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Israeli
security official kills Palestinian attacker in West Bank
05
January 2021
An
Israeli security official on Tuesday shot dead a Palestinian man as he
attempted to carry out a stabbing attack in the occupied West Bank, the army
and Palestinian authorities said.
An
Israeli military statement said there had been “an attempted stabbing attack at
the Gush Etzion Junction,” which is southwest of Bethlehem.
A
second statement later clarified that the alleged assailant was not shot by a
soldier but by a “security coordinator,” an official responsible for security
in the Gush Etzion settler community, employed by the Israeli state.
“A
security coordinator and a soldier operated to stop the suspect by firing into
the air. The suspect threw a knife at the coordinator, who responded with fire
and neutralized the suspect,” the statement added.
Gush
Etzion is a bloc of two dozen Israeli settlements and outposts near Bethlehem.
There
is frequent friction at the nearby junction, which has been the site of
numerous so-called lone wolf Palestinian attacks.
All
Jewish settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal by most of the
international community.
The
Palestinian health ministry said it had been informed that the dead man was a
Palestinian.
Official
Palestinian News Agency WAFA named him as Ahed Abdelrahman Qawqas Alkhalil, 25,
from the town of Beit Ummar near Hebron.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/06/Israeli-security-official-kills-Palestinian-attacker-in-West-Bank
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Turkish
university teachers protest against Erdogan-appointed rector
05
January 2021
Teachers
at Istanbul’s Bogazici University protested on Tuesday against the swearing-in
of a new rector appointed by President Tayyip Erdogan, extending demonstrations
started by students.
Hundreds
of students and about two dozen faculty members say the appointment of Melih
Bulu at the leading Turkish school was undemocratic. Such demonstrations are
rare and little tolerated in Turkey, especially since a failed coup in 2016.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Students
clashed with police on Monday at the entrance to the university and officers
used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Police on Tuesday raided 24 homes and
detained 17 people including two Bogazici students, the Istanbul governor’s
office said.
Faculty
members gathered on campus later on Tuesday during the swearing-in of Bulu, who
has a doctorate in business management, and turned their backs on the rector’s
building.
They
said in a statement Bulu was the first rector appointed from outside a
university since a 1980 military coup and part of increasing anti-democratic
practices since 2016, when the failed coup prompted Erdogan’s government to
launch a crackdown against perceived opponents.
In
an interview on Haberturk TV, Bulu said he would not resign because his
appointment met global standards, and that police stopped non-students from
entering campus.
“Bogazici
students can protest wherever and however they want,” he said.
Bulu
added he joined Erdogan’s ruling AK Party when it was founded about two decades
ago and later applied to run for parliamentary election.
Several
hundred police officers and a handful of trucks with water canons were sent to
the school on Tuesday.
More
than a hundred students gathered on campus for a second day and chanted: “Melih
Bulu is not our rector” and “Students and teachers are in solidarity”.
Turkish
Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli criticized the slogans.
“We
cannot accept or remain silent to our police being called murderers,” he said,
adding some of those detained had links to an outlawed leftist organization.
Authorities
have arrested thousands of academics, lawyers, journalists, civil servants and
military members as part of the post-2016 crackdown, which the government says
was necessary given threats to the country.
Critics
say Erdogan has used the coup attempt as a pretext to quash dissent.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2021/01/05/Turkish-university-teachers-protest-against-Erdogan-appointed-rector
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