Karnataka High Court Annuls Muslim Girl’s Marriage, Says POCSO Overrides Personal Law
New Age Islam News Bureau
31 October 2022
Karnataka High Court said
in case of Muslim girl's marriageable age, POCSO Act will override personal law
(Image: print)
-----
• Minors among Riskiest Groups Facing Faith Change in Pakistan,
Reports a Canada-Based Think Tank
• Takfiri Terror: Car Bombs at Somalia Market
Intersection Killed At Least 100 and Wounded 300, al Shabaab Claims
Responsibility
• Mahsa Amini Death Protest: Security Forces Tear Gas
Students Defying Iran Protest Ultimatum
• Trudeau Joins Canadian Demonstrators In Support Of
Iran Protests
India
• 25 Muslim Homes Demolished In Delhi; Women Allege
Police Brutality
• Hyderabad: An anachronism in the modern world, a
deeply fractured society
--------
Pakistan
• 'There Is Internal Threat Due To This Political
Turmoil': ISI Unfolds Many Secrets Of Pakistan
• Imran Khan Rewriting Definition of ‘Jihad’: Pakistan
Ulema Council Chairman
• 'Yes, It Was Me': Imran Khan Admits To Advising
Slain Journalist Arshad Sharif to Flee Pakistan
• Pakistan: Imran Khan halts long march after
journalist crushed to death by his container
• I do not talk to 'boot polishers', Imran Khan
responds to Pak PM's claim on offer of talks
• IHC stops ECP from holding by-poll on seat vacated after
Imran’s disqualification
• By-election in Kurram adds another feather to
Imran’s cap
• Jirga refuses to back military operation, form peace
force
--------
Africa
• Tear Gas Fired As Sudan Pro-Democracy Protests
Spread
• US and UN condemn Somalia attacks which killed more
than 100
• 15 killed in attack on army vehicle in Burkina Faso
• Algeria summit: Arab League denies ‘media partners’
in covering work of conference
--------
Mideast
• Rights Defending Association: Takfiris, Serious
Threat to Global Peace
• Iranian journalists demand release of colleagues
jailed for covering Amini’s death
• Iran shrine attack mourners chant against Mahsa
Amini ‘riots’
• West Bank settler violence spreads ahead of Israeli
general election
• President: Iran's Oil Exports near Pre-Sanctions Era
• IRGC Commander: US Standing at End of Road
• Tehran Confirms 5 Iranians Killed in Seoul Halloween
Stampede
• Iran trial opens for five people facing death
penalty over protests
--------
North
America
• Biden to attend COP27 climate conference in Egypt:
White House
• Elon Musk's Twitter purchase draws flak over
abuse-ridden Saudi funding
• FBI probes vandalism at North Dakota Muslim cemetery
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Malaysian Authorities Raid LGBT Halloween Party;
Detain Attendees for Cross-Dressing
• PAS’ non-Muslim wing asks for 3 parliamentary, 12
state seats
• Stop interfering in Malaysia’s internal affairs,
govt official tells UN about Myanmar deportations
• Rejecting PAS Signals Umno’s Return to Moderation,
Says Zaid
--------
South
Asia
• 15 Months after Takeover, Islamic Emirate Not
Recognized by World
• In Bandarban Operation, Bangladesh Targets Muslim Militant-Hill
Tribe Rebel Link
• Bangladesh launches crackdown in Rohingya camps
after murders
• 7 injured in an explosion in Kabul mosque
• UN Reaches 4.6 Million Afghan People with Aid
• Taliban Injects $12M to Market to Preserve Currency
Rate
--------
Arab
World
• Fighters in Syria's Daraa Ready for Anti-Islamic
State Operations
• Grand Imam of Al Azhar to participate in Bahrain
Dialogue Forum
• Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun leaves office amid
worsening crisis
• At least eight killed, more than 20 wounded in
explosion in Baghdad
• Civilian killed in rocket strike by YPG/PKK
terrorists in northwestern Syria
• Turki Al-Sheikh Opens Merwas, Largest Art and
Entertainment Factory in the Arab World
• Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorist attacks
in Mogadishu
--------
Europe
• New Zealand suspends bilateral human rights dialog
with Iran
• EU examines classifying Iran Revolutionary Guards as
terrorists: Germany
• Russia suspends role inspecting grain ships in
Istanbul: JCC
• Türkiye, Ukraine, UN agree to move 16 vessels under
Black Sea grain deal
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/annuls-muslim-girl-marriage-pocso/d/128312
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Karnataka High Court Annuls Muslim Girl’s Marriage,
Says POCSO Overrides Personal Law
Karnataka High Court said
in case of Muslim girl's marriageable age, POCSO Act will override personal law
(Image: print)
-----
Oct 31, 2022
Marriage of a Muslim minor girl, even if allowed under
the religion’s personal law, is invalid as it violates provisions of the
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Karnataka high
court has observed in its recent order.
Hearing a bail plea of a man who married a minor
Muslim girl, the high court bench of Justice Rajendra Badamikar rejected the
argument that a minor Muslim girl’s marriage upon attaining puberty, or 15
years of age, will not contravene The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006,
Live Law reported on Sunday.
The bench further observed that the POCSO Act, being a
Special Act, overrides the personal law. As per the POCSO Act, the legal age
for any woman to get involved in sexual activities is 18 years, it said.
The case was registered on June 16, when a 17-year-old
girl was found to be pregnant during a check-up at a primary health care centre
in Bengaluru. Since the girl was a minor, the health official informed the
police following which a case under sections 9 (punishment for male adult
marrying a child) and 10 (child marriage) of The Prohibition of Child Marriage
Act, 2006 and sections 4 and 6 of the Pocso Act (sexual assault) was registered
against the petitioner at the KR Puram police station accusing him of marrying
and impregnating a minor Muslim girl.
Seeking bail, the petitioner’s counsel argued before
the high court that under Mohammedan Law, puberty is the consideration for
marriage and normal puberty age is treated as 15 years hence, in the instant
case, since the girl had attained puberty, there was no commission of an
offence under sections 9 and 10 of the Act restraining child marriage, Live Law
reported.
However, the bench categorically rejected this
argument by stressing that POCSO Act overrides personal law.
The court further observed that there was no evidence
to show that she raised any objections to her marriage and she was a consenting
party. “Admittedly, the petitioner is the husband of the victim and looking to
these facts and circumstances, there is no serious dispute regarding the
marriage as the petitioner himself has produced the relevant documents before
the trial,” the bench noted.
The court granted bail to the accused on his executing
a personal bond for a sum of ₹1 lakh.
Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana high court in its
order dated September 30 said that Muslim female aged 15 years and above can
marry a person of her choice on her own willingness and consent, and such a
marriage would not be void in terms of Section 12 of the Prohibition of Child
Marriage Act 2006. The said order has been challenged in the Supreme Court by
the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
Source: Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Minors
among Riskiest Groups Facing Faith Change in Pakistan, Reports a Canada-Based
Think Tank
Representative
image
-----
30
October, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], October 30 (ANI): Minor boys and girls in Pakistan are among the
riskiest groups facing faith change in Pakistan as the rise of atrocities on
minors among religious groups goes relatively unnoticed, reported a
Canada-based think tank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS).
The
ethnic minorities in the South Asian country are suffering the most as they are
deprived of their basic rights and boys and girls are among Pakistan’s riskiest
groups facing kidnapping and forcible conversion to Islam. Minor girls are also
often forced into pre-arranged marriages.
As
per the statistics of 2021, around a thousand cases were reported annually. In
a recent incident in Sindh, Chanda Mehraj was kidnapped in Hyderabad, when she
was returning home, her parents said, IIFFRAS reported.
Separately,
a 13-year-old Sikh boy was gang-raped in Jacobabad whose assailants escaped
from the police station.
Citing
a report published in November 2021 by the All Party Parliamentary Group on
Freedom of Religion and Belief, Farahnaz Ispahani, a former member of the
Pakistan National Assembly said: “Forced conversions are heinous because they
coerce young girls from minority communities, who are used as soft targets to
inflict pain and violence against the larger communities.”
“Pakistan
has faced global opprobrium for its shaky commitments to safeguarding religious
minorities, and the unwillingness of the Pakistani government to denounce
extremism without equivocation. But that has not slowed the momentum of
oppression targeting Christians, Hindus, and Ahmadis, who are among the most
marginalized and persecuted groups in the country.
“Forced
conversions are now the primary form of inflicting violence and wiping out
entire communities in Pakistan. Most cases of forced conversion go unreported,
as the status of religious minorities is significantly diminishing. Making
matters exceedingly worse, such cases bring layers of trauma to the victims and
their families,” she added, reported IIFFRAS.
The
misuse of the draconian blasphemy laws against minorities and even members of
the Muslim community to settle personal grudges is rampant in Pakistan.
The
minorities in Pakistan are constantly being murdered and subjected to inhuman
brutalities in the name of blasphemy, conversion to Islam, and other sectarian
differences. (ANI)
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/minors-among-riskiest-groups-facing-faith-change-in-pakistan/1187461/
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Takfiri
Terror: Car Bombs at Somalia Market Intersection Killed At Least 100 and
Wounded 300, al Shabaab Claims Responsibility
General
view shows the scene of an explosion near the education ministry building along
K5 Street in Mogadishu, Somalia October 29, 2022. REUTERS/Feisal Omar
-----
By
Abdi Sheikh and Abdiqani Hassani
MOGADISHU,
Oct 30 (Reuters) - The two car bombs that exploded at Somalia's education
ministry next to a busy market intersection killed at least 100 people and
wounded 300, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said on Sunday, warning the death
toll could rise.
Saturday's
attack was the deadliest since a truck bomb exploded at the same intersection
in October 2017, killing more than 500 people.
The
al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility, saying the
ministry was at the centre of a "war on minds" that teaches Somali
children using a Christian-based syllabus. Members of the security forces were
among the dead and injured, its statement emailed to media said.
Al
Shabaab, which is seeking to topple the government and establish its own rule
based on an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, frequently stages attacks in
Mogadishu and elsewhere.
The
first of the explosions hit the education ministry at around 2 p.m. on
Saturday. The second hit minutes later as ambulances arrived and people
gathered to help the victims.
Mohamed
Moalim, who owns a small restaurant near the intersection, said his wife,
Fardawsa Mohamed, a mother of six, rushed to the scene after the first
explosion to try to help.
President
Mohamud said some of the wounded were in a serious condition and the death toll
could rise.
"Our
people who were massacred ... included mothers with their children in their
arms, fathers who had medical conditions, students who were sent to study,
businessmen who were struggling with the lives of their families," he said
after visiting the scene.
The
K5 intersection normally teems with people buying and selling everything from
food, clothing and water to foreign currency and khat, a mild narcotic leaf.
But it was quiet on Sunday, with emergency workers still cleaning blood from
the streets and buildings.
Somalia's
international partners condemned the attack and sent condolences to affected
families.
White
House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement on Sunday the
United States "strongly condemns the tragic terrorist attack" and it
remains "committed to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia in its
fight to prevent such callous terrorist acts."
A
spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a
statement that he "strongly condemns these heinous attacks and reiterates
that the United Nations stands in solidarity with Somalia against violent
extremism."
World
Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted that
his organization was ready to provide support to the government to care for the
injured.
"These
senseless attacks against innocent civilians including women and children only
serve to remind us of the group's barbarity towards its own people and reveals
the true hypocrisy of its intent," the European Union's foreign policy
chief, Josep Borrell, said in a statement.
The
chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, urged the
international community to "redouble its efforts to ensure robust
international support to Somalia's institutions in their struggle to defeat
terrorist groups".
With
support from the United States and allied local militias, the president has
launched an offensive against the group, although results have been limited.
Abdullahi
Aden said his friend, Ilyas Mohamed Warsame, was killed while travelling in his
three-wheeled "tuk tuk" taxi to see relatives before returning to his
home in Britain.
"We
recognised the number plate of the tuk tuk, which was now rubble," Aden
said.
"Exhausted
and desperate, we found his body at midnight last night in hospital," he
said. "I can't get the image out of my mind."
Source:
Reuters
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/somalia-president-least-100-people-killed-car-bombs-2022-10-30/
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Mahsa Amini Death Protest: Security Forces Tear Gas Students Defying Iran Protest Ultimatum
Police
motorcycle burns during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who
died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality
police", in Tehran, Iran September 19, 2022. WANA (West Asia News Agency)
via REUTERS
-----
30 October, 2022
Protests in Iran entered a more violent phase on
Sunday as students, who defied an ultimatum by the Revolutionary Guards and a
warning from the president, were met with tear gas and gunfire from security
forces, social media videos showed.
The confrontations at dozens of universities prompted
the threat of a tougher crackdown in a seventh week of demonstrations sparked
by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by the morality
police for attire deemed inappropriate.
“Security is the red line of the Islamic Republic, and
we will not allow the enemy to implement in any way its plans to undermine this
valuable national asset,” hardline President Ebrahim Raisi said, according to
state media.
Iranians from all walks of life have taken to the streets
since Amini's death in protests that the clerical rulers said were endangering
the Islamic Republic's security.
Authorities have accused Islamic Iran's arch-enemies
the United States and Israel and their local agents of being behind the unrest
to destabilize the country.
What began as outrage over Amini's death on Sept. 16
has evolved into one of the toughest challenges to clerical rulers since the
1979 revolution, with some protesters calling for the death of Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The top commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards told
protesters that Saturday would be their last day of taking to the streets, the
harshest warning yet by Iranian authorities.
Nevertheless, videos on social media, unverifiable by
Reuters, showed confrontations between students and riot police and Basij
forces on Sunday at universities all over Iran.
One video showed a member of Basij forces firing a gun
at close range at students protesting at a branch of Azad University in Tehran.
Gunshots were also heard in a video shared by rights group HENGAW from protests
at the University of Kurdistan in Sanandaj.
Videos from universities in some other cities also
showed Basij forces opening fire at students.
Across the country, security forces tried to block
students inside university buildings, firing tear gas and beating protesters
with sticks. The students, who appeared to be unarmed, pushed back, with some
chanting “dishonoured Basij get lost” and “Death to Khamenei”.
History of crackdowns
Social media reported arrests of at least a dozen
doctors, journalists and artists since Saturday. The activist HRANA news agency
said 283 protesters had been killed in the unrest as of Saturday including 44
minors. Some 34 members of the security forces were also killed.
More than 14,000 people have been arrested, including
253 students, in protests in 132 cities and towns, and 122 universities, it
said.
The Guards and its affiliated Basij force have crushed
dissent in the past. They said on Sunday, “seditionists” were insulting them at
universities and in the streets, and warned they may use more force if the
anti-government unrest continued.
“So far, Basijis have shown restraint and they have
been patient,” the head of the Revolutionary Guards in the Khorasan Junubi
province, Brigadier General Mohammadreza Mahdavi, was quoted as saying by state
news agency IRNA.
“But it will get out of our control if the situation
continues.”
Journalists appeal
More than 300 Iranian journalists demanded the release
of two colleagues jailed for their coverage of Amini in a statement published
by the Iranian Etemad and other newspapers on Sunday.
Niloofar Hamedi took a photo of Amini's parents
hugging each other in a Tehran hospital where their daughter was lying in a
coma.
The image, which Hamedi posted on Twitter, was the
first signal to the world that all was not well with Amini, who had been
detained three days earlier by Iran's morality police for what they deemed
inappropriate dress.
Elaheh Mohammadi covered Amini's funeral in her
Kurdish hometown Saqez, where the protests began. A joint statement released by
Iran’s intelligence ministry and the intelligence organisation of the
Revolutionary Guards on Friday had accused Hamedi and Mohammadi of being CIA
foreign agents.
Students and women have played a prominent role in the
unrest, burning their veils as crowds call for the fall of the Islamic
Republic, which came to power in 1979.
An official said on Sunday the establishment had no
plan to retreat from compulsory veiling but should be “wise” about enforcement.
“Removing the veil is against our law and this
headquarters will not retreat from its position,” Ali Khanmohammadi, the
spokesman of Iran’s headquarters for Promoting Virtue and Preventing Vice told
the Khabaronline website.
“However, our actions should be wise to avoid giving
enemies a pretext to use it against us.”
In a further apparent effort to defuse the situation,
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said people were right to call for
reform and their demands would be met if they distanced themselves from the
“criminals” taking to the streets.
“We consider the protests to be not only correct and
the cause of progress, but we also believe that these social movements will
change policies and decisions, provided that they are separated from violent
people, criminals and separatists,” he said, using terms officials typically
use for the protesters.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/10/30/Security-forces-tear-gas-students-defying-Iran-protest-ultimatum
--------
Trudeau
Joins Canadian Demonstrators In Support Of Iran Protests
Canada’s
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marches along Alexandra Bridge during a protest
in support of women in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, in Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada Oct. 29, 2022.
-----
30
October, 2022
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau marched with protesters in the Canadian capital of
Ottawa Saturday in support of demonstrations that have swept Iran for more than
40 days.
“The
women in Iran, daughters and the grandmothers and the allies... they are not
forgotten,” Trudeau said, standing in front of a white banner covered with
dozens of red hand prints.
Iran
has been gripped by six weeks of protests that erupted when Mahsa Amini, 22,
died in custody after her arrest for an alleged breach of Iran’s strict dress
rules for women.
“We
will stand with you. I’ll march with you, I will hold hands with you. We will
continue to stand with this beautiful community,” Trudeau said, before ending
his speech by shouting Persian slogans, his fist raised.
The
prime minister’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, also joined the protest,
saying, “I stand with you because when one woman’s right is being denied, it is
a sign of disrespect for all women.”
“And
we will leave no sister behind.”
Trudeau
highlighted several rounds of sanctions imposed by the Canadian government
against senior Iranian officials over the last month, levied due to the
regime’s “gross and systematic human rights violations.”
Amini
supporters also attended rallies in other Canadian cities, including Vancouver,
Montreal and Toronto, where marchers formed human chains.
And
thousands also protested Saturday in Paris and throughout France.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
India
25
Muslim homes demolished in Delhi; women allege police brutality
29th
October 2022
The
Delhi Development Authority along with the Delhi police on October 21
reportedly demolished 25 houses in a Muslim locality.
It
is to be noted that the residents had gone to offer Friday prayers at the time
of the incident that occurred in the Kharak Riwara Satbari area. On October 27
a few activists visited the area and alleged that the DDA had demolished their
homes.
One
of the activists gauging the situation stated that a few women faced police
brutality during the incident. They added that the police claimed that the land
belongs to a private dealer. “No survey has been conducted so far. No process
was followed,” an activist, Anupradha was quoted as saying by Maktoob Media.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/25-muslim-homes-demolished-in-delhi-women-allege-police-brutality-2444789/
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Hyderabad:
An anachronism in the modern world, a deeply fractured society
30th
October 2022
New
Delhi: Hyderabad, without doubt like Kashmir, was one of the premier states of
India. Though perceived to be medieval and backward, it was an anachronism
since it had an ambitious economic and industrial policy with a heterogenous
population of almost a crore and half.
It
was a state which was governed by a succession of British India statesmen since
the ruler had the reputation of being a God-fearing recluse who loved to
compose couplets in the solitude of his none-too-pompous palace. Considered to
be the richest man in the East, and one of the great hoarders of his time, his
wealth it was said lay in dust-laden sacks and was unfathomable.
The
population of the state was a great mixture of social groups and classes with
sharp differences of outlook and behaviour. A curious combination of the new
and old world — a parasitic class of indolent nobles and jagirdars, polite in
behaviour but feudal in outlook, and a vast multitude of semi-starved people
tied to the soil for the benefit of their lords. Then there was a small but
compact class of officials and public servants, a sort of new aristocracy
superimposed as the rulers and a discontented but ill-organised mass of
educated middle class; loitering Arabs with naked swords sauntering in the
parks and streets with no definite purpose in life and scattered groups of
idlers and hangers-on crowding the tea shops and the cafes to discuss the yarn
that one of them had spun around the latest scandal in the city.
This
is what Hyderabad looked like at first glance, but a deeper probe revealed a
greater sense of conflict, a seething discontent and a mighty struggle brewing
from within. It was a communal tinderbox. It went back to the time of Lord
Minto’s viceroyalty when the Hindu-Muslim divide was first given shape. It
caught on in Hyderabad in the 1920s primarily due to the aggressively militant
behaviour of the Muslim communal leadership, which arrogated to itself the
right to speak not only on behalf of the Muslims of Hyderabad, but also for the
reclusive Nizam himself.
Geographically
and linguistically, Hyderabad at the time consisted of three distinct parts
that were portions of the three great provinces — Andhra, Maharashtra and
Karnataka in the immediate neighbourhood. There were at the time approximately
70 lakh Andhraites, 50 lakh Maharashtrians and 25 lakh Kanarese. Hindus formed
about 85 percent of the population and Muslims, the biggest minority community,
about 10 percent. It was felt that an invidious distinction had been maintained
with regard to the recruitment to services and the Hindus had as a result felt
ignored and hurt.
The
argument of the government that the Muslims are service-minded and thus drawn
towards state services by temperament and historical tradition did not appeal
to the Hindus. The education policy of the state, which had enforced
Persianised Urdu both as the official language and also the medium of
instruction in the secondary stages of education, had also not found favour
with the large mass of the population, leading to the growing divide. There was
also a sense that a complete suppression of civil liberties due to the various
regulations and circulars of the government and the Ecclesiastical Department
made it impossible for people to carry on with their normal religious and
social activities.
Repeated
attempts of both Hindus and Muslims to establish common political and social
organisations were almost instantaneously suppressed with characteristic
ruthlessness and violence. The Hindu Praja Mandal was the organisation of the
Hindus and the counterpart of the Hindu Mahasabha in Hyderabad. After the
uprisings of 1938, other religious organisations such as the Arya Samaj, Hindu
Civil Liberties Union and Hindu Praja Mandal came into prominence and became
the organisations trusted by the Hindus for their definitive political and
social programmes. But these organisations at the time were under the influence
of the Hindu Mahasabha and opposed to the politics of the Indian National
Congress, which was trying to gain a toehold in the state.
In
what was a polarised society, Muslim politics was completely dominated by a
communal leadership. In the absence of civil liberties and consequently popular
political organisations, Muslim communalism thrived greatly on the exaggerated
fears and suspicions of the community. Muslim politics of Hyderabad was thus
dominated by two streams — the first and more powerful was known as the King
Kothi Group, which was represented by an organisation called the Majlis
Ithad-ul-Muselmeen, and the other school of thought, for want of a better
description, was called the New Aristocracy Group, which had no formal
organisation representing it but comprised Nationalist Muslims.
The
King Kothi Group represented the aggressively communal and militant section of
Hyderabadi Muslims who regarded Hyderabad as a Muslim State with Muslims as the
ruling elite and the Nizam as the symbol of their sovereignty. The complete
hold of Muslims over the government and administrative machinery was therefore
not just a measure of political expediency, but also viewed as an inherent
right and privilege of the ruling class. This led to the belief in the run-up
to independence that Hyderabad could retain its sovereign status either in
alliance with other powerful Indian states such as Travancore, or as an
independent member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
Affiliated
to the Majlis were several auxiliary bodies such as the Anjuman-i-Tabligh,
Anjuman-i-Khaksaran and Muslim Volunteer Corps, which worked under the guidance
and supervision of the parent body. The Majlis stood for the supremacy of the
ruling race and status quo of the Nizam’s continuing rule. Against the much
condemned Constitutional reforms, which weren’t introduced after six years of
their announcement, the Majlis took an extremely aggressive position.
Hyderabad,
the Majlis argued, needed no change either in the system of government or in
its administrative machinery. They rioted on several occasions and even
threatened to take up arms if a change was contemplated either in the position
of the ruler, or in the proportion of Muslims in the administrative set-up.
Towards the Hyderabad State Congress, the Majlis was equally antagonistic. The
government was openly threatened that if the ban on the State Congress was
lifted, a state of civil war would be unleashed. The Congress remained a
non-sequitur. The Nationalist Muslims did not have an organised set-up and
though they were progressive, they lacked a cohesive following.
Their
view was that Hyderabad needed change, but their quest for security overrode
any sincere desire to take the state towards the goal of full responsible
government. While the Nizam was supreme, the jagirdars occupied a dominant
position in the scheme of things simply because they were loyal to the Nizam.
The Muslim middle class and intelligentsia formed the bulk of the official
class which constantly played safe. Hyderabad was thus the confluence of reactionary
upper class attitudes and the revolutionary nature of the mass movement, which
only aggravated the communal situation on the ground for the majority
community, in this case the Hindus.
Then
there was also the Muslim revivalist movement which received a huge response
and, as Sir William Pell Barton, a former British Resident (1925-30),
explained, Hyderabad was becoming the cultural centre of Islam in India. The
establishment of Usmania (Osmania, named after the Nizam) University and the
introduction of personalised Urdu as the official language of the state as also
the medium of instruction were naturally a fulfilment of the same desire.
At
the very centre of this sphere of influence was the Nizam himself because he
took a personal interest in Muslim politics in India. He claimed he was
descended from Abu Bakr, the first Caliph of Islam, and his son had married the
daughter of the last of the Caliphs. The ex-Sultan of Turkey received a pension
of 4,000 pounds sterling.
The
Muslim leadership in British India obviously gravitated towards the Nizam and
Hyderabad. On any occasion the personal intervention of Jinnah averted serious
conflict between Muslim communalists and the government. Especially after the
constitutional reforms of 1939, when it was Jinnah who came to Hyderabad on
behalf of the Majlis to receive personal assurances from the Nizam regarding
the statutory position of Muslims in the state.
Consistent
with this attitude, the government ruthlessly suppressed all popular efforts at
building up a healthy and progressive public life in the state. The State
Congress was crushed but communalism was encouraged subtly. The Firman of April
1909 was probably the first official statement which referred to Hyderabad as
an Islamic State.
But
this theory received greater publicity after the First Round Table Conference,
when Sir William enunciated the narrative that the Muslims of Hyderabad, in
spite of their numerical unimportance, could not be considered a minority
because they were the Ruling Race of Hyderabad. Subsequent British officials
popularised this rationale with greater clarity.
Samuel
Thomas Hollins, the then Director General of Police, is reported to have
announced to the State Congress prisoners: “This is an Islamic State and the
Hindus must accept the Muslims as the ruling race. If you are unwilling to do
so, you are liberty to leave Hyderabad.” This is just one of the many instances
of racial bitterness and communal discord preached and fostered by British
officers in the state.
The
Nizam added to this chaos through his Firman-i-Mubarak of July 1939 wherein he
referred to Hyderabad as the ‘Muslim State’ and his PM, Sir Akbar Hydari,
finally restated this position in his Arzdasht of July 15, 1939, which stated,
“… the importance of the Muslim community in the State, by virtue of its
historical position and its status in the body politic, is so obvious that it
cannot be reduced to the status of a minority in the Assembly.”
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
'There
is internal threat due to this political turmoil': ISI unfolds many secrets of
Pakistan
Oct
30, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan's spy agency ISI unfolded many secrets for the first time in an
explosive interview by ISI chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum along with director
general ISPR Lt Gen Babar Iftikhar.
Talking
about former prime minister Imran Khan's "Long March", Gen Anjum said
there is no external threat to Pakistan, however, there is an internal threat
due to this political turmoil.
"When
you do politics on the basis of hate and divide, this harms the country and the
same was the reason for Pakistan's dismemberment," reported The Nation.
On
PTI's long march, he said every political party has the right to organize a
march but within peaceful means and if there is any threat to the country then
we would intervene.
Regarding
their working relationship with Khan, they said both Army and ISI refused to do
illegal and unconstitutional acts asked by him, which was why he (Imran) dubbed
these state institutions as 'Mir Jaffar' and 'Mir Sadiq' and 'neutrals',
reported The Nation.
Addressing
a rare and unprecedented joint news conference at the ISPR headquarters in
Rawalpindi, Anjum said: "We could commit a mistake, however, we cannot be
traitors or conspirator."
"If
the commander-in-chief is a traitor then why did you meet him in hiding?
Meeting [him] is your right but it cannot be possible that you meet at night
and call [him] a traitor in the day," asked the DG ISI.
When
asked by many journalists what prompted him to appear before the media, Lt Gen
Nadeem Anjum said, "I have decided to appear before the media after the
decision of the institution, and the institution was being targeted and
maligned and our soldiers who are giving sacrifices for the motherland,
baseless accusations against them are not acceptable".
He
further disclosed that last March the previous government in order to fail the
no-confidence motion, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was offered an unlimited
extension, but he turned down the offer, reported The Nation.
DG
ISPR said the appointment of the new Army Chief will take place on time in
accordance with the constitutional requirements and in the due time frame.
Meanwhile,
Lt Gen Babar presented all evidence of Arshad Sharif's departure from Peshawar
airport including his tickets and other documents, and made it clear that he
left under the pressure of Imran Khan, reported The Nation.
"A
threat alert was issued by the KP government against Arshad Sharif, which the
federal government or agencies never knew," he said.
"There
were reports that he (Arshad Sharif) did not want to leave the country but he
kept being reminded that he was facing a threat to his life," he said.
He
termed the murder of Arshad Sharif as most unfortunate and said the slain
journalist was an "icon of journalism in Pakistan". He noted and
eulogized the services of late Arshad Sharif in defence sector reporting and
said that members of his family had served in the army, adding that he always
felt the pain of martyred officers.
Talking
more about the diplomatic cypher, Gen Babar Iftikhar said that Army Chief Gen
Bajwa had discussed the matter with the then PM Imran Khan on March 11 and the
army chief termed it "not a big thing".
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan Rewriting Definition of ‘Jihad’: Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman
Oct
31, 2022
All
Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi on Sunday claimed
that religion was their red line, adding that the way former prime minister and
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was using religion and
throwing about words such as ‘jihad’, the established definition of these words
would have to be rewritten.
He
said this while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday.
Ashrafi
criticized the former premier and chairman PTI Imran Khan for his
anti-establishment statements.
Ashrafi
said, ‘Imran’s allegations against Pakistan’s military are pleasing the enemy.“
He
added that efforts of the Army for the elimination of terrorism were
commendable.
He
went on to say that the strength of Pakistan is associated with the strength of
its institutions.
While
referring to Imran Khan’s statements about military officials, he said, “In
recent days, the country’s armed forces and senior officers have been severely
criticized.
“The
justice system and courts are available in the country. Imran should have
knocked on the doors of courts,” Ashrafi added.
Ashrafi
continued to say that “Whoever wants to name and shame, can take the stage and
do it.” He said,
“You
have been exactly what makes India happy.”
Source:
Samaa English
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
'Yes,
it was me': Imran Khan admits to advising slain journalist Arshad Sharif to
flee Pakistan
Oct
31, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Responding to ruckus gaining traction over who had asked the hardcore critic,
journalist Arshad Sharif to flee the country, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
chief and former prime minister Imran Khan has record-breakingly exclaimed,
"Yes, it was me!"
In
an exclusive one-on-one conversation with Daily Times, Khan asserted on
Wednesday that even though he stands by his claims, no one has dared asked him
why he advised Sharif to leave the motherland as early as possible.
"Call
me on any forum of your liking and I will bring to light all the details,"
he continued.
Khan
wondered why those taking great interest in the naming game hesitated in
finding answers about the life-threatening circumstances braved by a
"patriot who never compromised his conscience," reported Daily Times.
The
former premier condemned the murder of Pakistani renowned journalist Arshad
Sharif saying that he was a patriot and bore the pain of Pakistan as no one
ever had.
"Today
if the nation does not stand for him, there will be no difference between us
and animals," he said.
The
PTI chairman said that Arshad Sharif stood for truth and his conscience had no
value, reported Daily Times.
"I
respected Arshad Sharif the most in journalism, I am very sorry for the
martyrdom of Arshad Sharif."
He
also maintained that journalists are being harassed all across Pakistan. He
added, "Arshad Sharif was target killed and he is the martyr as he didn't
get scared of the threat calls nor did he step back."
Arshad
Sharif (49), a senior Pakistani journalist was killed in cold blood on October
24 in Kenya when he was driving from Magadi to Nairobi, accompanied by his
brother Khurram Ahmed at around 10:00 pm.
Meanwhile,
the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya reveals the unholy
nexus of the Pakistan army and Kenyan Death Squads.
Arshad
Sharif's murder is a lot more than what is being revealed by both the Pakistani
and the Kenyan government, analysts are divided over whether the incident is an
accident or another victim of Pakistan's deep state operations? reported The
Geneva Daily.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan:
Imran Khan halts long march after journalist crushed to death by his container
Oct
30, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A Pakistani journalist attending former prime minister Imran Khan's long march
died on Sunday after being crushed under his container, an incident that forced
him to halt the march for the day. The deceased was identified as Channel 5
reporter Sadaf Naeem.
After
the tragic incident, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman called off
activities for the day.
"We
are ending today's march due to an accident. We have decided to stop
here," Khan said.
Khan
also sent his condolences to the family of the deceased and said that he would
pray for the departed soul.
The
long march would start from Kamoke on its fourth day on Monday. Earlier, it was
planned to reach Gujranwala by the end of its third day.
Geo
News reported that Sadaf was hit by the container carrying Khan but it was not
confirmed.
She
was trying to interview Khan for her TV channel, Dunya TV reported.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while reacting to the death of the journalist, said
that he was deeply saddened by the death of the reporter.
He
further wrote in his tweet that Sadaf Naeem was a dynamic and hardworking
reporter, adding that he prays for the forgiveness of the deceased and patience
for the family.
Information
Minister Maryyium Aurangzeb expressed shock over Sadaf's death and questioned
how the reporter was run over by the container-carrying truck used by Khan.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
I
do not talk to 'boot polishers', Imran Khan responds to Pak PM's claim on offer
of talks
Oct
30, 2022
MURIDKE:
Responding to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's claim that PTI chairman
sought talks on the new army chief's appointment, he said that he does not talk
to "boot polishers", local media reported.
"I
spoke to those with whom Shehbaz hid in the trunk of the car to speak,"
said Imran. He also questioned why he would send a message to the premier, he
said while addressing the long march participants at Murdike, Geo News
reported.
The
former prime minister also said that he was not raised in a "military
dictator's nursery", Geo News reported.
"I
do not call Ayub Khan daddy like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. I am not like Nawaz
Sharif who build General Jilani's home and pressed General Ziaul Haq's knees to
become a minister," said the PTI leader, Geo News reported.
On
the Indian media's coverage of his attack on military officials, the PTI chief
told the neighbouring country's media that his party is standing with the army.
"I
came to power with the people's power not because of the establishment,"
claimed Imran Khan, adding that he only seeks rule of law in the country and
the protection of the people's rights.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
IHC
stops ECP from holding by-poll on seat vacated after Imran’s disqualification
Tahir
Naseer
October
31, 2022
The
Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday barred the Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP) from holding a by-election for NA-95 (Mianwali) which had fallen vacant
after PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s disqualification in the Toshakhana reference.
The
court issued the directives while hearing Imran’s plea against the Election
Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) decision to disqualify him. Days after
disqualifying Imran under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution, the ECP had on
Oct 24 de-notified Imran as MNA from NA-95 with “immediate effect”.
The
PTI chief had filed a plea with the IHC, challenging the ECP’s decision to
disqualify him over what the electoral watchdog cited as his failure to
properly account for monetary proceeds from the sale of Toshakhana gifts while
he was the prime minister.
The
plea urged the court to declare the ECP’s order “misconceived” and set it
aside.
During
today’s hearing, Imran’s counsel Barrister Ali Zafar pointed out that his
client had been de-notified by the ECP from NA-95 (Mianwali).
Justice
Aamer Farooq, who presided over the hearing, asked whether the National
Assembly speaker had submitted the reference against Imran. Imran’s counsel
replied in the affirmative, adding that the ECP had disqualified the former
premier under Article 63(1)(p).
Justice
Aamer Farooq questioned whether the National Assembly speaker could disqualify
a lawmaker after the latter has been “sentenced”. He also asked if the NA
speaker had drafted the reference himself or someone had submitted a request.
He
noted that the reference stated that Imran was no longer sadiq and ameen
(honest and righteous).
Barrister
Zafar said that according to the ECP, the commission could disqualify anyone
under the Elections Act.
During
the hearing the court also asked whether each lawmaker submitted statements of
assets annually.
The
PTI counsel replied that each and every lawmaker had to submit their asset
statements. He also argued that there was no need to include those assets which
had been sold.
“Your
assembly membership gets suspended if you do not submit the statements,”
Barrister Zafar told the court.
After
hearing the arguments, the court issued notices to the respondents and
adjourned the hearing till Nov 10. The court also accepted miscellaneous
applications filed by Imran seeking to incorporate additional documents to the
case record.
Speaking
to media after the hearing, Barrister Zafar said the ECP’s decision had been
suspended in a way as it could not be implemented.
He
insisted that the ECP’s verdict was legally and constitutionally “incorrect”.
“The ECP can make a decision after a trial but not without it.”
Imran’s
disqualification
The
ECP had concluded that the former premier had indeed made “false statement and
incorrect declarations” regarding the gifts — a ruling that prompted widespread
protests by the PTI.
In
his petition, Imran also sought a court declaration stating that the ECP lacked
the jurisdiction to decide “any questions of ‘corrupt practices and
disqualification’” under the Election Act and Election Rules, 2017.
The
Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet
Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians,
bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign
dignitaries.
Source:
Dawn
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
By-election
in Kurram adds another feather to Imran’s cap
Jawed
Hussain
October
31, 2022
KURRAM:
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan
on Sunday trounced his Pakistan Democratic Movement-backed rival and other
candidates to win the by-poll on the National Assembly’s constituency NA-45
Kurram-1.
According
to unofficial results of all 143 polling stations, Mr Khan received 20,748
votes against 12,718 secured by his close rival Jamil Khan.
The
turnout remained around 18.4 per cent as voters mostly stayed away from the
polling process.
With
this victory, Mr Khan has won all the four National Assembly seats in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, where by-elections were held for filling seats declared vacant
after the resignations of the then incumbent MNAs, belonging to PTI.
This
seat had fallen vacant with the resignation of ex-MNA Fakhar Zaman Khan.
With
16 candidates in the run, the Election Commission of Pakistan had set up 143
polling stations out of which 119 were declared as most sensitive and remaining
24 as sensitive.
Police,
Levies and paramilitary forces were deployed at the polling stations. No
untoward incident was reported from any polling station.
A
total of 198,618 voters, including 111,349 male and 87,269 female voters,
exercised their right to vote.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1717891/by-election-in-kurram-adds-another-feather-to-imrans-cap
--------
Jirga
refuses to back military operation, form peace force
Haleem
Asad
October
31, 2022
LOWER
DIR: A grand jirga of elders and politicians from all parts of Malakand
division declared on Sunday that “we shall neither form a peace force” to
combat militants nor would “we support any military operation”.
The
declaration said the jirga had “reservations” over the acts of terrorism,
extortion and lawlessness over the last five months in Malakand division.
The
jirga called upon the state to identify the elements involved in terrorist acts
and killing of innocent people. “The state should deal with militants with an
iron hand.”
The
jirga also criticised an “irresponsible” statement by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
government spokesman Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, who earlier claimed the
proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan was not behind targeted killings and
extortion incidents in the province. It said a grand jirga of elders at
divisional level would be formed through voting to take measures for durable
peace.
Malakand
elders ask state to deal with militants with ‘iron hand’
The
jirga vowed to condemn with one voice, regardless of political affiliation, any
untoward incident in any part of Malakand division.
The
jirgas at district level would be encouraged to launch campaigns for peace and
to raise political awareness.
According
to the declaration, all districts of Malakand division would be given an equal presentation
in the “grand Jirga”. It said that the grand Jirga would work for resolving
local disputes that tended to disrupt peace in the region.
A
meeting of the political parties, civil society and elders from Swat, Lower
Dir, Upper Dir, Malakand, Buner and Chitral was organised by the Dir Qaumi
Pasoon (DQP), a body of elders, at Chakdara last week.
Political
leaders, representatives of civil society and local elders attended the
meeting. Malik Jehan Alam, the DQP chief, MPA Haji Bahadar Khan, former provincial
minister Muzafar Said, former MNA Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, PML-N divisional
president Malik Jehan Zeb Khan, former MPA Malik Behram Khan, ANP senior vice
president Hussain Shah Yousafzai, JUI-F district chief Ameer Siraj ud Din and
others.
The
meeting also decided to form a grand jirga in Malakand division for the
establishment of peace and harmony. The speakers said the nation would neither
form a peace army nor fight against the militants.
They
said that it was the sole responsibility of the state and its institutions to
provide protection of the lives and property of the people against the elements
that disrupted peace and order. They said that terrorist acts, complaints of
extortion and lawlessness in the last five months in Malakand Division had worried
the masses.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1717893/jirga-refuses-to-back-military-operation-form-peace-force
--------
Africa
Tear
gas fired as Sudan pro-democracy protests spread
30 October,
2022
Security
forces firing tear gas confronted pro-democracy demonstrators across Sudan on
Sunday, AFP correspondents and witnesses said.
Hoisting
Sudanese flags and posters of activists killed in the past 12 months of
protests, demonstrators attempted to march on the presidential palace in
central Khartoum as security forces used tear gas to disperse them.
“We
are living in a non-state. It has been a year... But we will continue... The
whole country is out in the street,” demonstrator Momen Wad Zineb told AFP.
On
October 25, 2021, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan seized power, arresting
civilian leaders and derailing a transition to civilian rule that had started
with the 2019 ouster of long-time autocrat Omar al-Bashir.
According
to pro-democracy medics, 119 people have been killed in the crackdown on
near-weekly pro-democracy protests that have been held since.
Mass
protests were reignited last week on the first anniversary of the power grab,
when thousands marched across Sudan, demanding an end to the political and
economic crisis that has gripped the country.
One
protester was killed Tuesday when he was crushed by a military vehicle in
Omdurman, according to pro-democracy medics.
“We
are continuing our movement, holding to our three principles: no negotiation,
no partnership, and no legitimacy” for the military, Asma Harzaoui said in
Khartoum, echoing the protest movement's rallying cry.
Eyewitnesses
said thousands also demonstrated in the cities of Wad Madani and El Obeid,
south of Khartoum, and Kassala, Gedaref and Port Sudan in the east.
Tear
gas, usually used against marches in the capital, was fired at protesters in
Gedaref and Port Sudan as well as in Khartoum, Omdurman and North Khartoum,
where protesters tried to cross the bridge leading to the centre of the
capital.
Protesters
chanted, “soldiers go back to the barracks” and demanded a return to civilian
rule as well as justice for protesters killed in the crackdown.
In
addition, a broader security breakdown nationwide has left nearly 600 dead and
more than 210,000 displaced as a result of ethnic violence this year, according
to the United Nations.
The
country, already one of the world's poorest, has also been sinking deeper into
economic crisis.
Western
governments say Sudan must return to civilian rule before crucial aid halted in
response to the coup can resume.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
and UN condemn Somalia attacks which killed more than 100
31
October, 2022
The
United Nations and US on Sunday separately condemned attacks in Somalia’s
capital which killed at least 100 people and injured hundreds more.
In
Mogadishu on Saturday, two cars packed with explosives blew up minutes apart
near the busy Zobe intersection, followed by gunfire in an attack targeting
Somalia’s education ministry.
UN
chief Antonio Guterres “extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of
the victims, which include United Nations staff, as well as the Government and
people of Somalia,” the secretary-general’s spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric,
said in a statement.
Al-Qaeda-linked
Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying its fighters were
targeting the ministry of education.
Guterres
“strongly condemns these heinous attacks and reiterates that the United Nations
stands in solidarity with Somalia against violent extremism,” his spokesperson
said.
The
White House on Sunday also condemned the “tragic terrorist attack in
Mogadishu... and in particular its heinous targeting of the Somali Ministry of
Education and first responders.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
15
killed in attack on army vehicle in Burkina Faso
James
Tasamba
30.10.2022
KIGALI,
Rwanda
At
least 15 people, including 13 soldiers, were killed in an attack on a military
vehicle in eastern Burkina Faso, the army announced on Sunday.
The
attack attributed to armed terrorists occurred on Saturday in the rural commune
of Kikideni, in the Gourma province.
“A
unit of the military detachment of Natiaboani and a group of two army
auxiliaries were returning from a supply mission in Fada town when it was
attacked by a group of terrorists,” an army statement said.
“The
ensuing clashes, unfortunately, left 15 combatants dead including 13 soldiers
and two Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP),” it added.
Four
more people, including three soldiers, were injured and 11 others were left
missing, according to the statement.
The
army said it has deployed reinforcements to conduct search operations in the
area.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/15-killed-in-attack-on-army-vehicle-in-burkina-faso/2725041
--------
Algeria
summit: Arab League denies ‘media partners’ in covering work of conference
GOBRAN
MOHAMED
October
30, 2022
CAIRO:
The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States has clarified in an
official statement that it has no media partner in covering the work of the
31st Arab Summit to be held in Algeria on Nov. 1-2.
The
league also confirmed that it has no connection with any media organization
making such claims.
The
General Secretariat called on all media outlets to exercise great care in
attributing the information published on their websites to the Arab League or
its institutions.
The
league’s statement comes against the background of reservations from the
Moroccan delegation over Algerian international channel AL24 News publishing a
map of the Arab world on its website that contradicts the map used by the
league.
The
General Secretariat confirmed that the Arab League does not have an official
map on which the borders of the Arab countries are shown, adopting instead a
map of the Arab world without showing the borders between countries in order to
reinforce the concept of Arab unity, according to the statement.
The
league attached a picture of the map it adopted to its statement and this map
appears without borders between its member states.
A
high-ranking Moroccan diplomatic source, cited by the Moroccan News Agency,
confirmed that Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita never left the premises of the
preparatory meeting of Arab foreign ministers for the Arab Summit in Algeria,
following a dispute with his Algerian counterpart.
The
source rejected as baseles claims about the departure of the Moroccan
delegation from the meeting room.
The
MAP news agency quoted the same source as saying that the delegation remained
inside the hall and protested the lack of respect for the map of Morocco, which
forced the league to issue a clarification statement, prompting the session’s
presidency to offer an apology.
The
same source emphasized that it was not within the rules and customs of Moroccan
diplomatic work, according to royal directives, for the delegation to leave the
meeting room but to defend Morocco’s legitimate rights and its vital interests
within these meetings.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2190766/middle-east
--------
Mideast
Rights
Defending Association: Takfiris, Serious Threat to Global Peace
2022-October-30
The
association released the statement to condemn the recent terrorist attack on
Shah Cheragh, a holy shrine in a city in Southern Iran. At least, 13 people
were killed after the attack and 30 others were wounded.
Association
for Defending Victims of Terrorism have called for finding 'global solution'
for fighting Takfiris.
Such
a solution should help 'weaken and eliminate these foundations as the
intellectual driving force of terrorism', the statement said.
The
full text of the statement is as follows:
Terrorism
once again killed dozens of innocent men, women and children while they were
praying in Shah Cheragh Holy Shrine (PBUH) in Shiraz and saddened hundreds of
families in the separation and mourning of their loved ones.
This
crime, like hundreds of other crimes committed by terrorists against religious
centers and places of worship, shows that terrorism is not related to divine
religions, but religions and religious centers, as an agent of solidarity and
peace of society, have always been part of the goals of anti-religionists
throughout history.
What
military and strategic advantage attacking defenseless people can have while
they are praying, except that it shows the cruelty and cowardice of terrorists
who commit such terrible crimes to continue their disgraceful lives.
Takfiris
and anti-religionists are considered a serious threat to global security and
peace, especially in our region, which requires a global solution to weaken and
eliminate these foundations as the intellectual driving force of terrorism.
Although
the condemnation of this type of deplorable acts by states and international
bodies is very valuable, the solution is to address the survival factors of
this heinous phenomenon in the international arena in order to prevent the
increasing number of victims and the infliction of very harmful damages on the
developing countries.
Source:
Fars News Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iranian
journalists demand release of colleagues jailed for covering Amini’s death
30 October,
2022
More
than 300 Iranian journalists have demanded the release of two colleagues jailed
for their coverage of Mahsa Amini, whose death in custody triggered protests
posing one of the biggest challenges to ruling clerics in decades.
Their
call came in a statement published by the Iranian Etemad and other newspapers on
Sunday.
Niloofar
Hamedi took a photo of Amini’s parents hugging each other in a Tehran hospital
where their daughter was lying in a coma.
The
image, which Hamedi posted on Twitter, was the first signal to the world that
all was not well with Amini, who had been detained three days earlier by Iran's
morality police for what they deemed inappropriate dress.
Elaheh
Mohammadi covered Amini’s funeral in her Kurdish hometown Saqez, where the
protests began. A joint statement released by Iran’s intelligence ministry and
the intelligence organization of the Revolutionary Guards on Friday had accused
Hamedi and Mohammadi of being CIA foreign agents.
The
arrests match an official narrative that Iran's arch-enemy the United States,
Israel and other Western powers and their local agents are behind the unrest
and are determined to destabilize the country.
At
least 40 journalists have been detained in the past six weeks, according to
rights groups, and the number is growing.
What
began as outrage over Amini’s death on September 16 evolved into a popular
revolt by people from all layers of society.
Students
and women have played a prominent role, burning their veils as crowds call for
the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the toppling of the Islamic
Republic, which has repressed any dissent since the 1979 revolution.
There
are no signs that a crackdown will defuse the fury, even after the feared head
of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards warned protesters that Saturday would
be their last day of taking to the streets, the harshest warning yet.
Analysts
say Iran’s leaders will manage to withstand the pressure but that the path to
political change in the future could be irreversible.
Clerics
expected to survive
The
Revolutionary Guards and the volunteer militia Basij have crushed dissent in
the past - in 2009 protests lasted six months. No officials have publicly
criticized the clerical establishment.
“Basijis
are being insulted by the seditionists at universities and in the streets. So
far, Basijis have shown restraint and they have been patient,” the head of the
Revolutionary Guards in the Khorasan Junubi province, Brigadier General
Mohammadreza Mahdavi, was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.
“But
it will get out of our control if the situation continues.”
Videos
on social media, unverifiable by Reuters, showed students clashing with riot
police and Basij forces in universities across the country, chanting
“dishonored Basij get lost.”
Iran’s
Parliament Speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, seemed to strike a conciliatory
tone, saying the difference between peaceful and violent protesters should be
noted.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
shrine attack mourners chant against Mahsa Amini ‘riots’
29
October, 2022
Mourners
gathered Saturday in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz to bury the victims of
a deadly assault on a shrine, while chanting slogans against nationwide “riots”
over Mahsa Amini’s death.
At
least 15 people were killed Wednesday in a key Shia Muslim shrine in the city,
according to official media, in an attack claimed by ISIS.
The
shooting at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum came on the same day that thousands of
people across Iran paid tribute to Amini, 40 days after her death in police
custody.
Amini,
22, died on September 16, three days after her arrest by the morality police in
Tehran for allegedly breaching the country’s Islamic dress code for women.
Remarks
made Thursday by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi appeared to link the Shiraz
attack, one of the country’s deadliest in years, with the protests and “riots”
following Amini’s death.
“The
intention of the enemy is to disrupt the country’s progress, and then these
riots pave the ground for terrorist acts,” he said in televised remarks.
During
Saturday’s funeral processions in Iran, the crowd also chanted slogans
condemning the United States, Israel and Britain for allegedly being “behind
the riots,” according to live footage broadcast on state television.
Brandishing
Shia symbols, the crowd marched through central Shiraz following a vehicle
carrying the victims’ coffins which were draped in the Iranian flag.
The
crowd can be heard chanting “Death to America, to Israel, to England” and “The
vigilant revolutionary people hates the rioters.”
During
the ceremony, the head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of
Iran’s military, urged “a limited number of youth deceived” by the Islamic
Republic’s enemies to put an end to the “riots.”
“Today
is when the riots end,” warned Major General Hossein Salami, calling on
students “not to become chess pieces for the enemy”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
West
Bank settler violence spreads ahead of Israeli general election
MOHAMMED
NAJIB
October
30, 2022
RAMALLAH:
Israeli settlers have reportedly intensified attacks on Palestinian civilians
and properties throughout the West Bank in the run-up to Tuesday’s general
election in Israel.
Sources
said shots had been fired at the homes of Palestinians while others were pepper
sprayed in an escalation of violence after an Israeli security officer was
killed and three people wounded in a shooting incident on Saturday near to an
Israeli army checkpoint in Wadi Al-Gross, close to the settlement of Kiryat
Arba.
The
Israeli army said that its forces were carrying out a search for the
assailants. Israeli sources alleged that Mohammed Kamel Al-Jabari, 35, from the
southern West Bank city of Hebron, had opened fire on a group of settlers in
Kiryat Arba. He was later killed in an exchange of fire with Israelis.
Following
the shooting, the Israeli army closed entrances to Hebron and dozens of
settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles and blocked access to Al-Fawwar refugee
camp, south of Hebron.
On
Saturday night, groups of settlers were reported to have shot at Palestinian
properties between the Wadi Al-Hussein and Jaber neighbourhoods.
In
a recording, activist Manal Dana said: “The settlers are shooting toward the
houses, and I am afraid for my children. The settlers are standing under my
house.
Palestinian
sources in Hebron said armed settlers, protected by the Israeli army, sprayed
civilians with pepper gas in the Al-Sahla neighborhood near the Ibrahimi
Mosque.
The
Fatah movement in the central Hebron region announced a strike on Sunday in
mourning for Al-Jabari.
Hisham
Sharbati, a human rights activist from Hebron, told Arab News that on Saturday
night settlers had closed all intersections of Hebron and that the Israeli army
had kept them shut for part of Sunday morning.
In
a statement, Fatah said: “Our struggle is continuing, and the convoys of
martyrs are advancing the national situation in defense of our land.”
The
organization pointed out the need to protect “our honor and our sanctities in
response to the fierce and systematic attack led by occupation authorities
against our people in all the governorates of the country.
“We
ask you to adhere to the strike in honor of all the martyrs, the wounded and
the prisoners, and our hero martyr Mohammed Kamel Al-Jabari.”
Several
people were said to have been injured on Saturday evening after being attacked
by settlers in Al-Sahla.
The
Palestinian Red Crescent reported that its ambulance crew came under fire from
Israeli troops and that a paramedic suffered a bullet wound to his shoulder. He
was transferred to Al-Ahly Hospital.
Falah
Issam Kahla, from Ramon, was hospitalized after being attacked east of Ramallah
on Saturday evening, dozens of settlers reportedly gathered on Jericho Road,
near Ramallah, and threw stones at Palestinian cars, and vehicles were
similarly damaged on the outskirts of Hawara town, south of Nablus.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2190681/middle-east
--------
President:
Iran's Oil Exports Near Pre-Sanctions Era
2022-October-30
Rayeesi
made the remarks in a meeting with deans of universities in Iran on Saturday
night.
"The
enemy had explicitly announced that it would try to reduce Iran's oil sales to
zero. But today, Iran’s oil export has been reaching the statistics prior to
the 2018 sanctions," the president declared.
"The
foes had tried a lot to stop the country's scientific, industrial, production
and service activities in the country and cut Iran's connection with other
countries but their plots were doomed to failure," he noted.
"When
the enemy’s desperate attempts at hampering Iran’s progress or cutting its ties
with other nations were practically frustrated, it began to hatch plots and
take obstructive measures against Tehran," Rayeesi continued.
Iran
has repeatedly announced it is selling its crude oil despite US sanctions and
the revenues are returned to the country.
Back
in July, the Iranian Oil Ministry announced the country’s increased crude sales
and prices last year helped the government cut the budget deficit and manage
fluctuations in the foreign exchange market despite the US sanctions.
“Thanks
to years of experience and expertise and also unique logistic potentials, Iran
is present in traditional markets and meets the needs of its old customers, and
at the same time is capable of being present in any geographic region of the
global oil market,” the ministry said.
“Moreover,
the increase in oil and condensate sales, along with the price hike in the last
few months, has cut the heavy budget deficit of the (Iranian fiscal) year
2022-2023 and has given the government the leverage to manage the fluctuation
in the foreign exchange market,” it added.
“Iran’s
oil marketing strategy in the recent period has been active marketing. During
this period, in addition to maintaining its share in the old markets, Iran has
entered (new) markets that were previously unthinkable under the intensified
restrictions,” the oil ministry clarified.
Iranian
Oil Minister Javad Owji has also confirmed in mid-May Tehran was selling crude
at a good price, adding that new markets have been found for exports.
Iran
has its own customers in the oil market and continues selling oil at a good
price, Owji continued, stating new markets have been identified.
Analysts
believe US President Joe Biden and his Democratic Party will pay a political
price in the midterm congressional election if they fail to remove Anti-Tehran
sanctions and do not allow more Iranian crude to enter the international
markets.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010808000429/Presiden-Iran's-Oil-Exprs-Near-Pre-Sancins-Era
--------
IRGC
Commander: US Standing at End of Road
2022-October-30
Speaking
in Bandar Abbas on Sunday while addressing commanders and officers of the IRGC
Navy, Rear Admiral Tangsiri condemned the recent terrorist attack in Shiraz,
stressing that "terror and assassination of the innocent people is a sign
of lack of logic".
"Despite
all sanctions and obstacles Iran is moving forward day-by-day on the path of
becoming stronger and with no doubt revenge on these crimes," the senior
commander noted.
At
least 15 pilgrims lost their lives and 19 others were wounded after a
heavily-armed terrorist opened indiscriminate fire at the religious site on
Wednesday. Iranian officials have reaffirmed that the masterminds behind the
bloody attack will be punished.
"Now,
we are just at the beginning, we successfully completed the first Step of
Iran's Islamic Revolution with all enmities and jealousies, and are starting
the Second Phase of the Revolution, but the arrogant world of the Westerners
and the aggressor US have reached the end line," he added.
"Iran
is getting more powerful day by day, and the foes who had launched war against
the Iranians think that they can stop the growing movement of Iran's Revolution
and the nation, that is why they do such cowardly acts such as terrors that
leads to the martyrdom of innocent people and pilgrims to the shrine of Shah
Cheragh in Shiraz," the navy commander stated.
Iranian
officials say willingness of countries across the world to boosting their
relations and cooperation with Tehran indicates failure of the US policy of
Isolating Iran.
US
officials have admitted failure of Washington's maximum pressure policy against
Tehran. Iranian officials say US President Joe Biden's administration still
continues former President Donald Trump's failed maximum pressure policy
against Tehran despite claims that it wants to strike an agreement with the
country.
In
quitting the 2015 nuclear deal, Trump restored sanctions on Iran as part of
what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign against the country. Those
sanctions are being enforced to this day by the Biden administration, even
though it has repeatedly acknowledged that the policy has been a mistake and a
failure.
Tehran
says it will not be able to trust Washington as long as President Biden
continues the wrong policy of maximum pressure and sanctions practiced by Trump
against Iran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010808000703/IRGC-Cmmander-US-Sanding-a-End-f-Rad
--------
Tehran
Confirms 5 Iranians Killed in Seoul Halloween Stampede
2022-October-30
At
least 153 people were killed and dozens more injured in an apparent crowd surge
at packed Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital on Saturday, local
officials say.
Kana'ani
offered his condolences to the South Korean government, people and families of
victims of stampede in Seoul.
"The
embassy of Iran in Seoul has found out after contacts with the South Korean
authorities that five Iranian citizens were among the victims of the
incident," the spokesperson noted.
Tehran’s
embassy in Soul is seriously pursuing efforts to uphold the legal and consular
rights of the Iranian victims, he stated.
On
Saturday night, tens of thousands of people flooded into the streets of the
Itaewon neighborhood in Seoul to celebrate Halloween. But as the night went on,
panic erupted as the crowds swelled. What exactly caused the crush still isn’t
clear, but witnesses say partygoers had been packed tightly in the district’s
narrow streets and it was difficult to move around.
Seoul
Metropolitan Police say they have confirmed the identities of nearly all those
killed in the tragic incident.
The
national mourning period for the victims of the Halloween crush will go from
today through November 5.
South
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stated that the events in Seoul will be
investigated and measures put in place to ensure it never happens again.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
trial opens for five people facing death penalty over protests
29
October, 2022
The
trial of five Iranians charged with offences that can carry capital punishment
over protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death opened Saturday in Tehran, the
judiciary’s news website said.
The
Islamic republic has witnessed a wave of protests over the death of 22-year-old
Amini on September 16 after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran for
allegedly violating the country's strict dress code for women.
The
street violence, which authorities have dubbed “riots,” has led to dozens of
deaths, mostly among demonstrators but also among the security forces.
Hundreds
of protesters including women have been arrested.
“The
first hearing of a number of defendants from the recent riots opened this
morning at Tehran’s revolutionary tribunal,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online
website said.
Charges
have been filed against more than 1,000 individuals in provinces across Iran in
connection to the protests, the judiciary said on Wednesday.
Mizan
reported that an individual identified as Mohammad Ghobadlou was charged in
Tehran with “corruption on earth,” an offence punishable by death, for
“attacking police with a car, which resulted in the death of one officer and
the injury of five others.”
Another
of the five, Saeed Shirazi, faces the same charge for “inciting people to
commit crimes against the country’s security,” Mizan said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
Biden
to attend COP27 climate conference in Egypt: White House
Servet
Günerigök
29.10.2022
WASHINGTON
US
President Biden will travel to Egypt next month to attend the UN climate change
summit, known as COP27, the White House said Friday.
"On
November 11th, President Biden will attend the 27th Conference of the Parties
to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh,
Egypt," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
"At
COP27, he will build on the significant work the United States has undertaken
to advance the global climate fight and help the most vulnerable build
resilience to climate impacts, and he will highlight the need for the world to
act in this decisive decade," it said.
After
the COP27 summit, Biden will head to Phnom Penh, Cambodia from Nov. 12 - 13 to
participate in the annual US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit.
“In
Cambodia, he will reaffirm the United States’ enduring commitment to Southeast
Asia and ASEAN centrality, building on the success of the historic U.S.-ASEAN
Special Summit in Washington, DC. He will underscore the importance of
U.S.-ASEAN cooperation in ensuring security and prosperity in the region, and
the wellbeing of our combined one billion people," said Jean-Pierre.
From
Nov. 13 - 16, the president will be in Bali, Indonesia for the G20 Leaders’
Summit where he will commend Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s leadership of
the G20 and highlight the US’ commitment to the premier forum for economic
cooperation with countries representing more than 80% of the world’s GDP.
"He
will work with G20 partners to address key challenges such as climate change,
the global impact of Putin’s war on Ukraine, including on energy and food
security and affordability, and a range of other priorities important to the
global economic recovery," said the statement.
The
White House said following Biden's travel to Asia and North Africa, Vice
President Kamala Harris will travel to Bangkok, Thailand to attend the Nov. 18
- 19 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting.
"The
Vice President’s participation will underscore the U.S. commitment to economic
cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and she will outline U.S. goals for our
APEC host year in 2023," said the statement.
Following
her talks in Bangkok, Harris will travel to Manila, Philippines to meet
government leaders and civil society representatives.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Elon
Musk's Twitter purchase draws flak over abuse-ridden Saudi funding
30
October 2022
Elon
Musk's purchase of Twitter has come under flak over a sizable funding a Saudi
Arabianprince allocated to the American social media platform as the
ultra-conservative kingdom grapples with a stark track record of human rights
abuse and repression.
The
$44 billion deal was concluded on Friday after a months-long spat between Musk
and the Twitter Company, with the 51-year-old billionaire swiftly dismissing
its CEO and other top executives as part of "reforms" he had already
promised the internet and social media users, among them the
"prioritization of free speech".
The
purchase was, however, shrouded in controversy after Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin
Talal said he and his Kingdom Holding Company had rolled over a combined $1.89
billion in existing Twitter shares, making them Twitter’s largest shareholder
after Musk.
“The
SpaceX founder relied on equity from other investors to carry out the deal.
Alwaleed, a Saudi prince, and CEO of the Kingdom Holding company committed
$1.89 billion—equating to nearly 35 million shares—in equity to help Musk
purchase Twitter,” media reports underlined.
Musk's
reliance on Saudi Arabia drew harsh criticism over Riyadh's stifling of free
expression and human rights violations at home and aboard.
Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is accused of ordering the 2018 brutal murder
of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was a vocal critic of the Saudi
royalty. Khashoggi was dismembered with a bone saw during a visit to the Saudi
consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul.
Some
critics raised eyebrows at the purchase and voiced concerns about the
possibility of promoting hate speech online, highlighting what they viewed as a
dangerous hypocrisy in allowing Saudi royalty so much ownership of Twitter.
"There's
not been enough scrutiny of the fact that Elon Musk's Twitter takeover has been
propped up with cash from Qatar & Saudi Arabia," tweeted Business
Insider's Ryan Gallagher. "Twitter was prev compromised by Saudi spies who
used internal data to out dissidents & have them jailed. Surprising any new
owner of Twitter - especially one professing to be a free-speech absolutist -
would want Saudi influence anywhere near the platform."
"The
bird is free! The bird is free!" tweeted MSNBC Host Mehdi Hasan in
reference to Musk's celebration of the purchase. Hasan, a critic of Saudi
Arabia's authoritarian regime, made the post as he retweeted the news about
Alwaleed's stake on Twitter.
Tommy
Vietor, a former staffer for ex-US President Barack Obama, tweeted, "The
second largest investor in Twitter is...Saudi Arabia. The bone saw-loving
kingdom that just sentenced a 72-year-old American man to 16 years in jail for
his tweets."
Saudi
Arabia has long been under the international community's spotlight over its
flagrant violation of human rights and continued crackdown on free expression.
Saudi
courts have in recent weeks sentenced several people to jail for tweeting and
retweeting posts critical of the ultra-conservative regime in Riyadh. Among
them were two Saudi women who have received decades-long sentences, and a US
citizen of Saudi origin.
Ever
since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became the de facto leader in 2017, the
kingdom has arrested hundreds of activists, bloggers, intellectuals, and others
for their political activism, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in
the face of international condemnation of the crackdown.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
FBI
probes vandalism at North Dakota Muslim cemetery
Brooke
Anderson
Washington,
D.C.
30
October, 2022
The
FBI is investigating the severe vandalism of a Muslim cemetery in the US state
of North Dakota earlier this month, as the local community tries to repair the
damage and understand the cause of the crime.
The
vandalism was discovered shortly before a funeral and reportedly occurred
around 21 October, according to local news reports. The damage was extensive,
with concrete vaults for burials destroyed.
"This
wasn't simple vandalism. This was targeted. They knew what those things were.
It's one of those things where they wanted to cause harm," Jaylani
Hussein, executive director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Minnesota,
told The New Arab.
North
Dakota's Muslim community is small but historic. The state has the oldest
mosque in the US, a small structure that sits on a remote prairie and was
established by Syrian and Lebanese immigrants in the 1920s.
These
days, a growing number of Muslims in North Dakota come from Somalia.
North
Dakota's neighbour to the east, Minnesota, is home to a sizeable Somali
community. There, anti-Muslim attacks reached an all-time high this year.
CAIR's
Hussein told The New Arab that the cemetery vandalism is not the first such
incident to have occurred recently in North Dakota.
"We
had an active militia group that targeted a mosque in Moorhead," Hussein
said. "That was about a year ago."
There
have been no comments from the state's elected officials on the cemetery
vandalism incident, he said.
In
response to the recent vandalism, the Islamic Society of Fargo Moorhead is
hosting an open house "to showcase Islam and its values" it said in a
public statement, which will be held on 5 November.
"We
invite you to meet your Muslim neighbours, tour the mosque, attend a talk with
a special guest speaker and learn more about Islam," the statement read.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/fbi-probes-vandalism-north-dakota-muslim-cemetery
--------
Southeast
Asia
Malaysian authorities raid LGBT Halloween party; detain attendees for
cross-dressing
By:
Sneha Swaminathan
Oct
30, 2022
A
large Halloween gathering attended by the LGBT community was disrupted by
Islamic religious police in Malaysia, who then detained 20 people for allegedly
inciting vice and cross-dressing, activists claimed on Sunday.
The
raid in Kuala Lumpur was described as "traumatising and harrowing" by
activist Numan Afifi, who was one of those detained at the event.
"About
40 religious officers backed by the police came into the venue with some 1,000
participants, and they stopped the music and dance," he told AFP.
Numan
said authorities divided party-goers into two groups -- Muslims and followers
of other faiths.
Subsequently,
20 Muslims were taken to the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department
where "our identity details were recorded".
"Some
were alleged to have committed offences under cross-dressing while others,
including me, for encouraging vice," Numan said.
The
20 were all released a short while afterwards, but they are all expected back
for questioning the following week.
The
Muslim-majority nation's once-proud image for moderation and tolerance has been
eroded by conservative sentiments, which have resulted in ongoing
discrimination against the LGBT community.
In
Malaysia, which has a dual-track judicial system, disputes that involve
Muslims, who make up around 60% of the population, are sometimes heard in
sharia courts.
Source:
WIO News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
PAS’
non-Muslim wing asks for 3 parliamentary, 12 state seats
October
30, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The PAS non-Muslim supporters’ wing has asked for three parliamentary and
12 state seats to contest in next month’s general election (GE15).
The
wing’s chief, N Balasubramaniam, said this year’s request was made in line with
the spirit of camaraderie within PAS, adding that the wing had been giving the
party its unwavering support since GE14.
“Our
request is reasonable, given that Johor and Melaka have already held their
state elections,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
“It’s
up to PAS’ central committee to decide which seats our candidates can be
fielded in. We remain confident and believe in the sincerity of PAS leaders,
who have been close friends of various races.
“If
we are given the opportunity to contest on a PAS ticket, we will also try to
win at least one parliamentary constituency and several state seats, based on
the support from members and help from PAS itself.”
In
GE14, Balasubramaniam contested the Bentong seat on a PAS ticket in a three-way
clash with DAP’s Wong Tack and Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Liow Tiong Lai, but
obtained the lowest number of votes (5,706) and lost his deposit.
Wong
won the seat with 25,716 votes after securing a 2,032-vote majority over Liow.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Stop
interfering in Malaysia’s internal affairs, govt official tells UN about
Myanmar deportations
Iman
Muttaqin Yusof and Nisha David
2022.10.27
United
Nations organizations and other groups should stop meddling in Malaysia’s
internal affairs, the country’s home minister said Thursday when asked about
these agencies criticizing the deportations of Myanmar nationals, including
asylum seekers.
Kuala
Lumpur would take action against any foreigner who violates Malaysian laws, no
matter where they were from, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said.
“So,
the UNHCR, United Nations or anyone at all, if the people we detain entered the
country legally but then violate our laws, we will then send them back. No need
for outsiders to interfere,” he told reporters in Kelantan state on Thursday.
Hamzah
made the remarks about a week after news broke that Malaysia had deported 150
Myanmar nationals, including defectors from the Burmese military.
The
Reuters news agency had reported that the expelled people included six former
Myanmar naval officers, who were arrested in September and sent back to Myanmar
on Oct. 6. It said at least four of the officers had sought U.N. refugee status
in Malaysia and that one officer and his wife were detained upon arrival in
Yangon.
They
were among more than 2,000 Myanmar nationals deported since April, Human Rights
Watch stated in a statement earlier this week.
In
defending the government’s action, Hamzah said the deportations were based on
international law, adding that Malaysia would not deport any foreigner if their
life would be put in jeopardy.
“We
will not deport people if they will disappear in their own country or if it
would oppress them. We do it based on the international law. So, everyone,
every Malaysian must understand this,” he said.
Hamzah
was the only Malaysian government official to respond to the U.N. statements.
Foreign
Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, who for months was seen in ASEAN circles as the
most outspoken critic of the military regime in post-coup Myanmar and the biggest
ally of the National Unity Government, has kept silent on the issue of the
deportations.
Saifuddin
was the first Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign minister to
contact Myanmar’s shadow government, publicly meet with its foreign minister
and push for the regional bloc to actively engage with it.
Saifuddin
did not attend an emergency meeting of top ASEAN diplomats in Jakarta on
Thursday to discuss how to end the Myanmar political crisis and contain
widespread violence there.
183,000
refugees
As
of September, more than 183,000 refugees and asylum seekers were registered in
Malaysia, according to UNHCR data. Of the total, 157,900 were from Myanmar –
105,870 Rohingya followed by 23,190 Chins and 28,840 from other ethnic groups.
The other refugees were from 50 countries where they were escaping prosecutions
and wars.
Malaysia
is not a signatory of the U.N. 1951 Refugee Convention, but the Muslim-majority
Southeast Asian country has become the favorite location for people from
Myanmar seeking refuge, especially members of its stateless Rohingya Muslim
minority.
On
Tuesday, UNHCR spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo said her agency was concerned about
Malaysia’s continued deportation of Myanmar asylum-seekers, placing lives at
risk.
“We
have received multiple disturbing reports of these forced returns of Myanmar
nationals from Malaysia since April this year, including those seeking
international protection. In the last two months alone, hundreds of Myanmar
nationals are reported to have been sent back against their will by the
authorities.
“UNHCR
continues to call on Malaysia to immediately stop the forced returns of Myanmar
nationals seeking safety from serious harm. Sending them back to Myanmar
exposes them to harm and danger,” she told reporters at the Palais des Nations
in Geneva.
“UNHCR
appeals to the Malaysian authorities to adhere to their international legal
commitments and ensure full respect for the rights of people in need of
international protection,” she said.
Moratorium
On
Wednesday, U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk called for a moratorium on the
forced return of Myanmar nationals, adding that with the rising levels of
violence and instability and the collapse of its economy and social protection
systems, it was not the time to send anyone back to Myanmar.
“This
is especially the case for anyone with specific protection concerns, such as
political activists or military defectors, who are at grave risk upon return,”
he said in the statement.
Under
international law, the principle of non-refoulment says that people can’t be
sent back to a country where they are likely to be persecuted, tortured,
mistreated or have their human rights violated in other ways.
“It
is essential that in light of the prevailing situation in Myanmar, now more
than ever, that states do not return people to suffering and danger, and
provide them with a secure legal status while their country remains in crisis,”
Türk said.
Meanwhile,
Migrant Care country representative Alex Ong joined other human rights groups
and the U.N. in calling for Malaysia to stop deportations of Myanmar nationals.
“It
is not about intervention of Malaysia home affairs, but a joint collaboration
to save lives from returning to face the life-threatening oppression,” Ong told
BenarNews on Thursday. “Group appeal is to prevent the mass massacres of
innocent refugees. It is a purely humanitarian appeal.
“Pushing
refugees back to the unsafe situation is like sending them back to be
slaughtered,” Ong said.
Since
its coup on Feb. 1, 2021, the Myanmar junta has been carrying out a widespread
campaign of torture, arbitrary arrests and attacks that target civilians, the
U.N. and rights groups have said.
Source:
Benar News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/malaysian/stop-interfering-10272022133413.html
--------
Rejecting
PAS signals Umno’s return to moderation, says Zaid
October
31, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Zaid Ibrahim has called on Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) to champion the
religious moderation that underpinned the country’s unity during
post-independence years.
“It
is important that the world sees Malaysia for what it has always stood for – a
country where all people of every race and creed stand together.
“That
was what our founding fathers called ‘muhibbah’, and that is the true spirit
that we must re-create,” the former law minister said.
Zaid
said the country’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, used to remind
Malaysians repeatedly that this country could only thrive and prosper if the
people respected each other’s race, religion and customs.
The
rakyat must embrace the fact that they are different and see diversity as their
strength, he said in an interview with FMT.
“Umno
was always about moderation, until it began to be distracted by the focus
placed by PAS on Islam,” he said.
He
explained that since the 1990s, Umno began to increase its focus on religion to
counter the increasing influence of the Islamic party.
“These
days, in a bid to secure the Malay vote, even ex-Umno stalwarts like Muhyiddin
Yassin have embraced PAS as political allies,” he said.
Zaid
said this approach has resulted in the country swinging “too far to the right”,
resulting in “too much moral policing and excessive religious rules which
overreach into public and private life”.
“Right
now, we are seeing an uprising of the people of Iran, fighting back against
excessive religious encroachment by their government.
“On
the other hand, we are seeing Saudi Arabia moving towards moderation to attract
investment and establish better ties with the rest of the world,” he said.
In
the same way, he said, Malaysia also needs to recover its moderate status.
“For
that reason, the rakyat must view Umno’s decision not to tie up with PAS for
the general election positively,” he said.
“A
strong mandate for Umno/BN from the public will help the next government
eliminate overzealous religiosity and moral policing.
“Only
a strong Umno/BN representation supported by the moderate forces that exist in
Sabah and Sarawak can overcome religious extremism.”
Zaid
hoped incidents such as the recent raid by the Federal Territories religious
department (Jawi) on a Halloween party last weekend can be minimised.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
15
Months After Takeover, Islamic Emirate Not Recognized by World
By
Mohammad Farshad Daryosh
October
31, 2022
Since
the Islamic Emirate come to power in Afghanistan, nearly fifteen months ago, no
country has recognized its government.
However,
the Islamic Emirate's deputy spokesperson, Bilal Karimi, said that Kabul has
completed all the requirements for recognition and that the international
community should recognize it.
"The
Islamic Emirate has fulfilled the criteria and norms necessary for recognition
in the world,” Karimi said.
Political
experts believe that the failure to implement the Doha Agreement, the closing
of girls' schools and the lack of an inclusive government are the reasons why
the current government has not been recognized so far.
"They
should make changes to their system, with inclusiveness that the world needs,
with diverse ethnicities and leaders, and those who are professionals should be
working in departments," said political analyst Sayed Ishaq Gailani.
"The
creation of an inclusive government is a clear demand of the international
community. Second, girls' schools should be opened, which was later added, and
adherence to international law,” said Sangar Amirzada, international relations
expert.
Even
though no government has recognized the Islamic Emirate, representatives from
India, China, Uzbekistan, the European Union, Russia, and the United Arab
Emirates, have a presence in Kabul.
"The
nations who raise barriers to the recognition of the Islamic Emirate are mainly
seeking political and geopolitical goals,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy of
the Ministry of Economy.
"The
opening of embassies in Afghanistan does not mean recognition of the Islamic
Emirate; these embassies have been opened temporarily, not permanently,” said
Mohammad Omar Nuhzat, political analyst.
Source:
Tolo News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-180523
--------
In
Bandarban operation, Bangladesh targets Muslim militant-hill tribe rebel link
Ahammad
Foyez
2022.10.28
Bangladeshi
security forces have launched a crackdown on a nascent armed tribal group that,
officials allege, helped train a budding Muslim extremist group in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts, a restive southeastern region near the borders with
Myanmar and India.
The
joint campaign by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite police unit, and
the army has led to the arrests so far of at least 10 suspected members of the
groups, since the operation began on Oct. 10 in one of the remotest areas in
Bandarban, a district in the Hill Tracts region, authorities said.
The
Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed hill tribe group, made headlines
recently as they demanded an autonomous region for the indigenous Kuki people,
many of whom now follow Christianity, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). The
group’s members posed with weapons for social media posts and YouTube videos.
Officials
say they have uncovered a strong link between the national front and what they
assert is a newly formed Muslim extremist group, Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal
Sharqiya (JAFHS).
“We
have concrete information that the newly formed militant group was being
trained by KNF in remote areas of Bandarban district,” Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan told BenarNews.
“Although
the areas are very remote, our forces are optimistic about uprooting both
groups from the hilly district.”
However,
the launch of the anti-militant operation has mystified some human rights
activists and experts. One observer expressed skepticism about the alleged link
between an armed hill tribe group and Muslim extremists,
“Both
the emergence of KNF and its intimacy with a hardline Islamist group are
surprising to us,” Nirupa Dewan, a prominent rights activist and a former
member of the National Human Rights Commission, told BenarNews.
Rivalries
between ethnic armed groups have long beset the Hill Tracts, but none of them
was known to have collaborated with any Islamic militant group. The region’s
ethnic population, by and large, opposes what they view as encroachment by the Bengali
resident population and settlers, who mainly follow Islam.
Known
as a moderate Muslim-majority country, Bangladesh witnessed several bouts of
violent Islamic extremism, most notably in July 2016, when a group of five
extremists with ties to the Islamic State group killed 20 hostages, mostly
foreigners, during an overnight siege at a café in Dhaka.
After
a successful, if violent, crackdown by the security forces and a downturn in
international Muslim extremism, violent militancy in Bangladesh had declined
sharply in recent years, officials said, until JAFHS emerged on the scene. But
beyond official statements, there’s scarce information available about the
alleged new extremist group.
‘Hijrah’
On
Wednesday, RAB chief M. Khurshid Hossain told reporters that the agency had
launched an investigation following media reports in August that 55 young men
had gone missing across the country, mostly from southeastern Cumilla district.
“Our
investigation found that the young men embarked on so-called Hijrah. As they
could not carry out militant activities in the mainland, they sought a safe
haven in the remote hilly areas,” he said.
In
Islamic history, “Hijrah” refers to the flight by Prophet Muhammad and his
companions to escape persecution in Mecca in 622 A.D. But members of modern
Islamic extremist groups are also known to refer to Hijrah as the journey from
their country of origin to the territories in their control.
“We
soon contacted the military headquarters and conducted joint operations after
our drone surveillance located the KNF camps. We arrested some people and
recovered 21 firearms,” the RAB chief said, adding that the operations had
dismantled camps used for training exercises.
But
back in September, The Daily Star newspaper reported that at least one of the
missing young men was in RAB’s custody and had been arrested from Dhaka.
The
police unit is notorious for arresting people without public announcements,
leaving rights groups to cry foul about enforced disappearances. Last December,
the U.S. government sanctioned several current and former leaders of RAB for
widespread rights abuses.
On
Oct. 6, RAB spokesman Khandaker Al Moin publicly revealed that JAFHS was an
emerging Muslim extremist group and acknowledged that the battalion had
arrested some of its suspected members who had been among the young men missing
from Cumilla.
Moin
told reporters that the information gleaned from the detained members
established the connection between KNF and JAFHS, which spurred the joint
operation in the CHT four days later.
He
also said that the new extremist group was formed by members of three banned
extremist organizations, Ansar Al-Islam, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, and
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami – all of which were reportedly involved in violent
attacks in the past.
In
a separate development, the Dhaka police’s Counter-Terrorism and Transactional
Crime (CTTC) unit arrested five alleged members of JAFHS on Wednesday.
KNF
controversy
It
is unclear when KNF was formed, but the group, also known as the Bawm Party,
was accused of killing a man in a remote village in Bandarban in April.
On
June 21, the group drew national attention after it claimed responsibility on
social media for killing three people.
A
prominent rights activist from Bandarban, who requested anonymity to talk
freely because he feared for his safety, told BenarNews that KNF had been
formed with the knowledge of the local security apparatus in the CHT.
KNF
has yet to publicly address the allegations that it collaborated with an
Islamic extremist group. But after the crackdown began, the group refuted the
characterization that it was a “separatist” group.
On
the contrary, the group said on Facebook, “Kuki-Chin communities have never
been involved in any anti-government activities that could threaten the
territorial integrity of Bangladesh.”
The
group also regularly posts statements in support of the Bangladesh army and the
majority Bengali population in the CHT — in stark contrast to more prominent
ethnic groups that oppose them.
KNF’s
arch-enemy appears to be the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS),
the oldest ethnic political group in the CHT that led an insurgency between the
70s and 90s. PCJSS’ armed members formally surrendered to the government in
1997 following a peace deal, but in the years since, several other ethnic
groups were established and that are now locked in violent conflict against
each other.
Abdur
Rashid, a retired army general and security analyst, suspects political
patronage behind the rise of groups such as KNF.
Source:
Benar News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/bengali/counter-militant-operation-10282022160348.html
--------
Bangladesh
launches crackdown in Rohingya camps after murders
October
31, 2022
Cox´s
Bazar, Bangladesh: Elite Bangladeshi police have launched a crackdown against
suspected criminals and insurgents after a rise in attacks on Rohingya
community leaders in refugee camps, officers said on Sunday.
The
Armed Police Battalion, tasked with security in 34 refugees camps which are
home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslim refugees, said they have arrested at
least 56 Rohingyas since Friday night.
Source:
The News Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
7
injured in an explosion in Kabul mosque
30
October, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], October 30 (ANI): At least seven persons were injured in an
explosion that took place at a mosque in Kabul.
The
Kabul’s spokesperson of the Taliban police chief office, Khalid Zadran, said
that the explosion occurred at around 3 o’clock in the afternoon on Friday,
October 28, in the Sheikh Mohammad Rohani Mosque, reported Khaama Press.
The
explosion took place in Kabul city’s 5th police district as worshippers
gathered at the mosque for Friday prayer, according to Taliban security
official, Zadran.
“Explosive
materials were placed inside the mosque, and it exploded after the Friday
prayer,” Zadran said.
While
the Taliban officials stated that the explosion injured 7 people, local sources
in Kabul reported that at least 10 people were injured as a result of the
detonation of the explosives at the mosque, reported Khaama Press.
This
explosion has not yet been attributed to any specific person or organization.
However,
the deadliest attacks in Kabul, Kunduz, Balkh, Kandahar, Herat, and Nangarhar
provinces of Afghanistan, have been claimed by the Khorasan branch of ISIS.
The
ISIS attacks in Afghanistan have long targeted worshipping places, schools, and
other public places where people congregate, reported Khaama Press.
Even
though the Taliban has been in power for more than 14 months, despite their
officials’ repeated promises to ensure general security, various regions in
Afghanistan have been on the scene of fatal attacks.
Earlier
in September, the suicide bombing in Afghanistan’s Herat caused the death of
twenty persons, which sparked strong reactions from across the globe.
At
least 20 people were killed in a blast that rocked a mosque in northwestern
Afghanistan during Friday prayers, Afghan media reported.
Guzargah
mosque in the city of Herat was bombed at around 12:40 pm (local time), Khamaa
Press reported, citing authorities run by the Taliban.
In
October, at least four people were killed and 25 others were wounded in a blast
in the Kabul mosque.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/7-injured-in-an-explosion-in-kabul-mosque/1188092/
--------
UN
Reaches 4.6 Million Afghan People with Aid
By
Saqalain Eqbal
30
Oct 2022
The
United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said that so far in 2022,
it had provided aid to more than 4.6 million people in Afghanistan.
The
UN agency said on Sunday, October 30, that it has provided cash assistance, and
household items through community-based programs to help the vulnerable and
destitute people of Afghanistan.
A
further 1.1 million Afghans in over 150,000 families have reportedly been
assessed for humanitarian aid, with the UN noting that the evaluation process
is still ongoing nationwide.
About
90% of Afghans do not have enough food to eat at this time, and more than 50%
of them need emergency assistance, according to the Office for the Coordination
of Humanitarian Affairs in Afghanistan (OCHA), as the country’s population grows
more and more dependent on humanitarian aid.
The
UNHCR has also stated that in order to assist people in need in Afghanistan; it
will collaborate with the World Food Program (WFP) and the United Nations
International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
The
UN agency has also highlighted that over the past week, it assisted roughly
1,300 families in Panjshir province in northern Afghanistan who had been driven
out of their primary locations because of hostilities in the province.
According
to the UN, even though 175,000 people who were internally displaced returned to
their homes this year, the number of displaced people has increased as a result
of the Taliban’s armed clashes with their rival resistance groups in various
districts.
The
OCHA voiced concern by producing a report on the funding shortfall for
humanitarian aid to help Afghanistan’s disadvantaged people, experiencing one
of the worst humanitarian crises in the world.
The
UN estimated at the beginning of the year that there are 24.4 million people in
Afghanistan who are in need of aid and that 22.1 million of them require
assistance totaling $4.1 billion.
However,
according to the OCHA report released on October 25, barely 33% of this funding
has been supplied thus far, leaving 77% of the budget unfulfilled.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/un-reaches-4-6-million-afghan-people-with-aid-87774/
--------
Taliban
Injects $12M to Market to Preserve Currency Rate
By
Saqalain Eqbal
30
Oct 2022
The
Central Bank of the Taliban government announced that it will hold an auction
to sell approximately $12 million to maintain the value of the Afghani, the
currency of Afghanistan.
According
to the Central Bank’s newsletter, a foreign currency auction will be held on
Sunday, October 30. Banks, money exchange dealers, and other competent parties,
including licensed money service businesses, are all invited to participate.
Even
though food costs have increased as a result of the Afghani currency’s decline
versus other currencies, the Taliban’s Central Bank previously sold another $12
million into the market.
A
US dollar is currently worth 88 Afghanis in Kabul. The US dollar was worth less
than 80 to the Afghani currency prior to the Taliban taking power.
The
Afghani currency lost value in relation to the US dollar during the first few
months of the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, with 120 Afghanis being exchanged
for every dollar.
According
to research by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), rising
inflation rates are having a severe impact on hundreds of thousands of
unemployed, impoverished Afghans and their families.
Due
to the rise in the price of basic consumables, even basic necessities are now
out of reach for the majority of people.
The
Central Bank of Afghanistan, also known as Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), has
auctioned several million dollars in the open market virtually every week to
maintain the stability of the Afghani rate throughout the more than a year that
the Taliban have dominated Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-injects-12m-to-market-to-preserve-currency-rate-364754/
--------
Arab
World
Fighters
in Syria's Daraa ready for anti-Islamic State operations
30
October, 2022
Fighters
from opposition groups in the southern Syrian city of Daraa Al-Balad are
preparing to launch a campaign against Islamic State militants, according to
reports.
They
have closed main and secondary roads and set up checkpoints across the city in
Daraa province in preparation for a combing operation, a local source told The
New Arab’s Arabic-language service Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. Tannoys across the city
broadcast on Saturday that a new curfew had been imposed until further notice.
The
move comes amid increased clashes in the region between former opposition
fighters and IS members, and recent attacks include a suicide bombing by IS on
Friday that killed four people.
The
operation will reportedly extend to the adjacent Tariq Al-Saad neighbourhood,
where dozens of IS members are believed to be stationed, as local fighters plan
to carry out the mission alone without regime assistance.
Researchers
say recent attacks point to the Syrian regime aiding and encouraging IS operations
in the Daraa area.
"There
is a general conviction in the south, that what is labelled as IS is actually a
cover for the regime security services’ activities," Ahmed Abazid, a
researcher of Islamist organisations told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Daraa
province was one of the main strongholds of the Syrian opposition after the
2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime broke out in 2011.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/syria-fighters-daraa-plan-anti-islamic-state-operations
--------
Grand
Imam of Al Azhar to participate in Bahrain Dialogue Forum
30-10-2022
ABU
DHABI, 30th October 2022(WAM)-- Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, is set to depart to the Kingdom
of Bahrain on Thursday following an invitation from His Majesty King Hamad bin
Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain to participate in the upcoming ‘Bahrain Dialogue
Forum: East and West for Human Coexistence’ on 3-4 November.
The
forum is set to be hosted under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa
Al Khalifa and will be attended by His Holiness Pope Francis, Pontiff of the
Catholic Church alongside 200 religious leaders and prominent academic and
media figures from around the world.
The
Grand Imam is also scheduled to hold a number of high-profile meetings on his
first day in the Kingdom, namely with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al
Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain and Pope Francis, Pontiff of the
Catholic Church, along with other religious leaders who will be participating
in the Forum.
On
the second day of the visit, the Grand Imam alongside His Majesty the King of
Bahrain and Pope Francis will jointly plant a palm tree to symbolise joint
determination in the face of climate change. This will then be followed by the
closing session of the Bahrain Dialogue Forum, which will feature participation
from the Grand Imam, King of Bahrain and Pope Francis.
The
Grand Imam is also set to chair the 16th meeting of the Muslim Council of
Elders which will include a joint meeting with Pope Francis, alongside senior
figures from the Holy See.
Source:
WAM
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303096272
--------
Lebanon’s
President Michel Aoun leaves office amid worsening crisis
30
October, 2022
Michel
Aoun, the 89-year-old Christian president who presided over Lebanon’s
cataclysmic financial meltdown and the deadly Beirut port blast, vacates the
presidential palace on Sunday, leaving a void at the top of a failing state.
Parliament
has so far been unable to agree on a successor in the role, which has the power
to sign bills into law, appoint new prime ministers and green-light government
formations before they are voted on by parliament.
Like
during more than half of Aoun’s time in office, Lebanon is currently governed
by a caretaker cabinet as the premier-designate has been trying for six months
to form a government.
Dozens
of supporters gathered at Baabda Palace to say farewell to Aoun, wearing the
orange associated with his Free Patriotic Movement party and carrying portraits
of him as president and from decades ago when he served as army commander.
One
73-year-old man in the army fatigues he wore when serving under Aoun in the
civil war told Reuters he wished Aoun could have three more years in office.
Therese
Younes, a 16-year-old who had come with other teenagers, said she had backed
Aoun since she was eight and was sad to see him go.
“If
I was 18 years old, I would have left the country. There’s no Lebanon left
after Michel Aoun,” said Younes.
Aoun
is a deeply divisive figure, adored by many Christians who viewed him as their
defender in Lebanon’s sectarian system but accused by critics of enabling
corruption and helping armed group Hezbollah gain influence.
Aoun
secured the presidency in 2016, endorsed by both Hezbollah and rival Maronite
Christian politician Samir Geagea in a deal that brought then-leading Sunni
politician Saad al-Hariri back as prime minister.
The
six-year term that followed saw Lebanon’s army fight off extremist groups on
the Syrian border in 2017 with Hezbollah’s help, a new electoral law passed in
2018 and top energy companies begin exploratory drilling in offshore blocks in
2020.
In
his final week in the palace, he signed onto a US-mediated deal delineating
Lebanon’s southern maritime border with Israel.
His
fans have hailed those achievements but his critics say those modest successes
pale in comparison to the 2019 financial meltdown, which has pushed more than
80 percent of the population into poverty and prompted the widespread
anti-government protests.
Aoun’s
term was also marked by the massive blast at the Beirut port in 2020 that
killed more than 220 people. Aoun later said he had known about the chemicals
stored there and referred the file to other authorities to take action.
Victims’ families said he should have done more.
He
told Reuters in an interview on Saturday that his presidential powers were not
wide enough to address the economic crisis.
“He
was by far the worst president in Lebanon’s history” said Michel Meouchi, a
lawyer and father. “I prefer a void in the presidency to him.”
Aoun’s
path to the presidency began in the 1975-1990 civil war, during which he served
as commander of Lebanon’s army and the head of one of two rival governments.
He
returned to Beirut after 15 years in exile, once Syrian forces withdrew under
international pressure following the 2005 assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
In
2006, the FPM formed an alliance with Hezbollah, which lent important Christian
backing to the armed group.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
At
least eight killed, more than 20 wounded in explosion in Baghdad
29
October, 2022
At
least eight people were killed and more than 20 wounded in an explosion in east
Baghdad on Saturday, according to security and medical sources.
The
explosion took place near a football stadium and a café, the sources said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Civilian
killed in rocket strike by YPG/PKK terrorists in northwestern Syria
Esref
Musa and Omer Koparan
29.10.2022
At
least one civilian was killed in northwestern Syria on Saturday in a rocket
strike carried out by the PKK/YPG terrorist organization, according to reports
from the ground.
Another
civilian was wounded in the terror attack on displaced Syrians in the town of
Afrin. The strike was carried out by the PKK/YPG terrorists in the Tal Rifaat
area, which has been under the terror group's occupation for over six years.
The
PKK/YPG often mounts attacks on Jarabulus, Afrin, and Azaz from the Manbij and
Tal Rifat areas.
Civilians
in the area have begun removing debris from two homes that were demolished in
the attack.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turki
Al-Sheikh opens Merwas, largest art and entertainment factory in the Arab world
GHADI
JOUDAH
October
30, 2022
RIYADH:
The largest entertainment factory in the Arab world has opened in Riyadh to
help and support Saudi talent and put it on the global stage.
Chairman
of the General Entertainment Authority Turki Al-Sheikh inaugurated the
development on Saturday in the presence of Nada Al-Tuwaijri, co-founder and CEO
of Merwas, Rumian Al-Rumayyan, co-founder and chief content officer, and a
number of guests including artists, composers and music distributors.
Merwas
is located in Boulevard Riyadh City and is one of the 15 entertainment zones in
Riyadh Season. It boasts international studios to give visitors the chance to
explore the worlds of film and cinematography.
Al-Tuwaijri
told Arab News that Merwas is a cultural factory with 22 studios, along with an
academy.
She
added: “The first goal within five years is to resolve all of the issues that
we notice in the market; the second is to incubate the largest number of Saudi
talents; the third is to introduce IPs, royalties, copyrights and raise
awareness within the community and within artists.
“The
last goal is to expand, and not only within the Kingdom: We do want to see
Merwas present regionally and globally.”
The
factory, which covers 5,000 sq. meters, contributes to helping to change the
concept of art and entertainment, along with assisting artists and researchers
in a supportive environment.
Al-Tuwaijri
said: “I think this is a revolution in the industry, and that whatever you are
seeing right now is just the first step.
“We
do want to change the game, change the rules, not reinvent the wheel but invent
the wheel, in fact.
“We
do want to see our talents going from local to global. Our talents are very
mature, very well-educated.”
The
studios provide the ideal environment for improving creative output, developing
talents and protecting artistic property rights through the academy, production
network, a radio that broadcasts two Arabic-English channels, an artistic
production company and a creative council.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2190731/saudi-arabia
--------
Muslim
Council of Elders condemns terrorist attacks in Mogadishu
31-10-2022
ABU
DHABI, 30th November 2022 (WAM) – The Muslim Council of Elders, under the
Chairmanship of the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, has
strongly condemned the twin blasts in Somalia's capital Mogadishu which
resulted in the hundreds of casualties.
In
a statement, the Council reiterated its categorical rejection of such terrorist
attacks and violence, which contradict the teachings of all religions as well
as international laws and norms. It calls for a unified stand in order to
eradicate and uproot such vicious acts of terrorism.
Source:
WAM
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303096279
--------
Europe
New
Zealand suspends bilateral human rights dialog with Iran
31
October, 2022
The
New Zealand government said on Monday it has suspended its official bilateral
human rights dialog with Iran, saying bilateral approaches were “no longer
tenable” with basic human rights being denied in the country.
Foreign
Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta said in a statement the decision to suspend the
dialog sends a strong signal that bilateral approaches on human rights were not
tenable with Iran denying basic human rights and violently suppressing protests
sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by the
morality police for attire deemed inappropriate.
“Violence
against women, girls or any other members of Iranian society to prevent their
exercise of universal human rights is unacceptable and must end. This is
clearly a difficult time for the people of Iran,” Mahuta said.
New
Zealand and Iran had established the dialog in 2018 with the stated hope of
advancing human rights issues and concerns. A first round of talks was held in
2021, with the next one scheduled to take place later in 2022.
New
Zealand officials last week confirmed that two New Zealanders who had been
detained in Iran for a number of months, had been released and were safe.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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EU
examines classifying Iran Revolutionary Guards as terrorists: Germany
30
October, 2022
Germany
and the European Union are examining whether to classify Iran's Revolutionary Guards
as a terrorist organisation, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Sunday.
“I
made it clear last week that we will launch another package of sanctions, that
we will examine how we can also list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist
organization,” Baerbock said in an interview with ARD broadcaster on Sunday.
Her
comments come after the head of the Revolutionary Guards warned protesters that
Saturday would be their last day of taking to the streets, in a sign that
security forces may intensify their already fierce crackdown on widespread
unrest.
Germany
last week said it was tightening entry restrictions on Iran beyond an already
announced EU sanctions package.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Russia
suspends role inspecting grain ships in Istanbul: JCC
31
October, 2022
Russia
has suspended its participation in the inspection of cargo ships carrying
Ukrainian grain, the Joint Coordination Centre, the body overseeing the deal,
said late Sunday.
The
announcement came a day after Russia suspended its participation in a landmark
agreement that allowed vital grain exports to resume.
“The
delegation of the Russian Federation informed that... it suspends its participation
in the implementation of the activities of the Initiative, including in
inspections, for an indefinite time,” said a JCC statement.
Earlier
Sunday, Turkey's defense ministry had said that the inspection of shipments of
Ukrainian grain would continue Sunday and Monday in Istanbul.
The
JCC said 11 shipments had been inspected Sunday before it made its announcement
concerning Russia's decision.
Another
112 cargo ships carrying Ukrainian grain are waiting for clearance off
Istanbul's coast, said the JCC.
The
July deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine and
brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, is critical to easing the global
food crisis caused by the conflict.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Türkiye,
Ukraine, UN agree to move 16 vessels under Black Sea grain deal
Seda
Sevencan, Ahmet Gencturk
31.10.2022
The
UN, Türkiye and Ukraine have agreed on a movement plan for 16 vessels that are
in Turkish waters after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal.
In
a statement, the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) which oversees
shipments said the three delegations also agreed to inspect 40 outbound vessels
on Monday.
The
JCC added that the Russian side was informed of the development.
According
to the statement, currently, there are 97 loaded vessels and 15 inbound vessels
registered for JCC inspection around Istanbul and an additional 89 that have
applied to join the initiative.
Earlier,
Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry said National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar
continues to negotiate and coordinate with his interlocutors for the resumption
of Black Sea grain exports.
On
Saturday, Russia announced that it had suspended its participation in the deal
to export Ukrainian grain following attacks on its Black Sea Fleet.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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