Love Abounds As Coptic Christians Join And Assist Muslims For Iftar In Egypt To Foster A Spirit Of Tolerance And Unity
New Age Islam News Bureau
01 April 2023
Archpriest Raphael Helmy, priest of the Church of the
Virgin Mary, Pope Kyrollos in Alexandria, and Sheikh Saad Khalif, the imam and
preacher of the Al-Aziz Al-Rahim Mosque, adjacent to the church, during the
preparation of Ramadan boxes. (Supplied)
---------
• Ram Navami Violence: Police Forgot Last Year’s
Lesson, Says Intelligence Report
• Rabbis Ask Netanyahu To Allow Passover Sacrifice On
Temple Mount During Ramadan
• Toronto Police Investigate 'Hateful Messages'
Spray-Painted On West-End Mosque
• Ramzan Stampede Kills 12, All Women And Children, In KarachiAt A Charity Food Distribution
Event
Arab World
• Egypt’s Al-Azhar Joins Global Ramadan Campaign
Supporting Refugees
• Russia protests about ‘provocative actions’ by US
forces in Syria
• Iraq sandstorm blankets Baghdad
• Iran says IRGC officer killed in Israeli strike in
Syria
• UAE says Israel trade pact to go into effect on
April 1
--------
India
• UP: Four held for disturbing peace outside mosque
during Ram Navami procession
• 5 held for hoisting saffron flag in mosque during
Ram Navami celebration in Haryana
• Local Muslims Help Perform Last Rites of Hindu CISF
Jawan in JK's Kulgam
• Mathura: Men climb atop shops near mosque to place
saffron flag, brought down by police
• Kashmir’s Islamic scholars seek meeting with L-G
over Mirwaiz’s ‘house detention’
• Ram Navami festivities end with iftari at RH Railway
Colony in Ahmedabad's Maninagar
• UP: Muslims welcome Ram Navmi rally by showering
flowers
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Mideast
• Hamas slams participation of Arab, African figures
at normalization conference in al-Quds
• Ansarullah leader condemns burning holy Quran, calls
for economic sanctions
• Houthis Prevent Aid Delivery to Yemenis During
Ramadan
• Israeli forces fire on Palestinian at entrance to
Al-Aqsa Mosque
• Türkiye strongly condemns repeated attack on Muslim
holy book, Turkish flag in Denmark
• Over 200,000 Palestinians at al-Aqsa for second
Friday prayers of Ramadan
• Foreign Ministry: ICJ Verdict Reiterates Iran's
Legitimate Stances
• Man grabs Israeli cop’s gun near al-Aqsa mosque, is
shot dead: Police
• Iran’s state TV apologizes for airing images of
couple kissing
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North America
• Minaret Foundation Improves The Lives Of Texas
Muslims By Looking Outward
• Kushner talks about why he wanted Trump to go to
Middle East on first trip
• Thieves made off with large quantities of US weapons
in Iraq, Syria: Report
• US Economic Sanctions 'Backfiring' As Shown In
Iran-Saudi Deal: Analysts
--------
Pakistan
• Judge Threat Case: Islamabad Court Converts Imran’s
Non-Bailable Arrest Warrants Into Bailable Again
• Day after Hindu doctor, Sikh businessman shot dead
in Pakistan
• Cracks in SC ranks laid bare as another judge leaves
bench
• Pak-China border trade set to resume next week
• PML-N pressurising CJP like it did in 1997, says
Imran
--------
South Asia
• Afghan Interim Govt Believes in Electoral System,
IEA Official Says
• Abbas Stanikzai Calls for Reopening of Afghan Girls’
School, University
• Daesh is not a Major Threat to Afghanistan: Mujahid
• HRW Urges Bangladesh To Halt Rohingya Repatriation
Plan
• UN Human Rights Office expresses concern over
arbitrary arrests in Afghanistan
• UAE Sends Urgent Medical and Food Supplies to
Afghanistan
--------
Southeast Asia
• Japanese PM Hails Ties With Islamic Countries At
Ramadan Dinner
• Filipinos join hands to support Muslims during
Ramadan
• Dedicated firefighters sacrifice comfortable Ramadan
break to respond to distress call
• Court orders man who attempted to attack imam sent
to Permai Hospital
• Perspective on the developing ties between Türkiye
and Malaysia
--------
Africa
• Ramadan: Kano Police Declare War Against Illicit
Drugs, Social Vices, Arrest 14 Suspects
• Tunisia to cut off public water supplies overnight
in response to drought
• Tunisia introduces quota system for potable water
amid drought
• Jordan witnessing evolution in political
modernization: Hanns Seidel official
• At least 14 workers dead in gold mine collapse in
Sudan
--------
Europe
• Scotland's New First Minister, Humza Yousaf,
Inspires Young Muslims, But Challenges Lie Ahead
• Muslims represented 10% of French population in
2019-2020: Report
• Danish Muslim converts fight silent battles every
day
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Love Abounds As Coptic Christians Join And Assist
Muslims For Iftar In Egypt To Foster A Spirit Of Tolerance And Unity
MOHAMMAD SHAMAA
April 01, 2023
Archpriest Raphael Helmy, priest of the Church of the
Virgin Mary, Pope Kyrollos in Alexandria, and Sheikh Saad Khalif, the imam and
preacher of the Al-Aziz Al-Rahim Mosque, adjacent to the church, during the
preparation of Ramadan boxes. (Supplied)
-----------
CAIRO: With the advent of Ramadan, several Christian
churches and organizations have organized Rahman or Mercy banquets for Muslims
at Iftar, to foster a spirit of tolerance and unity.
Maya Morsi, president of Egypt’s National Council for
Women, praised Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St.
Mark, for providing food to help the poor, and his supervision of the packing
of the cartons that are titled “Love Never Falls.”
Morsi posted on her Facebook account, saying: “Love
never falls. Pope Tawadros II helps collect charitable donations for
distribution in Ramadan. We are in a bond until doomsday.”
Last week, Pope Tawadros II participated in the
preparation of Ramadan food aid as part of the Coptic Orthodox Church’s charity
drive, through several programs and institutions affiliated with the Pontifical
Office for Projects.
In the city of Luxor, in southern Egypt, a number of
Copts set up daily Ramadan iftar tables.
Romani Ramzi Ajaibi, one of the organizers of the
iftar project, said 10 years ago he started with a number of his brothers and
other relatives to provide food for iftar, a tradition initiated by his father.
Ajaibi told Arab News: “The organization of the
banquet confirms that the Coptic and the Muslim are brothers in one homeland.
Everyone is currently fasting, with some minor differences between them.”
He explained: “The iftar banquet table contains all
meals daily, including meat and poultry, and professional chefs working in
hotels are used to prepare it. And more than 500 meals are provided for
hospital patients.”
BishoyRamzy, another organizer, told Arab News: “There
are other meals that are distributed to the poor daily and delivered to their
homes by those who are ashamed to go to the iftar banquet table (to take
charity).”
Ramzi stressed: “I believe that compassion and
cohesion between Muslims and Christians only generate love among all.”
In Alexandria Governorate, in northern Egypt, the
Church of the Virgin Mary and Pope Kyrillos VI in the El-Zawaida area, east of
Alexandria, distributed 250 bags of Ramadan necessities to the most vulnerable
families in the Montazahneighborhood.
YonesAdeeb, pastor of the Catholic Church in Hurghada,
a Red Sea Governorate city, also joined Muslims for iftar, taking food to
people on the streets. Adeeb participates regularly in Islamic celebrations,
including distributing sweets on Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
Adeeb said: “This year, we prepared Ramadan bags to
distribute to the needy, as the blessed month of Ramadan carries spiritual and
humanitarian meanings.”
“I always share iftar with our Muslim brothers on the
first days of Ramadan.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2279306/middle-east
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Ram Navami Violence: Police Forgot Last Year’s Lesson, Says Intelligence Report
KinsukBasu
| Calcutta
01.04.23
Security personnel patrol a road at Shibpur in Howrah
on Friday. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta
-----------
Enough arrangements had not been made to ensure that
there was no repeat of last year's violence when a Ram Navami procession was
moving down a pocket of the mixed population of communities in Howrah's Shibpur
on Thursday, an intelligence report that reached the home department said.
The report reached the home department hours before
police clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC on Friday
following fresh violence at Kazipara, the scene of Thursday's violence.
The police said some youths had attacked them with
stones late on Friday afternoon in Kazipara where a strong force had been
posted since Thursday night. The windshields of a few cars were smashed and
some signboards of shops were damaged.
The intelligence report pointed to last year's
violence on the occasion of Ram Navami in Howrah and how adequate measures
could have been taken to prevent a repeat this time.
Last April, groups of men had poured out from four
lanes in Kazipara near PM Busty during violence that rocked Shibpur on the
occasion of Ram Navami when a procession was crossing the area, close to
Shibpur police station, along GT Road.
Police sources said there were two separate rallies
organised in the same pocket of Howrah by two wings of the saffron ecosystem on
Thursday.
Thursday's violence broke out in the same spot and
around the same time as last year's — around 5.30 pm — and no special measures
were taken in terms of police deployment to "cover" these four lanes
and a handful of buildings inside, senior officers privy to the report said.
"We are yet to find out whether inputs from the
special branch about the possibility of a repeat of last year's violence around
the same spot in Kazipara were taken into account while drawing up the
deployment plan," said a senior police officer.
Mobile Internet was suspended in Howrah on Friday
evening in view of the deteriorating law and order.
Source: TelegraphIndia
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Rabbis ask Netanyahu to allow Passover sacrifice on
Temple Mount during Ramadan
Rina Bassist
March 31, 2023
Palestinians pray outside the Dome of the Rock shrine
at Al-Aqsa mosque compound, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in
Jerusalem on March 29, 2023. - HAZEM BADER / AFP
---------
Fifteen rabbis have asked the Israeli government on
Thursday to ascend the Temple Mount and al-Haram al-Sharif next Wednesday, when
the Jewish holiday of Passover begins, a move that could exacerbate tensions in
Jerusalem during the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The rabbis have put a request to Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Thursday
to ascend to the Temple Mount and for Jews to be allowed to offer the Passover,
the way it was practiced in biblical times.
Over the years, a majority of rabbis has ruled that
Jews are not allowed to ascend the Temple Mount site, since purification
rituals cannot be performed in times when the temple is destroyed. Most rabbis
also object to reviving biblical sacrifices of lambs or goats. Still, far-right
religious activists have registered a clear trend in recent years of an increase
in the number of Jews ascending the Temple Mount compound.
The request by the rabbis to enable Passover sacrifice
is not new. Temple Mount activists have been making similar demands frequently
in recent years, mostly ahead of the major Jewish traditional holidays. Israeli
police is monitoring for such attempts regularly. Ten people were detained by
police in 2016, on their way to offer the Passover sacrifice on the Temple
Mount. A well-known far-right activist who purchased a young goat was arrested
last year for intending to take it to the site as a Passover sacrifice.
The movement “Back to the Mountain,” which preaches
for Israel to take over control of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif complex
from the hands of the Muslim Waqf authorities, offered on Thursday prizes for
Jews who would try sneaking a lamb into the holy site. A person detained by
police trying to get into the complex with a lamb would receive a prize if
1,200 Israeli shekels ($330), a person arrested inside the complex with a lamb
would be awarded 2,500 shekels ($690) and a person succeeding to offer a lamb
or a young goat on Temple Mount would get 20,000 shekels ($5,500).
The calls for a Passover sacrifice come on the
backdrop of especially high tensions in Jerusalem this year, as Ramadan and
Passover overlap. Traditionally, Jerusalem police limits the entry to the site
for Jews during Ramadan in order to minimize frictions, especially in the last
10 days of the holy Muslim month. The fact that Ben-Gvir, who had called over
the years for Jews to ascend Temple Mount, is currently responsible for
Israel's police, seems to aggravate the already volatile situation. Ben-Gvir’s
wife is a known Temple Mount activist.
In parallel, measures were put into place last week to
enable Muslims from the West Bank and Gaza Strip to enter Israel in order to
pray at the Muslim holy sites and to celebrate Ramadan with family members
living in Israel. A report by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday around
noon said that more than 100,000 Palestinians entered Israel, most of them
heading to Haram al-Sharif for the Ramadan prayers, twice the number compared
with last Friday. Still, the IDF decided Friday morning to close all West Bank
and Gaza crossing points on the first and last days of Passover.
Source:AlMonitor
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Toronto police investigate 'hateful messages'
spray-painted on west-end mosque
Mar 31, 2023
Toronto police say they received a call for a reported
hate crime on Thursday at approximately 5:30 a.m., at an Islamic Centre after
two suspects spray painted graffiti that contained 'hateful messages.' (Michael
Wilson/CBC)
-----------
Toronto police are looking into a suspected
hate-motivated incident after graffiti was spray painted outside a mosque in
the city's west end.
Police say they received a call about a reported hate
crime at an Islamic Centre in the area of Oak Street and Weston Road at around
5:30 a.m. Thursday.
The words "Allah is a lie" and "Death
to dictator" could be seen outside the Towfiq Islamic Centre Friday.
In a news release Friday, police said two suspects
spray painted graffiti that contained "hateful messages" on the
property at approximately 12:26 a.m. earlier that day. The suspects were last
seen wearing dark clothing and fleeing the area on foot heading east on Oak
Street.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims called the
incident "disgusting and disturbing," saying it was was an example of
"Islamophobic vandalism."
"This is gravely concerning," it said in a
tweet.
Muslims are currently marking the month of Ramadan.
After consulting with the hate crimes unit, the
investigation is now being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence,
police said.
In a tweet Friday, Toronto police Chief Myron Demkiw
said police are committed to investigating "every potential hate
crime" in the city and urged residents to report suspected hateful acts.
Police are looking to speak with anyone who may have
witnessed the incident or was driving in the area at the time.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at
416-808-1200 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
Source:CBC
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/mosque-hate-motivated-graffiti-1.6797690
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Ramzan Stampede Kills 12, All Women And Children, In
Karachi At A Charity Food Distribution Event
Apr 1, 2023
People mourn the death of a relative, who was killed
with others in a stampede during handout distribution, in Karachi. (Reuters)
-------------
ISLAMABAD: At least 12 people, all women and children,
died in a stampede on Friday at a Ramazan charity food distribution event among
families of employees working at a private company in Karachi.
Irfan Ali Baloch, a senior police official, said
around 400 women had arrived at the dyeing company in Karachi’s Sindh
Industrial and Trading Estate (SITE) . Fearing a large crowd, the company staff
closed the doors as there were no arrangements in place for organising a queue.
The people panicked and started pushing each other to
collect the food. Some fell into a nearby drain, police said, adding that
several women fainted.
Baloch said the factory owner, identified as Zulfiqar,
would be arrested soon. MukhtiarAbro, a senior administrative official, said
the owner had not obtained a no-objection certificate, nor asked for security.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Arab World
Egypt’s Al-Azhar joins global Ramadan campaign
supporting refugees
Aya Salah
31 Mar 2023
The month-long campaign, which is carried out under
the motto “In hardship: Your gift is support and ease”, comes amid the increasing
numbers and severity of humanitarian emergencies, the AIRA said in a statement
on Thursday.
This campaign is the second launched by the academy in
cooperation with the UN refugee body.
The first campaign, which was carried out in December
2020 under the motto 30 Days of Kindness, raised awareness on the situation of
refugees and internally displaced people.
The new campaign seeks through various stories to
spotlight the humanitarian suffering of displaced people and so urge Muslims to
show solidarity and support, Secretary-General of AIRA Nazir Muhammad
explained.
It will also include recorded messages from Al-Azhar
scholars supporting the campaign and religious edicts (fatwas) directing Zakat
to displaced people, Nazir noted.
Zakat (alms-giving), which is one of the five pillars
of Islam, obliges financially-able Muslims to give 2.5 percent of their annual
income to the poor and needy.
The UNHCR said in a statement on Tuesday that this
year's campaign invites the public to look closer and see the people behind the
headlines and the statistics.
According to the UNHCR, over 100 million people remain
forcibly displaced from their homes in 2022 due to war, violence, persecution
and human rights abuses.
Many have been struggling to survive for years as many
crises remain unresolved.
Any gift during this holy month will be a lifeline to
millions of displaced people observing Ramadan away from home, the UNHCR's
statement added.
Source: Ahram
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/492804.aspx
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Russia protests about ‘provocative actions’ by US
forces in Syria
31 March ,2023
Russia has protested to the American-led coalition
against ISIS about “provocative actions” by US armed forces in Syria, Tass news
agency said on Friday.
Tass cited a senior Russian official as saying the
incidents had occurred in the northeastern province of Hasakeh. The United
States has been deploying troops in Syria for almost eight years to combat
ISIS.
Hundreds of ISIS fighters are camped in desolate areas
where neither the coalition nor the Syrian army exert full control. Russia -
which together with Turkey is carrying out joint patrols in northern Syria -
has agreed special zones where the coalition can operate.
But Russian Rear Admiral Oleg Gurinov, head of the
Russian Reconciliation Centre for Syria, told Tass that US forces had twice
been spotted in areas which lay outside the agreed zones.
“Provocative actions on the part of US armed forces
units have been noted in Hasakeh province ... the Russian side lodged a protest
with the coalition,” he said, without giving details of timing.
Last week the US military carried out multiple air
strikes in Syria against Iran-backed groups that it blamed for a drone attack
that killed an American contractor at a coalition base in the northeast of the
country.
Russia intervened in the Syrian Civil War in 2015,
tipping the balance in President Bashar Al-Assad’s favor.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Iraq sandstorm blankets Baghdad
31 March ,2023
A sandstorm enveloped central Iraq, including Baghdad,
on Friday, the first such weather event to hit the arid country this year.
In 2022, Iraq experienced more than a dozen
sandstorms, an unprecedented number that was attributed to desertification.
Iraqis who ventured outside on Friday afternoon were
greeted with the increasingly familiar ochre sky and unbreathable air typical
of sandstorms, with AFP journalists reporting greatly reduced visibility and a
film of dust covering cars and houses.
Driven by westerly winds, the storm moved from
Al-Anbar province before reaching Baghdad and Salaheddin province by late
Friday.
Local authorities were unable to provide figures on
the number of people so far requiring medical treatment for respiratory
problems related to the storm.
Orders were issued for “health facilities to be on
alert,” Health Minister Saleh al-Hasnawi said in a statement.
Transport ministry spokesman Maythem al-Safi told AFP
that flights into and out of Iraq “are continuing normally.”
Last year’s sandstorms caused disruption to air
traffic and frequent closures of schools and offices. Thousands of people were
admitted to hospital with respiratory problems.
The United Nations places Iraq among the five
countries in the world most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
The environment ministry has warned the country can
expect to experience “272 dust days” per year, rising to more than 300 by 2050.
Amer al-Jabri, a spokesman for Iraq’s meteorological
department, said the storms are a result of desertification caused by “drought,
lack of rain (and the) drying up of rivers.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/03/31/Iraq-sandstorm-blankets-Baghdad-
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Iran says IRGC officer killed in Israeli strike in
Syria
31 March ,2023
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said
on Friday one of its officers stationed in Syria was killed in an Israeli
strike near Damascus earlier in the day.
“At dawn today, Friday, Milad Heydari, one of the
IRGC’s military advisors in Syria, was martyred in a criminal attack by the
Zionist regime near Damascus,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by state
media.
The IRGC has vowed to retaliate for Heydari’s death,
saying: “Undoubtedly, the fake and criminal Zionist regime will receive a
response for this crime.”
According to a military source cited by Syria’s state
news agency SANA, an aerial attack was carried out by the Israel at 00:17 local
time (21:17 GMT) using multiple missiles fired from the occupied Syrian Golan,
with one of the positions near Damascus being the target.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), a war
monitoring organization based in Britain, said the airstrikes were aimed at locations
in southwest Damascus that were occupied by both the Syrian military and groups
that are aligned with Iran.
Iran, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, has been heavily involved in Syria since the beginning of the
conflict there in 2011, sending thousands of Iranian and foreign fighters to
back the Syrian regime.
Israel has not commented on the attack, as is typical
for the country.
Iran tends to avoid publicly assigning blame to Israel
for the deaths of its military personnel in Syria, as doing so would put
pressure on Tehran to retaliate.
“With Iran’s regime coming out so publicly and
attributing the death of IRGC’s Milad Heydari to the Israeli strike in Syria
overnight, this likely means the regime is setting the table to retaliate. One
option is against US forces as has been done before,” Iran analyst Jason
Brodsky said on Twitter.
“If it didn’t want to retaliate, there would have
likely been a vague announcement of the death of an IRGC officer in Syria
carrying out his duties.”
The air strike marks the sixth attack by Israel in
Syria in March, according to OSDH.
Israel has been conducting these attacks for years,
targeting what it says are Iran-linked targets in Syria.
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Iraqi
paramilitary groups, both backed by Iran, have established positions throughout
Syria.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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UAE says Israel trade pact to go into effect on April
1
31 March ,2023
The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
(CEPA) signed between the UAE and Israel in 2022 will go into effect on
Saturday, April 1.
The trade agreement will see reduced or removed
tariffs on more than 96 percent of product lines, according to the UAE’s
Ministry of Economy.
In addition to the new tariff structures, “the
agreement with Israel removes unnecessary barriers to trade, improves market
access for services suppliers, opens opportunities in government procurement,
provides a platform for SMEs to expand internationally, establishes parameters
for digital trade, protects intellectual property, and creates transparent
trade remedy mechanisms,” the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The agreement is expected to increase non-oil
bilateral trade from $1.3 billion recorded in 2021 to $10 billion by the end of
the decade.
In 2022, bilateral non-oil trade reached $2.49
billion, with re-exports from Israel growing 71.2 percent and non-oil exports
to Israel climbing 48.6 percent, WAM reported.
The UAE-Israel CEPA is the second of the Gulf nation’s
new foreign-trade deals to be ratified following a similar deal with India in
2022.
It has also concluded CEPA deals with Indonesia,
Turkey and Georgia.
The UAE and Israel normalized ties in 2020 in a
US-brokered deal. However, ties between Israel and its neighbors have been
shaky following uncivil comments made by a minister in Netanyahu’s
coalition-led government.
The UAE issued a statement condemning the Israeli
finance minister Betzalel Smotrich’s call to destroy a Palestinian village earlier
this month.
At the time, the UAE called for strengthening
tolerance and coexistence, and stressed the need to “confront hate speech and
violence.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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India
UP: Four held for disturbing peace outside mosque
during Ram Navami procession
01st April 2023
MATHURA (UP): Four men were arrested for disturbing
the peace outside Jamal Masjid during a Ram Navami procession here in Uttar
Pradesh, a police official said Friday.
On Thursday, when a procession being carried out by
the Ram Janma Mahotsav Samiti from the Ram temple located in the Ghiyamandi
area, reached the Chowk Bazar intersection, some miscreants who were riding a
van climbed on the roofs of shops built outside the mosque and hoisted saffron
flags there.
Video of the entire incident has been widely
circulated on social media.
This incident has stroked communal tensions among
people of Hindu and Muslim communities, police said.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shailesh Kumar
Pandey said immediately after the incident, a large number of police forces
were deployed on the spot and on the basis of the video footage, a case was
registered against the four accused namely Kavya, Honey, Rajesh and Deepak for
trying to disturb the peace.
Source: New Indian Express
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5 held for hoisting saffron flag in mosque during Ram
Navami celebration in Haryana
Pawan Rathi
Mar 31, 2023
The Sonipat Police arrested five people for raising
religious slogans and hoisting a saffron flag in Kharkhoda mosque on the
occasion of Ram Navami that was observed on Thursday.
According to police, a procession was taken out by
Hindu outfits to mark Ram Navami in Sonipat's Kharkhoda in Haryana on Thursday.
A group of people chanted religious slogans and went
inside the Kharkhoda mosque during namaz, where they hoisted saffron flags.
A CCTV footage has also emerged which shows a group of
men entering the Kharkhoda mosque with saffron flags.
The Kharkhoda Police has registered a case and
arrested five people so far. The process to identify the other men in the CCTV
footage is underway.
Source:IndiaToday
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Local Muslims Help Perform Last Rites of Hindu CISF
Jawan in JK's Kulgam
MARCH 31, 2023
Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam district Friday
helped perform the last rites of a Hindu CISF jawan who died of cardiac arrest,
officials said.
Balbir Singh, 55, a Central Industrial Security Force
(CISF) jawan died Thursday evening of cardiac arrest at his home in Karkan area
of south Kashmir’s Kulgam, the officials said.
Singh, posted in Amritsar, had taken leave to attend
the first death anniversary of his brother who was killed by militants last
year, they said.
Singh’s family is the only Hindu Rajput family living
in the village, so, his friends and the local Muslim community came forward to
help perform his last rites, they said.
People from the Muslim community also shouldered his
‘arthi’ and arranged wood for the cremation, they added.
A team of CISF also paid floral tributes to their
colleague.
Source:News18
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Mathura: Men climb atop shops near mosque to place
saffron flag, brought down by police
Siraj Qureshi
Mar 31, 2023
A major communal incident was averted in Mathura on
Thursday after the police caught a few young men who had climbed atop several
shops to place saffron flags.
The incident took place when a Ram Navami procession
was passing through Chowk Bazar area. According to police, a few young men who
were taking part in the procession climbed atop several shops around a local
mosque and started planting saffron flags on them.
The local Muslims objected to this and accused them of
trying to desecrate the mosque. Acting quickly, the police force accompanying
the procession forced the miscreants to come down with their flags and moved
the procession away from the mosque.
A large police contingent has been deployed in the
area to prevent any late reactions to the incident by either community.
Speaking to India Today, MP Singh, Superintendent of
Police, Mathura City, said that the Shri Ramlila Sabha and Shri Ram Mandir
Ghiya Mandi organise a religious procession every year on the occasion of Ram
Navami. On Thursday, when the procession was passing through Chowk Bazar area,
some youths climbed atop the shops surrounding the Jama Masjid carrying saffron
flags, which prompted angry reactions from the local Muslim community.
MP Singh said that following the protest by the Muslim
community, the youths were forced to come down by the police force accompanying
the procession and it was taken away from the mosque.
Source:IndiaToday
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Kashmir’s Islamic scholars seek meeting with L-G over
Mirwaiz’s ‘house detention’
March 31, 2023
Top religious figures of Kashmir have sought a meeting
with J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha over the house detention of
Valley’s chief cleric and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who could not
deliver his sermon for the 188 th consecutive Friday today.
In a bid to connect with the L-G this month to discuss
the detention of the Mirwaiz, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), a
conglomerate of religious bodies in Kashmir representing different schools of
thought, wrote a joint letter to Mr. Sinha on March 13.
“A delegation of the MMU and the Muslim Personal Law
Board, Kashmir, led by Mufti Azam J&K Mufti Nasir ul Islam, requests a
meeting as per your convenience. We would appreciate the meeting in Srinagar
before the commencement of the Holy month of Ramzan. We hope to hear from your
office soon, confirming the time and date of the meeting,” the letter reads.
According to the Anjuman Auqaf, a caretaker body of
the historic Jamia Masjid, the Mirwaiz is not being allowed to perform his important
religious duty of Friday prayer and other official responsibilities even in the
blessed month of Ramazan.
The MMU’s letter comes in the wake of the statements
made by L-G Sinha in August last year, when he dropped hints at allowing the
Mirwaiz to move around freely. “The Mirwaiz needs to decide what he wants to
do. He is neither under house arrest nor detained,” Mr. Sinha said in an
interview last year.
A spokesman of the Anjuman-e-Auqaf, however, said the
L-G’s words “proved to be a statement made in jest and to ward off
international pressure”.
Speaking to The Hindu, the Mirwaiz said it’s
disappointing that the L-G administration is not allowing him to play the role
of the Mirwaiz “to fight social evils like drug addiction, dowry cases,
waywardness etc”.
“Ramzan is the month when I would visit multiple
shrines for over 20 days to educate people about the social evils and the
importance of Islamic events and the religious figures.
“This is the time of the year when we used to address
the issues of social evils and galvanise support for social causes. We would
arrange special sections for women during sermons in shrines for their
education and awareness. I am flooded with calls to preside over religious
events in shrines. I am denied basic religious obligations,” the Mirwaiz
told The Hindu.
The Mirwaiz was detained ahead of the Centre’s move to
end J&K’s special constitutional position on August 5, 2019. He was later
shifted to his residence in Srinagar’s Nigeen area and allegedly placed under
house arrest. However, the administration has not clarified if the Mirwaiz
remains under preventive detention or could move freely.
Source:TheHindu
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Ram Navami festivities end with iftari at RH Railway
Colony in Ahmedabad's Maninagar
Apr 1, 2023
AHMEDABAD: When news of violence during Ram Navami
processions in various parts of the country including Vadodara came in, 125-odd
Muslim residents of a railway colony in Maninagar were breaking their fasts at
a Ram Navami pandal with their Hindu brethren singing hymns to Lord Ram in the
backdrop.
For 60 years, the Ram Navami festival has been
celebrated at RH Railway Colony near Bal Vatika in Kankaria, with railway
employees of all castes and creeds participating.
According to a railway employee, they organize an
Akhand Ramayana Path (recitation from the Ramayana) which ends with aarti and a
feast. "We held this AkhandRamayan Path for the 50th time on Thursday,
with our Muslim colleagues present. Every year, they take part in the Ram
Navami festival and help us with preparations.
As the holy month of Ramzan is going on, our Muslim
colleagues observe roza (fast) and break their fasts with iftari in the
evening," said one of the organizers, Sanjay Suryabali, joint divisional
secretary of Western Railway Employees Union (WREU) and a loco pilot with
Western Railway.
Suryabali said that some Muslim colleagues told him
that they would not be able to attend the aarti this year as it would coincide
with their iftari time.
"I asked them if I could arrange the iftari food
and other necessary things. They immediately told me it would be even better
this way. So the AkhandRamayan path ended at around 7pm, and meanwhile our
Muslim colleagues had done their iftari. After this at about 7.15pm, we all
performed aarti to Lord Ram," said Suryabali.
Misbah-ul-Hasan, another joint secretary of WREU, said
holding of Ram Navami festivities in the railway colony is a long-standing
tradition and it was a beautiful coincidence when their iftari and Ram Navami
aarti took place together.
"We broke our fast while prayers to Lord Ram were
going on in the backdrop. We believe Allah is everywhere if your heart is pure
and a person of the Islamic faith can do iftari anywhere. He or she should just
be mindful of the time," said Hasan, adding that certain people in today's
time are instilling hatred in society and their event sent out a message of
love.
Another railway employee, Akhtar Qureshi, a chief
luggage clerk, said he and his community members provide all possible logistic
support for the Ram Navami festivities.
Source: Times Of India
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UP: Muslims welcome Ram Navmi rally by showering
flowers
31st March 2023
A video of people from the Muslim community welcoming
a Ram Navmi procession in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad went viral on social media.
The video garnered attention as the country witnessed
violence in several parts of the country on the occasion of Ram Navmi.
Many termed the video as a sign of ‘religious harmony’
and praised the gesture.
The Yatra, which marched through many parts of
Moradabad was welcomed by Muslims. They also put up garlands to honour the
people who participated in the Ram Navami procession. Police personnel who
arrived for ensuring law and order were also garlanded.
Source: Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/up-muslims-welcome-ram-navmi-rally-by-showering-flowers-2558831/
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Mideast
Hamas slams participation of Arab, African figures at
normalization conference in al-Quds
31 March 2023
The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has harshly
condemned the participation of a number of Arab and African personalities in a
conference centered on normalization with the apartheid Tel Aviv regime, and
their meetings with several high-profile Israeli authorities and political
leaders.
“Hamas deplores the delegation's participation in a
conference organized by a fascist Israeli research center, which does not
recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and
adamantly advocates their forcible expulsion and re-settlement,” Abdul Latif
al-Qanou, the group’s spokesman, said in a statement.
He added, “Hamas reiterates its rejection of all forms
of normalization with the occupying Israeli regime, as the step runs contrary
to achievement of justice for the oppressed Palestinian people and restoration
of their right to freedom and self-determination.”
“We call on all states and concerned organizations to
condemn and reject this event, and boycott the usurping and apartheid Israeli
entity, which openly denies the existence of Palestinians,” the statement
pointed out.
According to the Arabic-language Arabi21 online
newspaper, more than 20 personalities are participating in a three-day
normalization conference in the occupied al-Quds, which would apparently
explore avenues to promote diplomatic ties between Israel and Arab states of
the Persian Gulf region as well as African countries.
Among the participants is a Saudi reporter, who has
attended the conference after having obtained an approval from the government.
Itamar Eichner, a political correspondent for the
Hebrew-language Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, revealed that among the guests are
representatives of research and diplomatic institutes and journalists.
The conference has reportedly been organized by the
so-called Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA).
Eichner added that among the participants were
representatives from Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Djibouti, Tunisia, Mauritania, and
Sudan, which do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, as well as delegates
from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya,
Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somaliland, South Africa, South Sudan and
Uganda.
He pointed out that, in addition to panel discussions
on enhancement of relations between Israel and Arab countries of the Persian
Gulf region as well as African states, the Arab and African guests visited the
Knesset (parliament), and met with its speaker, Amir Ohana.
Israeli president Isaac Herzog sent a recorded
greeting to the participants, while the head of the so-called national security
council, Tzachi Hanegbi, addressed them in a speech.
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates signed
US-brokered normalization agreements with Israel in an event in Washington in
September 2020.
Sudan and Morocco followed suit later in the year and
inked similar US-brokered normalization deals with the occupying regime.
The move sparked widespread condemnations from the
Palestinians as well as nations and human rights advocates across the globe,
especially within the Muslim world.
Source: Press TV
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Ansarullah leader condemns burning holy Quran, calls
for economic sanctions
31 March 2023
The leader of Yemen's Ansarullah resistance movement
has strongly condemned the crime of burning the Holy Quran in Europe and
emphasized the need for Muslims to take a stand against the war against Islam.
According to al-Masirah TV, Seyed Abdul-Malik
al-Houthi said in his Ramadan speech that those who stand behind these crimes
and frequent attacks against Islamic sanctuaries are the Israeli lobby.
“Our religious attachment requires us to be angry and
express our fury when they start a war with our religion,” he emphasized.
Referring to the materialistic nature of the West,
al-Houthi said that the Muslim nation should confront them with the weapon of
economic sanctions.
“We, as Muslims, should sanction all countries that
have allowed the burning of the Holy Quran and have legally supported it,
because sanctions are enough to deter the enemies and force them to stop
insulting Islam,” he said.
The Ansarullah chief reiterated the importance of
Muslim unity in punishing the countries that were involved in burning the
Quran.
“If Muslims were united to seriously sanction the
countries that were involved in the burning of the Holy Quran, these countries
would refrain from doing it again and they would give up,” he concluded.
The frequency of insults against Islam and its holy
book has been on the rise in Europe.
Several European countries have been playing host to
such despicable acts on their soils over the past months, drawing far-and-wide
condemnation from the world's Muslim countries.
In January, dual Danish and Swedish citizen Rasmus
Paludan burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in
Stockholm, and later again in front of a mosque.
Days later in the Netherlands, far-right extremist,
Edwin Wagensveld, who leads the anti-Muslim PEGIDA party, tore a copy of the
Quran apart before setting it on fire.
Most recently last week, members of a Danish far-right
group, Patrioterne Gar Live, gathered outside Turkey’s embassy in Copenhagen,
displayed anti-Muslim placards and burned a copy of the Quran along with the
Turkish national flag, while broadcasting it live to their Facebook page.
The hateful act drew a sharp condemnation from Ankara
the very next day, with the Turkish Foreign Ministry saying it will never
accept such “vile actions being allowed under the guise of freedom of
expression”.
Source: Press TV
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Houthis Prevent Aid Delivery to Yemenis During Ramadan
31 March, 2023
Houthi militias have prevented merchants and donors
from distributing aid to the poor in Sanaa and other regions since the
beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, informed sources told Asharq
Al-Awsat Friday.
“More than 13 merchants and donors were arrested in
the last five days on charges of violating these bans and of distributing aid
to the poor,” the sources said.
They added that Houthis instead forced merchants and
affluent people in the Yemeni capital and elsewhere to distribute this aid to
militia members, claiming they know best to whom it should be offered.
Bashir, a retired and a father of six children,
confirmed that contrary to the previous Ramadan, his family has not received
any assistance this year, whether food or cash.
He explained that his family used to receive one to
three food baskets, and some cash, which donors offered to needy families.
Bashir held the Houthi militia responsible for
depriving the poor of access to aid and for deteriorating their living
conditions, explaining that the group continues to impose its policies of
starvation and looting.
Khaled, a resident of the Al-Sunaina neighborhood in
Sanaa, confirms that the Houthi restrictions on merchants and donors deprived
thousands of poor families from alms for the fourth year in a row.
In his neighborhood, he said many families suffer from
the most severe conditions, and that they eagerly await Ramadan to obtain aid.
Khaled accused the Houthi group of imposing these
restrictions to steal aid and cash and to monopolize the distribution of the
Ramadan alms to its loyalists.
The residents’ complaints were confirmed by Sanaa
merchants, who told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias continue to steal money
and food aid allocated for the needy and poor Yemenis.
A donor in Sanaa said he and many merchants stopped
offering assistance to the needy after Houthis threatened dozens of merchants
and philanthropists.
The militia’s restrictions came as international
organizations warned that Yemenis are facing a devastating humanitarian crisis
with over 17 million people still experiencing high levels of food insecurity,
75 percent of them are women and children.
Oxfam issued a press release Wednesday saying that
rounds of currency depreciation, an economy on the brink of collapse, and sharp
increases in the cost of fuel and other key commodities, have left millions
more Yemenis in danger of catastrophic hunger.
“As Yemen enters its ninth year of war, its people are
facing a devastating humanitarian crisis with more than two million children
acutely malnourished,” it warned.
Country Director of Oxfam in Yemen, Ferran Puig, said:
“The people of Yemen are exhausted by war. Rising food prices and unpaid
salaries mean even basic food items have been pushed beyond the reach of many
Yemeni people.”
He said donors must not turn their backs on what
remains of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.
“It is past time that world leaders exerted real
pressure to bring all sides back to the table so they can bring a permanent end
to the conflict,” Puig affirmed.
Source: Aawsat
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https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/4245101/houthis-prevent-aid-delivery-yemenis-during-ramadan
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Israeli forces fire on Palestinian at entrance to
Al-Aqsa Mosque
MücahitAydemir
01.04.2023
JERUSALEM
Israeli forces opened fire on a Palestinian at the
entrance of Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem late Friday, according to
security sources.
Israeli police claimed in a statement that a
Palestinian attempted to take the weapon of an Israeli policeman near the Bab
al-Silsila (Chain Gate) -- one of Al-Aqsa Mosque's main gates, in Old City.
Israeli police "neutralized" the Palestinian
by shooting, it said.
Israeli forces were not harmed in the incident, while
additional police forces were sent to the area, it said.
The statement did not give details about the status of
the Palestinian and the incident.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces attacked Palestinians at the
Bab al-Qattanin, one of the gates which leads into Al-Aqsa Mosque from the
western side.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Türkiye strongly condemns repeated attack on Muslim
holy book, Turkish flag in Denmark
MerveAydogan
31.03.2023
ANKARA
Türkiye on Friday strongly condemned the recurrence of
a “vile attack” on the Muslim holy book, the Quran, and a Turkish flag in
Denmark.
"We condemn in the strongest terms that the hate
crime committed in Denmark on 24 March against our Holy Book, the Quran and our
glorious flag was allowed to be perpetrated again on 31 March in Ramadan,"
said a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement.
Saying that the Danish Ambassador Danny Annan was
summoned to the ministry, Ankara informed that diplomat that "we strongly
condemn and protest this vile attack."
"We once again firmly call on Danish authorities
to take necessary actions against the perpetrators of this crime and to take
effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such provocations," the
ministry added.
Reaffirming that "giving permission to this
heinous act under the guise of freedom of expression is absolutely unacceptable
and that such an approach can never be justified," Ankara further took
note of the "insistence on this mistake."
"It is clearly seen that the inadequacy of legal
and administrative measures and the lack of political will to prevent such acts
as well as impunity of perpetrators have encouraged further provocations,"
a statement said.
Noting that the latest act "is a clear proof that
Islamophobia, xenophobia, discrimination and racism have recently increased in
Europe," the ministry further stressed that "such acts of hate crime
also constitute an offense to those who believe in tolerance, culture of
peaceful coexistence and democratic values."
"Being unable to see this fact and condoning
these acts is a grave negligence," it added.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Over 200,000 Palestinians at al-Aqsa for second Friday
prayers of Ramadan
By TZVI JOFFRE
MARCH 31, 2023
250,000 Palestinians arrived at al-Aqsa Mosque for the
second Friday prayers of Ramadan, according to Waqf in Jerusalem. The prayers
were conducted without any unrest reported.
Over 70,000 Palestinians crossed through various
checkpoints to get to al-Aqsa on Friday. Some Palestinians were also
photographed by Palestinian media illegally climbing over the security wall
around parts of the West Bank.
After the prayers, a group of Palestinian young men
gathered near the Dome of the Rock and raised flags supporting terrorist groups
and chanted "a nation led by Muhammad will not kneel."
Last week, flags and banners in support of terrorist
groups were raised near the Dome of the Rock by young Palestinians and
subsequently taken down by Israeli police. Several suspects involved in the act
were arrested.
Before the prayers on Friday, Israel Police chief Kobi
Shabtai and Jerusalem District commander Doron Turgeman held a situation
assessment near the Western Wall.
"We are in the second week of the month of
Ramadan, which began relatively quietly given the professional treatment of the
Jerusalem district and all of our partners, in particular the Border Police,
the Shin Bet and the IDF," said Shabtai.
"It is important to maintain the readiness and
operational vigilance of the police officers, in particular at the points of
friction. The treatment of exceptional incidents must continue to be specific,
professional and focused," added the police chief. "The issue of
awareness must also be well handled in relation to incidents of incitement and
in relation to false publications and rumors. We need to continue the smart
operational preparation, and preserve the existing situation on the ground as
much as possible."
Turgeman thanked the police officers for their work,
saying "Since the beginning of Ramadan, we have mainly seen the atmosphere
of the holiday, including the cooperation of the public, and accordingly more
people come to the Old City and the Temple Mount compared to previous
years."
"We are working to enable freedom of movement and
worship in a number of circles of preparation, from the crossings encircling
Jerusalem to the Old City and the Temple Mount," added Turgeman. "At
the same time, there is quite a bit of handling that is being carried out for
those who cause incitement on social networks, and the significant operational
preparation that includes a combined effort to thwart terrorist attacks, will
continue the whole time with all the axes and tools we have."
Israeli police activity at holy sites
The police noted that there has been a spike in
incitement efforts on social media in recent days, including false publications
about threats that do not actually exist to holy sites.
2,300 Border Police officers operated in the Jerusalem
area and the West Bank on Friday in preparation for the Friday prayers.
Border Police commander Amir Cohen visited officers
operating at the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Friday and held a
situation assessment with the senior command staff of the Border Police.
Source: JPost
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https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-736046
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Foreign Ministry: ICJ Verdict Reiterates Iran's
Legitimate Stances
2023-March-31
On Thursday, the International Court of Justice ruled
that the US seizure of Iranian assets was wrong and ordered Washington to pay
compensation to Tehran, the amount of which will be determined later.
The Iranian foreign ministry in its statement on
Thursday evening praised the decision as highlighting the legitimacy of Iran
positions and expressing the wrongful behavior of the United States.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the
decision issued by the International Court of Justice shows the solidity of the
arguments and rightness of Iran's demand," the foreign ministry statement
said.
"In this important decision, the ICJ has rightly
rejected all wrong defenses the US presented and stressed that it violated its
obligations while it has recognized Iran as the rightful side. Obliging the
United States to compensate for the losses [Iran has suffered] is the most
important testimony to the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran's
demand," it added.
The Iranian foreign ministry further said that the
Islamic Republic of Iran considers the demand for the rights of the Iranian
nation as one of its intrinsic duties and will use all diplomatic, legal and
judicial means and methods to secure the rights of the noble Iranian people and
the national interests of Iranians.
Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in
The Hague have ruled that Washington had violated international law by allowing
American courts to confiscate nearly two billions of dollars in assets from
Iranian companies, and ordered the United States to pay compensation, the
amount of which will be determined later.
On Thursday, the court said Washington's freezing of
funds belonging to several Iranian individuals and companies, including $1.75
billion from the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), was “manifestly unreasonable.”
Source: Fars News Agency
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Man grabs Israeli cop’s gun near al-Aqsa mosque, is
shot dead: Police
01 April ,2023
A man detained by Israeli police near a flashpoint
mosque compound in Jerusalem on Saturday grabbed an officer’s gun and fired it,
prompting the unit to shoot him dead, the force said on Saturday, describing
the incident as a terrorist attack.
The incident at the al-Aqsa mosque compound, an icon
of Palestinian nationalism, came at a high point of Muslim attendance for the
holy month of Ramadan.
The police statement identified the slain man as a
26-year-old resident of Hura, a Bedouin town in south Israel. There were no
police casualties, it added.
Reuters could not immediately verify the account
independently.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran’s state TV apologizes for airing images of couple
kissing
31 March ,2023
Iranian state television has issued an apology after
broadcasting images of a couple sharing a brief kiss, local media said Friday.
Any display of physical contact between men and women
is forbidden on the Islamic Republic’s official TV networks.
In a Thursday broadcast, the Nasim entertainment
channel showed a young couple kissing for a few seconds at a park, as they were
passing in front of a hidden camera recording a prank show.
The segment from the show, “The Four Incredibles,”
went viral on social media.
The couple is seen for about three seconds walking
through a park in the capital Tehran as a prank was being filmed.
In a statement published by the ISNA news agency on
Friday, Nasim apologized for an “error that resulted from the negligence of the
production team.”
It added the channel “will firmly handle those
responsible for the negligence following an inquiry.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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North America
Minaret Foundation improves the lives of Texas Muslims
by looking outward
March 31, 2023
By Kyle Desrosiers
Houston (RNS) — More than a dozen years ago, Shariq
Abdul Ghani, a local Muslim leader, and Rabbi Steve Gross, of the Houston
Congregation for Reform Judaism, decided to make the best of one of the most
uneventful days of the whole year for their respective communities. Their goal
was simple — to bring together their communities for what became known as
“Muslim-Jewish Christmas.”
“I realized they have nothing to do on Christmas,”
Ghani told Religion News Service in a recent interview. “We realized we have
nothing to do on Christmas, so why don’t we just get our communities together
and see what happens,” he said.
The event has grown into an annual ritual, as each
Christmas Eve, Muslims and Jews share meals and have difficult conversations
about religiously motivated hate, interfaith solidarity, mercy and forgiveness
in the Holy Scriptures and contentious topics in interfaith work, including the
conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“Every year we switch between a mosque and synagogue,
and one year we rented out the Museum of Natural Science. Everyone is off, so
you have no excuse, so it’s easy to pack the house.”
That same year, 2010, Ghani, who was born in Pakistan
and raised in Houston, founded the Minaret Foundation to raise awareness of
Islam in one of the most religiously diverse cities in America — Houston,
Texas. Naming his organization for the towers attached to traditional mosques
from which Muslims are called to prayer, he wanted to change mistrust facing
the Muslim community at the height of the “War on Terror.”
His approach was to collaborate with leaders of other
faiths and find partners in both political parties to find common ground. And
he would work on issues confronting citizens across all backgrounds:
child-welfare, food security and religious freedom.
“When we started, the goal was to bring people
together by building relationships, breaking bread, by having dialogue and
discussions, breaking down barriers through frank discussion,” said Ghani.
Instead of talking about “the Muslims,” he said, he wanted the conversation to
be about “Muslims — our neighbors, our fellow Americans.”
The Minaret Foundation began holding speaking
engagements, community service projects and fellowship events at other houses
of worship and schools around the Houston metro area. “We would always start
our programs off by saying, ‘You can never offend us, you can never hurt us, we
want you to be able to ask the questions you want to ask, because that’s the
only way we get to know each other,’” Ghani said.
Minaret’s signature became its interfaith community
events that promoted understanding through dialogue — and friendly competition.
“Competing in Goodness” challenges local mosques, churches and synagogues to
outdo each other for fundraising and food bank collections. Last year the
program gathered seven tons of canned goods. (Congregation Beth Yeshurun won.)
Kait Ewoldt, Minaret’s social media coordinator, is a
Christian married to a minister. “You have these world religions that always
seem to be at odds with each other, and we bring them together,” she said.
But the organization’s interfaith work doesn’t attempt
to dissolve all distinction among different faiths. A recently launched effort
sponsored by Minaret and its partners known as “Angels and Messengers” brings
people together to probe the differences rather than similarities among the
three so-called Abrahamic religions. Coming from a place of good will, Ghani
believes, education promotes better understanding.
Minaret Foundation has also built relationships across
lines of political difference. “In order to resolve conflicts and bring people
together, all stakeholders have to be present,” said Ghani. “That means
Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, Democrats. Everyone’s perspectives
should not just be heard, but respected and honored as well.”
For some, this might sound like a tall order in a
state whose government is often viewed as a Republican bastion, but Ghani said
their work is inherently bipartisan. “There’s this misconception that Texas is
a one-party, ultra-partisan state, and that’s just not true. Nothing in the
state happens without Democrats and Republicans working together,” he said.
Because of this commitment, the foundation has spent
the last few years building relationships, circulating policy proposals and
forming coalitions involving elected officials across the political and
religious spectrum in Texas in the pursuit of civic engagement.
Noor Saleh, government relations coordinator for
Minaret Foundation, said the group’s political activity is as dependent on
dialogue — and acknowledgment of difference — as their community-building
programs are. “I have had really strong relationships with folks I never thought
I’d have strong relationships with simply because they lay on an opposite
political party than I do,” she said. “I have begun to realize that we need to
have these difficult conversations about common-ground issues so we are able to
move forward.”
Rep. Jacey Jetton, a Republican from nearby Fort Bend
County, one of the most diverse districts in the state of Texas, began working
with Minaret Foundation as a freshman legislator and has helped pass bills
recognizing religious and cultural diversity in Texas.
“I’ve traveled around the country and around the
world,” said Jetton. “In some places they still think of Texas as the Wild
West, riding around on horses. But in Houston and more specifically in Fort
Bend County, you can go to any community and see people from all over the world
coming together. We have very diverse schools, neighborhoods and workforces
here in Texas.”
Jetton regards religious freedom as a key to
preserving the social contract in as diverse a community as Texas has become.
“As a Christian, I recognize that those of the Muslim faith and the Hindu faith
and different backgrounds all want the best for their families, for their
children and for themselves, and in turn that makes a better society for us all
to prosper,” he said.
In the 2023 Texas state legislative session, the
Minaret team worked with clergy and its legislative allies to support a policy
push known as MOSH — Multifaith Optional School Holidays.
Jetton, supported by state Reps. Salman Bhojani, a
Democrat from Tarrant County near Dallas and one of the first Muslims elected
to the Texas Legislature, and Steve Allison, a Republican of San Antonio,
sponsored a bill that would allow a student to be excused for a religious
holiday with a simple letter from a parent.
This would replace a patchwork of practices across
Texas, including school districts where a note from clergy might be required
and where students are asked to choose between unexcused absences and their
faith commitments.
A second bill sponsored by Bhojani would eliminate standardized
testing on a religious holiday or the day following one. The holidays named in
the bill are Eid al Adha, Eid al Fitr, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Vaisakhi,
Vesak, Diwali, All Saints Day and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Minaret is also working with state Rep. Tom Oliverson,
a Republican, to create a religious freedom commission that would identify
systemic barriers to the free practice of faith and advise the executive branch
on solutions.
While much of their focus is on religious freedom and
Islamic community interests — Minaret is promoting the creation of a Texas
Muslim Heritage Month — the organization is also involved in efforts such as
“No Kids in Cuffs,” which addresses the use of excessive restraint by law
enforcement in schools, and “Handle with Care,” which seeks to give schools
tools to better support children affected by trauma outside of school.
Ewoldt, the social media coordinator, said, “The Bible
tells us to care for widows and orphans, to feed the hungry, and everything we
do at Minaret, whether it’s child welfare, food insecurity or religious
freedom, it goes back to those beliefs.”
The organization still faces mistrust. “We have a lot
of doors that get closed to us, we are continually asked, ‘Why are the Muslims
working on this?’” Ghani said. The answer, said Ghani, is his faith.
Source: ReligionNews
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Kushner talks about why he wanted Trump to go to
Middle East on first trip
31 March ,2023
Jared Kushner, former US President Donald Trump’s
son-in-law, said Friday that the Abraham Accords proved that there is “no such
thing as permanent enemies.”
Kushner was speaking at the annual Future Investment
Initiative (FII) Priority summit being held in Miami this week.
The former senior advisor to Trump also spoke highly
about Saudi Arabia and Vision 2030, launched under King Salman and Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman. Kushner explained why he pushed Trump to make his first
foreign visit to the Middle East.
Traditionally, the first trips by US presidents are to
Canada, Mexico or Europe. “A lot of the traditional people we were working with
were saying ‘Let’s go to Canada or Mexico and kiss the baby,’ and… do some, you
know, worthless thing,” Kushner said Friday.
But on the 2016 campaign trail, the fight against ISIS
was a major issue, as was the chaos in the Middle East.
Kushner said the preceding Bush and Obama
administrations had “really made a big mess over there.”
After Trump agreed to make his first official visit
abroad to the Middle East, Kushner said he was able to meet “a young leader of
Saudi Arabia at the time,” referring to now-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
He revealed that Prince Mohammed was sending messages
that he wanted to do a “big transformation.”
According to Kushner, “traditionalists” and policy
planning officials told him the Saudis would never come through, and the
transformations would not happen.
“And me having no [political] experience, if
somebody’s telling you, they want to change, and if we agree with the change,
let’s give them a shot to try to do it,” Kushner said. “And so we worked very
hard on the trip, and the deliverables from it were truly historic.”
Apart from the economic and political deals signed
during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, one of the more critical agreements was
to open a center to counter extremism in the country.
Kushner highlighted the counter-terror financing
center, which gave the US access to the Middle East’s banking system and
allowed them to “really fight money that was going to bad actors.”
Abraham Accords
Trump’s son-in-law spoke about the importance of the
peace deals between Israel and several Arab neighbors, which he helped broker.
The UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco normalized ties
with Israel during the summer of 2020.
As a result, Kushner said, Arabs and Muslims are now
able to say “nice things about Israel and Jews,” and there is a human
connection between the populations.
He cited regular ties and coexistence between
Christians, Muslims and Jews before World War II, saying that “it’s a beginning
of the return to that time.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Thieves made off with large quantities of US weapons
in Iraq, Syria: Report
31 March 2023
A huge amount of US weapons and munitions meant for US
forces in Syria and Iraq have been stolen and lost, eventually ending up in the
wrong hands, a new report has revealed.
The Intercept reported on Thursday that US military
hardware worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, "including artillery
equipment, unspecified weapons systems, and specialized ammunition," had
been stolen in recent years.
Criminal investigation files, which were obtained
under the Freedom of Information Act by The Intercept, showed that at least
four large-scale thefts and one loss of US equipment, valued at some $200,000,
occurred in Iraq and Syria between 2020 and 2022. The lost items include 40mm
high-explosive grenades stolen from US Special Forces.
The manner of the thefts followed a repeated pattern.
The Intercept notes further that a 2020 audit by the Pentagon’s inspector
general found that Special Operations Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent
Resolve, the main unit that partners with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF) to illegally occupy northeast Iraq, did not properly account for
$715.8 million of equipment purchased for the SDF.
The recent failure to prevent the theft of US-supplied
weapons is concerning because this previously played a key role in the rise of
Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, including Daesh and the al-Nusra Front, in Iraq and
Syria.
In the spring of 2015, an extremist coalition led by
the al-Nusra seized Syria’s Idlib governorate, in large part thanks to US-manufactured
and supplied TOW anti-tank missiles. The missiles were originally supplied to
Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups working closely with al-Nusra.
Following Russia's presence in Syria a few months
later, which helped to stop the anti-Damascus forces – including al-Nusra,
Daesh, and Ahrar al-Sham – in September 2015, the US military drastically
escalated TOW missile shipments to FSA units working with these groups.
Back then, internationally-renowned journalist
SharmineNarwani asked US military officials why the US-supplied weapons and
munitions were ending up in the hands of the anti-Damascus forces.
CENTCOM spokesman Lieutenant Commander Kyle Raines
replied, “We don’t ‘command and control’ these forces – we only ‘train and
enable’ them. Who they say they’re allying with, that’s their business.”
Conflict Armament Research (CAR), a UK-based
organization that tracks the supply of weapons into conflict zones, reported
that the Daesh terrorist group was a major receiver of US-supplied weapons.
“Unauthorized re-transfer – the violation of
agreements by which a supplier government prohibits the re-export of materiel
by a recipient government without its prior consent – is a significant source
of [Daesh] weapons and ammunition. The US and Saudi Arabia supplied most of
this material without authorization, apparently to Syrian opposition forces,”
CAR revealed.
CAR, for example, pointed out that it had recovered
US-supplied anti-tank missiles used by Daesh takfiri forces in Ramadi in
February 2016. CAR confirmed that the missiles had been exported to the United
States in December 2015. This indicates that the weapons were transferred to
Daesh forces “in a matter of days or weeks after their supply.”
The US and its allies invaded Syria in 2014 under the
pretext of fighting Daesh. The Takfiri group came into being when Washington
was running out of excuses to extend its meddling in West Asia or enlarge its
scale.
The US-led coalition fighting Daesh had been
conducting airstrikes against what was said to be Daesh targets inside Syria
since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or
a UN mandate in this regard.
However, the US-led forces were repeatedly accused of
targeting and killing civilians in the region.
The US-led forces were also embarrassingly incapable
of achieving their declared goal of destroying Daesh.
Syria had been grappling with the Western-backed
anti-Damascus forces since March 2011. The Syrian government reported the
Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies were aiding the Takfiri
terrorist groups that were wreaking havoc in the country.
In related news, the International Criminal Police
Organization, Interpol, has warned that many of the US-supplied weapons and
munitions currently being sent by the West to Ukraine will ultimately end up in
criminal hands in Europe and beyond.
Interpol Secretary General Juergen Stock raised the
alarm over western arms supplies to Ukraine last year -- just months after
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine.
“The high availability of weapons during the current
conflict will result in the proliferation in illicit arms in the post-conflict
phase,” Stock said, urging countries to start scrutinizing arms-tracking
databases.
Interpol fears that such a huge flow of arms to Ukraine
will only empower organized crime groups that have become increasingly involved
in global operations, capable of exploiting the chaos created after the onset
of the war in Ukraine.
Several European countries, including France and
Germany, along with the US, have so far shipped tons of military equipment,
artillery munitions, and guns with a declared aim of helping Ukraine against
the Russian troops.
“This will come, I have no doubts... Criminals are
already now, here as we speak, focusing on that,” Stock told the Anglo-American
Press Association in Paris, where he traveled to from Interpol’s headquarters
in Lyon, southeast France.
His remarks came just a day after US President Joe
Biden announced that Washington would continue to send “more advanced rocket
systems and munitions” to Ukraine.
Stock further warned that even the heavy weapons used
by the military would be available on the criminal market.
“We are already encouraging member countries, we have
a database on sharing information on weapons, to use these databases because no
region or country can deal with it in isolation,” he added.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/31/700756/US-Weapons-Daesh-Middle-East
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US Economic Sanctions 'Backfiring' As Shown In
Iran-Saudi Deal: Analysts
31 March 2023
Experts say the United States' use of economic
sanctions is "backfiring" as it leads to a "look East"
strategy that was seen when China brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia
to resume diplomatic relations.
Speaking during an online webinar on Thursday hosted
by the Arab Center Washington DC, Barbara Slavin said that Washington needs to
"rethink" its approach.
"I would advocate that it means that the United
States has to rethink its approaches, particularly towards the use of economic
sanctions, which I think are backfiring more and more," said the
distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center.
"We have to make sure we maintain ties with not
only the countries in the region but also with the Chinese to make sure that we
are not putting ourselves in a situation where we are no longer capable of
brokering agreements among adversaries," she added.
The remarks come as Tehran and Riyadh agreed to
restore diplomatic ties earlier this month after intensive talks mediated by
China in Beijing. Observers say the agreement can boost the stability in the
region while noting that it was a blow to the US hegemony in the region amid
the rising power of China.
According to Slavin, the deal may be part of a “look
East” strategy as Iran and Saudi Arabia as the two main oil producers are
enhancing ties with China which is the biggest oil consumer.
She also said that the trend could potentially lead to
"de-dollarization" in the next years as oil producers may consider
selling their products in yuans.
Experts have in recent years pointed to the
ineffectiveness of sanctions as China has emerged as an equal rival to the US
in the international financial market. In a major development this week, China
and Brazil cut a deal to ditch the US dollar when paying each other for trade
goods.
The deal will enable China, the top rival to US
economic hegemony, and Brazil, the biggest economy in Latin America, to conduct
their massive trade and financial transactions directly, exchanging yuan for
reais and vice versa instead of going through the dollar.
Earlier this month, an expert said Western-imposed
sanctions have proved to be self-defeating as they have forced targeted
countries to join forces against the United States and promoted economic
independence among them.
“These sanctions have backfired and they have united
the world against the United States,” John Bosnitch, a Belgrade-based
journalist and activist, told Press TV, citing Serbia, Cuba and Russia’s
success in neutralizing the sanctions.
He said that despite the unilateral sanctions, Iran
and other countries subjected to the boycotts are becoming more
self-sufficient.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/03/31/700725/US-sanctions-backfiring-Barbara-Slavin-Says
--------
Pakistan
Judge threat case: Islamabad court converts Imran’s
non-bailable arrest warrants into bailable again
Umer Burney
March 31, 2023
An Islamabad district and sessions court on Friday
converted former prime minister Imran Khan’s non-bailable arrest warrants in a
case related to alleged threats made to a judge into a bailable warrant till
April 18.
On March 13, a non-bailable arrest warrant was issued
for the PTI chairman after he failed to appear in court in the same case. The
next day an Islamabad district and sessions court suspended the same warrant.
On March 24, another Islamabad lower court converted
the non-bailable arrest warrant into a bailable warrant. It had also dismissed
the former premier’s plea to extend the suspension of the said arrest warrant.
Subsequently, on March 29 an Islamabad court issued non-bailable arrest
warrants for Imran in the case as he failed to appear before the court.
Additional Sessions Judge Sikandar Khan converted the
non-bailable arrest warrants into bailable ones while hearing a review petition
today against the issuance of the non-bailable arrest warrants.
He also ordered the PTI chairman to furnish surety
bonds worth Rs20,000.
Imran was represented by lawyer Zakarya Arif.
Sub-Inspector Sagheer Ali appeared before the court with the case record
instead of Margalla Police Station’s investigation officer.
Prosecutor Adnan Ali was unable to appear before the
court because he was busy in an Anti-Terrorism Court.
The hearing
At the hearing’s outset, Imran’s lawyer contended that
his client’s senior counsel could not appear in court because he was being
treated in the hospital for his heart disease. “The hearing should be adjourned
till Tuesday,” Arif appealed.
The court directed any senior counsel of Imran to
appear in person.
Subsequently, the court took a break till 10:30 am.
When the hearing resumed, the prosecutor’s junior lawyer and PTI chief’s junior
counsel Qamar Inayat appeared in court.
The government’s junior lawyer informed the court that
the public prosecutor in the case was Rizwan Abbasi but he was busy in the
Supreme Court. “Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi is coming,” he said, adding that
“there should be a break in the hearing till 11:30am.”
At this, the judge said Imran’s power of attorney had
the names of Qaiser Imam and Ali Bukhari. To which, Imran’s junior counsel
again told the court that Ali Bukhari was in the hospital and urged the court
to adjourn the hearing till Tuesday.
“Imran’s power of attorney also includes the name of
Qaiser Imam. Where is he?” the judge said. “Then we should restore the warrants
again if no lawyer is coming from your side”.
The judge subsequently adjourned the hearing till
11:30am.
When the hearing resumed for the second time, Imran’s
lawyer Faisal Chaudhry appeared in court.
“I’m here at a risk,” he said, highlighting that he
left the Supreme Court to appear in a sessions court. At this, the judge
remarked saying: “Be it a session or high court. A court is a court”.
“Imran is due to appear in court on April 18. What is
the situation regarding his arrest?” Chaudhry asked the judge to which he
replied the matter could be looked at when the special prosecutor arrived.
At this, Chaudhry said: “Imran appears before every
court before getting murdered,” to which the judge asked him to clarify his
remarks.
“We want every court to be safe for every accused
person,” the judge said. At this, Chaudhry reminded the court that if there
wasn’t an assassination attempt on Imran, there would be no security threats.
Imran’s lawyer repeatedly urged the judge to adjourn
the hearing to which he said: “If the hearing is adjourned then the
non-bailable warrants will be restored”.
Chaudhry replied by saying that the judicial
magistrate’s decision was illegal. “It is not a crime to be named Imran Khan.
Adjourn the hearing till Monday and keep the warrants suspended.”
Prosecutor Abbasi finally appeared in court and
opposed Imran’s review appeal against the arrest warrant.
“First bailable arrest warrants were issued,” he said.
“Now non-bailable arrest warrants had to be issued. Have you ever heard that
the decision regarding the non-bailable warrant of arrest for non-appearance
was in favour of the accused?” the prosecutor added.
He said that Imran’s lawyers themselves had first
asked for bailable and then non-bailable arrest warrants to be issued and the
court had done just that, adding that the judicial magistrate had issued
non-bailable arrest warrants based on the arguments forwarded by the PTI chief’s
lawyers.
Abbasi further highlighted that the sessions court had
ordered that first bailable and then non-bailable arrest warrants should be
issued and that is what had happened.
As the hearing continued, Chaudhry told the court that
Imran was only charged with bailable sections in the case.
“The sessions court had first directed the judicial
magistrate to issue bailable arrest warrants,” he said. “When bailable arrest
warrants were not issued then how can non-bailable arrest warrants be brought
into action?”
He reminded the court that Imran was subject to the
same legal procedure as any other accused person.
“Were bailable warrants issued after the session’s
court verdict? No, they weren’t.”
At this, Prosecutor Abbasi said an accused person is
summoned to court through a notice or warrant. “Imran Khan was told to appear
before the court through a warrant. Why didn’t he appear?
“When warrants are issued for an ordinary person then
the decision over the warrant is taken when the accused appears in court,” he
said. “Judicial Magistrate Malik Awan issued the non-bailable warrants
according to the verdict of Additional Sessions Judge Faizan Haider”.
The prosecutor maintained that Imran knew about every
court date but still did not appear. “What Imran Khan wants is that he doesn’t
even appear in court nor should any warrants be issued against him”.
He appealed to the court to dismiss Imran’s appeal
against his non-bailable arrest warrants.
“Did the court bailiff get Imran’s warrant
implemented?” the judge asked. At this, the prosecutor replied by saying: “Ask
the investigation officer. If an investigation officer goes to Zaman Park, he
will be tortured”.
Case
The PTI chairman had on August 20, 2022 condemned the
police as well as the judiciary over the alleged custodial torture of Shahbaz
Gill and announced that his party would file cases against then-Inspector
General of Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, the DIG and Additional District
and Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry.
Initially, Imran was booked under various sections of
the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). Besides, Islamabad
High Court (IHC) also initiated contempt of court proceedings against him.
A month later, the IHC removed the terrorism charges
against Imran and also pardoned him after he tendered an apology in the
contempt case.
Source: Dawn
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Day after Hindu doctor, Sikh businessman shot dead in
Pakistan
Mar 31, 2023
AMRITSAR: An unidentified motorist gunned down a Sikh
businessman in Peshawar city of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in broad
daylight on Friday. Dayal Singh was shot dead around 3.30pm, a day after the
killing of a famous Hindu ophthalmologist in Karachi.
Sikh activist Radesh Singh Tony said Hindu
ophthalmologist Dr Birbal Ginani, the former director of Karachi Metropolitan
Corporation, was shot dead on Thursday on Lyari Expressway while he was in his
car.
Sarop Singh, a resident of Peshawar and member of Pakistan's
National Commission for Minorities (NCM), said that Dayal had a small grocery
shop at Jamil Chowk in Atta Mohammad Garhi village near Peshawar.
“Despite being a poor person, he used to give Iftar
parties to Muslims and yet he was killed in cold blood,” said Saroop, adding
that there had been over 10 killings of Sikhs in Peshawar in the past two
years.
“Targeted killing of many Sikhs had happened during
the month of Ramadan when they gave Iftar parties to the Muslims,” he said.
Dayal is survived by three children, wife and two
brothers who also live in Peshawar.
Sikh members of the NCM said the minority community
was living in fear in Pakistan and many families had moved to the
Sikh-populated areas such as Nankana Sahib, Hasan Abdal, Lahore.
Notably, on May 15, 2022, two Sikh businessmen Kuljit
Singh and Ranjit Singh, both relatives of Dayal were shot dead by two
unidentified gunmen in Peshawar. Both had grocery shops in Bara Market in
Sarbad town near Peshawar.
Source: Times Of India
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Cracks in SC ranks laid bare as another judge leaves
bench
Nasir Iqbal
April 1, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court witnessed high drama on
Friday, with one more judge recusing himself from the remaining four-member
bench hearing a PTI petition against the delay in elections to the Punjab
Assembly, with the chief justice making a passionate appeal to the warring
parties to forget the past and engage in dialogue.
Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail withdrew himself from
the bench a day after Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan did so on Thursday.
But before Friday’s proceedings commenced, a circular
was issued by the registrar office, followed by one-page court order, disregarding
the directives of a different three-judge bench that had ordered that all cases
instituted under Article 184(3) of the Constitution be postponed by stating
that the bench had travelled beyond the case before it.
Thereafter, CJP Umar Ata Bandial constituted a smaller
three-judge bench consisting of himself, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice
Munib Akhtar to proceed with the PTI petition.
The CJP also made it clear that the judges were
united, despite differences of opinion and, with his voice welling up with
emotion, referred to the agony Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman suffered when he
had to resign from the Supreme Court.
At the outset of the hearing, CJP Bandial announced
that Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail would like to make a statement. Justice
Mandokhel announced he was withdrawing from the bench, adding that since he was
not consulted before constituting the bench, he would like to recuse himself.
However, before postponing the hearing, the CJP asked
Attorney General (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan to bring the defence and finance
secretaries along with him on Monday and hinted that the court might even call
the armed forces and issue directives for managing finances to hold elections
in Punjab.
“The state of Pakistan cannot remain rudderless and
has to reach its destination in accordance with the Constitution,” the CJP
observed, adding that elections should be held to hand over government to the
people of Pakistan.
Pointing towards the AGP, he observed that the court
was not here to make things difficult, but asked the top law officer to come up
with good reasons which the court may accept, otherwise it was duty-bound to
give a judgement.
The CJP made it clear that the apex court was not
pushing anyone but political parties should resolve issues among themselves or
the court would take its own course.
‘Great deal of respect’
When the hearing commenced after Friday prayers, CJP
Bandial tried to dispel an impression of discord among the judges. Though he
conceded that differences have cropped up, he said relations between the judges
were very cordial and despite recusals, they have mutual respect and regard for
each other.
“We have sworn allegiance to the Constitution which is
very important for us; for this nation, for this society - since it holds the
federation together, it keeps alive democracy. Today, when you go to
parliament, you find people addressing the parliament who were till yesterday
in captivity, imprisoned, declared traitors. They are now talking over there,
and being respected because they are representatives of the people,” the CJP
observed.
“Unfortunately, political issues have created a hype,
which was further fuelled and fanned by the media and press conferences, but we
remain calm though perturbed with the fact that some individuals are criticising
some judges while others are criticising other judges.
“If only external impression and perception are not
there, we will have a peaceful life. This has become a way of life since our
friends in the media say something which sometimes was incorrect, but we still
respect them since they were eyes and ears of the society,” he observed.
The CJP recalled how several judges were ousted from
the office and suffered house arrest and, while comparing with his counterparts
from 1980 to 1990, and observed that he found himself undeserving to be in this
office.
Political battle
Naming Justice Qazi Faez Isa, the CJP regretted that
“we suffered when the full court sat to try a colleague. We were punished and
the judge was punished — an incident which left scars. No one bothers about
this institution to realise how much we suffered”.
“Now again a political battle is going on and other
colleagues are being disputed on the basis of hearsay when we should bridge the
gap and in many respect we all judges are united and will remain united. There
are audio-video leaks and we are again being asked to butcher another brother.
We have picked finest judges who were giving excellent judgements, but our
wives and children who cannot respond are being dragged into.
“We are trying to do our job honestly and fairly in
the fear of Allah Almighty as we have unhappy task to write judgements,” CJP
observed and, while referring to former judge Iqbal Hameedur Rehman, who had to
resign because he could not face his father, regretted that the judge was still
heartbroken.
When the AGP referred to an earlier order in which a
nine-member bench was reduced to a five-judge bench, the CJP asked who told him
that the judges have recused themselves, adding that when “you start crossing
our wall, you are engaging in our privacy. It is the choice of the CJP to
reconstitute the bench and it is none of anyone’s business how many judges
recused, etc.”
Earlier, Chairman of Executive Committee of the
Pakistan Bar Council Hassan Raza Pasha requested the court to hold a full court
meeting of the Supreme Court to resolve all internal issues, while the AGP
requested the bench to consider constituting a full court and informed it that
the country was facing a deficit of Rs1.4 trillion by the end of current fiscal
year.
Turning down the request for a full court, the CJP
explained that while constituting benches, “we have to ensure that ordinary
litigants must not suffer and their cases should continue to be heard, besides
sometimes the judges were not available. And when AGP repeats his request for
full court, he in fact is making insinuation”.
Later, Irfan Qadir, representing the Election
Commission of Pakistan, said if the bench gets emotional then the other side
would also get emotional. He said freedom of expression should not be
discouraged, wondering why the apex court had not stopped Hameedur Rehman from
resigning.
Judge’s note
Justice Mandokhel explained in his note that the order
of constituting a three-judge bench after the recusal of Justice Amin-ud-Din
Khan was not dictated in the open court, rather in his absence and without
contacting him for participation in the deliberations.
“I felt that the three members of the bench, for
reasons best known to them, opted not to involve me in the consultation,” he
said, adding that the present petition was the outcome of the previous
proceedings which were dismissed by two members of the bench (Justice Yahya
Afridi and Justice Athar Minallah) through their respective short orders,
followed by him and Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah.
Right from the first date of hearing of the present
matter, Justice Mandokhel said, he wanted this bench to resolve the controversy
of the March 1 order regarding elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and
its ‘order of the court’, which has still not been issued till date, as it is
of great significance to the present matter.
No heed was paid to this issue, despite raising it
repeatedly, he said, adding that the AGP, members of the legal fraternity and
counsel for the political parties also requested for resolution of this issue,
but received no response from the other members of the bench.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1745299/cracks-in-sc-ranks-laid-bare-as-another-judge-leaves-bench
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Pak-China border trade set to resume next week
Jamil Nagri
April 1, 2023
GILGIT: After remaining closed for three years, trade
and travel activities between Pakistan and China through the Khunjerab Pass
will resume on Monday.
All arrangements have been finalised on both sides to
reopen the border point for bilateral trade and other activities under the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Under an agreement, trade and travel activities
between the two countries through the Khunjerab Pass start in April 1 and close
on November 30, while there was a daily bus service from Sost Valley of
Gilgit-Baltistan to Xinjiang province of China. The first trade activity
between China and Pakistan under CPEC had started via the Karakoram Highway in
November 2016.
However, to contain the transmission of coronavirus
between the two countries, the Khunjerab Pass was closed as soon as in November
2019.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani
Khar told Dawn that the federal government had been working for the revival of
CPEC activities and all hurdles in the way of bilateral trade would be removed.
According to officials, the prolonged closure of
Khunjerab Pass had caused immense financial hardships to the local business
community, while thousands of workers had become jobless. During last three
years, the Khunjerab Pass had been opened occasionally for emergency cargo transportation
from China to Pakistan on specific days.
GB Home Secretary Rana Mohammad Saleem Afzal told Dawn
that the officials on both sides had agreed to reopen Khunjerab Pass for trade
and travel activities from Monday (April 3) and process of issuing border pass
would start soon.
“Most important aspect is that it’s CPEC route. CPEC
consignments will enter Pakistan through Khunjerab Pass from China,” said the
GB home secretary.
GB Collector of Customs Syed Fawad Ali Shah told Dawn
that the volume of trade between two countries would increase after the
reopening of the Khunjerab Pass. He said all the required arrangements had been
finalised for normal trade at Sost dry port, adding that he had held a meeting
with traders, the port management and other stakeholders in this regard.
Mr Shah claimed that all stakeholders were happy and
assured the administration of their cooperation in smooth trade activities at
Sost dry port.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1745272/pak-china-border-trade-set-to-resume-next-week
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PML-N pressurising CJP like it did in 1997, says Imran
Ahmad Fraz Khan
April 1, 2023
LAHORE: PTI Chairman Imran Khan has said PML-N is
trying to create a 1997-like situation when its workers attacked the Supreme
Court to pressurise the then chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah hearing a contempt
petition.
In a tweet on Friday, the ex-premier said the PML-N is
targeting the incumbent chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) exactly as it targeted
the then CJP in 1997 because it is scared of elections.
It was for this reason that he wanted people to get
ready for streets protests to protect democracy and rule of law, he said,
urging legal fraternity in particular to play their part as they did in 2007
for the protection of the Constitution.
Mr Khan also wrote he was ready to hold talks with the
parties, which were ready to oppose the “conspiracy” against the constitution
and court.
Meanwhile, senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry while
responding to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s media talk in London during which he
demanded Supreme Court’s full court to hear the poll delay case, said the
nation would never allow a “convict and fugitive of law” to dictate the top
court.
He said elections were a constitutional demand and the
nation woud not accept any attempt to delay the polls.
Before making any statement on the issue, he said, it
would be better for Mr Sharif to realise that the present situation is not like
the one in 1997.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1745297/pml-n-pressurising-cjp-like-it-did-in-1997-says-imran
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South Asia
Afghan Interim Govt Believes in Electoral System, IEA
Official Says
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
April 1, 2023
Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, the acting Deputy Prime Minister
of the Taliban in a meeting with UNAMA Chief Roza Otunbayeva has said the group
believes in an “electoral system”.
During the meeting, Abdul Kabir said the Taliban “want
to hold an election that is based on expertise and qualification” Bakhtar news
agency reported.
Neither the news agency nor the United Nations
Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) has provided further details in this
regard so far.
Certain senior Taliban members including the Minister
of Information and Culture, and Anas Haqqani, the Interior Minister, Sirajuddin
Haqqani’s brother attended the meeting.
Abdul Kabir reiterated the Taliban group has met every
single requirement and should be recognized as the legitimate government of
Afghanistan by the international community.
The Taliban senior leader speaks of fair and
transparent elections as the group seized power using force and violence, and
has no legal and international legitimacy.
Meanwhile, the Taliban-run administration has
repeatedly asked people to show their allegiance to the group, obey the orders
of the supreme leader, and accept the group’s system.
Following the overtake of Afghanistan, the Taliban
dissolved all elected institutions, including election commissions, and took
over the government using force.
Since their return to power in August 2021, the
Taliban have dissolved National Assembly, including the parliament and senate
house, provincial councils, State Ministry for Elections as well as
Afghanistan’s Constitution.
The de facto regime has also revoked the license of
political parties and denied women and girls basic rights to education, work
and travel.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-interim-govt-believes-in-electoral-system-iea-official-says/
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Abbas Stanikzai Calls for Reopening of Afghan Girls’
School, University
By Fidel Rahmati
March 31, 2023
The deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs,
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, called for the reopening of Afghan women and
girls’ schools and universities on Friday.
Stankizai tweeted that he has supported women and
girls’ education in Afghanistan and stressed reopening the doors of schools and
universities.
“98 per cent of scholars are in favour of women and
girls’ education; the deputy foreign minister for political affairs, Sher
Mohammad Stankizai is one of those people who is always in favour of women and
girls’ education and insist on opening the doors of schools and universities to
girls every speech,” he said in a tweet.
His remarks came after a week that the Ministry of
Education reopened schools except for girls beyond the sixth grade on 21 March
2023.
The new academic has started in Afghanistan, but girls
and women beyond sixth grade have yet to be allowed to continue their education
for the third consecutive year.
National and international organizations, including
the United Nations, have slammed the Taliban’s suppressive policies regarding
girls’ education and work.
Earlier, Richard Bennett, the UN special envoy for
Afghanistan and a group of experts expressed their concerns, saying that “the
ongoing unlawful denial for girls’ right to education in Afghanistan is
impacting an entire generation and the country’s future” in a statement.
The statement also stressed that the Taliban
administration “has no justification for denying the right to education, on any
ground, including religion or tradition.”
The UN urged the Taliban authorities to reverse their
policy and reopen girls’ schools and universities for all in the country.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/abbas-stanikzai-calls-for-reopening-of-afghan-girls-school-university/
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Daesh is not a Major Threat to Afghanistan: Mujahid
By Fidel Rahmati
April 1, 2023
The security forces of the Afghan interim government
destroyed Daesh, and it has not a major threat as it was a year ago, according
to Zabihullah Mujahid, a senior interim government spokesperson.
In a recent interview with Voice of America, Pashto,
Mujahid said that the Afghan security forces “since August 2021, have arrested
and imprisoned around 1,600 to 1,700 Islamic State militants and have killed
more than 1,100.”
The remarks came as the Taliban usually downplaying
the presence and the threat of Islamic State Khorasan Province militants in the
country.
He said that the Daesh hideout had been destroyed
across the country, including Zabul, Kunar and Jawjzan provinces, and that
primarily ISKP militants were supported by the previous government. Some of
them escaped from the prisons during the regime change.
However, he added that the Afghan security forces
either killed, arrested, or imprisoned them.
However, a top US general, Michael Kurilla, commander
of US Central Command, recently claimed while speaking to Congress that ISIS is
stronger today than it was in Afghanistan.
Kurilla added, “at least hundreds of thousands” of US
people could be at risk from an attack by ISIS, which has the “ultimate goal of
striking on the US homeland.”
“ISIS-Khorasan grows emboldened, seeking to expand its
ranks and inspire, enable and direct attacks in the region and beyond – with
the ultimate goal of striking on the American homeland,” he added.
The American General estimated that there are at least
6,500 Daesh militants in Afghanistan, of which 4,000 are positioned close to
the Tajikistan border.
Nevertheless, Taliban spokesman Mujahid denied the
American claims, saying that Daesh militants had already been suppressed and
their numbers had already been decreased, contrary to what US authorities had
claimed to be the case.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/daesh-is-not-a-major-threat-to-afghanistan-mujahid/
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HRW urges Bangladesh to halt Rohingya repatriation
plan
April 1, 2023
DHAKA: Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday urged
Bangladesh to suspend plans to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning
conditions there would not be safe for the persecuted and stateless minority.
Bangladesh is home to around a million Rohingya, most
of whom fled a 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar that is now
subject to a UN genocide investigation.
A delegation from Myanmar’s military regime travelled
to Bangladesh this month to interview potential candidates for return and
jump-start a stalled repatriation scheme.
But any return to Myanmar would put the lives and
liberty of refugees “at grave risk”, Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
“Voluntary, safe, and dignified returns of Rohingya
refugees to Myanmar are not possible while the military junta is carrying out
massacres around the country,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s South Asia
director.
: The UN Human
Rights Office (OHCHR) on Wednesday expressed deep concerns over ongoing
arbitrary arrests in Afghanistan including the recent detention of a girls’
education activist, journalists and media workers by the Taliban, Afghanistan
based Khaama Press reported.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) called on the Taliban to immediately release activists
detained for advocating women’s rights.
OHCHR Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence in a statement
said: “No one should be detained for speaking out in defense of their
fundamental rights and the rights of others.”
The Taliban has since the start of 2023, arrested
several civil society activists, journalists and women’s rights advocates for
speaking up about their fundamental rights and the rights of others.
On March 27, unidentified men arrested MatiullahWesa,
head of PenPath, a civil society organization campaigning to reopen girls’
education, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
Following Wesa’s detention, the UN Human Rights
Office, and other rights groups have repeatedly called on the ruling regime to
release the education activist, however, no progress has been seen in this
regard so far, Khaama Press reported.
According to the OHCHR website, “Other activists and
journalists have also been detained with no clear information as to their
whereabouts, well-being, or any charges against them. Among those held are
Nargis Sadat, Zakaria Osuli, Sultan Ali Ziaee, KhairullahParhar and
MortazaBehboudi.”
According to Khaama Press, since the return of the
Taliban to power in August 2021, the group has deepened restrictions on
journalists, media and social activists, according to which individuals or
groups are not allowed to criticize the ruling regime or speak against the
Taliban members.
Source: ThePrint
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UAE Sends Urgent Medical and Food Supplies to
Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
March 31, 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates on Friday announced the provision of
urgent medical and food supplies to those affected people by the recent earthquake
in Afghanistan.
“Today, the UAE sent a plane carrying 38 tons of
urgent medical and food supplies to Afghanistan to meet the needs of thousands
of Afghan families affected by earthquakes that recently struck northeastern
Afghanistan.”
The statement said that providing these supplies would
enhance humanitarian support for vulnerable groups, including women, children
and the elderly.
“Providing these supplies is part of the UAE’s
enduring efforts to provide urgent relief to countries affected by natural
disasters and enhance humanitarian support for vulnerable groups such as women,
children, and the elderly.”
The UAE’s humanitarian efforts for Afghanistan from
2021-2022 included launching a relief air bridge that sent 28 aircraft carrying
623 tons of medical and food supplies, benefiting approximately 1.1 million
people, including 850,000 women and children, the statement read.
UAE relief also helped mitigate the impact of the
earthquake that struck Khost in southeastern Afghanistan last June. The UAE
built a 1,000-square-meter field hospital with 75 beds and receives 200
patients daily. Moreover, the statement added that the UAE sent medical
supplies, equipment, and teams specialized in treating injuries caused by
natural disasters.
Last week, Afghanistan his by a powerful earthquake of
6.5 magnitudes, which resulted in killing more than ten people and injuring
several others.
The earthquake has caused financial and economic
damage, including over 665 houses destroyed across Afghanistan, including Badakhshan,
Takhar, Panjshir, and Kunar.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/uae-sends-urgent-medical-and-food-supplies-to-afghanistan/
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Southeast Asia
Japanese PM hails ties with Islamic countries at
Ramadan dinner
April 01, 2023
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio hosted a
dinner at his office in Tokyo on Thursday to mark the holy month of Ramadan and
spoke of the tolerance of Islam needed to combat conflicts in the world.
The event was attended by the heads of Islamic
diplomatic missions in Japan, Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, top Foreign
Ministry officials, parliamentarians and representatives of Islamic
organizations.
“After experiencing the pandemic, the international
community stands at a historic turning point,” Kishida said in his address.
“Now, more than ever, we must lead the international community toward
cooperation instead of division and conflict. I feel that the ‘wifaq’ or
harmony and ‘tassmoh’ or tolerance that both Japan and Islamic countries
embrace are becoming more important.
“In that connection, the plan of a free and open
Indo-Pacific, or FOIP, which I announced recently, is an important tool. The
vision of FOIP honors inclusivity and diversity. Under this plan, we have
launched four pillars to make clear our intention to expand cooperation with
regions and countries. We would also like to upgrade our relationships with
Islamic countries as we continue to advance such efforts.”
Kishida said he had worked hard through meetings,
phone calls and events such as TICAD8 to “deepen the bonds of trust and
friendship” with the Islamic world.
“Since I was the foreign minister, I have long
embraced our ties with the Islamic World, which stretches from Southeast Asia
through the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa and Europe.”
Kishida concluded his remarks by wishing, “tonight’s
occasion, where we share our moments with friends from Muslim communities, will
be a great opportunity to deepen the friendship between Japan and your
countries.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2279296/world
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Filipinos join hands to support Muslims during Ramadan
March 31, 2023
MANILA: Throughout Ramadan, representatives of the
Roman Catholic Church and other religious groups in the Philippines are pooling
their resources to support the Muslim community in their fast and observance of
the holy month.
Muslims constitute roughly 5 percent of the nearly 110
million, predominantly Catholic population of the Southeast Asian nation.
The minority communities live mostly on the island of
Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago in the country’s south, as well as in the
central-western province of Palawan, and the capital, Manila.
As Ramadan began last week, interfaith events,
especially iftars to break fasts, have been frequently organized by Muslims for
non-Muslims and vice versa.
One such meeting was held in Manila on Thursday
evening by Uniharmony Partners, a coalition of churches and faith
organizations. Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus celebrated the special
time together.
“There are a lot of programs and activities ... for
people of different faiths just to come together appreciate one another and
enjoy each other’s culture,” Dr.PablitoBaybado, Uniharmony coordinator and
theology professor at the University of Santo Tomas, told Arab News.
The programs include mutual support that Muslims
extend to Christians and other groups during Christmas and other major
holidays, and that is reciprocated when the Islamic fasting month arrives.
“During Ramadan, you have the Catholic Church through
the Quiapo Church, and then the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
pulling together resources so that every Sunday we go to some communities or
Muslim communities in Metro Manila like Culiat, Taguig and Quiapo and
distribute food packs,” Baybado said.
“During this time of Ramadan, we are doing this
because it’s a way of showing respect to one another.”
For Alvaro Centuria, a pastor of the United Church of
Christ in the Philippines, Ramadan, besides inspiring a sense of unity, also
has a spiritual dimension.
“It is it is very important because it reminds us,
Christians, to also do fasting too ... It’s scientifically as well as
religiously necessary,” he said.
“The essence of a meeting like this is that we are
able to show that religions can unite for good, religious people can unite and
can be in fellowship with one another.”
For Kerem Sadik, a Muslim member of Uniharmony,
inter-faith meetings and activities, especially during Ramadan, which is not only
the month of fasting but also charity, are a chance to foster a more tolerant
and inclusive future generation.
“We try to nurture new generations from the start,
without giving them any chance to grow stereotypes from the beginning rather
than breaking them later,” he told Arab News, hoping that the examples set
would foster mutual understanding and support.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2279126/world
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Dedicated firefighters sacrifice comfortable Ramadan
break to respond to distress call
SubashiniJeyaraman
01-04- 2023
FOR A NUMBER of Muslims during Ramadan, they have a
fixed time as to when they can break their fast comfortably while some others
have to sacrifice that kind of comfort due to the nature of their jobs.
A video on Twitter has recently made rounds online of
a group of firemen receiving a distress call a few minutes before breaking their
fast.
As we take a peek into the firemen’s daily routines,
this video shows the sacrifices they make to ensure first and foremost,
people’s safety.
The food was already prepared and the drinks were
nicely laid out on a couple of dining tables awaiting the firemen to dig but
alas, duty calls and they rush into the firetruck.
In the firetruck, it was shown that the firemen were
breaking their fast with a drink instead, which they presumably rushed to store
in the firetruck together with some steel cups.
Netizens lauded the fire brigade’s dedication and
commitment to their duty in aiding the people in distressing situations, while
others jokingly quipped about the rushed situation.
“I salute these firemen!” a netizen said.
“I hope their drinks jug did not spill in the truck,”
a netizen said jokingly.
Meanwhile, a healthcare worker related their
experience in having to rush for an operation just before they could break
their fast.
Source: TheSunDaily
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Court orders man who attempted to attack imam sent to
Permai Hospital
31-03- 2023
KUANTAN: The Magistrate's Court here today ordered a
man who attempted to attack an imam who was leading a prayer at a mosque here to
be referred to Permai Hospital, Johor, for psychiatric examination.
Magistrate Tengku Eliana Tuan Kamaruzaman made the
order against ex-soldier Ahmad Paijan Abd Rashid (pix), 38.
This followed a request by deputy public prosecutor
Ezuain Farhana Ahmad made under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The man was charged with disturbing a religious
assembly in the prayer hall of the Sultan Ahmad Shah State Mosque 1, here, at
about 6.30 am, last Sunday (March 26).
He was charged under Section 296 of the Penal Code
which provides for imprisonment of one year or with a fine or both, on
conviction.
Source: TheSunDaily
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Perspective on the developing ties between Türkiye and
Malaysia
BY IHSAN AKTAŞ
APR 01, 2023
Throughout my childhood, we read and realized why the
Ottoman Empire collapsed, the backwardness of Islamic countries and how
colonialist states exploited the world of Muslims one by one and ruined the
cultures of our countries. The wealth of the decolonized Arab countries in the
'50s and '60s, the expenditures of the kings, the luxurious lives of youngsters
there or the shares of the multinationals they bought in the Western stock
markets were among our favorite topics. We were well aware that this wealth did
not play a role in the development of such countries, nor put them in
competition with the West.
Malaysia was one of the few countries in the Islamic
world that could establish a balanced state order while adopting technology early
on, nourishing its people, developing international trade and increasing its
national income.
The country, whose income was not only based on oil
and a well-operated democracy but also set harmony between traditional kingdoms
and democracy, gradually began to attract the attention of the Islamic world
and the West.
Türkiye: Rising star of Islamic world
Since the days of our childhood with that painful
reading, many new countries and ideas emerged in the Islamic world. We are, of
course, proud of the emergence of Türkiye as a rising star of Islam among these
countries.
Today, Türkiye and Malaysia rely on non-oil resources
and technology, growing gradually with their developed middle class and have
established critical infrastructures from academics to the defense industry.
When we met Malaysian officials and sat down with
them, it was surprising and striking to see how close they keep abreast of
Türkiye, how deeply they wonder about the results of the upcoming elections,
and how eager they are to talk about the latest developments in Turkish
politics.
Of course, wherever you go in the Islamic world today,
everyone is curious about the upcoming elections in Türkiye, and Islamic
countries are waiting for it more than other countries.
Interestingly, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has
connected not only with the electorate in Türkiye but also with the broad
masses in the Islamic world. Many Muslims all around the globe today are as
curious about Erdoğan's success in the upcoming election as we are.
From the great-grandfather to the grandson
During our visit to Malaysia last week, we had the
opportunity to visit the sultan of Johor, His Excellency Sultan Ibrahim
ibniAlmarhum Sultan Iskandar. The sultan is the sovereign ruler of the
Malaysian state of Johor.
In general, kings in countries lead reclusive lives.
But the sultan of Johor draws an extraordinary portrait of a king who, on the
one hand, carries out his daily routine as a king, is interested in sports like
Polo, racing, and cars; and on the other hand, has a well-developed social
side.
Sultan Ibrahim, who paid a post-quake trip to Türkiye
and visited President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Beştepe Presidential Complex
earlier last month, is as curious about the elections in Türkiye as everyone
else. We had intellectual discussions with the sultan on Turkish politics.
The great-great-grandfather of Sultan Ibrahim, the
late Sultan Abu Bakar al-Khalil, came to Istanbul in 1879 and met Sultan
Abdulhamid II. During his visit, Sultan Abu Bakar was awarded Nishan-i Osmani,
the top Ottoman insignia, by Sultan Abdülhamid.
Sultan Abdülhamid also introduced RukiyeHanım, a
Circassian lady from the palace who companied Sultan Abu Bakar back home and
married the sultan’s brother UngkuAbdulmecid. So RukiyeHanim was included in
the Johor royal family. It was not a simple marriage of its time. It tied the
two countries to each other. The brotherly bonds made by Sultan Abdülhamid and
Sultan Abu Bakar by then continue today.
Something that makes us proud is the realization that
Türkiye's state power, success in diplomacy, and several fields, especially in
the defense industry, are followed closely, acknowledged and appreciated by the
outside world at least as much as we do. It is impressive to hear from
Malaysian officials the success stories written in Türkiye over the last
decades. They know Türkiye's progress better than many in our country.
A unique car museum
Besides many of his virtues, the sultan of Johor has
an unbelievable collection of cars. Enthusiasts usually gather items without
being fully aware of the technicalities of what they collect. However, the
sultan of Johor is an enthusiast who knows all the technical details of his
trove, all the cars, years of manufacture, qualities, and everything about
them.
Each of the cars works as if they are new. Their
batteries are charged, and the vehicles are neat, well-maintained and ready for
service. The collection is closed to visitors but designed almost like a
tourist exhibit. It would not be an exaggeration to call this collection a car
museum. There is probably no other place in the world where one can come across
so many different cars together in the same arena.
While we were saddened by reading about the deplorable
situation of Islamic countries during our childhood days, there is a justified
pride in sitting at a table as children of two developed countries now. From
the Far East, from Malaysia, Türkiye looks developed, grown and increased its
influence in the Islamic world politically, strengthened its influence on
Turkic states, and at the same time, as a state that is influential in global
politics.
Source: DailySabah
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Africa
Ramadan: Kano Police declare war against illicit
drugs, social vices, arrest 14 suspects
March 31, 2023
By Khaleel Muhammad
Police in Kano State have declared war against illicit
drugs and other social vices, especially during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Kano State spokesman SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa stated
this in a statement issued to DAILY POST.
He said the arrest is part of the command’s efforts to
rid all forms of crimes and criminality, especially the menace of thuggery
(Daba), Drug Abuse (Kwaya), and other social vices in the state.
He explained that the move is In line with the
directives of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, on
community-based policing, round-the-clock visibility patrols, and Operation
Restore Peace.
He said that based on the move, Kano State CP Mamman
Dauda declared total war against all forms of thuggery, illicit drugs, and
other forms of social views, especially during Ramadan.
According to him, “Fourteen suspects have been
arrested over suspected criminal activities and other social vices.”
The Commissioner further warns that anyone found
possessing any weapon or illicit drugs during the Ramadan Fasting period and
beyond will be arrested and punished according to the law.
CP. Mamman further called on all criminals to repent
or leave the State completely. Otherwise, they will be arrested and face the
full wrath of the law.
He thanked the good people of Kano State for their
prayers, continuous support, understanding, encouragement, and cooperation.
Source:DailyPost Nigeria
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Tunisia to cut off public water supplies overnight in
response to drought
31 March ,2023
Tunisia will cut off water supplies to citizens for
seven hours a night in response to the country's worst drought on record, state
water distribution company SONEDE said in a statement on Friday.
The country’s agriculture ministry earlier introduced
a quota system for potable water and banned its use in agriculture until
September 30, as the country battles with a drought that is now in its fourth
year.
SONEDE said in a statement that the water will be cut
off daily from 9 p.m until 4 a.m, with immediate effect.
MosbahHlali, its head, said the drought in the country
was unprecedented due to the scarcity of rain during four consecutive years,
and called on Tunisians to understand the decision which it attributed to
climate change.
Tunisia recorded a drop in its dam capacity to around
1 billion cubic meters, or 30 percent of the maximum, senior agriculture
ministry official Hamadi Habib said.
The agriculture ministry has also banned the use of
potable water to wash cars, water green areas and clean streets and public
places. Violators face a fine and imprisonment for a period of between six days
to six months.
Residents said Tunisian authorities have been cutting
off drinking water at night in some areas of the capital and other cities for
the last two weeks in a bid to cut consumption, a move that has sparked
widespread anger.
The new decision threatens to fuel social tension in a
country whose people suffer from poor public services, high inflation and a
weak economy.
The Sidi Salem Dam in the north of the country, a key
provider of drinking water to several regions, has declined to only 16 percent
of its maximum capacity of 580 million cubic meters, official figures showed.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Tunisia introduces quota system for potable water amid
drought
31 March ,2023
Tunisia on Friday introduced a quota system for
potable water and banned its use in agriculture until September 30 in response
to a severe drought that has hit the country, the agriculture ministry said.
Tunisia, which is suffering a fourth straight year of
serious drought, recorded a drop in its dam capacity to around 1 billion cubic
meters, or 30 percent of the maximum, due to a scarcity of rain from September
2022 to mid-March 2023, senior agriculture ministry official Hamadi Habib said.
The agriculture ministry also banned the use of
potable water to wash cars, water green areas and clean streets and public
places. Violators face a fine and imprisonment for a period of between six days
to six months, according to the Water Law.
Residents said that Tunisian authorities have for the
last two weeks been cutting off drinking water at night in some areas of the
capital and other cities in a bid to cut consumption, a move that has sparked
widespread anger. The government declined to comment on the claim.
The new decision threatens to fuel social tension in a
country whose people suffer from poor public services, high inflation and a
weak economy.
The Sidi Salem Dam in the north of the country, a key
provider of drinking water to several regions, has declined to only 16 percent
of its maximum capacity of 580 million cubic meters, official figures showed.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Jordan witnessing evolution in political
modernization: Hanns Seidel official
March 31, 2023
AMMAN: Jordan is witnessing a remarkable
transformation in its modernization of the political system, a Hanns Seidel
Foundation official said on Friday.
Christoph Dewartz, the regional representative of the
HSF’s Jordan office, said: “The country is moving toward the goals set to
enhance the role of youth and women in partisan and political participation.”
He told the Jordan News Agency that the country’s
legislation allowed people to participate in a way that moved civil society
toward the future it wants, while giving it new impetus to face challenges.
The HSF, which is a political research foundation, has
been committed to its fundamental philosophy of “serving democracy, peace and
development,” since its formation in 1966.
Dewartz told Petra that the HSF and the Jordanian
government both wanted to increase and strengthen the participation of women
and youth in public work.
He added that this would be through programs
implemented by the foundation in partnership with the government and CSOs.
He said: “[The] HSF sought to achieve the
recommendations of the Royal Commission to reform the political system, since
it established several programs and projects to educate Jordanians about the
new partisan laws and the need to participate in decision making and policies.”
The foundation has supported the training of 4,500
public officials and youths on the subjects of good governance, integrity and
combating corruption.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2279181/middle-east
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At least 14 workers dead in gold mine collapse in
Sudan
March 31, 2023
KHARTOUM, Sudan: At least 14 workers are dead after a
gold mine collapsed in northern Sudan, state mining authorities said Friday.
According to the state-run news agency, SUNA, the
fatal collapse happened after one of the hillsides that surround the Jebel
Al-Ahmar gold mine — situated near the Egyptian border — gave way Thursday
afternoon.
Many other miners are still missing among the rubble,
it said.
Witnesses cited by SUNA said the workers were
searching inside mining wells for gold using heavy machinery which caused the
collapse.
Several of the bodies, mostly of young men, have been
recovered from the site and search efforts are ongoing, SUNA said.
A security source cited by the state agency said
workers are feared to be trapped beneath the mine’s groundwater. Few further
details were given.
Collapses are common in Sudan’s gold mines, where
safety standards and maintenance are poor.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2278856/middle-east
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Europe
Scotland's New First Minister, Humza Yousaf, Inspires
Young Muslims, But Challenges Lie Ahead
AysuBicer and Muhammed Enes Calli
31.03.2023
LONDON/ISTANBUL
A photo showing a man leading his family in prayer
after breaking fast at Bute House in Edinburgh went viral on Twitter on
Tuesday.
The tranquil scene marked a special moment — the first
evening of Humza Yousaf's residency at the country's historical seat of power
as the first Muslim to hold the position of Scottish first minister after a key
parliamentary vote.
Yousaf, just 37 years old, became the leader of the
Scottish National Party (SNP) on Monday after receiving 52% of the vote in a
second ballot.
The son of a Pakistani immigrants in Glasgow, he has
been involved in community and volunteer work from an early age.
"In December 2003, this young man, 18-year-old
Humza, walked into our office to look for voluntary work. I said, no problem,
you can do it. I think he just graduated in politics at the time," Habib
Malik, a former colleague of Yousaf, told Anadolu in an interview.
He was recounting Yousaf's first days on the Scotland
regional team of Islamic Relief, a UK-based aid group.
Yousaf began his volunteer work at a charity shop,
where people donated second-hand clothes and other items. He was assigned to
sort clothes out, shelf, and clean them.
"Then, he moved on and he showed interest in a
fund-raising activity. So, he was involved in organizing fundraising activities
such as concerts, dinners, games, and recreational events," said Malik, a
former head of Islamic Relief Scotland.
Yousaf was part of Malik's core team and he drew
attention with his energy and resolve while working for the charity.
"He always had a very positive attitude and was
an excellent team player. He helped organize a fundraising concert. One of them
was for Sudan in 2004 to raise money, when the country had a crisis."
Yousaf and Malik worked together as volunteers from
2003 to 2011.
While studying politics at the University of Glasgow
in 2005, Yousaf joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 2005, working as an
assistant for members of the Scotland's parliament before becoming the
youngest-ever lawmaker in the country at the age of 25.
He was appointed minister for transport and the
islands in 2016. During his tenure, he came under fire for driving without insurance,
for which he was fined £300 (about $372) and handed six penalty points.
Yousaf then became the health secretary in 2021 and,
especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, received criticism for long hospital
wait times.
Role model for young Muslims
Yousaf's new role as leader of Scotland did not come
as a surprise to Malik.
"He has worked tirelessly and very hard, whatever
job he has had. So, I am not surprised. He's a very likable person and a high
team member. He had plenty of leadership qualities. He knows how to lead and to
motivate people."
"He is a strong believer, very passionate
Scottish. He loves Scotland, born in Scotland. He strongly believes in an
independent Scotland country as part of Europe."
Yousaf will face some challenges as first minister,
including in a dispute with the UK over Scottish independence.
In his victory speech, Yousaf highlighted the
importance of independence for Scots. "I will ensure our drive for
independence is in fifth gear. The people of Scotland need independence now more
than ever and we will be the generation that delivers it."
However, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rejected his
call for another referendum for Scottish independence.
In 2014, Scotland held an independence referendum in
which 55% voted to remain in the UK and 45% voted for independence.
Since the surprise victory of pro-Brexiters in a 2016
referendum – with most Scots voting to stay in the EU – Sturgeon has pushed for
a fresh referendum on Scottishindependence, but the UK’s Conservative
government has said it will not give permission.
Asked what Yousaf's origins symbolize for the Muslim
community in Scotland, Malik said coming from a Pakistani background and being
a Muslim send a very positive message to the country's ethnic minority
communities.
"I have spoken to young (Muslim) people, and they
see him as a role model and as a truly inspirational figure. This has given a
boost to the young Muslims and ethnic minority communities that they see hope
that if you work hard, you can achieve to be at the top."
Muslim people in Scotland are proud of their new
leader, according to him.
"He set a beautiful example for a Muslim
community. And I have no doubt he will leave a beautiful legacy as well for
young people, who would like to choose politics as a career. "
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Muslims represented 10% of French population in
2019-2020: Report
ÜmitDönmez
01.04.2023
PARIS
Muslims represented 10% of the French population in
2019 - 2020, according to figures by the national statistics bureau, Insee.
A total of 29% of the population, aged 18 to 59,
declared themselves Catholic, 10% Muslim, 10% other religions and 51% had no
religion, according to the report published Thursday.
"Immigrants coming from traditionally Muslim
countries are more engaged in religion," while those from European, except
Portugal, or Asian countries, claimed less frequently a religious affiliation,
said the report.
"Only 20% of the Muslims regularly go to mosques,"
said Insee. "Religion's place in identity is clearly most significant for
Jews (54%) and Muslims (30%), compared to Catholics (6%), and has decreased
among Muslims in 11 years."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Danish Muslim converts fight silent battles every day
Ebad Ahmed
31.03.2023
COPENHAGEN, Denmark
This is the third Ramadan for Cemal Mathias as a man
of faith. He converted to Islam in January 2021, currently living in Aarhus
city and is a truck driver by profession – this is how he introduced himself at
a Turkish mosque hours before Iftar.
He likes being in the mosque. Because this is where he
has found his new community. A community that appreciates his presence among
them, makes him feel part of themselves and makes him forget his loneliness –
albeit only for a few hours.
“Ramadan is different for a reverted Muslim,” the
bespectacled Mathias who is in his late twenties told Anadolu.
“People of faith from Muslim-majority countries even
if they are living in non-Muslim countries find their support systems like
family and friends. And especially in this month, they have a home, closed ones
who share the fasting experience,” he said.
Mathias said: “But for the reverted Muslim like me
from the Muslim-minority countries, we don’t really have support systems beyond
mosques, like family and friends who can understand or share our religious
experience. And that feeling of loneliness is felt more in Ramadan.”
"No one in my family is Muslim so there is no one
there to celebrate with. When I go home it is just me and when people now ask
me about marriage if I would prefer to get married to a Danish revert, I always
tell them that I want someone who grew up Muslim because then when it comes to
religious festivities like Ramadan and Eid, we have a family to celebrate
with," he added.
While loneliness remains a bigger personal issue for
the converted ethnic Danes, there is something bigger that often remains
unacknowledged. An estimated 5% of Denmark’s population is Muslim. Most Muslims
in Denmark are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants from countries
such as Türkiye, Pakistan, Iraq, and Somalia – along with a sizeable number of
converted ethnic Danes.
For Mathias, an an-anti Muslim wave is creeping into
Danish society that he believes cannot be camouflaged despite official claims.
In recent years, there have also been political
debates and controversies regarding the integration of Muslims into Danish
society, including issues such as the wearing of the hijab and halal slaughter.
Experts suggest that the genesis of all this debate goes back to an elephant in
the room that is often not admitted in the mainstream political spectrum:
Islamophobia.
The European Islamophobia Report 2022 named Denmark as
the most vulnerable country for Muslims, along with France and Austria.
According to Amna Hassani, research director at the
Center for Muslim Rights in Denmark, Muslims on the lowest rung of the social
and economic ladder, as well as refugees, face discrimination not only due to
the rising anti-Muslim sentiments but also stricter citizenship and the
country’s ghetto policies targeting low-income Muslim communities.
Islamophobia is taking away their avenues to have a
voice in society, and one way of doing that is by removing citizenship or the
ability to gain citizenship, she said while speaking to Anadolu earlier this
week, further adding that the Muslim community in Denmark can experience
different kinds of discrimination, including ‘microaggressions’ from people
that question Muslims’ belonging to Denmark and its society to structural
discrimination which is seen in policies where someone from a Muslim-majority
country may have harder access to housing or jobs.
“Another way of expressing discrimination is actual
hate and violence on the streets. We have seen an increase in hate crimes
against Muslims in recent years,” said Hassani. A 2018 report by the Danish
National Police indicates that out of 112 hate crimes that were religiously
motivated, 56% were Muslim victims.
Mathias rubbished the claims of certain Danish
politicians who have publicly maintained that there is no space for
Islamophobia within the borders of the country.
“I have been spit on the roads by two middle-aged men
after they spotted me praying in a corner. I have been told in a family
gathering through a nonchalant manner that perhaps I like oppressing women that
is why I reverted to Islam,” she said, while still maintaining a smile on her
face.
“Islamophobia is a reality. Dismissing that as if it
is not there is untrue,” she said.
Moments later, Mathias joined Iftar and later Maghrib
prayers. The people started to leave the mosque, but he stayed for Isha and
later Taraweeh prayers.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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the original story:
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