Malaysia’s Kelantan State's Sharia Law Criminalizes Conversion from Islam to Other Faiths
New
Age Islam News Bureau
09
November 2021
Malaysian
Islamic Party supporters wave party flags on the eve of the country's 14th
general election in Alor Setar on May 8, 2018. (Photo: AFP)
----
• Russia
to Mark 1100th Anniversary of Embracing Islam in 2022; Unveiling 14 Books on
Theology
• 'Last
Rites Samaritan' Shareef Chacha from Ayodhya, Who Has Given Honour in Death to
Over 25,000 People, Gets Padma Shri
• Plot
for Hindu Temple and Cremation Centre in Islamabad Restored
• WHO,
UNICEF Launch Afghan Polio Vaccine Campaign with Taliban Backing
Southeast Asia
• Sabah
allows funeral rites at non-Muslim houses of worship from tomorrow, says state
minister
• UN
experts urge Singapore to halt Malaysian’s execution
--------
Europe
• Islamophobia
in France: Police Who Killed Muslim Woman Will Not Face Charges, Prompting
Anger
• Two
Dagestan Muslims saved seven people from burning house
--------
India
• Tiffin
Meetings, ‘Taleem Aur Tijarat’ Seminars — BJP Is Wooing Muslims Before UP Polls
• Gurugram
Friday Namaz Row: Muslims Seek More Mosques, Action over ‘Hateful Sloganeering’
• On
Pre-Poll Kairana Visit, Yogi Attacks 'Talibani' Mind-set
• Afghan
Minorities Group Leaders in India Write To Indian Government Ahead Of NSA
Meeting on Afghanistan
• After
Pakistan, China Also Skips Meet on Afghanistan Hosted By India
• Terrorists
again resort to selective attacks, kill salesman in Srinagar within 24 hours of
shooting cop dead
--------
Pakistan
• Complete
Ceasefire Agreed Between Govt and TTP: Fawad Chaudhry
• Jamaat-i-Islami
seeks Supreme Court order for inquiry in Pandora Papers case
• Pakistan
agrees one-month ‘complete ceasefire’ with local Taliban militants
• Punjab
Home Dept withdraws reference banning Ansarul Islam
--------
South Asia
• Islamic
State violence dents Taliban claims of safer Afghanistan
• Pakistan
invites Taliban’s acting FM to attend Troika plus
• Opium
Cultivation Continues Even As Taliban Vows Crackdown on Afghanistan's Drug
Trade
• World
Bank chief says Afghanistan aid resumption unlikely
--------
North America
• London
Muslim Mosque Leaders Call for Ontario, Ford Government To Tackle Islamophobia
• Supreme
Court Justices Closely Divided In Case On State Secrets, Anti-Muslim
Discrimination By FBI
• Washington
supports Taliban’s ‘vigorous’ efforts to wipe out Daesh: Envoy
--------
Mideast
• Grand
Mufti of Palestine Warns Of Israeli Enemy Attempt to Demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque
• Global
Campaign calls for one-day hunger strike in support of Palestinian inmates
• Palestinian
prime minister calls on US Congress to recognize State of Palestine
• Congresswoman
says US must stop ‘enabling’ Israel’s killing of Palestinian children
• Iran
wants US assurances it will never abandon nuclear deal in case of revival
• Hackers
Leak Secret Info of Senior Israeli Intelligence, Military Officials
• Iran
Calls for Complete, Effective Removal of All US Sanctions
• Iran
suspends Kelid newspaper after linking poverty with Khamenei
• Turkey
releases Syrian journalist behind ‘banana video’
--------
Arab World
• Arab
League Urges 'Detente' Between Lebanon, Persian Gulf States Amid Tension Over
Yemen War Comments
• Egypt's
Azhar grand imam, Coptic pope attend Egyptian Family House’s 10th anniversary
celebration
• Resignation
of Lebanon minister could solve Gulf row: Arab League
• Explosions
heard over Syria’s Homs, Tartous: State media
• US,
Egypt begin first bilateral strategic dialogue since 2015
• Syria’s
air defences repel fourth Israeli act of aggression in one month
--------
Africa
• UN
Warns Tigray Conflict Threatening To 'Consume' Ethiopia's Future
• Ethiopian
government says its air force bombed 2 rebel targets
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/malaysia-kelantan-sharia-faiths-conversion/d/125739
--------
Malaysia’s
Kelantan State's Sharia Law Criminalizes Conversion from Islam to Other Faiths
November
09, 2021
Malaysian
Islamic Party supporters wave party flags on the eve of the country's 14th
general election in Alor Setar on May 8, 2018. (Photo: AFP)
----
Malaysia’s
Kelantan state has enacted new Sharia laws that create 24 new offenses,
including attempts of conversion from Islam to other faiths, triggering
concerns from Christian and rights groups.
Authorities
in the northeast state made effective the Kelantan Syariah (Sharia) Criminal
Code (I) Enactment 2019 on Nov. 1, local media reported.
The
new laws are based on amendments to the Syariah Criminal Code (II) 1993 and the
existing 1985 Syariah Criminal Code. Sultan Muhammad V, the head of the state,
agreed and passed the new laws in July last year.
The
state’s chief minister Ahmad Yakob reportedly said that the enactment allows
Sharia courts to deliver verdicts on cases relating to a specific list of
offenses. The punishments include a maximum jail term of three years, a fine of
up to 5,000 ringgit (US$1202) or six strokes of the cane.
Among
the 24 listed punishable offenses are attempts to convert from Islam,
distortion of Islamic teachings, disrespecting the month of Ramadan, destroying
houses of worship, disobeying parents, tattooing and undergoing plastic
surgery, reported The Star.
Other
offenses include sexual intercourse with corpses and non-humans, witchcraft and
false claims.
During
a media briefing on Oct. 31, minister Ahmad said that the new laws aim at
educating and bringing offenders back to the right path of Islam, not just
merely punishing them.
It
would would be beneficial in strengthening Sharia law not only in Kelantan but
also in other states in Malaysia, he added.
Earlier,
Indris Ahmad, minister in-charge of religious affairs in the Prime Minister’s
Department, had said that Islamic-related enactments including hudud (Islamic
Penal Code) would not affect non-Muslims in Malaysia.
Critics
in Malaysia and beyond have expressed concerns over the new laws in Kelantan.
US-based
Christian group International Christian Concern (ICC) said the laws would
contribute to “exclusive and intolerant Islam.”
Sisters
in Islam, a Malaysia-based women rights group, issued a statement on Nov. 2 to
decry the new laws.
It
said the chief minister’s statement on law is "restorative and
retributive" and his claims that the law aims to educate and bring
offenders back to the right path of Islam and not merely punish them is
questionable and poses a grave concern.
“We
find these developments concerning and dangerous as they violate fundamental
principles of democracy by suppressing critical thought and expression through
arbitrary provisions and punishing those who do not toe the line,” the group
said.
Malaysia
is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country with its constitution declaring
it a secular state. However, observers note there has been a creeping
radicalism within powerful segments of the Malay Muslim-majority community that
aims to assert a strong Islamic identity for the nation of 32 million.
Source:
UCA News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/malaysian-states-sharia-law-criminalizes-conversion-from-islam/94898#
--------
Russia
to Mark 1100th Anniversary of Embracing Islam in 2022; Unveiling 14 Books on
Theology
Russia
has scheduled to mark the 1100th anniversary of arrival of Islam to the country
in a ceremony. (en.abna)
-----
November
9, 2021
Russia
has scheduled to mark the 1100th anniversary of arrival of Islam to the country
in a ceremony unveiling 14 books on theology.
Council
for religious affairs in Russia will unveil 14 books on theology, Islamic
history and culture in part of the ceremony to mark 1100 anniversary of the
holy religious being embraced by Russians.
The
monography by Demir Muhyiddin, first deputy of the Council for religious
affairs in Russia titled "Russian Islam: Searching Political
Subjectivism" has been welcomed by everyone.
The
main theme of the book is how a Russian Muslim pictures himself as a citizen or
stresses his ethnical identity. The author provides the readers with a precise
idea on "Russian Islam's consciousness on its identity."
The
Russian religious figure relates on the relation between Russian Islam as, a
socio-cultural phenomenon, and its stance in the cultural law dominating Russia
proving that this phenomenon depends upon Russian Muslims capabilities in
redefining cultural laws and that requires spiritual and ideological promotions
in Russia.
The
1100th anniversary for arrival of Islam in Russia will be held in 2022 and the
ceremony is particularly important since Islam was peacefully embraced by the
local people.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
'Last
Rites Samaritan' Shareef Chacha from Ayodhya, Who Has Given Honour in Death to
Over 25,000 People, Gets Padma Shri
Mohammad
Shareef (File Photo | The Better India)
----
Arshad
Afzaal Khan
Nov
8, 2021
AYODHYA:
Mohammad Shareef, the "last rites samaritan", who has given honour in
death to over 25,000 people when their bodies lay unclaimed, finally received
his Padma Shri award on Monday at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The
83-year-old had been conferred the award in 2020, but the award ceremony was
postponed due to coronavirus pandemic.
Shareef,
popularly known as Shareef Chacha, was a bicycle mechanic.
His
eldest son Raees was murdered in 1992 on way to Sultanpur, a neighbouring
district of Ayodhya (then Faizabad).
With
his unclaimed body lying on the road, it was devoured by stray animals.
After
this incident, Shareef started performing the last rites of the unidentified
bodies.
He
used to visit police stations, hospitals, railway stations and mortuary in
search of unclaimed bodies.
The
bodies are handed over to him by police only after nobody claims it for 72
hours.
For
his selfless service, he was conferred with India's fourth highest civilian
award Padma Shri in 2020.
Talking
to TOI, Shareef's son Shabbeer said, "We received a call from the ministry
of home a day back. They called us to Delhi and arranged air tickets for three
persons. In Delhi, we stayed at Ashoka Hotel and on Monday evening my father
was conferred Padma Shri by President Ram Nath Kovind."
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Plot
For Hindu Temple and Cremation Centre in Islamabad Restored
Workers
build a boundary wall at the temple's site in Islamabad. — White Star/File
----
Kashif
Abbasi
November
9, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Monday came under severe criticism
from the public for cancelling a plot allotted for the construction of a Hindu
temple and cremation centre at H-9.
However,
within hours the city managers had to withdraw a notification under which the
plot had been cancelled.
The
four kanals at H-9/2 was allotted to the community in 2016 for the construction
of the first ever Hindu temple, cremation and community centre in the federal
capital.
During
hearing of a case in Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday, CDA’s counsel Javed
Iqbal told the court that the civic agency had already cancelled the plot for
the Hindu community in February this year for not starting construction on it.
Following
this, the mainstream as well as social media criticised the CDA, forcing it to
withdraw the notification and restore the plot within few hours.
CDA
says plot cancellation was result of misinterpretation of cabinet’s decision
CDA
spokesperson Syed Asif Raza said in the light of a decision of the federal
cabinet, allotments of all lands allotted to various offices, universities and
other institutions on which no construction work had been started were
canceled.
However,
the officials concerned in the civic agency misinterpreted the cabinet decision
and had cancelled the plot allotted to the Hindu community. He said approval
had already been given for construction of a boundary wall on the land allotted
for the temple so the decision of the federal cabinet did not apply to it. This
plot did not fall in the category of those where construction had not taken
place, he added.
The
spokesperson also shared a copy of the new allotment letter which stated: “The
allotment of subject plot allotted for temple, community centre and cremation
ground for Hindu community in Sector H-9/2, Islamabad, stands valid as the same
is not affected by the cabinet decision dated 22-09-2020 as construction work
on the subject plot had been initiated after approval of CDA dated 21-12-2020.”
It
added: “In view of the above, Directorate of Estate Management II’s letter
dated 15-2-2021 stands withdrawn as ab-initio.”
Asked
if the CDA will initiate any inquiry against those who misinterpreted the
cabinet’s decision, he said: “Actually, there was no bad intention involved in
this case. There was some sort of confusion and misinterpretation of the
cabinet decision and when the matter was brought into the notice of high-ups,
the allotment was restored immediately.”
He
added that it was the legal and constitutional right of all citizens to observe
their faith and the CDA had been playing its positive role in this regard.
In
July last year, after strong reaction from rightwing groups, who criticised the
government for its intention to build a Hindu temple with government funding,
the CDA all of a sudden stopped the community from constructing the boundary
wall around the plot.
However,
the matter was resolved in December when the city managers issued permission to
the community to raise the boundary wall around the proposed site.
The
permission letter issued in December stated: “Permission to construct the
boundary wall around cremation ground for Hindu community in H-9/2 is hereby
accorded in accordance with clause 4.1.1 of Islamabad Capital Territory,
Building Control Regulations 2020.”
It
said the height of the boundary wall shall not exceed seven feet and that of
the enclosure not less than three feet.
There
is no temple and cremation centre in Islamabad for the Hindu community. After
lots of efforts by the community and on the direction of the Human Right
Commission of Pakistan, the CDA allotted the four kanals to the community in
2016.
In
the past, there was a temple in Saidpur village but that was abandoned decades
ago.
The
cancellation and subsequent restoration letters were addressed to former
president Islamabad Hindu Panchayat, Preetam Das. Last year, a delegation of
the Hindu Panchayat led by its president Mahesh Kumar had held a meeting with
the CDA chairman and informed him that the Council of Islamic Ideology had
given a ruling for the construction of a crematorium in Islamabad.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1656840/plot-for-hindu-temple-in-capital-restored-after-public-outcry
--------
WHO,
UNICEF Launch Afghan Polio Vaccine Campaign with Taliban Backing
Nov
8, 2021
A
child receives a polio vaccination during an anti-polio campaign on the
outskirts of Jalalabad, Afghanistan, December 1, 2015. REUTERS/Parwiz
------
KABUL:
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations children's agency
kicked off a polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan on Monday, the first
nationwide campaign to fight the disease in three years.
Naikwali
Shah Momim, the National Emergency Operations Coordinator for the polio
programme at Afghanistan's health ministry, told Reuters the campaign had
started in various parts of the country on Monday, but added there were several
hurdles around a shortage of trained staff.
The
campaign, which is aimed at reaching over 3 million children, had received
Taliban backing, which would allow teams to reach children in previously
inaccessible parts of the country, the WHO said.
"The
urgency with which the Taliban leadership wants the polio campaign to proceed
demonstrates a joint commitment to maintain the health system and restart
essential immunizations to avert further outbreaks of preventable
diseases," said Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern
Mediterranean, in a statement.
However,
Momim said that more training was needed for teams in remote areas, so the
programme would initially start in places such as Kabul.
Afghanistan
and neighbouring Pakistan are the last countries in the world with endemic
polio, an incurable and highly infectious disease transmitted through sewage
that can cause crippling paralysis in young children.
Polio
has been virtually eliminated globally through a decades-long inoculation
drive. But insecurity, inaccessible terrain, mass displacement and suspicion of
outside interference have hampered mass vaccination in Afghanistan and some
areas of Pakistan.
Several
polio workers have been killed by gunmen in eastern Afghanistan this year,
though it was not clear who was behind the attacks.
According
to WHO figures compiled before the collapse of the Western-backed government in
August, there was one reported case of the one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in
Afghanistan in 2021, compared with 56 in 2020.
Until
the disease is eliminated completely, it remains a threat to human health in all
countries, especially those with vulnerable health systems because of the risk
of importing the disease, according to health experts.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Sabah
allows funeral rites at non-Muslim houses of worship from tomorrow, says state
minister
08
Nov 2021
KOTA
KINABALU, Nov 8 — Funerals and last rites at non-Muslim houses of worship and
funeral parlours will be allowed in the state, with a capacity of 50 per cent,
starting tomorrow, said Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister, Datuk
Masidi Manjun.
He
said that the period of operation allowed was from 6am to 8pm daily, and it
must not exceed two hours per session, in adherence to regulations under Phase
Four of the National Recovery Plan (PPN).
“However,
the permission is only for fully-vaccinated individuals.
“According
to the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set, individuals or families who have
yet to be fully vaccinated are strictly prohibited from entering houses of
worship, except for children aged 12 and below whose parents have been fully
vaccinated,” he said in a statement here tonight.
Commenting
on the development of daily Covid-19 cases in Sabah, Masidi said the number of
cases for Sabah continued the declining trend, at 364 cases today compared with
405 reported yesterday.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
experts urge Singapore to halt Malaysian’s execution
09
November ,2021
A
group of UN human rights experts have appealed to Singapore to halt an
execution scheduled this week of a Malaysian who smuggled drugs into the
city-state, on the grounds that he has intellectual disabilities.
Nagaenthran
Dharmalingam, 33, is scheduled to be hanged on Wednesday, but the court stayed
his execution pending an appeal to be heard on Tuesday.
The
court had earlier dismissed an argument that hanging Nagaenthran would violate
Singapore’s constitution because he was intellectually challenged.
“We
are seriously concerned that, if the appeal is dismissed, he could still be
executed imminently,” the experts said in a statement.
The
independent UN experts called on Singapore, which has some of the world’s
toughest laws on drugs, to commute the death sentence against Nagaenthran, in
line with international human rights law.
Nagaenthran
was detained in April 2009 for trafficking about 42.72 grams of diamorphine, or
pure heroin, which was strapped to his thigh.
His
lawyer M Ravi, and activists say his intellect was at a level recognized as a
mental disability, and he has other disorders affecting his decision-making and
impulse control.
Authorities
previously said Singapore courts were satisfied Nagaenthran knew what he was
doing.
The
case has attracted international attention including from British billionaire
and capital punishment opponent Richard Branson, who called on Singapore to
spare Nagaenthran.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Europe
Islamophobia
in France: Police who killed Muslim woman will not face charges, prompting
anger
November
9, 2021
Two
French police officers under investigation for their involvement in the death
of an elderly Algerian woman in Marseille, will not face charges, prompting
shock and anger.
The
80 year-old victim, Zineb Redouane, was murdered at home during a Yellow Vest
demonstration, after police shot her in the face with a tear gas grenade.
In
2020, the victim's family filed a legal complaint against the former interior
minister and other senior officials.
The
managing director of the National Police (DGPN),Frédéric Veaux says the two
riot police will not face a disciplinary hearing, as was originally recommended
following an administrative inquiry carried out by the Inspection Générale de
la Police Nationale (IGPN), a police monitoring body.
However,
a counter-investigation in December argued that “the presence of several
buildings directly in front of the shooting officer should, at the very least,
have constituted a red alert.”
It
noted that the Cougar-type launcher used in the incident has a range of
approximately 100 metres and that the projectile struck Redouane “after 37 metres”,
while it was still ascending, "collapsing” the right part of her face and
causing her to inhale large quantities of tear gas.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Two
Dagestan Muslims saved seven people from burning house
November
9, 2021
The
two Muslim young men from Dagestan saved the residents of the panel house from
fire in the city of Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region. The young men took an
active part in a rescue campaign and managed to get out of the house several
people, including those of retirement age.
The
cause a massive fire was the explosion of the gas.
The
young heroes were the Marine Corps soldier Rajab Rizvanov and his friend
Pirmagomed Huseynov. They were among the first to come to the aid of the
victims. Rizvanov managed to enter the flaming house through the window and
saved a woman with a small child, after which he helped to evacuate people from
the second floor.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://en.abna24.com/news//two-dagestan-muslims-saved-seven-people-from-burning-house_1196924.html
--------
India
Tiffin
Meetings, ‘Taleem Aur Tijarat’ Seminars — BJP Is Wooing Muslims Before UP Polls
Neelam
Pandey
8
November, 2021
New
Delhi: The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has chalked out an ambitious plan to
garner the support of the Muslim community in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh — it
plans to hold ‘tiffin meetings’, conduct seminars and conferences on ‘Taleem
aur Tijarat’ (education and commerce), and ask party workers to reach out to as
many minority voters as possible.
Ministers,
MLAs and party workers are all being asked to approach Muslim voters through
these programmes.
Muslims
comprise around 19 per cent of the total population of UP, and the BJP has
decided to focus on areas dominated by the community where it lost by a slim
margin in 2017. It plans to highlight the steps taken by the Narendra Modi
government in the last seven years to provide better education to the
community, and better avenues for commerce.
While
there is no definitive data available on whether or not the Muslim community
votes for the BJP, according to ‘Studies in Indian Politics‘, a statistical
report on the election results in all states conducted between 2017 to 2018,
“an analysis of the results (Uttar Pradesh) by proportion of Muslim population
in constituencies shows that BJP was ahead both in terms of votes and seats in
both low and high Muslim-dominated constituencies”.
Speaking
to ThePrint, Jamal Siddiqui, national president of the BJP’s Minority Morcha,
said a nationwide campaign will be launched to make the Muslim community aware
of the steps taken by the Modi government for its welfare, with special
emphasis on poll-bound states such as Uttar Pradesh.
“At
all levels, our leaders, right from block and district level to ministers, will
initiate informal discussions with the Muslim population. This will be done
over lunch and everyone will carry their own tiffin and eat together. This will
also spread a positive message to the society,” Siddiqui said.
“Our
government has done a lot of work for the minority community, whether it is
abolishing Triple Talaq, providing them housing, or creating new job
opportunities. We will go door-to-door and inform the people about it,” he
added.
Party
targets 5,000 minority workers in each assembly seat
According
to a senior BJP leader, the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP Minority Morcha has
also set a target to create at least 5,000 new minority workers in each
assembly constituency. “Under this, 100 people have been given the
responsibility in each assembly constituency to create contact with at least 50
families,” said a BJP leader who did not wish to be named.
“There
are a number of Muslim majority seats where we lost out by a slim margin in
2017. For instance, in Saharanpur Nagar, we lost to the Samajwadi Party by over
4,000 votes. In Dholana, which comes under the Ghaziabad district, the margin
was also very slim. Similarly, we have identified more such seats and work has
already started on them,” added a second BJP leader.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gurugram
Friday Namaz Row: Muslims Seek More Mosques, Action Over ‘Hateful Sloganeering’
By
Leena Dhankhar
Nov
08, 2021
Reiterating
the demand for more land parcels to build mosques, representatives of Muslim
groups on Monday informed the Gurugram administration of their decision to
refrain from offering Juma Namaz (Friday prayers) at a designated site in
Sector 12A to avoid conflicts with right-wing organisations. They, however,
sought action against people for allegedly making provocative speeches and
raising communal slogans during Govardhan Puja rituals at the site last Friday.
Members
of the Muslim community also sought police protection to offer namaz at the
other designated sites, citing scarcity of closed spaces for offering Friday
prayers. Members of the Muslim community, after holding meetings on Monday,
decided to offer Namaz at 28 sites designated by the district administration.
Altaf
Ahmad, a member of Gurgaon Nagrik Ekta Manch and spokesperson for Gurgaon
Muslim Council, said that they have requested the deputy commissioner to take
cognisance of the provocative speeches. “The videos have gone viral and have
brought disrepute to our nation. Hence, the hatemongers should be booked
immediately for hurting religious sentiments of the Muslim community,” he said.
Mohammad
Adeeb, a former Rajya Sabha member, who is leading a 21-member committee to
resolve the ongoing issue, said that they have assured the administration of
their continued support in resolving the Juma Namaz issue in a “pragmatic and
peaceful manner.”
“There
are only 13 mosques in Gurugram city for a population of over five lakhs (0.5
million). Given there are such few and far off masjids, with capacity of hardly
a few hundred, praying once a week in the open is a desperate necessity and not
preferred by the devotees,” Adeeb said.
Members
of the 21-member committee, constituted last Saturday, said that they will not
visit the Sector 12 site on Friday to avoid confrontation with right-wing
groups who participated in Govardhan Puja.
Members
said they will also meet Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on
Wednesday to apprise him of the situation and to seek the government’s
assistance for setting up an adequate number of mosques in Gurugram. The group
plans to meet residents’ welfare association members (RWAs) and members of
political parties to apprise them of the needs and challenges of the community
and to build mutual trust, members said.
Adeeb
said that Muslim groups have voluntarily and pre-emptively reviewed their
prayer sites and relocated if the congregations caused any problems, such as
traffic disruptions. “The Muslim community has been seeking both private and
government land for constructing mosques, which has not been forthcoming. One
of the only two operational masjids in New Gurugram is under litigation in
Supreme Court, despite legitimate allotment. We have urged the administration
to review the allotments and the places of worship that have come up in Gurugram
over the past three decades, as the fewest and most inadequate are of masjids,”
he said.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
On
Pre-Poll Kairana Visit, Yogi Attacks 'Talibani' Mind-set
Pankaj
Shah & Sandeep Rai
Nov
9, 2021
LUCKNOW:
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s visits to Kairana in Shamli and
Rampur on Monday marked the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) strategy of putting
its saffron mascot on the front for escalating the political spadework in the
restive west UP region ahead of the assembly elections.
The
visits are crucial as Kairana was at the centre stage during the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections after BJP had ratcheted up the issue of Hindu exodus following the
2013 Muzaffarnagar communal riots, while Rampur is the bastion of Samajwadi
Party (SP) MP Azam Khan.
The
chief minister said in Kairana that those with “Talibani mindset will not be
tolerated in Uttar Pradesh”. Referring to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots and the
Kairana “exodus”, he added, “the criminals who had forced Kairana businessmen
to flee their homes are themselves compelled to follow the exodus process now.”
Informed
party sources said Yogi is likely to visit Mathura, Meerut and Saharanpur in
quick succession in the next few days.
In
Mathura, on November 10, Yogi will inaugurate the ‘Braj Raj Utsav’ which is
being organised by Braj Teerth Vikas Board. On November 11, the CM will
felicitate Paralympics sportspersons from across the state in Meerut.
Plans
are also afoot for CM’s visit to Saharanpur where he will lay the foundation
stone of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) centre in Deoband. The state government
had in August green flagged the project, which entails setting up a commando
centre over 2,000 sq mt. The move had come under sharp criticism as the
opposition termed it a ‘polarisation bid’ of the BJP government.
UP
BJP organisation secretary and in charge of Saharanpur, Chandra Mohan said the
development of west UP has been high on CM Yogi’s agenda. “His visits to the
region will speed up the ongoing development projects being carried out by the
state government,” he said.
Yogi’s
move to step up campaign in west UP also gains pertinence in the backdrop of farmers’
continuing protest against the new farm laws. The Lakhimpur violence in which
eight persons, including four protesting farmers, were killed had further
stoked political frenzy in the region having a sizeable presence of Dalits and
Muslims.
The
development also draws a noticeable contrast from the politically crucial east
UP region that has been hogging the spotlight amid the opposition’s concerted
attempts for gaining a foothold in PM Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi and
CM Yogi’s political backyard Gorakhpur.
SP
chief Akhilesh Yadav is planning to set the political temperature soaring by
kicking off the third phase of his ‘Vijay Yatra’ from Gorakhpur on November 13.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghan
Minorities Group leaders in India write to Indian government ahead of NSA
meeting on Afghanistan
JK
Singh
Nov
8, 2021
AMBALA:
Ahead of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) level meeting of different
countries on Afghanistan in New Delhi scheduled on November 10, the 'Afghan
Minorities Group (AMG)' leaders in India have written to the Government of
India (GOI) and raised their concerns about the community members still living
in Afghanistan.
In
a letter addressed to Prime Minister of India, Secretary of Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA), Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and President of
Indian World Forum (IWF), 13-members of AMG have thanked the GOI for its
proactive steps for safety and well being of minorities living in Afghanistan
i.e. Hindus and Sikhs including protection of their rights as per the UN
(United Nations) Charter.
The
AMG members said that hereinafter the AMG, a joint coordination committee
comprising representatives from all of the Afghan origin managed Gurdwaras and
Mandirs in India and Afghan origin community leaders in India will be liaising
and coordinating with the Government of India on behalf of Afghan minorities
and refugees i.e. Hindus and Sikhs residing in Afghanistan and India.
The
AMG members have also raised concern about the maintenance and management of
historical Gurdwaras and Mandirs located in Afghanistan including the
protection of interests of Afghan minorities.
"Therefore,
AMG will also be seeking assistance and cooperation of GOI and your good self
(in) maintenance and management of historical Gurdwara and Mandirs located
there as per their sanctity", wrote AMG to GOI and IWF.
"At
present 222 Afghan citizens i.e. Hindus and Sikhs have applied for e-visas for
India and seeking immediate evacuation due to political and security situation
in Afghanistan and...requested that they may be granted e-visa and be provided
with all appropriate assistance at the earliest," said AMG in their
letter.
The
AMG has also requested not to consider facilitating the travel back to
Afghanistan or not grant any exit permission to Afghan citizens belonging to
Hindu and Sikh communities living in India due to unforeseen incidents in past
towards minorities and lack of security there.
On
October 25, 2021, a writ petition was moved in Delhi High Court by New Delhi
based Sikh, Parminder Pal Singh against MHA and MEA through his advocate
Gurinder Pal Singh, related to 227 Indian and Afghan nationals of Indian origin
- Hindus, Sikhs stranded in Afghanistan, facing life threats by the Taliban.
The petitioner sought urgent evacuation, issuance of e-visa, and safe return to
India.
The
WP (C) was disposed-off by the court of Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on
October 27, 2021, noticing the government to resolve the issue.
Advocate
Gurinder Pal Singh said the Delhi High Court issued, "We, therefore,
direct the concerned Respondent authority to decide the representation of the
Petitioner in accordance with the law, rules, regulations, and government policies
applicable to the facts of the case. At this juncture, government counsel Amit
Mahajan informed the Bench that a lot of efforts have already been made by the
Government of India to evacuate the stranded persons. To this, the Bench
clarified that the government also has the option to reject the representation
(of issuing e-visas), giving proper reasons. We know the operation of airlines
is also in difficulty. You mention that and reject if you want, the Chief
Justice of Delhi High Court said orally."
Gurinder
Pal said that to date the court has not uploaded the order online after
disposing-off the case despite the norms of the Delhi High Court that it should
be uploaded on the same day.
Speaking
on the issue, JAGO (Jag Aasra Guru Ott) Party leader Manjit Singh GK from New
Delhi said, "We have been escalating the issue in writing at every
possible level. Even the Delhi High Court asked the government to resolve the
issue on the representations. The government has earlier airlifted them and
brought them to India, whether they were embassy staff or local Afghans. The
Modi government has always taken such decisions and once more it should
evacuate about 220 members of Afghan minorities immediately on humanitarian
grounds. The government must overlook the persons who are creating hurdles in
this issue and take an immediate decision and conduct the evacuation before it
is too late."
Manjit
Singh GK claimed that the Afghan minorities still living in Afghanistan are in
regular touch with his organisation and they are living under a sense of
constant threat of life and property.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
After
Pakistan, China also skips meet on Afghanistan hosted by India
Indrani
Bagchi
Nov
9, 2021
NEW
DELHI: China and Pakistan will be missing when the national security chiefs of
seven key regional countries gather here on Wednesday for a security dialogue
on Afghanistan.
The
day-long event, the first being hosted by India, will focus on terrorism and
related security challenges and uncertainties emerging from Afghanistan which
was taken over by the Taliban in August.
Pakistan
refused to come because of India. China, however, qualified its response.
Citing its inability to attend due to “scheduling issues”, Beijing said that
they would like to engage India bilaterally on Afghanistan. The Indian
government is refraining from clubbing the two refusals, though sources said
China’s response may be due to its Pakistan sensitivities. “We were keen on
China’s participation,” sources said.
The
meeting will focus on terrorism, within Afghanistan and across borders: the
growth of radicalisation and extremism that might spread from Afghanistan,
either by the Taliban and Haqqani network, or IS-K, or just by the power of
demonstration to influence populations in all the participating countries.
Cross-border
movement is another area of concern. A new challenge that faces the region is
the threat emanating from the military equipment and weapons left behind by the
US troops in Afghanistan. There is apprehension that these could be used to
fuel terrorism or feed organised crime networks in the region.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Terrorists
again resort to selective attacks, kill salesman in Srinagar within 24 hours of
shooting cop dead
M
Saleem Pandit
Nov
9, 2021
SRINAGAR:
Terrorists shot dead a salesman in Bohri Kadal area here on Monday, within 24
hours of killing a police constable in his rented accommodation in Batmaloo
area, also in Srinagar. He is the 12th civilian to be killed since October 2 this
year.
Mohammad
Ibrahim (45) was grievously wounded in Monday’s attack and succumbed to his
injuries in hospital, doctors said. Ibrahim was a salesman at the shop of a
Kashmiri Pandit, Roshan Lal Mawa, who reopened his small business at Bohri
Kadal on May 1, 2019 on returning to the Valley after 29 years.
Ibrahim
belonged to Ashtangu Ghat in the northern district of Bandipora. The medical
superintendent at SMHS hospital, Dr Kanwaljeet Singh, said the victim died
after being shot in the chest and abdomen.
Mawa
had returned to reopen his shop in old Srinagar city and local Muslims
celebrating his return had even tied the traditional welcome turban on him and
his son, Dr Sandeep Mawa, who had helped fulfil his father’s dream of returning
to the valley. "I migrated to Delhi where I did good business. I own a
house there, but all these 29 years I have lived like a fish out of water. I
always wanted to return to my home, which is Kashmir," Roshan Lal Mawa had
said at the time.
The
constable shot dead on Sunday was Tausif Ahmad. "At about 8 pm, terrorists
fired at Jammu & Kashmir police constable Tausif Ahmad near his residence
at S D Colony, Batamaloo," a police official said.
Eleven
civilians have been killed by terrorists between October 2 and 17, including
two teachers and pharmacy owner M L Bindroo. Seven of the 11 victims were
Muslims, and the remainder, barring one Sikh who was a school principal, were
Hindu.
IGP
(Kashmir zone) Vijay Kumar said terrorists have killed 28 civilians this year.
"Out of 28, five were local Hindus/Sikhs, and two migrant Hindu
labourers," he said. He said that in all such cases the terrorists had
used pistols. "These acts are committed by newly recruited terrorists or
those who are about to join terror outfits," he said, adding, "In
some cases, OGWs have been found directly involved."
Intelligence
sources said these killings have been carried out by sleeper cells of terror
groups.
IGP
Kumar said, "We are identifying all such part-time/hybrid terrorists and
the strictest action shall be taken against them. We have received several
leads and are working on them. We have also been launching operations along
with security forces."
Mohammad
Shafi Dar was the first civilian targeted by terrorists, on October 2, over his
alleged links with security forces. Majid Ahmad Gojri, a resident of Chattabal
in Srinagar, was the second. Gojri was shot dead by terrorists near Madina
Complex in Karan Nagar area on October 2.
Pharmacy
dealer Makhan Lal Bindroo (68) was shot dead at point-blank range at his shop
in Srinagar on October 5. He and his family had remained in Kashmir in the
1990s, when militancy was at its peak. Virender Paswan, a street food vendor in
Srinagar’s Lal Bazaar, was shot dead the same day that Bindroo was killed.
Paswan was a resident of Bhagalpur, Bihar. Mohammad Shafi Lone, president of a
cab stand in Bandipora and a cab driver, was shot dead the same day, and in the
same hour, as Bindroo and Paswan. Lashkar terrorist Imtiyaz Ahmad Dar, on the
run after killing Shafi, was gunned down by security forces a few days later.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Complete
ceasefire agreed between govt and TTP: Fawad Chaudhry
Nadir
Guramani | Tahir Khan
November
8, 2021
Information
Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced on Monday that a complete ceasefire had been
reached between the government and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP),
according to state-run Pakistan Television (PTV).
The
state broadcaster quoted the minister as saying that talks between the
government and the TTP were underway in line with the Constitution and that the
ceasefire would be extended keeping in view the progress of the talks.
"The
state's sovereignty, national security, peace in relevant areas and social and
economic stability will be considered during the talks," he said.
Chaudhry
added that the interim Afghan government had facilitated the negotiations.
The
minister said progress on the restoration of "complete peace" in
these areas of the country was a positive development.
The
announcement comes a little over a month after Prime Minister Imran Khan had
stated that the government was in talks with some TTP groups, seeking a
reconciliation.
"There
are different groups which form the TTP and some of them want to talk to our
government for peace. So, we are in talks with them. It’s a reconciliation
process," the premier had said during an interview with TRT World.
Meanwhile,
the TTP — in a statement issued late on Monday — confirmed that the group had
reached an agreement with the government regarding a month-long ceasefire.
“[Both]
sides will observe a month-long ceasefire from Nov 9 until Dec 9. The ceasefire
will be extended with the consensus of the two sides,” TTP spokesman Mohammad
Khorasani said in a statement.
"The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is playing the role of a mediator in the
negotiations,” the spokesman added.
He
said the two sides have agreed to form negotiation teams which will take the
process forward. The spokesman said the TTP is ready for negotiations which can
ensure durable peace in Pakistan.
So
far, the Afghan government has not commented on the agreement.
'Govt
can't take unilateral decisions'
Separately,
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that policies drafted without taking
parliament into confidence lacked "legitimacy".
Speaking
to the media after a high-level security briefing, Bilawal refrained from
commenting on the details of the meeting but said that the government could not
take "unilateral decisions" when it came to the country's Afghanistan
policy, talks with the TTP and agreements made with the Tehreek-i-Labbaik
Pakistan.
"No
policy can be made [regarding] these issues without the approval of
Parliament," he said. "Any policies made without the approval of
Parliament will lack legitimacy and will not be successful."
The
PPP chairman reiterated his criticism of the government's "rhetoric"
on talks with the TTP.
He
also questioned whether the president or the premier had the right to
"beg" with the group responsible for the deaths of Pakistan Army
soldiers and the students of Army Public School Peshawar without taking
Parliament into confidence.
He
stated that the country's policies should be approved by Parliament and after
forming a consensus. "That policy will not only be better, but will also
have legitimacy," he said.
Tentative
understanding with TTP
Earlier
this month, sources familiar with the development had told Dawn that the
government had reached a tentative understanding with the TTP to seek a broader
peace agreement to end nearly two decades of militancy in the country.
Read:
Truce with TTP — will it be different this time around?
Sources
had said the “direct, face-to-face” talks between the two sides being held in
Afghanistan’s south-western Khost province for nearly two weeks had resulted in
a tentative understanding to declare a countrywide truce, conditional to the
release of some TTP foot soldiers as part of confidence-building measures.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1656804/complete-ceasefire-agreed-between-govt-and-ttp-fawad-chaudhry
--------
Jamaat-i-Islami
seeks Supreme Court order for inquiry in Pandora Papers case
Nasir
Iqbal
November
9, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) emir Sirajul Haq filed in the Supreme Court on Monday a
petition seeking a directive for initiation of an inquiry against Pakistani
citizens whose names have surfaced in the recently leaked Pandora Papers.
The
present petition is a continuation of an earlier plea also moved before the
apex court, seeking an investigation against 436 Pakistani individuals whose
identities were revealed in the Panama Papers leaks in 2016.
Moved
through Advocate Muhammad Ishtiaq Ahmed Raja on behalf of the JI emir, the
fresh petition argued that the process of investigation into the matter was to
be started by the government, but neither the names of the persons revealed in
the Pandora Papers were being acknowledged by the government nor was any action
proposed by it so far.
According
to media reports, top cabinet members, ministers, media moguls, relatives of
the army officers and powerful businessmen have been named in the Pandora
Papers. Released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists,
the papers revealed that some people had secretly owned an array of offshore
companies and trusts holding millions of dollars of hidden wealth.
“Since
a similar petition is also pending before this court, the petitioner seeks the
indulgence of the Supreme Court for a directive to the government for the
purpose of inquiry/investigation,” the JI petition contended.
It
said that information about the names of the individuals surfaced in the
Pandora Papers had been published in which the names of a number of people were
disclosed.
Talking
to reporters after filing the petition, Sirajul Haq regretted that the
opposition parties had failed to raise any voice for investigation against
those whose names had surfaced in the Pandora Papers. He also deplored the lack
of substantive accountability system in the country to prosecute those
responsible for the transfer of money from Pakistan to foreign countries.
He
recalled that the JI was one of the first parties which had approached the apex
court when the Panama Papers came with a request that inquiries should be
initiated against all those who had been named in the papers. But, he added,
Imran Khan as the PTI chairman, who had also moved a similar petition before
the apex court seeking accountability, targeted only former prime minister
Nawaz Sharif and got him disqualified on the allegations of having a UAE iqama.
Mr
Haq said that around 700 people had been named in the Pandora Papers against
whom investigations should be launched on the orders of the Supreme Court. He
said the national exchequer was deprived of a huge amount of Rs184 billion by
the sugar mafia, whereas the state suffered another chunk of Rs220bn in the
wheat flour scam.
He
said the list was continuing as the petroleum scam cost the country another
Rs25bn, the energy crisis Rs350bn and the LNG issue Rs100bn. “There is an elite
capture on the resources of the country while the ordinary people have to
struggle for even basic necessities of life,” he alleged.
This
is the second such petition as earlier the Transparency International of
Pakistan (TIP), a non-partisan coalition against corruption, had approached the
Supreme Court on Oct 16 against the Pakistani citizens named in the Pandora
Papers and Panama Papers, asking them to clear themselves by assuring that the
investments made in offshore companies were not derived through illegal means.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
agrees one-month ‘complete ceasefire’ with local Taliban militants
08
November ,2021
Pakistan
and local Taliban militants have agreed a one-month ceasefire which may be
extended if both sides agree, spokesmen said on Monday, opening the possibility
of a fuller peace accord to help end years of bloodshed.
The
Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), are a separate movement
from the Afghan Taliban and have fought for years to overthrow the government
in Islamabad and rule the South Asian nation of 220 million with their own
brand of Islamic Sharia law.
There
have been numerous failed attempts to reach peace agreements in the past. The
latest talks were opened following the victory of the Afghan Taliban in August
and the two sides have been meeting across the border in Afghanistan, with the
aid of Afghan Taliban leaders.
“The
government of Pakistan and banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan have agreed on a
complete ceasefire,” Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in a
statement, adding that the ceasefire would be extended as the talks progressed.
Best
known in the West for attempting to kill Malala Yousafzai, the schoolgirl who
went on to win the Nobel Prize for her work promoting girls’ education, the TTP
has killed thousands of military personnel and civilians over the years in
bombings and suicide attacks.
Among
its attacks was a 2014 assault on a military-run school in Peshawar, near the
border with Afghanistan, which killed 149 people including 132 children.
As
recently as Saturday, it claimed a bomb blast that killed four soldiers and
wounded another in North Waziristan tribal district. It said the attack was in
revenge for the killing of four of its fighters two days earlier.
Chaudhry
said the ceasefire agreement would be under the Constitution of Pakistan and
would ensure state sovereignty and national integrity.
The
TTP, which sources said had been demanding the release of a number of prisoners
as a condition for full ceasefire negotiations, said it was “ready for a
dialogue that will lead to lasting peace in the country.”
It
said the ceasefire would come into force from Tuesday and last until Dec. 9 and
could be extended if both sides agreed.
Special
committees had been set up to try to map out the negotiation process.
The
agreement comes days after the government in Islamabad reached an accord with
another militant group Tehrik-e-Labaik Pakistan or TLP, after weeks of violent
clashes.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Punjab
Home Dept withdraws reference banning Ansarul Islam
By
Sher Ali Khalti
November
09, 2021
LAHORE:
Punjab government’s home department has withdrawn reference from the provincial
Cabinet regarding imposing a ban on Ansarul Islam, the volunteer group of the
JUI-F.
Punjab
government has taken a major decision and the home department withdrew its
reference pertaining to banning Ansarul Islam. This decision was taken when the
government lifted ban on Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
While
talking to The News, Abu Bakr Chaudhry, deputy secretary general JUI-F Punjab
said, “home department has withdrawn reference from the provincial Cabinet
regarding imposing a ban on Ansarul Islam”. He said, “Ansarul Islam is an
essential part of the JUI-F and government cannot ban a political party”. He
said few months ago, the Punjab government had decided to impose a ban on the
JUI-F’s essential part Ansarul Islam and sent a summary to the cabinet
committee concerned. According to him, Ansarul Islam was not a militant group.
He said Ansarul Islam is a volunteer group and works for relief in the country.
Source:
The News Pakistan
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/907283-punjab-home-dept-withdraws-reference-banning-ansarul-islam
--------
South Asia
Islamic
State violence dents Taliban claims of safer Afghanistan
November
9, 2021
ISLAMABAD,
Nov 9 (Reuters) - Last month, the family of Mawlavi Ezzatullah, a member of Afghanistan's
Hizb-e Islami party, received a WhatsApp message from his phone: "We have
slaughtered your Mawlavi Ezzat, come and collect his body."
Ezzatullah's
killing, in the eastern province of Nangarhar, was one of a steady stream of
assassinations and bombings that have undermined Taliban claims that they have
brought greater security to Afghanistan after 40 years of war.
Victims
have ranged from former security officials from the ousted government to
journalists, civil society activists, mullahs, Taliban fighters and apparently
random targets like Ezzatullah, whose family said he had no enemies they knew
of.
The
Taliban have said their victory has brought stability to Afghanistan, where
thousands of people were killed in fighting between the group and Western-backed
forces between 2001 and 2021 before the hardline Islamists emerged victorious.
But
on just one day last week, pictures from Jalalabad - the provincial capital of
Nangarhar - appeared online showing two bodies swinging from a rope. Residents also
reported a mullah's murder and video footage was circulated of a group of
gunmen firing into a car, apparently killing its occupants, one of whom was
identified by local journalists as a Taliban official.
Reuters
was unable to verify the images and footage independently.
On
Sunday, according to locals, three bodies were brought into a hospital in
Jalalabad after a roadside bomb explosion that apparently targeted Taliban
fighters in a pickup truck.
Later
that day, gunmen shot a former Afghan army soldier in front of his house,
killing him and two friends standing nearby.
The
Taliban have downplayed such incidents, saying that after decades of war, it
will take time for the country to be completely pacified.
"There
are 34 provinces in the country and in a week, 20 cases will be prevented for
every one that takes place," said spokesman Bilal Karimi. "We have
had 20 years of revolution and invasion and the level of these incidents will
go down."
Some
former soldiers and intelligence officers from the ousted government blame
members of the Taliban for targeting them since taking over. The group has
promised there would be no reprisals, but accepts rogue fighters may have acted
alone.
Many
targeted killings remain unclaimed and some may be the result of local vendettas.
But
others look the result of increasingly open conflict between the Taliban and a
local affiliate of Islamic State, a development which the new U.S. Special
Representative for Afghanistan, Tom West, said on Monday was causing concern in
Washington.
The
militant jihadi group has claimed some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan
in recent months in which hundreds of people have been killed, mainly in big
cities.
"They
are trying to undermine and discredit the Taliban Emirate. The Emirate promised
security and they're trying to show they can't deliver it," said Antonio
Giustozzi, a specialist in jihadi groups from the Royal United Services
Institute in London.
He
said Islamic State, which he estimated to have around 4,000 fighters, had been
carrying out a campaign of targeted killings since around the summer of 2020
and had continued since the Taliban victory in August on a "roughly
comparable scale".
'BIDEN
HIRELINGS'
For
many going about their business, the violence feels particularly menacing.
"I
have never been as terrified as I am now," said a university professor in
Nangarhar who has also worked as a journalist and who spoke on condition of
anonymity for fear of being targeted. He described events in Nangarhar as
"total chaos."
The
violence has fuelled fears that Afghanistan could collapse into anarchy and
even return to a new phase of civil war, creating a haven for militant groups
to launch attacks in neighbouring countries and the West.
"This
is the scenario that has everyone worried," said one Western official with
long experience of the region.
Islamic
State, which first appeared in Afghanistan in late 2014 and adopted the title
Islamic State Khorasan after an ancient name for the region, has been trying to
recover from a bruising series of defeats in 2018 and 2019.
The
group has claimed a series of strikes against Shi'ite mosques and other targets
since the Taliban's victory in August, most recently on the main military
hospital in Kabul which killed at least 25 people.
Less
commonly reported are frequent, smaller atrocities which have been taking place
not only in Nangarhar, long a stronghold of Islamic State.
Areas
affected include Ghazni in central Afghanistan, Herat in the west, Balkh in the
north, and Paktia, Paktika and Khost in the southeast.
Source:
Reuters
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
invites Taliban’s acting FM to attend Troika plus
09
Nov 2021
Pakistani
mainstream media have cited Pakistani officials that a special invitation has
been extended to Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Motaqi to
attend Troika Plus.
Spokesperson
of Afghanistan’s foreign ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi in a Tweeter post said
that a high-level delegation led by Amir Khan Motaqi will travel to Pakistan on
November 10 to attend Troika plus.
The
Troika plus is intended to be held on November 11 in the Pakistan capital
Islamabad.
Amir
Khan Motaqi will reportedly be extending his visit by a day as he will conduct
negotiations with the Pakistani officials on bilateral issues but Kabul has not
commented on the visit yet.
Troika
plus is a forum established by Pakistan, the US, China, and Russia who are the
most impactful countries in restoring peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-invites-talibans-acting-fm-to-attend-troika-plus-457457/
--------
Opium
cultivation continues even as Taliban vows crackdown on Afghanistan's drug
trade
November
9, 2021
The
Taliban's move to eradicate the drug trade in Afghanistan and ban opium
production has faced challenges on several fronts. With the country being one
of the biggest producers of opium and a lack of alternative livelihood, farmers
continue to cultivate opium despite the Taliban's warning.
The
illicit opium trade is intertwined with Afghanistan’s economy, which is in
turmoil.
However,
the production of opium threatens to deter foreign aid in Afghanistan, which
has been facing a major economic and humanitarian crisis since the takeover by
the Taliban.
Soon
after coming to power on August 15, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said
the new government won't allow drug trade in the country. He said, "We are
against drugs and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is trying to eradicate the
production of narcotics, but it is only possible when the whole world helps us
in empowering the farmers and providing them with an alternative to earn their
livelihood."
An
Afghan farmer, Abha Wali, told Aljazeera, "We grow poppy so that we can
buy bread for the family to survive. No government has helped us. We don't have
adequate water for other crops, so the poppy has become the only available
option.
Opium
farming has increased by 37 per cent in the last year and is a major source of
income across the country. The plant and the drugs that it produces are a
multi-million dollar industry.
According
to the United Nations, opium harvesting has provided employment to 1,20,000
people in 2019. However, the production of opium threatens to deter foreign aid
which is facing a major economic and humanitarian crisis since the takeover by
the Taliban.
Another
farmer, Haji Muhammad Hashim, said, "I do have other farms of potatoes,
onions and pomegranates, but because the borders are closed, the whole yield
has gone to waste. It cannot reach international buyers. But when I cultivate
opium, the buyers come to my house to buy it in cash. We don't even have to go
to the market to sell it.
Even
though the production of opium sustains a large part of the country, it also
has a devastating impact on the Afghan society fraught with danger from drug
addiction.
Dr
Ahmad Zahir Sultani said, "We have had problems because of the war. There
was no awareness of drug addiction, illiteracy, illegal refugees and the
problems of unemployment. These are the reasons why people are so affected by
drugs here.
Source:
India Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/taliban-ban-opium-harvest-afghanistan-drugs-1874593-2021-11-09
--------
World
Bank chief says Afghanistan aid resumption unlikely
09
November ,2021
World
Bank President David Malpass indicated Monday that the institution is unlikely
to resume direct aid to Afghanistan, after suspending financing at the end of
August when the Taliban seized power.
“I
would not envision us operating inside given the full breakdown” of the
economy, he said in a conversation at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS).
“One
of the challenges is the payment system,” he said, noting that “there’s not the
ability to have money actually flow, given what the current government is
doing.”
The
Washington-based development lender paused aid in August amid concerns about
the security situation and women’s rights following the Taliban’s swift
takeover of the country, saying it was “closely monitoring and assessing the
situation.”
The
World Bank has more than two dozen development projects ongoing in Afghanistan
and has provided $5.3 billion since 2002, mostly in grants, according to the
bank’s website.
The
IMF also suspended aid to the country, and the Taliban has been denied access
to much of Afghanistan’s $9 billion in reserves, which are held abroad, mostly
in the United States.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North America
London
Muslim Mosque Leaders Call For Ontario, Ford Government To Tackle Islamophobia
Nov
8, 2021
TORONTO
– Muslim leaders are calling on Ontario to take action against Islamophobia.
Imam
Aarij Anwer of the London Muslim Mosque said Monday that the province should
tackle the issue now and not wait for the results of next year’s election.
A
Muslim family from Anwer’s mosque was killed after they were hit by a truck in
London, Ont., in June. Police allege the driver deliberately targeted the
family in an act of hate against the Islamic faith.
“We
don’t want to hold another vigil as a community,” Anwer said. “We don’t want to
have another community funeral where we’re all grieving. We don’t want to lose
any more lives to hate or Islamophobia.”
Anwer
and the National Council of Canadian Muslims want to see several measures
implemented by the province that they say will help curb acts of hatred against
Muslims.
Those
include changes to the educational system so children can better understand
Islamophobia, said Nadia Hasan, the chief operating officer of the National
Council of Canadian Muslims.
“We
also need to see the dismantling of white supremacist groups in the province by
preventing them from registering as societies,” Hasan said.
They
would also like to see a provincial hate crimes accountability unit that
investigates failures in combating hate incidents and would like Ontario to
hire more minorities in the public service.
The
calls for action come five months after four members of a Muslim family were
killed in London in what police allege was an act motivated by hate.
Salman
Afzaal, 46, his 44-year-old wife Madiha Salman, their 15-year-old daughter
Yumna and her 74-year-old grandmother, Talat Afzaal, were killed while out for
an evening walk on June 6.
The
couple’s nine-year-old son, Fayez, was seriously hurt.
Nathaniel
Veltman, 20, is accused of deliberately hitting the family with his truck. He
is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted
murder in what prosecutors say was an act of terrorism.
The
calls also come more than a year after Mohamed-Aslim Zafis was stabbed to death
as he volunteered outside the International Muslim Organization in Toronto in
September 2020.
Police
have said Zafis was attacked at random and they could not discount that it was
motivated by hate.
A
34-year-old man faces one count of first-degree murder in Zafis’s death.
“Our
call is simple: no more violence,” Hasan said. “Our communities cannot wait
until after the election for change, we are calling on all of our leaders —
let’s work together to make change.”
Source:
Toronto City News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/11/08/ontario-islamophobia-ford-government/
--------
Supreme
Court justices closely divided in case on state secrets, anti-Muslim
discrimination by FBI
Nov.
8, 2021
The
Supreme Court justices Monday appeared closely divided in a case about whether
the FBI illegally discriminated against and spied on a California Muslim
community – and whether the agency can shut down a lawsuit by claiming
litigating it would harm national security.
The
case stems from an FBI investigation between 2006 and 2007 in which paid
informant Craig Monteilh posed as a Muslim convert in an Orange County, Calif.,
Islamic community while using electronic surveillance against many of the
people he met.
But
Monteilh's behavior, according to the Muslims against whom the surveillance was
targeted, became concerning to them.
So
they reported the FBI informant – to the FBI – for alleged "attempts to
incite violence."
The
subjects of the surveillance eventually sued the FBI and some of the individual
agents who took part in the operation, alleging that their community was only
targeted because of their religion. But the FBI claimed "state secrets
privilege" in an attempt to shut down the case, arguing that the
disclosure of the information surrounding the case would harm national
security.
A district court sided with the FBI, but the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that ruling and sided with the plaintiffs.
The
case is the second on the state secrets privilege that the court's heard in
just a few weeks, indicating that the justices may have significant concerns
about the status of the doctrine. Last month they considered whether the
government could use the state secrets privilege in a case about the alleged
torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
At
times Monday, government lawyer Edwin Kneedler struggled to defend the
government's position against an onslaught of questions from Justices Elena Kagan,
Neil Gorsuch and Sonia Sotomayor.
Sotomayor
in particular complained repeatedly that Kneelder was not answering her
questions.
But
perhaps the most contentious exchange happened later between Ahilan
Arulanantham, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, and Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
"What
happens to the individual defendants?" Barrett asked, referring to the
individual FBI agents who were also sued for religious discrimination in the
case.
"Let's
say that the evidence that they can use to defend themselves against the claim
that they religiously discriminated is in this body of evidence that's
protected by the state secrets doctrine," Barrett said. "And you're
saying dismissal is not a remedy. So they just go in with their hands tied
behind their back and they just are sitting ducks?"
Barrett
warned that the plaintiffs' potential remedy would harm the "due process
rights of the individual defendants" potentially as much as the alleged
illegal spying harmed the rights of the plaintiffs.
Source:
Fox News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-justices-religious-discrimination-fbi
--------
Washington
supports Taliban’s ‘vigorous’ efforts to wipe out Daesh: Envoy
November
08, 2021
LONDON:
Washington has no plans to establish diplomatic relations with the Taliban any
time soon, but supports their effort to crack down on Daesh’s Afghanistan
division, the US special representative for Afghanistan said on Monday.
In
a press briefing attended by Arab News, Thomas West added that the US has an
“unwavering commitment to ensuring that Afghanistan never, ever again becomes a
launching pad for terrorists to harm us or our allies.”
He
said: “When it comes to reopening our embassy in Kabul … we’re not seriously
thinking about taking that step at this time. I think what we want to see is
the establishment of a record of responsible conduct by the Taliban, of
predictable conduct, and then we’ll assess what needs we have on the diplomatic
front.”
Asked
about the security situation in Afghanistan vis-a-vis international terrorist
groups, West said: “We want the Taliban to succeed against ISIS-K (Daesh’s
Afghanistan division). I think they have a very vigorous effort underway
against that group. We condemn the innocent loss of Afghan lives that have
taken place in recent weeks at the hands of vicious ISIS-K attacks across the
country.”
He
added: “We’re worried about the uptick in ISIS-K attacks, and we want the
Taliban to be successful against them.”
West
said he is “very concerned” about other groups such as Al-Qaeda which maintain
a presence in Afghanistan, and it is an ongoing issue of concern in Washington’s
dialogue with the Taliban.
This
summer, the Taliban rapidly seized Afghanistan from the US-backed government
that had previously ruled the country with NATO’s assistance.
The
American and wider NATO withdrawal was marred by violence, including a Daesh
attack outside Kabul airport that killed nearly 200 people, including more than
a dozen US service members.
Since
then, Afghanistan has faced an economic and humanitarian crisis that threatens
the lives of millions.
Regarding
this humanitarian crisis, West said the UN has an “absolutely essential role to
play in Afghanistan right now. They have a big footprint and are delivering
life-saving aid.” The US “will be entirely and squarely behind” the UN’s
efforts, he added.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1964096/world
--------
Mideast
Grand
Mufti of Palestine warns of Israeli enemy attempt to demolish Al-Aqsa Mosque
November
9, 2021
The
Grand Mufti of Palestine, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein, warned on Sunday of the
Israeli violations against Islamic sanctities, especially Al-Aqsa Mosque and
the Dome of the Rock.
The
statements came following Jewish calls for demolishing the Dome of the Rock and
removing it from its current location.
These
calls reveal the Israeli intention to destroy the Dome of the Rock and change
the religious, historical, and legal situation in Al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh
Hussein said.
Al-Aqsa
Mosque, known as the first Qibla and the third of the two holy mosques, is part
of the Muslim creed, he added.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Global
Campaign calls for one-day hunger strike in support of Palestinian inmates
09
November 2021
The
Global Campaign to Return to Palestine has called for a one-day international
hunger strike in solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners who have been
refusing food to protest Israel’s illegal administrative detention policy that
allows their incarceration for long periods of time without charge or trial.
The
campaign, which is an umbrella organization for NGOs supporting the Palestinian
cause both in the Arab world and across the globe, issued the call on Monday.
It
also asked social media users to tweet an Arabic hashtag, which roughly means
“empty bowel battle,” and upload Hungry for Freedom photos.
The
campaign further urged people to record shorter than one-minute messages in
solidarity with the hunger-striking Palestinian inmates.
At
least seven Palestinians have remained on an open-ended hunger strike in
Israeli jails to denounce their indefinite detention based on “secret
information” with no trial or indictment.
The
prisoners include Kayed Fasfous, Miqdad Qawasmeh, Alaa Aaraj, Hesham Abu
Hawwash, Shadi Abu-Akr, Ayyad Hureimi, and Rateb Harebat.
Fasfous
and Qawamesh are in currently critical health conditions and at risk of losing
their lives.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/11/09/670231/Palestinin-inmates-hunger-strike
--------
Palestinian
prime minister calls on US Congress to recognize State of Palestine
09
November 2021
Palestinian
Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh has called on US Congress to recognize an
independent Palestinian state with East al-Quds as its capital, urging
Washington to amend laws and regulations that target the Palestinian Authority
(PA) as well as the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
During
a meeting with a visiting delegation of US congressmen at his office in the
central occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on Monday, Shtayyeh discussed the
so-called Middle East Peace Process between Palestinians and Israel, amid the
Tel Aviv regime’s attempts to wreck prospects for the purported two-state
solution through occupation and violation of Palestinians’ rights.
He
also asked the Biden administration to honor pledges it made to Palestinians,
among them the reopening of the United States consulate in occupied East
al-Quds.
Shtayyeh
then called upon the US and other Western countries to stop Israel from
jeopardizing the Middle East region’s future by insisting on its colonial
policies and violations of human rights.
“How
can we continue to talk about the [so-called] two-state solution when there are
720,000 settlers on the lands of the Palestinian state, and the settlement
program is continuing?” he asked.
“There
are 62% of the Palestinian lands under the direct control of Israel, and it
deals with it as a geographical reservoir for settlement expansion,” Shtayyeh
noted.
The
Palestinian prime minister also demanded pressure on the Israeli regime in
order to let the PA hold general elections across Palestinian territories,
including East al-Quds.
About
600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 occupation
of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Congresswoman
says US must stop ‘enabling’ Israel’s killing of Palestinian children
08
November 2021
Muslim
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of the United States has called on the White House
to stop enabling the killing of Palestinian children in the wake of an incident
where Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West
Bank.
The
only Palestinian-American member of US Congress said in a Twitter post that
Washington should give up its unconditional support for Israel and stop the
regime from committing crimes against minors, the official Palestinian news
agency Wafa reported on Monday. “Our country must stop enabling the killing of
children,” Tlaib posted.
Mohammad
Da'das, 13, was shot during clashes that erupted between Israeli troops and
Palestinians in the village of Deir al-Hatab, east of the city of Nablus, on
November 5. The Palestinian Health Ministry said the teenager had been shot in
the abdomen.
Congresswoman
Tlaib has frequently spoken out against the United States’ military support for
Israel, and called for the protection of the Palestinians’ rights.
In
an emotional speech at the House of Representative in May, Tlaib criticized
President Joe Biden and other top officials for offering statements that she
said did not acknowledge “Palestinian humanity.” “To read the statements from
President [Joe] Biden, Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken, General [Lloyd]
Austin and leaders of both parties, you would hardly know Palestinians existed
at all.”
Tlaib
and Ilhan Omar, the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, are outspoken
critics of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians and vocal supporters of
the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement. The pair has time and again
said Congress should reconsider the annual US aid to Israel.
The
United States and Israel signed an agreement in September 2016 for the regime
to receive $38 billion in military assistance over the next decade, the largest
such aid package in US history.
US
grassroots movement slams Israel’s killing of Palestinian minor
Separately,
a US grassroots movement on Sunday denounced Israel’s killing of the
Palestinian teenager. “13-year-old Mohammad Da’das was shot and killed by Israeli
forces in the occupied West Bank today, bringing the toll of Palestinian
children murdered by Israel to at least 80. How many more?” it tweeted.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/11/08/670192/Rashida-Tlaib-Israel-Palestinian-teenager
--------
Iran
wants US assurances it will never abandon nuclear deal in case of revival
November
9, 2021
Iran
said on Monday that the United States should provide guarantees that it will
not abandon Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers again if talks to
revive the agreement succeed.
Indirect
talks between Iran and the United States, which stalled in June after the
election of hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, are set to resume on
November 29 in Vienna to find ways to reinstate the 2015 accord.
It
has eroded since 2018 when then-US president Donald Trump withdrew from it and
reimposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to breach mandated limits on
uranium enrichment the following year.
"The
US should show that it has the capability and will to provide guarantees that
it will not abandon the deal again if the talks to revive the deal
succeed," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a virtual news
conference.
Echoing
Iran's official stance, Khatibzadeh said Washington must lift all sanctions
imposed on Tehran in a verifiable process and "recognise its fault in
ditching the pact".
That
ongoing stance is likely to cause concern in the US and with its European
allies — France, Britain and Germany — who deem it unrealistic and want to
resume June's talks where they left off without new demands.
One
Western diplomat said if Tehran was genuinely continuing to demand a guarantee
and full lifting of sanctions then it meant Iran was not serious about talks.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Calls for Complete, Effective Removal of All US Sanctions
2021-November-8
"The
US should know that it is not a member of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action) and that it cannot attribute statements to other members of the
deal," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in a
press conference in response to a question about US National Security Advisor
Jake Sullivan's claims that Tehran is not ready for the JCPOA talks.
The
steps the US should take in order to return to the JCPOA are clear, he added, saying,
"They should lift the oppressive sanctions completely and effectively.
They should guarantee that no administration in the United States mocks the
world and international law and does not repeat these behaviors [withdrawing
form intl. deals]."
Khatibzadeh
said that the Vienna talks on removal of the US sanctions with Europe will
start on the announced date, and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri
Kani Iran's top negotiator will attend the meetings.
"Baqeri
will leave Iran for several European countries this week and will travel to
France, Germany and Britain," he noted, adding that Iran will explain its
position about the JCPOA talks in details in the forthcoming trips.
"Iran
will not stop its compensatory actions until it is confident that US sanctions
will be lifted in an effective and verifiable manner with the necessary and
objective guarantees."
Iran
and six world powers, namely the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and
China, inked the JCPOA in July 2015. The agreement removed international
sanctions on Iran in exchange for certain limits on Tehran's nuclear
activities.
The
deal, however, was unilaterally abandoned by the US in 2018 despite Iran’s full
compliance with its nuclear undertakings, as repeatedly certified by the UN
nuclear agency. The US then unleashed a “maximum pressure” campaign against
Iran, which practically deprived the country of all of the deal’s economic
benefits.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000817000386/Iran-Calls-fr-Cmplee-Effecive-Remval-f-All-US-Sancins
--------
Iran
suspends Kelid newspaper after linking poverty with Khamenei
08
November ,2021
Iran’s
press watchdog has suspended a newspaper after it published a front-page
graphic of the poverty line purportedly being drawn by the hand of Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei.
The
suspension of the Kelid paper was “in accordance with the media law” watchdog
head Alaedin Zohourian said, according to state news agency IRNA Monday.
The
graphic, which showed a hand with the distinctive ring of Khamenei, was used to
illustrate an article with the headline “Millions of Iranians Below Poverty
Line.”
Khamenei
has a political and religious status which makes him effectively untouchable in
Iran.
Iran,
with a population of 83 million people, is facing an economic crisis after
international sanctions.
There
were high hopes for economic relief after Iran’s 2015 pledge not to build or
acquire nuclear weapons -- a goal it has always denied pursuing.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey
releases Syrian journalist behind ‘banana video’
08
November ,2021
A
Syrian journalist living in Turkey who caused a stir over a humorous video
about claims that local people could not afford to buy bananas while Syrians
could will not be deported, his lawyer said on Monday.
Majed
Shamaa, a journalist working for Orient News, was detained and taken to a
repatriation center in Gaziantep province, near the Syrian border, last week,
pending a decision on whether to deport him.
Lawyer
Mehmet Ali Hartavi told Reuters on Monday that Shamaa had been released and
would return to Istanbul on Tuesday.
Last
month, Syrians in Turkey shared footage of themselves eating bananas after a
video on social media showed a Turkish citizen saying he could not afford
bananas but Syrians are buying them “by the kilogram.”
The
videos outraged many Turks, prompting authorities to detain foreign nationals
over “provocative posts” of them eating bananas. The Immigration Directorate
said those detained would be deported.
In
a video, Shamaa, who has lived in Turkey for seven years, buys bananas in a
secretive manner and hides away to eat them without being seen.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Arab
League urges 'detente' between Lebanon, Persian Gulf states amid tension over
Yemen war comments
08
November 2021
The
Arab League has called on Lebanon and Persian Gulf countries to de-escalate
tensions following critical comments made by Lebanese Information Minister
George Kordahi regarding the Saudi-led war against Yemen.
Arab
League Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki made the appeal at a press
conference in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, where he is on an official visit to
resolve the diplomatic crisis spurred by Kordahi’s comments criticizing
Saudi-led intervention in Yemen.
"We
do not want this situation to continue. We want a breakthrough, a détente in
this relationship," Zaki said.
Following
a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, he told reporters,
"We hope the starting point for that will begin here."
On
October 29, Saudi Arabia gave the Lebanese ambassador 48 hours to leave the
country over Kordahi’s remarks.
The
kingdom also imposed a ban on all imports from Lebanon and banned its citizens
from travelling there.
Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait also recalled their envoys
to their countries for consultations.
The
Arab countries' decision was taken days after an interview with Kordahi was
aired by an online show affiliated with Qatar's al-Jazeera television network.
Kordahi,
in comments made on August 5, called the Saudi-led Yemen war futile, and said
the impoverished Arab country is subjected to an aggression.
The
Lebanese minister added that Yemeni army forces and their allied fighters from
Popular Committees are defending themselves.
The
interview was recorded before Kordahi was appointed as minister, but it aired
on Monday.
The
Arab League has already voiced concern about a rapid deterioration of
Lebanese-Persian Gulf relations, urging Persian Gulf countries “to reflect on
the measures proposed to be taken … in order to avoid further negative effects
on the collapsing Lebanese economy."
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Egypt's
Azhar grand imam, Coptic pope attend Egyptian Family House’s 10th anniversary
celebration
Amr
Kandil
8
Nov 2021
Al-Azhar's
Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb and Pope Tawadros II, the patriarch of the See of St
Mark and leader of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, attended on Monday a
celebration marking the 10th anniversary of the Egyptian Family House in
Cairo’s Nasr City.
The
Egyptian Family House was established in 2011 to promote tolerance and peaceful
coexistence.
The
House is the brainchild of El-Tayyeb and Pope Shenouda, Tawadros II's
predecessor, after one of the deadliest terrorist attacks against Coptic
Christians in Alexandria.
The
bombing took place during a New Year's Eve service in 2010 at the El-Qiddissin
Church and claimed the lives of 23 people and wounded 97.
In
remarks during the celebration, El-Tayyeb said the idea of establishing the
Family House “emerged from the womb of sorrowful challenges… the most dangerous
of which were the loss of security, peace, and social stability as well as the
proliferation of terrorist crimes.
"We
have been fully aware that if not fought, sectarian strife would have plunged
the country into a sectarian war.”
The
Egyptian Family House is in charge of implementing supreme mutual values among
different civilisations and religions.
Monday’s
event, divided into four sessions, discussed tolerance of religious texts and
their role in bolstering social peace and the effect of citizenship on
endorsing coexistence.
The
sessions also addressed the necessity to fight violence against women.
The
Family House works with the state to protect social values and moral
traditions, boost citizenship, and address challenges, Pope Tawadros II said.
“The
Family House has consolidated the ideas of love and understanding of the
other,” Pope Tawadros II affirmed.
The
House is “the fruit of deep and well-studied understanding between Al-Azhar and
the Church in order to protect Egypt and the Egyptian people against strife”
that destroyed neighbouring countries, societies, and longstanding
civilisations, El-Tayyeb added.
Al-Azhar
and the Church understand “the duty of religious institutions to participate in
national, security, and political efforts" to defeat the scheme of
dividing the nation, El-Tayyeb said.
He
noted that this scheme “was sponsored by foreign powers in coordination with
internal powers,” without mentioning the names of these powers.
The
Egyptian Family House, headquartered in Cairo, comprises Muslim scholars,
clerics from the Coptic Church, representatives of various Christian faiths in
Egypt, and intellectuals.
Source:
Ahram Online
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/438291.aspx
--------
Resignation
of Lebanon minister could solve Gulf row: Arab League
09
November ,2021
The
Arab League Monday backed the resignation of Lebanon’s information minister
whose comments on the Yemen war sparked a damaging diplomatic row with Gulf
States.
“From
the very beginning, the resignation could have defused the crisis,” the
League’s assistant secretary general, Hossam Zaki told a news conference in
Beirut.
“We
need stronger confirmation that this step could still happen,” he said
following talks with parliament speaker Nabih Berri.
Zaki,
who also met Prime Minister Najib Mikati and President Michal Aoun said
Information Minister George Kordahi’s departure could be a starting point for
“detente” between Lebanon and Gulf states.
The
diplomatic rift, which threatens to plunge Lebanon deeper into meltdown,
prompted Saudi Arabia and some of its allies to recall ambassadors and block
imports from Lebanon.
Import
restrictions are a further blow to a country where a weak government is
struggling to secure international aid, namely from wealthy Arab neighbors.
The
dispute was triggered by comments made by Kordahi in an interview taped in
August before he became information minister and broadcast in late October.
Kordahi
characterized the Arab-led intervention in Yemen since 2015 as an “external
aggression,” sparking rebukes from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United
Arab Emirates.
Each
of those states support the Arab-led military coalition against the Iran-backed
Houthi militia fighting Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The
diplomatic rift has prompted calls for the resignation of Kordahi, an ally of
the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Explosions
heard over Syria’s Homs, Tartous: State media
08
November ,2021
Syria's
state media said on Monday that its air defences intercepted an Israeli attack
on sites in the central and coastal regions.
State
media had said earlier that air defences were intercepting "hostile
targets" over the countryside around the
city
of Homs, after explosions were heard over Homs and the coastal city of Tartous.
The
Syrian military said in a statement that the attack came from north of Beirut
and that air defences managed to shoot down most of the missiles used.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Two
soldiers were injured and there were some material losses, the military added.
--------
US,
Egypt begin first bilateral strategic dialogue since 2015
08
November ,2021
The
top US and Egyptian diplomats met in Washington on Monday to begin the first
strategic bilateral dialogue since 2015.
“During
their bilateral meeting at the beginning of the dialogue, Secretary Blinken and
Foreign Minister Shoukry exchanged views on international and regional issues,
human rights, and pathways to increased cooperation on economic, judicial,
security, education, and cultural issues,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price
said.
Blinken
thanked his counterpart for Cairo’s role in “supporting regional stability,”
including in Palestine and Libya.
Blinken
also underscored Washington’s commitment to Egypt’s water security and said
that the Biden administration was committed to ensuring that human rights would
be central to US foreign policy.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Syria’s
air defences repel fourth Israeli act of aggression in one month
08
November 2021
Syria’s
air defenses have repelled Israeli missiles attacking targets in the central and coastal regions of
the country, the second assault of this type in less than a week and the fourth
in the past month.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA reported on Monday that the air defenses had
intercepted “hostile targets” over the countryside around the city of Homs
after confirming that explosions were heard in Homs and the coastal city of
Tartus.
Later
on, the Syrian military confirmed the attack, saying in a statement that the
airstrike was conducted by Israeli aircraft from north of the Lebanese capital
of Beirut.
The
Syrian military said most of incoming Israeli missiles were shot down, adding
that two Syrian soldiers were injured and there was some material damage.
Moreover,
the Lebanese media said Israeli aircraft had been spotted over Lebanon shortly
before the strikes were reported and that Syrian air defense system was
activated to repel the aerial attacks.
The
latest airstrike comes less than a week after Israel launched a similar attack
with a number of missiles targeting a site in the town of Zakia on the
outskirts of the capital Damascus. Citing an unknown military source, the
Syrian state TV reported early on Wednesday that the attack resulted in
“material damage.” The same area had been targeted by Israeli missiles in a
rare daytime aggression in less than a week earlier.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2021/11/08/670210/Syrian-state-Israeli-missiles-Homs
--------
Africa
UN
warns Tigray conflict threatening to 'consume' Ethiopia's future
Michael
Hernandez
08.11.2021
The
ongoing conflict between Tigray rebels and Ethiopian government forces
threatens to "consume" the future of the East African country, the UN
warned on Monday.
Rosemary
DiCarlo, the UN's top official for political and peacebuilding affairs, told
the Security Council that the year-long conflict has reached "disastrous
proportions" as rebels led by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF)
close in on the capital of Addis Ababa.
"The
fighting places the future of the country, and its people, as well as the
stability of the wider Horn of Africa region, in grave uncertainty," she
said.
"No
one can predict what continued fighting and insecurity will bring, but let me
be clear, what is certain is that the risk of Ethiopia descending into a wider
civil war is only too real. That would bring about a humanitarian catastrophe
and consume the future of such an important country," she added.
Over
7 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in northern Ethiopia alone,
with 400,000 living in famine-like conditions there, according to UN estimates.
Alleviating the humanitarian crisis has been hindered by "an ill ability
to move cash, fuel and supplies into the region," according to DiCarlo.
“Let
us recall that this expanding crisis is happening in a country that was already
grappling with enormous humanitarian challenges, including local conflicts,
flooding, drought and infectious disease outbreaks. While needs are most acute
in the north, across Ethiopia as a whole more than 20 million people are
estimated to need some form of humanitarian support," she said.
The
TPLF has joined forces with at least eight other groups, including the Oromo
Liberation Army, to form the United Front of Ethiopian Federalist Forces in a
bid to remove Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed from power.
Ethiopia
declared a state of emergency last week as TPLF rebels made military gains
against government forces, closing to within 200 miles of the capital.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Ethiopian
government says its air force bombed 2 rebel targets
Andrew
Wasike and Addis Getachew
09.11.2021
The
Ethiopian government said Monday that its air force attacked more bases used by
Tigray rebels in the country.
The
Ethiopian National Defense Forces reportedly targeted key locations, including a
military training center for the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF). The
air force said large numbers of illegal recruits were undergoing military
training at the center which was bombed
"Another
target was in Kiliwwa or Haji Meda, a strategic location between northern Wollo
and Afar," an official with the Government Communication Service told
Anadolu Agency.
"The
airstrike targeted the terrorist group’s training center, a logistics hub and
the terrorist group's backup force," it said.
Armed
conflict between TPLF forces and the Ethiopian army has been raging since
November 2020.
The
TPLF is yet to comment on the claim by the Ethiopian government that the
airstrike killed its recruits who were at a training facility.
Oromo
Liberation Army (OLA) commander Jaal Marroo in a statement Monday warned of an
imminent attack in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, saying his forces were very
close to the area.
TPLF
spokesman Getachew Reda has acknowledged a statement from Berhane
Gebrechristos, the spokesman for the OLA, who said that the TPLF and at least
seven other opposition political parties in Ethiopia have formed the United
Front of Ethiopian Federalist Forces political party to remove Prime Minister
Abiy Ahmed from power.
A
spokesman for the prime minister's office told Anadolu Agency that the
government is aware of the alliance by Ethiopian factions but dismissed it as a
gimmick.
According
to the UN, more than two million people have been displaced due to the war and
a humanitarian catastrophe is looming.
In
the latest effort to broker peace between the warring parties, the African
Union’s special envoy for East Africa, former Nigerian President Olusegun
Obasanjo, met with TPLF leaders in Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region.
Obasanjo
on Monday also briefed the African Union peace mission about his meeting with
the TPLF leaders. No details have been released by the African Union to the
media about the outcome of Obasanjo's efforts in Tigray.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/malaysia-kelantan-sharia-faiths-conversion/d/125739
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism