Marriage Of Minor Muslim Girls: Supreme Court To Check Legality Of Muslim Personal Law
New Age Islam News Bureau
14 January 2023
Representative Image/ Live
Law.in
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• Turkish-Muslim Community Concerned Over Greek
Attempt To Erase Ottoman History
• Far-Right Israeli Legislator, Danny Danon, Preparing
Bill To Annex Strategic Jordan Valley
• Council on American-Islamic Relations Defends
Minnesota Professor Who Showed Muhammad Images In Class
• Visit Of Islamic Scholars To Xinjiang Region Refutes
Smearing On China
India
• Posters Telling Hindus Not to Sell Properties to
Muslims Surface in Delhi's Brahmpuri
• Sree Ram Sene President Pramod Muthalik, Asks Hindus
To Worship Swords And Display Them At Their Homes To Protect Their Women
• Kerala Muslim Outfits Hail Congress ‘Revival’ Bid By
Tharoor
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Europe
• French Muslim Union Sues Nation's Biggest Literary
Star Houellebecq
• Sweden's Islamist Party Leader Claims Muslims
Profiled by Intelligence, Rights Violated
• UK Says ‘Barbaric’ Execution Of British-Iranian
National, Alireza Akbari, Will Not Go Unpunished
• Iran Executes British-Iranian National Despite UK,
US Pleas
• Germany Makes Overtures To Saudi Arabia With
‘Cultural Diplomacy’ Concert
• Turkish Parliament Speaker Asks Sweden To Take
Concrete Steps To Prevent Terrorist Provocations
--------
Mideast
• Iran imam blames lack of rainfall on ‘women not
wearing hijab’ amid protests
• Iran’s FM Meets Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Chiefs In Lebanon
• Iran Voices Readiness to Cooperate With G20
• Israel’s PM Netanyahu Defends Plan To Rein In
Judiciary
• Protests persist in southeast Iran with chants
against supreme leader
• Israel’s retiring army chief fires broadside at
Netanyahu’s far-right regime
• Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank:
Palestinian ministry
--------
North America
• US Civil Groups Raise Concerns Over Congressional
Committee Chair Mark Green's Anti-Muslim Comments
• US Republicans probe 'chaotic' Afghanistan
withdrawal leading to Taliban takeover
• US lawmaker objects to potential F-16 sale to Turkey
• US offers $10 million for ‘mastermind’ of 2019 Kenya
hotel siege
• More than one-third of US citizens believe Jews
‘more loyal to Israel’ than US, survey finds
--------
Southeast Asia
• Beer brouhaha says little about Malays, more about PAS
man
• Myanmar Reportedly Jailed Malaysia-bound Rohingya
Refugees for Traveling 'Without Official Documents'
--------
South Asia
• Bangladeshi Activists On Alert Over Government’s
Reported Purchase Of Israeli Spyware
• Islamic State claims Tajik behind attack on Chinese
in Kabul
• Biswa Ijtema: World's second-largest Muslim
gathering begins
• UNSC unity key in wake of women's rights violations
by Taliban: UN aide
--------
Pakistan
• Ruling Coalition To Hold Formal Consultations Over
Evolving Political Situation
• Pakistan ‘looking into’ indecent behaviour charge at
mission staffers
• Pakistan: Why CPEC projects are facing backlash in
Balochistan
• PDM leaders move to placate MQM-P after divorce
threat
• Police officer among 3 martyred in late-night attack
on police station in Peshawar
• Pakistan, UAE agree to deepen strategic partnership,
cooperation in diverse areas
--------
Arab World
• UAE’s Rashid Rover, first Arab Moon mission, marks
one month in space
• Saudi team wins innovation award with sensor to
protect date palms from pests
• Get your troops out of Syria, Assad tells Erdogan
• Swedish PM denounces protest by Kurds in central
Stockholm
• Assad says Turkiye talks must be based on ending
‘occupation’
• Iran Glad To See Rapprochement Between Turkey And
Syria: FM
--------
Africa
• Nigeria Decides: Say No To APC’s Muslim-Muslim Ticket
Of Slavery – Suswam Tells Benue People
• Panic in Ilorin over rumoured abduction of popular
Muslim Cleric Mohammadu Buhari
• Somali leader urges people to flush out Al-Shabab
‘bedbugs’
• Top commander of Daesh/ISIS terror group killed in
Somalia's Puntland
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/marriage-minor-muslim-girls-sc/d/128874
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Marriage Of Minor Muslim Girls: Supreme Court To Check
Legality Of Muslim Personal Law
Representative Image/ Live
Law.in
----
January 13, 2023
Krishnadas Rajagopal
The Supreme Court on January 13 decided to examine
whether girls as young as 15 years can enter into wedlock on the basis of
custom or personal law when such marriages constitute an offence in statutory
law.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud
issued a formal notice on the petition filed by the National Commission for
Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) against a recent order of the Punjab and
Haryana High Court that a girl, on attaining puberty or the age of 15 years and
above, could be married on the basis of Muslim personal law, irrespective of
the provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The Supreme Court said the High Court order would not
act as a judicial precedent for other courts. Appearing for NCPCR, Solicitor
General Tushar Mehta submitted that "girls as young as 14 and 15 are being
married. Can personal law and custom be pleaded in the face of statutes such as
POCSO and the Indian Penal Code, which make such marriages an offence?"
The Kerala High Court had recently observed that
provisions of POCSO would apply if the bride or groom was a minor, irrespective
of the validity or otherwise of the marriage.
The NCPCR, through advocate Swarupama Chaturvedi, has
contended that laws such as POCSO and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act are
secular in nature and should apply to all sections of the society.
The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill,
2021 has sought to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, to
increase the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years. The legal
age for marriage is 18 years for women and 21 years for men. Marriage below
this age is considered to be child marriage, an offence.
In December 2022, the apex court had asked the
government to respond to a separate petition filed by the National Commission
for Women (NCW) to make the minimum age of marriage for Muslim women on par
with persons belonging to other faiths. NCW, like the NCPCR, had raised the
question whether personal law could override statutory provisions of POCSO,
etc.
The NCW had argued that the practice of marrying below
the age of 18 would expose Muslim women to abuse and harassment. It was
arbitrary and discriminatory. The petition had sought the enforcement of the
fundamental rights of minor Muslim women who had contracted marriage before
attaining the age of majority, whether consensually or otherwise.
“Under the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872, Parsi
Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936, Special Marriage Act, 1954 and Hindu Marriage
Act, 1955, the minimum age of marriage for a man is 21 years and for a woman is
18 years. However, under the Muslim personal law in India, which continues to
remain uncodified and unconsolidated, persons who gave attained puberty are
eligible to get married i.e. on attaining the age of 15 years, while they are
still minor”, the NCW petition had stated.
Source: The Hindu
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Turkish-Muslim Community Concerned Over Greek Attempt
To Erase Ottoman History
Photo: Qods International News Agency
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14 January 2023
Greece's 150,000-strong Turkish-Muslim community are
voicing their concern about the country aiming to erase the legacy of the
Ottoman-Turkish history in Western Thrace, dating back as far as the 14th
century.
Suspicions flared up after an attempt by the Iskece
(Xanthi) province’s municipality of Bulustra (Avdira) to build a football field
over an Ottoman-era Muslim cemetery in Horozlu (Petinos).
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Burhan Baran, a deputy
with the leftist opposition PASOK party, said the community elected members for
the board of trustees, which would be in charge of following the case, but
Greek authorities still have not approved the process.
“It would be only natural to be suspicious about the
reasons behind this,” he said.
Baran explained that they met competent Greek
authorities, including those from the education and religious affairs
ministries, and consequently achieved to halt the municipality’s plans over the
cemetery.
"What I want is to protect this cemetery that is
a historical heritage, one of the elements uniting us," he emphasised.
Greater plan
Speaking to Anadolu, Cengiz Omer, a prominent local
journalist, argued that the municipality’s attempt is part of a greater plan of
eradicating properties and estates belonging to foundations of the minority
community.
The head of the municipality that attempted to build
the football field over the cemetery is known for his anti-Turkish sentiments,
he added.
All in all, Omer said, it is an ill-intentioned plan
which aims to sweep the legacy of hundred years of Turkish-Ottoman presence in
the region.
The rights of the Turks of Western Thrace are
guaranteed under the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, but over the decades the
situation has seriously deteriorated, including Greece refusing to carry out
rulings by the European Court of Human Rights.
Source: TRT World
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Far-Right Israeli Legislator, Danny Danon, Preparing
Bill To Annex Strategic Jordan Valley
In this file picture, an
Israeli aircraft flies over the scene of a shooting attack, in the Jordan
Valley, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 4, 2022. (Photo by
Reuters)
-----
14 January 2023
An Israeli legislator from the right-wing Likud
political party has announced that he is working on proposing a bill to annex
the strategic Jordan Valley, which comprises a third of the occupied West Bank,
despite the international outcry against the Tel Aviv regime’s land
expropriation and settlement expansion policies in Palestinian territories.
The bill put forward by Danny Danon, a former Israeli
ambassador to the United Nations, intends to achieve the “full application of
Israeli law to all areas of the Jordan Valley,” including industrial and
archaeological sites as well as main roads.
“The annexation of the Jordan Valley is a significant
issue for Israel from an historical, economical as well as crucially, from a
security perspective. We know that there is support for the application of
Israel's sovereignty of the Jordan Valley, both in the coalition cabinet as
well as in the opposition,” Danon said.
“I am optimistic that many MKs on both sides of the
aisle will voice their support. There is no better time to apply sovereignty
and we must join forces to do so imminently,” he added.
It remains unclear when the bill would be proposed to
the Israeli parliament, or Knesset.
Israel’s parliament swore in Benjamin Netanyahu as
prime minister in December. He formed what many consider to be the most
extremist administration in the regime’s history, including ministers living in
illegal settlements in the West Bank.
Netanyahu’s hardline cabinet has made the announcement
that it will put settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank at the top of
its list of priorities.
About 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories of the West Bank and East al-Quds.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future
independent Palestinian state, with East al-Quds as its capital.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian talks collapsed
in 2014. Among the major sticking points in those negotiations was Israel’s
continued settlement expansion on Palestinian territories.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under international
law as they are built on occupied land.
The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s
settlement activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Council on American-Islamic Relations Defends
Minnesota Professor Who Showed Muhammad Images In Class
Jaylani Hussein, executive director
of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, speaks
during a news conference at CAIR-MN office, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in
Minneapolis. A Hamline University lecturer showed a painting of the Prophet
Muhammad
-----
By Valerie Richardson
January 13, 2023
The Council on American-Islamic Relations isn’t shy
about levelling accusations of Islamophobia, but not even CAIR believes that a
Minnesota professor who showed medieval artwork of Muhammad crossed the line.
The Muslim-rights group came to the defence Friday of
former Hamline University adjunct professor Erika Lopez Prater, overriding its
Minnesota chapter after it condemned as Islamophobic the display of two
historic images of the Muslim prophet during an Oct. 6 online art class.
“Although we strongly discourage showing visual
depictions of the Prophet, we recognize that professors who analyse ancient
paintings for an academic purpose are not the same as Islamophobes who show
such images to cause offense,” the national organization said in a statement.
“Based on what we know up to this point, we see no evidence that Professor
Erika López Prater acted with Islamophobic intent or engaged in conduct that
meets our definition of Islamophobia.”
The statement came after the organization’s Minnesota
chapter entered the fray with a press conference to support Hamline, a small
university in St. Paul that suffered a national uproar for not renewing Ms.
Lopez Prater‘s contract at the end of the fall term.
“It is important to remember that academic freedom is
not absolute,” said CAIR-Minnesota executive director Jaylani Hussein at the
Wednesday press briefing, as shown on Fox9 Minneapolis. “And universities have
the right to restrict speech that promotes hate or discrimination.”
Hamline blasted the art lecture as “undeniably
inconsiderate, disrespectful and Islamophobic,” saying respect for Muslim
students “should have superseded academic freedom” after a student who attended
the class complained.
Ms. Lopez Prater warned students ahead of time about
the images both in the course syllabus and then again before showing them
during the online lecture. Still, Hamline senior Aram Wedatalla said she was
“extremely hurt and disappointed.”
“I was shocked to find that I was in a class with a
professor who gave me trigger warnings before proceeding to disrespect my
religion and me,” Ms. Wedatalla, president of the Muslim Student Association,
said at the CAIR-Minnesota press conference.
While many Muslims consider visual depictions of the
Prophet sacrilegious, the view is not universal. Muslim artists in some regions
created “reverential paintings of the Prophet,” and some Muslims “use certain
images as part of their religious practices,” said CAIR.
“What we find un-Islamic is not necessarily
Islamophobic, and we must be careful to distinguish between those two
concepts,” said the national group. “Academics should not be condemned as
bigots without evidence or lose their positions without justification.”
The Muslim Public Affairs Council also defended Ms.
Lopez Prater, saying that the 14th-century painting was “not Islamophobic” and
in fact was commissioned by a Muslim king to honor the Prophet by depicting him
receiving a revelation from the archangel Gabriel.
“Given the ubiquity of Islamophobic depictions of the
Prophet Muḥammad, it hardly makes sense to target an art
professor trying to combat narrow understandings of Islam,” said the council in
a statement. “There is an unmistakable irony in the situation, which should be
appreciated.”
Hamline President Fayneese Miller issued a statement
Wednesday defending the university’s position and disputing media reports
saying that Ms. Lopez Prater was fired or dismissed.
“The adjunct taught the class to the end of the term,
when she, like all other faculty, completed the term requirements, and posted
her grades,” Ms. Miller said in a statement. “The decision not to offer her
another class was made at the unit level and in no way reflects on her ability
to adequately teach the class.”
She said that administrators, staff and a Hamline
student “now receive daily threats of violence,” and she took issue with those
accusing the university of infringing upon academic freedom.
“Hamline is a liberal arts institution, the oldest in
Minnesota, the first to admit women, and now led by a woman of color,” said Ms.
Miller. “To deny the precepts upon which academic freedom is based would be to
undermine our foundational principles. Prioritizing the well-being of our
students does not in any way negate or minimize the rights and privileges assured
by academic freedom.”
Free-speech groups have rallied behind Ms. Lopez
Prater. A Change.org petition posted by University of Michigan professor of
Islamic art Christiane Gruber calling for Hamline to reinstate the professor
had reached Friday nearly 15,000 signatures.
In its statement, CAIR said that “we normally do not
comment on local issues that arise in states with an existing CAIR chapter.”
“However, we must sometimes speak up to clarify where
our entire organization stands on local issues with national implications. This
is one of those times,” said the national group.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at
vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
Source: Washington Times
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/jan/13/cair-muslim-group-defends-hamline-university-profe/
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Visit Of Islamic Scholars To Xinjiang Region Refutes
Smearing On China
A delegation consisting of
more than 30 Islamic figures and scholars from 14 countries, including the UAE,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Tunisia and Bosnia and Herzegovina begin
their Xinjiang visit on Sunday. Photos: Fan Lingzhi/GT
------
By Liu Xin
Jan 14, 2023
A delegation of Islamic figures and scholars visited
China's Xinjiang region and witnessed firsthand the region's developments and
stability, which proved again some media's lies about the region cannot cover
up the truth and the practices of using Xinjiang topics to smear China are
doomed to fail, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a
press conference on Friday.
On the same day, the regional government of Xinjiang
also held a press conference and offered more detailed information on the visit
of the delegation to more than 30 Chinese and foreign media.
Led by Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chairman of The World
Muslim Communities Council from the UAE, a delegation including more than 30
Islamic figures and scholars from 14 countries visited Northwest China's
Xinjiang region starting on January 8. They went to mosques, the Xinjiang
Islamic Institute, bazaars and many other places to communicate with local
residents and religious groups in Urumqi, Altay and Kashi to get a better
understanding of the region's development and protection of religious freedom.
During the press conference held by the Xinjiang
regional government, photos and videos of the delegation's visit in the region were
streamed with interviews of Islamic scholars with the media.
For example, after seeing the exhibition on the fight
of terrorism and extremism in Urumqi, some foreign Islamic scholars praised the
region's achievements on deradicalization and said it helped realize social
stability and the measures have offered valuable experience for other
countries' fight with terrorism.
Xu Guixiang, a spokesperson from the regional
government, told the conference that the delegation also went to Kashi to see
the reconstruction project of the old town, watching a performance of the
Twelve Muqam and going to the workshop of a Kazak resident to see the
preservation of ancient fur ski technique in Altay.
After a visit to the regional museum and seeing the
Twelve Muqam performance, a Mauritanian writer and scholar said that all ethnic
groups in Xinjiang have created a splendid culture together, and they saw how
China is committed to protecting and promoting multi-ethnic culture in
Xinjiang, which is fully in line with the purpose of the United Nations
Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization of protecting and promoting
diversification of civilizations.
The delegation also had a symposium with faculty and
students from the Xinjiang Islamic Institute to exchange views on the fostering
of Islamic clergies and the protection of freedom of religion. They also held a
symposium with officials in Kashi to understand the poverty alleviation work.
On the last day, the head of the delegation Al Nuaimi
had an interview with the media, including the Global Times, in which he spoke
highly of the region's deradicalization efforts and said it is a great
achievement for the region to see no terror attacks for six years.
"Don't listen to those who criticize you. If you
listen to this criticism, you will be misguided. You will spend some of your
resources to deal with this criticism. Focus on your national priority. Make
sure all your resources are in the right place to develop your country, to
invest in your citizens and to do the right thing for your nation," said
the leading Islamic scholar.
What the delegation has seen is totally different from
some media's description and the allegations that criticized Xinjiang's human
rights situation or the accusation of "genocide" on Uygurs, calling
white black and distorting the truth, Wang said at the FM's press conference.
Seeing is believing and justice bears in people's
heart. The visit of the delegation and their feelings once again proved that
lies cannot cover up the truth and the malicious attempt of hyping
Xinjiang-related topics to smear China is doomed to fail, Wang said.
The FM spokesperson said that China sincerely welcome
friends from all over the world to come to Xinjiang and to feel the social
stability, economic development, harmony of ethnic groups and freedom of
religion by themselves.
Source: Global Times
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202301/1283792.shtml
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India
Posters Telling Hindus Not to Sell Properties to Muslims Surface in Delhi's Brahmpuri
Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
January 14, 2023
New Delhi: Over the last three years, residents of
several parts of northeast Delhi have gone about repairing their lives
following the riots that had left 53 dead – two-thirds of them Muslims – and
hundreds injured and led to the loss of property worth thousands of crores. As
people battled the Covid-19 pandemic and tried to piece their lives together
following the economic upheaval it caused, the hope was that things would
improve.
The riots also bred a sense of insecurity among
several residents of the area, as they moved out of their homes to places which
they perceived as safer localities.
But now posters have emerged in some parts of
Brahmpuri in Shahdara asking Hindus not to sell their properties to Muslims and
threatening that any registration of such a property would be opposed.
Issued in the name of an advocate, Pradeep Sharma of
Lane No. 13, Brahmpuri, these posters also direct that all future transactions
in the Brahmpuri area would be between Hindus alone.
‘Brahmpuri saw no violence as Muslims protected
properties of Hindus’
It is ironic that these posters have come up in an
area that was spared the spectre of violence, largely due to the approach of
the majority of Muslims. Paediatrician Nafees Ahmed, who runs a clinic, on Lane
No. 13, Brahmpuri, told The Wire that three years ago when there were riots in
some parts of northeast Delhi, the Brahmpuri area remained untouched by the
violence due to the efforts of the people here.
“This road, Lane No. 13, has a majority of shops owned
by Muslims on one side while on the other side, most of the shops are owned by
Hindus. However, if you would look at the overall population, the majority are
Muslims. During the riots of 2020, the Muslims saved the shops of Hindus here.
They supported them wholeheartedly. Many of the Muslim residents openly assured
their Hindu brothers that they need not fear anything. At night, they even
patrolled the area to ensure that miscreants did not cause any harm,” he
elaborated.
“So,” Dr. Ahmed said, “we have never had any kind of
such communal tension in this area. As such, these posters only seek to
communalise the atmosphere. Some people are engaged in such work. There is also
a feeling that the ruling party may be behind this to increase the vote
percentage in their favour. Whoever is putting these up is sending a clear
message that he is a radical Hindu and will not let anyone sell their property
to Muslims. But overall, there is not much tension in the area right now.”
The practicing pediatrician said in their locality
they also have several peace committees that work with various communities to
ensure that differences of any kind are resolved at the earliest.
“Our former MLA, Chaudhary Mateen Ahmed, is a
prominent Congress leader. Despite being a Muslim, he used to get a lot of
support from the Hindus. He used to also organise various events, like the
largest Kanwar camp, for the Hindus. So when he was the legislator, there never
used to be this kind of tension. Also, there is a large Hindu population on the
other side of Brahmpuri and they used to support ‘Chaudhary sahab’ a great
deal.”
But ever since Mateen Ahmed was defeated and got
replaced, the situation appears to have changed a bit, he said, adding that “it
is wrong”.
‘Muslims barred from buying properties’
As for the properties being sold in the area now, Dr.
Ahmed said it is mostly the Muslims who are buying them. “The non-Muslims are
gradually moving out. This is the reason why some people have now started
saying that do not sell your properties to Muslims.”
Dr. Ahmed added that this was happening not only in
Brahmpuri but also in several parts of North East Delhi. “This is an
unauthorised area, but if you would go to even authorised areas like Yamuna
Vihar, where I reside, there too you will observe this trend and mentality.
Barring some blocks, Muslims are not allowed to make purchases elsewhere. I
also wanted to purchase a property but was refused outright. Also, in Hindu
areas, houses are not given on rent to Muslims.”
The doctor added that while posters have been put up
to the effect in Brahmpuri, in several other areas, there is an unwritten
diktat under which Hindus are not allowed to sell their properties to Muslims.
“This has been happening a lot for the last four to five years and the
situation took a turn for the worse post the February 2020 riots.”
‘Riots deepened the sense of insecurity’
“After the riots,” Dr. Ahmed said, “the few Muslims
remaining in Hindu majority areas have also started their properties and so is
the case with Hindus living in Muslim majority areas. There is a sense of
unease and insecurity among many such residents.”
He added that the divisions and the mentality to stay
away from Muslims appear to be increasing. Also, he said, a large number of
people are now preferring moving to more developed and well-planned areas like
Noida.
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader from Brahmpuri,
Gaurav Sharma – whose wife Chhaya, became the Councillor from the ward on the
party ticket this time – said the posters have come up in an area which is part
of the Gautam Puri ward.
“Since the 2020 riots people from both sides have been
working to improve the situation and build confidence among the communities.
But in between you find some such people come in who again create tension. They
just want to spoil the atmosphere.”
Sharma said there was no need for anyone to put up
such posters and in case, he had any grievance he should have consulted the
resident welfare association (RWA) or other people in the neighbourhood.
“What happens because of such actions like putting up
posters is that people who are working towards mediation or towards bringing
people from both sides together, so that once again there is pyaar mohabbat
between the two sides, they end up losing face.”
When I learnt that posters have been put up in
Brahmpuri, I checked up with the area residents. It was then I realised that
the posters have been put up in the Gautam Puri area. I asked the local
residents to ensure that we do not return to the situation which existed three
years ago. It was time which we still find difficult to forget and come out
of,” he said, explaining how attempts are being made to normalise the situation
again.
Source: The Wire
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Sree Ram Sene President Pramod Muthalik, Asks Hindus
To Worship Swords And Display Them At Their Homes To Protect Their Women
K.M. Rakesh
| Bangalore
14.01.23
A known Hindutva hawk in Karnataka, Sree Ram Sene
national president Pramod Muthalik, has asked Hindus to worship swords and
display them at their homes to protect their women.
His comments come days after BJP parliamentarian
Pragya Singh Thakur told Hindus to keep their kitchen knives sharp, indicating
a concerted Sangh Parivar drive to polarise voters ahead of this summer’s
Assembly elections.
Muthalik said it was better to worship swords than
tools or books on Ayudha Puja, observed widely in south India a day ahead of
Dasara — which coincides with Vijaya Dashami — during which people worship
articles linked to their occupation or vocation.
“We should worship swords instead of tractors, books
or pens. We should display swords at our homes to protect our women,” Muthalik
said at a convention to mark Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary in Yadravi,
north Karnataka, on Thursday.
Till Friday evening, there were no reports of any
police complaint being lodged or FIR registered. BJP-ruled Karnataka’s police
had earlier filed a hate-speech FIR against Pragya three days after her
comments, acting under public pressure.
Pragya Singh Thakur, Lok Sabha member and terror
accused, had on December 25 exhorted Hindus to keep their vegetable knives
sharp against perpetrators of “love jihad” — an unsubstantiated Sangh parivar
allegation about a Muslim conspiracy to lure Hindu women into relationships and
marriage to convert them.
Muthalik’s comment about protecting Hindu women
appeared another way of alluding to “love jihad”. Recently, state BJP president
Nalin Kateel asked party workers to talk of “love jihad”, and not small matters
like roads and sewage, ahead of the Assembly polls. Sangh parivar outfits have
been demanding a specific law, and a separate police wing, against “love jihad”
in Karnataka.
Source: Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/worship-swords-not-books-hindutva-hawk-in-karnataka/cid/1909788
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Kerala Muslim Outfits Hail Congress ‘Revival’ Bid By
Tharoor
14th January 2023
KOZHIKODE: Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor, who
has laid bare his intentions in state politics, is getting wider support from
Muslim organisations, which are the traditional vote bank of the UDF. Tharoor
met the leaders of various Muslim groups during his second phase of the Malabar
tour on Friday. After meeting Tharoor, Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulema
president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya Thangal did not hide his admiration
for the Congress leader.
“Tharoor is a world citizen who has wide and rich
experience, which can be utilised effectively,” Thangal said. He said Tharoor
is doing his best to strengthen the party and trying to bring Congress to the
mainstream. Tharoor also met the leaders of Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM)
at the Mujahid Centre. He told them that the renaissance movement in Kerala is
an example for all communities. He hailed the renaissance efforts of the
Mujahid movement and opined that effective steps should be taken to counter the
efforts to divide people communally.
Tharoor said his attempt is to reclaim the amity
between different communities.KNM state president T P Abdulla Koya Madani,
vice-presidents Hussein Madavoor and N V Abdurahman, treasurer Noor Muhammad
Noorsha, secretaries Palath Abdurahman Madani and A I Abdul Majeed Swalahi took
part in the discussions.
MP: Congress will ensure secular votes are not split
Shashi Tharoor said Congress will take steps to ensure
secular votes are not split. He was speaking to leaders of Wisdom Islamic
Organisation (WIO). He said BJP has managed to secure power in states by
threatening and luring smaller parties.
He said BJP has not yet presented any documents
officially on Uniform Civil Code and the propaganda is only an election stunt.
WIO state chief P N Abdul Latheef Madani, treasurer Nasar Balussery, secretary
K Sajjad and others were present.
Source: New Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
French Muslim union sues nation's biggest literary
star Houellebecq
13 January, 2023
The Union of Mosques in France is suing the
controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq for discrimination, hate
speech and inciting violence in remarks to an interviewer, the organisation
told AFP on Friday.
Houellebecq, whose books sell in big numbers, penned
the international headline-grabbing 2015 novel "Submission" about a
Muslim winning the presidency, which taps into right-wing fears over the rise
of Islam.
He is accused of telling an interviewer for the
"Front Populaire" publication that Muslims in France should
"stop stealing and being aggressive" to "ethnic" French
people.
The passages suggest there could be violence towards
French Muslims, which he dubbed "reverse Bataclans", a reference to
the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan concert hall by French and Belgian-born
jihadists with links to the Islamic State group.
Houellebecq has said the controversial sections would
be edited out of the interview online, and in a forthcoming book in which the
remarks will feature.
Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the union, said in a
statement "his proposal to replace them in a forthcoming book does not put
an end to their dissemination and does not protect Muslims from their
consequences".
Source: The New Arab
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.newarab.com/news/french-muslim-union-sues-nations-literary-star-houellebecq
--------
Sweden's Islamist Party Leader Claims Muslims Profiled
by Intelligence, Rights Violated
by Abdullah Bozkurt
Nordic Monitor
January 12, 2023
The leader of Sweden's Islamist Nuance Party (Partiet
Nyans, or PNy) claimed Muslims in the Nordic region's most populous country are
under pressure by intelligence services and that the authorities want to strip
Muslims of their rights and freedoms, effectively parroting similar talking
points made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about Muslims in Europe.
Mikail Yüksel, a Swedish politician of Turkish origin
who was accused of acting on behalf of the Erdoğan regime, said schools
established by Muslims were shut down after they were profiled by Swedish
intelligence services. He also said Sweden is not a country that values rights,
liberties or freedoms.
"Today, in Sweden, unfortunately, the government
wants to take away the freedoms and rights of Muslims. For example, the
headscarf ban, the circumcision issue. Muslim-owned schools are closed due to
the operations of intelligence agencies," Yüksel said on a TV program
moderated by Mücahit Küçükyılmaz, a chief advisor of the Turkish president.
"Sweden may seem like a country that is
pro-freedom from the outside, but I think it would be good to be aware of the
oppression of immigrants, especially Muslims," Yüksel added.
Asked by Erdoğan's advisor where Turks in Sweden stand
on Turkey blocking approval of NATO membership for the Nordic country, Yüksel
claimed some 90 to 95 percent of Turks side with the Erdoğan government in the
row.
Yüksel also lamented that Sweden wants to cut off
funds provided to mosques by foreign countries, especially Turkey, which
supports a number of mosques operated by Turkey's religious authority, the
Diyanet, in several Swedish cities. Diyanet-run mosques and Turkey-funded imams
were exposed in the past for engaging in spying activities on Swedish territory
on behalf of the Turkish government. Reports that profiled critics of the
Erdoğan regime were sent back to Turkey by Diyanet imams.
Yüksel accused Sweden's justice minister of
spearheading a campaign to ban such funding at the European Union level as well
and said Sweden wants to enact a law to make such foreign financing illegal.
The program was aired on September 8, 2022 on TRT
Türk, a station owned by the state-run Turkish Radio and Television Corporation
(TRT) that targets overseas audiences with a special focus on the Turkish and
Muslim diaspora communities.
Küçükyılmaz, also an Islamist, is known for running
clandestine influence operations on behalf of his boss, Erdoğan, by using
social media troll armies, helping disseminate fake news and attack opponents
of the government with slander, distortions and lies. For a while he was the
director of the presidency's communications office and worked with the Turkish
intelligence-linked SETA foundation in Ankara.
Yüksel's remarks on Küçükyılmaz's program echo similar
comments made by Turkish President Erdoğan, who often accuses European
governments of usurping the rights and freedoms of Turks and Muslims, raiding
their mosques and attacking covered Muslim women in the street while
authorities look the other way.
On October 6, 2020 Erdoğan publicly accused Sweden,
among other European countries, of encouraging attacks on mosques, Muslims and
Turks, and said perpetrators are protected by the authorities. He noted that
the rights of Muslims have been usurped and that attacks against Muslims have
become a daily occurrence. Citing a Quran-burning incident in Sweden as an
example, Erdoğan said perpetrators are protected in the name of freedoms while
Muslims' sacred values are under attack.
"I'm saying this very plainly: Racism and
Islamophobia are protected by state authorities in many Western nations. ...The
murderers who attacked our mosques and Muslims' businesses are not even
prosecuted," Erdoğan stated.
On October 26, 2020 Erdoğan said his government drew
up security plans to protect Turks and Muslims in Europe against what he called
dark and insidious plans and a total attack on Islam. He said Turkey has 6
million citizens living in European countries and would consider attacks on
Turks and/or Muslims as a national security matter.
"I want to express a fact very clearly here. As
the president of a country that has 6 million of its citizens living in Europe,
I find it useful to make the following warning to our interlocutors. The end of
this road you have embarked upon to mask your failures is disaster. Turkey is
determined to protect the rights and security of its citizens. We consider
hostility to Islam and racist terrorism a national security issue, and we will
make our plans accordingly," Erdoğan said.
Yüksel established Nyans with the support of Turks and
Muslim in Sweden after he was expelled from the liberal Center Party
(Centerpartiet) in 2018 due to his alleged ties to violent nationalist group
the Grey Wolves, the youth branch of Turkey's far-right Nationalist Movement
Party (MHP).
Yüksel's father Orhan has long served as a politician
with the MHP, which is allied with Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP). He served as mayor of Kulu from 1999 to 2004. Orhan ran for mayor
again in 2009 but lost by a few votes. He again unsuccessfully ran in the 2014
elections on the MHP ticket. He was head of the MHP's far-right youth movement
the Grey Wolves in the past.
In the 2019 local elections, he issued a statement
asking for support for a joint candidate fielded by the AKP and MHP. In the
same statement he also defended his son, who was facing troubles in Swedish
politics.
After his dismissal from the Center Party, Mikail
talked to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency and claimed he was asked to
speak against Turkey and President Erdoğan and that when he refused, he faced
troubles within his own party that led to his dismissal.
No direct evidence has emerged so far linking Nyans to
the Erdoğan government in Turkey, but if that link is uncovered in the future,
It would certainly not be surprising. In June 2017, speaking in an interview
with Albanian TV, President Erdoğan himself openly admitted that there is
nothing wrong with supporting political parties that share an ideology similar
to that of his Islamist AKP in the Balkans and other European countries.
"Nobody should be bothered by this," he added.
In February 2022 Erdoğan hosted a large delegation
from the Union of International Democrats (UID), his ruling party's long arm in
Europe, at the presidential palace in Ankara and asked participants living in
Europe to organize and to create mechanisms that would affect politics in the
countries in which they live.
"[Turkey] has been a European country since the
first century of the Ottoman Empire. Until the beginning of the last century,
the land on which many European countries are located today was part of our
homeland. Today, beyond our historical and social ties, we form an inseparable
part of the European continent with our Thrace region," Erdoğan told the
audience, which chanted slogans during his speech. The UID has been very active
in many Western European countries, including Sweden.
During the 2022 election campaign, Yüksel was given a
platform by Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency to raise his talking points,
which helped to promote him, especially in Turkish circles in Sweden as well as
in diaspora communities in Turkey, where Turks with Swedish citizenship cast
their votes.
In Sweden's parliamentary elections, the Nyans party
got 28,352 votes, corresponding to 0.44 percent of the electorate, making it
the largest party in Sweden that is not represented in Parliament.
It was not a big impact, but according to Yüksel this
robbed the ruling center-left bloc, led by the Social Democrats
(Socialdemokraterna), of a thin lead in parliament and brought a center-right
coalition to power.
"We went down in history as the party that
overthrew the Social Democrat government," said Yüksel, commenting on the
election results. "The Muslim voters punished the the Social
Democrats," he added.
Yüksel's assertion may be an exaggeration considering
that large parties lost some votes to smaller parties on either side of the
political spectrum, bringing them to roughly an equal footing in their losses.
Yüksel's claim is based merely on nominal figures and a one-sided picture of
voter bleed from only the center-left bloc, which is quite misleading.
It is true that Nyans is believed to have received the
votes primarily from supporters of Social Democrats and the Left Party
(Vänsterpartiet). The Social Democrat-led bloc lost the election by only some
26,000 votes, and Nyans garnered over 28,000 votes. But similar changes were
recorded in the center and far-right base, where smaller parties chipped away
votes from big parties in the bloc.
But in regional and municipal elections, Nyans has
displayed some success. In the Stockholm region, it received 0.70 percent of
votes cast. In the Skåne region, it received 1 percent of all votes. Its
performance was more noteworthy in municipal elections. In the Botkyrka
municipality in the south of the Stockholm region, the party managed to get
2.03 percent or 916 votes, above the 2 percent threshold, and secured two seats
out of 75 on the city council.
Yüksel moved his residential address to Botkyrka a day
before the election to assume the seat in the municipality, which was
questioned by other politicians in the city and criticized for manipulating the
system. Although the party managed to win two seats, the municipality will
continue to be run by the centrist bloc, which declared that it wouldn't work
with Nyans.
It appears for now that Nyans will continue to operate
from its new base in Botkyrka, near Stockholm, where many Turks and Muslims
live.
In the Stockholm municipal election, Nyans scored 0.93
percent, or 5,694 votes, failing to obtain a seat on the city council. But
figures from the municipality show the party performed well in some electoral
districts in the city. In Stockholm's Rinkby neighborhood, the party received
close to 30 percent of the vote and ranks there as the largest party. In its
strongest stronghold of Malmö, the party received 2.10 percent in the municipal
election but missed the threshold for a seat on the city council, which is 3
percent.
In the election campaign, Nyans was criticized by
other parties for increasing the polarization among voters by stoking people's
fears. exploiting feelings of alienation and casting suspicion on Swedish
authorities to win votes. Some of its candidates in Skåne spread hate
propaganda against Jews and peddled conspiracy theories about the terrorist
attacks in the US on September 11, 2001.
Yüksel denies that Nyans is an Islamist party and says
it believes in a multicultural society. According to Yüksel, Islamophobia,
integration and housing problems are the core issues they attach the most
importance to. Yüksel also advocates for official minority status for Muslims,
the same as Jews. The Nyans party has recently appeared at support meetings for
families whose children have been put in the care of Swedish Social Services
(Socialtjänsten). According to Nyans, Muslims are discriminated against when
children are taken from their parents on the grounds that they are mistreated.
In addition, children who are placed with foster families lose their Muslim
identities.
Almost all the candidates on the Nyans list were
Muslims. There are very few Swedes on the list, which includes Muslims of
Turkish, Somali and Balkan origin. According to a report in the Swedish media,
there was a significant number of criminals and Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated
persons among the Nyans candidates.
For instance, Bashir Aman Ali, the founder of the
Al-Azhar Foundation who ran for a parliamentary seat in the city of Stockholm,
was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison in 2019 for allowing 10 million
kronor (around $900,000) to be taken out of the foundation illegally to start
an Islamic bank. Ali claimed during the election campaign that Muslims in
Sweden can be "imprisoned without a trial or evidence."
According to a news story published on the website of
the state-funded Sveriges Radio (Swedish Public Radio) on September 1, 2022 ,
Yüksel was convicted in a Turkish court of a minor assault of a relative in
2009 and ordered to pay damages.
After the election, an internal feud within Nyans
erupted over Yüksel's leadership, and some party members, feeling alienated,
called for his resignation.
Source: ME Forum
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.meforum.org/64026/sweden-islamist-party-leader-claims-muslims
--------
UK Says ‘Barbaric’ Execution Of British-Iranian
National, Alireza Akbari, Will Not Go Unpunished
14 January ,2023
Britain on Saturday called the execution by Iran of
British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari a barbaric act and said it would not go
unpunished.
Earlier, the Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency
reported the execution of the former Iranian deputy defence minister who had
been sentenced to death on charges of spying for Britain.
“I am appalled by the execution of British-Iranian
citizen Alireza Akbari in Iran,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on
Twitter.
“This was a callous and cowardly act, carried out by a
barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran executes British-Iranian national despite UK, US
pleas
January 14, 2023
DUBAI: Iran has executed British-Iranian national
Alireza Akbari, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported on Saturday, after
sentencing the former Iranian deputy defense minister to death on charges of
spying for Britain.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said late on
Friday Iran must not follow through with the execution — a call echoed by the
US State Department. Britain had described the death sentence as politically
motivated and called for his release.
Mizan said in a Tweet early on Saturday the sentence
had been carried out, without saying when.
“Alireza Akbari, who was sentenced to death on charges
of corruption on earth and extensive action against the country’s internal and
external security through espionage for the British government’s intelligence
service ... was executed,” it said.
The report accused Akbari, arrested in 2019, of
receiving 1,805,000 euros, 265,000 pounds, and $50,000 for spying.
In an audio recording purportedly from Akbari and
broadcast by BBC Persian on Wednesday, he said he had confessed to crimes he
had not committed after extensive torture.
Iranian state media broadcast a video on Thursday that
they said showed that Akbari played a role in the 2020 assassination of Iran’s
top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, killed in a 2020 attack outside
Tehran which authorities blamed at the time on Israel.
In the video, Akbari did not confess to involvement in
the assassination but said a British agent had asked for information about
Fakhrizadeh.
Iran’s state media often airs purported confessions by
suspects in politically charged cases.
Reuters could not establish the authenticity of the
state media video and audio, or when or where they were recorded.
London-Tehran ties have deteriorated in recent months
as efforts have stalled to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear pact, to which Britain is
a party.
Britain has also been critical of the Islamic
Republic’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests, sparked by the death
in custody of a young Iranian-Kurdish woman in September.
A British foreign office minister said on Thursday
that Britain was actively considering proscribing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as
a terrorist organization but has not reached a final decision.
Iran has issued dozens of death sentences as part of
the crackdown on the unrest, executing at least four people.
In the audio recording broadcast by BBC Persian,
Akbari said he had made false confessions as a result of torture.
“With more than 3,500 hours of torture, psychedelic
drugs, and physiological and psychological pressure methods, they took away my
will. They drove me to the brink of madness... and forced me to make false
confessions by force of arms and death threats,” he said.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2232176/middle-east
--------
Germany makes overtures to Saudi Arabia with ‘cultural
diplomacy’ concert
RASHID HASSAN
January 13, 2023
RIYADH: Germany’s Ambassador hosted a classical
concert on Wednesday at his residence in Riyadh with local artists blending
Saudi and German influences in the music.
Performances by Riyadh-based artists Bouchra El
Beainou (singing and piano), Elvin Najafov (violin) and Talal Abbas (piano)
received standing ovations and thunderous applause. With chants of “once more”
from the audience, the artists performed an encore at envoy Dieter Lamle’s
request.
The three artists are part of Music House, a Saudi
venture that describes itself as the first company specialized in music
training in the Kingdom.
The ambassador stressed on the importance of promoting
cultural exchange between Saudi Arabia and Germany.
“We have had a series of concerts in the past months.
It is one of my main goals to support local artists and it gives me great
pleasure to listen to them play German composers as well as their own
compositions. Young talents are always welcome at the German embassy,” he said.
“You can kind of describe it as ‘cultural diplomacy’.
The idea is to foster cultural exchange by bringing local artists together with
German composers and at the same time give young artists a platform to perform
and gain experience.”
Speaking to Arab News after the concert El Beainou,
who is an opera singer and teacher at the Music House, said: “I am so happy,
and very glad to be here for the classical concert hosted by the Germany
Embassy. It’s a very wonderful feeling performing here, especially with the
beautiful response from the audience. I want to thank the Music House and the
German Embassy for giving us this opportunity.”
Abbas told Arab News: “We have the pleasure and honor
to perform here at the German embassy. I am thankful to the ambassador for
inviting us. He made us feel like we are at home to play as naturally as
possible.
“The event was a big success. The audience enjoyed the
music and we enjoyed playing.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2231976/saudi-arabia
--------
Turkish parliament speaker asks Sweden to take
concrete steps to prevent terrorist provocations
Sinan Uslu
14.01.2023
The Turkish parliament speaker has called on his
Swedish counterpart to take necessary action on Thursday’s provocative
demonstration by terrorist supporters in Stockholm, which targeted President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We urgently expect the perpetrators of this
action to be identified, and concrete steps to be taken to prevent such
incidents," Türkiye's Mustafa Sentop told Andreas Norlen over phone on
Friday.
"The heinous act of the terrorist organization
PKK/PYD/YPG supporters in Stockholm, targeting Türkiye and our President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, caused great discomfort in the country, and in all segments of
society," Sentop said.
Supporters of the PKK and its offshoots gathered in
front of the historical City Hall in the capital Stockholm, hung a puppet --
likened to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- by the feet on a pole in
front of the building and shared video footage of the moment on social media.
In response to the demonstration, Sentop canceled
Norlen's visit to Türkiye, which had been scheduled for Jan. 17.
We find this action unacceptable and strongly condemn
it, Sentop said.
Expressing his disappointment on the cancellation of
the visit, Norlen said: "I was disturbed, even disgusted, when I saw the
images appearing in front of the city hall in Stockholm."
He added: "Such acts of violence and threats
against politicians have no place in democratic societies."
He said threats of violence against politicians have
no place in a democratic dialogue, adding that he was looking forward to
visiting the Turkish parliament with Finnish parliament speaker Matti Vanhanen.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry had also summoned Staffan
Herrstrom, the Swedish ambassador in Ankara, to convey the country's reaction
to the propaganda demonstration.
Sweden and Finland abandoned their long-standing
policies of military nonalignment and applied for membership in the military
alliance after Russia launched its war on Ukraine last February.
But NATO-member Türkiye has not yet endorsed their
accession, which requires unanimous approval from all existing alliance
members.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Mideast
Iran Imam Blames Lack Of Rainfall On ‘Women Not
Wearing Hijab’ Amid Protests
14 January ,2023
An Iranian imam has blamed a lack of rainfall across
the country on women not wearing hijabs following months of nationwide protests
sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police detention.
Amini died in September following her arrest by the
notorious Tehran morality police for an alleged breach of the Islamic
Republic’s strict hijab dress code for women– leading to months of protests,
unrest and women defiantly taking off their head scarfs.
Mohammad-Mehdi Hosseini Hamedani, the Supreme Leader’s
representative in the city of Karaj and Friday prayer imam, said the
taboo-breaking gestures of removing their headscarves, which are mandatory for
women in the Islamic Republic, ‘has caused a lack of precipitation across the
country’, the news site Iran International reported Friday.
Iran has been facing severe water shortages across the
country and has faced its worst drought in 50 years.
The water crisis has affected households, agriculture,
and livestock farming, and has led to power blackouts.
Hamedani reiterated that observance of hijab should be
enforced strictly in society and described those who remove their headscarf an
‘enemy’ and must be confronted by the state.
“It is not possible to imagine that we are living in
an Islamic country when we enter some institutions, shopping malls, pharmacies,
etc.!” he said, calling on the authorities to warn shops and malls that serve
women who have removed their hijab and close them down if warnings did not
suffice.
This is not the first time that an Iranian cleric has
linked Islamic rituals to drought or natural disasters.
Yousef Tabatabai Nejad, Ali Khamenei’s representative
in the central city of Esfahan (Isfahan), said in 2016 that women who unveiled
and took photos “like Europeans” are the reason for the city’s river,
Zayandeh-Roud (Zayanderud) to go dry and added that if this continues, its
headwaters will also dry up.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Iran’s FM Meets Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Chiefs In Lebanon
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
traveled to Beirut to meet with senior Lebanese officials and political figures
such as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah Friday.
Hezbollah said in a statement that Nasrallah and
Amir-Abdollahian discussed Israel’s new, hardline government and regional
developments.
He also held a meeting with Secretary-General of
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah during his trip to Lebanon on
Friday. The group has been designated a terrorist organization by several
countries, including the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom,
Japan, Canada, and Australia.
During a joint press conference with Lebanese Foreign
Minister Abdullah Bou Habib, Amir-Abdollahian said, “The Islamic Republic of
Iran has been and will remain Lebanon’s friend in hard times.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue supporting
the Islamic resistance in Lebanon and Palestine,” he said, noting, “We consider
Lebanon’s security as Iran’s and region’s security.”
For Iran’s clerical regime Lebanon means a country
dominated by Hezbollah and a base from where to threaten Israel. Many Shiites
see Iran as a source of financial support, but others among Christians and
Sunnis resent Hezbollah and Iran’s influence.
Nevertheless, Amir-Abdollahian insisted that “Iran
does not interfere in the internal affairs of Lebanon.”
Amir-Abdollahian told reporters in Beirut that he met
with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud during a
conference in Jordan last month, noting that talks between Tehran and Riyadh
are continuing and could eventually restore diplomatic relations severed since
2016. Saudi Arabia has not confirmed Iran’s claims of continuing talks.
Source: Iran Intl
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202301130246
--------
Iran Voices Readiness to Cooperate With G20
2023-January-13
Amir Abdollahian attended the Webinar Meeting of the
Foreign Ministers to elaborate on Iran's stances on significant global issues
and the key role of the Southern states in the international arena.
During the meeting, Iran’s top diplomat called for
practical steps to further boost global peace, stability, and security.
He said that the world is currently facing
multi-faceted and complicated crises besides the prospect of returning
COVID-19, conflict, war, terrorism, and underdevelopment, as well as the
consequences of poverty and economic inequality.
"However, some states are seeking their own
unilateral interests instead of cooperating to deal with global challenges and
crises," Amir Abdollahian underlined.
A number of states try to put some independent states
under pressure and demand multilateralism by affecting the international financial
and economic institutions as well as imposing unilateral and oppressive
sanctions, the Iranian foreign minister pointed out.
He said that setting up the troika of Southern states
to secure the interests of the people of the South, multilateral, regional, and
international cooperation within the framework of cooperation to stabilize
energy security in the world while striving for food security, multi-layered
cooperation in transportation and transit, the fair and peaceful use of nuclear
energy besides moving towards public nuclear disarmament in the world,
combating terrorism, extremism and bolstering religious tolerance, as well as
creating an independent media for the South are suggestions put forwarded by
Iran.
Source: Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011023000298/Iran-Vices-Readiness-Cperae-Wih-G20
--------
Israel’s PM Netanyahu defends plan to rein in
judiciary
13 January ,2023
Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu defended on Friday a
proposed shakeup of the judiciary but also indicated changes could be made to
draft legislation that critics say would damage democracy and the independence
of courts.
The 73-year-old political veteran, who is on trial for
corruption charges that he denies, returned to power in December at the head of
a nationalist, religious government.
One of its first moves was a bill which, if written
into law, would limit High Court rulings against government moves or Knesset
parliament laws, while increasing politicians’ sway over the selection of
judges.
In a video response to stark criticism by Supreme
Court President Esther Hayut, Netanyahu said the draft law could be tweaked but
critics were exaggerating the changes proposed.
“When one says a minor correction would be the
destruction of democracy, it is not only a false argument, it is also one that
does not allow any understandings that should be reached in substantive
discussions in the Israeli Knesset,” he said.
“Corrections (to the legal system) must be done
responsibly and with careful consideration while hearing all the positions and
that’s exactly the process that will now take place in the legislature.”
Hayut on Thursday said that if implemented as outlined
by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform would compromise judiciary
independence.
“If the plan is realized, (Israel’s) 75th anniversary
will be remembered as the year the country’s democratic integrity suffered a
mortal blow,” he said.
Backers of the bill have long accused the Supreme
Court of overreach and elitism. They say the changes would restore balance
between the judiciary, executive and legislature.
The Knesset’s constitutional committee has begun
discussing the plan.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Protests persist in southeast Iran with chants against
supreme leader
13 January ,2023
Protesters gathered in southeast Iran on Friday,
shouting slogans against the country’s supreme leader and calling for democracy
and equality, videos circulating on social media showed.
Protesters in Zahedan, the capital of
Sistan-Baluchistan province, chanted “death to Khamenei” in reference to
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, one video posted on Twitter showed, while another
video showed protesters chanting “Khamenei, have some shame and leave the
country.”
Another video showed women also participating in
Friday’s protests.
Iran has seen nationwide protests since 22-year-old
Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini died in police custody on September 16.
The demonstrators have been demanding the overthrow of
the regime, creating one of the most significant challenges to the Islamic
Republic since it was founded in 1979.
Despite a brutal crackdown by security forces,
Sistan-Baluchistan has witnessed protests on almost a weekly basis after Friday
prayers since late September.
The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said on
Monday at least 481 people, including 64 children and 35 women, have been
killed by security forces during the protests.
Among the 481 deaths, Sistan-Baluchistan had the
highest number of fatalities, with 131 deaths.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israel’s retiring army chief fires broadside at
Netanyahu’s far-right regime
January 13, 2023
JERUSALEM/JEDDAH: The head of the Israeli army left
office on Friday with a parting blast at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for
ceding control of the country to a group of far-right extremists.
Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi joined a chorus of criticism
that has erupted since Netanyahu was forced into a governing coalition with
some of Israel’s most militant settler activists, one of whom — Itamar
Ben-Gvir, the new security minister — has a criminal record for anti-Palestinian
hate speech and supporting a Zionist terror group.
Centrist and moderate politicians in Israel refuse to
work with Netanyahu while he is on trial for corruption, leaving him to govern
with the most far-right administration in the country’s history.
Kochavi took aim on Friday at plans by settler
activists to entrench Israeli rule in the occupied West Bank, restructure the
Defense Ministry and control a special paramilitary police unit, which he said
were a distraction from Israel’s main military challenge of confronting Iran.
“This is likely to cause damage and adversely affect our preparedness for war,”
Kochavi said.
The general expressed particular concern about the
coalition’s plans to create three separate sources of authority in the occupied
West Bank.
Netanyahu has given his right-wing finance minister,
Bezalel Smotrich, control over an Israeli military body that regulates planning
for Israeli settlements and Palestinian construction in parts of the West Bank
where Israel maintains civilian control.
Smotrich is an ultranationalist who wants to annex
almost all of the West Bank, believes mothers should be segregated by religion
in Israeli maternity wards, and has said Israel’s founders “made a mistake” by
not expelling more Arabs.
Kochavi said effectively making Smotrich “prime
minister of the West Bank” was unwise.
“There cannot be two commanding authorities in the
West Bank,” he said. “The separation between us is not good and may cause
damage and lead to a worse situation for all populations.”
Another move that Kochavi fears could undermine
security in the West Bank stems from Netanyahu’s agreement with Ben-Gvir, whose
his views are so extreme that the army banned him from compulsory military
service.
As national security minister, Ben-Gvir now oversees
the paramilitary border police, which until now has worked under the Israeli
military in the occupied West Bank.
“The work that the border police are doing … is
excellent and I hope that the situation remains just as it is today. The chain
of authority must be maintained,” Kochavi said.
After nearly four years as chief of staff, Kochavi
will hand over next week to Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi. His criticism of Netanyahu
came a day after hundreds of lawyers protested in Tel Aviv over government
plans to take more political control over the judiciary.
Netanyahu has sought to assure the public — as well as
the US and Israel’s European and Arab allies — that he has veto power over any
changes that the far-right ministers make. But critics say he has so far failed
to restrain his coalition partners.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2231901/middle-east
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Israeli forces kill two Palestinians in West Bank:
Palestinian ministry
January 14, 2023
RAMALLAH: Two Palestinians were killed Saturday during
an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry
said.
The two young men were shot dead by Israeli forces
“during an assault on the village of Jaba, south of Jenin” in the north of the
West Bank, the ministry said.
No further details were provided on the circumstances
surrounding their deaths.
The Israeli army said in a brief statement that it had
launched “counterterrorism activity” near the village, during which “suspects
shot live fire” at them from a passing vehicle.
“The soldiers responded with live fire. Hits were
identified,” it said, adding that no Israeli soldiers were reported injured.
The Palestinian health ministry named the two young
men killed as Ezzedine Bassem Hamamra, 24, and Amjad Adnan Khaliliya, 23.
A third Palestinian, 19-year-old Yazen Samer Jaabari,
died of his injuries after he was shot by Israeli forces earlier this month,
the ministry said.
He was wounded during in Israeli army operation on
January 2 in the village of Kafr Dan, near Jenin, in which two other
Palestinians were killed, according to the official Palestinian news agency
Wafa.
The latest deaths bring up to 12 the toll of
Palestinians killed this year during violence in the West Bank, occupied by
Israel since 1967.
Israeli forces have launched near-daily raids in the
West Bank following a wave of deadly attacks in Israel last year.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2232216/middle-east
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North America
US Civil Groups Raise Concerns Over Congressional
Committee Chair Mark Green's Anti-Muslim Comments
13 January 2023
Muslim advocacy groups are raising concerns over the
appointment of Congressman Mark Green to the chair of the House's Homeland
Security Committee, saying the lawmaker has a history of anti-Muslim rhetoric.
Green, a physician, Iraq War veteran and former GOP
state senator in Tennessee, is set to lead the committee after being selected
by House Republicans earlier this week.
Muslim organisations, however, have stated the lawmaker
is unfit to serve on the committee, given his previous statements on Muslims
and the Islamic faith.
“Rep. Green’s well-documented history of hate speech
against Muslims, LGBTQ people, and immigrants made him unfit to be Secretary of
the Army, and that history makes him unfit to chair the House Homeland Security
Committee,” Sumayyah Waheed, senior policy counsel at Muslim Advocates, a
national civil rights group based in Washington, told the Huffington Post.
“As chair of the House Homeland Security Committee,
Mark Green is a threat to Muslims - especially to those that live at the
intersections of the communities he has gleefully attacked for political gain.”
At a 2016 meeting of the Tea Party - a conservative
political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009 - Green told
an audience that he did not want public school students in Tennessee to learn
about Islam.
During that meeting, one audience member said that “we
need to take a stand on the indoctrination of Islam in our public schools”. To
which Green responded, “I agree.”
“We have to teach the history of the Ottoman Empire,
Mecca, Medina, and all of the assault of Islam out into the Levant and North
Africa, and Constantinople,” he said, using the phrase “Muslim horde” to
describe the spread of Islam.
“But, when you start teaching the pillars of Islam,
when you start teaching how to pray as a Muslim, that is over the top and we
will not tolerate that in this state.”
In 2015, during his time as a Tennessee state senator,
Green also called for a ban on Syrian refugees entering his state.
“If you hold stereotypes about communities, how can
you effectively move on issues that are really nuanced and require a greater
understanding of the issues?” Sabina Mohyuddin, the executive director of the
American Muslim Advisory Council, a Tennessee-based civic engagement group,
told the Huffington Post.
Rachel Del Guidice, Green's communications director,
told Middle East Eye that some media outlets "cut and spliced his words
about terrorism and ISIS, falsifying what Rep. Green said".
"Rep. Green has not, and will not ever, force his
religion on anyone. He believes that every American has a right to defend their
country," Del Guidice said. "Vilifying people of faith because they
don’t agree with progressive policies is against America’s founding principles
- the very principles he fought to protect," she added.
In 2017, Green had similarly been scrutinised by
Muslim organisations after he was nominated by then-President Donald Trump to
be the secretary of the army. He ended up withdrawing from consideration.
In addition to Green, House Republican leadership has
been accused of Islamophobia after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that he
was sticking to his promise about removing Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from her
position on the foreign affairs committee.
Omar, who is Muslim, has a history of facing
Islamophobic attacks and death threats since being elected to office in 2018.
Source: Middle East Eye
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US Republicans probe 'chaotic' Afghanistan withdrawal
leading to Taliban takeover
14th January 2023
WASHINGTON: Republicans launched an investigation
Friday into the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan that sparked a lightning
takeover of the war-ravaged country by the Taliban and the death of 13 American
troops in a militant attack.
Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, said he had written to Secretary of State Antony Blinken
requesting an array of records, from intelligence assessments to communications
with the Taliban.
"It is absurd and disgraceful that the Biden
administration has repeatedly denied our longstanding oversight requests and
continues to withhold information related to the withdrawal," said McCaul,
a longstanding opposition member on the panel who became its chairman after the
House flipped to Republican control at the start of the year.
"In the event of continued noncompliance, the
committee will use the authorities available to it to enforce these requests as
necessary, including through a compulsory process."
The US soldiers were killed on August 26, 2021, in a
bombing outside Kabul's airport as the capital fell, with the government
crumbling days later despite $2 trillion pumped into Afghanistan over two
decades.
Images of crowds storming parked planes, climbing atop
aircraft, and some clinging to a departing US military cargo plane as it rolled
down the runway, were aired around the world.
The scenes preceded a sharp drop in President Joe
Biden's approval ratings, nine months after he was elected promising smooth,
competent leadership after the pandemonium under his predecessor Donald Trump.
While Trump sealed the withdrawal with the Taliban,
his Republican Party has roundly criticized Biden's handling of the operation
and vowed hearings as part of a series of probes into his administration.
The State Department did not respond immediately to a
request for comment but says it has provided more than 150 briefings to members
of Congress since the August 2021 withdrawal, according to US media.
Source: New Indian Express
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US lawmaker objects to potential F-16 sale to Turkey
14 January ,2023
The Biden administration has told Congress it is
preparing the potential $20 billion sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey,
sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, sparking an immediate
objection from a senior US lawmaker who has long opposed the deal.
The State Department sent the informal notice to
Congress on Thursday, three sources said, informing committees overseeing arms
sales in the Senate and House of Representatives of its intention to proceed with
the proposed deal.
NATO member Turkey requested in October 2021 to buy 40
Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its
existing warplanes. Technical talks between the two sides recently concluded.
The Biden administration has said it supports the sale
and has been in touch for months with Congress on an informal basis to win its
approval. However, it has failed so far to secure a green light.
“As I have repeatedly made clear, I strongly oppose
the Biden administration’s proposed sale of new F-16 aircraft to Turkey,”
Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, said in a statement.
While the sale is still in the informal review
process, Congress is also unlikely to approve the sale as long as Turkey
refuses to proceed with the ratification of Sweden and Finland’s NATO
membership.
The two countries ended decades of neutrality last May
and applied to join NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but
Turkey objected and accused the countries of harboring militants, including
from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and demanded steps be taken.
The notification, first reported by the Wall Street
Journal, comes as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu prepares to visit
Washington on Wednesday for talks as the two NATO allies struggle with a host
of disagreements including over Syria and weapons purchases.
Following the informal review, a process during which
committee leaders can ask questions or raise concerns about the sale, the
administration can technically go ahead with a formal notification. But a
senior US official said he was “doubtful”
the administration would be in a position to proceed
unless Menendez dropped his objection.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was disregarding
human rights and democratic norms and engaging in “alarming and destabilizing
behavior in Turkey and against neighboring NATO allies,” Menendez said in his
statement.
“Until Erdogan ceases his threats... and begins to act
like a trusted ally should, I will not approve this sale.”
Menendez also said he welcomed news of the sale of new
F-35 fighter aircraft for Greece, referring to Athens as a “trusted NATO ally”
and saying the sale “strengthens our two nations’ abilities to defend shared
principles including our collective defense, democracy, human rights, and the
rule of law.”
Turkey’s 2019 acquisition of Russian air defense
systems resulted in Ankara being kicked out of the next-generation F-35 fighter
jet program and antagonized the US Congress.
Disagreements with Washington over Syria policy and
Turkey’s deteriorating record on human rights and freedom of expression also
weighs on congressional sentiment.
A State Department spokesperson declined to comment,
saying the department does not confirm or comment on proposed arms sales or
transfers until the administration has formally requested approval from
Congress.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US offers $10 million for ‘mastermind’ of 2019 Kenya
hotel siege
January 14, 2023
NAIROBI: The United States announced Thursday it was
offering a reward of up to $10 million for a man described as the “terror
mastermind” of a bloody hotel attack in Kenya four years ago.
It said it is seeking information on Mohamoud Abdi
Aden, describing him as a leader of the Somalia-based Al-Shabab jihadist group
that has carried out several deadly attacks in neighboring Kenya.
The Al-Qaeda affiliated group claimed responsibility
for the January 15, 2019 siege on the upmarket DusitD2 hotel compound in the
Kenyan capital Nairobi that lasted almost 20 hours.
At least 21 people lost their lives, including a US
citizen, and many more were injured. Kenya said at the time that all the
assailants had been eliminated.
“Mohamoud Abdi Aden, an Al-Shabab leader, was part of
the cell that the planned the DusitD2 hotel attack,” the US ambassador to
Kenya, Meg Whitman, told reporters in Nairobi.
She said the US was offering a reward of up to $10
million for information leading to the arrest of Aden, described by the embassy
as a Kenyan national, and others accused of involvement in the hotel siege.
The head of Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal
Investigations, Amin Mohamed Ibrahim, described Aden as the “terror mastermind”
behind the carnage.
The State Department designated Aden a “specially
designated global terrorist” in October last year.
Al-Shabab has repeatedly targeted Kenya since it sent
its army into Somalia in October 2011 to fight the Islamist militant group.
In 2013, Al-Shabab laid siege to the Westgate shopping
mall in Nairobi for four days, leaving 67 people dead.
In 2015, an attack on Garissa University in eastern
Kenya killed 148 people, almost all of them students. Many were shot at point
blank range after being identified as Christians.
It was the second bloodiest attack in Kenya’s history,
surpassed only by Al-Qaeda’s bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi in 1998 that
killed 213 people.
Al-Shabab, which has been waging a bloody insurgency
against Somalia’s fragile central government for 15 years, has been designated
a terrorist group by the US since 2008.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2232106/world
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More than one-third of US citizens believe Jews ‘more
loyal to Israel’ than US, survey finds
13 January 2023
More than one-third of US citizens believe Jews are
“more loyal to Israel” than to the United States, and that about a quarter of
Americans believe “Israel gets away with anything” and controls the media, a
new poll has found.
The poll conducted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
and released on Thursday found that 39 percent of respondents in the US believe
Jews are more loyal to Israel than they are to the US.
Results from the poll also showed that at least 20
percent of respondents said Jews had
“too much power” in the US, and 18 percent said they were “uncomfortable
spending time with a pro-Israel person.”
Also, 21 percent of respondents believe that Jews
“don’t care about anyone other than themselves”, while 53 percent said that
Jews “will go out of their way to hire other Jews” and 23 percent believe
“Israel gets away with anything.”
The ADL poll, which was conducted among a sample of
more than 4,000 US adults, indicated that Americans’ negative view towards the
Israeli regime has doubled in the past 4 years.
The ADL sounded the alarm over growing anti-Semitism
in the United States, saying it has reached unprecedented levels in decades.
The development comes as the organization has often
equated anti-Semitism to anti-Zionism.
However, political experts say anti-Semitism is being
used as a tool for excusing Zionists’ crimes.
Veterans Today editor, Kevin Barrett, said the term
anti-Semitism is a misnomer that has its roots in the early 19th-century
equation of linguistics with race and, according to him, has been discredited
ever since then.
“This notion of anti-Semitism equating with
anti-Jewish racism really does not make any sense anymore but since World War
II, persecution of Jews in Germany and the backlash against it afterward,
essentially this concept of anti-Jewish racism equated falsely with the term
anti-Semitism,” Barrett said.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/01/13/696261/US-Poll-ADL-Jew-antisemitism-
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Southeast Asia
Beer brouhaha says little about Malays, more about PAS
man
Mariam Mokhtar
January 14, 2023
When Permatang Pauh MP Fawwaz Jan of PAS found issue
with the sale of alcohol at the main lobby of Sunway Carnival Mall in Penang,
many Malaysians reacted with fury.
But his protest about the promotion of alcoholic
products has very little to do with religion, and he should stop dragging
alcohol into his political sphere.
The little known cleric is on a high after
successfully toppling the Anwar Ibrahim dynasty from their Permatang Pauh seat
after decades.
He is trying to generate more publicity for himself
and get noticed by members of the PAS central committee. In other words, he is
trying to impress the top brass in PAS, and in doing so, hopes to quickly climb
the greasy political ladder.
Fawwaz claimed to have strong objections about the
sale and added that he was “protecting the sensitivity of Muslims”. He also
reminded Malaysians of the adverse effects of alcohol consumption.
What is Fawwaz trying to say? If he wants to curtail
sales of alcohol today, the suspicion is that he may want more things to be
banned tomorrow, things that are part of the rich diverse culture of the
non-Malays.
Is he trying to suggest that Muslim sensitivities are
uppermost in his mind and that only their sensitivities matter? What about
those in his constituency who are non-Muslim? Don’t their sensitivities matter.
too?
As MP, he cannot cherry pick which people he’d like to
serve.
Is he admitting that Muslims have thin skins and are
easily offended? When he does this, he portrays the Muslims in his community as
weak and insecure in their Islamic beliefs.
All Muslims are taught about tolerance, integration
and self-discipline, but all that Fawwaz is doing is to undermine their
confidence and perhaps, increase their intolerance. There is a chance that he
will encourage them to be arrogant.
If the Malays in his constituency fail to fully make
positive efforts to understand their religion, Islam, they will gradually
destroy its good name and help to create further divisions in society.
The other reason that Fawwaz has decided to make a
public spectacle of the sale of alcohol in the mall is that he wants to impress
everyone that he is not afraid of having a head-on confrontation with the DAP’s
MPs and assemblymen in Penang.
Penang is a stronghold of the DAP. and is the symbolic
seat of Malaysian Chinese power.
After years of Umno-Baru and Barisan Nasional failing
to oust DAP and Pakatan Harapan from Penang, it is possible that Fawwaz wants
to prove to any ignorant Malay, that he, or rather PAS, is more Islamic than
Umno-Baru. In other words, he is merely showing off his holier-than-thou
traits.
On the other hand, is he saying that non-Muslims have
thick skins and can easily dismiss any adverse comments? Surely this can be
interpreted as disrespecting and dismissing the rights of the non-Malays and
non-Muslims.
Making an issue about the sale, which for decades has
not been seen as a problem, has exposed Fawwaz’s underhanded tactics.
He may think he is doing the Malays a service but the
opposite is true. He is suggesting that the Muslims in his constituency are
weak in their faith.
Malaysia’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman,
said the country was established as a multiracial, multi-cultural and secular
state, with Islam as the official religion. Will Fawwaz respect this?
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the closure of many
businesses and many people have been made jobless.
The alcohol and brewing industry provides work for
thousands of workers in the ancillary trades, such as the bottling industry,
packaging, transport industry, warehousing, import-export, port activities,
entertainment, hospitality, duty free sales, tourism and aviation.
The activities from these businesses will help to
restore our country’s economy and bring in much-needed revenue for the
Treasury.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Myanmar Reportedly Jailed Malaysia-bound Rohingya
Refugees for Traveling 'Without Official Documents'
Shaikh Azizur Rahman
January 13, 2023
A military-backed court in Myanmar has reportedly
sentenced 112 Rohingya Muslim refugees to jail terms after they were caught
traveling outside refugee camps, as the entire group was on its way to
Malaysia.
The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported on
January 10 that the Bogale township court sentenced the group of “Bengalis”— a
pejorative the authorities in the country use to identify Rohingyas — to two to
five years imprisonment on January 6 for traveling “without legal documents.”
The court gave jail terms of two years to five
children who were under 13. Seven children older than 13 were sentenced to
three years. The rest — 53 men and 47 women — were sentenced to five years’
imprisonment, according to the report.
The group of 112 was arrested from around the shores
of Bogale township in the southern Ayeyarwady region of Myanmar by the
Ayeyarwady Region Police Force on December 20, after they had landed from
motorboats, the state media reported.
Fleeing persecution
Upwards of 1 million Rohingya Muslims live in
congested shanty colonies of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, after fleeing persecution
and violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
In Cox’s Bazar, the Rohingyas live in prison-like
conditions, with little opportunity for education or livelihood. Refugees from
Bangladesh have for years sought to go to work and live in Malaysia. Using
boats operated by human traffickers from Bangladesh, Rohingyas have traveled to
Malaysia for many years along illegal sea routes.
Activist groups tracking the movement of Rohingyas
report that in recent years many refugees from Bangladesh cross over to Myanmar
during the first leg of their illegal journey to Malaysia. With the help of the
traffickers, some among them traverse the entire stretch of the journey to
Malaysia by land. Some others choose a mixed land-and-sea route to sneak into
Malaysia.
However, it is not clear if all members of the group
of 112 — who were arrested in Bogale township and jailed — came from Cox’s
Bazar or if some in the group were from Rohingya villages or camps inside
Myanmar.
According to Cox’s Bazar-based Rohingya activist
Mohammad Hossain, at least 5,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh entered Myanmar in
the past two years, aiming to finally make it to Malaysia.
“More than half of them were somehow arrested in
Myanmar, and now all of them are in custody there. After being intercepted by
police in Myanmar, sometimes traffickers pay bribes and manage to get the
Rohingyas freed. But in situations where bribes do not come into play for
several reasons, Malaysia-bound Rohingyas are ending up in jails in Myanmar,”
Hossain told VOA.
“In Myanmar, the members of the community have not
been regarded as citizens for decades. They have no way to get travel documents
like passports or visas. So, they resort to illegal routes to enter Malaysia. By
sending stateless Rohingyas to jail for not possessing official travel
documents, Myanmar is giving them extremely unjustified punishments.”
'The latest victims'
Daniel Sullivan, director for Africa, Asia, and the
Middle East at Refugees International, said the Rohingya who are being sent to
jail for traveling without proper documents are “just the latest victims of the
genocidal policies of the military junta in Myanmar.”
“It is the conditions placed on the Rohingya by the
junta in Myanmar, including the denial of their citizenship, that has forced
them into this predicament. The million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, while
out of the direct line of fire of the military junta, are also facing dire
conditions incentivizing them to risk dangerous journeys by sea,” Sullivan told
VOA.
“Concerted global pressure in the form of targeted
sanctions [including on oil and gas and aviation fuel], an arms embargo, and
support for accountability measures is urgently needed to get at the root of
the crisis affecting the Rohingya and so many other people of Myanmar.”
The Myanmar authorities’ action to imprison Rohingya
for not having identity documents is “appalling and outrageous,” Phil
Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, told VOA.
“It is precisely the Myanmar government systematically
denying the Rohingya access to official recognition and citizenship in the
first place for which they are not in possession of identity documents.
Furthermore, jailing children for simply accompanying their family on a voyage
is so heartless and cruel that it really defies description,” Robertson said.
Source: VOA News
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South Asia
Bangladeshi Activists On Alert Over Government’s
Reported Purchase Of Israeli Spyware
SHEHAB SUMON
January 13, 2023
DHAKA: Bangladeshi activists have called for clarity
over the government’s reported purchase of sophisticated surveillance
technology from Israel amid concerns about possible violations of
constitutional rights.
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported earlier this week
that Bangladesh had bought the controversial spyware for nearly $6 million from
a company run by a former commander of the Israeli intelligence’s technology
unit. Since Bangladesh has no relations with Israel, the purchase was allegedly
made through Cyprus and the technology reached the South Asian country in June
last year.
When the news broke out, Transparency International
Bangladesh issued a statement on Thursday night, saying that the use of such
technology poses the risk of violating several fundamental constitutional
rights.
“The citizens have the right to know the government’s
precise explanation about the extent of buying and using technology that
undermines the privacy of their personal information and communication, safety,
freedom of expression and thought, and is a potential threat to life and
livelihood,” the watchdog’s Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said in the
statement.
“There is no room for doubt that such technology has
already reached the relevant agencies of the government.”
Officials of the National Telecommunication Monitoring
Center, a government agency responsible for monitoring communication data, were
not available for comment despite repeated attempts to reach out to them.
A member of the ruling Awami League and special
assistant to the Bangladeshi prime minister, Biplob Barua, told Arab News the
Israeli media report was for him a disinformation attempt against the
government.
“As per my knowledge, the government didn’t purchase
any Israeli devices…Nowadays, everywhere there is some propaganda going on
against our country. If any Israeli media published any news regarding this, I
can say that it’s a conspiracy against our government,” he said.
“We don’t have any diplomatic communication with
Israel. If any report is published by them, they can say better on this. From
our side, it’s totally baseless. It’s a part of ongoing organized propaganda
against the government.”
The opposition, however, had heard about the Israeli
spyware purchase even before the Haaretz report.
“Earlier also, we heard that the Bangladeshi
government had purchased Israeli surveillance devices. As politicians or
political activists, we are the victims of these devices,” said Shama Obaed,
secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
“Anyone can be framed with false cases with the support
of these devices…It violates the privacy of any citizen.”
But to some security experts, like Maj. Gen. (Rtd.)
Abdur Rashid, head of the Institute of Conflict, Law and Development Studies in
Dhaka, the purchase of surveillance technology by governments is justified in
addressing crime.
“In Bangladesh, we have a big threat of extremism and
transnational organized crime. These groups are very strong. There are issues
of illegal drug and arms trade, human trafficking…The criminals are being
captured through mobile tracking technology,” he said.
“So far, we haven’t received any information that
these devices are being used against the opposition party. The purchase of the
devices doesn’t necessarily mean that these devices are already in operation…We
will watch whether these devices are used against the constitutional rights of
the people.”
The monitoring of communication by intelligence is an
increasing worry in Bangladeshi civil society.
Prominent rights activist Mohammed Nur Khan told Arab
News it has been happening for quite some time. The purchase of Israeli spyware
only rendered it further problematic.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2232041/world
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Islamic State claims Tajik behind attack on Chinese in
Kabul
Lucas Webber
Jan 11, 2023
Last month, in the weeks following an assault at a
Kabul hotel frequented by Chinese businesspeople, Islamic State militants were
tightlipped. While celebrating – and exaggerating – the destruction, the
group’s propagandists said little about the attackers who gravely injured five
Chinese nationals, killed several Afghan security officers, and prompted
Beijing to ask its citizens to leave the country.
Now Islamic State says the bombing and shootout were
co-led by a Tajik man who managed to escape and go on to kill several Taliban
in a suicide bombing at a Kabul airport checkpoint on January 1.
In the wake of the December 12 attack on Kabul Longan
Hotel, IS Telegram channels featured chatter about the involvement of Central
Asian jihadists. But nothing was confirmed until January 5, when IS’s official
weekly newsletter, al-Naba, announced that the attacker was a man named Abdul
Jabbar. Jabbar, it said, was born to a wealthy family in Tajikistan, though he
grew up largely abroad; it did not say where. Al-Naba featured a photo of
Jabbar on the cover and a two-page article celebrating his martyrdom. Islamic
State Khorasan Province (ISKP), the group’s Afghanistan and Pakistan branch,
this week promised to release a video praising the men and criticizing the
Taliban for its warm relations with China.
Jabbar’s Tajik background is yet another indicator of
ISKP’s push to build support in post-Soviet Central Asia. Over the past year,
the Kabul region has been a hotspot for Islamic State cells involving Tajik
militants, and Jabbar joins the growing list of “martyrs” from Tajikistan
extolled by ISKP as examples to follow.
The June 2022 attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul was
conducted by Tajikistan-born Abu Muhammad al-Tajiki, ISKP claimed with glowing
profiles in its magazines. Al-Tajiki was described as a jack of all trades in
Kabul: running a suicide bomber training cell, overseeing ISKP’s Tajik media
wing, writing books, articles and magazines.
The newly prominent role of Central Asian militants
coincides with increasing propaganda in the Tajik and Uzbek languages, which
ISKP uses to amplify ideologues from Central Asia and spread its message there.
In late November ISKP published a biography on the Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan-turned-ISKP cleric Asadullah al-Urgenchi (“from Urgench” in
Uzbekistan’s Khorezm province). Urgenchi, who probably died in 2015, remains a
potent influence among ISKP’s Central Asian sympathizers; the profile saluted
the role Uzbeks have played in contributing to the movement.
Beyond propaganda, ISKP has been waging a
multi-pronged effort to expand north of the Amu Darya river, with recruitment,
fundraising and violence – notably with rocket attacks on border regions of
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan last spring.
Islamic State grievances against China pre-date the
Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. IS and the Taliban were sworn
enemies as far back as 2015. Later, as global powers, including China, began to
negotiate with Taliban leaders in the waning days of the Islamic Republic, IS
saw an opportunity to highlight China’s abuse of its own Muslims and poison the
friendship.
Now that the Taliban is in control, and China one of
the few powers willing to do business in Afghanistan, Chinese interests have
become a target for militants wishing to spoil Taliban attempts to build a
functioning state.
After the hotel attack, as is typical, Islamic State
boasted an exaggerated death toll and defended its wrath. Al-Naba lamented that
though Muslims worldwide are distraught over Beijing’s treatment of its Muslims
in Xinjiang, “sadly these campaigns were no more than words and images.” In
contrast, Islamic State “sought fastidiously to put its threats towards China
into action on the ground […] initiating the journey of vengeance.”
This all makes China’s plans to develop oilfields in
several northern Afghan provinces, announced by a Taliban official on January
5, a possible target. Though China has not formally recognized the Taliban
government, Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas is reportedly planning to
spend $540 million over three years as part of a 25-year extraction deal, the
first between the Taliban and a foreign company.
ISKP’s Uzbek-language Tawhid News has already
threatened attacks on Belt and Road infrastructure and gas pipelines running
toward China.
The oilfields “will add to existing security problems
in northern Afghanistan by attracting militants who want to target Chinese
interests,” regional expert Bruce Pannier wrote on January 10. “The
Chinese-backed oil project in northern Afghanistan would be a magnet for ISKP
militants,” and thus a headache for Central Asian governments, he added.
Source: Eurasia Net
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https://eurasianet.org/islamic-state-claims-tajik-behind-attack-on-chinese-in-kabul
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Biswa Ijtema: World's second-largest Muslim gathering
begins
13 January, 2023
The first phase of the three-day Biswa Ijtema, billed
as the second largest congregation of Muslims after Hajj, began Friday morning
on the bank of the River Turag river in Tongi after two years of Covid-induced
hiatus.
The 56th edition of the annual Biswa Ijtema (World
Congregation) began with the a'mbayan (general sermons) of Pakistani Islamic
scholar Maulana Ziaul Haque after Fajr prayers.
Thousands of devotees from home and abroad – including
India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Syria, Chad, Tajikistan Turkey,
Afghanistan, Palestine, the UK, and the US – thronged the bank of Turag to
listen to scholars reciting and explaining verses from the Quran and to renew
their commitment to Islamic values.
In the afternoon, the country's largest Jumah prayers,
led by Maulana Hafez Zobair Ahmad, leader of a faction of Tabligh Jamaat, will
be held at Ijtema ground.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mollah Nazrul
Islam said additional police personnel have been deployed in and around the
Ijtema venue to ensure the security of the devotees. The venue has been brought
under closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera surveillance.
Also, the government set up health camps for the
devotees to provide them with treatment like the previous years.
Meanwhile, another devotee died today at the Ijtema
venue due to complications of old age. On Thursday, two devotees died from
cold-related illness.
The first phase of Ijtema will end Sunday with Akheri
Munajat (final prayers).
Tabligh Jamaat has been organising the congregation at
the venue since 1967.
Source: TBS News
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https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/biswa-ijtema-worlds-second-largest-muslim-gathering-begins-567318
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UNSC unity key in wake of women's rights violations by
Taliban: UN aide
January 14, 2023
A top UN aide for Afghanistan has called for a unified
response in wake of Taliban policies violating the human rights of Afghan women
and girls.
On Friday, the UN's Special Representative for
Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva addressed the Security Council in a private
session, UN News reported. Otunbayeva said the UN Security Council must be
unified in opposing policies against women and girls in Afghanistan.
"The Special Representative also outlined the
potential negative impact of such decisions, including, most immediately, on
the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Afghans in desperate need. She
stressed the need for Council unity in the face of these decisions," said
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during
a press briefing on Friday.
Speaking at a private meeting, Roza Otunbayeva
reiterated to ambassadors that Taliban decisions including the ban on girls
attending high school, preventing women from going to university, and barring
them from doing humanitarian work, are all "grave violations of
fundamental rights."
UN Spokesperson Dujarric told reporters at the
briefing in New York that the Taliban had also "contradicted
assurances" given, following their nationwide takeover of Afghanistan,
about the role women would play in the country under their fundamentalist rule.
"The Special Representative also outlined the
potential negative impact of such decisions, including, most immediately, on
the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Afghans in desperate need,"
said Dujarric. "She stressed the need for Council unity in the face of
these decisions."
After the Taliban banned women from working for
non-governmental organisations or other aid sector jobs last month, several
NGOs suspended their lifesaving operations, stating that it would be impossible
to distribute aid and staff operations, without local women's participation.
Source: Business Standard
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Pakistan
Ruling coalition to hold formal consultations over
evolving political situation
January 13, 2023
LAHORE: In wake of the evolving political situation
and developments taking place, the ruling alliance of Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) has convened an emergency session to discuss and evolve a joint
strategy to deal with the situation emerging out of the dissolution of Punjab
and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies.
The agreement of the ruling alliance comes after
Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi on Thursday night sent an advice to
Governor Balighur Rehman to dissolve the provincial assembly, fulfilling the
promise to PTI Chairman Imran Khan and paving the way for fresh elections.
Sources in the ruling coalition informed Pakistan
Today that the top leaders of the ruling alliance also remained in touch for
the past 24 hours and have been resolute in their resolve not to dissolve the
National Assembly under pressure from Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf
(PTI).
The PDM leaders including PML-N President and Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari
and Jamiat Ulema-e- Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman have been in
touch over the past 24 hours.
“Though the time and venue for the emergency meeting
of the ruling coalition leaders is yet to be decided, it has been decided to
meet at the earliest. Most probably, the meeting would take place in Lahore
over the weekend,” a source told this scribe.
The PTI leadership is also to determine how the
parties will participate in the elections should the dissolution of Punjab and
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) provincial assemblies trigger early polls.
The sources say that the PDM leaders will also decide
if a legal battle on the matter should be pursued. While legal experts are
being consulted, Asif Ali Zardari has pushed for a “political solution” to the
matter at hand.
Furthermore, the leaders have also expressed
determination to remove all reservations expressed by the MQM-P. It has also
been confirmed that the provincial assemblies of Sindh and Balochistan are not
to be dissolved as of yet. Important decisions are expected after the
consultations are completed.
The PDM nonetheless remains resolute that general
elections will be held as per schedule, revealed the sources.
PTI Chairman Imran Khan has emerged victorious as
Punjab CM Elahi has signed a summary for the dissolution of the provincial
assembly as per his desire.
Despite strong pressure and other tactics, the
PML-N-led federal government along with the ‘powerful circles’ were unable to
refrain Elahi from taking a vote of confidence in the Punjab Assembly.
It has been learnt that Punjab Governor Balighur
Rehman had considered the situation after Elahi taking a vote of confidence. It
was decided that the governor would accept the CM’s vote of confidence to avoid
any judicial verdict, which might have curtailed his constitutional powers.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pakistan ‘looking into’ indecent behaviour charge at
mission staffers
Jan 14, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad has said it is “looking into”
allegations by an Indian woman educationist of indecent behaviour and sexual
advances by some senior staffers of the Pakistan high commission in Delhi when
she went there to apply for a visa.
“We attach high importance to proper etiquette and
behaviour towards all visa and consular applicants. All our diplomatic staff
are under strict instructions to conduct themselves professionally,” foreign
office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Thursday.
The alleged incident reportedly took place in March
2022. “While we are looking into this case, we are surprised at its timing and
the manner in which it has been raised,” Baloch said.
The spokesperson stressed that there is “zero
tolerance for misbehaviour and mistreatment of individuals visiting our
missions”. “There are robust mechanisms in place for redress of all public
grievances,” she added.
The senior professor and head of a university
department alleged in her complaint to foreign minister S Jaishankar that a
Pakistani mission official held her hand and asked her if she was married. She
also alleged the staffer told her that “they can marry four times, if bored”.
“He asked me why I wasn’t married; how do I live
without marriage? What do I do for my sexual desires?”she said in her
complaint.
Source: Times Of India
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Pakistan: Why CPEC projects are facing backlash in
Balochistan
Jan 13, 2023
NEW DELHI: Gwadar in Balochistan was promised more
than just a facelift- from a small fishing port to a glittering modern
metropolis- when the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was announced in
2015.
Close to a decade later, it all remains a pipedream.
Unsound planning, faulty assessments of potential and a plethora of other
impediments have plagued the projects from the very beginning.
But the biggest of them all- what Pakistan and the
Chinese investors did not expect- is the resentment and subsequent pushback
from the local Baloch population.
The winter 2022 protests
The CPEC has galvanized Gwadar and its people like
never before. The "Haq Do Tehreek" (Gwadar Rights Movement)
demonstrations in Nov-Dec was the latest outburst of Balochi resentment against
the China-backed CPEC, and also the Pakistani state at large.
Led by Maulana Hidayat-ur-Rehman, thousands decsended
on to the streets in Gwadar. They blocked an expressway leading to the Gwadar
port as the government failed to meet the deadline to implement the demands-
abolition of checkpoints, action against illegal trawling and easing border
trade with Iran.
On December 10, thousands of women, and even children,
rallied in Gwadar in support of Rehman- a first for the conservative region.
Rehman issued a warning to Chinese nationals working
in Gwadar port to leave, vowing to completely stop work on all CPEC projects in
the city.
The government tried to contain the situation with
force, not sparing even women and children. Videos of children being dragged
and beaten by forces went viral on social media.
"One of the successes of the Haq Do Tehreek has
been the mobilization of women. In an otherwise conservative society where
women are confined to their homes, the Haq Do Tehreek has managed to encourage
women to participate and lead the protests for their rights," says an
article published in The Diplomat.
But why are big-ticket investments, touted as
harbingers of development and prosperity for the region, meeting with such
resistance?
Local interests ignored
CPEC and other projects in Gwadar was majorly
envisaged to serve Chinse interests. The locals were largely forgotten. The
windfall infrastructure boom did little to improve their lives, and robbed many
of livelihoods.
Much of Gwadar's population depended on fishing for a
living. But Pakistan has given licences to Chinese trawlers to fish in the
waters off the coast.
Locals, with their small boats, are unable to compete
with better equipped Chinese boats, thus unable to net much of the catch. They
are also required to have tokens and being allocated fixed times for when they
can venture to the sea for fishing.
Clamp-down on the informal cross-border trade with
Iran, with which Balochistan shares a long border, has also adversely affected
local livelihoods.
They also fear an exploitation of the region's natural
resources like oil and gas to benefit Chinese companies and people from other
regions of Pakistan.
Development sans humane face
Newly built roads and highways, a modern port and a
swanky airport are being showcased as the faces of development in the Gwadar
region.
But that does little to mask the hard reality behind
the facade.
About 100,000 people don’t have access to clean
drinking water in Gwadar port town, according to The Diplomat article. There is
lack of proper health facility and reliable power supply.
'Outsiders in their own land'
Secessionist feelings and a strong resentment for the
regime in Islamabad have long thrived in Balochistan.
The Pakistani government, with its undercurrent of
mistrust of the locals, has unleashed a regimen of vigilantism- presumably to
ensure security of the China-backed projects. Security in Gwadar town has been
beefed up, and it now resembles a military cantonment.
The article quotes Behram Baloch, a journalist and
analyst from Gwadar as saying “The refrain "Kaha ja rahe ho? Kaha se aa
rahe ho?” (Where are you going? Where are you coming from?) symbolizes the
constant surveillance that the people were under within their own city, being
questioned at security checkpoints.”
With their interests forgotten, and at times free
movement challenged, residents of Gwadar feel they are being turned into
outsiders in their own land.
They are apprehensive about the demographic change
that could turn the Baloch into a minority in their own province due to mass arrival
of Chinese and people from elsewhere in Pakistan, particularly Punjab.
China growing apprehensive?
Gwadar could make China’s BRI successful in the region
– but it could also prove disastrous if things do not proceed as planned. The
reversals the projects have faced, and the protests have put doubts in the
minds of the Chinese investors.
Lately, the CPEC projects have slowed down in Gwadar
and elsewhere in Balochistan, and also in all of Pakistan.
Chinese firms face headwinds in Pakistan, adopt 'go slow'
policy
Extremist groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Islamic State
and Taliban affiliates including Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan have been active in
Balochistan, and have carried out several attacks.
The unrest is directly threatening Chinese interests.
China has been pushing Pakistan to ensure a secure
environment for implementing CPEC projects in Balochistan.
Source: Times Of India
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PDM leaders move to placate MQM-P after divorce threat
Naeem Khanzada
KARACHI:
The senior-most leadership of the Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) contacted Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Convenor
Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on Friday after the latter threatened to part ways with
the ruling coalition over local bodies elections in Karachi.
The MQM-P convened a meeting of the party’s
Coordination Committee, where a majority of members suggested quitting the
government if the local bodies elections were not postponed, sources said,
adding that the party’s federal ministers handed their resignations to
Siddiqui.
The MQM-P wants the local government elections on the
basis of “correctly-demarcated constituencies”. The local bodies elections are
due on Sunday (tomorrow) and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has
declined Sindh government’s request for postponing the vote.
Soon after the MQM-P said it was considering quitting
the coalition, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif contacted Siddiqui and assured him
of “positive progress” on his demands. Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman
Asif Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman
also spoke with Siddiqui.
According to sources, the political leaders assured
Siddiqui of headway on the MQM-P’s demands. “The prime minister promised to
resolve the issues by late night and give him good news,” a source privy to the
development told The Express Tribune.
Read MQM-P reunifies breakaway factions ahead of LG
polls
Meanwhile, hectic consultations were under way till
late night following the MQM-P’s threat of divorcing the ruling coalition. The
senior MQM-P leaders reached Governor House late at night, while the Sindh
government also convened an important meeting at the Chief Minister House.
According to the sources, senior Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq also contacted Siddiqui and assured him
of the resolution of their issues. Till late night, no decision had been taken
regarding the local elections.
Source: Tribune Pakistan
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2395709/pdm-leaders-move-to-placate-mqm-p-after-divorce-threat
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Police officer among 3 martyred in late-night attack
on police station in Peshawar
Tahir Khan
January 14, 2023
A senior police officer and two of his guards lost
their lives giving chase to militants who staged a late-night attack on a
police station on the outskirts of Peshawar, a senior official said on
Saturday.
Senior Superintendent Police Operations Peshawar
Kashif Abbasi told Dawn.com that Deputy Superintendent Police Sardar Hussain
and his two police guards lost their lives in an exchange fire with terrorists
in the Badhabir area.
The two martyred policemen were identified as Irshad
and Jehanzeb.
Abbasi told reporters that the terrorists attacked
Sarband police station at about midnight. Sarband is located near the Bara area
of Khyber tribal district.
It was coordinated from multiple directions and the
[terrorists] used multiple weapons. They lobbed hand grenades and resorted to
sniper shots and automatic guns,” he said.
The Peshawar police successfully repelled the attack,
he added.
Abbasi said the slain police officer chased the
fleeing terrorists and tried to encircle them but during an ensuing exchange of
fire, he and two other policemen lost their lives.
The gunmen then took advantage of the darkness and
fled.
Police said a search operation was launched in Sarband
and nearby areas following the attack. It resumed on Saturday morning. No
arrest was made so far.
Abbasi said the gunmen had come from the Khyber Tribal
district bordering Afghanistan.
A funeral was held for the martyred police officials
in Peshawar on Saturday that was attended by senior police and military
officials.
Meanwhile, the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan
(TTP) claimed the attack on Sarband police station.
Source: Dawn
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Pakistan, UAE agree to deepen strategic partnership,
cooperation in diverse areas
January 14, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have
agreed to intensify consultation and coordination, geared to strengthening
strategic partnership with a view to develop tangible and meaningful bilateral
cooperation in key areas.
The bilateral ties were discussed during Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s interaction with the UAE leadership as the former
paid an official visit to the Emirates at the invitation of President Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on January 12-13. This was the prime minister’s
third visit after assuming office, according to a joint statement issued on
Friday.
During the interaction, the two sides agreed to
enhance cooperation, particularly in the field of information and communication
technologies and work together for bridging the digital divide.
The prime minister held a bilateral meeting with the
UAE president wherein the prime minister was presented with a guard of honor at
the Presidential Palace.
In the “most warm and cordial” meeting, the two
leaders held detailed discussions on concrete measures to strengthen the
bilateral relationship while also exchanging views on regional political and
security matters.
They also discussed specific initiative to enhance
cooperation in political, defense, economic, commercial and cultural areas,
developing joint ventures, and strengthening collaboration in the human
resource sector.
The prime minister thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al
Nahyan for UAE’s generous assistance during the recent floods in Pakistan,
particularly through an air bridge, established for this purpose.
Pakistan and the UAE reaffirmed their historical and
brotherly ties, rooted in shared religion, culture, values, and pursuit of
regional and global peace and security. Both sides expressed satisfaction at
the convergence of views on a host of regional and global issues.
Based on their decades-old fraternal ties, both
countries expressed solidarity with each other in efforts to preserve their
sovereignty and territorial integrity.
With a view to developing tangible and meaningful
bilateral cooperation in key areas, the two countries agreed to intensify
consultations and coordination in order to strengthen their strategic
partnership.
The two sides signed Memoranda of Understanding in the
field of combating human trafficking, information exchange, and between the
diplomatic academies of both countries.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Sheikh Mohamed
bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit Pakistan at a later date, and the invitation was
accepted by the UAE leadership.
PM, UAE’s Minister for Tolerance discuss bilateral
ties
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met United
Arab Emirates’ Minister for Tolerance Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and
discussed strengthening relations and ties between the two countries.
The discussions regarding the UAE’s investment in
Pakistan in various sectors also came under discussion. Sheikh Nahyan apprised
the prime minister about his government’s efforts towards promoting values of
tolerance and peaceful co-existence around the world.
He lauded the dedication and hard work of the
Pakistani community which was significantly contributing towards the
development of the UAE.
PM Shehbaz Sharif lauded the historical ties between
Pakistan and UAE and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to further
strengthen existing bilateral engagements with the UAE in multiple fields
including trade, investment, energy, culture and tourism.
Abu Dhabi Chamber encouraged to avail “excellent”
business opportunities
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the
members of the Abu Dhabi Chamber to visit Pakistan and experience the
“excellent” opportunities of growing their business.
The prime minister, in a meeting with a delegation of
Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce during his two-day visit to the UAE, said that
bilateral trade between Pakistan and the UAE had grown significantly in recent
times.
The delegation was headed by Chairman of Abu Dhabi
Chamber of Commerce Abdullah Mohamed Al Mazrouei.
Talking to the delegation, the prime minister said
that the Abu Dhabi Chamber which also consisted of Pakistani members had played
an important role in the economic development of the UAE.
He expressed the pleasure that one of the Pakistani
businessmen had been a board member of the Abu Dhabi Chamber which was an
indication of the fact Pakistani community was playing important role in the
development of the UAE.
Prime Minister Sharif said that the vision and wisdom
of its leadership had enabled the UAE to become an economic and tourism hub
within a short span of time.
He said Pakistan gave importance to its relationship
with the UAE which was based on common faith, shared history, and
people-to-people contacts.
“We consider the UAE an important strategic and
economic partner for being located in the neighborhood, playing an important
role in ensuring peace, stability, and economic development in the region and
having potential for joint socio-economic development,” the prime minister
remarked.
He stressed the need to enhance chamber-to-chamber
cooperation and urged the Pakistani chambers to reach out to the Abu Dhabi
Chamber and develop new linkages.
Prime Minister Shehbaz said that sending a skilled
workforce to the UAE was one of the top priorities of his government.
The members of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce
showed interest in doing business and investing in Pakistan.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Arab World
UAE’s Rashid Rover, first Arab Moon mission, marks one
month in space
13 January ,2023
The Rashid Rover, the Arab region’s first mission to
the Moon, has traveled 1.34 million kilometers and completed one month in
space.
The rover was built in the UAE by a fully Emirati team
at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), which announced the latest
milestone on Friday.
The rover was sent to space from Cape Canaveral Space
Force Station in Florida on December 11 in SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The mission team has reportedly completed all health
assessments and maintenance checks to ensure the optimal functioning of its
onboard subsystems and instruments.
The team on Earth is now communicating with it once
every week, the Emirates News Agency WAM reported.
Currently, the team is preparing for the entry,
descent, and landing phase prior to the start of surface operations. It is
expected to land towards the end of April this year to an unexplored part of
the Moon.
Before the landing, the team will reportedly prepare
by participating in 12 simulated rehearsals at the ground stations.
On the Moon’s surface, the rover will conduct
scientific tests that is expected to contribute to qualitative developments in
the fields of science, communication technologies, and robotics.
The primary goal of the mission is to study the Moon’s
plasma and to provide answers about Moon dust, the lunar surface, mobility on
the Moon’s surface, and how different surfaces interact with lunar particles.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi team wins innovation award with sensor to
protect date palms from pests
MOHAMMED AL-KINANI
January 13, 2023
JEDDAH: A team from the King Abdullah University of
Science and Technology and Al-Hasa-based Palms and Dates Center has been
awarded the 2022 International Date Palm Innovative Technology Excellence
Prize.
Presented by the National Center for Palm and Dates,
the award was made in recognition of the team’s fiber-optic distributed
acoustic sensor, which is used in the early detection of red palm weevils in
date palm trees.
Tackling infestations of red palm weevils has been a
long-standing problem across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and other
parts of the world.
The winning team comprised Dr. Islam Ashry, Dr. Chun
Hong Kang and Prof. Boon S. Ooi from the KAUST Photonics Laboratory and Dr.
Yousef Alfehaid and Eng. Abdulmonem Alshawaf from the PDC, which operates under
the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.
As well as the prestige, the team collected SR200,000
($53,000) in prize money. The award was announced at the 3rd International
Dates Conference and Exhibition, which ran from Dec. 7-10 in Riyadh. Their
design beat off the challenge of 65 other submissions for the prize.
Ashry said the team was honored to have won such a
prestigious award and paid tribute to his colleagues at the Photonics
Laboratory and the PDC who helped in the development, testing and deployment of
the technology.
“This recognition motivates us to continue improving,
optimizing and advancing this technology to a new level,” he said.
According to the NCPD, the event provided “a unique
combination of scientific research and commercial strategy to exchange
scientific knowledge and innovative technologies to enhance the safe production
and commercialization of these extraordinary super-fruits.”
The Kingdom is home to some 33 million date palm
trees, producing about 1 million tons of dates a year, or 20 percent of global
production. In the Middle East region alone about $8 million is spent every
year fighting infestations of weevils.
“Our RPW-detecting technology uses a fiber-optic
distributed acoustic sensor,” Ashry said. “It is the first of its kind and
offers a more scalable approach (than) other detection methods, such as
microphone probe, computer-based tomography and visual inspection.”
Kang said the team’s system used fiber-optic cables
wound around individual tree trunks.
“Acoustic signals generated by the weevil larvae
inside a trunk can be picked up by the cable and transmitted back to an
interrogator system,” he said.
“The collected signals are then analyzed and processed
through a machine learning algorithm to identify each tree’s infestation
status.”
Ashry and Kang are now working with various
organizations within the Kingdom, including the PDC, MEWA, NEOM, the Royal
Commission for AlUla and the Tabuk Agricultural Development Co., on the
deployment of their technology.
These test applications will help to improve the
sensitivity of the sensor systems so they can be used on large-scale farms.
“Our research efforts align well with … Saudi Vision
2030 in terms of diversifying the economy, especially for the date palm
sector,” Ashry said.
Source: Arab News
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Get your troops out of Syria, Assad tells Erdogan
January 14, 2023
JEDDAH: Bashar Assad on Friday broke his silence on
Syria’s growing reconciliation with Turkiye by demanding that Ankara pull its
troops out of Syria and end its support for opposition groups.
Syria and Turkiye have been at odds since Ankara
became a major backer of the political and armed opposition to Assad during the
12-year civil war, and has sent its own forces into large parts of the north.
Russia is brokering a reconciliation between Damascus
and Ankara. Moscow hosted talks between their defense ministers last month, and
the aim is for meetings between the foreign ministers and eventually presidents
Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Assad met Russian presidential envoy Alexander
Lavrentiev in Damascus, and said talks with Turkiye should be based on the aims
of “ending the occupation of Syrian land” and halting Turkish support for what
he called terrorism. The meetings “should be coordinated between Syria and
Russia in advance in order to... produce tangible results sought by Syria,” he
said.
Foreign ministers Mevlut Cavusoglu and Faisal Mekdad
are expected to meet early in February for the highest-level talks between
Ankara and Damascus since the Syrian war began in 2011.
Source: Arab News
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Swedish PM denounces protest by Kurds in central
Stockholm
January 13, 2023
ANKARA: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has
denounced a protest by Kurds in central Stockholm, where an effigy of Turkiye’s
president was hung from a lamppost, as an act of “sabotage” against Sweden’s
bid to join NATO.
The protest outside City Hall on Wednesday drew an
angry backlash from Turkiye, a NATO member which already had held off on
approving Sweden’s application to become part of the Western military alliance
until the government in Stockholm satisfies its demands.
The speaker of Turkiye’s parliament, Mustafa Sentop,
canceled a visit by Andreas Norlen, the speaker of the Swedish parliament, that
was scheduled for next Tuesday.
Turkish lawmakers need to ratify Sweden’s NATO
application for the Nordic nation to become a member.
“I believe it is regrettable that the visit has been
canceled,” Norlen told Swedish news agency TT.
Turkiye has made its approval conditional on Stockholm
cracking down on exiled Kurdish militants and other groups that Ankara
considers a threat to its national security.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the Swedish
ambassador on Thursday over the Stockholm demonstration.
Kristersson condemned the incident involving the
effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He told Swedish broadcaster TV4 on Friday that it was
“extremely serious” to stage a “mock execution of a foreign democratically
elected leader” in a country where two leading politicians have been killed.
Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was assassinated in 1986 and Foreign Minister
Anna Lindh was fatally stabbed in 2003.
“I would say this is sabotage against the Swedish NATO
application,” Kristersson said.
“It is dangerous for Swedish security to act in this
way.”
A group calling itself the Swedish Solidarity
Committee for Rojava claimed it was behind the protest. Rojava is a Kurdish
name for north and east Syria.
A man only identifying himself as Andreas told Swedish
tabloid Aftonbladet that he was among those who put up the effigy “to create a
reaction. To show that Turkiye is not a democracy. And we succeeded.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described
the protest as a racist act and a hate crime.
Sweden will not
be able to “get away” with a simple condemnation of the incident, he said.
“This action took place in the center of the city, right
in front of the municipality, in front of everyone,” Cavusoglu said. “Sweden
has a responsibility here.”
“Sweden and Finland made a commitment concerning what
they can do and put their signature on it,” the minister said, in reference to
a memorandum of understanding under which Sweden and Finland pledged among
other things to crack down on the activities of militant groups.
“We want nothing more or nothing less. Whatever was
agreed upon, we want that to be fulfilled.”
Earlier on Friday, Cavusoglu said the outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and affiliated Kurdish groups in Syria were
“laying mines on the path of Sweden’s NATO membership.”
“It is Sweden’s decision whether it wants to clear
these mines or knowingly step on them,” he said in an interview with Turkish
state-broadcaster, TRT.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said the
protest “now risks complicating and delaying the process that Sweden and its
future NATO ally Turkiye have begun, working step by step to build faith in
each other.”
“This act plays directly into the hands of Russia and
weakens our country, and it happened during the most serious security situation
since the Second World War,” the Swedish foreign minister said.
Alarmed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and
Finland dropped their longstanding policies of military nonalignment and
applied to join NATO in May.
All 30 member countries must agree to admit the two
Nordic neighbors into the security organization.
The Turkish government has pressed Finland and Sweden
to crack down on groups it considers to be terrorist organizations and to
extradite people suspected of terror-related crimes.
Cavusoglu said last month that Sweden was not even
“halfway” through addressing his country’s concerns.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2232066/middle-east
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Assad says Turkiye talks must be based on ending
‘occupation’
January 13, 2023
BEIRUT: Syrian President Bashar Assad has said talks
with foe Turkiye should be based on the aims of ending the occupation of Syrian
land and halting support for what he called terrorism, an apparent reference to
Ankara’s forces in northern Syria and its support for rebels.
In his first publicly reported remarks on landmark
talks overseen by his ally Russia, Assad also said the meetings “should be
coordinated between Syria and Russia in advance in order to... produce tangible
results sought by Syria.”
Assad made the comments, reported by Syrian state
media on Thursday, in a meeting with Russian presidential envoy for Syria
Alexander Lavrentiev in Damascus.
Turkiye has been a major backer of the political and
armed opposition to Assad during the 12-year-long Syrian conflict, and has sent
its own troops into swathes of the country’s north.
Moscow is supporting a rapprochement between Damascus
and Ankara, hosting talks between their defense ministers last month and aiming
for meetings between the foreign ministers and eventually presidents.
Lavrentiev said Moscow viewed the defense ministers’
meeting “positively” and hoped to develop talks “to the level of foreign
ministers,” Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
Assad said the results should be based on the
principle of “ending” the occupation and support for terrorism, a term that
Syrian authorities use to refer to all opposition armed groups.
A source with close knowledge of the negotiations said
Syria wanted Turkiye to pull its troops from swathes of the north and to halt
support to three main opposition factions.
The source said Syria was keen to see progress on
those demands through follow-up committees before agreeing to a foreign
ministers’ meeting.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on
Thursday he could meet his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad early in February,
rejecting reports that the two could meet next week.
Syria has made no official comment on the timing of such
a meeting, which would mark the highest-level talks between Ankara and Damascus
since the Syrian war began in 2011.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said
on Friday his country — Assad’s other main ally — was “happy with the dialogue
taking place between Syria and Turkiye.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2231846/middle-east
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Iran glad to see rapprochement between Turkey and
Syria: FM
13 January ,2023
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said
on Friday his country was glad to see a rapprochement between its ally Syria
and Turkey, which has backed the political and armed opposition to Damascus
over the last decade.
“We are happy with the dialogue taking place between
Syria and Turkey, and we believe that it will reflect positively between the
two countries,” said Amirabdollahian, during a diplomatic visit to the Lebanese
capital Beirut.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on
Thursday that he could meet his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad early in
February.
Such a meeting would mark the highest-level talks
between Ankara and Damascus since the Syrian war began in 2011 and signal a
further thaw in ties.
The Turkish and Syrian defense ministers held landmark
talks in Moscow last month to discuss border security and other issues.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Africa
Nigeria Decides: Say no to APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket
of slavery – Suswam tells Benue people
13th January 2023
Senator representing Benue North-East Senatorial
District, Gabriel Suswam, has advised Benue people to reject the Muslim-Muslim
ticket of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), as the country goes into the
general elections.
Suswam who gave the advise in Lessel, Ushongo Local
Government Area (LGA) of the state on Friday, during the state wide campaign of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said Muslim Muslim ticket will enslave
Benue and Nigeria as a whole.
The former state Governor who noted that it was risky
to embark on such a venture, said even the Constitution of Nigeria recognizes
Nigeria as a secular state that should abide by certain principles.
He stated that the APC was laden with candidates who
disappear from the state after elections and reappear after another four years
to canvass for votes urging the people to say no to the party.
Rather Suswam said “You should vote all candidates of
the PDP. The other political party (APC) that has brought about a Muslim-Muslim
ticket, intends to enslave you.
“Our Constitution recognises Nigeria as a secular
state and if you look at the history of our country, when Obasanjo became
President, he brought a Muslim as Vice President (Atiku Abubakar); when
Yar’adua, a Muslim became President, he brought in a Christian, Goodluck
Jonathan, and when Jonathan became President, he brought in a Muslim as Vice
President.”
“Those that lie and come only come to you during an
electioneering year. So, I’m advising you to reject this Muslim-Muslim ticket
in its entirety and vote PDP.”
Speaking at the rally, Governor Samuel Ortom charged
the people to beware of the APC saying they are bent on misinforming the public
that the Tiv people were the ones killing themselves and not herdsmen.
The Governor appreciates the Benue people, especially
the youths for accepting to work with him to end the worrisome challenges
facing the state.
He urgedbthe m to sustain and extend the support to
ensure that Uba and all other candidates of the party win their elections.
The PDP governorship candidate, Mr Titus Uba, thanked
Governor Ortom and Senator Suswam for their leadership disposition and for
presenting him to the people of the state.
Uba told the people of Ushongo that he was aware of
their challenges as a people and pledged to tackle those issues headlong when
he is elected governor in the forthcoming elections.
Source: Sun News Online
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Panic in Ilorin over rumoured abduction of popular
Muslim Cleric Mohammadu Buhari
January 13, 2023
By Abdulrazaq Adebayo
There was panic in Ilorin, Kwara State capital early
hours of Friday over the rumoured abduction of an Ilorin-based Muslim Cleric,
identified as Mohammadu Buhari Jamiu.
A video clip with the inscription of ‘Buhari Omo Musa
in the background, now viral reportedly claimed he was abducted at his
residence in Ilorin early hours of Friday.
Findings by DAILY POST, however, revealed that the
real popular and prolific preacher, Buhari Omomusa is safe, hale and hearty
contrary to speculation that he had been kidnapped.
The voice of the alleged abducted cleric’s wife could
be heard in the background of the video clip which has gone viral requesting
assistance to enable the family to pay the N5m ransom demanded by the unknown
kidnappers.
Another male voice from the video clip gave the
impression that the unknown kidnappers allegedly demanded N30m ransom but was
scaled down to N5m after negotiations.
The kidnap incident threw fans of Buhari Omomusa into
confusion as they expressed concern and prayed for his safe release from the
abductors.
While some members of the public view the development
as a case of mistaken identity resulting from identical names, others described
it as a scam designed to swindle the public and government.
Reacting on the radio channel, Buhari Omomusa debunked
the report saying he is safe and that no kidnap incident happened to him.
When contacted on phone on Friday, the spokesman of
the state
Police Command, SP Okasanmi Ajayi, described the video
clip as fake.
He said “The Alhaji Tunde Buhari that was kidnapped in
Oluwalose Community in Oko-Olowo area of Ilorin, had been rescued and made
public.
“Even the second victim kidnapped alongside Tunde
Buhari has also been rescued,” he added.
Source: Daily Post Nigeria
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Somali leader urges people to flush out Al-Shabab
‘bedbugs’
January 14, 2023
MOGADISHU: Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
called Thursday on ordinary people to help flush out members of the Al-Shabab
jihadist group he described as “bedbugs.”
Mohamud was addressing large crowds at a
government-organized rally against the Al-Qaeda-linked militants held at a
stadium in the capital Mogadishu under tight security.
“I’m calling to you, the people of Mogadishu, the
kharijites (renegades) are among you... so flush them out. They are in your
houses, they are your neighbors, in cars that pass you by,” he said.
“I want us to commit today to flushing them out, they
are like bedbugs under our clothes,” he added, as demonstrators waved flags and
placards with anti-Al-Shabab messages.
Al-Shabab has been waging a bloody insurgency against
the frail internationally-backed central government for 15 years, carrying out
attacks both in Somalia and neighboring countries which sent troops to help in
the fight against the militants.
“The people are tired of massacres, killings, and all
kinds of misdeeds and they are now saying to Al-Shabab: ‘Enough is enough’,”
Mohamud said.
The president declared “all-out” war against Islamist
fighters shortly after he came to office in May last year.
In recent months, the army and local clan militias
have retaken swathes of territory in the center of the country in an operation
backed by US air strikes and an African Union force.
But the insurgents have frequently retaliated with
bloody attacks, underlining their ability to strike at the heart of Somali
towns and military installations despite the offensive.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2232126/world
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Top commander of Daesh/ISIS terror group killed in
Somalia's Puntland
Mohammed Dhaysane
13.01.2023
MOGADISHU, Somalia
A senior commander of the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group
was killed in a clash with security forces in Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland
region, authorities said on Friday.
Abu-Albara al-Amani was killed as forces repulsed a
Daesh/ISIS attack on a military base in Puntland’s Bari region late on
Thursday, according to a police statement.
He was the terrorist group’s head of operations in
Somalia since July 11, 2021, the statement said.
He hailed from Ethiopia’s Amhara region and “was
responsible for forcing many Ethiopians to join the terrorist group,” it added.
Daesh/ISIS, known to be active in Somalia’s
mountainous Bari region, has claimed responsibility for several attacks in the
Horn of Africa nation.
Late last year, the US imposed sanctions targeting
Daesh/ISIS in Somalia and other terrorists it accused of being involved in a
“terrorist weapons trafficking network” in Eastern Africa.
In 2018, the US State Department placed Daesh/ISIS in
Somalia on its Specially Designated Global Terrorist list.
Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with
al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS being among the main threats.
The UN has warned of growing instability in the
country, issuing periodic reports last year that detailed attacks by al-Shabaab
and pro-Daesh/ISIS terror groups.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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