Militants Cage Alawites and Soldiers as Human Shield against Airstrikes
New Age Islam News Bureau
2
Nov 2015
Photograph shows the kidnapped hostages trapped in cages and transported to public places.
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Arab World
• Militants Cage Alawites and Soldiers as Human Shield against Airstrikes
• Dozens of ISIL Militants Killed in Army Counter-Attack East of Aleppo
• 33 ISIL Militants Killed in Iraqi Army Operations in Anbar Province
• Iraq Parliament Bars Govt from Passing Reforms
• Al-Qaeda urges fight against West and Russia
• Construction work on UK army base begins in Bahrain
• Syrian Forces Marching on Militants' Position across East, Southeast Aleppo
• Syria: ISIL Terrorists Ambushed on Main Supply Route in Aleppo
• Syria: Army Continues Hunting Terrorists in Hama
• ISIL Terrorists Suffer Heavy Losses in Aleppo
• Syrian Army Pounds Two Main Positions of Militants in Sweida
• Syrian Forces Getting Ready to Lift Siege on Kuweires Airbase in Final Phase of Operations
• New Airstrikes Hit Al-Nusra Targets in Syria's Daraa
• ISIL Terrorists Sustain Heavy Losses in Syrian Airstrikes East of Sweida
• ISIS takes Syrian town as fighting looks set to intensify
• Kurdish forces prepare for battle to retake Iraq’s Sinjar
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Mideast
• Turkish, US Airstrikes Kill Over 50 IS Militants in Syria
• Army Spokesman: Saudi Claims about Ending Aggressions On Yemen Untrue, Deceptive
• Erdogan’s Party Regains Majority in Crucial Poll
• Palestinian killed after ‘attack on Israeli soldier’
• ISIS claims murders of Syrian activists in Turkey
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South Asia
• Supporters of al-Qaeda and Taliban now Support Daesh: Afghan Minister of Interior
• ISIL Recruiting and Brainwashing Afghan Children, Report
• Dissident Taliban Choose Mullah Rasool as Their Leader
• A Lone Muslim Campaigns in Myanmar’s Stronghold of Radical Buddhism
• Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for attacks on 2 publishers in Bangladesh
• China to build 10,000 apartments in Kabul
• 700 journalists killed worldwide over the past decade
• Bangladesh police probe local Islamic radicals in latest attacks on publishers
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Africa
• 12 Killed As Shebab Attack Somalia Hotel
• Libyan Court Adjourns Trial of Qadhafi’s Son
• Russian intervention against Boko Haram ‘hypothetical’: France
• 11 civilians injured in attempted Boko Haram attack on Chadian army post
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India
• Revive Rishi-Sufi Harmonious Traditions, Reclaim the Syncretic Culture of India, says Governor, J&K
• Modernise Madrasa in Militant Hotbed in Jammu & Kashmir
• Pass Resolution Regretting Expulsion of Muslims by LTTE, Says TNA leader
Modi ‘worst victim’ of rivals’ ideological intolerance: Jaitley
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Pakistan
• Security Forces Kill Six Suspected Militants In Kalat
• Minorities Participate, Christian Parties Boycott Elections
• Supreme Judicial Council dismisses PTI petition against ECP officials
• Contract killers, facilitators to be arrested in next phase of Karachi operation: Rangers
• PPP ‘alive and kicking’, claims Zardari
• PTI seeks military justice in worker’s killing
• 2 PTI activists killed in Nankana Sahib
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Europe
• British FM Says It’s ‘Business As Usual’ With Saudi Arabia
• German Coalition Fails To Reach Agreement On Refugees Plan
• Arctic attracting new military scrutiny
• Latvia considering sending troops to Iraq: Official
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Southeast Asia
• Angkasa: Consortium of Mosque Cooperatives to Be Set Up By Year End
• Najib: Govt does not force people to convert to Islam
• Malaysia’s ‘Islam’ Has Negative Impact On Singapore, Says Lecturer
• Civil servants among 8 arrested over links with terror groups
• Najib’s lawyers to advise PM to battle WSJ in Malaysian courts instead of US
• Free Anwar, opposition says again after UN group rules his detention illegal
• Cops nab eight terrorist suspects across Selangor, Perak, Johor
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North America
• 55% of Calif. Muslim Students Bullied: Study
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Arab World
Militants Cage Alawites and Soldiers as Human Shield against Airstrikes
Nov 02, 2015
A militant group opposed to the Syrian government has taken Alawite civilians and government soldiers’ hostage in cages to protect themselves against air strikes, according to reports from Ghouta, an area close to Damascus.
Photographs show the kidnapped hostages trapped in cages and transported to public places.
Some sources identified the militants as Jaish al-Islam, a powerful opposition group fighting government forces close to Damascus.
The Syrian Sham news network recorded footage of the militants taking caged prisoners through the streets in eastern Ghouta, with the intention of using them as human shields against airstrikes from Syrian government forces, and the Russian air force.
Sham reported that 100 cages with about seven people in each were being taken to public areas such as marketplaces in eastern Ghouta, from where militants fire rockets into Damascus.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000227
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Dozens of ISIL Militants Killed in Army Counter-Attack East of Aleppo
Nov 02, 2015
The ISIL terrorists left behind tens of dead members and retreated from the fighting area after their assault against the government positions near al-Safirah failed and they were surprised in the army's counter-attack.
Also on Monday, commanders of the Syrian Army, popular forces, Hezbollah and Russian Air Force held a meeting in Sheikh Ahmad frontline to coordinate the last phase of their joint operation for removing the two-year-long ISIL siege on Kuweires airbase, Southeast of Aleppo.
Military sources said that the Syrian soldiers, National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Lebanese Hezbollah, who have now deployed in Sheikh Ahmad, just 2,600 meters far farm the Southern gates of the strategic Kuweires airbase, are preparing for a final joint operation to end over two-year-long siege on the airbase by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.
The sources further added that the Russian fighter jets will play very crucial role in the abovementioned operation.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000619
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33 ISIL Militants Killed in Iraqi Army Operations in Anbar Province
Nov 02, 2015
In the first operation in Albu Faraj region in Anbar province, the Iraqi forces killed 15 terrorists and defused 27 bomb-laden cars.
In the second operation in al-Hamriya region of Ramadi city, at least 18 terrorists were killed and nine bomb-laden vehicles were defused.
In the Southern front in Albu Falis region, the army killed tens of terrorists and destroyed their DshK-equipped vehicles in heavy clashes.
On Sunday, Iraqi forces staged rapid advance towards the center of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, right after resuming military operations in the Northern parts of the city.
Iraqi forces' operations had stopped for two days due to the bad weather conditions in the region, but earlier today they resumed their attacks to seize back the capital of Anbar.
"The army has captured Albu Faraj bridge in Northern Ramadi and is advancing towards the city center," Commander of Anbar Military Operations Brigadier General Esmail al-Mahlavi told al-Sumeriya News.
The Iraqi air force is destroying ISIL's positions in Ramadi and the army's artillery units are targeting the Takfiri terrorists in surrounding areas.
On Saturday, the Iraqi army and volunteer forces pressed ahead with their military operations against the Takfiri militants in Anbar Province, inflicting heavy losses on them.
Iraq's army and Hashd al-Shaabi fighters continued to advance against the militants in the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah in Anbar, informed sources said.
Reports also said that foreign members and leaders of the ISIL terrorist group are escaping from the Western province of al-Anbar after major advances by Iraq's security and popular forces.
"Given widening differences between the local terrorists and their teammates who have come to Iraq from Arab and non-Arab countries to kill the Iraqi people, we are witnessing a serious collapse in the ranks of ISIL elements in Anbar," Spokesman of Ansar al-Najba resistance movement Hashim al-Moussavi told FNA.
According to al-Hashemi, such disputes have facilitated the Iraqi forces' successful operations against the ISIL positions in the country.
Also, field reports said that the Iraqi army and popular forces' positive advances in Anbar have made the foreign terrorists to withdraw from the Western province.
Reports earlier this week said that Iraq's army and Hashd al-Shaabi popular forces regained full control over several strategic bases of ISIL terrorists in Anbar.
The Iraqi forces retook the ISIL bases in the areas of East Haseebah, al-Sajariyyah, Theela and Al Sufiyyah, East of the city of Ramadi, and killed dozens of the militants and destroyed scores of their armed vehicles, informed sources said.
The Iraqi army and volunteer forces intensified their military operations in the Western al-Anbar province earlier this month.
The Iraqi forces launched massive offensives on ISIL terrorists in Anbar from the North, South and the West.
In the North, the Iraqi forces advanced towards Albu Faraj in the Northern parts of the city of Ramadi.
The Iraqi army and popular forces killed dozens of ISIL terrorists in the surrounding areas of Albu Faraj and destroyed their military vehicles.
In the West, the Iraqi forces backed by the Iraqi air force advanced towards the Western parts of Ramadi from al-Borisheh and Zankoureh towards the Iraqi army's 8th Brigade base.
In the South, the Iraqi army and popular forces moved towards al-Tamim region after reinforcing their positions near Al-Anbar University in the Southern parts of Ramadi.
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000403
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Iraq parliament bars govt from passing reforms
2 November 2015
Iraq’s parliament voted on Monday to bar the government from passing key reforms without its approval in an effort to restrict Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, parliamentarians said.
The chamber took the step after Abadi unilaterally passed reforms in August it considered a violation of the constitution such as sacking the vice presidents and deputy prime ministers and cutting the salaries of government employees.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/02/Iraq-parliament-bars-govt-from-passing-reforms.html
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Al-Qaeda urges fight against West and Russia
2 November 2015
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called on supporters to band together to confront the threat from the West and Russia in Syria and Iraq, the latest recording suggesting greater unity between al-Qaeda and ISIS.
"The Americans, Russians, Iranians, Alawites, and Hezbollah are coordinating their war against us -- are we not capable of stopping the fighting among ourselves so we can direct all our efforts against them?" Zawahiri said in an audio recording released on the Internet on Sunday.
It was not clear when the recording was made but references to Russian aggression suggest it was made after Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, launched air raids against opposition groups and ISIS in Syria on Sept. 30.
In a recording released in September, Zawahiri dismissed ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as illegitimate but said his followers would join them in fighting the Western-led coalition in Iraq and Syria if possible.
Full Report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/02/-Al-Qaeda-s-Zawahiri-urges-militant-unity-against-Russia.html
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Construction work on UK army base begins in Bahrain
November 2, 2015
DUBAI: Construction work has begun in Bahrain to build Britain’s first permanent military base in the Middle East since 1971, amid security threats in the region, Bahrain’s state media reported on Sunday.
“The ground-breaking ceremony for the establishment of the marine facilities headquarters in the kingdom of Bahrain” was launched on Saturday, the official BNA news agency.
The ceremony was attended by British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid al-Khalifa, it said.
The new base is part of a deal reached last year between the two countries to increase cooperation in tackling security threats in the Middle East.
Bahrain — which is part of a US-led coalition that has been carrying out air strikes on the Islamic State group (IS) in Iraq and Syria — is already home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
Britain is part of the US-led coalition but takes part only in air strikes on Iraq, with its warplanes taking off from the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus, where it also has a second garrison.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216916/construction-work-on-uk-army-base-begins-in-bahrain
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Syrian Forces Marching on Militants' Position across East, Southeast Aleppo
Nov 02, 2015
The terrorist positions in al-Hader, Kifr Halab, Khalsah, Sheikh Ahmad, al-Muqbila, al-Muflisa and Deir Hafer have massively been stormed by the Syrian army, Hezbollah fighters and National Defense Forces (NDF), the sources said.
They further added that there have been reports over mass destruction of the militants' positions and their heavy casualties as a result of the government forces operations in the abovementioned locations.
The militants' centers in East and Southeast of the Northern Aleppo city were heavily targeted by the Syrian and Russian fighter bombers before the government forces' ground operation.
On Sunday, the Syrian army won back two villages in the Northern Province of Aleppo bringing the number of the liberated villages and towns to 13.
The Syrian troops retook the villages of Tal Dadin and Shalash in Aleppo countryside from the militants on Sunday.
On Saturday, over eleven villages and towns were seized back in the joint operation of the Syrian army, Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Russian air force in the Southwestern parts of Aleppo province.
Jamima, Mariameen, Hadadi, Zahra’a, Hadidah, Maraen, Hamimeyeh, Hamidah, Hamidi, al-Meshrfeh and al-Sabhiyeh villages and towns were taken back from the terrorist groups by the government forces, sources said.
The sources further added that the militants have retreated from these areas so fast that they left behind scores of dead and wounded bodies.
Battlefield sources said on Saturday that the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Russian warplanes, were about to start the last phase of their operations to push back the terrorists from the entire city of Aleppo and its countryside.
The source said that very good cooperation and coordination among the Syrian armed forces, Hezbollah and the Russian air force, along with widening gaps, disunity and hopelessness among the ranks of the militants, promise the imminent liberation of the Northern province of Aleppo.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000724
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Syria: ISIL Terrorists Ambushed on Main Supply Route in Aleppo
Nov 02, 2015
The Syrian forces' operation against the ISIL Takfiri terrorists came on the road between al-Rahmania and al-Taana to the Northeast of Aleppo city, sources said Sunday.
The sources added a large number of terrorists were killed and wounded and their explosive devices and communication devices were seized in the operation.
Also on Sunday, the Syrian army won back two villages in the Northern Province of Aleppo bringing the number of the liberated villages and towns in the past 24 hours to 13.
The Syrian troops retook the villages of Tal Dadin and Shalash in Aleppo countryside from the militants on Sunday, according to the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television.
On Saturday, over eleven villages and towns were seized back in the joint operation of the Syrian army, Hezbollah, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Russian air force in the Southwestern parts of Aleppo province.
Jamima, Mariameen, Hadadi, Zahra’a, Hadidah, Maraen, Hamimeyeh, Hamidah, Hamidi, al-Meshrfeh and al-Sabhiyeh villages and towns were taken back from the terrorist groups by the government forces, sources said.
The sources further added that the militants have retreated from these areas so fast that they left behind scores of dead and wounded bodies.
Battlefield sources said on Saturday that the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Russian warplanes, were about to start the last phase of their operations to push back the terrorists from the entire city of Aleppo and its countryside.
The source said that very good cooperation and coordination among the Syrian armed forces, Hezbollah and the Russian air force, along with widening gaps, disunity and hopelessness among the ranks of the militants, promise the imminent liberation of the Northern province of Aleppo.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000526
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Syria: Army Continues Hunting Terrorists in Hama
Nov 02, 2015
Syrian forces killed tens of Takfiri terrorists in the villages of al-Ankawi and al-Lataminah and the town of Kafr Zita in Hama province.
On Sunday, fierce fighting erupted between the Syrian army, backed by popular defense forces, and terrorists in Hama province, leaving tens of militants dead and injured.
On Sunday, the Syrian forces clashed with a large number of terrorists who assaulted from four axes on the area surrounding Tel Hawash, al-Qabo, al-Baneh and Tel al-Sakhr to the North of Kafr Nabbudah town, sources said.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000595
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ISIL Terrorists Suffer Heavy Losses in Aleppo
Nov 02, 2015
On Sunday, Syrian army targeted ISIL positions near the air force academy in Aleppo, and killed scores of terrorists and destroyed a number of their vehicles.
Meanwhile, Syrian army troops targeted terrorists’ concentration centers in the neighborhoods of Karm Maysar, Qadi Askar and al-Mallah in Aleppo city, killing and injuring a group of militants and destroying their weapons and ammunition.
Reports also said the Syrian army ambushed ISIL terrorists on their main supply route in Aleppo province, killing a large group of terrorists.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000623
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Syrian Army Pounds Two Main Positions of Militants in Sweida
Nov 02, 2015
The sources said that ten militants were killed and many other were wounded after their gatherings came under the army's offensives in Kherbat Saad and al-Qasr.
The two concentration centers seemed to be main depots for the militants' military equipment which also suffered heavy damage in the army attacks.
Also on Monday, Syrian strikers launched massive bombing attacks in several sorties of flights over ISIL positions in the Eastern countryside of Sweida.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000578
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Syrian Forces Getting Ready to Lift Siege on Kuweires Airbase in Final Phase of Operations
Nov 02, 2015
Military sources said that the Syrian soldiers, National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Lebanese Hezbollah, who have now deployed in Sheikh Ahmad, just 2,600 meters far farm the Southern gates of the strategic Kuweires airbase, are preparing for a final joint operation to end over two-year-long siege on the airbase by the ISIL Takfiri terrorists.
The sources further added that the Russian fighter jets will play very crucial role in the abovementioned operation.
On Sunday, the Syrian army, Hezbollah fighters and popular forces won a series of tough clashes with militant groups in the Southern part of Sheikh Ahmad town in Aleppo province and are now just less then 3 kilometers to the strategic Kuweires Airbase.
The sources said that the joint operations of the Syrian army troops, Hezbollah fighters and NDF that have been underway with the Russian air backup for the last one month have forced the militant groups, specially the ISIL, to withdraw from the Southern parts of Sheikh Ahmad town near the Kuweires airbase.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000488
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New Airstrikes Hit Al-Nusra Targets in Syria's Daraa
Nov 02, 2015
Syrian fighter jets bombed militant's positions in Sahwet al-Qameh village in East of Daraa city, and killed and wounded a large number of al-Nusra terrorists.
On Sunday, scores of Takfiri militants were killed in military operations in the Syrian province of Daraa as the army continues to strike heavy blows at the terrorists across the country, sources said.
Syrian forces targeted militants' positions in al-Ghariyat road in the Northeastern countryside of Daraa, and killed a large number of terrorists.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000458
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ISIL Terrorists Sustain Heavy Losses in Syrian Airstrikes East of Sweida
Nov 02, 2015
The sources said that the ISIL centers near al-Rashida village came under attacks of the Syrian warplanes, in which the terrorist group suffered heavy casualties.
There were many military vehicle and equipment in the ISIL site which were destroyed in the Syrian air attacks.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000417
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ISIS takes Syrian town as fighting looks set to intensify
2 November 2015
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters drove Syrian government forces from a western town on Sunday, a monitoring group reported, as fighting escalated despite a flurry of diplomatic activity and talks between regional rivals.
Syrian parties to the multi-sided conflict said they saw no end to fighting between rebels and the government despite talks in Vienna on Friday that included Iran for the first time.
Iran’s supreme leader meanwhile said elections should be held to end the war, echoing a proposal by Russia that has been dismissed by President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents as a ruse by his allies to keep him in power.
It all underlines the intractable state of the four-year-long war that has killed 250,000 people and driven more than half the population from their homes, causing a refugee crisis in neighboring states and Europe.
Talks between world powers in Vienna on Friday adjourned with calls for a nationwide ceasefire but key differences remained between rivals backing opposing sides.
The war has entered an even more violent phase in the month since Russia began air strikes in support of Assad. Differences over his future remain the main obstacle in the way of diplomatic efforts.
While the United States and Russia back rival sides in the war between the government and rebels in western Syria, both are also waging separate campaigns against the ISIS group that controls wide areas of the east and the north.
ISIS, which is separately fighting both the Syrian army and rebels in western Syria, has launched several attacks on government-held areas since Damascus launched a new offensive against it east of Aleppo, backed by Russian air strikes.
In a fierce assault that began by detonating two suicide car bombs, ISIS militants took the town of Maheen in the southwest of Homs province from government forces, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Some 50 fighters on the government side were killed or wounded, and clashes raged afterwards on the outskirts of a mostly Christian town nearby, Sadad, it said.
ISIS issued a statement claiming the advance, which brought it within 20 kilometers of the north-south highway linking Damascus to Syria’s other main cities Homs, Hama and Aleppo. Syrian state media made no mention of the attack.
The Observatory’s Rami Abdulrahman said the attack might have been a response to pressures the group is under elsewhere.
On the other side of Syria in the northeastern province of Hasaka, Islamic State is facing a new offensive launched by a recently formed U.S.-backed rebel alliance.
The Observatory reported fierce fighting between the rebel alliance, including the Kurdish YPG militia, and ISIS fighters in the area of al-Houl near the Iraqi border.
The United States says it will step up its fight against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, having decided to station special forces in Syria to support rebels fighting the jihadists, and to position more U.S. jets in Turkey and expand air strikes.
Air strikes by Turkish and U.S. aircraft in Syria on Saturday killed more than 50 Islamic State militants, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency said on Sunday.
Long battle ahead
Most of the recent attacks by the Syrian army, which is backed by Russian air strikes and allied fighters from Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have focused on insurgent groups other than ISIS.
Full Report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/02/ISIS-takes-Syrian-town-as-fighting-looks-set-to-intensify.html
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Kurdish forces prepare for battle to retake Iraq’s Sinjar
1 November 2015
Kurdish forces are massing in northwest Iraq for an offensive to retake the town of Sinjar from Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants who overran it more than a year ago, killing and enslaving thousands of its Yazidi residents and triggering U.S.-led air strikes.
Sinjar is a symbolic and strategic prize sitting astride the main highway linking the cities of Mosul and Raqqa – ISIS’s bastions in Iraq and Syria.
In December 2014, Kurdish forces drove ISIS from north of Sinjar mountain, a craggy strip some 60 kilometers long, but the radical Sunni insurgents maintain control of the southern side where the town is located.
Villagers along a main road to the mountain reported seeing dozens of military transport vehicles packed with Kurdish peshmerga fighters pass in recent days.
Preparations for the offensive have been complicated by rivalry between various Kurdish and Yazidi forces in Sinjar. Peshmerga officials declined to comment on the operation, but a Kurdish security source said it would begin once the weather improved and intelligence-gathering had been completed.
The challenge, he said, would be to defend the town after it is re-captured because the offensive will open up new fronts with the militants, who have declared a medieval-style caliphate spanning parts of Iraq and Syria.
The U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State has carried out 57 air strikes in Sinjar over the past two weeks in support of the peshmerga, apparently coordinated with the planned offensive.
Authorizing the first strikes against the group in Aug. 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama cited a duty to prevent a genocide of Yazidis by Islamic State, which considers them devil-worshippers.
Rivalries
The peshmerga in Sinjar are mainly affiliated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which is accused of seeking to monopolize power by other groups arrayed against ISIS.
Many Yazidis lost faith in the KDP when its forces failed to protect them from ISIS militants who attacked Sinjar in August 2014 and systematically slaughtered, enslaved and raped thousands of them.
Full Report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/01/Kurdish-forces-prepare-for-battle-to-retake-Iraq-s-Sinjar.html
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Mideast
Turkish, US airstrikes kill over 50 IS militants in Syria
November 02, 2015
ISTANBUL/ DAMASCUS/Tehran - Air strikes by Turkish and US aircraft in Syria have killed more than 50 Islamic State militants and wounded around 30, state-run Anadolu Agency quoted security sources as saying on Sunday.
A senior government official told Reuters on Saturday that Turkish jets had bombed Islamic State targets in Syria, as before Turks prepared to vote in Sunday’s parliamentary election.
Six Turkish F-16 jets which took off from the Incirlik base in southern Turkey had been involved in the air strikes between 0900-1400 GMT on Saturday, as well as a drone belonging to the coalition, Anadolu said.
It said the operation destroyed eight Islamic State targets around 5 km inside the Syrian border near the Turkish province of Kilis. The operation was backed up by Turkmen forces on the ground in Syria, it added. Turkey vowed to take a more active role in combating Islamic State in July, as part of a multi-pronged offensive which also saw them ramp up attacks on Kurdish militants.
Since then, the Turkish military has primarily concentrated on hitting its old foe, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), although Turkish airbases have also been used by US-led coalition jets to hit IS targets in northern Syria.
Meanwhile, UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Sunday in Damascus to discuss ongoing international talks on Syria’s four-year war, state media said. The diplomat presented Muallem with a “detailed report” of talks between global powers as well as the United Nations and the European Union last week in Vienna, state news agency SANA reported. Syria’s state television said Muallem had “expressed to... de Mistura the importance of numerous points” in the statement released at the end of the Vienna talks.
But the Syrian foreign minister said he was “surprised that the statement did not include a commitment by known backers of terrorism” to stop supporting extremist groups, SANA reported.
Moreover, Iran’s supreme leader dismissed Sunday the chances of foreign countries bartering a deal over Syria’s future, suggesting they should focus on securing a halt to fighting that allows fresh elections.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also repeated his ban on direct talks with the United States about turmoil in the Middle East, saying US objectives in the region were utterly at odds with Iranian policy.
The comments, to Iran’s ambassadors and other top diplomats, were Khamenei’s first since his country joined international negotiations on the four-year Syrian conflict.
He said Syria’s people must choose who their leader would be, rather than the US and other foreign powers trying to decide for them. “The Americans seek to impose their own interests, not solve problems. They want to impose 60, 70 percent of their will,” he said, alluding to the peace talks which took place Friday in Vienna.
“So what’s the point of negotiations?” he said, insisting that military and financial support given to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad, principally from Gulf states and the US, must stop if the Syria conflict is to end.
Top diplomats from 17 countries, as well as the United Nations and the European Union, had gathered in Austria, seeking to narrow divisions over Syria’s civil war, which has killed more than 250,000.
Full Report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/02-Nov-2015/turkish-us-airstrikes-kill-over-50-is-militants-in-syria
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Army Spokesman: Saudi Claims about Ending Aggressions on Yemen Untrue, Deceptive
Nov 02, 2015
"The main purpose of such deceptive remarks are paving the ground for another proxy war against Yemen by Saudi Arabia's mercenaries from Syria, Senegal, Sudan and other countries," the Arabic-language Saba news agency of Yemen quoted Brigadier General Luqman as saying.
The Yemeni army spokesman underlined that his nation and army will not be deceived by the claims of the Saudi officials.
"If Saudi Arabia supposes that it can take charge of the Yemeni nation's fate by making such deceptive remarks it is badly mistaken," Brigadier General Luqman said.
The Saudi allegations about ending war on Yemen came as reports said late in September that Saudi Arabia had promised to pay $1mln to its mercenaries in Yemen if they conquer the entire province of Aden.
"The militias of (fugitive president) Mansour Hadi who are supported by the al-Saud have forced the residents of Aden to leave the city through their terrorist attacks," the preacher of Aden's main mosque told FNA.
The preacher added that the attacks are the result of Riyadh's promise that "if its mercenaries in Aden win full control over the province, they will be paid a one-million-dollar reward".
Also in September, local sources revealed that the Saudi-led forces fighting against the Yemeni government had hired foreign mercenaries, specially Sudanese soldiers, after they were badly defeated in the Southern port of Aden.
"Soldiers of the Sudanese army along with their vehicles were seen moving in several areas across the Southern province of Aden," the Arabic-language Al-Manar TV quoted local sources as saying.
Full Report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13940811000324
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Erdogan’s party regains majority in crucial poll
November 2, 2015
ANKARA: Turkey’s long-dominant Justice and Development Party (AKP) scored a stunning electoral comeback on Sunday, regaining its parliamentary majority in a poll seen as crucial for the future of the country.
The party founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won over 49 per cent of the vote to secure 315 seats in the 550-member parliament with nearly all votes counted, easily enough to form a government on its own.
“Today is a day of victory,” a beaming Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a crowd of supporters in his hometown. “The victory belongs to the people.”
Party wins over 49 per cent of the vote to secure 315 seats in the 550-member parliament
The outcome was a shock to many as opinion polls had predicted a replay of the June election when the AKP won only 40 per cent of the vote and lost its majority for the first time in 13 years.
It is however a huge personal victory for 61-year-old Erdogan, who may now be able to secure enough support for his ambitions to expand his role into a powerful US-style executive presidency.
Turks voted in large numbers, with the country deeply polarised in the face of renewed Kurdish violence and a wave of bloody militant attacks along with mounting concerns about democracy and the faltering economy.
Underscoring one of the key challenges ahead for a new AKP administration, police fired tear gas and water cannon on protesting Kurdish militants who set fire to tyres and pallets in the main Kurdish city of Diyarbakir.
“Sense of instability in Turkey, coupled with Erdogan’s ‘strong man who can protect you’ strategy has worked,” Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Programme at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said on Twitter.
During the election campaign, Mr Erdogan declared that only he and his loyal Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu could guarantee security, criss-crossing the country with the message: “It’s me or chaos.”
Challenges facing country
A report by the Brookings Institution think-tank had warned that whatever the outcome, “the challenges facing Turkey are growing by the day”.
It highlighted the Kurdish crisis, the parlous state of the economy and the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
The political landscape has changed dramatically in Turkey since June, with the country even more divided along ethnic and sectarian lines.
Many Turks are fearful of a return to all-out war with outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels after fresh violence shattered a 2013 truce in July, just a month after a pro-Kurdish party won seats for the first time and denied Mr Erdogan’s AKP a majority.
This time round, the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), led by charismatic lawyer Selahattin Demirtas, lost support but appeared to have scraped over the 10 per cent threshold to stay in parliament.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216958/erdogans-party-regains-majority-in-crucial-poll
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Palestinian killed after ‘attack on Israeli soldier’
2 November 2015
A Palestinian attempted to stab an Israeli soldier at a border crossing in the northern West Bank on Monday and was shot dead by the army, Israeli police said.
A second Palestinian, allegedly an accomplice, was arrested, according to police.
The attempted attack took place on the Palestinian side of a crossing between Israel and the occupied West Bank.
Full Report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/02/Knife-attack-on-Israeli-soldier-Palestinian-assailant-killed-police.html
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ISIS claims murders of Syrian activists in Turkey
2 November 2015
The ISIS militant group on Sunday posted a video claiming responsibility for the brutal murders of a Syrian anti-ISIS activist and his friend in southern Turkey last week.
The video posted online said ISIS "slaughtered" Ibrahim Abdul Qader, 20, and fellow media activist Fares Hamadi in Sanliurfa on Friday "after they conspired with the Crusaders against ISIS".
Abdul Qader had been working with the Raqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) activist group, which sheds light on ISIS atrocities in areas under militant control in Syria.
"May every apostate know that he will be slaughtered silently," the video said, in an apparent reference to the group's title.
The video then displayed a series of news reports about the RBSS group and its anti-ISIS activities.
It closed with amateur video footage of a man who appeared to be Hamadi, his throat slit.
Abdul Qader's body was not shown.
Full Report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/02/ISIS-claims-murders-of-Syrian-activist-friend-in-Turkey.html
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South Asia
Supporters of al-Qaeda and Taliban now Support Daesh: Afghan Minister of Interior
By KHAAMA PRESS - Mon Nov 02 2015
The leader of the new movement, Mullah Abdul Rauf, was a former senior Taliban commander who spent six years in Guantanamo Bay after being captured by US forces in 2001.
Daesh
Afghan Minister of Interior says that the supporters of al-Qaeda and Taliban now support Daesh (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant).
“Daesh enjoys the same safe heavens al-Qaeda, Taliban, Haqqani and other terrorist groups were using. They are in the service of the same elements,” Noor-ul-Haq Olomi said during Monday’s session of the Lower House of Parliament or Wolesi Jirga.
Olomi who was summoned to answer questions of the lawmakers regarding the worsening security situation in the country said “command of the fight is not in the hands of local militant commanders, behind them are experienced military personnel,” he said.
Full Report at:
http://www.khaama.com/olomi-supporters-of-al-qaeda-and-taliban-now-support-daesh-4078
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ISIL Recruiting And Brainwashing Afghan Children, Report
By KHAAMA PRESS - Mon Nov 02 2015
A report published by Al Jazeera states that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) is recruiting and brainwashing Afghan children to become the group’s fighters and suicide bombers.
Al Jazeera has visited two bases of ISIL in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan and talked to ISIL militants including child soldiers who have said they are ready to become suicide bombers.
Two instructors have been briefly filmed in the report during training child soldiers. One instructor is seen giving a pistol to a child of about 9-10 years in front of a line of children and tells him “hold it like this…little bit down”.
After him, another instructor appears in the video to show children how to use a Kalashnikov. “Grab the Kalashnikov in this hand,” he tells children who pay close attention to him.
The same man with long hair is seen in another place training children on grenade and firing the weapon. “This is a hand grenade…pull the trigger,” he says while a group of children sitting and watching the two being briefed.
Full Report at:
http://www.khaama.com/isil-recruiting-and-brainwashing-afghan-children-report4073
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Dissident Taliban choose Mullah Rasool as their leader
By KHAAMA PRESS - Mon Nov 02 2015
Taliban commanders who had opposed Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Masour as their Supreme Leader have formed their own group and chosed Mullah Mohammad Rasool as their leader, reports Pakistan’s The Express Tribune news agency, one of the Taliban news source.
According to the report published on Monday, the group calling themselves ‘High Council of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate’ has appointed Mullah Mansour Dadullah and Sher Mohammad Masnour as deputies to Mullah Rasool.
Mullah Mansour Dadullah is a senior Taliban commander and brother of deceased Mullah Dadullah Akhund who was a top military commander of Taliban.
Sher Mohammad Mansoor is the son of a former Jihadi leader, Maulvi Nasrullah Mansoor.
The Express Tribune’s report mentions Abdul Mana Niazi as spokesman for the splinter group of Taliban.
Full Report at:
http://www.khaama.com/dissident-taliban-choose-mullah-rasool-as-their-leader-4072
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A lone Muslim campaigns in Myanmar’s stronghold of radical Buddhism
November 02, 2015
Hnin Yadana Zaw and Andrew RC Marshall
The city of Mandalay in northern Myanmar is a Buddhist religious centre so crowded with temples, monasteries and monks that they can sometimes seem innumerable.
Much easier to count is the number of Mandalay Muslims standing in Myanmar’s historic general election on Nov. 8. That would be one. Khin Maung Thein hails from an obscure little party and runs his campaign from a cluttered, two-story home that doubles as the family printing business.
As the sole Muslim candidate in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city and a stronghold for Buddhist extremists, he is treading where giant rivals won’t dare.
Not even the front-running National League for Democracy (NLD), led by the hugely popular Aung San Suu Kyi, is fielding a Muslim candidate in Mandalay - or, indeed, anywhere else.
NLD leaders told Reuters they fear antagonising a Buddhist ultranationalist group called Ma Ba Tha, which is led by monks and wields huge influence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Ma Ba Tha says Islam is eclipsing Buddhism and has called for a boycott of Muslim businesses and a ban on interfaith marriages.
Scores of Muslim candidates have been disqualified and voting rights removed from hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar.
Experts say marginalising Muslims could reignite religious unrest, embolden Buddhist radicals and undermine the credibility of what many people hope will be Myanmar’s first free and fair election in 25 years.
Only a dozen or so Muslim candidates are now running nationwide, mostly from Khin Maung Thein’s party, the United National Congress (UNC). “Muslims have been suffering in Myanmar in recent years and this pushed us to go into parliament,” said Khin Maung Thein, a stout but youthful-looking 71-year-old.
He identifies himself as Pathi, a Muslim group with Persian blood and a centuries-old history in Myanmar, and sees the election as a chance to “restore our ethnic pride”.
He also wants to promote UNC policies such as reducing the budget of Myanmar’s all-powerful military and spending it on education instead.
“OPAQUE AND DISCRIMINATORY”
Muslims make up about 5 percent of Myanmar’s 51 million population. Religious violence has killed hundreds of people, mostly Muslims, since a military-backed civilian government took power in 2011 after nearly half a century of dictatorship. Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar’s second-largest city of Mandalay in July 2014 killed two people and left the communities on edge.
Mandalay is home to a leading Ma Ba Tha monk called Wirathu, the self-styled “Burmese bin Laden”, who is famous for his anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The group, founded in 2013 and known in English as the Committee for the Protection of Nationality and Religion, is urging people not to vote for Suu Kyi and other NLD candidates for opposing four “race and religion protection” laws.
Ma Ba Tha monks have expressed support for the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), who did back the race and religion laws. The USDP isn’t fielding Muslim candidates either.
Full Report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/02-Nov-2015/a-lone-muslim-campaigns-in-myanmar-s-stronghold-of-radical-buddhism
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Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for attacks on 2 publishers in Bangladesh
November 01, 2015
DHAKA: Statements attributed to a regional division of Al Qaeda late on Saturday claimed responsibility for attacks on two publishers in Bangladesh. The two men were stabbed, one fatally, eight months after a similar attack on Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-American known for his critical writings on religious extremism, the police said. Both publishing houses had issued Mr. Roy’s works.
The claim of responsibility by the division, Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, was made in statements posted on Twitter on Saturday. One of them said the two men were “worse than the writers of such books, as they helped propagate these books and paid the blasphemers handsome amounts of money for writing them.” A second statement, titled “Who’s Next,” describes categories of people as “our next targets.” The list includes writers, poets, intellectuals, newspaper or magazine editors, reporters and actors.
The statements will feed into a debate over whether transnational terrorism groups have an organizational presence in Bangladesh, and they follow three similar statements that said the Islamic State had carried out attacks on foreigners and Shiite Muslims. Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has been adamant that the rise in targeted violence is emanating from political opposition figures in Bangladesh, and the police have named or arrested suspects with links to two main opposition groups, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, an allied Islamist party.
Full Report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/01-Nov-2015/al-qaeda-claims-responsibility-for-attacks-on-2-publishers-in-bangladesh
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China to build 10,000 apartments in Kabul
November 01, 2015
Kabul: People’s Republic of China is building 10,000 apartments in Kabul which would be provided to government officials on long-term installments.
Minister of Urban Development Affairs and Housing says that it is the second biggest housing project in Afghanistan after the assistance of former Soviet Union.
Sayed Sadat Mansour Naderi said that upon the completion of this project, a high number of government officials who do not have own homes would find permanent shelters.
“These residential units would be constructed in a comparatively small area and would be provided to government officials, who do not have own homes or apartments, on long-term installments,” he said.
“The implementation of this project would be a big step towards the institutionalization of the concept of ‘affordable housing’ in Afghanistan which can solve the problem of homelessness. It is also one of the characteristics for the economic growth and to help improve the living condition of working-class people to middle-class.
Naderi said more than $100 billion have been spent in different areas in past 10 years which has not brought a direct positive change in the lives of poor people or those with no shelter.
“But the construction of 10,000 residential units by China is a biggest and memorable grant for the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
Full Report at:
http://nation.com.pk/international/01-Nov-2015/china-to-build-10-000-apartments-in-kabul
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700 journalists killed worldwide over the past decade
By ZABIHULLAH MOOSAKHAIL - Mon Nov 02 2015
700 journalists have been killed worldwide over the past decade for bringing news and information to the public.
United Nations say only one in ten cases committed against media workers over the past decade has led to a conviction.
“This impunity emboldens the perpetrators of the crimes and at the same time has a chilling effect on society including journalists themselves. Impunity breeds impunity and feeds into a vicious cycle.” A statement released by the UN on the eve of ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/68/163 at its 68th session in 2013 which proclaimed 2 November as the ‘International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists’. The Resolution urged Member States to implement definite measures countering the present culture of impunity. The date was chosen in commemoration of the assassination of two French journalists in Mali on 2 November 2013.
Full Report at:
http://www.khaama.com/700-journalists-killed-worldwide-over-the-past-decade-4075
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Bangladesh police probe local Islamic radicals in latest attacks on publishers
November 1, 2015
Police in Bangladesh said Sunday that they were investigating the possibility that a local radical Islamic group was behind two attacks on publishing houses in the capital this weekend that left a publisher of secular books dead and another critically wounded.
The banned group Ansarullah Bangla Team is the main focus of an investigation into Saturday’s attacks, Munirul Islam, a senior police detective, told reporters. The two publishers who were apparently targeted in the attacks had links to a blogger who was killed earlier this year in an attack claimed by Ansarullah Bangla Team.
Publisher Faisal Arefin Deepan was hacked to death in his Dhaka office in the second attack Saturday. The first attack left publisher Ahmed Rahim Tutul in critical condition, while two writers suffered less serious wounds.
Deepan’s Jagriti publishing house and Tutul’s Shudhdhoswar had both published works of Bangladeshi-American blogger and writer Avijit Roy, who was hacked to death in February as he walked on the campus of Dhaka University with his wife.
Roy is one of four atheist bloggers who have been killed in Bangladesh this year. Ansarullah Bangla Team had claimed responsibility for all four of those attacks and recently threatened to kill more bloggers.
On Sunday, the English language Daily Star newspaper reported that another publisher — Farid Ahmed of Somoy publishing house — received a death threat for publishing the works of atheists. Ahmed could not be reached for comment.
Full Report at:
http://indianexpress.com/article/world/world-news/bangladesh-police-probe-local-islamic-radicals-in-latest-attacks-on-publishers/
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Africa
12 killed as Shebab attack Somalia hotel
01 November 2015
At least 12 people were killed in the Somali capital on Sunday after Shebab gunmen used a vehicle packed with explosives to blast their way inside a hotel, police said.
The Al-Qaeda linked Shebab claimed responsibility for the attack at the Sahafi hotel, which is popular with government employees and businessmen, where they said they were still fighting security forces.
But African Union troops, battling alongside government forces, said they had taken control of the building after defeating the insurgents.
"Attackers exploded a car bomb to gain entry before going inside... we have reports of 12 dead," policeman Abdulrahid Dahir said.
Witnesses said they had seen several bodies of people killed in the inital blast, when a minibus packed with explosive was reportedly used to ram the gates of the hotel's fortified compound.
Shebab commandos then stormed inside.
"There was a huge explosion, and people around the entrance were killed," said Mohamed Ismael, a witness, who was nearby when the attack began.
Shebab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab claimed the gunmen had overrun the hotel, which is situated near the major K4 roundabout.
Full Report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/africa/165867/12-killed-as-shebab-attack-somalia-hotel
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Libyan court adjourns trial of Qadhafi’s son
November 2, 2015
TRIPOLI: Saadi Qadhafi, a son of Libya’s slain dictator Moammar Qadhafi, appeared in court on Sunday to face trial on charges of murder and repression during the 2011 revolution.
Dressed in prison-issued blue uniform, Saadi, 42, sat in the dock as the presiding judge consulted with a defence lawyer.
Minutes later the judge announced that he was adjourning the trial to Dec 6.
He gave no reason for the delay.
Qadhafi’s third oldest son had sought refuge in Niger after the 2011 armed uprising that toppled his father.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216926/libyan-court-adjourns-trial-of-qadhafis-son
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Russian intervention against Boko Haram ‘hypothetical’: France
01 November 2015
A Russian military intervention in West Africa against Boko Haram as part of a counter-terrorism operation remains "hypothetical", according to the French Foreign Ministry.
Following a meeting between Russia’s Ambassador to Niger, Alexey Doulouy, and Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou last Monday in capital Niamey, media reports suggested that Russian forces are possibly going to intervene against the terrorist group.
French diplomatic sources told Anadou Agency on Friday that the meeting is a "statement of Russia’s support for the actions of regional countries against terrorism”.
The foreign ministry source, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that it would be "premature" to discuss a Russian intervention, but that France welcomes "any counter-terrorism operations against Boko Haram”.
France "calls on the international community to mobilize [against Boko Haram]", the source said, adding that the UN Security Council, of which Russia is a permanent member, adopted a statement in July 2015 calling on world powers to support military efforts against the group in the region.
Full Report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/africa/165863/russian-intervention-against-boko-haram-hypothetical-france
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11 civilians injured in attempted Boko Haram attack on Chadian army post
Nov 1, 2015
Military forces in Chad have repelled an attack by Takfiri Boko Haram militants on an army post in the country’s Lake Chad region.
The attack was attempted on Sunday, when two bombers were killed and a third one managed to detonate his explosives.
The Chadian government said in a statement, “Two members of Boko Haram were neutralized and a third blew themselves up, wounding 11 civilians, Sunday during an attempted attack on the Bougouma army post.”
Boko Haram, which is mainly based in Nigeria, has recently expanded its terrorist activities to the African country’s neighbors, including Chad.
Tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees and Chadians displaced by Boko Haram violence have sought shelter in Lake Chad, which is shared by Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad.
A triple bomb attack on October 10 also killed 41 people at Baga Sola in Chad.
In another incident on October 6, the Takfiri Boko Haram militant group killed 11 Chadian soldiers and wounded 17 others in an attack in the country’s Lake Chad region.
Boko Haram started its militancy against the Nigerian government in 2009.
Since the beginning of 2015, the Chadian army has been involved in a regional offensive against the militants, after their attacks spread beyond Nigeria’s borders to neighboring countries, including Chad.
Full Report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/11/01/435877/Boko-Haram-Chad-Bougouma
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India
Revive Rishi-Sufi Harmonious Traditions, Reclaim the Syncretic Culture of India, says Governor, J&K
New Age Islam Special Correspondent
2 November 2015
"The Indian institutions of higher learning must try to remain sensitive to the challenges the country is facing to safeguard age-old composite culture of tolerance, pluralism, communal harmony and brotherhood"..... "These time- tested cultural practices and human values are running the risk from the forces of materialism, consumerism and hunger for power"..... "Traditionally, all guiding lights and spiritual leaders have argued against propagation of contempt and suspicion about others".
The above lofty ideas were expressed by Shri N.N. Vohra, Governor, Jammu & Kashmir at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), a central University in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion of the 95th Foundation Day Celebrations, distinguished bureaucrat and interlocutor, Shri N.N. Vohra made an impassioned plea for revival of syncretic tradition to overcome intolerance and bigotry.
In a reference to the presence of great number of Sufi shrines in the Kashmir Valley, he said: "they are visited by people from across the country as these spritual hospices do not belong to any particular religion or creed". However, Mr. N.N. Vohra felt remorseful about the fact that India had not succeeded in telling her neigbours that it had a host of problems to grapple with and had no hegemonistic designs.
Commending the efforts made by Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia to bring in new ideas and innovations into Jamia he hoped that idealism, vision and syncretic values that went into the making of the Indian institution would be strengthened further to provide leadership to the nation.
Offering an evaluation of higher education since 1947, Shri N.N. Vohra observed that India had come a long way in the arena of education both in terms of quantity and quality. It is essential, he told, that educational institutions be responsible for producing human resources with character, ethical values and inviolable integrity who could offer concrete solutions to the problems we confront as a nation. "We need not look for solutions elsewhere and remain connected to our local environment to see whether we could constructively intervene to bring around a change", he said. "The alumini, students and teachers of Jamia Millia Islamia, he further said, should come out vigorously to have start-up ventures aimed at providing solutions to the problems and challenges that are posed to our social life". It is worth mentioning that Shri N.N. Vohra was given a ceremonial welcome with a ‘Guard of Honour’ by the NCC of Jamia.
In his address, Prof. Talat Ahmad talked about the major initiatives undertaken by the university in respect of innovative courses, Global Jamia Alumni Network (GJAN) and academic cooperation with the universities both in India and abroad. He hoped that Jamia Millia Islamia would become a bastion of education and empowerment for students from Africa, Middle- East in the coming years.
Talking about Jamia’s idealism, value-based education and efforts to promote communal harmony, Dr. Sayeda Hameed, a well-known writer and translator, recipient of Padma Shri, Member of Planning Commission, emphasised that they needed to be reinforced for all-round growth of the nation. Dr. Sayeda Hameed, who delivered a Talk on “Jamia in India and the World” during the 95th Foundation Day Celebrations, asked the audience to translate books in Urdu on Jamia as they contained a world of information and were finest specimens of literature. These books informed the readers about the challenges faced by a host of inspired leaders and scholars to develop Jamia into a premier seat of learning through self sacrifice and service to the people. She also spoke about her childhood associations with Jamia Millia Islamia that later added special value to her life. The warmth and depth of her presentation moved the audience greatly.
Intrestingly, there was a Professor Mohammad Mujeeb Memorial Lecture-2015 on “Reconstruction of Islamic Thought in the Perspective of the Seerah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)”. It was organised by Zakir Husain Institute of Islamic Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia. The talk was delivred by Prof. Yaseen Mazhar Siddiqui, former Chairman, Department of Islamic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh (U.P.). Prof. Talat Ahmad, Vice-Chancellor, Jamia Millia Islamia presided over the function.
On this memorable occasion, the Jamia biradri (community) was reminded of the late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, ex-President of India and an epoch-making scientist. The Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics, Jamia Millia Islamia paid a tribute to him by hosting a daylong event called “Celebrating Kalam” on the second day of 95th Foundation Day Celebrations on October 30, 2015.
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Modernise Madrasa in Militant Hotbed in Jammu & Kashmir
M Saleem Pandit
Nov 2, 2015
SRINAGAR: A madrasa in Sopore district, one of the hotbeds of militancy in Jammu & Kashmir, is being prepped for imparting formal education along with theological study of Islam - the idea is to set an example for more such Islamic seminaries to open up to formal scholastic education.
"My aim is to revolutionize madrasas in Kashmir after I learnt that terrorists are produced in Islamic seminaries," Sohail Nasti, a doctor who has also trained as a rescue pilot, told TOI.
Nasti's international charity organization, Mother Helpage Worldwide, has worked on several projects in Kashmir in the last two decades. Modernising madrasa is the latest step, following an increasing perception that these seminaries have become breeding grounds for militants and terrorists of all shades.
The first seminary identified for modernization is Darul-Uloom Mahrajpora, Sopore, 52km from Srinagar. There are more than 12 madrasas in Sopore which are suspect, state government sources said. "We have informed the authorities (about their activities)," a top intelligence officer told TOI.
The officer recalled that in December 2006, the security forces had come to know about a full-fledged recruitment cell of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in a madrasa in Sopore, after the parents of a young student (Talib) informed the Army unit at Pattan about their son having gone missing. The boy was rescued from the Kupwara forests, and he revealed the role of the Sopore madrasas.
Speaking about his mission, Nasti, who is settled in UK, said, "We provide computers and other equipment to the madrassa to enable students to earn an honourable livelihood after education."
Full Report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/This-JK-docs-mission-Modernise-madrassa-in-militant-hotbed/articleshow/49623029.cms
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Pass Resolution Regretting Expulsion of Muslims by LTTE, Says TNA leader
02nd November 2015 05
COLOMBO:MA Sumanthiran, MP and Spokesman of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), has suggested that the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) pass a resolution regretting the en masse expulsion of Muslims from the Northern Province by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in October-November 1990.
Sumanthiran made this suggestion at a function here earlier this week to mark the 25th anniversary of the infamous expulsion of 70,000 to 90,000 Muslims.
“Just as it passed a resolution condemning the genocide conducted against the Tamils, the NPC should pass a resolution condemning the en masse expulsion of Muslims by the LTTE which amounts to ethnic cleansing. If the NPC does not do it, the world will not take the Tamils’ contention that they had been subjected to genocide, seriously,” Sumanthiran told Express on Sunday.
“The Tamils cannot condemn the misdeeds of the Sinhalese majority while ignoring the misdeeds of the Tamil majority,” the Jaffna district MP further said.
Asked if he plans to take up the matter with the NPC, which is dominated by the TNA, he said: “ I am not a member of the NPC. I have given my view. It’s for them to carry it forward.”
Full Report at:
http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/Pass-Resolution-Regretting-Expulsion-of-Muslims-by-LTTE-Says-TNA-leader/2015/11/02/article3109231.ece
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Modi ‘worst victim’ of rivals’ ideological intolerance: Jaitley
Nov 2, 2015
NEW DELHI: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday hit back at the government's critics, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the "worst victim" of ideological intolerance and called upon "well wishers" to maintain restraint so that India's growth story was not affected.
In a Facebook post, he targeted the opposition for holding up reforms in Parliament and blamed Congress and Left-leaning thinkers and activists for spreading propaganda about social strife in the country. "They wish to project India as an intolerant society. The truth is otherwise. Perpetrators of this propaganda never allowed alternative viewpoints to grow in either universities, academic institutions or cultural bodies that they have controlled. Their intolerance extends to not accepting an alternative ideological pole," Jaitley said.
In recent weeks, several writers, historians, scientists and film personalities have protested against growing intolerance and returned their awards. On Friday, Moody's ratings arm warned that Modi should rein in BJP members or lose credibility. A day later, industry leaders such as Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Biocon chairman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw expressed concern over the current situation. Their comments came hours after RBI governor Raghuram Rajan told IIT Delhi students to protect "the tradition of debate in an environment of respect and tolerance".
Full Report at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Modi-worst-victim-of-rivals-ideological-intolerance-Jaitley/articleshow/49622888.cms
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Pakistan
Security forces kill six suspected militants in Kalat
SYED ALI SHAH
November 2, 2015
QUETTA: The security forces on Sunday claimed to have killed six suspected militants in Balochistan's Kalat district, said a statement issued by Frontier Corps.
The militants belonged to a banned militant organisation, the spokesman for Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force, was quoted as saying.
The spokesman apprised that the militants were killed during an exchange of fire with the security forces in Kalat. A cache of weapons was also recovered from their possession, he added.
“Additional contingent of security personnel were called in Johan area of Kalat where the exchange of fire took place.”
The FC spokesperson said “security forces timely retaliated and killed six miscreants”.
The suspected militants were involved in incidents of target killings and bomb explosions in the area, the statement added.
The Spokesman said the dead militants were involved in targeted killings and bomb explosions in the area.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216811/security-forces-kill-six-suspected-militants-in-kalat
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Minorities participate, Christian parties boycott elections
November 02, 2015
Javed Iqbal
LAHORE - Religious leaders of minorities’ announcement of boycotting the local bodies’ election did not make much impact.
Minorities participated in the election under the banner of major political parties.
The largest religious minority in 12 districts are Christians.
Both the PML-N and PTI had devised a similar strategy in luring Christian voters.
In areas where they were in majority parties had fielded Christian candidates on the seats of chairman while in areas where they had a good presence, vice chairmen slots and some councilors were allotted to them.
For example, in UC 226 (Bahar Colony area near Model Town) PTI planted Rana Anjum Liaquat Masih (Christian) for the seat of Chairman while Saleem Seth (Muslim) had been fielded for Vice chairman.
PML-N fielded Ch Javed Yousaf (Christian) for chairman seat while Ghulam Nabi Ghouri for the slot of VC.
PML-N won both the seats.
The same pattern was observed in Christian populated areas like Youhanabad and Naseerabad.
In UC 245 and UC 246 people supported independent candidates over others.
PTI candidates Asif Sohail Khokhar and Ali Murtaza (Muslim) fought for the chairman and the Vice Chairman positions against the ruling PMLN candidate Tariq Javed Tariq whose wife Shazia Traiq is PML-N MPA.
Talking on poor PMLN performance in Christian locality, Akram Gill, a Youhanabad resident said that incidents like Youhannabad suicide blast, lynching issue, indictment of Christian community suspects and above all CM Shahbaz’ ignoring the constituency he was elected from, added to the residents’ concerns.
“The Christians preferred to vote for independent candidates in UC 245 rather than the PML-N-backed candidate, Gill held.
Voters raised their concerns against the PML-N-led Punjab government for its role against Youhannabad suicide blast and lynching cases in which 20 suspects belonging to the Christian community had been indicted by the anti-terrorism court.
Likewise, in district Faisalabad in the area of Warispura a Christian candidate had been fielded for vice chairman slot.
In Martinpur, Green Town and Yangsanabad in the district Nankana minority candidates were expected to win seats.
Pakistan Christian Alliance, a group of 20 Christian community organisations and parties boycotted the first phase of Local Bodies Elections as protest against the new law according to which minority seats in union councils would be filled through nominations of political parties.
Full Report at:
http://nation.com.pk/national/02-Nov-2015/minorities-participate-christian-parties-boycott-elections
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Supreme Judicial Council dismisses PTI petition against ECP officials
DAWN.COM | IRFAN HAIDER — 2 Nov 2015
ISLAMABAD: Supreme Judicial Council on Monday dismissed a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) petition against Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials over their alleged negligence and inability to hold free and fair polls in 2013.
This was decided in a session chaired by Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali.
The reference was filed by the lawyer’s wing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on August 26, seeking dismissal of ECP members in the light of report of Judicial Commission which was set up to probe the allegation of rigging.
Petitioner Gohar Nawaz alleged that the ECP members didn’t perform their due duties ‘honestly’ during the General Election of May 2013.
He argued that the nominated members are responsible for election irregularities and therefore they should be unseated as per Article 209 of constitution.
After initial scrutiny, the Supreme Judicial Council dismissed the reference over lack of proofs against the ECP members.
The petition also included the Judicial Commission report along with other relevant documents.
A judicial commission constituted to probe the PTI allegations of rigging in the 2013 general election had concluded in July that polls were in large part "organised and conducted fairly and in accordance with the law".
The commission constituted under a presidential ordinance on April 3 after months of a tug of war between the PTI and the PML-N — had commenced proceedings on April 9. It recorded testimonies of 69 witnesses, including politicians, government and judicial officers and journalists.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1217004/sjc-dismisses-pti-petition-against-ecp-officials
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Contract killers, facilitators to be arrested in next phase of Karachi operation: Rangers
November 2, 2015
KARACHI: Terrorists suspected of involvement in attacks on personnel of law enforcement agencies (LEA) will be apprehended in the next phase of Karachi operation, said a press release issued by Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Monday.
The Rangers said terrorists, contract killers and their facilitators involved in attacks on LEA personnel "especially police, lawyers and witnesses" will be arrested, and such elements will be eliminated in the new phase of the Karachi operation — which completed two years in September this year.
The Rangers have requested the citizens of Karachi to inform the paramilitary force about such elements on their 1101 helpline, through SMS, or via emailing at help@pakistanrangerssindh.org.
Karachi — a city of around 20 million people and Pakistan's economic capital — has been racked in recent years by criminal, ethnic, political and religious violence.
A recent wave of deadly attacks against traffic policemen has claimed the lives of nearly a dozen personnel within a few weeks. Unarmed and without any regular policing training, traffic constables were later given automated rifles, pistols and bulletproof vests by the Sindh police for self-defence.
Police authorities also sought the assistance of paramilitary Rangers to provide security to traffic police personnel in the metropolis.
Protection of witnesses in high-profile cases related to terrorism has also been a major concern. A key witness in the murder case of Sabeen Mahmud, prominent rights activist and co-founder of social forum The Second Floor (T2F), was shot dead in a suspected targeted attack earlier in September.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216984/contract-killers-facilitators-to-be-arrested-in-next-phase-of-karachi-operation-rangers
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PPP ‘alive and kicking’, claims Zardari
SYED IRFAN RAZA
November 2, 2015
ISLAMABAD: PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that the results of the first phase of local government elections in Sindh and Punjab were proof that the party was very much alive and had the support of the people.
Brushing aside claims by rivals and political analysts that the PPP was in decline and had lost popular support, he said: “I wish to felicitate the PPP candidates who won the LG polls and [demonstrated] yet again that contrary to the predictions of gloom and doom by some self-styled analysts, the party, far from down and out, is buoyant and resilient.”
The PPP, which ruled the country from 2008 to 2013, had faced the worst defeat in the last general elections and it was believed that its political graph had fallen to an unprecedented level mainly because of faulty decisions and policies of Mr Zardari.
Also read: PML-N emerges leader in Punjab, PPP ahead in Sindh
In the statement issued from Dubai, where the PPP leader has been camped out for a few months now – he was quoted as saying: “[We] hope that with the completion of next phases of LG polls in the two provinces, power will be genuinely transferred to the elected representatives at the grassroots level, as an essential ingredient of democracy.”
Meanwhile, PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar quoted the former president as saying: “Local bodies’ polls and empowering these bodies means much more than the mere transfer of power to the representatives of the people. It also means the creation of a vast body of new stakeholders in the democratic system that will strengthen democracy itself. The [more] the stakeholders, the stronger democracy and democratic institutions will be.”
The PPP co-chairman also expressed shock and grief at the deaths of over a dozen people in clashes between the supporters of rival candidates in Khairpur and Faisalabad and other parts of Punjab and said that in the presence of proper measures, these unfortunate incidents of election-related violence could have been avoided.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216974/ppp-alive-and-kicking-claims-zardari
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PTI seeks military justice in worker’s killing
November 2, 2015
FAISALABAD: Scores of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers on Sunday staged a protest demonstration and blocked traffic at Korian Wala Bridge, close to the outhouse of Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, over the killing of their worker.
The protesters demanded trial of the case in military court, saying the police would not dispense justice.
The D Type Colony police have registered a terrorism case against about three dozen people including PML-N MPA Tahir Jameel.
On Saturday, 30-year-old PTI activist Mubashir was killed and five others suffered injuries when some people opened fire on them near Korian Wala bridge. The supporters of PML-N’s Awan group and the opponents exchanged harsh words when PTI’s Fayyaz Rehmat, a winner of councillor slot, took out a celebratory rally. Awan group allegedly opened fire injuring Adnan Majid, 17, Ahmad Raza, 27, Irfan, 30, Faryad Barkat, 30, Razzaq, 40 and Mubashir Atta, 30. Mubashir breathed his last on the spot, while Rescue 1122 shifted others to hospital.
Police register terror case against MPA, others
A doctor of the DHQ hospital said Adnan was critical and he was shifted to the Allied Hospital’s ICU.
The protesters told reporters that in December last year, PTI worker Haq Nawaz was killed by the PML-N activists and justice had not been done so far. They said all the accused were set on bail.
Full Report at:
http://www.dawn.com/news/1216886/pti-seeks-military-justice-in-workers-killing
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2 PTI activists killed in Nankana Sahib
November 02, 2015
NANKANA SAHIB - Firing during local body elections in Nankana Sahib yesterday claimed lives of two Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers and injured two others.
Supporters of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI fell into a brawl and opened fire which killed two workers.
Police reached the scene but party activists refused to talk to them.
PTI leaders stated that workers were going to the party office with election results when they were shot dead.
The injured were shifted to hospital where their condition is said to be critical whereas protests are also underway at various places.
Separately, a PTI worker on Saturday was shot dead near Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah’s dera.
Full Report at:
http://nation.com.pk/national/02-Nov-2015/2-pti-activists-killed-in-nankana-sahib
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Europe
British FM Says It’s ‘Business As Usual’ With Saudi Arabia
1 November 2015
British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond has said his country’s working relationship with Saudi Arabia is deep rooted and strong, despite recent media reports of tension between Riyadh and London.
In a special interview with Al Arabiya News at the 11th annual International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)’s Manama Dialogue, which concludes today in the Bahraini capital, Hammond described the status of British-Saudi relations as “business as usual.”
The United Kingdom has recently withdrawn a £5.9 mln prisons contract that would have provided a "training needs analysis" for Saudi prison service staff.
Also in recent weeks, observers have noticed intensified critical coverage of Saudi Arabia by a number of British media outlets, in which some pundits had repeatedly called for further cancelations of business contracts and a revision of the overall relationship between the two countries.
In response, Prince Mohammad bin Nawaf – the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom - wrote a scathing op-ed published in The Daily Telegraph warning of an “alarming change” in Britain's attitude towards Saudi Arabia after what he described as “breaches in mutual respect.”
However, Mr. Hammond had spent some time in Riyadh last week where he met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, along with the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
He also held lengthy discussions with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, first during the Syria peace talks in Vienna and then again yesterday at the Manama Dialogue conference.
During those meetings, Mr. Hammond said he sought reassurances from Saudi Arabia that “he wasn’t missing anything,” and that he received reassurances that the relationship was “excellent” and that “there was no problem at all.”
“I wouldn’t have had a 45-minute audience with the king otherwise,” the British FM told Al Arabiya News.
As for the recently cancelled prison training deal, Hammond explained that Justice Secretary Michael Gove had made a decision not to continue the process – because he did not want to divert resources from his department to overseas work.
“The new Justice Secretary wanted to concentrate on reforms of prisons in the UK, where we actually have a big problem including the one of radicalization by extremists.
“It is no secret that I and others argued that even though this wasn’t in accordance with his (Gove’s) departmental agenda, we would have preferred for the contract with Saudi Arabia to have been entered into as a sign of good faith.
“We didn’t win that argument and we pulled out of the contract. It is an irritation to our Saudi partners and I understand that as foreign minister,” he added.
However, Hammond emphasized that the British-Saudi relationship is “deep rooted and broad-ranging” adding that such a relation will “not be brought down by one small contract that we decided we couldn’t go ahead with.”
“It is business as usual, and the reason we do business together (with Saudi Arabia) is because it’s in our mutual best interest. We support each other in security, we work together on cyber, counter-terrorism, defense collaboration, we support each other’s security, supported the Saudi-led coalition in its actions in defense of the Yemeni government,’ he added.
Full Report at:
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/11/01/British-Foreign-Secretary-Philip-Hammond-Interview.html
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German coalition fails to reach agreement on refugees plan
Nov 1, 2015
Germany’s ruling coalition has failed to reach an agreement on a single refugee policy as the country is facing the largest ever influx of asylum seekers in decades.
On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said the coalition’s rulers had failed to iron out differences over the situation after two rounds of talks over the weekend.
He added that the "grand coalition" leaders would meet again on Thursday for further negotiations, ahead of a conference of German state leaders.
"They agree on several points, as well as on several points that still need to be resolved including the issue of 'transit zones’," Seibert said.
Merkel’s spokesman was referring to a proposal to establish airport-style processing points along the country’s borders in order to allow a more convenient return for asylum seekers who do not meet requirements.
The meeting was set up after the Christian Social Union's (CSU) Horst Seehofer threatened the chancellor with consequences if she failed to limit the number of asylum seeker arrivals by the end of the weekend.
Full Report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/11/01/435868/Germany-Merkel-CSU-Seibert
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Arctic attracting new military scrutiny
31 October 2015
In 2013, US President Barack Obama said the Arctic was "peaceful, stable, and free of conflict" as he laid out a national strategy for the region.
But just two years later, the rapid retreat of ocean ice cover, a newly emboldened Russia and the covetous gaze of nations keen to exploit new shipping lanes and vast mineral wealth are putting the Arctic's longstanding stability under pressure.
"The Arctic is a region that is getting more and more important," US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Friday as he visited troops at Fort Wainwright in the Alaskan city of Fairbanks, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south of the Arctic Circle.
"It'll be important to the United States, it'll be important to other countries. It'll be important that we keep the peace and a rules-based kind of order."
Alaska and the Arctic are of key strategic importance for the United States.
Missile defense systems are here and planes can overfly the North Pole to quickly reach destinations across the Northern Hemisphere.
But budget constraints mean the Pentagon is weighing plans to slash the presence of some 2,600 specialized cold-weather troops at a base in Anchorage.
Meanwhile, Russia launched elaborate Arctic war games this summer involving thousands of troops as it tries to bolster claims to the region's vast hydrocarbon and mineral wealth.
And when Obama visited Alaska the following month, five Chinese naval vessels were spotted in the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska. It was believed to be the first time Chinese military ships were seen in the area.
Critics of the Obama administration say the United States is failing to grasp an urgent need to boost US military might in the Arctic region.
"Am I predicting a Russian invasion of Alaska next week? No. But does it make sense to be withdrawing our well-trained Arctic warriors in the face of this? Strategically it doesn't make any sense," Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska told AFP.
A 2013 Pentagon strategy document for the Arctic warned against promoting a high profile for the US military in the region, saying it could trigger escalating rivalries with other armies.
"There is some risk that the percepton that the Arctic is being militarized may lead to an 'arms race' mentality," it said.
A new 'cold' war?
After Vladimir Putin began his third term as Russian president in 2012, he started trying to boost his country's dominance in its Arctic region.
Sullivan this week read out a list of alarming statistics to the Senate Armed Services Committee about Russia's military commitment.
He said a new Russian Arctic command will include four new Arctic brigades, 50 airfields by 2020, increased long-range air patrols by Russian bombers and a total of 40 conventional and nuclear icebreakers, with 11 more planned.
Many of the bases will be refurbished Cold War facilities that had fallen into disrepair after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
By contrast, the United States only has two icebreakers and one of them is broken, Sullivan said. He suggested America needs at least four more.
"It's a joke," he said of the Pentagon's current Arctic plans. "It's not a serious military strategy document."
Full Report at:
http://www.worldbulletin.net/europe/165844/condolences-pour-in-for-russian-plane-crash-in-egypt
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Latvia considering sending troops to Iraq: Official
Nov 2, 2015
Latvian is considering sending military personnel to Iraq on a non-combat mission to join a purported US-led military campaign against the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, a defense official says.
Latvian Defense Ministry spokesman Kaspars Galkins ruled out a “combat role” by the military forces if the deployment does occur, saying the forces would train local units to fight terrorists if a political decision is made to send them to the Arab country, Sputnik news service reported.
“In any case, politicians are to decide on Latvia’s participation in this operation,” the spokesman stressed.
He did not provide any information about the potential number of the soldiers that may be dispatched to Iraq from Latvia, a NATO member state.
Other NATO countries
Estonian daily Postimees also reported on October 26 that Estonia, another NATO member, may send its military personnel to Iraq to train soldiers fighting against Daesh terrorists.
On April 14, Hungarian lawmakers voted to dispatch up to 150 soldiers to help guard a military training center in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region as part of the US-led military coalition.
Full Report at:
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2015/11/02/435944/Latvia-soldiers-Iraq-USled-coalition-Daesh-Takfiri-militants
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Southeast Asia
Angkasa: Consortium of mosque cooperatives to be set up by year end
November 2, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 ― A consortium of mosque cooperatives will be set up in the country, latest by end of the year, Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) president Datuk Abdul Fattah Abdullah said.
He said the consortium, the first of its kind in the country, would be set up to assist mosque cooperatives to carry out large-scale business.
“A total of RM1 million has been allocated for the establishment of the consortium and we are just waiting for the Cooperative Commission of Malaysia to approve it.
“For a start, a total of nine mosque cooperatives in the country have agreed to join the consortium,” he said.
Full Report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/angkasa-consortium-of-mosque-cooperatives-to-be-set-up-by-year-end
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Najib: Govt does not force people to convert to Islam
Nov 1, 2015
KOTA KINABALU - The Barisan Nasional government does not practice a policy of forcing people to convert to Islam, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Assuring that the Government was not behind any forced conversion activities in Sabah, he said if such activities were being carried out, it was probably the work of individuals and complaints should be lodged with the state government so appropriate action can be taken.
"There might be some individuals, but this is not our approach nor the aim of the BN government," he said when opening the Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) triennial congress here on Sunday.
Najib said this in response to PBRS president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup's policy speech, which highlighted alleged conversion of non-Muslim natives into Islam through dubious means in Sabah.
"If someone wants to convert, that is fine. But I guarantee this is not our policy," said Najib said.
Full Report at:
http://news.asiaone.com/news/malaysia/najib-govt-does-not-force-people-convert-islam
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Malaysia’s ‘Islam’ has negative impact on Singapore, says lecturer
BY LOOI SUE-CHERN
31 October 2015
Malaysia’s brand of Islam has a negative impact on its neighbour across the causeway, a Singaporean academic said today.
Dr Nawab Osman, from Nanyang Technology University, said a puritanical mindset and intolerance has begun to seep into Singapore and Malaysia was one of the contributing factors.
“Singapore is where Malaysia was about 10 years ago. The impact of Malaysia’s Islam is real.
“When (well-known Malaysian preacher) Ustaz Azhar Idrus came to Singapore, 10,000 people went to his talk,” he said at the “Maqasid Shariah in a Constitutional Democracy” forum in Penang organised by G25 and think-tank Penang Institute today.
Speaking on Islamic revivalism and its socio-political impact, Nawab cited incidents in the island republic, such as the issue of Muslim women wearing headscarves, as an indication of the shift of Islam in Singapore.
He said as a secular state, headscarves were not allowed in Singaporean schools and certain departments, but the issue was the subject of a huge debate last year.
“A group of people advocated for headscarves to be allowed because it is their fundamental right to profess religion.
“But a few months later, the same group of people were in a wear white campaign opposing the Pink Dot annual rally by the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) group.
“The argument was those people should not be allowed to express their sexual orientation. That was the big contradiction.
“The same people who argued for their rights to be respected, had no qualms to argue that the rights of others should be denied. That mindset is very entrenched,” he said.
Nawab also asked why the Islamic trend in Malaysia was not going in the same direction as others in the Muslim world, which were moving towards a post-Islamic phase.
“Why is it not the case in Malaysia, although it does have (Parti) Amanah (Negara)? It has not taken strong root,” he said.
Earlier, Nawab also spoke briefly on how Malaysia had taken a stronger Islamic tone with ruling party Umno facing Islamist party PAS.
Full Report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysias-islam-has-negative-impact-on-singapore-says-lecturer
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Civil servants among 8 arrested over links with terror groups
2 November 2015
Eight Malaysians, including two civil servants, have been detained for their links to terror groups Tandzim al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), police said.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said that six of the alleged terrorists are remnants of the Tandzim al-Qaeda who went into hiding when their senior leaders were arrested in February 2013.
"Two of the suspects, 24 and 33 years old, are suspected to be part of the Tandzim al-Qaeda Malaysia were arrested in Lebanon on October 12, 2012 for trying to infiltrate into Syria to join terrorists," Khalid said in a statement today.
The younger detainee was a former civil servant from Selangor while the other had worked as an electrician in Kuala Lumpur.
"They were escorted back to Malaysia on October 30, 2015 and were arrested as soon as they reached Malaysian soil."
The other four, aged between 22 and 36, are also suspected to be part of the terror group and were picked up around Selangor and Johor, Khalid said.
The IGP said another two suspects, both aged 28, with alleged links to Isis, are members of the same cell as two other civil servants who were arrested on August 19 this year.
"The cell has been active in spreading the ideology of Isis terror group among civil servants in that particular department," he added.
Full Report at:
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/civil-servants-among-8-arrested-over-links-with-terror-groups
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Najib’s lawyers to advise PM to battle WSJ in Malaysian courts instead of US
BY IDA LIM
November 2, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 ― Lawyers for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak disclosed today that they will advise their client to mount his defamation lawsuit against Wall Street Journal (WSJ) here instead of in the US where the daily is based.
They explained that this was because Najib’s reputation is greater in Malaysia.
“We are inclined to advise him to file it in Malaysia,” Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun told reporters when met at the Duta Court Complex here this morning.
The lawyer said the prime minister intends to sue WSJ for its allegedly defamatory words in its online report linking him to the controversies surrounding state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) instead of its print version.
Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, another member of Najib’s legal team, said that a plaintiff always has the choice of where he wants to file his lawsuit.
“If a politician is from Malaysia, why should he have to go and sue in a foreign jurisdiction?
“I think one's reputation is where one lives, rather than suing in a place where one doesn't really live or have that great of a reputation as where one lives,” he told reporters.
“It's all governed by conflict of law rules under private international law, defamation is you sue where your reputation is the greatest, where it's affected the most, you don't sue in a country where it's not affected as much,” Firoz Hussein added.
The lawyers were asked why Najib had not opted to file the defamation suit against WSJ publisher Dow Jones & Co in the US, where there would be no concern of the firm invoking a legal immunity against the enforcement of defamation suit decisions by courts outside the US.
In the same press conference, Hafarizam denied that there was a move to delay the filing of the defamation suit against Dow Jones, saying that he had started sending letters to the publisher within five days after the alleged defamatory articles were published in July.
Hafarizam said he had already made clear that Najib's cause of action is a defamation suit and would need Dow Jones' confirmation on whether they would rely on the US legal immunity, adding later that he cannot “force” them to reply despite the risk of the case stagnating.
“I am waiting for their clear answer, then I am going to decide whether we are going to file ― of course here and definitely not in US.
“It's not about delaying, it's about doing it right for the first time because I don't want the suit suddenly to be knocked off on technicality and the main issue is sidetracked, it is no longer about Wall Street Journal but our inability and inefficiency that the suit is dismissed,” he said.
Full Report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/najibs-lawyers-to-advise-pm-to-battle-wsj-in-malaysian-courts-instead-of-us
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Free Anwar, opposition says again after UN group rules his detention illegal
BY JOSEPH SIPALAN
November 2, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 ― Putrajaya is duty bound as a member of the United Nations (UN) to release Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim unconditionally, after a working group in the world body asserted today his detention violates international law, the federal opposition said today.
PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said the UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had unanimously ruled that the former opposition leader's detention since February this year is illegal, after some two months of an in depth study of the case by experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council.
Full Report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/free-anwar-opposition-says-again-after-un-group-rules-his-detention-illegal
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Cops nab eight terrorist suspects across Selangor, Perak, Johor
November 2, 2015
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 ― In a simultaneous sting across three states last Friday, counter-terrorism police arrested eight Malaysian men suspected linked to violent militant groups Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS).
The men, aged between 22 and 36, were picked up from various locations in Selangor, Perak and Johor and are currently held under the Security Measures Act (Special Measures) 2012 (Sosma), a law that allows for detentions without trial for up to 28 days.
Two of the men, aged 28, are government servants believed to belong to the same IS cell as two other suspects that had been nabbed earlier on August 19, ostensibly for spreading the global terror group’s ideology, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abu Bakar Khalid said in a statement today.
The other four men arrested in the last operation are said to be the remnants of a local branch of Al Qaeda known as Tandzim Al Qaeda Malaysia, that had escaped a previous police operation in February 2013.
Former military personnel, Yazid Sufaat, was the first Malaysian to be held under the controversial anti-terrorism law drawn up as a replacement for the highly-criticised Internal Security Act (ISA) that has since been abolished.
Full Report at:
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/cops-nab-eight-terrorist-suspects-across-selangor-perak-johor
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North America
55% of Calif. Muslim Students Bullied: Study
31 October 2015
CAIRO – A US Muslim civil rights groups has warned that more than 55 percent of American Muslim students are facing bullying and discrimination in California schools, via administrators, teachers, textbooks and peers.
“Many students struggle with poor performance and internalize their feelings,” said Fatima Dadabhoy, a senior civil rights attorney at the Council on American-Islamic Relation (CAIR) was quoted by Orange County Register.
“It’s a struggle trying to balance their American side while still respecting their religion.”
The study titled, “Mislabeled: The Impact of School Bullying and Discrimination on California Muslim Students”, was released on Friday, October 30, by CAIR California's chapter.
It details the results of a 621-student survey in which 55 percent said they have experienced religion-based bullying.
The bullying, officials for CAIR said at their Anaheim office in a Friday press conference, often affects the ability of students to learn and feel comfortable in school.
Much of the report reflects the negative perceptions and forms of discrimination many in the Muslim community have faced since 9/11.
These problems include peers calling Muslim students names and accusing them of being terrorists, students grabbing the hijab, a headscarf worn by many Muslim women, and teachers saying Muslim students don’t understand something because they aren’t American.
Researchers explained that more male Muslim students than female Muslim students report experiencing Islamophobia, yet more girls report being discriminated by a teacher or administrator at school.
Full Report at:
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/americas/495941-55-of-calif-muslim-students-bullied-study.html
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