Muslim Man’s Houses Set on Fire over Alleged Cow Slaughter in Jharkhand
New Age Islam News Bureau
3 Sept 2017
Photo: Iraqi army and Shia Popular Mobilization Forces in al-Ayadiya, northwest of Tal Afar, Nineveh province, Iraq, August 2017. Photo: Reuters
• More Than 2,000 Islamic State Militants Killed In Iraq’s Tal Afar
• Israeli Mayor Storms Mosque to Silence Loudspeakers
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India
• Muslim Man’s Houses Set on Fire over Alleged Cow Slaughter in Jharkhand
• Vishwa Hindu Parishad to Take 'Love Jihad' Issue Nationwide
• Cabinet reshuffle: RSS member Anantkumar Hegde faces charges for linking Islam to terrorism
• Bitter Eid for Rohingyas in NCR; Faridabad Villagers Thrash Refugees over Buffaloes
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Arab World
• More Than 2,000 Islamic State Militants Killed In Iraq’s Tal Afar
• Iraqi Popular Forces Warn to Target US Forces after Defeating ISIL Terrorists
• Saudi king says kingdom has made progress in tackling terrorism
• Iraqi Police Reinforcements Sent to Kirkuk Preparing for ISIL haven’s Invasion
• Last major pocket of ISIS terrorists' resistance in central Syria eliminated – Russian MoD
• Huge blasts heard in Islamic State’s haven in southwest of Kirkuk
• US Forces Preventing Dispatch of Humanitarian Aid to Stranded Family Members of Gunmen in Central Syria
• Raqqa: Syrian Army Makes Fresh Gains in War on ISIL in Push towards Deir Ezzur
• Envoy: Iran to Support Baghdad-Erbil Agreement
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Mideast
• Israeli Mayor Storms Mosque to Silence Loudspeakers
• Takfiris Fighting Islam under US Guidance: Iranian Commander
• Noor Bank wins ‘Innovator in Islamic Finance’ Award
• Iranian pilgrims return to hajj in Mecca as Iran-Saudi rivalry eases
• Iran tests home-grown air defence system: official
• Iran Rejects UN Human Rights Report
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Pakistan
• Pakistan Will Be Defended, Announces China
• Will face courts in Benazir murder case: Musharraf
• Ghani offers comprehensive talks to Pakistan
• Zardari not interested in probe into Benazir’s murder: Naheed
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South Asia
• Taliban Insurgents Suffer Casualties In Kandahar And Paktika Operations: MoD
• 73,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, estimates UNHCR
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Southeast Asia
• Rohingya Muslims Flee As More Than 2,600 Houses Burned In Myanmar's Rakhine
• Indonesian Muslims Condemn Deadly Violence against Myanmar's Rohingya
• Myanmar urges Rohingya Muslims to help hunt insurgents amid deadly violence
• Works Ministry to repair the damaged Bandar Springhill mosque soon
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Africa
• Al-Shabaab claims it killed 26 Somali soldiers near port of Kismayu
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Europe
• Russian DM: ISIL Soon to Suffer Strategic Defeat in Syria
• Makeshift mosques on police radar
• Austria Building Wall to Protect Gov’t Buildings amid Terror Threat
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North America
• Muslims at Haj Are Worried About Trump's Policies towards Them
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
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Muslim man’s houses set on fire over alleged cow slaughter in Jharkhand
Sep 3, 2017
Three houses of Muslim man were set on fire for allegedly slaughtering cows on Eid ul-Adha in Jharkhand, reported Hindustan Times.
The incident took place in Naitand village of Giridh district in Jharkhand.
Rahman Mian had allegedly slaughtered three cows near his residence for distribution among the local members of the Muslim community, said police.
“The situation is under control. However, our men are deployed in the area as a precautionary measure,” Giridih superintendent of police Akhilesh B Variar told the daily.
Police said that extra security forces were deployed and the situation is now under control.
In June, a man was beaten up in Jharkhand after a dead cow was reportedly found outside his house
A mob also set the house of Usman Ansari on fire after they spotted the carcass of a cow. The victim was injured and 50 policemen were also injured after a mob pelted stones.
In another incident, a man was beaten to death by a mob on suspicion that he was carrying beef in his vehicle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had denounced cow vigilantes and asked people to beware of its 'fake' protectors trying to divide society and the country and asked the states to severely punish them.
dnaindia.com/india/report-muslim-man-s-houses-set-on-fire-over-alleged-cow-slaughter-in-jharkhand-2542580
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More than 2,000 Islamic State militants killed in Iraq’s Tal Afar
September 3, 2017
BAGHDAD,— The Iraqi forces killed over 2,000 Islamic State (IS) militants and more than 50 suicide bombers during a major offensive to free Tal Afar area in west of Mosul, the Iraqi military said on Saturday.
“The IS total casualties in the blitzkrieg during the period from Aug. 20 to 31 were more than 2,000 terrorists and over 50 suicide bombers, along with destroying and detonating of 77 car bombs, 71 booby-trapped buildings and 990 roadside bombs,” Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said at a televised press conference.
More than 40,000 Iraqi fighters from the Iraqi army, federal police and its commandos known as Rapid Response forces and Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces, in addition to ten brigades of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters, participated in the offensive, which was supported by Iraqi and international coalition aircraft, Yarallah said.
Yarallah also said that the Iraqi forces sustained 115 martyrs and 679 wounded during the 12-day battles to liberate Tal Afar and its surrounding areas, including the towns of Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah.
“Those who take a look at this figure (Iraqi forces casualties) will realize that fierce battles took place in Tal Afar area,” Yarallah said.
The troops evacuated a total of 40,758 people from the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas before and during the offensive, 18,822 before Aug. 20 and 21,936 others during the 12-day offensive, Yarallah said.
The Tal Afar area is about 3,206 square km, which consists of the city of Tal Afar and three towns: Zummar, which is under control of the Kurdish security forces, Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah, which were freed from IS militants during the offensive.
The whole Tal Afar area consists of 47 villages scattered around the city and its three towns.
The majority of the population in the Tal Afar area are Sunni and Shiite Turkomans, in addition to the Kurds and other minorities.
On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared full liberation of the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas from the extremist IS militants.
“I declare to you that Tal Afar has joined the liberated Mosul and returned to the homeland,” Abadi said in a statement issued by his office.
“The joy of victory has been completed and the entire province of Nineveh has become in the hands of our heroic forces,” Abadi said.
The PM also vowed to defeat IS group all over Iraq, saying “wherever you (IS militants) are, we are coming for liberation, and you have no choice but to die or surrender”.
On Aug. 20, Abadi, also the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to dislodge IS militants from Tal Afar area, including Ayadhiyah, which is the last IS redoubt in the province of Nineveh.
ekurd.net/islamic-state-killed-tal-afar-2017-09-03
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Israeli mayor storms mosque to silence loudspeakers
Sun Sep 3, 2017
An Israeli mayor has stormed a mosque in north-central Israel accompanied by police officers, trying to bully the local imam into lowering the volume of loudspeakers.
Yair Revivo, the mayor of the city of Lod, which is located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) southeast of Tel Aviv, entered the Dahamshe Mosque at dawn on Friday, protesting at the volume at which the religious leader was broadcasting his sermon, Israeli paper Ha’aretz reported.
A confrontation emerged, with the police pushing back at the worshipers and turning the volume down.
Before bursting into the mosque, the mayor had called the police saying he wanted to stop the broadcast altogether, and reportedly tried to stop people from filming him while inside.
The Israeli police say they have reached an “agreement” forbidding broadcasts of sermons through mosques’ loudspeakers, and are to question the imam for “violating noise regulations.”
Back in March, the Israeli parliament, Knesset, gave preliminary approval to a controversial bill banning Muslim calls to prayers from being announced via loudspeakers at mosques in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The "muezzin" bill was approved after a heated discussion that turned into shouting matches between the ruling coalition members and Arab lawmakers. Some Arab parliamentarians tore copies of the bill, which led to their expulsion from the chamber.
Tel Aviv regularly tampers with issues of sensitivity to Muslims.
It imposed a three-day-long closure on the al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds after a deadly shootout outside the compound on July 14. It later barred Palestinians under 50 years of age and placed metal bars at the entrances to the area.
Israeli forces are seen during clashes with Palestinians near the settlement of Beit El, on the outskirts of the city of Ramallah in Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank, on July 28, 2017. (Photo by AFP)
More than a dozen Palestinians were killed in the ensuing tensions, after which the regime finally removed the metal bars, but has been monitoring the gateways with CCTV cameras.
presstv.com/Detail/2017/09/03/533861/Israel-Lod-Mayor-Yair-Revivo
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India
Muslim man’s houses set on fire over alleged cow slaughter in Jharkhand
Sep 3, 2017
Three houses of Muslim man were set on fire for allegedly slaughtering cows on Eid ul-Adha in Jharkhand, reported Hindustan Times.
The incident took place in Naitand village of Giridh district in Jharkhand.
Rahman Mian had allegedly slaughtered three cows near his residence for distribution among the local members of the Muslim community, said police.
“The situation is under control. However, our men are deployed in the area as a precautionary measure,” Giridih superintendent of police Akhilesh B Variar told the daily.
Police said that extra security forces were deployed and the situation is now under control.
In June, a man was beaten up in Jharkhand after a dead cow was reportedly found outside his house
A mob also set the house of Usman Ansari on fire after they spotted the carcass of a cow. The victim was injured and 50 policemen were also injured after a mob pelted stones.
In another incident, a man was beaten to death by a mob on suspicion that he was carrying beef in his vehicle.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had denounced cow vigilantes and asked people to beware of its 'fake' protectors trying to divide society and the country and asked the states to severely punish them.
dnaindia.com/india/report-muslim-man-s-houses-set-on-fire-over-alleged-cow-slaughter-in-jharkhand-2542580
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Vishwa Hindu Parishad to Take 'Love Jihad' Issue Nationwide
Sep 3, 2017
The saints or 'mahanta' associated with the group will go on door-to-door campaign to tell families not to let their children marry in another religion.
With the Supreme Court ordering a NIA probe into the alleged 'love jihad' case in Kerala, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is mobilising its cadres all over India to make people aware about the phenomenon.
The saints or 'mahanta' associated with the group will go on door-to-door campaign to tell families not to let their children marry in another religion. These mahants — senior most in each sect — will take charge of their own districts to organise camps and meetings and discuss the issue with local residents.
"After the Kerala High Court agreed that the phenomenon called love jihad actually exists, it has made us more determined to make people aware about the issue. Hence, our saints have decided to launch a campaign to make people aware about the issue. This call was taken in the Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal meeting, which took place in Haridwar in July," Vinod Bansal, VHP spokesperson told DNA.
Kendiya Margdarshak Mandal meeting is an annual event of VHP where saints including the Shankaracharyas from across the country meet and deliberate on various issues. The discussions and deliberations are also presented in front of the government to suggest various steps. Among other issues discussed in the meet was alleged forceful conversion of Hindu girls to Islam for marriage in some parts of the country, especially in Kerala.
"Mahantas associated with us will be working specially in Kerala where they will involve the local RWAs and trade unions to hold meetings with people. In the northeast, there are some tribal areas where some catholic institutions convert tribals into Christianity for better jobs. These are the areas where we want to focus more," Bansal added.
The Kerala HC in May this year had annulled the marriage of a 24-year-old girl in Kerala based on her father's petition. The woman, who had embraced Islam to marry a mulsim man, told the court that she got married and converted on her own free will, but the court thought otherwise. In a 100-page-long order, the court had further directed the DGP of the state to conduct a comprehensive investigation into cases of 'love jihad' and forced conversions.
This is for the first time that an official stamp of recognition was given to idea of 'love jihad' propounded by Hindutva groups.
dnaindia.com/india/report-vhp-to-take-love-jihad-issue-nationwide-2542509
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Cabinet reshuffle: RSS member Anantkumar Hegde faces charges for linking Islam to terrorism
Sep, 03 2017
New Delhi: A hardcore RSS member and a controversial politician Anantkumar Hegde has emerged as a dark horse to find a ministerial slot.
A five-time Member of Parliament from Uttara Kannada Lok Sabha constituency, having entered the Parliament at the age of 28, he is currently the member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs and Human Resources.
File image of Anantkumar Hegde. PTIFile image of Anantkumar Hegde. PTI
Born on 20 May, 1968 at Sirsi in Uttara Kannada to a Brahmin family, Hegde is intermediate educated, and has an interest in Tae Kwon Do (Korean martial arts).
Currently the Karnataka BJP vice president, he is also the founder president of Kadamba, a national-level NGO working in the field of rural development, rural health, formation of self help groups, rural marketing among others.
He has also been the member of various parliamentary committees during his successive tenure as the member of Lok Sabha.
Hegde in March last year had sparked a controversy over his reported remarks allegedly linking Islam to terrorism, and is facing a case under IPC in this regard.
He had allegedly assaulted doctors at a private hospital in Sirsi in January this year, accusing them of not giving proper treatment to his mother. The CCTV images of the incident had gone viral.
Hegde’s pick has come as a surprise in Karnataka political circles as his name had not figured in the probables for ministerial birth from the state with a speculation that a Member of Parliament from a dominant Lingayat community, BJP’s strong vote base, would be inducted.
firstpost.com/india/cabinet-reshuffle-rss-member-anantkumar-hegde-faces-charges-for-linking-islam-to-terrorism-4003761.html
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Bitter Eid for Rohingyas in NCR; Faridabad Villagers Thrash Refugees over Buffaloes
Gayas Eapen | TNN | Sep 3, 2017
FARIDABAD: In a Rohingya settlement behind Mujeri village in Ballabgarh, nobody is wishing each other Eid Mubarak this year. Four men and three women were brutally beaten up by 10 to 12 men of the village on Saturday morning, after they suspected that the refugees could slaughter two buffalo calves which they had brought late on Thursday night.
The problem started when the settlers who have been living in the area for over a year got the two calves for themselves and two for the Rohingya settlers of a nearby village from Delhi on Thursday night. The settlers claim they got the animals as a gift for Eid from a well-wisher NGO.
On Friday, they had tied them around a tree near their hutments. Around 5.30 pm, two men aged around 25 came and started untying the calves to take them away. A girl from the settlement saw it and alerted others, who asked them why they were stealing their calves. In return, they told them "you've stolen and brought them," and left.
Half an hour later, two more people came the same evening and threatened to take away the calves at night, according to the refugees.
"They asked us not to slaughter the calves, and we told them that we wouldn't, but they didn't believe us and said 'give the animals to us'. We said we would return it to where we got them from instead," says Sakir, one of the men from the camp which houses a total of 110 people, including children.
"We were worried all night and didn't sleep," says Rashid, one of the people who was injured in the fight that ensued later. On Saturday morning, the Rohingyas were surrounded by 10 to 12 men around 6 am, some of whom had come on bikes and some on foot from Mujeri.
They thrashed four men of the settlement, and also grabbed two women, beat them and tore their clothes. They also took another woman a little farther into a nearby field and threw her on the ground, who now sits with severe swelling on her knee. Hearing loud noises, the older men interfered.
According to Rashid (30), he along with Saif-ul-islam, Mohammadullah (40) and Kaiser (20) were forcefully taken by the men on their bikes across the village to a forest area across the nullah in adjacent Mirjapur, and beaten up with sticks and rods.
Rashid says the men who thrashed them were armed with knives. "They had threatened to kill us. It is only when the other refugees reached there, the villagers left," he says.
Following an advice from UNHCR representatives, the refugees went to the IMT police chowki, where the cops registered a complaint. A PCR, with six cops, were stationed outside the settlement for the day.
"We don't feel safe here now. Most of us are ragpickers and go out alone or in groups of two to pick bottles and garbage. The villagers are angry at us, and they have already threatened to kill us," says Ajij-ul Hasan, who has been living in the settlement for over a year.
The SHO of Ballabgarh Sadar police station, inspector Hansraj, said an FIR has been registered under sections 147, 148 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault to women with intention to outrage her modesty) and 379B (snatching with the use of force) of the IPC against 10-12 unknown people.
"It appears to have started with some misunderstanding. We have already identified 2 people, and are raiding the houses in the village. No arrests have been made so far," he said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/faridabad/bitter-eid-for-rohingyas-in-ncr-faridabad-villagers-thrash-refugees-over-buffaloes/articleshow/60343648.cms
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Arab World
More than 2,000 Islamic State militants killed in Iraq’s Tal Afar
September 3, 2017
BAGHDAD,— The Iraqi forces killed over 2,000 Islamic State (IS) militants and more than 50 suicide bombers during a major offensive to free Tal Afar area in west of Mosul, the Iraqi military said on Saturday.
“The IS total casualties in the blitzkrieg during the period from Aug. 20 to 31 were more than 2,000 terrorists and over 50 suicide bombers, along with destroying and detonating of 77 car bombs, 71 booby-trapped buildings and 990 roadside bombs,” Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said at a televised press conference.
More than 40,000 Iraqi fighters from the Iraqi army, federal police and its commandos known as Rapid Response forces and Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces, in addition to ten brigades of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi fighters, participated in the offensive, which was supported by Iraqi and international coalition aircraft, Yarallah said.
Yarallah also said that the Iraqi forces sustained 115 martyrs and 679 wounded during the 12-day battles to liberate Tal Afar and its surrounding areas, including the towns of Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah.
“Those who take a look at this figure (Iraqi forces casualties) will realize that fierce battles took place in Tal Afar area,” Yarallah said.
The troops evacuated a total of 40,758 people from the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas before and during the offensive, 18,822 before Aug. 20 and 21,936 others during the 12-day offensive, Yarallah said.
The Tal Afar area is about 3,206 square km, which consists of the city of Tal Afar and three towns: Zummar, which is under control of the Kurdish security forces, Mahalabiyah and Ayadhiyah, which were freed from IS militants during the offensive.
The whole Tal Afar area consists of 47 villages scattered around the city and its three towns.
The majority of the population in the Tal Afar area are Sunni and Shiite Turkomans, in addition to the Kurds and other minorities.
On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared full liberation of the city of Tal Afar and surrounding areas from the extremist IS militants.
“I declare to you that Tal Afar has joined the liberated Mosul and returned to the homeland,” Abadi said in a statement issued by his office.
“The joy of victory has been completed and the entire province of Nineveh has become in the hands of our heroic forces,” Abadi said.
The PM also vowed to defeat IS group all over Iraq, saying “wherever you (IS militants) are, we are coming for liberation, and you have no choice but to die or surrender”.
On Aug. 20, Abadi, also the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to dislodge IS militants from Tal Afar area, including Ayadhiyah, which is the last IS redoubt in the province of Nineveh.
ekurd.net/islamic-state-killed-tal-afar-2017-09-03
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Iraqi Popular Forces Warn to Target US Forces after Defeating ISIL Terrorists
TEHRAN (FNA)- Spokesman and a senior commander of Iraq's Kata'ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Battalions) popular forces Jafar al-Hosseini warned the US to withdraw its military men from Iraq once the ISIL is fully defeated in the country.
Al-Hosseini made the remarks in an interview with the Arabic-language al-Mayadeen news channel on Sunday.
He described the American forces' presence as the biggest obstacle to Iraq's anti-terrorism fight, and called for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq after the ISIL will be defeated.
Elsewhere, al-Hosseini also revealed that the US, in collaboration with President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani, has aided the ISIL in Tal Afar.
"Before the start of Tal Afar operations, the ISIL members were transferred to al-Ayaziyeh region on 11 buses sent by affiliates to Massoud Barzani and key ISIL commanders fled from Tal Afar and al-Ayaziyeh to Nineveh plain in coordination with Barzani and the Americans," he added.
In relevant remarks in March, al-Hosseini warned that his forces will target the US forces if they don’t leave the Iraqi territories after annihilation of the ISIL terrorists.
"If the US forces refrain from leaving the Iraqi territories after annihilation of the ISIL terrorist group, the Islamic resistance of Iraq will target them," al-Hosseini said.
Noting that the US forces are protecting rather than fighting against the ISIL terrorists in Iraq, he said that the Americans have increased their activities in Iraq in recent days through their military advisors the number of their flights and want to open some space for themselves in the anti-ISIL campaign to be able to render more support to the terrorist group.
Al-Hosseini described the ISIL and the US as two sides of the same coin, and said the Americans' presence in Mosul is not aimed at uprooting ISIL as they plan to make sure of their deployment in the region after expulsion of the ISIL.
He said that the ISIL has been created and nurtured by the US, and added that Washington wants to fool the world again and introduce itself as a partner in the anti-ISIL war.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000398
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Saudi king says kingdom has made progress in tackling terrorism
Saudi King Salman, receiving dignitaries attending the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage, said on Saturday the kingdom had made progress in eradicating terrorism aimed at attacking its holy sites, state news agency SPA reported. Saudi Arabia, which stakes its reputation on its guardianship of Islam’s holiest sites and organizing the haj, has been hit by bombings in recent years and uncovered plots to carry out attacks in Mecca. "The limbs of terrorism have sought to harm the holy cities, paying no attention to their sanctity," SPA quoted King Salman as telling foreign dignitaries at a reception he held in Mecca, where more than 2 million pilgrims are performing haj. "But the kingdom, by the grace of God and in cooperation with its sisters and friends, has made big successes in eradicating terrorism and has worked decisively and with determination to dry its sources," he added, without elaborating. Salman also said Saudi Arabia had devoted all its material and human resources to ensure the safety of pilgrims who come from all over the world to perform the five-day ritual, a religious duty to be undertaken once in a lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the journey. (Reuters)
rt.com/news/line/
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Iraqi Police Reinforcements Sent to Kirkuk Preparing for ISIL haven’s Invasion
TEHRAN (FNA)- Reinforcements of Iraqi troops were sent near ISIL terrorists' strongholds in Kirkuk preparing for an invasion to retake them from the militant group, military media reported on Saturday.
The Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said further reinforcements from the Federal Police were sent from Baghdad to Kirkuk’s Hawija to take part in the anticipated liberation offensives, Iraqi News reported.
Last week, the WMC said air force warplanes dropped millions of messages on the southwestern Kirkuk town telling people “riddance from ISIL” was close.
Citizens were instructed to steer away from militants’ gatherings because they would become targets for military jets, the media service said.
“The Joint Operations Command will specify safe areas for citizens later,” it added.
The JOC said Wednesday it had concluded operations to retake Tal Afar, ISIL’s last stronghold in Nineveh, adding that Hawija was the next target for the next military operations.
Local tribal leaders and politicians from Kirkuk have mounted pressure on the Iraqi government to hasten with invading Hawija, the group’s largest stronghold in the southwest of the province, suggesting that its people were experiencing a humanitarian crisis under the group’s rule as the group continues to massacre civilians attempting to flee the town.
ISIL is still holding some holdouts in Anbar and Salahuddin provinces.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000720
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Last major pocket of ISIS terrorists' resistance in central Syria eliminated – Russian MoD
03 Sep, 2017
“The units of the 4th tank division of Syrian government forces, in collaboration with the 5th Volunteer Corps and military intelligence unit (Mukhabarat), liberated the town of Akerbat,” the ministry said.
“The operation to destroy a large group of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters in the eastern part of the Hama province was carried out with the active support of the Russian Air Force.”
Russian planes destroyed terrorist strongholds and their armored hardware. The jets also targeted IS artillery positions, control points and communication outposts.
“The last major pocket of terrorist resistance in central Syria has been eliminated,” the ministry said, adding that the Syrian army is now targeting the rest of the completely surrounded IS forces in the area.
Clearing Akerbat can be considered one of the most important battles against the terrorists by government forces, Ivan Konovalov, head of military policy at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, told RT.
“The so-called 'Akerbat pocket' is one of the most important battles at this stage. Destruction of a large enemy grouping in this region certainly affects the balance of power,” Konovalov noted.
“Such successful military operations always matter – the enemy’s troops and equipment are destroyed. The more often such operations are conducted, the closer we get to the end of the war,” the expert explained, emphasizing the pivotal role Russian forces are playing in Syria.
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The liberation of Akerbat is paving the way for a further offensive by the Syrian Army, in particular on Deir ez-Zor. The Syrian Army is expected to attack the terrorists from several directions and has been making rapid progress on that front.
“This is a strategic victory. Now all terrorists are locked up in Deir ez-Zore province,” Konstantin Truyevtsev, a senior researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies told RT.
“Over time, this will have an impact on the development of the war, especially the capture of Deir ez-Zor, which is the last major stronghold of ISIS,” Konovalov added.
The Syrian Army, backed by the Russian Air Force, continues to ramp up pressure on the jihadists to drive them out of the city of Deir ez-Zor. On Saturday the ministry announced that Russian jets have intensified its bombing of ISIS positions there.
Over the past 24 hours, Russian warplanes destroyed nine armored vehicles, including two tanks, six artillery positions, one home-made multiple rocket launcher, three supply depots and over 20 supply trucks carrying fuel, weapons and ammunition.
The Russian defense ministry has previously stated that breaking the blockade of Deir ez-Zor will mark the defeat of the last capable grouping of IS terrorists in Syria.
rt.com/news/401860-syria-hama-isis-terrorists-eliminated/
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Huge blasts heard in Islamic State’s haven in southwest of Kirkuk
Sep 3, 2017
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Two huge blasts were heard in southwest of Kirkuk, a local source from the province said, adding that one of them targeted an Islamic State convoy.
Speaking to AlSumaria News on Sunday, the source said, “two powerful blasts were heard in Hawija town, located southwest of Kirkuk.”
“The blasts resulted from airstrikes, one of them targeted an IS armed convoy,” the source said indicating news on casualties.
The militant group, according to the source, who preferred anonymity, “has been on high alert in Hawija.”
Hawija and other neighboring regions, west of Kirkuk, have been held by IS since mid-2014, when the group emerged to proclaim an Islamic “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria. The group executed dozens of civilians and security members there, forcing thousands to flee homes.
On Saturday, further reinforcements from the Federal Police were sent from Baghdad to the town, as the military command declared last week, the end of operations in Tal Afar, the militants’ last haven west of Nineveh, and the approach of the launch of offensives for Hawija.
On Thursday, Iraqi army planes airdropped millions of messages on Hawija telling them that operations to recapture the stronghold were nearing, according to the War Media Cell.
iraqinews.com/iraq-war/huge-blasts-heard-islamic-states-haven-southwest-kirkuk/
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US Forces Preventing Dispatch of Humanitarian Aid to Stranded Family Members of Gunmen in Central Syria
TEHRAN (FNA)- The US military in Syria's Badiyeh has blocked the path of a convoy of gunmen and their family members en route to Deir Ezzur, the Lebanese Hezbollah said, accusing the US of hampering an evacuation deal with the ISIL.
The Hezbollah said in statement on Saturday that the US-led forces have stranded most of the convoy’s 17 buses in the Syrian Badiyeh (Desert) by destroying the road to Deir Ezzur.
“They are also preventing anyone from reaching them even to provide humanitarian assistance to the families, the sick and wounded and the elderly,” said a statement released by the resistance movement.
Relevant reports said on Tuesday that he Syrian Army troops and the Lebanese Hezbollah fighters ended their military operation at Syria-Lebanon border region after hundreds of ISIL terrorists were evacuated from Western Qalamoun and the pro-government forces fortified their positions in the mountainous region.
Field sources said that 637 people, including 350 terrorists and their family members, left Western Qalamoun by 16 buses and 11 ambulances via al-Sheikh Ali-al-Roumi'yat passageway for the town of Albu Kamal in Southeastern Deir Ezzur within the framework of an evacuation agreement with the resistance forces.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000483
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Raqqa: Syrian Army Makes Fresh Gains in War on ISIL in Push towards Deir Ezzur
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army soldiers stormed ISIL's defense lines in the Southeastern territories of Raqqa province and captured two key villages on Sunday.
The army men engaged in a fresh round of fierce clashes with ISIL in the Southeastern part of Raqqa province and took control of the villages of Tal al-Abd and al-Hayereh.
The army soldiers try hard to capture the town of Ma'adan, the last stronghold of ISIL in the Southeastern part of Raqqa province.
The Arabic-language Al-Ahd news website reported in late August that ISIL forwarded 100 forces from the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur to Southeastern Raqqa to face the army advances.
The town of Ma'adan is the last stronghold of ISIL in the Southeastern territories of Raqqa province after the army's rapid advances in the province.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000711
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Raqqa: Syrian Army Makes Fresh Gains in War on ISIL in Push towards Deir Ezzur
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian Army soldiers stormed ISIL's defense lines in the Southeastern territories of Raqqa province and captured two key villages on Sunday.
The army men engaged in a fresh round of fierce clashes with ISIL in the Southeastern part of Raqqa province and took control of the villages of Tal al-Abd and al-Hayereh.
The army soldiers try hard to capture the town of Ma'adan, the last stronghold of ISIL in the Southeastern part of Raqqa province.
The Arabic-language Al-Ahd news website reported in late August that ISIL forwarded 100 forces from the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur to Southeastern Raqqa to face the army advances.
The town of Ma'adan is the last stronghold of ISIL in the Southeastern territories of Raqqa province after the army's rapid advances in the province.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000711
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Mideast
Israeli mayor storms mosque to silence loudspeakers
Sun Sep 3, 2017
An Israeli mayor has stormed a mosque in north-central Israel accompanied by police officers, trying to bully the local imam into lowering the volume of loudspeakers.
Yair Revivo, the mayor of the city of Lod, which is located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) southeast of Tel Aviv, entered the Dahamshe Mosque at dawn on Friday, protesting at the volume at which the religious leader was broadcasting his sermon, Israeli paper Ha’aretz reported.
A confrontation emerged, with the police pushing back at the worshipers and turning the volume down.
Before bursting into the mosque, the mayor had called the police saying he wanted to stop the broadcast altogether, and reportedly tried to stop people from filming him while inside.
The Israeli police say they have reached an “agreement” forbidding broadcasts of sermons through mosques’ loudspeakers, and are to question the imam for “violating noise regulations.”
Back in March, the Israeli parliament, Knesset, gave preliminary approval to a controversial bill banning Muslim calls to prayers from being announced via loudspeakers at mosques in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The "muezzin" bill was approved after a heated discussion that turned into shouting matches between the ruling coalition members and Arab lawmakers. Some Arab parliamentarians tore copies of the bill, which led to their expulsion from the chamber.
Tel Aviv regularly tampers with issues of sensitivity to Muslims.
It imposed a three-day-long closure on the al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds after a deadly shootout outside the compound on July 14. It later barred Palestinians under 50 years of age and placed metal bars at the entrances to the area.
Israeli forces are seen during clashes with Palestinians near the settlement of Beit El, on the outskirts of the city of Ramallah in Tel Aviv-occupied West Bank, on July 28, 2017. (Photo by AFP)
More than a dozen Palestinians were killed in the ensuing tensions, after which the regime finally removed the metal bars, but has been monitoring the gateways with CCTV cameras.
presstv.com/Detail/2017/09/03/533861/Israel-Lod-Mayor-Yair-Revivo
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Takfiris Fighting Islam under US Guidance: Iranian Commander
September, 03, 2017
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The commander of Iran’s Basij (mobilization) Force highlighted US hostilities toward Muslims and said the Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) terrorist group, as the “brainchild” of Washington, aims to demonize Islam.
What has been against Islam is the United States’ evil deeds and there is enough evidence for that,” Brigadier General Gholam Hossein Gheibparvar said in a speech in Tehran on Sunday.
“Today, there is no doubt that Daesh is the brainchild of the Americans,” he said, adding, “Takfiris have risen up to fight Islam under the direct guidance of the US.”
The commander further pointed to the martyrdom of Mohsen Hojaji, an Iranian military adviser who was recently decapitated by Daesh terrorists in Syria, and said the martyr “created a revolution” by himself.
Hojaji, a holy shrine defender, was taken hostage by the Daesh Takfiri group near the Iraqi border on August 7 and was beheaded two days later.
The shrine of Sayyida Zeinab, a sister of Imam Hossein (AS), the third Shiite Imam, is located in Damascus, Syria. Iranian military advisers have played a decisive role in the protection of the holy shrine against terrorist attacks.
In recent years, the Middle East has been plagued with Takfiri terrorist groups like Daesh that are believed to have been created and supported by the West and some regional Arab countries.
The terrorist groups, which claim to be Islamic but whose actions are anything but, have been committing heinous crimes not only against non-Muslims, but mostly against Muslims in the region.
tasnimnews.com/en/news/2017/09/03/1509245/takfiris-fighting-islam-under-us-guidance-iranian-commander
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Noor Bank wins ‘Innovator in Islamic Finance’ Award
DUBAI, 3rd September, 2017 (WAM) -- Noor Bank has announced that it won the Innovator in Islamic Finance 2017 award in the Process Innovation category from the New York-based Global Finance magazine.
Speaking about the win, Ehsaan Ahmed, Head of GTS and Corporate Strategy of Noor Bank, said, "We are pleased to gain recognition for this structured Islamic trade finance solution, which demonstrates our expertise in developing innovative transaction banking solutions to address working capital requirements of our corporate clients."
He added, "This solution enables the bank to offer financing facilities to large corporates under an enhanced risk mitigation structure. It is a testament of our successful collaboration with international trade credit insurance brokers and Lloyds UK underwriting market to offer this solution that is relatively new to the UAE market."
The annual Global Finance awards follow a rigorous judging process, wherein the magazine’s board evaluates leading banks and providers of financial services around the world. The board conducts extensive research on each nominee and consults an independent panel of experts while referencing the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Oslo Manual of Innovation.
The Innovator in Islamic Finance award recognises organisations that excel in implementing product and process innovation in their customer and employee offerings and enables them to maximise the value of these offerings as a result.
wam.ae/en/details/1395302630515
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Iranian pilgrims return to hajj in Mecca as Iran-Saudi rivalry eases
September 3, 2017
Istanbul: It was nearly two years ago when Iran and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties, worsening an already tense rivalry that has fuelled conflicts across the Middle East. But this year, a rare bright spot in their relations has stirred hope of a possible detente.
More than 80,000 Iranian pilgrims are now in Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites, after they were barred last year from making the trip. The hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, is obligatory for all able-bodied Muslims, and sees roughly 2 million worshippers descend on Mecca and Medina each year.
The return of Iranian pilgrims followed painstaking negotiations between officials from the two countries, after relations deteriorated sharply over the past two years.
Those discussions probably "helped ease some initial tension," said Reza Akbari, who researches Iranian politics at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
This week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that if all goes smoothly, the pilgrimage could set the stage for further talks. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said last month that Iran and Saudi Arabia were preparing to exchange diplomatic visits.
"The visas have been issued for both sides to make this trip," he told a local news outlet.
The friendlier cooperation comes even as the two countries fight proxy wars in Yemen and Syria, and continue to compete for influence from Afghanistan to Bahrain.
While the rivalry is geopolitical, it also is coloured by the battle between competing branches of Islam.
Iran's President Hasan Rouhani delivers a speech after his swearing-in ceremony for the second term in office.
Iran's President Hasan Rouhani delivers a speech after his swearing-in ceremony for the second term in office.
Photo: AP
For Iran, the strict version of Sunni Islam promoted by Saudi rulers has helped inspire Islamist militants around the globe. Saudi Arabia, in turn, has viewed Iran as a threat since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The Saudi government has encouraged anti-Shiite rhetoric both at home and abroad.
Tensions rose earlier this year when President Donald Trump, speaking from Saudi Arabia, called on Muslim nations to isolate Iran. Later, Iran blamed Saudi Arabia for an attack on the nation's parliament by Islamic State militants. The attackers, all of whom were killed, were identified by Iran as local ethnic Kurds, the majority of whom are Sunni.
But as the world's largest gathering of Muslims, the hajj also has served as a battleground for the archrivals, which both claim to lead the global community of Muslims.
In 2015, Iran openly challenged Saudi control of Muslim holy sites after a stampede in Mecca killed more than 2400 people, including at least 464 Iranians, according to a count from the Associated Press. Throngs of worshipers crowd the holy sites to reenact steps taken by the prophet Muhammad.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, accused the Saudi leadership of "murder" and urged Muslims to "fundamentally reconsider" allowing Saudi Arabia to continue to oversee the hajj.
Several months after the stampede, in January 2016, Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite dissident cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, and Iranian protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran. Saudi Arabia and several other countries then severed ties with Iran, and the spat spilled over into negotiations over the hajj, leaving Iranians unable to attend the pilgrimage.
Iran has consistently tried to undermine the Saudis "by questioning their ability to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims," Akbari said.
But the "hajj has been used as a political lever by both sides to exert or ease tensions as needed," he said. "It is a powerful tool that sends a clear signal to the entire region about Saudi Arabia and Iran's relationship status."
This year, Khamenei refrained from condemning the Saudis, instead calling on Muslims to focus on enemies such as Israel and the United States.
But others warned against viewing the pilgrimage as a sign of thawing relations between the two sides.
In the past, the two powers "have hurtled insults at each other, engaged in diplomatic footsie and then repeated this cycle," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
"Muslim unity during the hajj season is a potent religious symbol," he said. "But it does not do away with the other factors driving their competition for Muslim hearts, minds and battlefields across the Middle East."
Washington Post
brisbanetimes.com.au/world/middle-east/iranian-pilgrims-return-to-hajj-in-mecca-as-iransaudi-rivalry-eases-20170903-gy9pg8.html
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Iran tests home-grown air defence system: official
September 03, 2017
Iran has tested its home-grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards' air defence has said.
“In parallel with the deployment of the S-300, work on Bavar-373 system is underway,” Farzad Esmaili told state broadcaster IRIB late Saturday.
“The system is made completely in Iran and some of its parts are different from the S-300. All of its sub-systems have been completed and its missile tests have been conducted.” Bavar (which means “belief”) is Tehran's first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018, he added.
In 2010, Iran began manufacturing Bavar-373 after the purchase of the S-300 from Russia was suspended due to international sanctions.
Russia resumed the sale following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers which lifted sanctions, and Iran's S-300 defence system became operational in March.
On Saturday, the new defence minister Amir Hatami said Iran has “a specific plan to boost missile power”. He said he hoped “the combat capabilities of Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles” would increase in the next four years.
The comments came amid increasing tensions with Washington, which has passed new sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile programme.
dawn.com/news/1355574/iran-tests-home-grown-air-defence-system-official
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Iran Rejects UN Human Rights Report
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian foreign ministry announced on Sunday that it does not recognize UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran Asma Jahangir's reports, stressing that she is influenced by political and selective approaches of certain countries towards Tehran.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize and fully rejects as unacceptable the report that has been compiled by the special rapporteur and deeply believes that the mission she is tasked with is based on a resolution drafted based on fully political and selective goals and intentions of certain countries which pursue specified goals," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said.
He underlined that the political and selective approaches by certain countries in the field of human rights while the world is witnessing blatant violation of human rights and humanitarian catastrophes created by the terrorist groups supported by them in Yemen, Bahrain, Myanmar and other countries will have no result but weakening the position of human rights and increasing scandal for those who claim to be advocates of human rights.
In relevant remarks in March, Qassemi had blasted the UN Human Rights Council's move to extend the mission of Asma Jahangir in Iran.
He described the move as an instrumental and political use of the human rights issue by certain Western countries against other countries of the world.
Despite lack of support from most of its members and relying on the votes of a particular political bloc and a number of its agents in the region, the UN Human Rights Council has extended the mission of the special human rights rapporteur in Iran for the seventh consecutive year, Qassemi said.
Tehran condemns “pursuing such non-constructive, hostile and abortive approach through exerting pressure on other countries to win their support for approving an anti-Iran resolution”, he said.
Qassemi voiced regret that such “biased and unrealistic manner” would only lead to increasing discrediting the UN human rights system and those of certain countries who aim to damage the image of independent states such as Iran instead of improving the situation of the human rights.
He also lashed out at other regional states who supported the anti-Iran resolution in order to cover cases of human rights violation in their own countries as well as their war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Iranian spokesperson emphasized that the Islamic Republic strongly believes that such an approach would have no result other than sacrificing human rights and increasing the world public opinion's mistrust in international human rights mechanisms.
The resolution, which has not been endorsed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and most countries in the Human Rights Council, lacks necessary credibility and professional support, Qassemi said, adding that Tehran would not recognize the special rapporteur who has been missioned based on a politically-motivated and selective resolution of certain countries.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been voicing its willingness and determination for pursuing the approach of dialog as well as constructive and purposeful cooperation with the UN and other countries as the best way to promote human rights situation based on internationally eligible mechanisms, he stressed.
Qassemi said Iran also believes that the closest way to review the human rights situation in all countries on a fair basis is through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the UN Human Rights Council which is based on the principles of universality, non-discrimination, equality, non-selective attitude and non-politically-motivated acts, adding that Tehran's objective is to boost such mechanisms.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000814
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Pakistan
Pakistan will be defended, announces China
BEIJING: China on Thursday sent out a signal that it would defend Pakistan and would object to any discussion about Pakistan’s role in sheltering terrorists during the upcoming BRICS summit, which would be attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, foreign media reported.
China is worried Modi may raise the issue at the meeting because he did so at the Goa summit of BRICS last year while describing Pakistan as the “mother-ship of terrorism”.
“We also noticed that India, when it comes to Pakistan’s counter-terrorism, has some concerns. I don’t think this is an appropriate topic to be discussed at BRICS summit,” Hua Chunying, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said at a briefing. She also indicated that raising the topic might affect the success of the summit because Chinese leaders may be forced to defend its close ally, Pakistan.
“The world is paying great attention to the BRICS summit. I hope relevant parties can work with China to ensure the success of the summit and make due contributions,” Hua said. She meant the five members of BRICS including India when she mentioned “relevant parties”.
This time the BRICS summit is taking place on September 3 in Xiamen in China, which regards Pakistan as an
“all-weather friend”. India is in a stronger position to raise the issue because US President Donald Trump recently accused Pakistan of sheltering terrorists and threatened to withdraw financial aid if Islamabad refused to mend its ways. There are chances Chinese leaders might come to Pakistan’s defence at the summit.
One of the main objectives of BRICS is to enhance cooperation among the five member countries in fighting against terrorism. But it is difficult for India to join hands in any meaningful manner unless Beijing adopts a different attitude on this issue when it comes to the role of Pakistan.
Hua said, “Pakistan is at forefront of counter terror efforts and has made sacrifices for this. The international community should recognise their contributions and sacrifices made by Pakistan.”
She added, “China is willing to work with Pakistan and other countries to enhance our cooperation in counterterrorism. This serves the common interest of all parties.”
China routinely refers to “sacrifices” made by Pakistan in battling terrorism.
thenews.com.pk/print/227606-Pakistan-will-be-defended-announces-China
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Will face courts in Benazir murder case: Musharraf
September 03, 2017
Former president Gen Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday that he will face the courts in the Benazir Bhutto assassination case in Pakistan after his health improves.
In a statement issued by the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) secretariat, Musharraf said that the recent court verdict was not against him as his case is still pending.
Terming American journalist and lobbyist Mark Siegel's statement "meaningless", Musharraf said that his lawyers had already refuted the comments.
Siegel, in his testimony in 2015, had claimed Musharraf had threatened Bhutto with dire consequences if she chose to return to Pakistan from exile.
The former dictator also said that his legal team was looking into the issue of his property's seizure and that he, or his family, would take appropriate legal action after consultation. He claimed that he was wrongly included in the case on a political basis.
A joint investigation team had implicated Musharraf in the case, saying that his government did not provide adequate security to the former prime minister despite her repeated requests.
Earlier this week, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) acquitted five Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suspects and announced 17-year imprisonment for two police officials in Benazir Bhutto murder case.
Apart from Musharraf, five other men — Baitullah Mehsud, Ahmad Gul, Iqramullah, Abdullah, and Faizullah — were also declared absconders.
The case had lingered on for nearly ten years. During the case, 68 witnesses appeared on behalf of the prosecution and recorded their testimonies. The police presented three charge sheets before the court, whereas the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented five.
The judge hearing the case was changed eight times.
In 2013, FIA's special prosecutor in the case was killed by unknown assailants. Doctors said he had been killed with 10 bullets targeting his chest and shoulder.
Benazir Bhutto — twice elected prime minister of Pakistan — was assassinated when terrorists attacked her convoy, as it was leaving the historic Liaquat Bagh after addressing a public meeting on Dec 27, 2007.
dawn.com/news/1355572/will-face-courts-in-benazir-murder-case-musharraf
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Ghani offers comprehensive talks to Pakistan
KABUL: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday reached out to Pakistan, offering comprehensive negotiations to bring peace to the troubled relationship between the two countries.
“We want peace which is based on unanimous political views,” he said in his Eid address at the president house here. He said peace with Pakistan was Afghanistan’s national agenda adding that the world now knew that it was not possible to pressurise Afghanistan into doing anything.
Like most Muslim countries, Afghanistan celebrated Eid on Friday while in Pakistan it will be celebrated on Saturday (today).
The Afghan president said
The country was ready to take steps for regional peace and stability, based on logical debate and reasoning.
“I am reaching out for peace to everyone because peace is God’s commandment,” he said.
Ghani called on the Taliban, who have been fighting to drive out international forces backing the government, to accept peace and lay down the arms.
“It is time for the armed opposition of Afghanistan to choose whether they are fed on the milk of the mothers of this country, and are inspired by this nation, or whether they are the tools for disunity, chaos, used by outsiders,” he said.
He added that peace negotiations were open for all but Afghanistan will not bow down before any group or country.
The statement from the Afghan president comes a day after US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordered additional troops to the war-torn country, 10 days after President Donald Trump announced a surge in US forces to battle advances by the Taliban.
On August 21, Trump announced a new Afghanistan policy to knock back the Taliban that could see thousands more US troops deployed, on top of the 11,000 there now.
The decision came after a deep review of strategy in which US military leaders convinced Trump to back off his election campaign pledge to pull out of the war-torn country.
Afghanistan routinely accuses Pakistan of harbouring Taliban, while Islamabad says its enemies have found sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
thenews.com.pk/print/227614-Ghani-offers-comprehensive-talks-to-Pakistan
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Zardari not interested in probe into Benazir’s murder: Naheed
ISLAMABAD: Former leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and close aide of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Naheed Khan said that former president Asif Ali Zardari wasn’t interested in inquiry of the murder.
Talking to BBC Urdu Naheed Khan said that Asif Ali Zardari who became president after the murder of his wife didn’t investigate the case despite all the agencies were working under him. She further stated that she, her husband Safdar Abbasi and Makhdoom were the eye witnesses but they weren’t summoned by any court of law.
The former PPP leader said that there were many unanswered questions which if replied the matter will go quite long. She said that it was responsibility of PPP to find out murderers of its leader, adding that this is not the real PPP rather it is Zardari league.
Remember the day of December 27, 2007, she said, she was along with her husband Safdar was inside the vehicle of Benazir Bhutto, adding that she asked BB not to come out of the car several times but to no avail. She further said that BB was a public leader and gave her life for the public.
The former PPP leader said that BB was quite excited about her last meeting in Liaquat Bagh and appreciated her when she came into the vehicle. Narrating an incident of December 23 Naheed Khan said she travelled to Garhi Khuda Baksh with BB and visited the graveyard of Bhutto family. BB went to graves of other family members before his brothers and father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, she added.
In reply to a common sentence that Bhutto family has average age of 50 years BB said she is 54 now. She stopped at an empty place where she is buried now saying Naheed one day I have to come here, Naheed Khan narrated the incident.
She further said that BB knew it was her last time, adding that Benazir Bhutto pointed out something black inside the trees during the Liaquat Bagh meeting. She however rejected the doubt, saying there was nothing but a dark misty area.
Replying to query she said that if some other party came into power after her murder that might do better investigation as compared to PPP. —
thenews.com.pk/print/227646-Zardari-not-interested-in-probe-into-Benazirs-murder-Naheed
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South Asia
Taliban insurgents suffer casualties in Kandahar and Paktika operations: MoD
By KHAAMA PRESS - Sat Sep 02 2017
The Taliban insurgents have suffered casualties during the operations of the Afghan security forces in southern Kandahar and southeastern Paktika provinces.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement said at least 9 insurgents were killed and 4 others were wounded during the operations conducted in Khakrez district of Kandahar.
The statement further added that a vehicle and six weapons were also destroyed during the same operations.
According to MoD, at least 3 insurgents were killed and 2 others were wounded during another operation conducted in Khair Kot district of Paktika province.
The Ministry of Defense says the operations were conducted in the past 24 hours as part of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) clearance and counter-terrorism operations to suppress the insurgency of the anti-government armed militant groups.
The statement by MoD also added that the during this period, the Afghan forces have conducted 12 clearance operations, 9 special operations in ten provinces of the country.
The Afghan Air Force also participated in the operations and carried out 28 missions in support of the Afghan forces which includes 3 airstrikes, MoD added.
The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the reports so far.
khaama.com/taliban-insurgents-suffer-casualties-in-kandahar-and-paktika-operations-mod-03366
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73,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, estimates UNHCR
Sep 03,2017
A Rohingya family sit beside a road in Naikhyangchari, Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar.-- AFP photo
At least 73,000 Rohingyas have so far crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar, fleeing persecution in their homeland Rakhine state since the eruption of the latest spell of violence on August 25, UN refugee agency UNHCR estimated on Sunday.
UNHCR Bangladesh spokesman Joseph Tripura told New Age Sunday afternoon that different humanitarian agencies’ cumulative estimations showed that at least 73,000 Myanmar citizen had entered Bangladesh after the fresh violence erupted in Rakhine state.
UNHCR estimation showed that about 14,500 Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in the past 24 hours as at least 58,600 people of the ethnic minority group had entered until Saturday.
Joseph said that many of these Myanmar citizens, including children, women and elderly people, were suffering from food, shelter and medicine crisis.
‘So far we have no estimation of Myanmar citizens stranded along Bangladesh border,’ Joseph Tripura said.
Local people in Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar and leaders of registered and unregistered Rohingya camps, however, said that the number of Rohingyas entering Bangladesh was much higher than the UNHCR estimation.
They also said that more Rohingyas added on Sunday to thousands of Rohingyas trapped in the border, and were suffering food and drinking water crisis.
They said that the minority Muslims in Rakhine state were on the run since the recent violence erupted on August 25, when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army reportedly attacked at least two dozen different police posts and checkpoints and one military base across three townships in northern Rakhine State and the Burma Army launched ‘clearance operations’.
The insurgent group, later, said that they launched the attacks to pre-empt possible attack my Myanmar army and security forces on Rihingyas.
Officials in Dhaka said that Rohingyas had continued entering Bangladesh fleeing persecution of the ethnic minority in Myanmar since 1978.
The problem turned acute after the influx of Rohingyas in 1991-92, 2012 while 87,000 Rohingya refugees had entered Bangladesh in 10 months since October 2016, according to an estimate of International Organization for Migration.
Currently, only 33,000 Rohingyas are registered in the two official refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. The Planning Commission in its project proposal for a census said that 3-5 lakh unregistered Rohingya refugees were living in Bangladesh.
newagebd.net/article/23284/73000-rohingyas-fled-to-bangladesh-from-myanmar-estimates-unhcr
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Southeast Asia
Rohingya Muslims flee as more than 2,600 houses burned in Myanmar's Rakhine
COX‘S BAZAR, Bangladesh: More than 2,600 houses have been burned down in Rohingya-majority areas of Myanmar’s northwest in the last week, the government said on Saturday, in one of the deadliest bouts of violence involving the Muslim minority in decades.
About 58,600 Rohingya have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh from Myanmar, according to U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, as aid workers there struggle to cope.
Myanmar officials blamed the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for the burning of the homes. The group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on security posts last week that prompted clashes and a large army counter-offensive.
But Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh say a campaign of arson and killings by the Myanmar army is aimed at trying to force them out.
The treatment of Myanmar’s roughly 1.1 million Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the Muslim minority that has long complained of persecution.
Former colonial power Britain said on Saturday it hoped Suu Kyi would use her “remarkable qualities” to end the violence.
“Aung San Suu Kyi is rightly regarded as one of the most inspiring figures of our age, but the treatment of the Rohingya is, alas, besmirching the reputation of Burma,” foreign minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.
The clashes and army crackdown have killed nearly 400 people and more than 11,700 “ethnic residents” have been evacuated from the area, the government said, referring to the non-Muslim residents.
It marks a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered since October, when a smaller Rohingya attack on security posts prompted a military response dogged by allegations of rights abuses.
“A total of 2,625 houses from Kotankauk, Myinlut and Kyikanpyin villages and two wards in Maungtaw were burned down by the ARSA extremist terrorists,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said. The group has been declared a terrorist organisation by the government.
But Human Rights Watch, which analysed satellite imagery and accounts from Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh, said the Myanmar security forces deliberately set the fires.“New satellite imagery shows the total destruction of a Muslim village, and prompts serious concerns that the level of devastation in northern Rakhine state may be far worse than originally thought,” said the group’s deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson.
FULL CAPACITY
Near the Naf river separating Myanmar and Bangladesh, new arrivals in Bangladesh carrying their belongings in sacks set up crude tents or tried to squeeze into available shelters or homes of locals.
“The existing camps are near full capacity and numbers are swelling fast. In the coming days there needs to be more space,” said UNHCR regional spokeswoman Vivian Tan, adding more refugees were expected.
The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar and regarded as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots that date back centuries. Bangladesh is also growing increasingly hostile to Rohingya, more than 400,000 of whom live in the poor South Asian country after fleeing Myanmar since the early 1990s.
Jalal Ahmed, 60, who arrived in Bangladesh on Friday with a group of about 3,000 after walking from Kyikanpyin for almost a week, said he believed the Rohingya were being pushed out of Myanmar.
“The military came with 200 people to the village and started fires...All the houses in my village are already destroyed. If we go back there and the army sees us, they will shoot,” he said.
Reuters could not independently verify these accounts as access for independent journalists to northern Rakhine has been restricted since security forces locked down the area in October.
Speaking to soldiers, government staff and Rakhine Buddhists affected by the conflict on Friday, army chief Min Aung Hlaing said there is no “oppression or intimidation” against the Muslim minority and “everything is within the framework of the law”.
“The Bengali problem was a long-standing one which has become an unfinished job,” he said, using a term used by many in Myanmar to refer to the Rohingya that suggests they come from Bangladesh.
Many aid programmes running in northern Rakhine prior to the outbreak of violence, including life-saving food assistance by the World Food Programme (WFP), have been suspended since the fighting broke out.
“Food security indicators and child malnutrition rates in Maungdaw were already above emergency thresholds before the violence broke out, and it is likely that they will now deteriorate even further,” said Pierre Peron, spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Myanmar.
More than 80,000 children may need treatment for malnutrition in northern Rakhine and many of them reported “extreme” food insecurity, WFP said in July.
In Bangladesh, Tan of UNHCR said more shelters and medical care were needed. “There’s a lot of pregnant women and lactating mothers and really young children, some of them born during the flight. They all need medical attention,” she said.
Among new arrivals, 22-year-old Tahara Begum gave birth to her second child in a forest on the way to Bangladesh.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she said.
thenews.com.pk/latest/227701-Rohingya-Muslims-flee-as-more-than-2600-houses-burned-in-Myanmars-Rakhine
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Indonesian Muslims Condemn Deadly Violence Against Myanmar's Rohingya
Jakarta. Indonesian Muslim organizations have condemned the recent deadly bouts of violence that killed hundreds of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, and called on the United Nations to stop the violence.
According to a Reuters report, about 38,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar, a week after Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts and an army base in Rakhine state, triggering clashes and counteroffensive by Myanmar's military.
The army said it is conducting military operations against "extremist terrorists" to protect civilians, but Rohingya fleeing their country say it is a campaign of arson and killings to force them out.
On Saturday (09/02), As'ari Machfudz, chairman of the East Java chapter of the Union of Indonesian Islamic Boarding Schools (IPI) urged the Indonesian government to push the United Nations to end violence against the Rohingya.
He also called on the world's Muslim community to impose sanctions on Myanmar for human rights abuses.
"The United Nation must act and make efforts to stop the atrocities against the Rohingya," central board member of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the world's largest Muslim organization, Saifullah "Gus Ipul" Yusuf said on Friday.
Saiful said Indonesia, as the largest Muslim-majority country, needs to play a bigger role to end persecution of Muslims in fellow Southeast Asian countries.
Previously, the NU, along with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other mass organizations, formed a humanitarian aid group, organizing medical and financial help for the Rohingya in Myanmar.
The treatment the 1.1 million group is the biggest challenge facing Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by critics of not speaking out for a minority that has long complained of persecution.
The clashes and ensuing army crackdown have killed about 370 Rohingya insurgents, but also 13 security officers, two government officials and 14 civilians, the Myanmar military said on Thursday.
The fighting is a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has been simmering since October, when similar but much smaller Rohingya attacks on security posts prompted a brutal military response dogged by allegations of rights abuses.
With additional reporting by Reuters
jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesian-muslims-condemn-deadly-violence-myanmars-rohingya/
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Myanmar urges Rohingya Muslims to help hunt insurgents amid deadly violence
COX‘S BAZAR, Bangladesh/YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar urged Muslims in the troubled northwest to cooperate in the search for insurgents, whose coordinated attacks on security posts and an army crackdown have led to one of the deadliest bouts of violence to engulf the Rohingya community in decades.
Aid agencies estimate about 73,000 Rohingya have fled into neighbouring Bangladesh from Myanmar since violence erupted last week, Vivian Tan, regional spokeswoman for U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, told Reuters on Sunday.
Hundreds more refugees on Sunday walked through rice paddies from the Naf river separating the two countries into Bangladesh, straining scarce resources of aid groups and local communities already helping tens of thousands.
The clashes and military counteroffensive have killed nearly 400 people during the past week.
The treatment of Buddhist-majority Myanmar’s roughly 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya is the biggest challenge facing leader Aung San Suu Kyi, accused by Western critics of not speaking out for the minority that has long complained of persecution.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that violence against Muslims amounted to genocide.
It marks a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered since October, when a smaller Rohingya attack on security posts prompted a military response dogged by allegations of rights abuses.
“Islamic villagers in northern Maungtaw have been urged over loudspeakers to cooperate when security forces search for Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremist terrorists, and not to pose a threat or brandish weapons when security forces enter their villages,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar said on Sunday.
A Rohingya refugee woman carry a child while walking on the muddy road after travelling over the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Teknaf, Bangladesh, September 1, 2017. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
ARSA has been declared a terrorist organisation by the government. The group claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on security posts last week.
In Maungni village in northern Rakhine, villagers earlier this week caught two ARSA members and handed them over to the authorities, the newspaper added.
The army wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that Rohingya insurgents had set fires to monasteries, images of Buddha as well as schools and houses in northern Rakhine.
More than 200 buildings, including houses and shops, were destroyed across several villages, the army said.
While Myanmar officials blamed the ARSA for the burning of the homes, Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh and human rights watchers say a campaign of arson and killings by the army is aimed at trying to force the minority group out.
More than 11,700 “ethnic residents” had been evacuated from northern Rakhine, the government has said, referring to non-Muslims.
In Bangladesh, authorities said at least 53 bodies of Rohingya had either been found floating in the Naf river or washed up on the beach in the past week, as tens of thousands continue to try to flee the violence.
A senior leader of al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch has called for attacks on Myanmar authorities in support of the Rohingya.
Former colonial ruler Britain said on Saturday it hoped Suu Kyi would use her “remarkable qualities” to end the violence.
in.reuters.com/article/myanmar-rohingya/rohingya-muslims-flee-as-more-than-2600-houses-burned-in-myanmars-rakhine-idINKCN1BD087?rpc=401&
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Works Ministry to repair the damaged Bandar Springhill mosque soon
By Mohd Khidir Zakaria - September 3, 2017
PORT DICKSON: The Works Ministry will repair part of the damaged ceiling panel at the Bandar Springhill mosque as soon as possible.
Works Ministry secretary general Datuk Roslan Md Taha said the roof structure and the dome of the mosque which was built in 2012 will also be strengthened as the mosque is located on top of a hill which is exposed to strong gusts of wind.
"We will seek advice from the Meteorological Services department to find out the wind pattern so that we can zero in at which part of the roof which needs to be consolidated against the wind," Roslan told New Straits Times after holding a meeting with the mosque's committee members late yesterday.
In the 6.10am incident yesterday, some 50 worshippers who were performing their Subuh prayers had a close shave when parts of the ceiling panel rained down on but luckily there were no injuries.
Roslan said the mosque will be closed for three weeks to facilitate repair works and residents can perform their Friday prayers at a multi-purpose hall situated next to the mosque.
nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/09/275822/works-ministry-repair-damaged-bandar-springhill-mosque-soon
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Africa
Al-Shabaab claims it killed 26 Somali soldiers near port of Kismayu
Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab said it attacked a Somali military base near the port city of Kismayu on Sunday, killing 26 soldiers. “This morning, we stormed the Jubaland base near Bula Gudud. We killed 26 soldiers, burnt two cars, and took three cars from the base,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group’s military spokesman, told Reuters. Residents of the village and a Somali military officer in Kismayu confirmed the attack.
rt.com/news/line/
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Europe
Russian DM: ISIL Soon to Suffer Strategic Defeat in Syria
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Syrian Army troops, backed up by the Russian Air Force, are coming close to their objective of lifting the ISIL's three-year-long of siege of Deir Ezzur city and airbase , adding that the terrorists’ strategic defeat in Syria will be sealed once the blockade is lifted.
The ministry said that the Syrian Army, supported by the Russian fighter jets, is ramping up pressure on ISIL terrorists to drive them out of Deir Ezzur city.
The ministry added that the Russian jets have intensified bombing of ISIL's positions around the city as the Syrian Army pushes to break through the encirclement.
The ministry said in another statement on Saturday that the ISIL terrorist group sent a large volume of military equipment and ammunition to the Eastern province of Deir Ezzur to face the Syrian Army troops' devastating advances in Eastern Homs and Western Deir Ezzur.
The ISIL terrorists have been pulling back armored vehicles and munitions to Deir Ezzur city, the ministry's statement said.
"Daesh (ISIL) militants are not giving up their efforts to halt the advances of the Syrian troops by moving armored vehicles, off-road vehicles with mounted heavy machine guns, arms and ammunition to the Deir Ezzur region and by setting up new positions reinforced with artillery systems and mortars," the statement read.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000663
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Makeshift mosques on police radar
A confidential report drafted by the Greek Police (ELAS) and seen by Kathimerini reveals that more than 80 makeshift mosques in the broader Athens area have come under surveillance.
The report goes on to suggest that particular attention is being paid to several of these mosques, due to evidence that certain imams and followers have expressed views applauding the so-called Islamic State for the terrorist attacks it has orchestrated in different parts of Europe.
ELAS has been monitoring spaces used by the country’s Muslims for worship since the start of the refugee crisis in 2015, when evidence emerged that Islamic militants were making their way into Europe after training in ISIS camps in the Middle East by posing as asylum seekers.
The report also makes special mention of certain makeshift mosques that have connections to the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered a terrorist organization by Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, but not the United States and European Union.
The construction of Athens’s first official mosque is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
When it is finally completed, following years of delays and objections by Orthodox clerics and right-wing groups, it will be the first official place of worship for Muslims in the capital, on a former naval base in the western district of Votanikos.
ekathimerini.com/221337/article/ekathimerini/news/makeshift-mosques-on-police-radar
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Austria Building Wall to Protect Gov’t Buildings Amid Terror Threat
TEHRAN (FNA)- Reports said Austria is building a concrete wall in order to protect the Interior and Foreign Ministries and the office of the country’s President from terrorists.
Construction of a concrete wall in front of the historic buildings in Vienna, housing the Austrian Interior and Foreign Ministries as well as the office of the country’s President Alexander Van der Bellen is underway, the ministry’s representative said, Sputnik reported.
The height of concrete barrier will amount to 80 centimeters (approximately 31.5 inches), whereas its width will total one meter (3.2 feet), the Kronen Zeitung newspaper said.
Nations around the globe strive to counter the increasing terror threat via all available means, including the adoption of additional security measures and joining various international coalitions. Over the past two years, the globe has witnessed multiple terror attacks, including on such European cities as Paris, Brussels, Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm, among others.
en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13960612000701
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North America
Muslims at haj are worried about Trump's policies towards them
MECCA/RIYADH (Reuters) - Even at Islam’s holiest sites and during the most sacred time of year for Muslims, some people cannot stop talking about Donald Trump.
Among one group of American, Canadian and British pilgrims in Mecca this week for the annual haj, the U.S. president and policies they say target Muslims and immigrants are a regular conversation topic.
“People are irritated, angry, sombre, a little bit worried,” said Yasir Qadhi, an Islamic scholar who travelled from Tennessee for his fourteenth pilgrimage.
“No one that I know is happy at the current circumstances or the current administration. No one, not a single person in this entire gathering.”
As a candidate, Trump proposed barring Muslims from entering the United States. In office, he ordered temporary bans on people from several Muslim-majority countries, which have been blocked by courts that ruled they were discriminatory.
His administration has denied any intention of religious discrimination in the travel ban, saying it is intended purely as a national security measure.
But sharp rhetoric about the threat posed by “radical Islam” which was a central part of his campaign has also drawn accusations he risks alienating more than three million Americans who practise Islam peacefully.
Many American Muslims say his stance has fuelled an atmosphere in which some may feel they can voice prejudices or attack Muslims without fear of retribution.
‘STOP ATTACKING ISLAM’
The haj, a five-day ritual which retraces the journey the Prophet Mohammad took 14 centuries ago, is a religious duty once in a lifetime for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it.
It is the world’s largest annual Muslim gathering, with over 2.3 million people attending this year. The faithful come from nearly every country in the world, speaking dozens of languages and sometimes practising Islam in different ways based on local customs or traditions.
Muslim pilgrims leave after casting stones at a pillar that symbolises Satan during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mena, Saudi Arabia September 2, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
American Wajahat Ali said friends back home had asked him to pray for the United States while on haj, and other pilgrims he met offered sympathies and encouragement that the situation would improve.
Malaysian pilgrim Abdul Azim Zainul Abideen said the president should stop what he called his attacks on Islam.
“We don’t have anything against any Americans or non-Muslims,” he said on Friday at a symbolic stoning of the devil, part of the haj rituals.
His sister, 27-year-old Anisa, said she was worried by reports of an uptick in violence against Muslims in the United States “just because of wearing hijab (headscarf) in the streets or just because you have a beard”.
Muslim pilgrims leave casting stones at a pillar that symbolises Satan during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mena, Saudi Arabia September 2, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem
Saudi Arabia, which stakes its reputation on organising the haj, has urged pilgrims to put aside political concerns and focus on spirituality. But Islamophobia is a common subject at meals and while waiting in long lines to pray and conduct rituals.
“Muslims across the world are now more aware of the different political situation,” said Yusuf Badat, an imam from Toronto.
“They’re all working together to try and have a better image for themselves because many times the coverage is given to ISIS and these types of fringe groups.”
Islamic State, also called ISIS or ISIL, has carried out or inspired deadly attacks around the world after proclaiming a self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria to rule over all Muslims. The ultra-violent group has been widely denounced by Muslim religious and political leaders.
Baha al-Deen, a pilgrim from ex-Soviet Georgia, said any labelling of Muslims as terrorists should stop.
“God gave us minds and tongues so we can understand each other and talk about our problems,” he said. “Otherwise we will fight like animals.”
uk.reuters.com/article/uk-saudi-haj-trump/muslims-at-haj-are-worried-about-trumps-policies-towards-them-idUKKCN1BE0BN?rpc=401&
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-mans-houses-set-fire/d/112416
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