Muslim Organisations in India Come Forward To Defend Inheritance Law What They Describe As The ‘Onslaught On Islamic Sharia’
12 March 2023
Representational image.
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• Muslim Organisations in India Come Forward To Defend
Inheritance Law What They Describe As The ‘Onslaught On Islamic Sharia’
• Abu Bakr Trust That Runs Islamic Schools Apologises
For Facebook Post Calling Gay People ‘Evil’
• Syria Centre Seeks To Rehabilitate Children Of
Foreign Jihadists Scarred By Islamic State
• 20 Years After US-Led Invasion Toppled Saddam, Iraq
Far From ‘Liberal Democracy’
• Muslim Rights Concern Blasts Oyo State Governor For
Inscribing His Name On Mosque
India
• Andhra Pradesh Muslim Government Staff Can Leave Early
During Ramzan
• What Happened At A Hindutva Rally In South Mumbai
Alleging 'Land Jihad'
• AIMIM Chief Urges Muslims To Participate In Politics
To Get Justice
• Bengal STF arrests 4 illegal immigrants from
Bangladesh in Kolkata
• 2 Muslim Men Detained By Anti-Terror Agency In
Madhya Pradesh
• Will they send 24 cr Muslims to China? Farooq
Abdullah slams Centre at non-BJP parties meet
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Europe
• Justice Among People Is Best Solution To Address
Today's Global Challenges: Secretary-General of Muslim Council of Elders
Azerbaijan
• Worshipper Doused In Petrol And Set Alight Outside
The West London Islamic Centre Mosque
• Sunak Bets On Islamic Scare Vote By Policing Its
Flawed Immigration Policy
• French Senate approves controversial pension plan
amid protests
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Mideast
• Colonial Israeli Settlers Invade Courtyards of
Al-Aqsa Mosque
• Netanyahu to defer decision on Evyatar until after
Ramadan
• Two Police Officers Shot Dead In Iran
• Why Iran’s Growing Influence in Venezuela Challenges
the West
• Pence warns renewed Iran deal would pave path to
nuclear weapon 'in gold' for regime
• Heidar, Shafagh missiles showcased in Army Aviation
fair
• Iran says oil exports hit highest level since
reimposition of U.S. sanctions - Tasnim
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Arab world
• Saudi Identity Makeover Is In Full Swing Before
Ramadan
• Qatar Islamic Bank launches Himyan Prepaid Card to
secure payments
• Mecca moves to online education due to heavy rain
warnings
• Kuwaiti MPs attend 146th Asian-Islamic Conference
• UAE participates in Coordination Meeting of
Islamic-Asian Geopolitical Group of IPU in Bahrain
• Saudi Arabia: AI services expanded in Grand Mosque
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Africa
• Makinde: I’ll Treat Christians, Muslims Without
Favouritism
• Crisis Looms As Rebuilt Mosque Is Named After Popular
Christian Governor 1 Week to His Re-Election
• Consider Competence, Youth Representation In Your
Cabinet Composition, Muslim Group Urges Tinubu
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Southeast Asia
• PM Anwar Recommends More Religious Events Be Held
For Better Understanding Of Islam
• Maldives To Resume Diplomatic Ties With The Islamic
Republic Of Iran
• Muhyiddin claims Umno can no longer champion Malay
rights, only one person’s interests
• Punish Perikatan for Kedah MB Sanusi’s remarks on
Penang sovereignty, Guan Eng tells voters
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Pakistan
• Court Summons Gill, ARY News Head For Indictment On
March 22
• Bomb attack on PTI MPA’s son kills two in
Balochistan’s Kachhi district
• CEC Raja calls meeting tomorrow as PTI petitions ECP
against Section 144 in Lahore
• Shehbaz lays IMF delay blame at Imran’s door
• Official presser deepens PTI man’s death mystery
• PML-N to fully participate in polls: Maryam
• PTI accuses PPP of ‘trying to buy’ its
councillors-elect for mayoral election
• Enumerators struggle to deal with challenges in
census data gathering
-----
South Asia
• Bangladesh Not Heading Towards Chinese Debt Trap
• Afghanistan Coffers Swell as Taliban Taxman Collects
• Guterres, Bhutto call for stability in Afghanistan.
• 4.3 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan: National
Center for Seismology
• Modernising the Mongla Port in Bangladesh
• Bangladesh sends fifth relief cargo flight to Turkey
-----
North America
• Volunteers Pack Ramadan Food Boxes For Those In Need
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-organisations-inheritance-islamic-sharia/d/129306
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Muslim Organisations in India Come Forward To Defend
Inheritance Law What They Describe As The ‘Onslaught On Islamic Sharia’
Representational image.
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12th March 2023
By Express News Service
KOZHIKODE: More Muslim organisations have come forward
to denounce what they describe as the ‘onslaught on Islamic Sharia’ and are
planning to hold public programmes to explain the nuances of Islamic laws of
inheritance. Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) leaders’ meeting said the
community should be vigilant against the calculated move to denigrate the
Sharia.
It felt that there is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind
the emergence of people with Muslim names insulting Muslim inheritance laws.
A press release issued after the meeting said the
succession laws in Islam were decided considering the responsibility of male
and females. “Those who follow the laws firmly believe that the Islamic
inheritance laws are flawless,” the release said, adding that the tendency to
become tools in the hands of anti-religious groups cannot be encouraged. KNM
state president T P Abdulla Koya Madani inaugurated and general secretary M
Muhammad Madani presided over the meeting. Noor Muhammad Noorsha, Hussein
Madavoor, N V Abdurahman, A P Abdusamad, A Asgar Ali, A I Abdul Majeed Swalhi
and others spoke.
Wisdom Islamic Youth Organisation is organising a
programme on ‘Should Sharia be corrected? What Islam has to say on inheritance
controversy.’
Wisdom state general secretary T K Ashraf will
inaugurate the meeting. Advocate M M Aliyar, Wisdom state secretary Abdul Malik
Salafi, K T Shaheeb Salafi, Haris Kayakkodi, and others will speak.
Confederation of Islamic Colleges (CIC) general
secretary Abdul Hakeem Faizi, IUML state secretary K M Shaji, columnist O
Abdulla, social activists Hameed Chennamagaloor, Darul Huda Islamic University
Dean Jafar Hudavi Kolathur and others will speak at the programme organised by
Wafy Alumni Association.
Adv. C Shukkur, who ignited the discussion on Muslim
inheritance laws, whose name appeared in the programme notice said that he
cannot attend the programme as he is busy with other preoccupations.
Source: New Indian Express
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Abu Bakr Trust That Runs Islamic Schools Apologises
For Facebook Post Calling Gay People ‘Evil’
The Abu Bakr Trust released
an apology (Envato)
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by Joe Ali
12-03-2023
Bosses of the Abu Bakr Trust – a charity that runs
three Islamic schools and a nursery in the West Midlands – have claimed that
the offensive content posted to their Facebook page was written by a volunteer.
A spokesperson from the trust said that the social
media posts were made by a volunteer without authorisation, but added that they
“accept full responsibility”.
“The previous trustees had delegated some activities
to volunteers as the charity has limited resources for staffing. Responsibility
for social media was not created by the charity, instead community volunteers
had taken the initiative to set up a Facebook page in 2011,” the spokesperson
said.
“The posts in question were made by a volunteer with
login details, but no staff or trustees approved them. We deleted the posts
immediately and changed the login details and have now taken control of social
media policy and will only post necessary information posts as previously.
Followers were urged to pray for “protection against
LGBTQ+ people” and told that homosexuality was a part of a “fallen culture”.
The post said: “My Lord, save me and my family from what LGBTQ+ people do.”
According to a report in The Telegraph, staff used the
trust’s social media channels to promote anti-LGBTQ+ views which resulted in
the Charity Commission launching a compliance case to address any failings by
the charity.
The trust’s schools are independent but have also
received government grants. One was labelled inadequate at its last inspection,
while another was praised by Ofsted, which reported that the school “clearly
shows that fundamental British values are being actively promoted”.
Since the anti-LGBTQ+ Facebook content came to light,
concerns have been raised and the government is being urged to address
campaigns seeking to remove LGBTQ+ inclusive teaching from schools.
“The efforts of hate preachers, activists, community
organisations and even schools to oppose teaching on inclusion and equality in
the UK should be a major concern for the Department for Education,” stated
Charlotte Littlewood, a researcher from the Henry Jackson Society, a
trans-Atlantic foreign policy and national security think tank.
“This is a concerted effort to subvert British values
and create a parallel moral value system that victimises minorities. For the
sake of a cohesive multiculturalist Britain, politicians and government bodies
need to forward a muscular liberalism that is vocal in their support of schools
in this difficult time.”
Source: The Pink News
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Syria Centre Seeks To Rehabilitate Children Of Foreign
Jihadists Scarred By Islamic State
Children of foreign Islamic
State fighters walk in a playground at the Orkesh rehabilitation centre in the
countryside of Qamishli in northeastern Syria on March 7, 2023. (Photo by Delil
SOULEIMAN / AFP)
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By Delil Souleiman
12-03-2023
QAMISHLI, Syria (AFP) — Children of foreign jihadists
play soccer on a dirt field at a centre in northeastern Syria that Kurdish
authorities hope will help rehabilitate minors raised on the ideology of the
Islamic State group.
More than 50 boys aged 11-17, some with parents
hailing from Britain, France, Germany or the United States, live at the heavily
guarded Orkesh rehabilitation centre near the city of Qamishli, close to the
Turkish border.
Opened six months ago, it is the first facility
seeking to rehabilitate foreign boys in the Kurdish-administered northeast,
where prisons and camps are packed with thousands of IS group relatives from
more than 60 countries.
The success of the centres is crucial to “saving the
region from the emergence of a new generation of extremists,” said Khaled Remo,
co-chair of the Kurdish administration’s office of justice and reform affairs.
Some of the boys wearing tracksuits played table
soccer in one of the rooms, while others kicked around a ball outside in the
sun, talking to one another in broken Arabic.
Tens of thousands of people, including relatives of
suspected jihadists, have been detained ever since in the Kurdish-controlled
Al-Hol and Roj camps, including around 10,000 foreigners in Al-Hol alone.
While girls are also in the camps, this rehabilitation
centre focuses on boys because they would be who IS remnants — now in hideouts
in the desert — would recruit to fight if they could, Remo said.
The boys at the rehabilitation centre were transferred
from Al-Hol and Roj, authorities said, as well as from the Ghwayran prison,
where hundreds were killed after jihadists stormed it early last year.
The facility also has dormitories, recreation areas
and a dining hall, and the boys can play chess or watch documentary films and
cartoons.
The centre’s goal is to prepare the boys “to integrate
into their communities in the future,” said Aras Darwish, who heads the
project.
“Our goal is to offer psychosocial and educational
support,” Darwish said of the center, which provides individual and group
therapy sessions.
Save the Children warned in December that around 7,000
children of suspected foreign jihadists were “trapped in desperate conditions
and put at risk on a daily basis” in overcrowded detention camps in northeast
Syria.
Russia repatriated 49 orphans aged between five and 15
from Roj and Al-Hol on Saturday, Kurdish administration and Russian officials
said.
Children of foreign Islamic State fighters play table
soccer at the Orkesh rehabilitation center in the countryside of Qamishli in
northeastern Syria on March 7, 2023. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
In a meeting with the Russian delegation, foreign
affairs official Roubil Biho accused the wider international community of
“negligence… and not assuming its responsibilities.”
“At first, some of them refused to take part in
classes with women teachers,” she said, as jihadists had imposed a strict
segregation of genders when they controlled territory in Syria and Iraq.
Source: Times Of Israel
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20 Years After US-Led Invasion Toppled Saddam, Iraq Far
From ‘Liberal Democracy’
Women hand out small
Kurdistan flags to men gathering in Arbil on March 11, 2023, during a
commemoration marking the 32nd anniversary of an uprising against the regime of
toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. (AFP)
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March 12, 2023
BAGHDAD: Twenty years after the US-led invasion of
Iraq toppled Saddam Hussein, the oil-rich country remains deeply scarred by the
conflict and, while closer to the United States, far from the liberal democracy
Washington had envisioned.
President George W. Bush’s war, launched in the
aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, is seared in memory for its “shock and awe”
strikes, the toppling of a giant Saddam statue, and the years of bloody sectarian
turmoil that followed.
The decision after the March 20, 2003 ground invasion
to dismantle Iraq’s state, party and military apparatus deepened the chaos that
fueled years of bloodletting, from which the jihadist Daesh group later
emerged.
The US forces, backed mainly by British troops, never
found the weapons of mass destruction that had been the justification for the
war, and eventually left Iraq, liberated from a dictator but marred by
instability and also under the sway of Washington’s arch-enemy Iran.
“The US simply did not understand the nature of Iraqi
society, the nature of the regime they were overthrowing,” said Samuel Helfont,
assistant professor of strategy at the Naval Postgraduate School in California.
Bush — whose father had gone to war with Iraq in
1990-91 after Saddam’s attack on Kuwait — declared he wanted to impose “liberal
democracy,” but that drive petered out even if Saddam was overthrown quickly,
Helfont said.
“Building democracy takes time and building a
democracy doesn’t create a utopia overnight,” said Hamzeh Haddad, a visiting
fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Instead of discovering nuclear, biological or chemical
weapons, the assault by the US-led international coalition opened a Pandora’s
box, traumatized Iraqis, and alienated some traditional US allies.
Iraqi Kurdish women perform during a ceremony to mark
the 32nd anniversary of an uprising against the regime of Saddam Hussein in
Irbil on March 11, 2023. (AFP)
Major violence flared again in Iraq after the deadly
February 2006 bombing of a Muslim Shiite shrine in Samarra north of Baghdad,
which sparked a civil war that lasted two years.
By the time the US withdrew under Barack Obama in
2011, more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed, says the Iraq Body
Count group. The United States claimed nearly 4,500 deaths on their side.
More horrors came to Iraq when the Daesh group
declared its “caliphate” and in 2014 swept across nearly a third of the country
— a savage reign that only ended in Iraq in 2017 after a gruelling military
campaign.
Today some 2,500 US forces are based in Iraq — not as
occupiers, but in an advisory, non-combat role in the international coalition
against IS, whose remnant cells continue to launch sporadic bombings and other
attacks.
The years of violence have deeply altered society in
Iraq, long home to a diverse mix of ethnic and religious groups. The minority
Yazidis were targeted in what the UN called a genocidal campaign, and much of
the once vibrant Christian community has been driven out.
An aerial picture shows mourners carrying coffins
during a mass funeral for Yazidi victims of the Daesh group whose remains were
found in a mass grave, in the northern Iraqi village of Kojo in Sinjar
district, on Dec. 9, 2021. (AFP)
Tensions also simmer between the Baghdad federal
government and the autonomous Kurdish authority of northern Iraq, especially
over oil exports.
In October 2019, young Iraqis led a nationwide protest
movement that vented frustration at inept governance, endemic corruption and
interference by Iran, sparking a bloody crackdown that left hundreds dead.
Despite Iraq’s immense oil and gas reserves, about one
third of the population of 42 million lives in poverty, while some 35 percent
of young people are unemployed, says the UN.
Politics remain chaotic, and parliament took a year,
marred by post-election infighting, before it swore in a new government last
October.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has vowed to
fight graft in Iraq, which ranks near the bottom of Transparency
International’s corruption perceptions index, at 157 out of 180 countries.
“Every Iraqi can tell you that corruption began to
thrive ... in the 1990s” when Iraq was under international sanctions, said
Haddad, adding that graft is more in focus now “because Iraq is open to the
world.”
Iraq is battered by other challenges, from its
devastated infrastructure and daily power outages to water scarcity and the
ravages of climate change.
Iran and Iraq fought a protracted war in the 1980s,
but the neighbors also have close cultural and religious ties as majority
Shiite countries.
Iraq became a key economic lifeline for the Islamic
republic as it was hit by sanctions over its contested nuclear program, while
Iran provides Iraq with gas and electricity as well as consumer goods.
Politically, Iraq’s Shiite parties, freed from the
yoke of Sunni dictator Saddam, have become “the most powerful players,” says
Hamdi Malik, associate fellow at the Washington Institute.
Vehicles drive along al-Firdous square in Baghdad on March
9, 2023 with a prominent billboard showing the slain head of Iran's "Quds
Force" Qasem Soleimani (2nd-R) and the Iraqi Hashed al-Shaabi forces
commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (2nd-L). (AFP)
Iran-backed groups have managed to maintain a certain
“cohesion” despite infighting after the last elections, he said, adding that
“Iran is playing a crucial role” in making sure the cohesion lasts.
By contrast, Iraq’s minority “Kurds and Sunnis are not
strong players, mainly because they suffer from serious internal schisms,” said
Malik.
Pro-Iran parties dominate Iraq’s parliament, and more
than 150,000 fighters of the former Iran-backed Hashed Al-Shaabi paramilitary
forces have been integrated into the state military.
Baghdad must now manage relations with both Washington
and Tehran, says a Western diplomat in Iraq speaking on condition of anonymity.
“It is trying to strike a balance in its relations
with Iran, its Sunni neighbors and the West,” the diplomat said. “It’s a very
delicate exercise.”
Source: Arab News
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original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2266906/middle-east
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Muslim Rights Concern Blasts Oyo State Governor For
Inscribing His Name On Mosque
Oyo State Governor, Seyi
Makinde,
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By Don Silas
March 11, 2023
Islamic group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has
said that Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has no right to rename the rebuilt
Adogba Central Mosque in Iwo Road Ibadan, which his administration demolished
in 2020 after himself.
Akintola said, “Our attention has been drawn to the
name of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, which has been conspicuously
printed on the newly rebuilt Adogba Central Mosque, Iwo Road, Ibadan. It’s an
insult to the corporate dignity of the Muslim community of Oyo State, in
particular, and the entire Muslim Ummah in Nigeria.
“Makinde has no moral right to name the mosque after
himself because it was a replacement of the original mosque, which was
demolished by him.
Meanwhile, the Governorship election will take place
on Saturday, March 18 2023, across some states in Nigeria.
Source: Daily post
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https://dailypost.ng/2023/03/11/islamic-blasts-gov-makinde-for-inscribing-his-name-on-mosque/
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India
Andhra Pradesh Muslim Government Staff Can Leave Early
During Ramzan
Deccan Chronicle
Mar 12, 2023
VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh government has issued
orders permitting its Muslim employees to leave office an hour early in the
evening during the holy Ramzan month.
A circular issued by principal secretary Revu Mutyala
Raju will come into force most likely on March 24 when the moon is sighted. It
will remain effective till April 23.
As per the circular, all government employees and
teachers who profess Islam, apart from staff working on contract and outsourcing
basis, including village and ward volunteers, will be able to leave early;
except when their presence is required due to exigencies of work.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
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What Happened At A Hindutva Rally In South Mumbai
Alleging 'Land Jihad'
By - Anmol Alphonso
11 Mar 2023
The quiet lanes of fashion street in South Mumbai were
filled with communal slogans on a Friday afternoon. A group of around 300 to
400 saffron-attired men, women, and some children, carrying posters and flags
were part of a Hindutva rally, protesting against what they call "Land
Jihad".
"Nahi chalega, nahi chalega Gad-durg pa Islamic
atikraman nahi chalega (The Islamic encroachment of forts will not be
tolerated)," they screamed, alleging that historic forts in Maharashtra
are being encroached upon by the Muslim community.
Source: Boom Live
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AIMIM Chief Urges Muslims To Participate In Politics
To Get Justice
12 MAR 2023
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday urged Muslims
to participate in politics to get justice and to evolve from being "vote
givers" to "vote givers." Owaisi, who was in Jodhpur for a day,
has been exploring possibilities for his party in Rajasthan, which is up for
elections in the year end. "Muslims only give votes and do not take votes
like many other communities such as Jat, Rajputs, Gujars etc. These communities
have not only given votes but taken votes too and have solved many of their
problems unlike Muslims," said Owaisi. He said Muslims need to learn from
these communities and build their leadership.
"Democracy is not just about casting your vote.
You also need to participate in it. Only then you will be able to do something
for yourself," he said. "We want to offer Rajasthan a political
alternative, where BJP and Congress are engaged in a musical chair game,"
he said. Owaisi said Congress government in the state has disappointed Muslims
miserably, and referred to the murder of Junaid and Naseer in Haryana by cow
vigilantes."Why did Ashok Gehlot and other Muslim legislators of Rajasthan
not visit the families of victims when they could have done it instantly. It
took Gehlot a long time to visit them and that too after we criticised
them," he said.
Source: Out Look India
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Bengal STF arrests 4 illegal immigrants from
Bangladesh in Kolkata
Suryagni Roy
Mar 11, 2023
By Suryagni Roy: The West Bengal Special Task Force
arrested four illegal immigrants from Bangladesh in Kolkata's Salt Lake Sector
5 for facilitating the entry of other immigrants into the country without valid
documents.
The Special Task Force apprehended the four immigrants
for illegally infiltrating into Indian territory and acquiring forged Indian
documents.
According to sources in the STF, the accused were
allegedly helping other Bangladeshi nationals infiltrate into India. The
accused also helped the Bangladeshi nationals with procuring fake Indian
documents and relocating to various parts of the country.
Source: India Today
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2 Muslim Men Detained By Anti-Terror Agency In Madhya
Pradesh
by Anurag Dwary
March 11, 2023
Bhopal: Two Muslim men have been detained by the
country's top anti-terror agency for allegedly "instigating people to act
against democracy" in Madhya Pradesh, sources have said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the
homes of three men, after which it detained two of them - Abdul Aziz, 40, and
Shoaib Khan, 26.
Source: Ndtv.Com
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Will they send 24 cr Muslims to China? Farooq Abdullah
slams Centre at non-BJP parties meet
Sunil Bhat
Mar 11, 2023
By Sunil Bhat: National Conference Chief and former
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has hit out at the Modi
government and asked it not to divide the nation on religious lines. Addressing
the media in Jammu after chairing a non-BJP parties meeting in the Valley,
veteran politician said that communities shouldn't be pitched against each
other.
"The politics of fear and hate is not new. What
will they do to 22-24 crore Muslims? Will they throw them in the sea or will
they send them to China?", Farooq Abdullah said.
"Gandhiji talked about Ram Rajya. By Ram Rajya,
he meant welfare state where everyone will enjoy equal opportunities and no one
will be discriminated against. We all must follow Gandhiji's principles",
Farooq Abdullah added.
Abdullah chaired a meeting with leaders of more than a
dozen parties earlier in the day. The meeting culminated with a decision to
meet the Election Commission (EC) in Delhi for early Assembly polls in Jammu
and Kashmir and the restoration of its statehood.
The meeting was held at Farooq Abdullah's residence.
After the meeting, he said, “Today, Jammu Chamber of Commerce has given a bandh
call against property tax. Youths are being lathicharged. This shows that the
situation is not good in J&K.”
Source: India Today
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Europe
Justice Among People Is Best Solution To Address
Today's Global Challenges: Secretary-General of Muslim Council of Elders
Azerbaijan
11-03-2023
BAKU, 11th March, 2023 (WAM) -- The Secretary-General
of the Muslim Council of Elders Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam has emphasised that
justice among people by spreading skills and opportunities is the best solution
to address today's global challenges such as the climate crises, the lack of
food and water, and the rising number of refugees and migrants as a result of
the division, wars, and conflicts that the world is experiencing.
These issues, he added, have made it more difficult
for millions of people to live in dignity and have in turn hampered efforts to
bring about global peace.
He made the remarks during the session titled,
“Migration as a Manifestation of Global Poverty, Inequality, climate change and
conflict”, as part of “Global Baku Forum: The World of Today: Challenges and
Hopes” held in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.
Source: Wam.Ae
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https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303137735
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Worshipper Doused In Petrol And Set Alight Outside The
West London Islamic Centre Mosque
Steve Hopkins
12-03-2023
An 82-year-old worshipper has been left with severe
burns after being doused in petrol and set alight outside a mosque.
Police are hunting the suspect who launched the savage
attack, believed to have been carried out by another attendee.
The pair spoke for around five minutes outside the
building before the attacker set fire to the pensioner – before calmly
strolling away.
Source: Joe.Co.Uk
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https://www.joe.co.uk/news/worshipper-82-doused-in-petrol-and-set-alight-outside-mosque-384210
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Sunak Bets On Islamic Scare Vote By Policing Its
Flawed Immigration Policy
12th March 2023
By Prabhu Chawla
At last, the Empire strikes back. Britain's current
Captain Kirk— Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who could be easily mistaken for a
Bengali Bhadralok or a Gujarati barrister of the 1900s—is betting on 'Agli
Baar, Sunak sarkar" by policing its flawed immigration policy. Xenophobia
is the first refuge of the punitive patriot: to defend the British way of life,
Sunak has introduced legislation to ban and deport the "new boat
people."
The new law will apply retrospectively. Illegals from
war-torn Middle Eastern countries crossing the Channel have been entering the
UK and turning England into a non-Christian nation. Official data released late
last year claimed that less than half of the British population called
themselves Christians. Sunak's legislation hopes to change his nation's altered
religious and social contours. The time-tested formula of invoking nationalism
and identity politics to rally voters is as original as fish and chips.
The economic policies of Britain's new White Knight
with dark skin aren't showing results. His leadership over the Conservative
Party, dominated by whites, is shaky. His betrayal of one-time mentor and the
then-PM Boris Johnson still rankles among loyalists. Tech mogul Narayana
Murthy's powerful son-in-law also knows that opinion polls and social
influencers identify immigration as one of the top three issues for voters. If
Sunak is courting a midterm mandate, speaking the nationalist lingo could
redeem his dim prospects. Is he inspired by the Modi Model? The BJP's power run
is thanks to Narendra Modi's charisma and focus on Hindu identity coupled with
economic growth. Sunak is also inspired by the European trend of the extreme
right parties winning elections on the platform of protecting national cultural
and religious character.
The dead Empire, which Sunak rules, had, by the 20th
century, controlled about 25 per cent of the world's total land area and a
quarter of its population. Its cultural and social domination changed world
history with military might and an arrogant class structure with bigoted
bombast that mandated 'No dogs or Indians allowed." That racist rant has
now died with the fading echoes of British pride. Sunak has to be more loyal
than the king to gain the loyalty of the voters. The rhetoric of the PM and his
staunch anti-Asian Home secretary Suella Braverman is driven not only by
economic concerns but also by a worry over the social fallout of unrestricted
immigration. "My policy is very simple, it is this country—and your
government—who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs. They are
paying people smugglers huge sums to make this dangerous and sometimes tragic
journey. The reason that criminal gangs continue to bring small boats over here
is because they know that our system can be exploited… We will det
Source: New Indian Express
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French Senate approves controversial pension plan amid
protests
March 11, 2023
Paris, Mar 12 (EFE).- The French Senate approved
President Emmanuel Macron’s contentious pension reform on Saturday, as protests
over the unpopular plan to raise the retirement age by two years to 64
continued for the seventh day.
The Senate, or the upper house of the French
Parliament, voted on the bill late on Saturday as demonstrators across the
country took to the streets to protest against the government move.
French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said it was a
“decisive step to bring about a reform that will ensure the future of our
pensions.”
However, the National Assembly vote is expected to be
close as the house, where the ruling party needs the votes of its allies for a
majority, did not approve the plan previously.
Source: laprensalatina
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Mideast
Colonial Israeli Settlers Invade Courtyards of Al-Aqsa
Mosque
12 March, 2023
Dozens of colonial Israeli settlers invaded Sunday, 12
March 2023, the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, performing provocative rituals
under the Israeli occupation forces’ protection.
Local media sources reported that Israeli settlers
broke into the courtyards of Al-Aqsa and performed provocative Talmudic rituals
in some of its yards.
Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces are widely spread
across the compound of the Al-Aqsa Mosque to protect the colonial settlers,
banning the existence of Palestinians.
Source: Days Of Palestine
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Netanyahu to defer decision on Evyatar until after
Ramadan
Hezki Baruch
Mar 11, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to defer
the decision regarding the regulation of the Evyatar outpost in Samaria and the
eviction of the illegal Arab settlement of Khan al-Ahmar east of Jerusalem
until after the month of Ramadan, according to a report by Kan 11 on Saturday.
A government source responded that the regulation of
Evyatar will proceed and that the deferral is also due to staff work on the
issue.
The Nachala Movement and the families of Evyatar
attacked the decision and said that the deferral is a capitulation to
terrorism. "The government that was elected by right-wingers who were sick
of Gatz and friend's leftist government has no right to continue the same
policy of evicting communities and pushing off the following through of
agreements to the residents of Evyatar.
Source: Israel National News
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https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368573
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Two Police Officers Shot Dead In Iran
March 11, 2023
Unidentified gunmen shot and killed two Iranian police
officers in the country’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchistan Province, Iranian
state media reported on March 11. The incident occurred the previous day during
Friday Prayers in the town of Goshan. The province, on Iran’s border with
Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been the scene of protests for months following
the alleged rape of a teenaged girl by a police officer. The area has also seen
frequent clashes between police and drug-smuggling gangs.
Source: Rferl.Org
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Why Iran’s Growing Influence in Venezuela Challenges
the West
Michael Lipin
March 11, 2023
WASHINGTON — Iran is striving to expand its influence
in fellow U.S. adversary Venezuela, which is hosting an Iranian cultural fair
this week and seeking Iranian assistance to revive the ailing Venezuelan energy
industry.
The International Fair of Venezuelan-Iranian Culture
and Friendship opened March 4 in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, and runs
through Sunday. It is organized by a Caracas-based group called the Center for
Intercultural Exchange in Latin America, or CICL.
The U.S. research group Foundation for Defense of
Democracies said in a report last December that CICL is a Latin American branch
of Iran’s al-Mustafa International University, which the report describes as
Tehran’s principal institution for recruiting, indoctrinating and training
foreign converts to Shi’ite Islam.
Source: Voa News
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Pence warns renewed Iran deal would pave path to
nuclear weapon 'in gold' for regime
By Adam Shaw
March 11, 2023
Former Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday spoke to
Iranian anti-regime activists in Washington, D.C., and warned that the Biden
administration’s efforts to re-enter the embattled 2015 nuclear deal would pave
a path "in gold" to a nuclear weapon.
Pence spoke at an event held in the nation’s capital
by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities, which calls for a
democratic, secular, non-nuclear Iranian republic, and hailed the Trump
administration’s maximum pressure policy toward the regime in Tehran.
That administration abandoned the 2015 Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action and re-imposed sanctions that had been lifted as
part of the accord and also took out top General Qasem Soleimani in an air strike.
The Biden administration has changed course and has
sought to re-enter the deal with Iran, and talks were revived in Vienna in
2021. However, those talks faltered last year amid what the U.S. blamed on
intransigence from the regime — now led by hardline President Ebrahim Raisi.
However, the administration has not abandoned the intent to re-enter the deal.
Source: Fox News
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Heidar, Shafagh missiles showcased in Army Aviation
fair
Mar 12, 2023
The exhibition of the latest achievements of the
Islamic Republic of Iran Army Aviation opened on Sunday morning in the presence
of the top military advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Major
General Yahya Rahim Safavi, Iranian Army Ground Forces Commander Brigadier
General Kiumars Heidari and Commander of the Army Aviation Second Brigadier
General Yousef Ghorbani.
A part of Iran Army Aviation's capabilities in
different areas has been displayed in this exhibition.
Heidar cruise missile and Shafagh heavy antitank
missile were among the achievements were showcased in the exhibition.
Source: En.Mehrnews
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Iran says oil exports hit highest level since
reimposition of U.S. sanctions - Tasnim
March 12, 2023
DUBAI, March 12 (Reuters) - Iran's oil exports have
reached its highest level in the past four years amid U.S. sanctions, the
country's Oil Minister Javad Owji said on Sunday according to semi-official
Tasnim news agency.
"We exported 83 million more oil barrels since
21st March 2022 compared to the same period last year. This represents 190
million more oil barrels exported compared to the period March 2021 to March
2022," Owji said.
Source: Reuters
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Arab world
Saudi identity makeover is in full swing before
Ramadan
By Deutsche Welle
Mar 12, 2023
The symbolism of the latest megaproject for Saudi
Arabia sought by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is even grander than its
dimensions.
The New Mukaab, which translates to "New
Cube," will be 400 meters (1,320 feet) high, 400 meters wide and 400
meters long. The inside will hold entertainment options, hotels and
restaurants.
Bruno Schmidt-Feuerheerd, a political analyst at the
University of Cambridge, told DW that "in the Saudi public sphere,
religion is increasingly replaced by culture." He said the cube-shaped
architecture was not unique to the Kaaba.
According to a royal decree by the crown prince's
father, King Salman, in 2022, February 22 was introduced as a holiday to
celebrate the foundation of the first Saudi state. Up until then, the country's
National Day was celebrated on September 23. In February, Saudi Arabia
celebrated its second Founding Day over a four-day weekend with events and
fireworks across the country.
"February 22 is an arbitrary date that has no
historical basis, and the intention behind this is a nationalist push to
celebrate its own, nonreligious holidays," Schmidt-Feuerheerd said.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Qatar Islamic Bank launches Himyan Prepaid Card to
secure payments
12 Mar 2023
Doha: Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Qatar’s leading
digital bank, introduces a new Prepaid Card “Himyan”.
This is the first Qatari national prepaid card, to all
existing customers, residents, and visitors of Qatar allowing secure payments
within
As part of QIB’s efforts to support the national
vision and enhance financial inclusion, QIB customers and non-banking
customers, including visitors holding a valid QID or visa can apply for the
Himyan Prepaid Card via the QIB Mobile App or by visiting the branch and
filling out the required application form.
In addition to the flexibility of the Himyan Prepaid
Card, customers can benefit from contactless feature, reaffirming QIB’s
commitment to offer a seamless banking experience.
Source: The Peninsula Qatar
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Mecca moves to online education due to heavy rain
warnings
Anadolu Agency Staff
12.03.2023
The education department in Mecca announced Saturday
that learning will turn to online platforms Sunday because of heavy rain
warnings.
State-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that
similar decisions were made by education directorates in Jeddah, Medina, Taif,
Al-Bahah and other neighboring areas.
Source: Aa.Com.Tr
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Kuwaiti MPs attend 146th Asian-Islamic Conference
12-03-2023
KUWAIT: Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation participated
in two coordination meetings on Saturday on the sidelines of the Asian and
Islamic 146th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, held in the Kingdom
of Bahrain until March 15. During the two meetings, members of the
participating delegation stressed, in a statement reported by Al-Dustour News
Network, the importance of coordination between geopolitical groups to reach
consensus on issues of common concern.
The Secretary of the Parliamentary Division, MP Dr Mohammad Al-Mahan,
and a member of the Executive Committee, MP Khaled Al-Tamar, represented the
delegation in the (Asian) meeting, while MP Hamad Al-Obaid represented the
delegation in the Islamic meeting.
MP Dr. Mohammad Al-Mahan, and a member of the
Executive Committee, MP Khaled Al-Tamar, represented the delegation in the
(Asian) meeting.
The participating Kuwaiti delegation is headed by the
Undersecretary of the Parliamentary Division, MP Thamer Al-Dhafiri, with MP
Al-Mahan, MP Al-Obaid, MP Khaled Al-Tamar and MP Jenan Bushehri.
Source: Kuwait Times
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UAE participates in Coordination Meeting of
Islamic-Asian Geopolitical Group of IPU in Bahrain
11-03-2023
MANAMA, 11th March, 2023 (WAM) -- Saqr Ghobash,
Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), led the UAE Parliamentary
Division to the Coordination Meeting of the Islamic-Asian Geopolitical Group
which took place on the sidelines of the 146th Assembly of the
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related meetings in Bahrain.
The meeting reviewed issues on the agenda of the IPU
's 146th Assembly, in addition to discussing the most important issues and
developments on the Arab and Islamic arenas, in order to exchange views on the
issues raised, and coordinate positions on them.
Ghobash stressed the importance of coordination
between geopolitical groups to reach consensus on issues of common concern at
the IPU meeting.
Source: Wam.Ae
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Saudi Arabia: AI services expanded in Grand Mosque
Ramadan Al Sherbini
March 11, 2023
Cairo: A Saudi state agency in charge of Islam’s two holiest
sites has introduced a number of artificial intelligence-based services in the
Grand Mosque in Makkah frequented by millions of Muslim worshippers.
The smart services include robots for sterilisation,
disinfection, guiding visitors and pilgrims about rituals and providing fatwas
(religious edicts) on queries, an official has said.
“There is a possible addition of simultaneous
interpretation of different world languages and remote communication with the
scholars,” added Eng. Wesam bin Mohammed, the deputy chief for technical
affairs, digital transformations and artificial intelligence at the General
Presidency for Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques.
“Modern technology, electronic platforms, digital apps
and AI tools help in implementing the operation plan and meeting needs of
worshippers in the Grand mosque while undertaking their rites by giving them
smooth and easy access to services,” the official said.
Source: Gulf News
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Africa
Makinde: I’ll Treat Christians, Muslims without
Favouritism
12th March, 2023
Oyo State Governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde yesterday pledged
that he would serve the people of the state equally and fairly without any bias
or favouritism when re-elected.
Makinde also noted that when re-elected, his
administration would continue to be fair and just in relation with all
religions in the state as he had done in the last 45 months.
He made the promise yesterday when he paid a visit to
Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta states, Alhaji Daud Akinola, in
Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The governor, who received Akinola’s blessings, also
garnered Chief Imam of Ibadanland, Sheikh Abdul-Ganiy Agbotomokekere’s support
for his re-election bid.
The duo of Aare Musulumi and Chief Imam of Ibadanland
commended Makinde for governing the state with the fear of God as well as being
fair to the Muslim Ummah and adherents of other religions in the state.
Source: This Day Live
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Crisis Looms As Rebuilt Mosque Is Named After Popular
Christian Governor 1 Week to His Re-Election
by Bada Yusuf
March 12, 2023
The decision of the Oyo state government to rename the
newly rebuilt popular central Mosque in the Iwo Road area of Ibadan after
Governor Seyi Makinde has met stiff criticism from the Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC). PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see
Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! According to Premium Times, the
Islamic group is demanding that the old name of the mosque should be
immediately reversed. Ishaq Akintola, the MURIC executive director, made this
known in a statement on Saturday, March 11. In October 2019, Seyi Makinde said
that the mosque would be demolished because of the construction of a bus
terminal. According to the governor, the project was expected to be completed
between 9 and 11 months. Governor Makinde added that a church around the
terminal area would also be affected.
Source: legit.ng
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Consider competence, youth representation in your
cabinet composition, Muslim group urges Tinubu
By Taiye Agbaje
March 11, 2023
An association of Muslim men in business and
professions, The Companion, has advised the President-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu,
to consider competence and youth representation in the composition of his
cabinet.
The group, in its congratulatory message on Saturday
by its National Amir, Mr Kamil Olalekan and the General Secretary, Alhaji
Ibrahim Abdulkadir, also urged Tinubu to ensure that his cabinet composition
had a national spread.
“The Companion felicitates all Nigerians on the
successful conduct of the Presidential and National Assembly elections,
especially for their doggedness and resilience while the results of the polls
were being awaited.
Source: News Diary Online
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Southeast Asia
PM Anwar recommends more religious events be held for
better understanding of Islam
12 Mar 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim has recommended that more selawat and munajat (praise and
salutations to the Prophet) events be held in this country to increase
knowledge and have a better understanding about Islam.
“We can put in all efforts, make plans, design
economic, cultural strategies, empower various fields but we have to leave the
rest to Allah.
“That’s why I am taking this opportunity to celebrate
preachers and religious scholars and get them to invite friends all over the
country to this event where everyone is always sending selawat on the Prophet
to acknowledge the great blessing that Allah has given us and use this
diversity to enhance knowledge and understanding.”
Source: Malay Mail
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Maldives to resume diplomatic ties with the Islamic
Republic of Iran
Fathmath Udhma
11 Mar 2023
Ministry of Foreign Affairs has disclosed that the
Government of Maldives has decided to resume diplomatic ties with the Islamic
Republic of Iran.
Foreign Ministry states that this decision was made
following the positive development seen due to the joint Trilateral Statement
by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People's
Republic of China.
The Ministry states that the Government of the Republic
of Maldives welcomes the Joint Trilateral Statement by Saudi Arabia, Iran and
China, announcing that an agreement has been reached between the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Source: Raajje.Mv
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Muhyiddin claims Umno can no longer champion Malay
rights, only one person’s interests
By R. Loheswar
Sunday, 12 Mar 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Umno is no longer a party
that stands for Malay and Bumiputera interests but those of a single person,
according to its former deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who has since
founded his own party, Bersatu.
The Bersatu president also claimed that democracy is
“dead” in Umno, and that the country’s biggest political party has become a
“tool” to protect the dominance of its one-time nemesis Pakatan Harapan (PH)
since joining forces with the latter last November to be part of the
government.
“Democracy is also dead in Umno. The party’s
constitution has been broken merely to defend the interests of one individual.
They have gone from a party that fights for all Malays and Bumiputera to look
after the interests of one individual.
“This individual is also protected by the PH
government leadership. For PH to remain in power they need to protect this
individual who controls Umno. By controlling this individual PH remains in
power,” he told hundreds of Bersatu delegates attending the party’s annual
general assembly here today.
Source: Malay Mail
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Punish Perikatan for Kedah MB Sanusi’s remarks on
Penang sovereignty, Guan Eng tells voters
By Ida Lim
12 Mar 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — Penang voters can show their
displeasure with Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s controversial
remarks about their home state by punishing Perikatan Nasional and its
component party PAS at the coming state election, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng
said today.
In the latest salvo against Sanusi’s continued bid to
have the federal government pay more for the “lease” of Penang island from
Kedah, the Air Putih assemblyman who is also Bagan MP said Penangites should
hit PN and PAS where it will hurt them most — at the ballot box.
“On an individual level, questioning the sovereignty
of Penang is similar to questioning the citizenship of a Malaysian that has
been granted by the Federal Constitution,” he said in a statement.
Lim noted that the Penang state legislative assembly
had unanimously voted on March 7 to censure Sanusi for doubting Penang’s
sovereignty.
Source: Malay Mail
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Pakistan
Court summons Gill, ARY News head for indictment on March
22
Malik Asad
March 12, 2023
ISLAMABAD: An additional district and sessions judge
on Saturday dismissed an application of Shahbaz Gill, chief of staff of PTI
chairman Imran Khan, for deferring his indictment until the Supreme Court’s
ruling in Arshad Sharif case and summoned him alongside ARY News director Ammad
Yousaf on March 22 for framing of charges in a ‘mutiny’ case.
When Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra resumed proceedings in
the case to indict Mr Gill and Mr Yousaf, the PTI leader informed the court
that his counsel could not appear because he had met an accident. He then
requested the court to defer indictment till the Supreme Court concluded the
proceeding in the journalist Arshad Sharif murder case.
Since Arshad Sharif was also nominated in the First
Informa-tion Report registered in this particular case, the proceeding of the
trial court might be deferred till the final verdict of the apex court in the
suo motu case, he suggested.
Source: Dawn
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Bomb attack on PTI MPA’s son kills two in
Balochistan’s Kachhi district
Saleem Shahid
March 12, 2023
QUETTA: A bomb struck the convoy of Sardar Khan Rind —
a former district nazim and the son of a PTI provincial lawmaker — in the Sunni
Shoran area of Kachhi district, killing two of his private bodyguards and
critically wounding a third, officials said on Saturday.
Mr Rind escaped unhurt in the blast, which according
to officials was carried out using a remote-controlled improvised explosive
device. No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
“Two bodyguards were killed and one was injured in the
IED blast while Sardar Khan Rind was unharmed in the blast,” he said, adding
that the dead and the injured were moved to District Headquarters Hospital
Dhadar.
Source: Dawn
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CEC Raja calls meeting tomorrow as PTI petitions ECP
against Section 144 in Lahore
Irfan Sadozai
March 12, 2023
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja has
called a meeting of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday (March
13) to discuss the PTI’s petitions against the “illegal imposition” of Section
144 and ban on the party’s rallies in Lahore.
Ahead of its election rally in Lahore, the PTI
approached the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Sunday against the
“illegal imposition of Section 144 in Lahore” by the caretaker Punjab
government.
Last night, PTI chief Imran Khan, in an apparent act
of defiance, announced a fresh rally in Lahore today — days after the interim
setup cracked down on the party’s March 8 election rally.
Soon after the announcement, the district
administration banned on public gatherings through the invocation of Section
144 in the Punjab capital, citing concerns in the wake of a Pakistan Super
League (PSL) match in the city.
Source: Dawn
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Shehbaz lays IMF delay blame at Imran’s door
Staff Reporter
March 12, 2023
ISLAMABAD: As Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on
Saturday blamed PTI chief Imran Khan for obstructing the deal with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
sought the help of global financial institutions to tackle economic woes.
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office,
PM Sharif said the protests taken out by the former ruling party were a part of
Imran Khan’s “plan to foment instability” in the country.
Mr Sharif claimed that the former prime minister did
not want the masses to be lifted out of poverty. First, the PTI chairman exited
the IMF programme and now he was resisting the courts, he said, adding Imran
Khan also deviated from his promises.
Meanwhile, at the United Nations, Mr Bhutto-Zardari
asked for global support for the economic recovery of cash-strapped Pakistan.
He described the delay in the deal with the IMF as “the cherry on the cake”.
The foreign minister, who was in New York to chair two
UN meetings on Muslim women and Islamophobia, said at a Friday afternoon news
briefing that the country was facing “a perfect storm of crises” and needed support
to weather it out.
Source: Dawn
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Official presser deepens PTI man’s death mystery
Zulqernain Tahir
March 12, 2023
LAHORE: The mystery surrounding the death of a worker
of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday deepened further after both
the PML-N-led federal coalition and Punjab’s caretaker governments came up with
a claim that Ali Bilal’s death was a result of ‘road accident’ and did not
occur in custody, as is being alleged by the party.
In a maiden press conference, Punjab caretaker chief
minister Mohsin Naqvi took on PTI chief Imran Khan and his party for peddling
‘propaganda’ especially on social media over the death of Ali Bilal, also
known as Zille Shah, ’a special child, against him and senior police officers
of the province.
PTI chief Imran Khan, on the other hand, demanded the
constitution of a judicial commission to ascertain the ‘true facts’ surrounding
Bilal’s death.
Foul play was suspected when the post-mortem
examination of the body revealed that he died due to “massive blunt trauma,
skull fracture, intracranial hemorrhaging and testicular injuries” with a total
of 26 injury marks on his body.
Although the CM’s presser presented videos of the
vehicle and the two men who brought Bilal to the Services Hospital, they could
not put forth any footage in which he was hit on the road by any vehicle to
substantiate their claim.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1741745/official-presser-deepens-pti-mans-death-mystery
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PML-N to fully participate in polls: Maryam
A Correspondent
March 12, 2023
TOBA TEK SINGH: PML-N Chief Organiser and Senior Vice
President Maryam Nawaz has said the party will fully participate in and win the
upcoming provincial assembly elections, adding if the scale in not balanced,
the exercise will be considered a mere selection.
She was presiding over an organisational meeting of
the PML-N office-bearers from all the four districts of Faisalabad division on
the second day of her visit to the city.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, former state
ministers Talal Chaudhry, Abid Sher Ali and provincial spokesperson Azma
Bukhari also attended the meeting, besides other parliamentarians and party
ticket-holders.
Source: Dawn
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PTI accuses PPP of ‘trying to buy’ its
councillors-elect for mayoral election
Imran Ayub
March 12, 2023
KARACHI: The main opposition party, Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), on Saturday accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of
approaching its councillors-elect in a bid to establish its “fake majority” for
the upcoming election of Karachi mayor.
The newly-appointed party leadership for Karachi also
announced to boost their activities in the city in line with the preparation
for the upcoming general elections that they believed would reinforce the PTI’s
majority mandate in the metropolis.
“PPP has been approaching our members-elect [of LG
system] to buy their loyalty,” said PTI Karachi president Aftab Siddiqi while
addressing a press conference here. “Let me remind the PPP leadership that we
won’t allow them to repeat the episode of Sindh House [in Islamabad which led
to a vote of no confidence against the then prime minister Imran Khan in April
2022]. This must stop.”
Source: Dawn
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Enumerators struggle to deal with challenges in census
data gathering
Shazia Hasan
March 12, 2023
KARACHI: Enumerators from the Pakistan Bureau of
Statistics (PBS) going door to door to collect data for the population census
have been facing a number of issues coming in the way of their work.
“They may also be right about not trusting a stranger
asking for personal information. But they don’t even cooperate after we present
them with proof of our identity,” said a member of a census team. “They say
that they see messages on WhatsApp and other social media warning them against
sharing personal information with anyone,” he added.
“We are all teachers — government officials. Doesn’t
something about us or about our demeanour tell them we are not thugs,” he said.
Source: Dawn
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South Asia
Bangladesh not heading towards Chinese debt trap
Mar 12, 2023
Bangladesh yesterday strongly ruled out the
possibility of falling into any Chinese debt-trap as the return on its
investments is much higher than the cost of the funds, said Foreign Minister AK
Abdul Momen yesterday.
He made the comments in replying to questions from
Richard Quest, CNN's Business editor-at-large, at the Bangladesh Business
Summit.
The three-day summit, organised by the Federation of
Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), kicked off at the
Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka to showcase the country's
progress and potential to both global and local investors.
The debt-trap question has surfaced as Bangladesh has
borrowed heavily from many countries, including China in recent years to pull
off its growth targets. The bankruptcy of Sri Lanka, whose largest lenders
include China, in 2022 has cemented the worries.
Of the $72.3 billion foreign loan, the World Bank
accounts for $18.2 billion, followed by the Asian Development Bank ($13.3
billion), Japan ($9.2 billion), Russia ($5.1 billion), China ($4.8 billion) and
India ($1.02 billion).
Source: The Daily Star
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Afghanistan Coffers Swell as Taliban Taxman Collects
March 11, 2023
AFGHANISTAN — A dusty logjam of trucks inches across a
rut in the mountains splitting Pakistan and Afghanistan, teeming with a cargo
of fruit and coal — and paying the Taliban authorities for the privilege of
passage.
In downtown Kabul, a patrol of accountants inspects a
bazaar, billing shopkeepers for trading honey, hair conditioner and gas hobs
under the snapping white flag of the country's new rulers.
Afghanistan is frozen deep in a second winter of
humanitarian turmoil since the Taliban seized power in 2021, but cash is
changing hands at a dizzying pace.
The Taliban administration is proving adept at
collecting tax — seemingly without the corruption associated with the previous
administration.
At Torkham on the border, one trucker told AFP that
under the old regime he would pay 25,000 Afghani ($280) at illegal checkpoints
along a 620 kilometer (380 mile) trip to Mazar-i-Sharif.
"Now we travel day and night, and no one asks us
to pay," said 30-year-old driver Najibullah.
In late January, the World Bank reported
"strong" revenue collection at 136 billion Afghani ($1.5 billion)
over the first nine months of 2022 — broadly in line with the final full year
of the U.S.-backed regime.
"It has been reported quite consistently that
they're doing quite well on revenue, and that too is happening when economic
activity is quite subdued," an official with a foreign organization in
Afghanistan told AFP.
"It was a shock."
However, in a country where the United Nations says
half the citizens face severe hunger, the figures beg many questions.
At the coalface
About 60 percent of the Taliban treasury is funded by
customs, the World Bank says, raised at tumbledown checkpoints like Torkham in
eastern Nangarhar province, where truckers trade rubber-stamped paperwork for
cash.
Incoming freight is mostly food — oranges, potatoes
and World Food Program flour — but the outgoing lane is dominated by a convoy
of lavishly painted trucks loaded with chromite and coal.
Neighboring Pakistan has been hammered by the global
energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine at a time when an economic crisis
has withered its dollar reserves.
Source: Voa News
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Guterres, Bhutto call for stability in Afghanistan.
S.Muddasir Ali Shah
11 Mar 2023
PESHAWAR (Pajhwok): United Nations Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres and Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari have underlined
the need for stability in Afghanistan.
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Source: Pajhwok.Com
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4.3 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan: National
Center for Seismology
March 12, 2023
An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 hit Afghanistan on
Sunday, according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).
"Earthquake of Magnitude: 4.3, Occurred on
12-03-2023, 05:11:37 IST, Lat: 36.02 & Long: 70.58, Depth: 201 Km," NCS
tweeted on Sunday.
The quake struck at a depth of 201 kilometres, at a
latitude of 36.02 and a longitude of 70.58.
Source: Business-Standard
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Modernising the Mongla Port in Bangladesh
SOHINI BOSE
MAR 11 2023
As a country located in the Bay of Bengal, ports are
an important part of Bangladesh’s growth story. For a long time, the
responsibility of facilitating the country’s maritime trade has been on the
Port of Chattogram alone. The situation, however, appears to be on the verge of
change with China’s announcement of its decision to invest in the modernisation
of Bangladesh’s Mongla port. After years of consideration, and a feasibility
study which found the project to be “crucial to the development of Bangladesh”,
Beijing finally sent a letter to Dhaka on 4th January this year, acquiescing to
its 2019 request of funding the ‘Expansion and Modernisation of Mongla Port Facilities’
with a government concessional loan of USD 400 million . The framework of this
loan stipulates that the project will be executed by a Chinese enterprise or by
a consortium of Chinese companies, as China had sought the responsibility of
implementing, operationalising, maintaining, and managing the project from the
early rounds of negotiatio
The plan to develop the Mongla Port is one of the 27
projects that China and Bangladesh had agreed to collaborate on during
President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka in 2016. In the same year, the Mongla
Port Authority upgraded its Memorandum of Understanding with the China National
Complete Engineering Corporation into an agreement. However, the deal was
terminated in 2019 given the paucity of communication from the company’s end.
Consequently, the port authority struck a deal with another Chinese enterprise
by the name of China Civil Engineering Construction Company in July 2021.
However, it is interesting to note that despite these early agreements, the
finances were not forthcoming from China until, the Mongla Port Authority,
appointed Egis India Consulting Engineers Private Limited, as the consultant
for a capacity-building project worth Taka 6,014 crore, on 26th December last
year. The promptness of the Chinese decision to finally fund the project
following the news of India’s involvement in developing the port is indicative
of geopolitical competition brewing in the Bay of Bengal region. To make sense
of this competition, it is, therefore, worthwhile to identify how China and
India stand to benefit from investments in the Mongla Port.
As both its neighbouring giants are keen to invest in
Bangladesh, the moment is ripe for the country to utilise the interest for its
own infrastructural development.
Situated at the intersection of the Mongla and Prasur
river in southwestern Bangladesh, the port is presently the second-busiest port
in the country, although its traffic and cargo handling capacities are still
much lower than the port of Chattogram. Nonetheless, the port is bestowed with
the potential to serve as an international shipping hub, making it an
attractive prospect for both China and India.
Source: Orf Online
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Bangladesh sends fifth relief cargo flight to Turkey
12 March, 2023
The cargo flight transported a generous donation of
400 tents, 300 beds (mattresses), 300 sleeping bags, and 700 blankets, TIKA
says.
The shipment was personally overseen by Turkish
Ambassador Ramis Sen and TİKA Bangladesh Coordinator Sevki Mert Baris, who were
both present at the airport.
Baris told Anadolu, "I want to share my gratitude
with our Bangladeshi sisters and brothers from all walks of life. They have
shown how they like Turkey so much once more."
Source: Tbs News
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North America
Volunteers pack Ramadan food boxes for those in need
By Sia Nyorkor
Mar. 12, 2023
Islamic Relief USA volunteers met at the Islamic
Center of Cleveland in Parma to pack Ramadan food boxes for families in need.
Organizers say as the holy fasting month of Ramadan
fast approaches, recent census data shows that 34 million Americans reported to
not have enough to eat each week.
The goal is to pack 15,000 food boxes nationwide,
1,000 of them in Parma and then distribute them to families who need them.
Source: Cleveland 19
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https://www.cleveland19.com/2023/03/11/volunteers-pack-ramadan-food-boxes-those-need/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-organisations-inheritance-islamic-sharia/d/129306