Muslim Student in India’s Karnataka Confronts Teacher for Calling Him A ‘Terrorist’; ‘Shameful’: Indian Journalists, Activists React
New Age Islam News Bureau
29 November 2022
Screengrab from video
----
• US: Washington's Muslim, Jewish Firefighters Sue
over Policy Banning Beards
• Saudi Arabia Jails Social Media Activist, Fadi
Ibrahim Nasser, Over Critical Tweets about the House of Saud and Unemployment
• Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Calls Off Ceasefire
Agreed With the Government, Orders Fighters to Attack across Pakistan
• Iranian Football Federation Complains To FIFA after
US Football Federation Removes ‘Allah’ From Flag Graphic
India
• “Un-Islamic Practices”: Clerics Ban Dance, Music,
Fireworks in Muslim Weddings in Jharkhand Block
• Congress Provided Such an Eco-System Where Love
Jihad Was Easy: Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Gujarat polls: Muslims overlook AAP baggage
• HC reserves judgment in plea challenging ASI survey
of the Gyanvapi mosque complex
• Maharashtra's Nashik: People carrying saffron flags
participate in silent march, demanding check on 'love jihad'
• Indian, Indonesian NSAs to address special meeting
focusing on countering extremism
--------
North America
• Radical Islamic cleric Shaikh Abdullah Faisal stands
trial for trying to recruit ‘NYPD cop’ to ISIS
• US Muslim leaders explore Israel: ‘The Abraham
Accords give hope’
--------
Arab World
• Egyptian Salafi Leader Younis Makhyoun's Football
'Fatwa' Stirs Controversy
• Erdoğan urges Islamic nations to put stronger will
for Syria conflict
• Turkiye, Egypt to restore full diplomatic ties,
reappoint ambassadors
• Arab fans unite at FIFA World Cup after surprise
wins in Qatar
• Syrian refugees under pressure to return face an
uncertain future tinged with fear
--------
Pakistan
• Pakistan Army's decision to remain apolitical will
shield it from 'vagaries of politics', says Gen Bajwa
• MQM-P raises delimitation issue as PPP mulls
response to PTI move
• Altaf versus ex-loyalists over London properties
• ECP bound to hold by-polls in case of PTI
resignations, says official
• Buffer zone to protect Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort
--------
Mideast
• Hezbollah Official: Support for Palestine in Qatari
World Cup Tantamount To Rejection of Israel Existence
• 'Hezbollah Biggest Obstacle for Israel
Normalization; Palestinians Won't Allow Al-Aqsa Desecration'
• Israel torturing Palestinian children in detention
centres, treating them as criminals: Fatah leader
• Erdogan-Sisi handshake sparks backlash from Turkey's
Islamists
• More than 300 dead in Iran unrests since protests:
Revolutionary Guards general
• Three Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in
occupied West Bank: Health ministry
• Three Israeli soldiers detained for suspected
revenge attack on Palestinians
• Iran football legend Ali Daei targeted by ‘threats’
after backing protests
• Palestine's UN envoy calls Israel's incoming
government 'fascist'
• Netanyahu to do everything to avoid prison: Israeli
prime minister
--------
South Asia
• Rohingya Muslims Stuck between Myanmar’s Military
Junta, Rebel Arakan Army
• Afghan Taliban to Host Female Pakistan Minister for
Bilateral Talks
• China-Pakistan Science and Technology cooperation
centre inaugurated in Beijing
• Islamic Emirate Seeks China’s Cooperation for Wakhan
Trade Route
• U.S official attends Herat Security Dialogue in
Tajikistan
--------
Africa
• Sudan's Military Leader Freezes Unions to Curb
Islamists' Influence
• Terrorists Kill 8 In Somali, Including Dual British
Citizens, Before Hotel Siege Ended
• UN experts urge South Sudan to probe senior
officials for abetting sexual violence
• Somali troops overpower militants to end hotel siege
--------
Europe
• British Muslim Firefighters Face 'Institutional
Racism' At London Fire Brigade
• UN agencies demand abolition of death penalty in
Saudi Arabia
• Portugal leader denies problems with Qatar after
‘hostile comment’ row
• Belgium, Netherlands rocked by unrest after
Morocco's World Cup win
--------
Southeast Asia
• Umno President Zahid Defends Working With Long-Time
Malaysian Political Foe PH
• PAS president slammed for remarks seen as insulting
Malaysia’s monarchy
• Saudi-Indonesia kinship in spotlight as Kingdom
pledges support to restore Jakarta Islamic Centre
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-student-karnataka-confronts-terrorist/d/128519
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Muslim Student in India’s Karnataka Confronts Teacher
for Calling Him A ‘Terrorist’; ‘Shameful’: Indian Journalists, Activists React
Screengrab from video
----
November 28, 2022
A Muslim student at the Mahipal University in India’s
Karnataka lashed out at a teacher who allegedly called him a “terrorist” during
class, the Indian media reported on Monday.
The 45-second video of the incident, which is being
widely circulated on social media, shows a young man confronting the professor
in a classroom full of students.
A report by the Hindustan Times quoted the student as
saying: “How can you pass such statements?”
In his response, the professor clarified that he had
passed the remarks “as a joke”, to which the student replied: “26/11 is not
funny, being Muslim and facing such things in this country is not funny.”
According to the Hindustan Times report, the professor
subsequently apologised to the student, saying that he was equal to his son.
“Will you treat your son like this? Will you label him as a terrorist, in front
of everyone in the class? Sorry alone will not help, sir. It doesn’t change how
you portray yourself here,” the student was quoted as replying.
“The professor later had a conversation with the
student and issued a personal apology too,” the report claimed citing sources.
“The matter was also said to be resolved between the student and the
professor.”
Meanwhile, a report by NDTV said that the university
has initiated a departmental inquiry against the teacher and the “student has
been given counselling”.
‘Shameful’: Indian journalists, activists react
The professor’s remarks drew the ire of a number of
Indian journalists and activists.
Ashok Swain, a professor at Uppsala University, called
the incident “what it has been to be a minority in India”.
Journalist Swati Chaturvedi said the video was
“shameful, yet so [is] every day in Modi’s India”.
AJ English journalist Said Khalid asserted that
calling a student terrorist was “not funny” and demanded that the teacher
should be fired.
Actor Arfi Lamba highlighted that “hatred and
communalism have reached the temples of learning”, adding that a student should
not have to defend himself against bigotry.
The Hindu reporter Syed Muhammed also stressed that
calling a Muslim a terrorist was not a joke.
“There are many Muslim students who’ve been
discriminated against, pigeonholed, and are victims of biases of teachers. It
is unfortunate that the brave student has been put in that position,” he
tweeted.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723641
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US: Washington's Muslim, Jewish Firefighters Sue Over
Policy Banning Beards
Many fire departments and
police forces around the United States have policies banning the growing of
beards (AFP/File photo)
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28 November 2022
A group of Muslim and Jewish firefighters in
Washington have asked a judge to hold the city in contempt for a policy that
bans beards, saying it unfairly targets the two minority faiths of Islam and
Judaism.
The firefighters - Steven Chasin, Calvert Potter,
Jasper Sterling and Hassan Umrani - filed a motion this month in a district
court, in which they said they were removed from duty, reassigned, and received
less compensation because they refused to abide by a 2020 policy prohibiting
most kinds of facial hair.
The men each have a beard "in accordance with the
tenets of his Muslim or Jewish faith".
This protection was won by the men more than a decade
ago when they challenged a similar restriction using the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA), according to filings from their attorneys.
Gabriel Shoglow-Rubenstein, press secretary for the
Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, told Middle East
Eye that the office is going to oppose the contempt motion and had no further
comment.
In the DC Fire and EMS department's new policy issued
in February 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, employees were prohibited from
having “facial hair that comes between the sealing surface of the facepiece and
the face" of respirator devices they use in their line of work, the
firefighter's motion says.
The policy "intends to protect and enhance the
safety of all members and thereby support our ability to provide efficient fire
and emergency medical services to the residents and visitors of the District of
Columbia”, according to a general order from the fire department cited in the
motion.
However, in 2007, the city faced a similar issue when
a US district judge ruled against a grooming policy in support of shaving,
saying that "evidence shows that a beard has never interfered with the
ability of a FEMS worker to do his duty".
According to Jordan Pratt, senior counsel with First
Liberty Institute, the language of the 2020 policy mirrors the previous policy
that was ordered not to apply.
"There really is no excuse," Pratt told the
Washington Post in an interview. "They [DC FEMS] decided to be their own
federal judge and violate the federal court order. That violation caused our
clients harm for a year and a half."
The court filings said that Potter "experienced
increased psychological stress and frustration" because of the lesser
income, and Umrani "was not allowed to apply for a promotion” at his
firehouse because he was not in the field.
Potter and Sterling were restored to field duty in
October 2021, and Umrani in December 2021. Chasin transferred to an
administrative position in March 2021 at his choosing, according to the motion.
"It was only after we got involved and sent a
letter that explained, 'Well, you can't just unilaterally violate federal
injunctions.' It's only then that they restored them to field duty, but so far
just have not been willing to adequately compensate our clients for the harm
that their violation caused," Pratt said.
Many fire departments and police forces around the
United States have policies banning the growing of beards. However, in several
cases, these policies have been challenged as being discriminatory,
particularly to those whose faiths require them to maintain a beard.
Similar policies have been set in American workforces
regarding head coverings, and Muslim women who wear hijab have similarly
challenged these policies in the past.
In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of a Muslim
woman who filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against Abercrombie &
Fitch, which had refused to hire her because she wore a headscarf.
Source: Middle East Eye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Saudi Arabia Jails Social Media Activist, Fadi Ibrahim
Nasser, Over Critical Tweets about the House of Saud and Unemployment
Imprisoned Saudi
pro-democracy campaigner Fadi Ibrahim Nasser (Photo via Twitter)
-----
28 November 2022
Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested an activist
for critical tweets about the House of Saud and unemployment in the kingdom, in
yet another sign of the Riyadh regime’s aggressive crackdown on dissent on
social media.
The Prisoners of Conscience, an independent
non-governmental organization advocating human rights in Saudi Arabia,
announced in a post on its official Twitter page that officials have detained
Fadi Ibrahim Nasser over tweets that criticized the monarch government, and the
policies of the Al Saud regime vis-à-vis joblessness among Saudi citizens.
Earlier this month, human rights organizations said a
Saudi pro-democracy activist had received a 10-year jail sentence for writing
tweets critical of the government.
The Prisoners of Conscience said that the so-called
Specialized Criminal Court in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh passed the
ruling on Abdullah Gailan on November 15, and slapped a 10-year travel ban on
him as well.
Gailan, a graduate of West Chester University, was
arrested in May 2021 after he travelled from Pennsylvania to Saudi Arabia to
see his family.
He has apparently been held in conditions that
amounted to torture since his arrest by Saudi authorities.
Moreover, Saudi officials have summoned a religious
scholar as a crackdown led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman against
pro-democracy campaigners, intellectuals and political dissidents widens.
The Prisoners of Conscience noted that the Public
Prosecution called in on Sheikh Saleh bin Abdullah al-Osaimi (shown in the
picture below) for questioning.
The human rights group added that the officials also
banned him from delivering sermons at al-Masjid an-Nabawi, known in English as
the Prophet's Mosque, in the city of Medina.
Since bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader
in 2017, the kingdom has arrested hundreds of activists, bloggers,
intellectuals and others for their political activism, showing almost zero
tolerance for dissent even in the face of international condemnation of the
crackdown.
Muslim scholars have been executed and women’s rights
campaigners have been put behind bars and tortured as freedom of expression,
association, and belief continue to be denied by the kingdom's authorities.
Over the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its
anti-terrorism laws to target activism.
Source: Press TV
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original story:
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Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Calls Off Ceasefire Agreed
With the Government, Orders Fighters to Attack across Pakistan
File photo of Pakistani
Taliban in Shawal in Pakistani tribal region of South Waziristan. | Photo
Credit: AP
----
November 29, 2022 - Islamabad
AFP
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a separate
entity from the Taliban in Afghanistan but sharing a similar Islamist ideology,
have been responsible for hundreds of attacks and thousands of deaths since
emerging in 2007.
They agreed to a truce earlier this year after
Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers took a prominent role in brokering peace talks,
but negotiations made little progress and there were frequent breaches.
"We... have shown our continued patience so that
the negotiation process is not sabotaged," the TTP said in a statement.
"But the army and intelligence agencies do not
stop and continue the attacks, so now our retaliatory attacks will also start
across the country."
Less than two weeks ago the TTP claimed an ambush that
killed six policemen in northwest Pakistan, claiming they were plotting a
"raid" on their base in the area.
Since Friday the military has been patrolling the area
in an attempt to root out militants, with helicopter gunships shelling their
hideouts.
The TTP was founded in 2007 by Pakistani jihadists who
fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan in the 1990s before opposing
Islamabad's support for American intervention there after 9/11.
Source: The Hindu
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original story:
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Iranian Football Federation Complains To FIFA after US
Football Federation Removes ‘Allah’ From Flag Graphic
The Islamic Republic's
flag consists of three horizontal bands in red, white and green with the word
'Allah' appearing in stylised script in the middle [Jin-Man Lee/AP Photo]
-----
Hazar Kilani
November 28, 2022
The Iranian Football Federation has complained to FIFA
about the removal of the word “Allah” from its flag on social media posts by
its American counterpart, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.
The complaint comes ahead of the World Cup match
between Iran and the United States on Tuesday.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that “in an
unprofessional act, the Instagram page of the US football federation removed
the Allah symbol from the Iranian flag.”
Iran’s footballing body has written to FIFA “to demand
it issue a serious warning to the US federation,” it added.
FIFA has not given an immediate public response to the
complaint.
Team USA and Iran will clash in a pivotal World Cup
match on Tuesday; a game already complicated by the long-standing animosity
between the nations.
In 1980, the US and Iran ended diplomatic relations.
‘Support for Iran’s women’
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) announced
in a statement on Sunday morning that it had decided to do away with Iran’s
official flag on social media accounts in solidarity with “women in Iran
fighting for basic human rights.”
The Islamic Republic’s flag has three red, white, and
green horizontal bands with the word “Allah” in stylised script in the centre.
The Iranian flag only featured its green, white, and
red colours on the US men’s team Twitter account banner listing the team’s
group-stage matches. The same was visible in a post outlining the group’s
current point totals on its Facebook and Instagram accounts.
By Sunday afternoon, the altered flag had been removed
from Facebook and Instagram posts, and the regular flag with the emblem had
been reinstated in the Twitter banner.
“We wanted to show our support for the women in Iran
with our graphic for 24 hours,” the federation said.
The US team “breached the FIFA charter, for which a
10-game suspension is the appropriate penalty,” the Iranian Tasnim news agency
wrote on Twitter.
It went on to say that the US team “should be kicked
out” of the World Cup.
Source: Doha News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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India
“Un-Islamic Practices”: Clerics Ban Dance, Music, Fireworks in Muslim Weddings in Jharkhand Block
Nov 29, 2022
A group of Muslim clerics has banned “un-Islamic
practices” such as dance, playing of loud music and display of fireworks during
weddings in a block in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district and said that those who violate
the diktat would be fined.
Maulana Masud Akhtar, Head Imam of Sibilibadi Jama
Masjid in Nirsa block, on Monday said that the restrictions will begin from
December 2.
“We unanimously decided that Nikah (marriage) would be
solemnized according to Islamic religion and there would be no dance, playing
of DJ music and display of fireworks. Those who will violate the order will be
fined Rs 5,100,” Akhtar said.
“Such practices are not permitted in Islam. These also
cause inconvenience to people,” said the head imam who chaired a meeting on
Sunday where the decision was taken. Akhtar said that the marriage has to be
solemnized within 11 pm as the time after that is not considered auspicious.
Source: India Today
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of the original story:
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Congress provided such an eco-system where love jihad
was easy: Himanta Biswa Sarma
November 29, 2022
Assam Chief Minister and one of the star campaigners
of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat elections, Himanta Biswa Sarma,
on Monday launched an attack on opposition Congress for providing such an
eco-system to the country where issues likes love jihad became very easy, and
called for a law against love jihad that is possible “only in the BJP government
under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
On his second visit to Gujarat for campaigning, Sarma
raised the infamous Delhi murder case involving Aftab Poonawala and Shraddha
Walkar from Mumbai, which he had raised during his earlier visit also.
The Assam CM said that before her murder, Shraddha had
lodged a complaint with Maharashtra police against Aftab but an FIR was not
registered. “At that time, the government in Maharashtra was that of Shiv Sena,
Congress and Nationalist Congress Party… because of Congress’s politics of
appeasement, a special class has got freedom to do whatever they want… ‘you do
anything and law will not touch you’. It is because of Congress’s appeasement
that the country has started seeing incidents like that of Aftab-Shradhha.”
Sarma mentioned that Shraddha was cut into 34 pieces
and such gruesome murder is possible only if some other agenda was attached to
it. “Else, you will never cut a person, with whom you have lived for some time,
into 34 pieces,” he said.
“Therefore, I believe that the country needs a law
against love jihad. And it can be possible only in the BJP government under the
leadership of Narendra Modi,” Sarma said.
Defending his statement that Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi has started looking like Saddam Hussain (former chief of Iraq), Sarma
said, “Some people from Congress got unhappy (with my comment). What is there
to be unhappy about? I did not call him Bahadur Shah Zafar (the last emperor of
the Mughal dynasty). I only said that your face looks like Saddam (Hussain).
Remove the beard and again you will look like Rahul (Gandhi). What is the
problem? That is my assessment. You are giving it publicity by trolling me,”
Sarma said.
Mentioning about the BJP manifesto for the Gujarat
elections, Sarma said that the issues like checking love jihad, commitment for
Uniform Civil Code, work against radicalisation, increasing medical insurance
for poor from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, resolve against terrorism, announcement
to express readiness to hold Olympics, etc., have come up during the Gujarat
elections.
“The country has started feeling the agenda of 2024
(Lok Sabha elections) on which issues the 2024 elections will be fought,” he
said, adding that Congress did not control terrorism in the country, but it was
done by PM Modi after 2014.
Sarma said that the BJP is set to win more than 150
seats in the current state assembly elections and more than 400 in the 2024 Lok
Sabha elections.
In reply to a question whether he was trying to
polarise Hindu voters in Gujarat, Sarma said, “What is the problem in it? Don’t
Hindus have a right to talk like a political force? Is it only the right of
(Asaduddin) Owaisi to polarise? ”
“We too have a right to talk about Sanatan Sanskruti
in India, to talk about Hindu asmita (pride) and also talk against the
exploitation of women in Muslim community. Why do you think that by talking
about Hindu pride, the country will be polarised?”
Replying to a question on radicalisation, Sarma said
that nobody is saying that an entire community is radicalised. “There are
patriots in that community as well. But unfortunately, Popular Front of India
(PFI) and Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) also come from that
community. So, we have to accompany the patriots from that class and destroy
the radicals.”
In its manifesto, the BJP has promised to have a cell
against radicalisation. Sarma said that we need to have a “vaccine” against
radicalisation.
Source: Indian Express
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Gujarat polls: Muslims overlook AAP baggage
Pheroze L. Vincent
| New Delhi
29.11.22
While the Aam Aadmi Party spares no effort in
projecting itself as a “Hindu party”, it appears to be gaining slivers of
support from Gujarat’s Muslims.
Experts explained this as realpolitik — a realisation
among Muslims that the party has a shot at victory in places where the Congress
is a weak opponent to the BJP despite the main Opposition party’s greater cadre
base compared with the AAP’s.
Conversations this newspaper had with voters in the
eastern edge of Saurashtra as well as central Gujarat — considered the BJP’s
stronghold — threw up a mix of responses.
Muslims, 9.7 per cent of the state’s population, are
considered a Congress vote bank. However, a large number of Muslim voters
expressed an affinity with or interest in the AAP, irrespective of its stand on
what may be deemed litmus tests of secularism.
The AAP has been silent on the release of the Bilkis
Bano convicts, advocated Hindu deities’ images on currency, and embraced a BJP
turncoat accused of having instigated the flogging of Muslims in Kheda.
The commonest reason the Muslim voters gave was that
the AAP had a better chance of victory than the Congress, which has been out of
power in Gujarat for 27 years.
Many Hindu and Muslim respondents, who expressed
dissatisfaction with the BJP government’s performance, also enquired if an
alliance was possible between the two Opposition parties.
Although the Congress has formally ruled out this
possibility, there’s word about local quid pro quo between the two parties in
some seats.
Ahmedabad-based sociologist Achyut Yagnik told The
Telegraph: “In some areas near Surat, and in Saurashtra where the AAP has
increased its influence, the Congress has no hope of winning. The AAP is,
however, organisationally much weaker than the BJP. After a long time, there is
a three-cornered contest where the AAP has emerged as an alternative. The
Gujarat Congress now has a weak leadership compared with the past, although the
party retains its traditionally strong organisation.”
Among the voters this newspaper interacted with,
Congress supporters were fewer in number but more vocal than the rest.
Unlike the AAP, which appeared to have more acceptance
in urban pockets and some tribal areas in Dahod, Congress cadres were present
everywhere.
In 2017, the BJP got 49.1 per cent of the vote and the
Congress 41.4 per cent.
Even at its lowest ebb — in the three-cornered 1990
polls when the Janata Dal became the single largest party — the Congress got
30.7 per cent of the vote.
Yagnik said the high acceptance of Hindutva among the
urban middle class in the state was an open secret, something the Muslims too
were aware of. So, even a party with less-than-ideal secular credentials could
become a viable alternative for them.
Ajaz Shaikh, a research associate with the public
systems group of IIM Ahmedabad — whose work focuses on slums in the city —
said: “Muslims have worked hard every time for the Congress to win, especially
in the urban areas. But this has not yielded results. With the AAP, they feel
they can defeat the BJP.
“Interactions (between) Muslims and Hindus (happen)
through business. There is a middle-class Hindu discourse about the AAP as an
alternative that the Muslims too have caught on to. Also, they have seen AAP
victories take place in Punjab and Delhi against BJP waves.”
Source: Telegraph India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/muslims-overlook-aap-baggage/cid/1900808
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HC reserves judgment in plea challenging ASI survey of
the Gyanvapi mosque complex
Nov 28, 2022
By JItendra Sarin
PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court on Monday reserved
its judgment in a matter wherein a lower court’s order for an Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi has
been challenged. After hearing the parties concerned, justice Prakash Padia
reserved judgment in the petition filed by the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf
Board and the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC) that manages the
Gyanvapi mosque. The court also extended the earlier-granted interim order till
the delivery of judgment.
During the course of hearing, senior advocate CS
Vaidyanathan argued, “Lord Visheshwar is a Swayambhu deity and is a
manifestation of God. Swayambhu Lord Visheshwar manifested itself in nature
without any human craftsmanship... There has been a temple of Swayambhu Lord
Visheshwar since Satyug, and at the time when India gained independence on
August, 15, 1947, Hindus were allowed to perform their religious rituals. This
practice is going on uninterrupted till today. Hence, the suit filed by the
plaintiff/respondents is fully maintainable.”
Earlier, on April 8, 2021, a Varanasi court had
directed the ASI to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Gyanvapi mosque
complex. Subsequently, the petitioners -- AIMC and U.P. Sunni Waqf Board --
filed the present petition before the high court, challenging the order of the
Varanasi court. The petitioner and others have also challenged the
maintainability of the original suit filed in the Varanasi district court in
1991.
Later, on September 9, 2021, the high court stayed the
Varanasi court order. Recently, on November 11, senior advocate CS
Vaidyanathan, appearing for the plaintiff (Hindu side) of the suit pending before
a Varanasi court, argued that for reaching a logical conclusion, the inquiry
should be done. “In this matter, the survey shall be done by the ASI to bring
out prima facie truth, as watching the disputed premises with naked eyes, it is
clear that this is part of the temple and the proceedings of the survey should
be continued,” Vaidyanathan added.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Maharashtra's Nashik: People carrying saffron flags
participate in silent march, demanding check on 'love jihad'
28.11.22
A large number of people carrying saffron flags
participated in a silent march taken out in Maharashtra's Nashik city on Monday
demanding to stop what they called as "love jihad" and capital
punishment for Shraddha Walkar murder case accused Aaftab Poonawala.
'Love jihad' is a term used by right-wing groups and
activists to allege a concerted effort by Muslim men to convert Hindu women to
Islam through marriage.
Activists of different right-wing organisations and
members of the general public including women, some of them wearing saffron
clothes and caps, joined the 'Virat Hindu Muk Morcha' (mega silent march),
which began from a school in Shalimar suburb and passed through a number of
city areas.
The march participants put forth various demands,
including a law against religious conversion and "love jihad",
capital punishment for Poonawala, strict implementation of the cow slaughter
ban and stringent action against those insulting Maratha king Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj.
Poonawala allegedly strangled Walkar (27) in May this
year and sawed her body into 35 pieces, which he kept in a 300-litre fridge for
almost three weeks at his residence in south Delhi's Mehrauli before dumping
those across the city over several days past midnight.
"We demand capital punishment for Poonawala,
accused in the case of murder of Shraddha Walkar," said Ram Singh Bawri,
national president of the Hindu Ekta Andolan Party which participated in the
march.
"The government should take steps that 'love
jihad' does not happen. The girls who have become victims of 'love jihad'
should be saved. We also demand implementation of the Uniform Civil Code in the
country," he said.
Source: Telegraph India
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Indian, Indonesian NSAs to address special meeting
focusing on countering extremism
Nov 28, 2022
By Rezaul H Laskar
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his
Indonesian counterpart Mohammed Mahfud Mahmodin will address a special meeting
of ulema, or Muslim scholars, of the two sides convened to focus on countering
radicalisation and extremism.
The meeting is among the events that the Indonesian
leader, popularly known as Mahfud MD, will attend during an official visit to
New Delhi. Besides holding wide-ranging talks on security cooperation with
Doval, Mahfud MD is expected to meet the external affairs minister and the
prime minister.
Mahfud MD, who holds the official position of
coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, is heading a
25-member delegation that includes some of the most senior Muslim scholars of
Indonesia and representatives of other faiths such as Catholicism and Hinduism.
The day-long dialogue on the role of ulema in
fostering interfaith peace and social harmony in India and Indonesia is being
hosted by the India Islamic Cultural Centre in line with a proposal made by
Mahfud MD when Doval visited Jakarta in March for the second bilateral security
dialogue, people familiar with the matter said.
Countering radicalisation is a shared concern for
India and Indonesia and when the ulema meet on Tuesday, the focus will be on
creating common grounds and narratives that can benefit both countries. Both
sides also have an interest in presenting the “softer and peaceful” face of
Islam, the people said.
Doval will deliver the opening address at the meeting
and Mahfud MD will give the keynote address. They will also speak at the
concluding session. The ulema will participate in three closed sessions on the
themes ‘Islam: Continuity and change’, ‘Harmonising interfaith society’ and
‘Countering radicalisation and extremism in India and Indonesia’.
Besides the dialogue between the Muslim scholars, the
Indonesian ulema will meet Indian leaders of other faiths. The dialogue intends
to bring together scholars who can take forward cooperation to promote
tolerance and peaceful co-existence and counter violent extremism, the people
said.
Both India and Indonesia have multi-ethnic and
multi-religious societies and face similar challenges. The dialogue is also
understood to be part of the Indian side’s efforts to address criticism from
abroad about the status of minority communities. India has largely rejected such
criticism, such as a new report by the US Commission for International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF) that said policies adopted by the government had
resulted in an environment that is “increasingly hostile toward religious
minority communities”.
During their bilateral meeting, Doval and Mahfud MD
are expected to focus on deepening cooperation in maritime security and other
security matters. The two sides have a range of shared security interests and
concerns and there is also a desire to enhance cooperation in key areas such as
infrastructure, the people said.
The two countries agreed on establishing a security
dialogue when Indonesian President Joko Widodo visited India in December 2016.
The first such dialogue was held in New Delhi in January 2018, and both sides
had agreed on operational cooperation in security and counter-terrorism. The
second security dialogue in March this year focused on global and security
issues, including counter-terrorism, extremism, and cooperation in maritime
security, defence, space and cyber-security.
Source: Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
North America
Radical Islamic cleric Shaikh Abdullah Faisal stands trial
for trying to recruit ‘NYPD cop’ to ISIS
By Elizabeth Rosner and Emily Crane
November 28, 2022
A radical Islamic cleric described by prosecutors as
“one of the most influential English speaking terrorist of our times” is
standing trial in Manhattan for allegedly encouraging a female undercover NYPD
cop to carry out terror attacks.
During opening statements in Manhattan Supreme Court
on Monday, prosecutors described Shaikh Abdullah Faisal, 59, as an Islamic
State recruiter and marriage broker who had committed “far reaching crimes of
terrorism.”
Faisal is accused of communicating with the undercover
NYPD officer by e-mail, text and video chat in a bid to encourage her to join
ISIS and carry out attacks overseas from 2015 to 2017.
He also allegedly offered to introduce the woman — who
was posing as a would-be jihadist — to a suitable husband within the terror
group.
“This defendant, with his extremist roots, formed an
integral relationship with ISIS. He worked and aided ISIS and his mission to
inflict terror,” Assistant District Attorney Gary Galperin told the jurors.
“You will conclude that the defendant not only talked
the talk but also walked the walk that he paved with concrete crimes of
terrorism.”
The militant cleric — born Trevor William Forrest in
Jamaica — had made various online posts that pointed to his alleged extremism,
prosecutors said.
They pointed to one of Osama Bin Laden’s speeches that
Faisal had published on his website and insisted that “every word is a gem.”
“By Allah’s permission we will be taking a look at a
speech that was delivered by Osama Bin Laden…. everything he said is of extreme
importance — every word is like a gem,” the alleged terrorist wrote, according
to prosecutors.
In speeches he gave and posted online, prosecutors say
Faisal allegedly encouraged followers to wage jihad against enemies of Islam
and even kill Americans, Jews and Hindis.
“The way forward is not the ballot. The way forward is
the bullet,” he said in one speech, according to the indictment.
“You should cut the throats of the kafirs with
machetes,” he told followers, using a term for nonbelievers.
Faisal — who served four years in prison following his
2003 conviction for inciting racial hatred in Britain — was arrested in his
native Jamaica in 2017 and extradited to New York.
He has pleaded not guilty to five counts — including
conspiracy as a crime of terrorism and soliciting or providing support for an
act of terrorism.
The charges carry potential sentences ranging from
seven to 25 years in prison.
Faisal’s defense attorney, Alex Grosshtern, argued in
his opening statements that there was no evidence his client actually committed
an act of terrorism — and urged the jury not to judge him on his statements.
“The evidence will not show him planning an actual act
of terrorism against the United States,” Grosshtern told jurors.
He added that the evidence also won’t show that “there
was a recruitment of a female to go to Syria and assist ISIS in engaging in any
specific act of terrorism.”
The trial is expected to last through mid-January.
Source: New York Post
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://nypost.com/2022/11/28/radical-islamic-cleric-shaikh-abdullah-faisal-on-trial-in-manhattan/
--------
US
Muslim leaders explore Israel: ‘The Abraham Accords give hope’
By
LISA SCHNEIDER
28
November 2022
In
an effort to build bridges and promote the Abraham Accords, a delegation of 13
American Muslim leaders landed in Israel last week.
“The
conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has led to a polarized situation
in which Muslims around the world feel they can’t even engage with Israel,” Dan
Feferman, director of Communications and Global Affairs at Sharaka, one of the
organizations behind the trip, told The Times of Israel on Monday. “We want to
build a relationship of dialogue and understanding, where people can explore
and discuss and get to know one another.”
Among
the visitors was Talib Shareef, an imam educated under the Nation of Islam.
“The
Abraham Accords give me hope,” Shareef told The Times of Israel by phone on
Wednesday, referring to the 2020 agreements that normalized Israel’s ties to the
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
Shareef
is African-American and the imam of the Masjid Muhammad, the Nation’s Mosque,
in Washington, DC.
He
studied under W.D. Muhammed, son of Elijah Muhammed, who led the Nation of
Islam, a Black Islamic and political movement, for over 40 years, until his
death in 1975. The organization then split into two camps. The one currently
called Nation of Islam is headed by Louis Farrakhan, who has repeatedly
expressed antisemitic positions, publicly praising Adolf Hitler and dabbling in
conspiracy theories of Jewish control of the world.
“We
inherit the past,” he said, “and we have to deal with it and learn how to live
together in peace.” The trip, he explained, emphasized this imperative.
Shareef
stressed that he was not affiliated with the organization headed by Farrakhan.
The original Nation of Islam, he said, had evolved to be “something universal”
that “embraced all of humanity.”
“We
are looking, and we are learning,” he said, adding that he, as a religious
leader, will share his impressions from Israel with the members of his
congregation.
This
is not the first time Sharaka and American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s
Empowerment Council have brought American Muslims to Israel. The last
delegation, made up of Pakistani-American leaders, visited in September, aiming
to foster dialogue in their community on the potential of Pakistan joining the
Abraham Accords.
The
latest group — which visited Bahrain for two days before coming to Israel —
also consisted mostly of American Muslims of South Asian descent.
According
to Ahmed Khuzaie, Sharaka’s US affairs director and co-organizer of the
delegation’s trip to Bahrain, this was a conscious choice.
“We
wanted to address the American Muslim communities who are rarely exposed to the
Gulf or to Israel,” he said. “They are originally from Pakistan, Bangladesh, or
Sri Lanka and don’t know how the accords are functioning in daily life.”
Many
Americans, he said, look at the Abraham Accords as a product of the Trump
administration and do not believe in its long-lasting effects.
Since
signing the accords, Israel and the three Arab states have appeared intent on
cultivating warm ties, launching multiple initiatives to bring the nations
closer together. The accords have also yielded economic impact. According to
Israel’s Finance Ministry, since the start of their relationship, Israel and
the UAE have seen trade jump to some $1.2 billion in 2021.
Since
the trip was co-organized by the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s
Empowerment Council (AMMWEC), another focus of the delegation was women’s
empowerment, especially during the first two days the group spent in Bahrain.
“We
saw these Arab women that are happy about who they are and what they’re doing.
They have jobs, they are empowered, they do what they like. That was exciting
for us to hear,” Anila Ali, co-founder of AMMWEC and an activist for the
Democratic Party, told The Times of Israel.
The
group sat with the Israeli ambassador to Bahrain, visited the Bahraini National
Museum, and met with businesswomen and female artitsts.
In
Israel too, meeting succesful women from diverse backgrounds was an important
focus. The delegation also attended an interfaith panel, where Shareef spoke,
and toured historic sites relevant to Christians, Muslims, and Jews around
Jerusalem, including Yad Vashem.
Bahrain,
a small monarchy in the Persian Gulf, has in recent years seen an increase in
the participation of women in the labor force – often regarded as a marker for
women’s rights and empowerment – according to World Bank figures, from 29
percent in 1991 to 42 percent in 2021. (Participation in the US was at 55% in
2021; in Israel, it stood at 59%.)
“I
want to show that [Bahrainis and Israelis] live in tolerance, coexistence, and
peace,” said Fatema Al Harbi, Sharaka’s director of Gulf affairs who
accompanied the delegation in Bahrain. “And I want people to know more about
Bahrain and especially Bahraini women.”
Faryal
Khan, another co-founder of AMMWEC, said, “When we learned about each other’s
cultures, we realized there was not much difference between us.”
Both
women, as well as Ali, have faced criticism for their activism.
“There
was a time,” Ali recounted, “when we couldn’t speak about antisemitism. People
would immediately ask: ‘Are you Jewish?'”
They
were also criticized, especially by their own community, she said, because they
were women speaking out.
All
of them feel, however, that they are making a difference. “A dialogue has
opened, like never before,” Khan explained. “Some of it is positive, some of it
negative. But there has been a change of mindset. And when people come to
Israel, they see: it’s different than what is portrayed on social media.”
Soraya
Deen, a laywer and public speaker who took part in the trip, explained that
Palestinian voices were missing in the itinerary.
During
her stay in Jerusalem, she said, her encounters with Palestinians were tense,
including on her visit to the Al-Aqsa-Mosque. “I was cornered by seven people,
because strands of my hair were showing, and they deemed that inappropriate,”
she recounted.
Source:
Times Of Israel
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-muslim-leaders-explore-israel-the-abraham-accords-give-hope/
--------
Arab World
Egyptian
Salafi Leader Younis Makhyoun's Football 'Fatwa' Stirs Controversy
28
November, 2022
A
recent 'fatwa' - a religious edict- by an Egyptian Salafi leader regarding
football has stirred a heated debate at a time when hundreds of thousands of
Egyptians have been vigorously following the World Cup 2022 all over the
country.
Head
of the ultraconservative Nour party congress and former party president, Younis
Makhyoun, criticised in a video posted on his Facebook page football lovers who
spend time watching the matches of the World Cup currently held in Qatar.
Makhyoun
responded to a question by a viewer who asked whether football was allowed in
Islam.
"Watching
22 men running after a…ball is a waste of time. A Muslim should not spend his
time over the matters… [that] distract people from worshipping [God],"
Makhyoun said.
"People,
who spend hours watching football matches, could use this time to do something
righteous and beneficial such as reading parts of the holy Quran… Enemies of
Islam used this game to distract people from our fellows in Palestine who are
being killed every day," he argued.
"What's the benefit behind watching a
match? He rhetorically asked," without ruling out the importance of
practising sports, but only "for the sake of physical strength."
Prominent
TV hostess Azza Mostafa slammed Makhyoun in her daily TV show Salet El-Tahrir
(the newsroom) broadcast on the Sada El-Balad satellite TV channel,
interviewing over the phone the secretary general of the Fatwa committee at Dar
El-Iftar Dr Khaled Omran.
"Even
though Egypt's national team did not qualify to compete in the tournament, the
Egyptian people are keen on watching all matches," Mostafa said.
"A
child is born and the first things he knows are his mother and the ball,"
she argued.
Omran
said the game is "a favourable activity."
"Football
is an accredited sport organised by a union… [Competitions] help us get to know
about other cultures," Omran told Mostafa, adding that, religiously,
"there is nothing wrong about watching or practising football."
Makhyoun
further criticised those considering footballers as "role models"
such as Protégées player Cristiano Ronaldo, the Premier League club Manchester
United superstar, currently the captain of the Portugal national team at the
World Cup.
"This
man asked the mother of his children to marry him," Makhyoun repulsively
said, referring to Ronaldo's girlfriend as Islam does not allow open
relationships.
However,
Omran begged to differ, saying that "characters such as Mohamed Salah
(also known as Mo Salah) are successful role models for young
people."
Football
is the most popular sport in Egypt liked by both sexes. Egypt is expected to
compete in the African Cup later this year, which the team has won seven times
from 1957 – 2017 so far.
Nour
party has been the dominant Islamist party in Egypt and is known for being
loyal to the regime of president Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. The party is represented
in both the parliament and the senate.
Source:
New Arab
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.newarab.com/news/egyptian-salafi-leaders-football-fatwa-stirs-controversy
--------
Erdoğan
urges Islamic nations to put stronger will for Syria conflict
NOV
28, 2022
In
order for Syria to get rid of conflict, humanitarian crisis, and terror spiral,
Islamic countries should put stronger will and actively support a political
solution, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Monday.
Speaking
at the 38th Ministerial Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and
Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
(OIC) in Istanbul, the president said that although the names, claims, and
geographies of terrorist groups are different, they target Muslims. He also
asked for strong support from COMCEC in Türkiye's struggle against "the
enemies of Islam and humanity."
Türkiye
is determined to root out the PKK terrorist organization, which also threatens
the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq, Erdoğan reiterated.
"We
are determined to root out this terrorist organization, which poses a threat to
the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq, as well as our country," the
president affirmed.
"The
previous week, eight of our citizens, three of whom were children, were killed
by the PKK in Istiklal Street and then in our Karkamış district."
"Of
course, in this bloodshed, ... those who provide these terrorists with weapons
and support (them) under the pretext of fighting against Daesh have a share, as
much as the separatist terrorist organization," Erdoğan censured.
Erdoğan
added: "Despite all warnings of Türkiye, the blood of every innocent who
died has been smeared on the hands and faces of those who try to legitimize
terrorist organizations with letter games."
He
said the game of supporting the PKK and its affiliates under the guise of
fighting Daesh, "which is known to be a project product from the very
first day," must end.
Türkiye,
which fought with Daesh on the field and defeated this organization, has no
space for such arguments, the president stressed.
Recalling
that Türkiye is fulfilling its duty by hosting over 3.5 million Syrian refugees
on its lands and supporting millions of them within the borders of Syria, the
president said: "In order for Syria to get rid of the spiral of conflict,
humanitarian crisis, and terrorism, Islamic countries must show a stronger will
and actively support the efforts for a political solution."
Earlier
on Friday, Erdoğan said that Türkiye will complete a safe zone near its Syrian
borders from east to west
Addressing
an event marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against
Women, the president said: "We will complete the security belt we are
creating beyond our borders from west to east."
"With
the security belt we are creating beyond our borders, we also defend the rights
of millions of innocent women and children."
"By
completing this belt across all our borders from west to east as soon as
possible, we ensure that both our own citizens and the people living there can
look to their future with confidence," he added.
Recently
Türkiye launched Operation Claw-Sword, a cross-border aerial campaign against
the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian wing, the YPG, which have illegal
hideouts across the Iraqi and Syrian borders where they plan and sometimes
execute attacks on Turkish soil.
The
country's air operation followed a PKK/YPG terrorist attack on Nov. 13 on
Istanbul's crowded Istiklal Street that killed six people and left 81 injured.
After
the air operation was launched, President Erdoğan also signaled a ground
operation to northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate the terror threat,
saying: "This is not limited to just an air operation."
The
Turkish leader has threatened a new military operation into northern Syria
since May and upped those threats in the wake of this month's attack. Erdoğan
has repeatedly called for a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) "safe zone" to
protect Türkiye against cross-border attacks from Syrian territory.
"We
know the identity, location and track record of the terrorists. We also know
very well who patronizes, arms and encourages terrorists," Erdoğan also
recently said, implying the U.S. support for the YPG.
The
PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the United States, Türkiye and
the European Union, and Washington's support for its Syrian affiliate has been
a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara. The PKK/YPG has controlled
much of northeastern Syria after the forces of Syrian regime leader Bashar
Assad withdrew in 2012. The U.S. primarily partnered with PKK/YPG terrorists in
northeastern Syria in its fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other
hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the PKK/YPG's presence in northern Syria.
Under
the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and
given truckloads of military support to the PKK/YPG, despite its NATO ally's
security concerns. Underlining that one cannot support one terrorist group to
defeat another, Türkiye conducted its counterterrorism operations throughout,
removing a significant number of terrorists from the region.
Since
2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful counterterrorism operations
across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror
corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield
(2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019).
Russia-Ukraine
war
Meanwhile,
President Erdoğan also said that Türkiye works hard to end the war between
Russia and Ukraine and to stop the bloodshed from the first day.
We
have demonstrated that a diplomatic solution is possible by realizing the grain
corridor and the prisoner exchange agreement over the Black Sea," he
highlighted. On July 22, Türkiye, the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine
signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian
Black Sea ports, which had been paused in February due to Russia's war on
Ukraine.
Days
before its scheduled expiration, the landmark grain deal was extended for
another 120 days, beginning from Nov. 19.
Erdoğan
said over 11 million tons of grain through the Black Sea were exported when the
energy and food crisis affected the entire world.
"We
believe that the extension of the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement for 120
days as of Nov. 19 will alleviate the suffering of our African brothers in
particular. Hopefully, we will support this process by carrying out the grain
shipment with priority to the African continent," he added.
Muslim
Turkish minority in Greece
Erdoğan
also said that for years, "unfair and unlawful" practices have
continued against the Muslim Turkish minority in Greece.
He
added that the religious leaders of the Turkish minority in Greece are not
recognized, their foundations and property are seized, they are not allowed to
teach their mother tongue, and their identities are denied.
"The
Islamic world should no longer be a spectator to the plight of our brothers and
sisters who were persecuted in Greece," he noted.
Greece's
Western Thrace region is home to some 150,000 Muslim Turks, whose rights to
elect their own religious leaders, found Turkish associations, and have their
own schools have been denied by Athens, in violation of European court orders.
Palestinian
issue
Turning
to the Palestinian issue, Erdoğan said Türkiye supports the establishment of an
independent, sovereign, and geographically integrated Palestinian state on the
1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital. "We are doing our best for
the Palestinian people to have their own state and their legitimate rights, and
to preserve the status quo in Jerusalem and Masjid al-Aqsa," he added.
Türkiye
and Israel have taken steps to normalize ties, including restoring full
diplomatic relations and reappointing ambassadors and consuls general after a
four-year hiatus.
Source:
Daily Sabah
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Turkiye,
Egypt to restore full diplomatic ties, reappoint ambassadors
November
29, 2022
ANKARA:
After years of tension, a handshake between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan
and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last week opened the door to a
flurry of back-door diplomacy between intelligence officials, two sources said.
Intelligence
delegations from the two sides met in Egypt at the weekend, said a regional
source with knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The
second source, a senior Turkish official, said “significant” discussions had
begun between them, and Turkiye and Egypt are set to begin talks on military,
political and commercial issues including energy projects.
Turkish
government officials did not comment when asked about the Egypt meeting.
Egypt’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Turkish
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu separately told reporters on Monday that
Ankara and Cairo may restore full diplomatic ties and re-appoint ambassadors
“in coming months”.
Diplomatic
ties have been strained since Sisi, then Egypt’s army chief, led the 2013
ouster of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was strongly supported
by Erdogan.
But
Erdogan and Sisi shook hands on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar last
week in what Cairo described as a new start in bilateral relations.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Arab
fans unite at FIFA World Cup after surprise wins in Qatar
29
November ,2022
Victories
against the odds by Arab teams competing at the Middle East's first World Cup
have inspired their supporters, bringing a rare sense of optimism and unity for
fans from the Gulf to the Atlantic Ocean.
Saudi
Arabia delivered the early shock of the tournament, defeating two-times World
Cup champions Argentina, and Morocco then overcame second-ranked team Belgium -
roared on by the vast majority of fans at both matches in Qatar.
With
one match each left to play in their groups, both teams remain in strong
contention to reach the knockout stage of the competition, the first time two
Arab countries would have reached that far.
That
chance to make history has forged a sense of solidarity among Arab supporters
in Doha.
Mohammad
al-Mansouri came from Spain to watch Morocco beat Belgium 2-0.
"Most
of the congratulations..." he began "...were from Saudis!" said
Saudi fan Faisal al-Ruwaili, draped in his country's green flag and finishing
Mansouri's sentence for him.
"When
Saudi Arabia play I am Saudi and when Morocco play, all the Arab
people..." said Mansouri "...are Moroccans!" said Ruwaili, his
arm around Mansouri's shoulder.
Mansouri
said it felt as if Morocco and Saudi Arabia were both playing on home ground in
Qatar, something which may have helped them reach new heights.
"Saudi
Arabia played the best match in the history of the Arab world," he said,
speaking in Doha's Souq al-Waqif market, where fans mingled in shops and
restaurants, keeping one eye out on televisions for updates on matches.
Although
hosts Qatar lost their opening two matches and were the first to be eliminated,
a fourth Arab side, Tunisia, could still advance if they overcome France in a
final group match on Wednesday. While the odds may be against them, they will
not be short of support at the nearly 45,000-capacity Education City stadium on
the western edge of Doha.
"Soccer
unites nations. All Arab and Gulf people support any (Arab) team," said
Saudi supporter Khaled al-Asaimi, echoing the tone set by the leaders of Qatar
and Saudi Arabia at the start of the tournament.
Tensions
between the two neigbours led Saudi Arabia and its allies to declare a travel
and trade embargo on Qatar in 2017, a move only rescinded last year.
Qatar's
emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Saudi Arabia's Prime Minister and
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wrapped scarves and flags of each other's
country around them as they watched their teams play.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Syrian
refugees under pressure to return face an uncertain future tinged with fear
November
28, 2022
DUBAI:
When Amir left his war-ravaged hometown of Homs, western Syria, in 2013, he
believed he was heading somewhere that would offer him and his family lasting
security and sanctuary from his nation’s grinding civil war.
Packing
what few belongings were left unscathed by the regime’s incessant barrel
bombing, Amir boarded a bus bound for Lebanon with his sister, Alia, and her
toddler, Omar, where the trio settled in a camp in Arsal, Baalbek.
“My
brother is a proud man,” Alia told Arab News from her adopted home in Lebanon.
“After our parents died under rubble, he took it upon himself to fend for us
and to raise my son, Omar.”
In
doing so, Amir and his family joined the ranks of millions of Syrians displaced
by the civil war — the majority of whom have settled in neighboring Turkiye,
Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq, while others have struck out for Europe and beyond.
What
started in 2011 as a peaceful protest movement demanding greater civic freedoms
quickly escalated into one of the world’s bloodiest conflicts, with a death
toll now numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
Another
100,000 people have disappeared, likely abducted by security service agents to
be tortured and killed in Bashar Assad’s prisons. To date, around 13 million
people have been displaced by the war — 5.6 million of them fleeing abroad.
Now,
many of those countries that had offered sanctuary have devised plans to return
their Syrian guests, either voluntarily or by force, despite warnings from aid
agencies and refugees themselves that Syria remains unsafe and blighted by
poverty.
Syrian
refugees are viewed by the Assad regime and its loyalists as traitors and
dissidents. Human rights monitors have identified cases of returnees being
harassed, detained without charge, tortured, and even disappeared.
Nevertheless,
countries like Lebanon, Turkiye and Denmark, grappling with their own economic
pressures and rising anti-immigrant sentiments, have been upping the ante on
Syrians to return home, claiming the civil war is now over.
In
2021, Denmark adopted a “zero asylum-seekers” policy, resulting in many Syrians
who had been based there since 2015 having their residency status revoked,
while others were removed to deportation facilities.
Struggling
to take care of its own native population, the caretaker government of
crisis-wracked Lebanon announced its own repatriation plan in October this
year, with the aim of sending back 15,000 refugees per month.
The
situation in Turkiye is no different, according to reports. Stories have
emerged on social media of refugees being forced to sign voluntary return
forms.
According
to reports from the France-based advocacy group Syrians for Truth and Justice,
Syrians dropped off at the Bab Al-Salama border crossing by Turkish authorities
are classified as “voluntary returnees,” despite this being a regime-controlled
crossing.
Returnees
— voluntarily or otherwise — often face harassment, extortion, forced
recruitment, torture and arbitrary arrest upon arrival on the regime side,
irrespective of their age or gender.
Mazen
Hamada, a high-profile activist and torture survivor who has testified about
the horrors of Syrian regime prisons, mystified the world when he decided to
return to Damascus in 2020.
Hamada,
who long spoke of his mental torment following his release and his loneliness
in exile, returned to Syria from the Netherlands under an amnesty agreement
supposedly guaranteeing his freedom.
However,
upon arrival in Damascus in February 2020, Hamada was arrested and has not been
seen or heard from since.
Last
year, human rights monitor Amnesty International released a report, titled
“You’re returning to your death,” which documented serious violations committed
by regime intelligence officers against 66 returnees, 13 of whom were children.
Five
returnees had died while in custody, while the fate of 17 remains unknown.
Fourteen cases of sexual assault were also recorded — seven of which included
rape — perpetrated against five women, a teenage boy, and a five-year-old girl.
Voices
for Displaced Syrians, another advocacy group based in Istanbul, published a
study in February this year, titled “Is Syria safe for return? Returnees’
perspective,” based on interviews with 300 returnees and internally displaced
persons across four governorates.
Their
accounts outlined extreme human rights violations, physical and psychological
abuses, and a lack of legal protections. Some 41 percent of respondents had
returned to Syria voluntarily, while 42 percent said they had returned out of
necessity, as a result of poor living conditions in their host country and a
longing to reunify with family.
With
regard to their treatment upon arrival, 17 percent reported they or a loved one
had been arbitrarily arrested, 11 percent spoke of harassment and physical
violence inflicted upon them or a family member, and 7 percent chose not to
answer.
As
for internally displaced persons, 46 percent reported they or a relative had
been arrested, 30 percent recounted bodily harm, and 27 percent said they had
faced persecution owing to their origins and hometowns. Many also reported
difficulties reclaiming private property.
Despite
the mounting body of evidence suggesting the regime is continuing to target
civilians it considers dissidents, several countries are choosing to pursue
normalization with Assad, lobbying for his rehabilitation into the Arab fold
and reopening their embassies in Damascus.
For
the relatives of returnees who have since gone missing, these developments smack
of betrayal.
Amir,
who eventually returned to Syria voluntarily, appears to have suffered the same
fate as the activist Hamada. Tired of living in poverty in Lebanon, far from
his extended family, he went back in Oct. 2021. He has not been heard from since.
“Life
in Lebanon has become rather unbearable. Amir would return humiliated every
time he left the house,” his sister Alia told Arab News.
Having
initially lived in a UNHCR-provided tent in Arsal, Amir and his family finally
managed to acquire a small one bedroom house near the camps. Alia said it was a
constant struggle to scrimp together enough money to pay the rent.
Most
refugees are unable to secure consistent employment due to their lack of
official papers, which, under normal circumstances, would grant them residency
and facilitate a stable income. Amir, like many working age men around him,
resorted to hard manual labor.
Those
who try to find work in the big cities risk being arrested at Lebanese
checkpoints, imprisoned, and deported for staying in the country illegally.
Since
Amir’s disappearance, Alia has been forced to make do on a single income
cleaning houses.
“He
couldn’t take it anymore, being spoken to like a little boy by some of his
employers and the degrading comments he’d hear at times,” said Alia.
“It
happens to me too, but I hold back my tongue. I cannot afford to stand up for
myself. He thought he would take his chances and return to Syria in the hope of
finding us a place, back to familiarity.”
She
says she begged her brother not to leave, aware of the many refugees they knew
personally who had been mistreated upon their return to Syria. Some had been
held in prison until they made bail, while others had gone missing.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2207671/middle-east
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan
Army's decision to remain apolitical will shield it from 'vagaries of
politics', says Gen Bajwa
Nov
28, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
A day ahead his retirement, Pakistan's Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has
said that his decision to keep the military establishment
"apolitical" will shield it "from the vagaries of politics"
in the coup-prone country.
Gen
Bajwa, 61, will retire on November 29 after a three-year extension.
Pakistan
has appointed Lt Gen Asim Munir, a former as the new Army chief to succeed
incumbent Gen Bajwa.
He
emphasised that the Pakistan Army has restricted its role "to its
constitutional mandated task only by deciding to make it apolitical."
"This
decision, though being viewed negatively by a segment of society and led to
personal criticism, will facilitate in reinvigorating and strengthening
democratic culture, assisting in supporting state organs to effectively perform
and deliver. Above all, this decision will help enhance the army's prestige in
the long term,” Gen Bajwa said in an interview with the UAE-based newspaper
Gulf News.
On
Wednesday, in his final public address as Pakistan's Army chief, Gen Bajwa said
the military establishment's “unconstitutional” interference in politics over
the past 70 years was the reason why it drew criticism from the general masses
and politicians.
"The
Pakistan Army had always remained a dominant player in national
decision-making. Due to its historic role in the country's politics, the
military drew criticism from the public and politicians alike," he said in
the interview.
His
statement comes as the military establishment has in recent months reiterated
that it has decided to remain apolitical.
The
statements from the Army's top brass came amid accusations that it meddles in
the country's politics, often favouring one political party or the other.
Gen
Bajwa opined that public support and affinity towards the armed forces tended
to erode when the military was seen to be involved in political affairs.
“Therefore,
I considered it prudent to shield [the] Pakistan Army from the vagaries of
politics in Pakistan," he said.
During
his final public address at the Defence and Martyrs' Day ceremony in Rawalpindi
to pay tribute to martyrs, Gen Bajwa extended an olive branch to those
targeting the army by saying that "I want to move forward by forgetting
it".
He
urged all stakeholders to move ahead by learning lessons from the past
mistakes.
“This
is why in February last year the army, after great deliberation, decided that
it would never interfere in any political matter. I assure you we are strictly
adamant on this and will remain so,” he explained.
In
the interview, Gen Bajwa acknowledged that while terrorism had abated in
Pakistan, “we continue to make meaningful efforts to overcome the menace of
extremism and residue of terrorism”.
He,
however, cautioned against “streaks of political intolerance in our society is
a worrisome new trend.”
“We
will keep striving for a society which is tolerant, rational and does not
discriminate on the basis of political orientation, faith, ethnicity or creed,”
he said.
He
also termed Pakistan's “economic frailty” as a cause for concern, saying it
tended to “exacerbate other issues concerning human security such as health,
education, access to food and clean water and mitigating threats posed by
climate change”.
The
outgoing Army chief spoke about the “delicate position” that Pakistan found
itself in amid “the ever-sharpening global power contestation” between the
United States and China.
“Pakistan
is trying to steer itself prudently in this increasingly contested strategic
environment and ensure that we are not pulled into any future iteration of
[the] Cold War," he noted.
The
Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) said the "perpetual conflict and
instability" in South Asia has made the region "least
integrated" despite its economic potential.
He
noted that the region had been referred to as a “strategic chessboard” due to
its role in great power rivalries in the past — the recent being the two
decade-long ‘war on terror' in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan's
western border has therefore seen a great deal of instability due to the
conflict in Afghanistan. Post-US withdrawal, a modicum of stability has been
seen in the country with a reduction in violence. However, the situation
remains volatile," he added.
The
powerful Army, which has ruled coup-prone Pakistan for more than half of its
75-plus years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in matters
of security and foreign policy.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
MQM-P
raises delimitation issue as PPP mulls response to PTI move
Syed
Irfan Raza
November
29, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
With political temperatures rising in the country in the wake of the PTI’s plan
to dissolve the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies, the leadership of
two ruling allies in the centre, PPP and MQM-P, went into a huddle to plan
their strategy with the former claiming to have Muttahida’s assurance it will
stay in the coalition, and the latter raising the issue of ‘unfair’
delimitation of local government constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad.
Former
president Asif Ali Zardari along with Dr Asim Hussain and Saleem Mandviwalla
represented the Pakistan Peoples Party whereas Muttahida Qaumi Movement
convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was accompanied by IT Minister Syed Aminul
Haque at the meeting.
On
the occasion, Mr Siddiqui assured the former president that the MQM would
continue to play its positive role in the government, according to a press
release issued on Monday by the PPP Central Secretariat, that said both sides
discussed current political situation and local elections in the Sindh
province.
However,
sources in the MQM-P told Dawn that the meeting was actually held last week, in
which the party raised the issue of what it called unfair delimitation of
local government constituencies in Karachi and Hyderabad and urged Mr
Zardari to direct his party’s government in Sindh to rectify the “injustices”.
The
PPP in its press communiqué quoted the ex-president as saying that the reason
of success of coalition government was that it was taking all the allies on
board while taking major decisions.
A
source privy to the meeting said the two sides also discussed the response of
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) member parties if no-confidence motion was
moved in Punjab as hinted by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah.
The
PPP and MQM-P agreed that dissolution of Punjab assembly would not pose a big
challenge to the PDM, as there would be by-polls on some seats, the source
said. However, the source said, they believed the situation in KP would be
quite difficult as re-election would be called in case of dissolution of KP
assembly.
However,
sources in the MQM-P said, the party leaders discussed the issue of upcoming
local elections in Sindh and told Mr Zardari that it was unfair to hold local
elections without first having fresh delimitation. In response, the PPP leader
said he would instruct Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, who was then out of
the country, to address the grievances upon his return, the sources added.
Since
certain PPP leaders believed the existing delimitation would favour them in the
local elections, the MQM-P told Mr Zardari that it was the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) that gained more advantage than any other stakeholder,
the Muttahida sources explained.
A
source privy to the meeting told Dawn that at the time of success of
no-confidence motion against the then premier Imran Khan, all Pakistan
Democratic Movement (PDM) member parties, including the PPP, had assured the
Muttahida that amendments would be made to local government laws before holding
the polls in Sindh as MQM-P had demanded so. The source said not just the MQM
but also the PTI was not ready to take part in the local elections unless
‘desired amendments’ were made to the laws.
The
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) earlier announced that the second phase
of local elections in Sindh would be held on Jan 15, 2023.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723713/mqm-p-raises-delimitation-issue-as-ppp-mulls-response-to-pti-move
--------
Altaf
versus ex-loyalists over London properties
Atika
Rehman
November
29, 2022
LONDON:
MQM leader Altaf Hussain on Monday faced former party loyalists in a UK high
court over a property case.
The
case has been brought by MQM-P leader and Federal Minister Syed Aminul Haque,
former convener of the Altaf-led MQM Nadeem Nusrat and ex-confidante Tariq Mir.
The case centres around seven north London properties to the tune of £10
million pounds which the ex-loyalists seek to claim.
According
to the case file, Aminul Haque, the claimant, said that it’s the MQM-P whose
“members are the beneficiary of bare trusts and/or resulting constructive
trusts” — the structures that control the seven properties and all the benefit
derived from the rental income or sale proceeds should have gone to MQM-P to
benefit the “poor and needy people”.
The
MQM-P maintains that this clause of the trust has been violated. The claimant,
on behalf of MQM-P, said that he is seeking for himself and the MQM-P the
removal of the trustees under the UK Trustees Act 1925 “for failing to act
faithfully and for the benefit of the beneficiaries and or the trusts at all
material times”.
In
case Altaf loses this battle, it is believed that he will be left with nothing.
In the event that the claimants are unsuccessful, they will have to bear the
costs and legal fees of the defendant.
Altaf
denies misappropriation and maintains that the properties were purchased with
the use of funds given by ordinary MQM workers and donors.
“I
have complete faith in my legal team, they are very competent,” Altaf told
reporters outside the court on Monday.
He
alleged that the case is a result of malafide intent and weak integrity from
the claimants.
Both
Altaf and Nusrat were seen going to court to record their evidence in the case.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723725/altaf-versus-ex-loyalists-over-london-properties
--------
ECP
bound to hold by-polls in case of PTI resignations, says official
Iftikhar
A. Khan
November
29, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
Any decision by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers to resign en masse
from all four provincial assemblies will bind the Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP) to hold by-polls on all vacant seats within two months, legal
experts believe.
They
say Article 224(4) of the Constitution is very clear as it reads, “When, except
by dissolution of the National Assembly or a Provincial Assembly, a seat in any
such Assembly has become vacant not later than one hundred and twenty days
before the term of that Assembly is due to expire, an election to fill the seat
shall be held within sixty days from the occurrence of the vacancy”.
The
seat will fall vacant only after the resignation has been accepted by the
speaker.
A
senior ECP official, when contacted, said the commission would strictly follow
the law in such a case.
If
all PTI lawmakers quit, subsequent electoral exercise will cost exchequer
Rs25bn
“The
ECP is fully ready for the next general elections and it would have no problem
in conducting the bypolls [as well],” he emphasised.
Answering
a question, he said the ECP had nothing to do with any decision on holding
early general elections, which can only be taken at the political level.
In
response to another question, he said an estimated Rs25 billion would be spent
on the by-elections in case PTI lawmakers resigned from all the provincial
assemblies.
“It
would be a mini-general election,” he said, pointing out that the estimated expense
on general elections would be around Rs47bn.
The
ECP official agreed that it would be a gigantic task to hold such a massive
electoral exercise only months before the general elections are due.
Mentioning
the ECP’s schedule, he said the second phase of local government elections in
Sindh is set to take place on Jan 15. However, he added, things could be
managed by holding staggered polls.
“It
is not a legal requirement to hold the elections on a single day,” he
explained.
He,
however, said that the situation would be different if the Punjab and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa assemblies were dissolved. In that case, he added, the two
assemblies would be elected for a five-year term, and the elections would be
held within 90 days of the dissolution.
Former
Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, when contacted for comment, said the idea
was still at the formulative stage and there’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip.
He said it has to be seen if the entire PTI parliamentary party agrees to Imran
Khan’s proposal or not.
Mr
Rabbani, who is a constitutional expert, said legally and politically, there
was no requirement to call general elections, even if resignations were
tendered en masse.
He
said that under Article 224(4) it was the responsibility of the ECP to hold
by-elections within 60 days when a member of a provincial assembly resigns from
his seat.
A
lawmaker from the ruling PDM coalition predicted that any such decision, if
finalised, would create more rifts within the PTI.
Meanwhile,
the ECP roundly denied issuing any official statement concerning the
by-elections of national and provincial assemblies in case of the PTI
lawmakers’ resignations.
A
journalist had asked questions about the law, rules and expenditures to be
incurred on holding the by-elections in case PTI quit the assemblies.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Buffer
zone to protect Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort
November
29, 2022
LAHORE:
The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) is going to establish a buffer zone
around Badshahi Mosque and the Lahore Fort to protect both the heritage sites.
WCLA
Director General Kamran Lashari held a meeting with Commissioner Aamir Jan to
discuss the matter of removal of Rim Market from the Fort Road.
He
said the authority was taking measures to ensure safety of the international
heritage and it would establish a buffer zone in and around the Badshahi Mosque
and the Lahore Fort.
He
said there were around 300 shops in the rim market on Fort Road which was
creating problems for the tourists.
“A
buffer zone would be established from the Lady Wellington Hospital to Badami
Bagh Chowk.”
Mr
Lashari said the market would be shifted to truck adaa near the Ring Road and
the matter had been discussed with the shopkeepers. He said the shifting of the
market had been discussed with the commissioner who would facilitate the
authority to revive and protect the world heritage sites.
Mr
Lashari said all the streets and residential localities would be modernised and
all the electricity infrastructure, drain and sewerage towards the Delhi Gate
would be developed underground. He said an underground parking lot would also
be established at the Ali Park and the authority would rehabilitate the Summer
Palace in the Lahore Fort besides a museum in the basement. He said the move
would promote tourism and would also help the locals to have new avenues of
earning by developing the area.
The
WCLA DG said the tomb of Emperor Jahangir’s mother, Mariam Zamani, would also
be opened for the tourists, all the encroachments would be removed around it
and a garden would also be established. He added that the Akbari Gate, the main
entrance to the Lahore Fort, would also be restored and the parking issue would
also be resolved.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723679/buffer-zone-to-protect-badshahi-mosque-lahore-fort
--------
Mideast
Hezbollah
official: Support for Palestine in Qatari World Cup tantamount to rejection of
Israel existence
28
November 2022
A
senior official of Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement says Arab fans’
refusal to speak with Israeli media reporters at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
indicates rejection of the occupying regime’s existence and normalization
deals, stressing that all forms of resistance will lead to Palestine’s victory.
Hezbollah
Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem made the remarks in a string of
Arabic-language tweets on Monday as anti-Israel sentiments are running high at
the international sports tournament, with the occupying regime’s reporters
saying an atmosphere of hatred and hostility is encouraging soccer fans to wave
Palestinian flags in the Qatari stadiums amid refusal to speak to Israeli
media.
“The
scene of Arab citizens refusing interviews with Israeli correspondents in the
World Cup in Qatar is an indication of the people’s refusal to normalize [ties]
with the enemy,” Qassem wrote in the tweet.
“The
youths’ resistance to normalization is an expression of the outright rejection
of the existence of the Israeli entity in our region. The concerted efforts of
the military, cultural, media and youth resistance will achieve victory and
liberation for beloved Palestine,” he added.
Israeli
media reporters and journalists have on multiple occasions confessed to being
boycotted and yelled at by fans, locals, and officials at the World Cup in
Qatar since the beginning of the international sports extravaganza.
In
various videos and media clips, local and non-locals are seen standing behind
Israeli reporters and raising Palestinian flags to protest against the
occupying regime.
Apart
from the boycott on Israeli media, large pro-Palestinian banners are displayed
by soccer fans in almost entire stadiums in Qatar. Qatari fans and players have
also been seen to wear armbands and ribbons featuring the Palestinian flag in
rejection of normalization deals with the illegal entity.
Back
in 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed United States-brokered
agreements with Israel to normalize their ties with the regime. Some other
regional states, namely Sudan and Morocco, followed suit soon afterward.
Spearheaded
by the UAE, the move has sparked widespread condemnations from the Palestinians
as well as nations and human rights advocates across the globe, especially
within the Muslim world.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
'Hezbollah
biggest obstacle for Israel normalization; Palestinians won't allow al-Aqsa
desecration'
28
November 2022
Deputy
Chairman of the Executive Council of Hezbollah, Sheikh Nabil Qaouk, has
confirmed that the resistance (of Lebanon) is the biggest obstacle to projects
of normalization with the Israeli apartheid regime, noting that it is Israel's
Benjamin Netanyahu who must fear the resistance, not the other way around.
He
said that the Israeli regime’s declaration that it is not ready to confront
Hezbollah in Lebanon is “an achievement for the resistance.”
However,
he noted that, “The enemy's inability to confront Hezbollah has prompted the
enemies of Lebanon to bet on creating chaos inside Lebanon.”
Commenting
on the status quo in Lebanon and the need for a strong president who can
confront hurdles facing the Arab country, he explained, “The country is in a
state of chaos, and what is required is to elect a president whose priority is
to save the country from the worst and from total collapse.”
Israel
launched two wars against Lebanon in the 2000s. In both cases, it was forced to
retreat after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Hezbollah. Also
recently in October, Israeli officials said that the regime was forced to kneel
in front of Hezbollah after signing a maritime borders deal that would
demarcate Lebanon’s southern maritime border and allow it to extract its oil and
natural gas.
Around
the same time, Israeli media said that the deal strengthens Hezbollah’s
position on the domestic level, stressing that Hezbollah has once again proven
that it can achieve its political and strategic goals in Lebanon and the region
thanks to its military strength that cannot be weakened.
‘Palestinians
will not allow desecration of al-Aqsa’
On
a separate note, the preacher of the al-Aqsa Mosque, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri said
that the Palestinian people will not allow Israeli settlers to desecrate
al-Aqsa mosque.
He
condemned the statements of head of the extremist Otzma Yehudit party, Itamar
Ben-Gvir, labeling them as “racist and unacceptable”.
Ben-Gvir,
who is set to become Israel's security minister, pledged to change the status
quo at the al-Aqsa Mosque. He also vowed to change the instructions of firing
at Palestinians and legalizing illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank.
Sheikh
Sabri held Israel responsible for Ben-Gvir’s statements. He pointed out that
his threats would lead to escalating Israeli attacks against Muslims at the
al-Aqsa Mosque.
“The
Palestinian people will continue defending the al-Aqsa Mosque against any
violation,” he said, noting that they will confront the Israeli illegal
settlers’ provocative attacks at the holy site.
Earlier
on Monday morning, hordes of Jewish settlers broke into the al-Aqsa Mosque
under tight protection of Israeli forces, while Arab citizens in the 1948
Occupied Palestine intensified their presence at the holy site to protect it
against the settlers’ desecration.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israel
torturing Palestinian children in detention centres, treating them as criminals:
Fatah leader
29
November 2022
A
leader of the Palestinian Fatah resistance movement says the Israeli regime is
keeping hundreds of prisoners, including children, behind bars in prisons,
stating that the minor detainees are subjected to various forms of torture and
Israeli prison officials deal with them as criminals.
On
Monday, Dr. Ayman al-Raqab, who is also a professor of political science at
Quds University, denounced the Tel Aviv regime’s gross mistreatment of
Palestinian children and flagrant violation of their rights, stating that the
condition of Israeli detention centers and relevant policies contradict
international principles and regulations.
Raqab
noted that Israeli officials have subjected a number of jailed Palestinian
children, including teenage girls, to brutal forms of torture, and treat them
as serious criminals even though they are not of legal age.
Earlier
this month, a Palestinian prisoners advocacy group said Israeli military forces
arrested more than 750 Palestinian children during arrest campaign across the
occupied West Bank and East al-Quds since the beginning of the current year
The
Palestinian Prisoners' Society (PPS) said in a statement on November 19 that
160 children are still being held behind bars in Israeli detention centers,
stating that some of the minors were first shot and injured before they were
detained.
Among
the detainees are three girls, of whom two are 16 years old and the third is
17, and five others, who are held in administrative detention.
The
so-called administrative detainees are arrested on “secret evidence”, unaware
of the accusations against them, and are not allowed to defend themselves in
court. They are usually held for renewable six-month periods, often leading to
years in detention.
Israeli
authorities use torturous techniques even after transferring Palestinian
detainees for interrogation and then to detention centers. Advocacy groups have
also recorded various injuries endured by Palestinian detainees, some of whom
were shot by the Israeli military.
Palestinian
prisoners are held for lengthy periods without being charged, tried, or
convicted, which is in sheer violation of human rights. Human rights groups
describe Israel’s use of the administrative detention as a “bankrupt tactic”
and have long called on Israel to end its use.
The
Israeli Prison Service (IPS) keeps Palestinian prisoners under deplorable
conditions lacking proper hygienic standards. They have also been subjected to
systematic torture, harassment and repression all through the years of Israel’s
occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Source:
Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Erdogan-Sisi
handshake sparks backlash from Turkey's Islamists
Semih
Idiz
November
28, 2022
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s warm handshake with Egyptian President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi during the opening session of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar caused
a major stir in Turkey.
Many
see the move as the penultimate nail in the coffin of Erdogan’s Islamist
foreign policy in the Middle East.
The
final nail will be the meeting he is reportedly seeking with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad, his one time archenemy.
During
the Arab Spring in 2010 and 2011, Erdogan believed that the disgruntled Arab
masses would bring the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates to power across
the region and elevate him to the level of a key regional Islamic leader.
However,
he misjudged the degree to which established Arab regimes viewed his approach
with antipathy. Most Arab leaders have felt threatened by Erdogan’s brand of
political Islam.
The
Arab Spring failed to produce what Erdogan wanted. He now needs the support of
these regimes to extricate Turkey from the economic morass his unorthodox
policies have landed it in.
The
move has gained added importance with presidential elections only six months
ahead and followed by reconciliation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after
a decade of acrimonious exchanges and patching up his differences with Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In order to facilitate the Saudi
rapprochement, he stopped championing the cause of Saudi journalist Jamal
Khashoggi who was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
Despite
historic links, relations between Turkey and Egypt plummeted after Mohammed
Morsi, the democratically elected Egyptian president, was toppled in 2013 by
Sisi, who headed the military at the time.
Erdogan
vowed not to forgive Sisi for ousting Morsi and shutting down his Muslim
Brotherhood based government.
“There
are those who want to reconcile me with Sisi. I reject this,” Erdogan said in
an address in March 2019. “I refuse to meet with an antidemocratic person who
condemned Morsi and his friends to prison,” he added.
However,
as the balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean turned against Turkey to
Greece’s advantage, and the cost of regional isolation increased, Erdogan was
forced to change tack.
Aware
of Turkey’s geostrategic importance and the investment opportunities it
provides, Saudi Arabia and the UAE also responded positively to Erdogan’s
outreach.
High-level
contacts and state visits between Turkey and the UAE and Turkey and Saudi
Arabia have been exchanged and multiple cooperation agreements signed.
Reuters
reported this week that Riyadh is to put a $5 billion deposit at Turkey's
central bank.
This
is good news for cash-strapped Ankara and will help Erdogan convince his
supporters that good ties with formerly estranged Arab regimes is the right way
to go. Meanwhile, Qatar and the UAE have also been putting billions into
Turkey.
Statements
issued by Ankara and Cairo after the clasping of hands in Doha indicated that
the sides were on the cusp of a new era in ties.
Erdogan
was also happy with this turn of events. “We gave our go-ahead for this
[reconciliation] process to begin. We took a step [in Doha] for it to start. My
hope is that … we can carry it now to a good point,” Erdogan told reporters as
he flew home from Qatar.
Talking
to young party supporters in Konya Nov. 28 Erdogan said information reaching
him indicated that Sisi was also extremely pleased with their meeting which was
arranged by the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
“After
this we can enter such a road with Syria also the way we did with Egypt”
Erdogan said adding “that there was no place for lasting quarrels in politics.”
Erdogan’s
about-face on Sisi was immediately lambasted by opposition parties and his
critics in Turkey. Most approved of this reconciliation as being a rational
move but argued that it had come belatedly.
In
the meantime, Turkey had lost regional influence and saw its economy harmed,
they said. The time wasted also resulted in key Arab states deepening ties with
Turkey’s rivals Greece and Cyprus in order to counterbalance Erdogan’s regional
ambitions.
Veteran
columnist Fehmi Koru, who stood close to Erdogan once, believes that while it
was appropriate for Ankara to criticize the coup that toppled Morsi, “it went
overboard.”
Underestimating
Egypt came at a high cost to Turkey, Koru argued. “The most important foreign
policy mistake of the past decade in the region resulted in alliances emerging
that were unforeseen by Turkey. Our traditional friends became enemies, while
our traditional enemies became friends,” Koru wrote on his personal webpage.
Osman
Sert, who served as press secretary to former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu,
said it was unnatural for two key regional countries such as Turkey and Egypt
to be estranged.
Supporting
the Erdogan-Sisi meeting, Sert, nevertheless, underlined that this provided a
fine example of Erdogan’s inconsistencies. “Continually saying things that you
won’t or can’t do and then going on to do the opposite is not politics. To the
contrary, this is a lack of politics,” Sert wrote in his column in Karar daily
Not
all of Erdogan’s grassroots supporters are pleased with the reconciliation in
Doha.
Aware
that the main losers will be the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots, Turkey’s
Islamist quarters are disgruntled. Ali Karahasanoglu, the firebrand editor of
the pro-government daily Yeni Akit, reflected their disappointment. “I was
devastated when I saw that picture. I was devastated in the name of all
Muslims. … I was saddened and devastated to see Erdogan abandon his struggle of
the past nine years,” Karahasanoglu wrote.
Strong
views such as these have prompted Erdogan’s acolytes to try and avert a
backlash from his traditional support base in the lead-up to the elections.
They
argue that meeting Sisi and Assad will serve Turkey’s interests and help Ankara
stabilize the economy as well as solving the problem of Syrian refugees.
There
are still differences between Ankara and Cairo to be overcome. The questions of
Libya and of hydrocarbons exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean are
two key examples.
Source:
Al Monitor
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More
than 300 dead in Iran unrests since protests: Revolutionary Guards general
29
November ,2022
More
than 300 people have been killed in Iran since protests erupted over the death
in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini on September 16, a Revolutionary
Guards general said Tuesday.
“Everyone
in the country has been affected by the death of this lady. I don’t have the
latest figures, but I think we have had perhaps more than 300 martyrs and
people killed in this country, including children, since this incident,”
Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Guards’ aerospace division,
said in a video published by the Mehr news agency.
The
toll includes dozens of police, troops and militia killed in clashes with
demonstrators or murdered.
The
latest official toll is much closer to the figure of at least 416 “killed in
the suppression of protests in Iran” published by Oslo-based group Iran Human
Rights.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Three
Palestinians killed by Israeli fire in occupied West Bank : Health ministry
29
November ,2022
Three
Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank Tuesday,
the Palestinian health ministry said, the latest deaths in a sharp uptick in
violence in the occupied territory.
Two
brothers were killed by Israeli fire in Kafr Ein, near Ramallah, while a third
man died of bullet wounds to the head fired by Israeli troops in Beit Ummar,
near the flashpoint city of Hebron, the ministry said.
Commenting
on the Beit Ummar clash, the Israeli army said it had opened fire on “rioters”
who “hurled rocks and improvised explosive devices at the soldiers” after two
vehicles got stuck during an “operation patrol” in the area.
The
Palestinian ministry said a man it did not identify had died “after being shot
in the head.”
It
named the dead in Kafr Ein as brothers Jawad Abdulrahman Rimawi, 22, and Dhafer
Abdul Rahman Rimawi, 21.
There
was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.
Palestinian
Authority civil affairs minister Hussein Al Sheikh described the killing of the
two brothers as an “execution in cold blood.”
Hamas
said the Israeli “escalation” would be “confronted by escalating resistance”
from Palestinians.
Violence
has flared this year in the West Bank, where the Israeli army has launched
near-daily raids across the territory.
This
week the army announced it had made more than 3,000 arrests this year as part
of Operation Break the Wave, a campaign it launched following a series of
deadly attacks against Israeli civilians.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Three
Israeli soldiers detained for suspected revenge attack on Palestinians
29
November ,2022
Three
Israeli soldiers were detained on Monday, the military said, after allegedly
hurling an improvised bomb at Palestinians near the West Bank city of Bethlehem
as revenge for the seizing of the body of a teenager last week.
On
Wednesday, in the occupied West Bank, which has seen an intensification of
violence since March, Palestinian gunmen seized the body of an Israeli Druze
high-schooler from a hospital in the town of Jenin where he had been taken
after a car accident, according to the Israeli army.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
incident fueled expectations that the military could launch an assault to
recover the teenager’s body. But it was quietly returned after some 30 hours
following negotiations that, according to a diplomat, had involved the United
Nations.
The
gunmen did not announce their motivation, but Palestinians demonstrated in
Jenin the same day, demanding the release of remains of their relatives which
they said Israel was holding. The Druze are an Arab community in Israel whose
members serve in its armed forces.
The
Israeli military said in a statement that it had launched an investigation into
the attack on Palestinians near Bethlehem on Monday by Israeli Druze soldiers
but could not provide further details.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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--------
Iran
football legend Ali Daei targeted by ‘threats’ after backing protests
28
November ,2022
Iranian
football legend Ali Daei on Monday said he had been targeted by threats after
backing ongoing protests in Iran triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini.
Amini,
a 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin, died on September 16, three days after
her arrest by the notorious morality police while visiting Tehran with her
younger brother.
Daei,
whose 109 goals at international level was long unsurpassed until he was
overtaken by Cristiano Ronaldo, played in Iran’s legendary 1998 2-1 World Cup
victory against the United States.
He
decided not be go to the World Cup in Qatar due to the Iranian authorities'
deadly crackdown on the protests.
“I
have received numerous threats against myself and my family in recent months
and days from some organizations, medias and unknown individuals,” Daei said in
a statement on Instagram.
“I
was taught humanity, honor, patriotism and freedom.... What do you want to
achieve with such threats?” he added.
In
the post, Daei also called for the “unconditional release” of prisoners
arrested in the crackdown on the protests in Iran.
Daei
earlier this month said he would not be travelling to Qatar for the World Cup, despite
having an invitation from the organizers, saying he wanted to be “with my
compatriots and express sympathy with all those who have lost loved ones” in
the ongoing crackdown.
His
comments come as Iran prepares to face the United States on Tuesday, in a
repeat of the 1998 showdown, with ‘Team Melli’ seeking to reach the final
stages of a World Cup for the first time in its history.
There
has been intense scrutiny on football as the protests continue in Iran, posing
the biggest challenge to the regime since the 1979 revolution.
Daei
himself reportedly had his passport confiscated when returning to Iran in the
early phase of the protests but subsequently had it returned.
Prominent
Iranian footballer of Kurdish origin Voria Ghafouri, who has been outspoken in
his support of the protests, was arrested last week.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Palestine's
UN envoy calls Israel's incoming government 'fascist'
Betul
Yuruk
28.11.2022
UNITED
NATIONS
Palestine's
UN Envoy Riyad Mansour labelled Israel's incoming government as
"fascist" on Monday, which is likely to be led by former prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"There
will be fascists holding cabinet positions in the Israeli side," Mansour
told reporters. "The attacks against the Palestinian people will
increase".
He
said that the situation will "move from bad to worse" and called on
the UN Security Council to deal with Israel's new government in a different way
to protect the Palestinian people.
Israeli
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu started negotiations with the
right-wing bloc leaders to form a coalition government after winning a majority
in the Knesset earlier this month.
UN
Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland sounded
alarm by the intensity of violence in the occupied West Bank in his briefing to
the Security Council.
"After
decades of persistent violence, illegal settlement expansion, dormant
negotiations and deepening occupation, the conflict is again reaching a boiling
point," Wennesland said.
"High
levels of violence in the occupied West Bank and Israel in recent months,
including attacks against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, increased use of
arms, and settler-related violence, have caused grave human suffering," he
added.
Wennesland
said that he has not yet had any discussions with the incoming Israeli
government.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Netanyahu
to do everything to avoid prison: Israeli prime minister
Abdelraouf
Arnaout
28.11.2022
JERUSALEM
Prime
Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu will do everything to avoid imprisonment,
outgoing Israeli Premier Yair Lapid said on Monday.
Addressing
a conference in Jerusalem, Lapid said Netanyahu will seek to carry out judicial
reforms to appoint judges to look into his corruption cases.
"The
bottom line is he will become the second prime minister in the country's
history to go to prison," Lapid said.
“There
is nothing he won't do to prevent this," he added.
Netanyahu
has been facing charges of fraud, bribery, and breach of trust since 2020,
accusations he vehemently denies.
Ehud
Olmert was the first Israeli prime minister to enter jail over corruption
charges.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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South Asia
Rohingya
Muslims stuck between Myanmar’s military junta, rebel Arakan Army
Halil
Ibrahim Medet
28.11.2022
After
suffering decades of oppression, Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are now caught
between two fires from the country’s repressive military junta and the rebel
Buddhist Arakan Army, according to local Arakanese activists.
The
UN and other international human rights organizations have called the violence
against the country’s Rohingya “ethnic cleansing” or “genocide,” saying the
Muslim group is “the most persecuted minority in the world.”
Mohammed
Rafik and Nay San Lwin, Arakanese activists spoke with Anadolu Agency about the
rights violations that Rohingya Muslims have been facing since the February
2021 military coup.
Human
rights violations
Saying
that what has been done to Arakanese society is not new, Rafik stressed: “In
addition to human rights violations, numerous military campaigns have been
carried out to eliminate and render Arakanese Muslims stateless in their own
country and in neighboring countries where they have taken refuge.”
“Calling
them the 'most persecuted' doesn’t solve the problems,” he said, adding: “The
UN has failed on the issue of Arakanese society.”
“With
the exception of a few 'concerns' that have reached the deaf ears of the
oppressors in Myanmar, justice has not been achieved for this community,” he
underlined.
“In
1978, about 300,000 Rohingya Muslims were deported to Bangladesh with Operation
Dragon King (Nagamin).
“In
1982, a citizenship law was passed and the citizenship of the Rohingya Muslims
was taken away overnight,” he stated.
“Deprived
of basic rights such as health services, education, and the right to property,
the Rohingya were also left vulnerable to torture and harassment,” he stressed.
“Gen.
Than Shwe similarly forced more than 200,000 Rohingya, including me and my
family, to leave the country with Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation in
1991-1992,” he said.
Rafik
underlined that President Thein Sein, who served from 2011 to 2016 after an
election held by the army, also displaced 120,000 Rohingya Muslims with
"systematic policies.”
"About
100,000 of them live in internally displaced persons camps. These rights of
Arakanese Muslims, who had the right to vote and be elected from independence
in 1948 until 2015, were completely taken away,” he lamented.
“Between
2016 and 2017, two more major genocide campaigns were carried out,” he
continued.
“Due
to these two campaigns, 75% of the population of Arakan (Rakhine state) was
displaced and became asylum seekers in Bangladesh.”
Bringing
the story to the present day, he said: “In November 2022, the army declared
empty Arakanese villages property of the border forces. The Rohingya, who were
once equal citizens of Myanmar, are now deprived of citizenship, their homes,
and basic human rights."
Pointing
out that Rohingya Muslims are still the "largest, only Muslim
community" that has been stripped of citizenship in Myanmar, Rafik added:
"One of the policies of successive governments since 1962 is to refuse to
grant citizenship to Rohingya Muslims.”
“Other
Muslims living in different parts of Myanmar have citizenship and basic human
rights. They are also being targeted due to hate campaigns spread by extremist
Buddhist monks in the early 2000s, but their citizenship has never been taken
away," he said.
Targeted
by both junta regime, rebel Arakan Army
During
clashes between the Buddhist Arakan Army and government forces, Arakan villages
in Rakhine state have become battlefields.
Most
of the Rohingya Muslim villages have been emptied, and those still living in
the villages that have now become battlegrounds have also been forced to flee,
he said.
"The
Arakan Army, a Buddhist militant group, currently controls most of the state of
Arakan and frequently clashes with the Myanmar army,” Rafik said.
“The
army has been carrying out atrocities against Muslims in the region since its
establishment in 2009.
“Rohingya
Muslims are forced to escape from their villages and homes to save their loved
ones in the war between the Myanmar army and the Buddhist Rohingya Army,"
he underlined.
The
activist stressed that the Arakan Army "quickly seized the province and
declared its own legislature, judiciary, and administration," adding:
"The Arakan Army began collecting taxes from Arakan Muslims, who also had
to pay taxes to the military-controlled government. There is now a double
taxation for Arakanese society."
Continued
oppression
For
his part, Nay San Lwin also said Myanmar’s junta regime flouts the rulings of
the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
“Following
this decision, the government stopped punishing Rohingya Muslims who ran away
but the junta started to sentence these Muslim people after the military coup,”
he said, adding that prison sentences that began with six months were increased
first to two years and then to five.
“So,
the effect of the military coup has become more oppression against Arakanese,”
he criticized.
“The
army committed the crime of carrying out a genocide and aimed to destroy all
Rohingya Muslims.
“Now
they are talking about bringing them back to the country but the army has
created an insecure environment already,” he said.
On
Feb. 1, 2021, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government was deposed in a military coup
after her National League for Democracy party’s victory in national elections
the previous November.
The
coup was met with widespread civic unrest, as people denounced her removal and
military rule. The junta repressed the protests violently, with the UN warning
that the country had descended into civil war.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Afghan
Taliban to Host Female Pakistan Minister for Bilateral Talks
November
28, 2022
ISLAMABAD
—
A
high-level Pakistani delegation will visit Afghanistan on Tuesday to discuss
with the ruling Islamist Taliban cooperation in trade, education, investment,
regional connectivity and security.
Officials
in Islamabad said Monday that Hina Rabbani Khar, the female Pakistani minister
of state for foreign affairs, will lead the daylong meetings with leaders of
the men-only Taliban government in Kabul.
Khar
will also renew Pakistan's "continued commitment and support" for
strengthening Afghan peace and prosperity, said the foreign ministry statement.
"As
a friend and neighbor of Afghanistan, Pakistan will reaffirm its abiding
solidarity with the people of Afghanistan, in particular through its efforts to
ease the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and to create real opportunities
for economic prosperity of Afghan men, women and children," the statement
added.
Khar
is scheduled to meet Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Prime
Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund.
"The
high-ranking Pakistani delegation is arriving tomorrow to discuss political and
economic relations between the two countries," Taliban spokesman
Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed on Twitter.
The
visit comes amid intensified international criticism and calls for the Taliban
administration to reverse its curbs on women and girls' fundamental rights to
public life and education.
Last
week, a panel of independent experts at the United Nations denounced the
restrictions as "the most severe and unacceptable" in the world,
warning the Taliban that their treatment of women and girls could amount to a
"crime against humanity."
The
Islamist rulers rejected the criticism of their governance, saying it is compliant
with Afghan culture and Islamic law. The Taliban regained power in August 2021
from the then-U.S. backed Afghan government as the United States, along with
NATO allies, withdrew their troops from the country after battling the
insurgent group for almost two decades.
Pakistan's
latest round of talks with the Taliban comes just days after deadly clashes
between border security forces of the two countries. The tensions had prompted
Islamabad to temporarily seal two out of several border crossings with Afghanistan
earlier this month.
The
landlocked nation mostly relies on Pakistani overland routes and seaports for
bilateral and international trade.
Border
tensions between the two South Asian nations are not uncommon along their
2,600-kilometer frontier. Afghanistan disputes the more than a century-old
boundary drawn by British colonial rulers.
Pakistan
rejects Afghan objections and calls the demarcation an international border,
and so does the rest of the world.
While
several countries, including Pakistan, Russia, China, Turkey, Qatar and Iran,
have kept their embassies open in Kabul since the return of the Taliban rule,
the world at large has not yet recognized the new government over human rights
and terrorism-related concerns.
Officials
in Islamabad, however, downplay mutual tensions stemming from border and
security concerns. They maintain the two issues would come under discussion but
the focus of Khar's meetings in Kabul would be to exchange views on projects
that could help promote bilateral economic connectivity.
Despite
prevailing skepticism, Pakistan says it is determined to boost economic and
security cooperation with the Taliban to help sustain fragile peace and
stability after four decades of deadly hostilities in Afghanistan.
Islamabad
says economic stability is key to deterring cross-border terrorism and
preventing an influx of refugees to Pakistan, which already hosts nearly 3
million Afghans, both as refugees and economic migrants.
Pakistani
authorities have recently removed tariffs and eased visa rules to facilitate
bilateral as well as Afghan transit to address a humanitarian crisis in the
neighboring country where the United Nations warns millions of people face
acute food shortages.
Islamabad
has also increased Afghan coal imports since the Taliban returned to power,
tilting the annual trade balance in favor of Kabul for the first time in the
history of bilateral relations. The annual trade volume as of Monday stood at
more than $1.5 billion, with Afghan exports to Pakistan worth more than $800
million.
The
change is attributed mainly to increased purchases of Afghan coal in the wake
of rising global prices in a bid to reduce Pakistan's dependence on expensive
supplies from countries such as South Africa.
Traders
say about 10,000 metric tons of coal is being exported daily to Pakistan,
helping the Taliban generate much needed revenue to govern the country.
Source:
VOA News
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China-Pakistan
Science and Technology cooperation centre inaugurated in Beijing
November
28, 2022
BEIJING:
China-Pakistan Science and Technology Cooperation Centre was inaugurated here
on Monday to facilitate the Chinese technology companies to conduct businesses
in Pakistan, strengthening bilateral ties and acting as a bridge between the
youth of two countries.
Pakistan
Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque and President of Zhongguancun Belt and Road
Industrial Promotion Association (ZBRA), Zhang Xiaodong inaugurated the center
while Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) joined virtually from Pakistan.
The
center, a joint project by ZBRA and STZA, will act as a platform between China
and Pakistan for facilitating the Chinese technology companies to conduct
businesses in special technology zones (STZs) in Pakistan; strengthening
bilateral ties in cooperation in science and technology; assisting Chinese
technology companies in terms of regulatory landscape of Pakistan; and acting
as a bridge between the youth of the two countries.
Addressing
the audience, Ambassador Moin ul Haque spoke at length about the increased
importance of science and technology cooperation in the bilateral economic and
development agenda, including under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He
briefed about the government’s vision to create a digital ecosystem with
infrastructure and institutional frameworks by ensuring the availability of
accessible, affordable, reliable and high-quality ICT services.
The
overarching objective remains improving citizen’s quality of life and their
economic well-being. In this regard, he highlighted that the Pakistani youth,
forming 60% of the total population, who are skilled, computer-literate and
tech-savvy would play an important role in strengthening the bilateral science
and technology cooperation.
Other
speakers included Liu Jianxing, Director of International Cooperation, National
Development and Reform Commission (NDRC); Zhang Xiaodong, President ZBRA; Hamza
Saeed, Director Strategic Planning, STZA; and Yang Dongri, Director of China
Center for Information Industry Development Institute, Ministry of Industry and
Information Technology.
During
their remarks, the speakers highlighted various aspects of high-quality
development cooperation between Pakistan and China and the role of IT, and
science and technology in further strengthening this developmental agenda. They
put forth their suggestions to further enhance the effective working of the
newly-inaugurated Centre.
Source:
Pakistan Today
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Islamic
Emirate Seeks China’s Cooperation for Wakhan Trade Route
November
29, 2022
The
Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC) said that the Islamic Emirate is ready
for a Wakhan trade route and calls on China to accelerate its cooperation in
creating it.
In
a video released by the MoIC, the acting Minister of Industry and Commerce,
Nooruddin Azizi, said that a Wakhan trade route could promote trade between
China and Afghanistan.
"Undoubtedly,
the Wakhan Corridor or historic Silk road can increase the level of trade
between the two countries and become a reliable route for the transit of
goods,” he said.
The
Ministry of Economy (MoE) said that Afghanistan would benefit from the
implementation of a Wakhan trade route.
“The
connection of Afghanistan with the One Belt One Road initiatives or Silk Road
benefits Afghan stability and development,” said Abdul Latif Nazari, deputy
Minister of Economy.
The
Wakhan route is part of the historic Silk road that connects China to the
European countries through Afghanistan.
The
Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) said that the Wakhan route
would be less cost for traders and that Afghanistan should become part of the
Silk road.
“It
is really important on the economic side. It benefits all the countries through
which it passes, including Afghanistan, China, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, as well as Iran and Azerbaijan,” said
Khanjan Alokozai, a member of the ACCI.
Source:
Tolo News
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of the original story:
https://tolonews.com/business-180949
--------
U.S
official attends Herat Security Dialogue in Tajikistan
November
29, 2022
The
U.S Charge D’affairs, Karen Decker has confirmed her participation in the Herat
Security Dialogue, a two day event by the Afghan institute of strategic studies
in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The
Herat Security Dialogue has been an annual pilgrimage since 2012; it is great
to have an opportunity to exchange views on the situation in Afghanistan with
representatives from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, regional countries, and the EU,
Karen Decker tweeted.
I
am here to listen, but I will be prepared to reiterate America’s strong support
for the Afghan people and for an Afghanistan at peace with itself and its
neighbors, she said.
According
to a statement by the Afghan institute of strategic studies, the the main
discussion topics in this event is to discuss about an inclusive political
system for Afghanistan, different models and road maps.
Political
groups representatives, subject matter experts and the representatives of the
countries involved in Afghanistan’s affairs are invited to attend the event, AISS
press statement said.
This
comes as that Pakistani media outlets earlier reported that Mohsen Dawar, a
member of Pakistan’s parliament who was invited to this event has not been
permitted by the government to attend.
Mohsin
Dawar, a member of Pakistan’s National Assembly stated in a tweet on Sunday,
November 27, that he was “stopped” at the Islamabad airport and “prevented”
from attending the security conference abroad.
At
the same time, sources have told Afghanistan International, an online TV
reporting on Afghanistan from the United States of America that Amir Ismail
Khan, an influential Afghan political figure who lives in Mashad of Iran has
also not been permitted to attend this event by the Iranian government.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/u-s-official-to-attend-herat-security-dialogue-in-tajikistan-87685/
--------
Africa
Sudan's
military leader freezes unions to curb Islamists' influence
November
29, 2022
KHARTOUM,
Nov 28 (Reuters) - Sudan's military leader issued decrees on Monday to freeze
the activities of trade unions, control their finances and take over their
leadership, according to a statement by the ruling sovereign council he heads.
The
move would sideline former ruling Islamists after their resurgence in the civil
service, in the aftermath of the 2021 military takeover, and the
re-establishment of unions they had dominated.
General
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ordered the formation of a committee to review and take
control of the finances of the unions inside Sudan and abroad.
The
committee would also form steering committees for the unions until their
general assemblies were held.
The
military takeover halted Sudan's transition to democracy following the
overthrow of Omar al-Bashir in 2019, and plunged an economy already in crisis
further into turmoil.
In
the years since Bashir was toppled several professions, such as journalists and
lawyers, have begun the process of rebuilding their unions. Since the coup,
Islamists have also moved to reconstitute unions they had controlled that were
dissolved under the transitional government.
Burhan's
orders on Monday seems to be an attempt to curb the Islamists' influence,
making sure they do not attempt a return to power. The military says it will
give up power when a government is in place.
Burhan
issued this month a stern warning to Islamists and other political factions
against any interference in the military, amid talks with civilian parties to
form a non-partisan government.
Military
leaders and the parties they shared power with before the coup say talks are
ongoing towards a new political settlement to end the deadlock that has gripped
the country since October 2021.
Source:
Reuters
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Terrorists
kill 8 in Somali, including dual British citizens, before hotel siege ended
Mohammed
Dhaysane
28.11.2022
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
A
terrorist siege of a popular hotel in Somalia’s capital on Monday killed eight
civilians, including two UK-Somali dual citizens, before security forces ended
the attack, said police officials and relatives of the victims.
One
soldier was also killed in efforts to retake the Villa Rays Hotel, Somali
Federal Police spokesman Sadik Dodishe told a news conference in the capital
Mogadishu.
Out
of six attackers, five were shot dead by security forces and one blew himself
up, he added.
He
added that security forces rescued 60 people during the operation.
The
siege ended more than 20 hours after the terrorists blasted their way into the
hotel in the capital.
According
to local media and victims’ relatives, among the people killed in the attack
were two British-Somali dual citizens.
The
hotel is located in Somalia’s most protected neighborhood, close the
presidential palace.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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UN experts
urge South Sudan to probe senior officials for abetting sexual violence
Benjamin
Takpiny
29.11.2022
JUBA,
South Sudan
The
United Nations Commission on Human Rights urged South Sudan on Monday to
investigate senior officials suspected of abetting sexual violence.
“If
the government of South Sudan is serious about tackling sexual violence, it
should immediately remove from office and investigate governors and county
commissioners credibly alleged to be complicit in systematic rape,” said a
statement issued by UN experts.
Yasmin
Sooka, the chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan,
said many women in South Sudan have been repeatedly gang raped year after year
since 2013.
Sooka
disclosed that the rape victims have been shunned and stigmatized, leaving them
to suffer in silence while the men responsible are promoted and rewarded.
She
faulted the government for only paying lip service against sexual violence by
making an array of declarations, national commitments and pledges.
“It
is not enough, now and again, to try a handful of junior officers without
holding those in command responsible,” she said.
The
commission noted that survivors it interviewed repeatedly expressed extreme fatigue
with having to tell their stories again and again and nothing changing as a
result.
“Victims
are tired of talking,” said one man in Unity state, adding “arrest people who
are killing other people first before you talk about healing.”
A
report by the commission titled "Conflict-related sexual violence against
women and girls in South Sudan" was published on March 21 this year.
South
Sudan's Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth dismissed the commission's
statement, however, saying such reports are released to tarnish the
government’s image.
“I
am saying these are false reports fabricated against the government. They are
done to tarnish the image of South Sudan. There is nothing new on it,"
Lueth told Anadolu Agency by phone from the capital, Juba.
Commissioner
Andrew Clapham said that this year, they have seen the most dehumanizing sexual
violence in South Sudan, for which the government bears responsibility because
of its failure over many years to hold individuals accountable, especially in
Unity state, “where we are dealing with gross and systematic human rights
violations amounting to international crimes.”
“South
Sudanese are begging the international community to help them in pressuring
their leaders to sanction these individuals and remove the people responsible
from office. Tragically, victims ask us to speak out and say what they are
afraid to say,” said Clapham.
South
Sudan’s Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare said last week that it had
recorded more than 6,000 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) between January
and November 2021.
Minister
of Gender, Child and Social Welfare Aya Benjamin Warille said the police
recorded cases of rape and physical violence across the country.
While
GBV-related crimes are a persistent issue in South Sudan, delays in reporting
or underreporting owing to fear and stigma exacerbate the crisis and may
escalate sexual assault, particularly in remote areas.
Warille
disclosed that many cases have not been reported due to stigma and cultural
norms.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Somali
troops overpower militants to end hotel siege
November
28, 2022
MOGADISHU:
Somali security forces stormed a hotel in the capital on Monday to end a near
day-long siege by Al-Shabab militants who killed nine people at the building
near the president’s residence in the capital, police said.
A
Briton is reported to have died in the siege, where Somalian security forces,
who are trained by the US and Turkey, were under orders to “eliminate” the
militants who stormed it yesterday.
Mohamed
Sayid Hassan Elmi, who lives in Birmingham, was named locally as one of the
victims at Villa Rose Hotel.
Gunfire
crackled from inside the hotel as the special forces fought the militants more
than 12 hours after the Islamist group stormed the building in the center of
Mogadishu.
A
police spokesperson said 60 civilians had been rescued, while a government
minister said he and others had kicked down a door to escape after being caught
in the hotel following evening prayers when a suicide bomber struck and the
gunbattle broke out.
The
assault underscores the continuing ability of the Al-Qaeda-allied militants to
stage deadly attacks with sometimes high casualties inside the city even as
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government presses an offensive against them.
“The
operation at the hotel Rose has been concluded,” Sadik Aden Ali, the police
spokesperson said, referring to the Villa Rose hotel where the siege occurred.
Ali
said the militants had killed eight civilians and later added that one soldier
had also died in the siege. Five soldiers were injured, he said.
Six
Al-Shabab fighters had been involved in the attack, with one blowing himself up
and five shot dead by the security forces, Ali said.
Al
Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab, which controls swathes of the country, claimed
responsibility for the attack, saying in a statement that it was targeting the
nearby presidential palace.
Al
Shabab, which is seeking to topple the government and establish its own rule
based on an extreme interpretation of Islamic law, frequently stages attacks in
Mogadishu and elsewhere.
Government
officials in Mogadishu often use the Villa Rose hotel for meetings. Some
officials also live there.
Somalia’s
environment minister Adam Aw Hirsi said the assault on the hotel, where he
lives, began with a deafening explosion by a suicide bomber who was followed by
militants on foot to breach the perimeter of the heavily guarded hotel.
“I
had exited the hotel mosque where we performed the evening prayer in
congregation when the explosion hit. The roof of the VIP room I was in flew and
glasses shattered far and wide,” Hirsi told Reuters, describing the scene of
the attack.
“Then
bullets rained in all directions,” he said, adding that he, a friend and
another minister fled the building through a back exit. “Many people followed
us to the exit, we broke the door with collective kicks and we exited to
safety,” he said.
Asked
what the government would do next, he said there was no turning back and the
government would “not let up the fight.”
Somalia
government forces, supported by clan militias and, at times, African Union
troops and US air strikes, have made a number of battlefield gains in an
offensive against Al-Shabab over the last three months.
The
US military has conducted several air strikes against the Al-Shabab this year,
but it was not clear whether it was involved in Monday’s battle.
Despite
being pushed back, Al-Shabab has still been able to stage large attacks on both
civilian and military targets.
In
October two car bombs exploded at Somalia’s education ministry next to a busy
market intersection, killing at least 120 people. It was the deadliest attack
since a truck bomb exploded at the same intersection in October 2017, killing
more than 500 people.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2207296/world
--------
Europe
British
Muslim firefighters face 'institutional racism' at London Fire Brigade
By
Elis Gjevori
28
November 2022
British
Muslim firefighters suffer anti-Muslim abuse at the London Fire Brigade,
according to an independent review of the public institution, where a culture
of racism, bullying and misogyny is widespread.
The
wide-ranging report, conducted by the former chief crown prosecutor for
north-west England, Nazir Afzal, was established after a trainee firefighter
took his own life in August 2020.
It
found numerous occasions where racial slurs were casually directed towards
people of colour working at the LFB.
One
Muslim worker said he faced constant abuse at the hands of his colleagues who
bullied him over his religion, according to the report. In one instance, he
said, bacon and sausages were placed in his coat pockets and a terrorist
hotline number posted on his locker.
The
abuse faced by ethnic minorities, people of colour, and women was largely
manifested through "constant mockery, baiting, and bullying", the
report found.
The
report found evidence of "clearly racist bullying", which has had
severe impact on staff in some cases, with one black firefighter finding a
noose placed over his locker.
At
least one Muslim firefighter was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) due to the abuse he faced at LFB.
Tarek
Younis, a senior lecturer at Middlesex University focusing on the impact of
anti-radicalisation policies in Britain, believes anti-Muslim behaviour at the
London Fire Brigade indicates a wider problem in British society.
"Very
few people in positions of power are even acknowledging the explicit instances,
let alone understanding where Islamophobia comes from and how it
operates," Younis told MEE.
"So
rather than looking at the London Fire Brigade as its own individual thing,
instead it's a very good example to think about broader issues of legitimising
Islamophobia in wider society."
The
report does not refer to anti-Muslim behaviour at LFB as Islamophobia. The UK
government last month stopped working towards establishing an official
definition of Islamophobia, with communities secretary Michael Gove abandoning
the adoption of one by the Conservative government.
'Magic
carpet'
The
review highlights the case of the Muslim firefighter whose colleagues spoke to
him in a mock Indian accent and frequently asked him about his "magic
carpet".
When
the Muslim firefighter was sent to regular training courses, some of his
colleagues would make "racist remarks" such as "off to your
rucksack training, it shouldn't be hard, all you have to do is pull the
cord".
Upon
his return from the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, according to the report,
they asked him about his "al-Qaeda training".
The
firefighter said his line manager regularly swore at him and cursed the Prophet
Muhammad.
Following
several instances of anti-Muslim abuse, the firefighter began suffering from
depression and anxiety, and was eventually diagnosed with PTSD.
"Muslims
being bullied about their religion is a very reductive way of looking at this
issue. We have to also look at how Muslims are being addressed more
broadly," said Younis.
"In
the public consciousness, Muslims are associated with issues of national
security and with terrorism, and that's the problem here.
"In
fact, the London Fire Brigade is no different from other public institutions
where these general assumptions become part and parcel of the day-to-day
culture, or what they call banter."
Calls
for reforms
The
review has sparked widespread criticism and calls for significant reforms. The
report has also found "dangerous levels of ingrained prejudice against
women" and discrimination against people of colour who are also routinely
the target of racist abuse.
The
Fire Brigades Union has expressed alarm at the findings of the report and
stressed on the need for change within the institution where "staff fear
the consequences of speaking out".
"There
are elements of this report which confirm concerns raised by the Fire Brigades
Union over many years. There are also elements of the report which will cause
considerable concern and alarm," the union said in a statement.
The
LFB is not the only public institution to face allegations of being
institutionally racist.
The
London Metropolitan police has been dogged by investigations that have labelled
it "institutionally racist" over the years.
As
of August of this year, a poll found that at least 44 percent of Londoners
found that the Metropolitan police is still institutionally racist, with only
29 percent believing otherwise.
Source:
Middle East Eye
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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UN
agencies demand abolition of death penalty in Saudi Arabia
November
29, 2022
WASHINGTON:
Recent executions in Saudi Arabia have led to calls from UN agencies and human
rights groups for abolition of death penalty in the oil-rich Arab kingdom.
Rights
activists were particularly concerned with the Saudi decision to resume
executions for drug-related offences, calling it “a deeply regrettable step”.
They
noted that executions on drug and other charges resumed just days after a wide
majority of States in the UN General Assembly called for a moratorium on the
death penalty worldwide.
A
spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) said that imposing the death penalty for drug offences was
“incompatible with international norms and standards”.
There
were three Pakistanis among the 17 executed in Saudi Arabia since Nov 10, all
on drug charges.
The
last of three was Gulzar Khan, son of Mannat Khan, whose execution was
confirmed by OHCHR on Nov 22. He was arrested for smuggling heroin.
Elizabeth
Throssell, an OHCHR spokesperson, noted that executions had been taking place
almost daily in Saudi Arabia since early this month when Saudi authorities
ended a 21-month unofficial moratorium on the use of the death penalty for
drug-related offences.
Those
executed to date included four Syrians, three Jordanians, and seven Saudis,
besides three Pakistanis.
As
executions were only confirmed after they took place in Saudi Arabia, the
Office did not have any information as to how many people were on death row.
Although
Pakistan never protests such executions, Amnesty International (AI) reacted
strongly to these executions, calling them a “callous attack on right to life”.
Noting
that the execution of these Pakistani nationals for drug-related crimes were
the first since the country’s Human Rights Commission announced a moratorium on
the use of the death penalty for drug-related crimes in January 2021.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1723702/un-agencies-demand-abolition-of-death-penalty-in-saudi-arabia
--------
Portugal
leader denies problems with Qatar after ‘hostile comment’ row
Alyssa
McMurtry
28.11.2022
OVIEDO,
Spain
Augusto
Santos Silva, president of Portugal’s parliament, insisted that bilateral
relations with Qatar remain positive on Monday after a row related to
criticisms over human rights.
Speaking
to reporters from Qatar, Santos Silva said the 1,500 Portuguese residents in
the gulf country “can be calm.”
Last
week, Portuguese and Spanish media reported that the Qatari government summoned
the Portuguese ambassador after “hostile comments” from Portugal’s president
and prime minister.
“Qatar
doesn’t respect human rights, but in the end, we’ll forget that” to focus on
football, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said earlier in the week.
“The
World Cup is [in Qatar], and when we go there, we will certainly not be
supporting the Qatari regime, the violation of human rights and discrimination
against women. We will be supporting the national team,” said Prime Minister
Antonio Costa, who plans to travel to Doha on Friday.
But
on Monday, Santos Silva spoke more diplomatically ahead of the Portugal-Uruguay
match.
When
asked about human rights, he said: “Every country has a lot to do to improve on
that and other subjects. That applies to all countries, including Portugal.”
He
also highlighted Portugal’s “strategic” and “positive” relationship with Qatar.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Belgium,
Netherlands rocked by unrest after Morocco's World Cup win
Omer
Tugrul Cam and Selman Aksunger
28.11.2022
BRUSSELS/AMSTERDAM
Riots
erupted in Belgium’s capital and several Dutch cities Sunday after Morocco beat
Belgium in a World Cup Group F match.
Following
their team’s upset win, Moroccan fans in Brussels drove around the city in a
peaceful celebration, honking their horns.
But
some people who were covering their faces gathered around Brussels Midi Railway
Station and threw fireworks in the streets.
In
some places, electric scooters and trash cans were set on fire. A vehicle
belonging to a car rental company was also overturned by a crowd. Some bus and
tram stops were also vandalized.
Brussels
police sent a large number of teams to central streets to prevent such
incidents. Police also closed off roads leading to some tourist spots in the
city center.
Condemning
the violence, Brussels Mayor Philippe Close called on those causing the
disturbances not to come to tourist and shopping areas.
Meanwhile,
Morocco supporters honked horns and occupied several squares in Amsterdam,
causing some violence.
Around
500 Moroccan fans gathered in Rotterdam and some threw fireworks and started
fires. Police arrived at the scene to intervene and some of the fans threw
glasses and fireworks at them.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Umno
president Zahid defends working with long-time Malaysian political foe PH
November
28, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR - Umno president Zahid Hamidi has defended his decision to cooperate
with its long-time political enemy, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, saying
the move will not sideline Umno’s principles of championing the rights of
Malays and Islam in Malaysia.
He
said in a Facebook posting on Tuesday that the cooperation was also based on a
decree by the Malaysian King for the formation of a unity government.
Zahid’s
decision to support PH, instead of the rival Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition,
helped PH leader Anwar Ibrahim secure control of the 222-seat Malaysian
Parliament. Datuk Seri Anwar was sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th prime minister
last Thursday.
The
main three coalitions in the so-called unity government has 135 seats
altogether - PH with 82, BN with 30 and Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s 23. This is
well beyond the minimum 112 seats needed to form the government.
Other
smaller coalitions and parties have since decided to support the PH-led
government, with PM Anwar saying he now has behind him two-thirds of the House,
or 148 seats.
Zahid
said Umno’s stance on not working with Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) led by Mr
Anwar, the ethnic Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) and PN’s lead
party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), was a stand made before the
Nov 19 general election.
PH
consists of PKR, the DAP, Parti Amanah Negara and United Progressive Kinabalu
Organisation. Another party, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, is a close
PH ally.
Zahid
said in his Facebook post: “Firstly, the rejection of any cooperation with PKR,
DAP and Bersatu was for the 15th General Election, and not post-election.
“Secondly,
the cooperation is based on the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the King)
that a unity government be formed.”
Supporters
of Zahid, 69, who is facing a raft of corruption charges in the courts, is
pushing for him to be appointed deputy prime minister.
Umno
leads the four-party Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
The
cooperation with PH has been rewarded with BN and PH forming joint state
governments in the Perak and Pahang state assemblies.
Umno
has been allowed by PH to retain the menteri besar posts in the two states,
although BN wasn’t the coalition with the most number of seats.
Zahid
said the Perak and Pahang unity governments were a sign of the new political
landscape.
Zahid
urged party members to close ranks and said efforts for political continuity
will not erase the party’s identity, as it has always championed the rights of
Malays and Islam.
“Umno
still defends the party’s policy to adopt a moderate, centric and progressive
attitude in dealing with change.
Source:
Straits Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
PAS
president slammed for remarks seen as insulting Malaysia’s monarchy
Hazlin
Hassan
NOV
28, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR - Fundamentalist Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) president Abdul Hadi Awang
was criticised on Monday over his remarks that appeared to question Malaysia’s
monarchy over its role in the formation of the new government led by Pakatan
Harapan (PH).
Amid
global World Cup fever, Tan Sri Hadi posted a cryptic tweet on Sunday about a
football referee providing “extra time for the losing side” after the match was
over, allowing the losers to “win by any means”.
His
remarks were widely interpreted as referring to how the new government was
formed last week, following Malaysia’s inconclusive general election on Nov 19.
Former
premier Muhyiddin Yassin from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and Mr Hadi are
the two top leaders of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.
PN
was forced into the opposition benches after the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad
Shah, as arbiter in the hung Parliament, appointed PH chief Anwar Ibrahim as
Prime Minister last Thursday.
Mr
Hadi said in the tweet: “Even though the results have a win for one side, there
are points and goals, suddenly the referee adds (injury) time to give a chance
to those who have clearly lost so that they can win with whatever means…
“What
would the spectators watching it live or through broadcasts say? Islam mandates
that its followers act fairly in all matters, from being in a family to a
society or country in all matters, including in sports.”
Terengganu
PH chief Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah said Mr Hadi’s post was “a serious and
insolent accusation” and urged the police to investigate him for sedition.
Making
insulting statements and mocking the monarchy are offences under the Sedition
Act.
“His
sarcasm has been criticised by many netizens who understood the post to be
referring to the setting up of the unity government led by Datuk Seri Anwar
Ibrahim who was appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) with the approval
of the Conference of Malay Rulers,” said Datuk Raja Kamarul in a statement.
The
PAS leader’s writings “are openly treasonous, accusing the palace of not acting
fairly and going against or defying the laws” and challenging the actions of
the palace, he added.
PH
won 82 seats in the general election while PN won 73.
PN
said last Monday, two days after the general election, that it had 114 MPs
backing it and was planning to submit its list to Sultan Abdullah to claim
majority support, before a deadline set by the national palace that day.
But
following a request from PH and Barisan Nasional (BN), the King extended the
deadline to last Tuesday, which indicated that Mr Anwar did not then have the
minimum 112 MPs to secure control of the 222-strong Parliament.
PN
went ahead and submitted its list last Monday. The King met Mr Anwar and Mr
Muhyiddin last Wednesday and asked them to form a unity government.
But
Mr Muhyiddin, who at that time said he had enough MPs to form a government on
his own, rejected Sultan Abdullah’s proposal.
Leaders
of BN, which holds 30 seats and thus became kingmakers, met several times
between last Sunday and last Tuesday to decide who they should support. BN said
late last Tuesday that it would not support PN, although about 10 BN MPs had
backed PN a few days earlier. BN said it would stay in the opposition and not
back either premiership candidate.
The
other major coalition in Malaysia, Gabungan Parti Sarawak with 23 seats, said
last Tuesday that it would leave the King to decide on the government’s
formation, after indicating it would support PN.
Sultan
Abdullah convened a special meeting of the Conference of Malay Rulers last
Thursday morning, and the palace declared Mr Anwar as Prime Minister.
Speaking
about Mr Hadi’s tweet, Universiti Malaya sociopolitical analyst Awang Azman
Pawi said PN “needs to move on” and stop questioning “the referee”.
“Hadi’s
actions will cause only anger among the public, who want to move on and focus
on economic issues,” he told The Straits Times.
Source:
Straits Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Saudi-Indonesia
kinship in spotlight as Kingdom pledges support to restore Jakarta Islamic
Centre
SHEANY
YASUKO LAI
November
28, 2022
JAKARTA:
Indonesian officials have thanked Saudi Arabia after its pledge to finance the
restoration of the Jakarta Islamic Center.
The
announcement, which was made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier this
month, has reaffirmed the close and important relations between the two
countries.
A
major fire broke out at JIC in late October, destroying the iconic dome of a
grand mosque located at the complex.
The
crown prince announced the Kingdom’s financing of the center’s restoration
earlier this month, and the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the planned
restoration “confirms his keenness and interest in Islamic centers in all
brotherly and friendly countries.”
Saudi’s
financial help is expected to help speed up the restoration process which,
according to the center’s management, could have taken as long as five years
without assistance.
Paimun
Abdul Karim, spokesman of JIC’s management, told Arab News: “We are very
grateful for such help from the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“We
are filled with thanks because it means the restoration will be faster.
“His
action shows the solidarity between Muslim countries. Saudi Arabia’s plan to
help us shows the good relations between the Saudi and Indonesian governments,
and it will bring great benefits for us.
“This
is another way to open up JIC’s diplomacy and connection to Saudi Arabia and
the Middle East.”
JIC’s
work has centered on the promotion of tolerant and moderate Islam, with the
complex housing not only a grand mosque, but also a research studies center and
a conference hall which hosts various programs and gatherings.
Eko
Hartono, Indonesia’s consul general in Jeddah, told Arab News that the support
offered by Saudi Arabia “reaffirmed the closeness of friendly relations”
between Jakarta and Riyadh.
He
added: “Saudi’s assistance also reaffirms the country’s commitment to help the
Muslim world and glory of Islam in every part of the world, including
Indonesia.”
Marzuki
Abubakar, researcher and lecturer at Ar-Raniry State Islamic University in
Banda Aceh, said Indonesia, which is the world’s largest Muslim-majority
country, has always had a very close relationship with the Kingdom.
He
told Arab News: “Islam in Indonesia certainly has its own unique
characteristics that have captured the world’s attention, and this has led to
campaigns for religious tolerance and moderation, which are also important for
Saudi Arabia.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2207666/world
--------
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