No Gender Segregation Nor Any Full-Length Robes And Face Veils; Men And Women Dance Together In Unusual, Giant Rave Party In Saudi Arabia
New Age Islam News Bureau
21 December 2021
People attend a music
festival on the outskirts of Saudi capital Riyadh Photograph:( AFP )
-----
• Muslim Polygamy: Refusing Sex To First Wife Ground
For Divorce, Says Kerala HC
• Amid Warming Ties With Muslim World Observers See
Bangladesh As Potential Partner For Israel
• New Police Chief In Dearborn To Be First Muslim To
Lead Department
• Indonesian Muslim Fashion Industry Ranked Third
Worldwide: Ministry
Arab World
• Saudi Arabia Launches VR Initiative Bringing Kaaba's
Black Stone To Muslims' Homes
• Iraqi air force strikes Islamic State targets
• Lebanese leaders promise 2022 elections will be held
on time, says UN chief Guterres
• Arab Coalition conducts strikes against military
targets at Yemen’s Sana’a airport
• Syria 'haven' for mercenaries, drug trafficking,
terrorism: UN
--------
India
• Lakshadweep Administration Ends System Of School
Holidays On Fridays In Muslim-Dominated Island
• Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys’ Association
Declares List Of Nine Demands From Political Parties
• AMU produced the most successful Muslim
personalities in India
-----
South
Asia
• Muttaqi Rebukes Karzai, Backs PM Imran’s Remarks On
Afghanistan
• Taliban destroys Pakistan’s barbed-wire erected on
Durand Line
• Sri Lankan court bails out Muslim poet Ahnaf Jazeem,
after 18 months detention
• US may ease financial restrictions on Afghanistan
• Turkish, Qatari officials plan Kabul trip to discuss
airport mission with Taliban
--------
Europe
• Muslim Council Of Britain Reaffirms Archbishops’
Concern For Palestinian Christians
• Muhammad; most popular baby name in Kyrgyzstan
• 'Turkey’s EU accession perspective should be
protected, strengthened'
• UN chief lays wreath at Beirut port, urges
accountability for blast
--------
Southeast
Asia
• China forced Muslims in Xinjiang to be sterilised
and have abortions, concludes tribunal
• I had to engage security round the clock, says Naik
• Nanta: GPS has nothing to do with Facebook account
that posted racially offensive remarks
--------
Pakistan
• Moot On Afghanistan Issue Was ‘Very Successful’: OIC
Chief
• Pak PM sparks uproar in Afghanistan over terrorism,
graft remark
• Pak Army chief urges for joint international efforts
to avoid impending humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
• Pak PM Imran Khan tries to rake up Kashmir issue at
OIC meet on Afghanistan
• IHC to resume hearing Maryam Nawaz's appeal against
conviction in Avenfield reference
• JUI-F’s surprise win likely to reshape KP’s
political landscape
-----
Africa
• Gunmen Kill 38 Civilians In Northwest Nigeria In
Latest Bloodshed
• Nearly one in four Somalians face acute hunger as
drought and conflict ravages: UN
• Libya candidates say presidential election delay is
inevitable
• Somali police arrest passenger who attacked Turkish
Airlines crew
• One protester killed, at least 125 others injured in
anti-coup protests in Sudan
--------
North
America
• Brazil Gets Ready For Halal Tourism
• First Muslim international religious freedom
ambassador receives promise of prayer from SBC leader
• Casualties in Afghanistan, Iraq much higher than US
admitted: NYT
• Biden adviser Jake Sullivan to visit Israel, West
Bank this week: White House
• US humanitarian exceptions on Afghanistan sanctions
blocked by China
--------
Mideast
• Lira Plunges Again After Erdogan Cites Islam To
Defend Interest Rate Cuts
• Rumi cannot be detached from his Muslim identity,
expert says
• 70 extremist Jewish settlers defile Aqsa Mosque
under police guard
• Iran: No Direct Talks with US in Vienna
• Iran, Pakistan Stress Continued Cooperation in
Fighting against Terrorism
• Iran confirms the death of its envoy to Yemen’s
Houthis after COVID-19 infection
• US national security adviser to visit Israel,
Palestine this week
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
--------
No Gender Segregation Nor Any Full-Length Robes And
Face Veils; Men And Women Dance Together In Unusual, Giant Rave Party In Saudi
Arabia
People attend a music
festival on the outskirts of Saudi capital Riyadh Photograph:( AFP )
-----
Dec 20, 2021
Saudi Arabia did the unexpected over the weekend as it
threw a giant rave party. The four-day electronic music festival complete with
psychedelic lights and international DJs was held in the deserts of Riyadh with
the blessings and money of the Saudi royal family.
The House of Saud fully endorsed and sponsored the
carnival. It was attended by artists from all over the world - Tiesto, Martin
Garrix, David Guetta and others as the world's leading DJs performed at the
rave.
"It was the first time that there was going to be
women and men being able to dance together and you know that was also a very
historical moment and I was happy to be part of this," DJ David Guetta
said.
There was no gender segregation nor any full-length
robes and face veils as the country witnessed a
"huge evolution".
There were also no religious restrictions. It was
unthinkable earlier in Saudi Arabia just a few years back. The rave party comes
close on the heels of the Red Sea international film festival which was the
first of its kind to be held in Saudi Arabia.
The festival was a star-studded affair. It saw women
strutting the red carpet in sleeveless gowns. A woman filmmaker won the best
director award and an openly queer man won the best actor award.
The sands are clearly shifting in Saudi Arabia. The
socially conservative kingdom is trying to shake off its regressive image while
limiting the role of religion in public life and is pitching itself as a
modern, liberal and tourism-friendly kingdom.
It is a welcome change although the critics of Saudi
Arabia call it a facade. They insist that Saudi society isn't witnessing any
fundamental, meaningful change.
Ever since Mohammed bin Salman was named the Crown
Prince he has embarked on a liberalisation drive while loosening gender
segregation rules, reopening cinemas and has allowed women to drive and enter
stadiums. The Crown Prince has even allowed women to undertake Hajj without a
male guardian.
Prince Salman has de-fanged the country's religious
police that not too long ago dictated every facet of daily life.
However, they are half measures and have come very
late. Some very problematic issues still persist in Saudi society.
The country continues to arrest dissidents and it
continues to extend prison terms of activists. It has also detained the rich
over allegations of corruption.
There is also constant tinkering of power structures,
arbitrary reshuffling of personnel and lawmakers whom the Crown Prince sees as
potential challengers.
Political reform remains taboo in Saudi Arabia even as
women are now allowed to drive. However, activists continue to languish in
Saudi prisons.
The country has promised to remove the death penalty
but it remains a world leader in capital punishment. The regime has tried to
improve societal freedom but it's yet to punish those who made dissidents
disappear.
Source: WIO News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Muslim Polygamy: Refusing Sex To First Wife Ground For
Divorce, Says Kerala HC
Image Credit : Sabrang India
-----
Dec 20, 2021
KOCHI: A Muslim man refusing to cohabit with his first
wife after marrying another woman amounts to unjust treatment and is a valid
ground for divorce, the Kerala high court has held.
Bringing to the fore the often-neglected Quranic
injunction that Muslim men marrying more than once should treat their wives
equally, a division bench comprising justices A Muhamed Mustaque and Sophy
Thomas granted divorce to a 50-year-old woman who got married in August 1991.
Thalassery family court had declined to grant divorce
on her plea filed in 2019.
The 51-year-old husband, who was abroad, had married
another woman and had stopped visiting the appellant since February 2014. The
husband did not deny the allegation about his subsequent marriage before the
court.
Seeking a divorce, the woman cited section 2(viii)(f)
of the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939. It allows a woman to seek a
divorce if the husband, who has more than one wife, fails to treat them
equitably in accordance with the injunction of the Quran, in verse 3 of the
chapter titled ‘An-Nisa’.
In the judgment, the court said it is the burden of
the husband to prove that he treated his wives equitably. Staying away from the
first wife for five years itself would show that he had not treated them
equally, the court said.
“The refusal to cohabit and perform the marital
obligations with the previous wife is tantamount to the violation of the
Quranic injunctions which command equal treatment of the wives if the husband
contracts more than one marriage. In such circumstances, we have no hesitation
to hold that the appellant-wife is entitled to get a decree of divorce,” the
court held.
Source: Times of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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Amid Warming Ties With Muslim World Observers See
Bangladesh As Potential Partner For Israel
Dhaka, Bangladesh. Credit:
Lumenite/Shutterstock.
-----
By Mike Wagenheim
December 21, 2021
Since the signing of the Abraham Accords, there has
been a remarkable shift in Israel’s relations with the Muslim world. New
reports have emerged of the possibility of further breakthroughs in diplomatic
ties with former foes like Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and Indonesia,
the world’s largest Muslim country.
Another large Muslim country that observers see the
possibility of normalizing ties with is Bangladesh. While Bangladesh and Israel
have no formal ties, there have been reports of unofficial economic and
military cooperation between the countries, and the Muslim country also dropped
a key travel restriction to Israel earlier this year (though travel to Israel
is still forbidden by law), fueling speculation that normalization may be on
the horizon.
“After South Africa was delisted, Bangladesh
established relations. Following Taiwan’s delisting, Bangladesh established
relations. There is every reason to think that this recent change with regards
to Israel will lead to the road of normalization and open relations,” Salah
Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, editor of Weekly Blitz, a Bangladesh pro-Israel,
anti-militancy newspaper, told JNS.
Economic and military cooperation is believed to be
ongoing between the two countries, regardless of official diplomatic status.
Multiple media reports indicate that Bangladesh has purchased Israeli
military-grade technology, and the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
(WITS) database showed that between 2010 and 2018, Israel imported products
worth around $333.74 million that originated from Bangladesh. WITS data shows
that Israeli exports eventually making their way to Bangladesh stood at $3.67
million between 2009 and 2015. No data is available after 2015 in the WITS
system.
‘Our people don’t forget’
Despite the lack of ties today, Israel was an early
supporter of Bangladesh during its war of independence from East Pakistan in
the early 1970s and was one of the first nations to recognize independent Bangladesh.
Nevertheless, the country’s original leaders shunned Israel in favor of PLO
leader Yasser Arafat, who sided with Pakistan.
“In ’71, in the most difficult time of our lives, we
received an offer from Israel for recognition. We appreciated the offer, we
kindly told you, ‘Thank you so much, it is OK, our patron India is with us, the
Soviet Union is with us.’ Our people don’t forget, though,” former Bangladesh
foreign affairs minister and long-time diplomat, told JNS, sounding optimistic
that diplomatic relations between Israel and Bangladesh could be on the
horizon.
When Pakistan gained independence in 1947 from the
United Kingdom, it was comprised of two Muslim-majority regions, East Pakistan
(comprising modern-day Bangladesh) and West Pakistan (modern-day Pakistan).
However, ethnic and linguistic differences between the two regions were
immediate, with West Pakistan imposing political and economic control over East
Pakistan, which eventually sparked an independence movement among the ethnic
Bengalis in East Pakistan. Seeking to curb the Bengali independence movement,
Pakistani forces launched Operation Searchlight sought to eliminate all Bengali
opposition, political and military, which lead to the 1971 Bangladesh genocide
and eventually the War of Liberation culminating in a Pakistani surrender on
Dec. 16, 1971, and the independence of Bangladesh.
Nevertheless, Bangladesh officials insist publicly
that the country will not normalize relations with Israel until there is a just
solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It’s a position some see as
perverse given the story of Bangladesh’s liberation.
“Yasser Arafat [then the leader of the Palestine
Liberation Organization] was comparing our war of liberation as a conflict
between Israel and Palestine and branding our freedom fighters as terrorists,
while Israel was supporting us. We should have had diplomatic relations with
Israel from the very day Israel extended its recognition to Bangladesh,” said
Choudhury.
Choudhury faced charges of sedition, treason, blasphemy
and espionage in part for attempting to attend a conference of the Hebrew
Writers’ Association in Tel Aviv in 2004. He was beaten, jailed in solitary
confinement for 17 months and denied medical treatment, before being released
on bail with the help of an American congressman, though the charges against
him are still pending.
Choudhury noted that Bangladesh’s first foreign
minister, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, was responsible for turning Israel away.
Ahmad later took part in a conspiracy leading to the assassination of
Bangladesh’s first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in 1975 with Ahmad taking
immediately taking control of the government and declaring himself president.
“The man responsible for our country’s original
anti-Israel standing was himself an enemy of the state. We have had relations
with Pakistan for nearly a half-century—a country responsible for the killing
of 3 million of our people. But no official relations with Israel. It makes no
sense,” said Choudhury.
The lack of official diplomatic relations between the
countries does not appear to be borne out of overt anti-Semitism, though it
certainly exists in Bangladesh society. However, one of Bangladesh’s most
revered war heroes was Jewish. Lt. Gen. Jack Farj Rafael Jacob, an officer in the
Indian army, played a crucial role in negotiating the surrender of Pakistan in
Dhaka during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
His death was publicly mourned by high-level
officials, and he was previously bestowed with the “Friend of Liberation War Honor”
award. Louis Isadore Kahn, a Jewish Estonian-born American architect, designed
Bangladesh’s National Assembly parliament building, looked at as an
extraordinary example of modern architecture.
Bangladesh’s rapid development has not gone unnoticed
by Israeli officials, who publicly welcomed the removal of Israel’s printed
exclusion on Bangladesh passports and have openly called for warmer ties over
the years. Bangladesh is experiencing a GDP growth of 7.9 percent, with a $409
billion economy, and its government structure is quite liberal. Women have led
the country for nearly all of the last 20 years, and the current prime
minister, parliament speaker and opposition leader are women.
Ilan Sztulman Starosta, head of Mission of the Israeli
Consulate in Dubai, recently became the highest-ranking Israeli official to
give an interview to a Bangladesh media outlet, telling the Weekly Blitz that,
“Bangladesh could be a very important partner for us. Bangladesh has centers of
innovation, a big population, resources, and [Bangladeshi] people understand
that the next step in business is innovation as the old technologies are cold
and spoiled and have a limited lifespan. We’re waiting for partnerships with
Bangladeshi researchers, universities, companies, and I think that everybody in
the region would benefit from this relationship,” intimating that mutual ally
India could play a critical role in bringing Israel and Bangladesh together.
“In international relations, nothing is permanent.
Borders change. Governments change. It’s a matter of time,” said Rahman.
Source: JNS
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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New Police Chief In Dearborn To Be First Muslim To
Lead Department
Cmdr. Issa Shahin,New Police
Chief In Dearborn
----
A veteran of the Dearborn Police department will be
the city's next police chief, Mayor-elect Abdullah Hammoud announced Monday.
Starting Jan. 1, Cmdr. Issa Shahin, who has served
with Dearborn Police since 1998, will be the first Muslim to lead Dearborn's
Police department. And he is believed to be the first Muslim police chief in
the history of Michigan, said local community advocates.
His appointment comes at a time when the city is
seeing demographic changes and calls for more diversity in city departments.
Hammoud was the first Arab-American and first Muslim to be elected mayor of
Dearborn.
Dearborn has one of the largest city police
departments in Michigan, in part because of a city requirement approved by
voters that it must have a certain minimum level of police officers. In
addition to 110,000 residents, Dearborn, where the headquarters of Ford Motor
Co. is located, has a daily influx of employees and shoppers that greatly
increases the numbers of people in the city.
"Dearborn is a wonderfully diverse city whose
residents have shared values and a desire for a safe and welcoming
community," Shahin wrote in his letter applying for the role as police
chief. "Dearborn deserves a chief who is fully committed to honest,
transparent, and meaningful involvement with all its communities."
Hammoud, a state lawmaker who was elected to the
mayor's office last month, said in a statement announcing the appointment that
"Shahin is the senior most executive commander with a strong track record
and good rapport within the department."
"He’s
committed to building a trusting relationship with residents and delivering
equitable policing in a way to best meet today’s demands in community
policing," Hammoud said."I am confident he will deliver the
transparency and accountability residents expect while positioning our police
officers for success.”
According to his biography, Shahin graduated cum laude
from Eastern Michigan University in 1997 with a degree in political science and
a masters degree summa cum laude in homeland security and emergency management
in 2016. He also attended an international studies program in Middle East and
North African Studies at The American University in Cairo from 1995 to 1996 and
the executive leadership program for police staff in 2016 at Eastern Michigan
University.
Shahin said in his letter that he "firmly
believes everyone's voice matters."
"... We will establish and embrace a culture of
transparency and accountability to foster trust and legitimacy inside and
outside the organization," he wrote. "Moreover, the department can
embrace needed police reforms while removing criminals from the streets – the
concepts are not mutually exclusive. Providing equitable policing to all
communities and concurrently remaining tough on crime is wholly achievable."
More:Dearborn police arresting Black people
disproportionately, sparking complaints
More:Dearborn police chief apologizes for liking
Facebook post supporting Israel
Shahin worked as a police officer and corporal from
1998 to 2009, according to his resume. He served from 2009 to 2013 as a
sergeant in the tactical patrol unit and an ATF Task Force officer, a
lieutenant in critical incident and community support from 2013 to 2015, a
captain in the investigative and patrol division from 2015 to 2019.
He then became the acting investigative division
commander in 2019 and the commander of the investigative division since March.
He said he solved all of the 12 homicides under his tenure.
Shahin also worked on outreach to the community on
substance abuse programs and developed Dearborn's religious head coverings
policy "to protect the rights of Muslim women to wear a head covering
while in the custody of the Dearborn Police Department," he said on his
resume.
Shahin is a member of the Islamic Society of North
America and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
It's unclear how many police chiefs in the U.S. are of
the Muslim faith. Last year, Patterson, New Jersey, appointed its first Muslim
police chief, reported NJ.com.
Shahin will replace current Dearborn Police Chief
Ronald Haddad, who has led the department since 2008 after he had retired in
2007 from Detroit Police Department as a deputy chief.
Haddad, who is of Lebanese descent, was the first
Arab-American to be police chief in Dearborn, which is about 47% Arab-American,
according to 2019 Census data. Under his leadership, the department increased
its diversity, hiring more Arab-American police officers.
Haddad and Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly have said
previously that police abuse and use-of-force incidents by police declined over
the past decade under their leadership. But some high-profile cases involving
police shooting deaths of Black suspects drew protests in recent years, and the
department's disproportionate rate of arrests of Blacks has drawn criticism.
Haddad began his career with the Detroit Police
Department in 1973 and retired in January 2007 as deputy chief of the
northwestern district.
Haddad could not be reached for comment Monday.
“Chief Haddad has served the city of Dearborn
honorably for more than a decade, working hard to increase public safety and
keep our neighborhoods and residents safe,” Hammoud said in a statement.
"The city is thankful for his commitment to the job and his years of
public service."
Shahin said in a statement: "We’ve made progress
in the department over the past several years, but there’s a lot of work to do
to strengthen our relationship with residents and incorporate the latest
policing practices to best serve the city."
Dearborn is facing problems with reckless driving and
like other cities, is concerned about an uptick in crimes over the past year.
"I look forward to working with the new mayor to
address the concerns of residents in a meaningful way and tackle key issues
such as reckless driving and mental health for residents and
first-responders," Shahin said.
Osama Siblani, publisher of the Arab American News,
praised the appointment.
"He's a very honest, very hard-working
person," Siblani said. "I trust him fully. I believe he's going to do
a very good job."
Source: Freep
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Indonesian Muslim Fashion Industry Ranked Third
Worldwide: Ministry
Source: Bisnis Wisata
----
December 21, 2021
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Muslim fashion industry
was ranked third globally, thereby indicating that the country's halal industry
was developing well and contributing positively to the national economy,
according to the Industry Ministry.
The data was quoted from the State of the Global
Islamic Economy Report for the 2020-2021 year.
"In the halal pharmaceutical and cosmetics
sector, our standing has increased by 19 ranks, so we are currently ranked
sixth in the world. Meanwhile, in the modest Muslim fashion sector, Indonesia
is currently ranked third in the world," the secretary general of the
Industry Ministry, Dody Widodo, noted in a written statement received here on
Monday.
In addition, Indonesia is currently ranked fourth in
the halal food sector, an increase by eight ranks as compared to the previous
rank.
Widodo noted that realization of the national halal
industry's investment was the highest in the world. During the 2018-2021
period, 80 transactions were recorded in the form of mergers and acquisitions,
private equity, and venture capital with regard to the halal industry.
"These transactions are spread across every
sector, with most of it recorded in the halal food and Islamic finance
sectors," he pointed out.
Widodo emphasized that his administration was
determined to work harder in developing the national halal industry, so that it
could be globally competitive. "Thus, we need to accelerate matters to be
able to immediately transform from a top consumer market to a top halal
exporter," he emphasized.
The ministry had stipulated some policies for
development of the halal industry, such as providing halal certification,
especially for the small and medium industry sector. Those measures were
undertaken as a strategic effort to support development of the halal industry
ecosystem in Indonesia.
They are also aimed at establishing the Halal Analysis
Agency (LPH) and pushing for better capacity of human resources through
facilitation of halal auditor training.
"With experience, as a leading sector in the
application of the Indonesian National Standard (SNI) industry, the Industry
Ministry can also contribute through the Halal Guarantee System (SJH) in the
future," he added.
Moreover, the Industry Ministry has promoted the
establishment of halal industrial areas as stipulated in Industry Minister's
Regulation Number 17 of 2020 on procedures for obtaining a certificate for the
establishment of a halal industrial estate.
“The Industry Ministry issues a Certificate of the
Halal Industrial Estate for the Halal Modern Valley that is managed by PT.
Modern Industrial Estate in Serang, Banten; for the Halal Industrial Park
Sidoarjo managed by PT. Makmur Berkah Amanda in Sidoarjo; and for the Bintan
Inti Halal Hub managed by the PT. Bintan Inti Industrial Estate in Bintan, Riau
Islands," he elaborated.
The ministry has successfully organized the 2021
Indonesia Halal Industry Awards (IHYA). This activity symbolized the fact that
the government lauded industrial activists, academics, and stakeholders that
have contributed actively to developing the halal industry in Indonesia.
"Ihya in Arabic means to revive. With this
meaning, there is hope that this award event can contribute to efforts to
revive, awaken, and strengthen the sharia economic ecosystem, in general, and
the halal industry, in particular," he said.
Source: Antara News
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original story:
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Arab World
Saudi Arabia Launches VR Initiative Bringing Kaaba's Black Stone To Muslims' Homes
By Mustafa Abu Sneineh
20 December 2021
Pilgrimage to Mecca brings millions of Muslims to Saudi
Arabia every year. But now the kingdom has launched a virtual reality
initiative that it says will allow Muslims to touch the Black Stone, a rock at
the south-eastern corner of the holy Kaaba, without leaving home.
Named the "Virtual Black Stone Initiative",
the new VR technology would bring Islam's holiest site to Muslims' living rooms
at a time when Covid-19 has hampered travel and Saudi authorities have limited
pilgrim numbers to tackle the pandemic.
The 30cm-diameter rock at the Kaaba, known in Arabic
as al-Hajr al-Aswad, is revered by Muslims, who believe it has fallen from
heaven and dates back to the era of Adam and Eve.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Sudais, the imam of the Grand
Mosque in Mecca, was the first to experience the scheme, sporting virtual reality
goggles for the inauguration last week.
Sudais said that Saudi Arabia has "great
religious and historical sites that we must digitise and communicate to
everyone through the means of the latest technology".
However, not everyone is happy with the initiative.
Some social media users saw the use of virtual reality
technology in holy places as "tampering with religion" and
"fiddling with God's Sharia", while others wondered if Muslims will
perform pilgrimage, which requires circumambulating around the Kaaba, using VR
goggles from their homes instead of going to Mecca.
All able-bodied Muslims are expected to perform Hajj,
the major annual pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in their lives.
In July, Saudi Arabia allowed only 60,000 citizens and
residents, who were fully vaccinated, to perform Hajj, a figure falling from
2.5 million pilgrims in 2019, before the pandemic.
Source: Middle East Eye
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/saudi-arabia-kaaba-black-stone-hajj-vr-muslims-homes
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Iraqi air force strikes Islamic State targets
December 20, 2021
The Iraqi air force conducted airstrikes against the
Islamic State today following a flurry of attacks.
Iraqi pilots using US-made F-16 fighter jets struck IS
outside of Sadiyah in the Diyala province in northeastern Iraq. Iraqi army and
police units discovered the bodies of IS fighters, M-16 rifles, destroyed
sniper hideouts and more after the strikes, the Security Media Cell said in a
statement.
The Islamic State has conducted several attacks on
civilians and the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces recently. A total of
eight Peshmerga soldiers were killed in a series of IS ambushes in Diyala Nov.
27-29. IS also attacked Peshmerga soldiers and civilians in Makhmour south of
the Kurdistan Region capital Erbil on Dec. 2.
The Iraqi air force also hit IS targets in the Hamrin
mountains in Diyala on Nov. 22.
Source: Al Monitor
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of the original story:
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Lebanese leaders promise 2022 elections will be held
on time, says UN chief Guterres
20 December ,2021
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday
that he has received assurances from Lebanese leaders that next year’s
elections would be held on time.
Source: Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
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Arab Coalition conducts strikes against military
targets at Yemen’s Sana’a airport
21 December ,2021
The Arab Coalition conducted on Monday precision
aerial strikes against legitimate military targets in Yemen’s Sana’a airport.
The Coalition lifted the protection off certain sites
at Sana’a airport according to international and humanitarian laws. It also
stressed that the strikes were in response to the threat presented by the use
of the airport’s facilities to launch cross-border attacks.
Prior to conducting the strikes, the Coalition had
immediately called on all civilians to evacuate the airport, as well as any
employees of international and humanitarian organizations.
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki
said the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen used civilian sites as cover for
its military operations.
The strikes targeted six locations used to manage the
activities of drones – specifically explosive-laden ones, training drone
personnel, housing trainers and trainees, in addition to two warehouses for
explosive-laden drones.
Malki stressed that the Coalition strikes will have no
effects on the operational capacity of the airport or affect the management of
the airspace, air traffic, and ground handling operations.
Yemen’s Houthis have in recent months ramped up their
attacks on the Kingdom and launched dozens of cross-border aerial attacks on
Saudi Arabia.
The Iran-backed militia targeted civilian areas and
energy facilities in the Kingdom with explosive-laden drones and ballistic
missiles.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Syria 'haven' for mercenaries, drug trafficking,
terrorism: UN
Servet Günerigök
21.12.2021
WASHINGTON
Syria has become a "haven" for mercenaries,
drug traffickers and terrorism, the UN’s special envoy for the country said
Monday.
In his briefing to UN Security Council members, Geir
Pedersen said the Syrian people have continued to suffer from violence and
human rights abuses this year.
"Syria continues to radiate instability -- a
haven for mercenaries, drug trafficking and terrorism," said Pederson,
adding the war-torn country remains fragmented into several areas which he said
are drifting apart.
He also warned that hunger and poverty have escalated
as the economy has continued to implode, and 14 million people are in need, the
highest number since the conflict began in 2011.
He added that "13 million Syrians remain
displaced inside and outside the country – many of their children not knowing
their homeland – their prospects for a safe, dignified and voluntary return not
improving – and a continuing challenge for Syria’s neighbors.”
Syria has been ravaged by a civil war since early
2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
Over 350,000 people have been killed in 10 years of
war in Syria, according to the UN, which it says is "certainly an
under-count."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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of the original story:
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India
Lakshadweep administration ends system of school
holidays on Fridays in Muslim-dominated island
20th December 2021
KAVARATTI: Fridays will no longer be weekly holidays
for school students in Muslim dominated Lakshadweep.
The Lakshadweep Education Department has brought out a
new calendar declaring Fridays working days and all Sundays holidays for
schools in the islands, ending the decades old privilege of the students for
having Fridays as holidays in the islands on religious grounds.
Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal said ever since the
schools were opened in islands for providing education for students some six
decades ago, Friday was holiday and Saturday up to half day was working day.
He said this decision was taken without discussing
with any of the bodies of schools, the district panchayat or with the local MP.
"Such a decision is not within the people's
mandate. It is a unilateral decision of the administration", Faizal told
PTI.
He said whenever a change is brought in the local
system, it must be discussed with the people.
Official sources said the administration modified the
school timings and regular school activities to ensure "optimum
utilization of resources, proper engagement of learners and necessary planning
of teaching learning process".
P P Abbas, Vice President cum Counsellor of the
Lakshadweep District Panchayat, wrote a letter to the Advisor to Administrator
Praful Khoda Patel, requesting him to reconsider the order of the Education
Department to address the sentiments of the students and parents.
In his letter, he said that the ethnic population of
Lakshadweep are Muslimsand and to their faith, Friday is a holiday and offering
Juma Namaz on Friday is considered to be an unavoidable religious practice.
Source: New Indian Express
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Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys’ Association
Declares List Of Nine Demands From Political Parties
Dec 20, 2021
Lucknow: Insisting that it was the opportune time for
Muslims and other backward communities to bargain, the Lucknow wing of the
Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys’ Association (AMOUBA) on Sunday declared the
list of nine demands from political parties vying for votes of the minority
ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly election.
Demanding representation of Muslims in government
bodies proportional to their vote percentage, AMOUBA president Prof Shakeel
Ahmad Qidwai said, “All political parties are lobbying to get the vote of
backward communities and Muslims in their favour. These communities have been
exploited by pseudo secular political parties and have not been given any
political importance in the state.”
He said that it is the opportune time for them to
bargain rather than enter into caste and religion based politics.
“We demand reservation for Muslims (8%) in higher
educational institutions in line with West Bengal government which will be in
accordance with Sachar Committee recommendations, establishment of good
schools, ITI and vocational centres in minority and Dalit dominated areas,
establishment of minority university in Lucknow in the name of renowned
educationist Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, who should also be conferred with Bharat
Ratna posthumously,” he added.
Source: Times of India
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AMU produced the most successful Muslim personalities
in India
20th December 2021
New Delhi: “Aligarh Muslim University: The Making of
the Modern Indian Muslim” – a book by the senior journalist Mohammad Wajihuddin
– has been inaugurated on Saturday at Delhi Constitution Club.
Those present on the occasion as special guests were:
the former Foreign Minister of India Salman Khurshid, Ex-MP Mohammed Adeeb, the
former Vice Chancellor of AMU Lieutenant Gen Zameer Uddin Shah, former member
of the Planning Commission Syed Syedein Hamid, Islamic scholar Prof. Akhtar Al
Wassey and Dr Mujibur Rahman.
The author of the book and the host of the event
received the guests who have officially inaugurated the book which examines the
critical role played by the AMU in the making of the modern Indian Muslim.
Regarding the emotional connect of Indian Muslims with
AMU, Dr. Zakir Hussain, the former President of India and the former
Vice-Chancellor of the AMU had once said, “The way Aligarh participates in
various walks of national life will determine the place of Muslims in India’s
national life. The way India conducts itself towards Aligarh will determine
largely, the form which our national life will acquire in the future.”
Mohammed Wajihuddin is a Senior Assistant Editor with
The Times of India, Mumbai. Earlier, he worked with the Indian Express and the
Asian Age. A passionate lover of Urdu poetry, he is also a blogger and writes
prolifically on issues that are of interest to Indian Muslims. He lives in
Mumbai.
Speaking on the occasion, Salman Khurshid the Ex
Foreign Minister of India congratulated Wajihuddin on writing this book. ” By
writing about the past glory of AMU with contemporary issues the author has
also fulfilled the long standing demands of his children to become an author.”
Khurshid said in a lighter vein.
The former MP Mohammed Adeeb said, “While
acknowledging the selfless services of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and his companions
the author courageously wrote about the current situation prevailing in the
country,”
“I was studying in the AMU in the 60’s and after 58
years I have to admit painfully that the AMU is no longer the institution that
it used to be in the past. This has been admitted by the author in his book,”
Adeeb said.
“There were just 20 universities before the partition
of the country and now there are more than 700 universities,” the ex-Vice
Chancellor of AMU Zameeruddin Shah said. “The AMU had maintained a high
standard among the universities in the past which is very difficult to bring
back.”
Prof. Akhtar Al Wassey said the author in his book
tried to portray the past Glory and the contemporary reality of the Aligarh
Muslim University. “Whatever positions Indian Muslims have in the country today
is because of the vision shown by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan 150 years ago in
establishing the AMU.”
“The AMU completed 100 years in December 2020. In
December 1920 – the Mohammedan Anglo Oriental (MAO) College founded by Sir Syed
Ahmed Khan in 1877 – was transformed into AMU,” wrote Wajihuddin in his book.
“Sir Syed also established the All India Muhammadan
Educational Conference to infuse the subcontinent’s Muslims with a spirit of
modernism. This helped prepare the community, devastated in the aftermath of
the Revolt of 1857, for new challenges,” the book said.
Source: Siasat Daily
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South
Asia
Muttaqi rebukes Karzai, backs PM Imran’s remarks on
Afghanistan
December 20, 2021
Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan
Muttaqi Monday refuted former president Hamid Karzai’s stance on Prime Minister
Imran Khan and said that the OIC moot had positive outcomes and one must not
take anything negatively.
Disapproving Karzai’s statement, Foreign Minister
Muttaqi said,”I do not see anything insulting about Imran Khan’s remarks that
needs an official response. It was a positive conference and there are positive
outcomes so we should not take it negatively,”.
Upon returning to Kabul from Islamabad where he had
also addressed the OIC’s session on Afghanistan, Muttaqi told reporters he did
not find anything “insulting” about Prime Minister Imran’s remarks.
“What’s of significance is that Imran Khan slammed
former Afghan governments and I believe that officials from the past
governments were compelled to show some reaction,” the foreign minister said in
an apparent rebuke of Karzai.
He added that different views and opinions were shared
at the meeting and that every person was responsible for what said.
“[And more] importantly, all participants at the
conference spoke in favour of Afghanistan.”
It is pertinent to note that Muttaqi’s remarks were
posted on the official Facebook page of Afghanistan’s state media too.
Earlier, Hamid Karzai responded to Prime Minister
Imran Khan’s speech delivered at the OIC FMs meeting and accused him of making
“an attempt to sow discord among Afghans, and an insult to the Afghan people”.
It is pertinent to note that Prime Minister Imran
while addressing the 17th extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation’s Council (OIC) of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad on Sunday stated
that Pakistan faced the threat of the militant Islamic State (IS) group from
Afghan soil.
Karzai in a statement on his Twitter, stated that the
Pakistan government should “strictly refrain from propagating against
Afghanistan and interfering in our internal affairs”.
“Pakistan should avoid speaking on behalf of
Afghanistan [on] international forums. It should work towards creating positive
and civilised relations between the two countries,” Karzai added.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Taliban destroys Pakistan’s barbed-wire erected on
Durand Line
21 Dec 2021
Special Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
in the Gushta district of eastern Nangarhar province destroyed the barbed wire
erected by Pakistani forces on Durand Line.
The barbed wire was destroyed and brought to
Afghanistan after Pakistani forces reportedly wanted to erect and widen the
wire.
Nagarhar province’s provincial head of General
Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) Doctor Bashir was leading the operation in
the bordering district of Gushta.
A video clip from the scene shows that Doctor Bashir
is addressing Pakistani forces and threatening them with harsh repercussions if
they do so again.
“Next time if you look bad at Afghanistan, I will come
and make this area (only hundreds of meters from Pakistan’s soil) and will make
it my frontline to wage war with you. I swear by Allah that waging war with you
makes me happier than waging war with Jewish.” Says Doctor Bashir.
Unconfirmed reports say that Pakistani forces launched
artilleries on Kunar province on Monday night after the incident in the Gushta
district of Nangarhar province.
Source: Khaama Press
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Sri Lankan court bails out Muslim poet Ahnaf Jazeem,
after 18 months detention
December 21, 2021
Ahnaf Jazeem, a young Sri Lankan poet and teacher, who
has been detained for over 18 months, was bailed out on December 15 under harsh
conditions imposed by a High Court judge at Puttalam in North Western Province.
The 25-year-old poet was arrested on 16 May 2020 by
the notorious Crime Investigation Department (CID) on trumped up charges of promoting
Islamic extremism and detained under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act
(PTA).
Despite the judge’s order to grant bail, the court
registrar flatly refused to give approval for prison officers to release
Jazeem, claiming that he faced another case in a Colombo Magistrate’s Court.
The High Court bail order, however, was applicable to both cases.
Jazeem was transported to the Welikada remand prison
in Colombo and finally released the following evening after his lawyer, Sanjaya
Wilson Jayasekera, filed a motion in the Magistrates Court. None of the bogus
charges have been withdrawn.
The young poet was ordered to deposit three
500,000-rupees (about $US2,500) sureties with the court and will be monitored
by the police’s Terrorism Investigation Division (TID). He has to report to its
office at Puttalam police on the first and last Sunday of every month.
Other bail conditions include: no contact or
interference with witnesses involved in the case against him and that the court
be informed of any change of his permanent address. The court also ordered the
Immigration Department not to issue a passport to Jazeem and that he provide an
affidavit that he does not already possess a passport.
The persecution of Jazeem is part of the ongoing
racist provocations against Muslim and Tamil communities by the Rajapakse
government.
As in other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic has
created a deep economic crisis for Sri Lankan capitalism and the Rajapakse
regime, which now faces a surge of working-class struggles. Colombo has
responded by whipping up racist and communalist tensions in an attempt to
divide the working class.
Jazeem is one of many individuals, including artists,
journalists, and politicians, who have been falsely accused of promoting Muslim
extremism and detained under the PTA. Anti-Muslim communalism was whipped up by
all of Sri Lanka’s capitalist parties following terrorist attacks on several
churches and hotels by a Sri Lankan ISIS-linked terrorist group on Easter
Sunday 2019.
The PTA, which was widely used during the 30-year
anti-Tamil communal war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam
(LTTE), allows security officers to arbitrarily arrest and detain for months
without charge anyone on “suspicion.” Confessions extracted by torture can be
used as evidence in court hearings against those charged.
Originally from the war-torn northern district of
Mannar, Jazeem moved to Puttalam where he taught at the School of Excellence
and boarded at “Save the Pearls,” a charity home for the education of
underprivileged children. The police have attempted to link the charity to
extremist propaganda and in April 2020, arrested one of its board members,
Hejaaz Hizbullah, a prominent human rights lawyer, on concocted accusations.
The CID arrested Jazeem claiming that Navarasam, a
book of his poetry and written under his pen name Manaramudhu Ahnaf, promoted
extremism and linked him to the Easter Sunday attack. The book, in fact,
condemned the murderous policies of ISIS as well as US-led imperialist wars and
promoted peace and ethnic unity.
The poems were wrongly translated and then submitted
in a report to the courts which claimed that the book incited violence, aroused
sexual feelings, promoted suicide, glorified death, and fuelled hatred against
the perpetrators of violence against Muslim.
During his detention the young poet was subjected to
mental and physical torture in an attempt to extract statements implicating him
in the Easter Sunday attack. He was sleep-deprived and hand-cuffed with his
legs tied to a table for several months.
The police officers, who are now witnesses against
Jazeem, tried to make him confess that he became a Muslim fundamentalist while
studying at the Naleemiah Institute of Islamic Studies. In an attempt to
intimidate him, the young poet was shown images of other Muslim detainees being
tortured.
Finally, after detaining him without charge for more
than 18 months, the TID last month filed a PTA indictment in the Puttalam High
Court. The indictment declares that while teaching between October 1 and
November 2019, Jazeem had, “by words, either spoken or intended to be read or
by signs or by visible representations” had encouraged violence or “religious,
racial or communal disharmony or feelings of ill will or hostility between
different communities or racial or religious groups.”
These wide-ranging charges could be used to indict and
frame up anyone. According to the filed indictments, the poet could be
imprisoned for 15 to 20 years, if found guilty.
Jazeem was bailed out following widespread protests by
workers, young people and human rights groups internationally and in Sri Lanka
against his arbitrary arrest.
The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and Action
Committee for the Defence of Freedom of Art and Expression (ACDAE) launched a
powerful defence campaign demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
Articles and statements were published on the WSWS and the ACDAE also launched
an online petition which was signed by more than 1,700 people.
A relative of the poet thanked the SEP and the WSWS
for its campaign and said that many people did not loudly condemn the arrest at
the beginning because they feared being witch-hunted. The online petition
launched by the ACDAE, he said, broke the silence and allowed people to come
forward and register their opposition. He called on the WSWS to visit Mannar
and Puttalam and write about homelessness and the plight of its poor residents.
Jazeem was given bail amid President Rajapakse’s
attempts to deflect ongoing international criticism of his government’s human
right violations, and war crimes committed during Colombo’s war against the
LTTE. The US and other major western powers have initiated a resolution on
these issues in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). UNHRC High Commissioner
Michelle Bachelet has also highlighted the arrest of Jazeem and Muslim leaders.
The Washington-led campaign has nothing to do with
defending democratic rights in Sri Lanka or exposing war crimes but is being
exploited to pressure the Rajapakse government to break its relations with
Beijing and line up with US aggression against China.
Last month, the Sri Lankan court bailed out former
government minister Rishad Bathiudeen who had been arrested, following claims
that he was linked to the Easter Sunday terror attack. The former Western
Province Governor Azath Salley was also acquitted after a court hearing
revealed that the police had concocted a story to arrest him for promoting
extremism. Several other Tamils and Muslims, including journalists, have also
recently been bailed out.
Source: WSWS
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US may ease financial restrictions on Afghanistan
21 Dec 2021
A US official has been cited as the Biden administration
is considering easing financial restrictions on Afghanistan and the country
will issue a license to allow financial aids to Afghanistan, reported BBC.
The source has said that the US administration has
held a meeting in which easing sanctions on Afghanistan has been discussed in
order to allow international aid organizations to deliver humanitarian aids to
Afghanistan.
It comes a day after the OIC extraordinary session on
Afghanistan concluded in Islamabad and it was unanimously decided to expedite
humanitarian aids to Afghanistan to prevent the economic collapse of the
country.
US special representative to Afghanistan Thomas West
who had attended the session said, the session was productive and had important
outcomes.
Thomas West also met Afghanistan’s acting foreign
minister Amir Khan Motaq on the sideline of the session.
Source: Khaama Press
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Turkish, Qatari officials plan Kabul trip to discuss
airport mission with Taliban
20 December ,2021
Turkish and Qatari officials will meet in Doha on Monday
night and later travel together to Kabul to discuss a formal deal to operate
the Afghan capital’s airport with the ruling Taliban, Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu said.
Turkey has said it would be open to operating Kabul’s
Hamid Karzai international airport along with Qatar, following the takeover of
Afghanistan by the Taliban in August, but only if its security demands are met.
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The airport is landlocked Afghanistan’s main air link
to the world at a time when millions in the isolated country face hunger with a
harsh winter setting in. On Sunday, Islamic countries pledged to set up a trust
fund for Afghanistan.
Ankara has been holding talks on Kabul airport with
Doha and said it was working together with Qatar on keeping it operational.
Reuters has reported that the United Arab Emirates
also held talks with the Taliban to run the airport.
Cavusoglu said a Turkish company and a Qatari firm had
signed a memorandum of understanding on running a total of five airports in
Afghanistan, including Hamid Karzai, but did not name the other four.
“In this framework, we will present the interim
government of Afghanistan with joint offers. Our colleagues are heading to Doha
tonight and they will travel together to Kabul from there to discuss the issue
with the interim government there,” he told a news conference in Ankara on
Monday.
“If our conditions are met, we can operate the
airports with Qatar. If the conditions are not met, there is no obligation for
us to operate them,” he said.
The Qataris have helped run the airport along with
Turkey after playing a major role in evacuation efforts following the chaotic
US withdrawal in August. But the Taliban had not yet formalized any arrangement,
sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in November Turkish and Qatari
officials will meet in Doha on Monday night and later travel together to Kabul
to discuss a formal deal to operate the Afghan capital’s airport with the
ruling Taliban, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Europe
Muslim Council of Britain reaffirms Archbishops’
concern for Palestinian Christians
20th December 2021
Muslim Council of Britain reaffirms Archbishops’
concern for Palestinian Christians
The Muslim Council of Britain today welcomed a joint
Sunday Times article by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican
Archbishop in Jerusalem who spoke of a “future intertwined with the future
prosperity and common good of all communities”, as they recounted the alarming
experiences of Christian communities in Palestine. The Church leaders warned of
a “concerted attempt” by extremist groups to drive Christians away.
Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council
of Britain said:
“The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop in
Jerusalem have taken a brave stance in calling out the actions of extremists
who are not only driving out Christians, but also Muslims and other faith
communities as well.
This year, we saw continued violations of holy spaces
including the Al Aqsa Mosque and the attempted forced displacement of residents
of East Jerusalem, most notably in the neighbourhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and
Silwan. Only last month, UN experts expressed alarm at the rising rate of
violence directed by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians in the occupied
Palestinian territory.
Source: MCB
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Muhammad; most popular baby name in Kyrgyzstan
December 20, 2021
Latest statistics indicated that Muhammad has been the
most popular boy name in Kyrgyzstan in the year 2021.
Omar, Ali, Amir, Balal, Alikhan, Alinour, Nour-Islam,
Emir, and Othman rank next in the list of most popular baby names for boys.
On the other hand, Salehe has been named the most
popular baby name for girls while Riana, Ameneh, Fatemeh, Ayayeen, Alieh,
Safiyeh, Eruzat, Khadijeh, and Alfieh stand next.
Source: ABNA24
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https://en.abna24.com/news//muhammad-most-popular-baby-name-in-kyrgyzstan_1210346.html
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'Turkey’s EU accession perspective should be
protected, strengthened'
Merve Gül Aydoğan Ağlarcı
21.12.2021
Turkey’s path towards joining the European Union
should be enhanced, according to Ankara’s top diplomat in charge of relations
with the bloc.
"Turkey’s EU accession perspective should be
protected and strengthened," said Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakci
in an interview with the Brussels-based Diplomatic World magazine published
Monday.
There is no need to "look for new ideas" to
proceed with the country’s EU accession, he added.
"We have already the structure: the 18 March
[2016 migrant agreement] Statement with all six dimensions," he said while
giving the first dimension as the accession negotiations.
"Unfortunately, our EU accession negotiations
have been brought to a standstill due to some political issues, even though it
is mainly a technical process. Consequently, our accession negotiations did not
advance as fast as we wanted. But we are still a negotiating candidate
country," Kaymakci said.
Saying that "the more Turkey believes that it
will become a member of the EU, the faster the reforms will happen in Turkey
and the better Turkey-EU relations will be," he stressed that if
"Turkey feels being discriminated among candidate countries, or pushed
away from the rest of Europe, then we will have less and less trust towards
each other, and this is not helpful."
He stressed that the accession process had to be
revitalized without any pre-judgement.
Listing Turkey-EU high-level dialogue meetings as the
second dimension, Kaymakci said "we had already established high-level
dialogue meetings between the related Turkish ministers and European
commissioners on economy, energy, transport and foreign policy. However, they
have been suspended by the EU side."
He expressed Turkey's willingness to "hold all
these high-level dialogue meetings, both the new and old ones, but also to
revitalize already established mechanisms between Turkey and the EU such as the
Association Council meetings and Political Directors’ meetings."
"Turkey should also be invited to all meetings
that candidate countries are regularly invited [to], such as Gymnich meetings
and others," Kaymakci added.
As for the third dimension, Kaymakci said updating of
the Customs Union is needed for a positive agenda between Turkey and the EU.
"Turkey already implements the EU’s trade and
competition policy in line with the Turkey-EU Customs Union. Turkey, in terms
of trade, economy and competition, can be already considered a member of the
EU. No other candidate country has a Customs Union (CU) with the EU," he
said.
Stressing that the current Customs Union needs to be
updated, he said the updated version "can include services, agriculture,
energy and maybe other areas. As Turkey and the EU economies are highly
interlinked and interdependent, the modernization of the CU would create a
win-win situation for both sides."
Continuing on by listing visa liberalization as the
fourth dimension, the Turkish deputy foreign minister recalled Turkey and the EU
agreeing to the fulfilling of 72 benchmarks needed for visa liberalization
dialogue.
"The EU and Turkey have agreed that when Turkey
fulfils 72 benchmarks on visa liberalization dialogue, Turkish citizens should
be able to travel freely – we are not talking here about the free movement of
labor – within the Schengen Zone. We are working on fulfilling the remaining
few benchmarks," he said.
Furthermore, "counter-terrorism is another
important dimension, as there is a mistrust issue between Turkey and some of
the Western countries," he stressed.
"When we see terrorist organizations like the PKK
acting in European capitals, making propaganda, recruiting people, practicing
money laundering or getting involved in the narco-business, we are worried for
all of us and our common future," Kaymakci noted.
He stressed that good cooperation in the fight against
terrorism is needed against "all sorts of terrorist organizations”
including the PKK, al-Qaeda, Daesh and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization
(FETO).
FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen
orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 which left 251 people dead and
2,734 injured.
Kaymakci listed the migration management issue as the
final dimension to Turkey-EU relations as he reminded of the "major challenge
of irregular migration."
Saying that Turkey currently hosts "4.2 million
people, the largest refugee community in the world, of which 3.7 million are
Syrians and the rest are Asians, mostly from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran,
Iraq, Sri Lanka and Africans," he said: "This is a very heavy burden
that we cannot assume alone and we expect the EU side to share this."
"We had some sort of a deal with the EU related
to migration. Within the framework of the deal, we gave two promises;
preventing illegal crossings and taking back illegally crossed people from the
Greek islands. We kept our promises by taking all the people returned by Greece
until February 2020 and by preventing more than 2 million additional refugees
that could have otherwise gone to other European countries beyond Turkey,"
he added.
Noting how the "migration burden has so far cost
Turkey more than €40 billion," Kaymakci said: "We are talking about
only €6 billion of EU support for Syrians in Turkey, and out of this €6
billion, only €4.2 billion has been spent as of today. The flow of the funds is
very slow, very bureaucratic, even though it is the fastest mechanism in the EU
system."
He stressed that a new migration deal is needed,
adding: "Due to the [coronavirus] pandemic, millions of refugees are also
expected to head towards Turkey and the rest of Europe. We have to manage this
better. Our new migration deal has to focus on dealing especially with the
situation in northern Syria, which is also the fourth promise of the EU."
Asked about the link between sports and diplomacy,
Kaymakci said sports are "vitally important" in Turkey-EU relations,
adding "some Turks do not realize how European they are until their
favorite team plays in the European Championships."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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UN chief lays wreath at Beirut port, urges
accountability for blast
20 December ,2021
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday
Lebanon needed proper accountability for the August 2020 Beirut port explosion
on the second day of a visit aimed at rallying international support for the
crisis-hit country.
His comments followed a meeting with Lebanese House
Speaker Nabih Berri and a visit to the port, where he laid a wreath at a
memorial for the more than 215 people killed when chemicals stored at the port
for nearly years exploded.
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“I know the suffering ... and the will of the people
to have proper accountability and I want to express my solidarity to all the
victims of that tragedy,” he said.
Guterres, who arrived on Sunday, has called on
Lebanese leaders to work to address an economic crisis that has left four in
five Lebanese poor.
“Seeing the suffering of the people of Lebanon,
Lebanese political leaders do not have the right to be divided and paralyze the
country,” Guterres said after a meeting with President Michel Aoun.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government has not met
for more than two months amid a push by parties close to powerful politicians
charged in connection with the blast to remove the judge leading an
investigation.
Guterres said in a video message ahead of his visit
that he supported demands of Lebanese for “truth and justice” over the blast.
Many Lebanese blame the blast on the corruption and
dysfunction normalized by a political elite that has been in power since the
end of the 1975-90 civil war.
Berri also called on Guterres to help expedite
indirect negotiations with Israel to resolve a dispute over Lebanon’s southern
maritime border.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Southeast
Asia
China forced Muslims in Xinjiang to be sterilised and
have abortions, concludes tribunal
20 December 2021
The People’s Republic of China is guilty of genocide
and crimes against humanity in its treatment of its Uyghur minority, a UK
tribunal chaired by a leading international human rights lawyer has concluded.1
The Uyghur Tribunal, based in London, said it was
satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that China had subjected the Muslim minority
in Xinjiang to forced sterilisations and abortions, approved at the highest
levels in Beijing, and was therefore guilty of genocide.
The informal “people’s tribunal” pointed out that a
finding of genocide did not necessarily involve mass killing. It can be
committed by top level perpetrators who commit acts with the intent to destroy
a significant part of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
The tribunal was chaired by Geoffrey Nice QC, who led
the prosecution in the trial of Slobodan Milosevic at the international
tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague. It heard evidence in June and
September and made findings it considered proved beyond reasonable doubt,
delivering its conclusions in the form of a judgment. The panel, which included
lawyers, doctors, and academics, received oral and written evidence as well as
a cache of leaked documents, the Xinjiang papers.
Its findings follow those of a separate tribunal that
found forced harvesting of organs from prisoners of conscience in China.2
Geoffrey Nice served on both tribunals.
The Uyghur Tribunal “noted evidence it was possible
that young [Uyghur] detainees were used for forced organ harvesting, being
killed for their organs to be harvested and sold.”
The evidence showed that thousands of people were
trained and trained others to do all that was necessary to bring the systems
into force, the panel said. Professionals, including doctors, “were content for
their skills to be used for such systems.”
The tribunal was “satisfied that the PRC [People’s
Republic of China] has effected a deliberate, systematic and concerted policy
with the objective of ‘optimizing’ the population in Xinjiang by means of a
long-term reduction of the Uyghur and other ethnic minority populations to be
achieved through limiting and reducing Uyghur births.”
Among the facts found proved was that “detainees were
forced to take medicines by mouth or by injection that affected the
reproductive functioning of women and possibly of men.”
The panel found that pregnant women were forced to
have abortions even at the last stage of pregnancy. Babies were sometimes born
alive and then killed.
In addition, a “systematic programme of birth control
measures had been established forcing women to endure removal against their
will of wombs and to undergo effective sterilisation by means of IUDs that were
only removable by surgical means.”
Source: BMJ
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https://www.bmj.com/content/375/bmj.n3124.full
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I had to engage security round the clock, says Naik
V Anbalagan
December 20, 2021
KUALA LUMPUR: Controversial Muslim preacher Zakir Naik
had to fork out RM10,000 a month on 24-hour protection for him and his family
after alleged defamatory statements were published against him, the High Court
was told today.
This followed publication of the statements by Penang
deputy chief minister II P Ramasamy, he said when examined by his lawyer, Akberdin
Abdul Kader, on the first day of the hearing of his defamation suits against
Ramasamy.
Naik, 56, who is a permanent resident and residing in
Putrajaya, said because of his fear, police had advised him to engage security
personnel for himself and his family.
“I had to spend RM10,000 a month to engage security
guards round the clock just because the defendant made statements to gain
political mileage,” he said.
Naik filed two suits, separately in October and
December 2019, alleging that Ramasamy had issued defamatory statements against
him.
On Oct 16, 2019, he sued Ramasamy for allegedly
issuing the statements, uploaded on social media sites and news portals between
2016 and 2019.
In his statement of claim, he alleged that Ramasamy
had defamed him on April 10, 2016, by calling him Satan on his Facebook page.
He also claimed that he was defamed in a statement
issued by Ramasamy and published by Free Malaysia Today (FMT) on Oct 1, 2017.
Naik claimed that on Aug 11, 2019, Ramasamy had
“manipulated” a speech he made at an event organised by the Kelantan
government, which was also published by FMT the same day.
On Aug 20, 2019, he claimed, Ramasamy again defamed
him in a statement published by India Today.
Naik filed his second suit against Ramasamy in December
2019, alleging that the defendant defamed him through comments on the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam posted on The Malaysian Insight portal.
Naik said all the statements caused him mental
anguish, trauma and distress as he was exposed to personal harm after
Ramasamy’s statements incited public anger.
He said the statements also tarnished his image and
damaged his reputation in the eyes of the public.
“They also caused me to suffer grave humiliation,
untold ridicule and severe embarrassment among the public,” said Naik, who
admitted that this is the first time he was giving evidence in court.
Naik had filed two police reports in Putrajaya on Aug
16, 2019 against Ramasamy, Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran, Klang MP Charles
Santiago, Bagan Dalam assemblyman M Satees and former diplomat Dennis Ignatius.
He said he made a specific report against Ramamasy on
Sept 3, 2019.
“While the police were carrying out an investigation
on the first report (Aug 16), I found it difficult to continue my daily
activities with my family in public as a result of the defamatory statements,”
he said.
Naik, who spoke loudly as if giving a public lecture,
said he had tried to explain to the Malaysian public the true intention and
meaning of his speech in Kota Bharu on Aug 8, 2019, by issuing a press
statement.
“I had issued an apology to Malaysians as I was in no
position to humiliate any race, religion or nation,” he said.
He also said about 20% of the people who attended his
talks were usually non-Muslims.
“I did not want them to have a negative perception
about me. As a preacher, I propagate peace and love to non-Muslims,” he said.
He said the apology was not an admission that he was
in the wrong but to clarify Ramasamy’s allegation, which was “nonsense and
rubbish”.
Source: Free Malaysia Today
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Nanta: GPS has nothing to do with Facebook account
that posted racially offensive remarks
21 Dec 2021
KUCHING, Dec 21 — The Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has
categorically denied any involvement and affiliation with a Facebook account,
which uploaded a derogatory statement late Sunday that could be taken as
inciting hatred and disunity between the Muslims and non-Muslims in Sarawak.
In pointing this out, GPS secretary-general Datuk Seri
Alexander Nanta Linggi said the account-holder had abused the GPS name and logo
in posting the provocative comment that specifically linked the religion of
Islam and the Malay race.
“We believe that this is a desperate attempt by
certain quarters that are out to tarnish the image and reputation of GPS
following its stunning victory in the just-concluded 12th Sarawak election.
“This irresponsible account-holder is using the
subject of religion as a way to provoke the non-Muslims.
Source: Malay Mail
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Pakistan
Moot on Afghanistan issue was ‘very successful’: OIC
chief
December 20, 2021
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha has said that the moot on Afghanistan,
held in Islamabad on Sunday, was “very successful” and praised the people and
government of Pakistan for their hospitality.
Talking to the media person in the federal capital
before his departure on Monday, he said the meeting was a success as the OIC
managed to set up a humanitarian fund to support Afghanistan, besides
appointing Tarig Ali Bakheet as a special envoy to Afghanistan, who will
coordinate with international and Afghan stakeholders to avert the looming
disaster in Kabul.
Bakheet made his first contact with the Afghan
delegation yesterday, he said and expressed hope that the whole world will play
a role in providing funds for humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for
Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said that the OIC meeting would
yield positive results. He thanked the OIC chief for coming to Pakistan and
attending the meeting.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Pak PM sparks uproar in Afghanistan over terrorism,
graft remark
Omer Farooq Khan
Dec 21, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The acting Taliban foreign minister, Amir
Khan Muttaqi, defended the latest remarks of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
on corruption, terrorism and cultural diversity in Afghanistan, which had
created an uproar in the war-torn country.
Khan had claimed during his keynote address at the OIC
meeting o Sunday that Daesh has been threatening Pakistan from Afghanistan.
"We have had attacks from the Afghan border, from ISIS, into
Pakistan," he had said.
Khan had stated that due to years of corruption in
Afghanistan, poverty was widespread in the landlocked country even before the
collapse of the former government there. He also spoke on the human rights
issue, saying that it should be understood in the context of prevalent cultural
values in the country.
"We must understand… when we talk about human
rights, every society is different. Every society’s idea of human rights and
women’s rights are different," Khan said. "Culture in Kabul was
always different from rural areas, just like we see in Peshawar where it is
completely different from the districts on the border with Afghanistan,"
Pakistan’s PM had said.
His remarks on ISIS and human rights drew a sharp
response from former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and other Afghan nationals
on social media. Karzai called Khan’s remarks "an attempt to sow discord
among Afghans, and an insult to the Afghan people".
"Allegations that ISIS is active in Afghanistan,
threatening Pakistan from Afghanistan, is clear propaganda and in fact the
opposite is true. The threat of ISIS has been directed from Pakistan against
Afghanistan from the very onset," Karzai said in a series of tweets.
At a presser in Kabul on Monday, the interim Afghan FM
said that he believed the Pakistan PM’s remarks at OIC’s extraordinary session
were not an insult to Afghanistan.
Muttaqi said Khan’s remarks were critical of the
former governments and therefore the former officials felt compelled to react.
"Imran Khan criticised the former (Afghan) governments. I think officials
of the former governments felt obligated to react, I don’t see (Khan’s remarks)
as insulting."
Source: Times of India
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Pak Army chief urges for joint international efforts
to avoid impending humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan
Dec 20, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed
Bajwa on Monday urged for joint international efforts to avoid the impending
humanitarian crisis in the war-torn Afghanistan.
Gen Bajwa made the remarks during a meeting with US
Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West, who called on him at the
army headquarters in Rawalpindi.
During the meeting, matters of mutual interest,
current security situation in Afghanistan and bilateral cooperation
opportunities in the context were discussed, according to a statement issued by
the army.
Gen Bajwa said that the “world and the region cannot
afford an unstable Afghanistan, stressing upon the need for global convergence
to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe,” it added.
Afghanistan's economy is facing a major crisis after
the Taliban seized power in Kabul in mid-August, amid a chaotic US and NATO
troops withdrawal from the war-torn country.
Following hardline Islamists assuming power in
Afghanistan, the international community froze billions of dollars' worth of
assets abroad and stopped all funding to the country.
According to UN figures from early November, almost 24
million people in Afghanistan, around 60 per cent of the population, suffer
from acute hunger. That includes 8.7 million living in near-famine. Increasing
numbers of malnourished children have filled hospital wards.
Gen Bajwa also thanked Thomas West for participating
in the 17th extraordinary session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday in Islamabad.
The OIC summit passed a unanimous resolution
underscoring the need for concerted efforts to rebuild the necessary capacity
of the relevant state institutions of Afghanistan to address challenges posed
by terrorism, narcotics, smuggling, money laundering, organised crime, and
irregular migration.
Source: Times of India
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Pak PM Imran Khan tries to rake up Kashmir issue at
OIC meet on Afghanistan
Dec 20, 2021
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan once again brought
up the Kashmir agenda during a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) as he called on member states to make a "unified
plan" for the region, a report said on Monday.
Imran Khan said the people of Palestine and Kashmir
want to see a unified response from the Muslim world about their democratic and
human rights while speaking at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC
Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan once again brought
up the Kashmir agenda during a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) as he called on member states to make a "unified
plan" for the region, a report said on Monday.
Imran Khan said the people of Palestine and Kashmir
want to see a unified response from the Muslim world about their democratic and
human rights while speaking at the 17th Extraordinary Session of the OIC
Council of Foreign Ministers in Islamabad.
According to The News International, Imran Khan said
OIC must play its role to help the world understand the teachings of Islam and
"our love and affection for the last Prophet Hazrat Mohammad”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed
Bajwa also said the resolution of the Kashmir issue was important for regional
peace and stability.
Gen Bajwa made the comments during a meeting with
Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who called on him here on the
sidelines of the OIC meeting.
The Pakistan army said in a statement on Sunday Gen
Bajwa "also emphasised that peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute is
essential for stability in South Asia" and "reiterated that Pakistan
wants cordial ties with all its neighbours in pursuit of regional peace and
prosperity”.
Ties between India and Pakistan deteriorated after New
Delhi withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state
into two Union territories in August 2019.
India has said the issue related to Article 370 was
entirely an internal matter of the country and advised Pakistan to accept the
reality and stop all anti-India propaganda.
India has also said it desires normal neighbourly
relations with Pakistan in an environment free of terror, hostility and
violence.
Source: Hindustan Times
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IHC to resume hearing Maryam Nawaz's appeal against
conviction in Avenfield reference
December 21, 2021
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will today (Tuesday)
resume hearing the appeals of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and her husband
retired captain Mohammad Safdar against their conviction in the Avenfield
reference, nearly a month after Maryam's lawyer filed an application to adjourn
the proceedings.
In the last hearing on November 24, the court had
accepted the request filed by Maryam's counsel, Advocate Irfan Qadir, to
adjourn the hearing without any proceedings because of him being occupied with
another case in the Supreme Court.
The court had subsequently adjourned the hearing on
the appeals till Dec 21 (today).
It is a routine practice that when a lawyer is
supposed to appear before the Supreme Court, he seeks adjournment in cases
fixed for hearing before the high courts or trial courts on the same date.
However, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had
blamed Maryam for seeking 16 adjournments since August 2018 when she filed an
appeal before the IHC against her conviction in the Avenfield apartments
reference.
"Sixteenth application to seek adjournment from
Maryam Nawaz, and organised propaganda against judiciary and armed forces,
hence these people are not less than Sicilian Mafia," the minister
tweeted.
Conviction and appeal
On July 6, a few weeks before the elections in 2018,
the accountability judge of Islamabad, who was working under the supervision of
an apex court judge, convicted the Sharif family in the Avenfield apartment
reference.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was handed 10 years
as jail time for owning assets beyond known income and one year for not
cooperating with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Meanwhile, Maryam
was given 7 years for abetment after she was found "instrumental in
concealment of the properties of her father" and one year for
non-cooperation with the bureau.
The Sharif family had filed appeals against its
conviction before the IHC in the second week of August 2018.
Source: Dawn
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JUI-F’s surprise win likely to reshape KP’s political
landscape
Zulfiqar Ali
December 21, 2021
PESHAWAR: The opposition Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl has
outperformed both its allies and rivals in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa local body
polls and this victory is likely to reshape the province’s political landscape
in near future.
Perhaps, the JUI-F has never been in a better position
in the province’s electoral politics since the landslide victory of the
Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal religious alliance in the 2002 general elections.
However, this time around, the party has stunned its
allies and opponents on its own compared to the 2002 victory by an alliance of
six parties.
The defunct MMA, a conglomerate of six religious
parties, swept the 2002 general elections in Peshawar valley and formed the
provincial government. On the other hand, its gains have come at heavy cost for
both its allies as well as rivals.
Analysts say PTI defeat in LG polls people’s reaction
to bad governance, inflation
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, which emerged as
the JUI-F nemesis in the last two general elections in the province, is set to
lose heavily from the election.
Both parties have fought bitter war of words,
primarily over political ascendency in the province. On the other hand, the
Awami National Party despite showing signs of resurgence in different districts
has faced the loss of face in its birthplace of Charsadda district at the hand
of the JUI-F.
The JUI-F’s rival JI has also failed to make its mark
in the first phase of local body elections. Maulana’s party performance in
Peshawar and other parts of central, away from the party power base of southern
KP has stunned other political parties.
According to unofficial results, the JUI-F candidates
have won 10 seats of tehsil chairman/mayor out of 24 tehsil. Elections have
held on 63 tehsil across 17 districts. On the other hand, a large number of
party candidates have stood runner in so many tehsil.
In the provincial capital, the JUI-F made inroad
amazingly which is major upset for the traditional political forces like PPP
and ANP. Its candidate, Zubair Ali, son of former Peshawar mayor Haji Ghulam
Ali, has definitive lead of over 12,000 votes over his closest rival of the
PTI, Rizwan Bangash.
In another major surprise, the JUI-F candidate stood
runner-up in the Mardan mayor election by securing over 49,000 votes.
The questions arises how the JUI-F managed to pull out
this feat and what the Maulana did, which others failed to follow. It is too
early to pinpoint the exact reasons for the sudden rise of the JUI-F at this
moment. However, political observers believe many factors, including
geo-political shifts battering the region, failures of the ruling PTI, and
Maulana’s more than three years efforts to mobilise his electoral base have led
to this outcome.
Aurangzeb Khan, a Peshawar-based political analyst,
views the issues in the terms of regional geo-political shifts that have
brought the religion to the fore the debate in the region.
“KP is a border province and the JUI-F’s victory
happens at a time when the larger regional shifts marked by the rise of the
[Afghan] Taliban and Islamic State [militant group] in Afghanistan is impacting
Pakistan’s strategic outlook and consequently the space for religious elements
in its polity and politics,” he said.
Mr Aurangzeb said the trend that harked back to
military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s Pakistan, where the religious alliance of the
MMA were brought to power in the then NWFP during the initial years of the war
on terrorism.
He said students of the JUI-F madressahs were the
Taliban that took over Afghanistan in 1996 and going even beyond, how religious
parties supported ‘Gen Zia’s and American-Saudi jihad’ against the USSR in
Afghanistan.
“Among all these instances, three things are common:
Religiosity and religious parties, Afghanistan, and the bigger international
objectives/dynamics impacting the region (Afghan Jihad against USSR, and the
American/Nato led war on terrorism). This time again, we are seeing a
coalescing of these trends and in view of this, the JUI-F may have won the
local government elections, but to me, it is just a taste of things to come,”
he added.
Analysts and inner circle of the JUI-F believe that
Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s steady campaign against Prime Minister Imran Khan was
one of the factors that inspired the people to cast vote in favour of the
JUI-F.
“There are several factors, which could be attributed
to the better performance of JUI-F, but people fully expressed their lack of
trust in the PTI due to its poor governance, inflation and delivery of
services,” said Prof Hussain Shaheed Soherwordi, who teaches international
relations in the University of Peshawar.
He claimed that the local body elections in 17
districts could be the “acid test” for the 2023 general elections.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1664935/jui-fs-surprise-win-likely-to-reshape-kps-political-landscape
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Africa
Gunmen kill 38 civilians in northwest Nigeria in
latest bloodshed
20 December 2021
Gunmen in northwest Nigeria have killed at least 38
people in three separate attacks, in a latest spell of violence to hit the
troubled region, local reports said.
Samuel Aruwan, commissioner for Nigeria's northwestern
Kaduna state, said the assailants raided the villages of Kauran Fawa, Marke and
Riheya in Giwa district, killing at least 38 people and setting fire to farms
and properties.
“Security agencies have confirmed that 38 people were
killed across the locations attacked,” Aruwan said in a statement, adding that
houses, trucks, and cars were also burned, along with agricultural produce at
various farms.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the
“gruesome nature” of the attacks and called upon security and intelligence
chiefs to “do everything they can” to nab the perpetrators.
Earlier, on Friday, nine people were killed across
three villages in the same province, according to Aruwan. Sunday’s attack takes
the death toll to 47 in recent days.
The latest spell of violence comes two months after an
armed raid at a mosque in Mashegu district killed at least 16 people.
The ongoing violence in Nigeria’s troubled
northwestern region comes despite authorities deploying thousands of security
forces and recent designation of the armed groups as terrorist organizations.
Gangs of thieves and kidnappers have been terrorizing
communities in northwest and central Nigeria, where they raid schools, masques,
and markets, killing and burning buildings after looting them.
Source: Press TV
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Nearly one in four Somalians face acute hunger as
drought and conflict ravages: UN
20 December ,2021
Nearly one in four people in Somalia are facing acute
hunger as drought ravages the conflict-wracked country, following three seasons
of poor rains and a fourth on the way, the United Nations warned Monday.
The crisis is expected to worsen, leaving 4.6 million
people in desperate need of food aid by May 2022, the UN said, adding that the
country had not seen a third consecutive failed rainy season in over 30 years.
Shortages of food, water and land for grazing have
already forced 169,000 people to flee their homes, with that number projected
to hit 1.4 million within six months, the UN said in a statement.
In recent years, natural disasters – not conflict –
have been the main driver of displacement in Somalia, a war-torn nation that
ranks among the world’s most vulnerable to climate change.
“It is a perfect storm that is gathering,” Adam
Abdelmoula, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, told AFP in an
interview, warning that 300,000 children aged five and under were at risk of
severe malnutrition in the coming months.
“They will perish if we don’t help them in a timely
manner,” he said, as the UN called for nearly $1.5 billion (1.3 billion euros)
in funding to help tackle the crisis.
Some 7.7 million, nearly half the country’s population
of 15.9 million, will require humanitarian aid and protection in 2022, an
increase of 30 percent in a year, the UN said.
At least seven in 10 Somalis live below the poverty
line, and the drought has destroyed already precarious livelihoods, with
families losing their livestock and grappling with high inflation as crop
production falls.
“There is a high risk that without immediate
humanitarian assistance, children, women and men will start dying of starvation
in Somalia,” the country’s minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster
management Khadija Diriye said.
Somalia’s government declared the drought a
humanitarian emergency last month.
Failed rains and flooding have also wreaked havoc in
Kenya and South Sudan, where farming and livestock-dependent communities are
struggling to cope with climate disasters.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Libya candidates say presidential election delay is
inevitable
20 December ,2021
A group of candidates in war-torn Libya’s presidential
election said Monday that they expect the polls to be delayed, despite the lack
of an official announcement to that effect.
Scheduled for Friday, the vote is meant to cap a
United Nations-led peace process after a decade of conflict.
But it has been beset by deep divisions over its legal
basis, who may stand and court challenges against prominent candidates.
On Monday, 17 hopefuls issued a joint statement in
which they implicitly acknowledged that a delay was inevitable.
The group urged the electoral commission to “reveal
the reasons why there will be no election on the date set”, and called on it to
“publish a final list of candidates.”
Multiple observers have predicted a delay, but just
days ahead of the vote, there has been no official announcement.
Libya, torn apart by a decade of conflict since its
2011 revolution, has seen a year of relative calm since a landmark October 2020
ceasefire, and the UN has been pushing for elections as part of a multi-pronged
peace effort.
But presidential bids by several divisive figures, a
controversial electoral law and lack of agreement over the powers of the next
government have posed a series of obstacles.
The candidacies of eastern military general Khalifa
Haftar and Seif Al-Islam Gaddafi, son of slain former ruler Muammar Gaddafi –
both accused of war crimes – have sparked particular opposition from rival
camps.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Somali police arrest passenger who attacked Turkish
Airlines crew
Mohammed Dhaysane
20.12.2021
MOGADISHU, Somalia
Somali police on Monday announced the arrest of a
passenger of Turkey's flag carrier allegedly involved in an attack on a crew
member.
Police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan told reporters
in the capital Mogadishu that the incident took place late on Sunday and the
police were able to respond to the situation at the Aden Adde International
Airport after a scuffle between passengers and crew members inside the airline.
"Some of the passengers and crew fought inside
the plane shortly after landing and one of the crew members was injured,"
said Hassan, adding that the injured staff member was "taken to one of the
hospitals in Mogadishu and is in good health."
A Somalia-based official of Turkish Airlines confirmed
the incident to Anadolu Agency, describing it as small but
"unfortunate."
He said the group of passengers involved in the
fighting had been deported from Turkey.
"Over 20 passengers who were deported by
authorities in Turkey was involved, but some Somali elders onboard intervened
before the security forces arrived at the scene and took over the
situation."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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One protester killed, at least 125 others injured in
anti-coup protests in Sudan
20 December 2021
Sudanese security forces have shot dead a protester
and injured scores of others during a brutal crackdown on anti-coup
demonstrators in the capital, Khartoum and other cities across the African
country.
In a statement on Monday, the Central Committee of
Sudanese Doctors said that a 28-year-old man -- identified as Majzoub Mohammad
Ahmad -- was shot and killed with "a bullet in the chest" in the
Sharg al-Nile area across the river from Khartoum on Sunday.
In a separate statement, the committee said that some
331 people have been injured in Sunday's protests, including two who had been
shot in the head and dozens of others who had been wounded by teargas
canisters.
Sudan's health ministry also said late Sunday that at
least 123 people were wounded in the capital during fierce clashes with the
country's military forces, adding that two others were injured in the eastern
city of Kassala, which has been the scene of the public display of anger during
the past few days.
On Sunday, tens of thousands of people filled the
streets of Khartoum to express their strong dissent against the October
military coup and also mark the third anniversary of the nation’s revolt
against strongman Omar al-Bashir.
Security forces fired teargas canisters and stun
grenades to disperse the large crowds of angry protesters who were chanting
slogans against the junta chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and military-dominated
administration.
Many of the protesters suffered from suffocation after
inhaling tear gas during clashes with security forces, as they attempted to
hold a sit-in outside the presidential palace.
Security forces also blocked major roads leading to
the airport and army headquarters.
Protest rallies were also planned in other cities
across the country, including Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast and El-Deain in
the western region of Darfur.
In a statement on Monday, Sudan's army said that it
backs "the democratic choice for the people" and supports "free
and fair elections.
Burhan's media adviser also said, "The blatantly
contentious and hostile tone (of protests) could impede a smooth democratic
transition," adding that the military and security forces support the
people's ambitions for democracy and would maintain the country's security.
More than two years ago, massive anti-government
demonstrations hit Sudan, mostly over economy. The protesters, youths for a
large part, demanded the resignation of then president Omar al-Bashir.
Bashir was ultimately deposed through a military coup
in April 2019, after ruling over the country for three decades. In August the
same year, a transitional civilian-military administration was founded to run
the country.
However, a military coup, led by Sudan's military
chief and de facto leader, Burhan, was staged on October 25 that dissolved the
fragile government. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok was detained and put under
house arrest in a move that infuriated the Sudanese and sparked international
outcry, including from the UN Security Council. Other civilian leaders were
also held in military detention.
The ensuing crackdown against anti-coup protesters has
left at least 45 people dead since October 25.
Hamdok was later released and in November 21 signed a
power-sharing deal with the Burhan-led junta, according to which Hamdok would
continue his career as Sudan’s prime minister, all political prisoners detained
during the coup will be released, and a 2019 constitutional declaration would
be the basis for a political transition.
According to the deal, July 2023 has been set as the
date for Sudan's first free elections since 1986.
Source: Press TV
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North
America
Brazil gets ready for halal tourism
December 20, 2021
Brazil is increasingly attentive to the needs of
Muslim tourists visiting the country, aiming at offering a great experience,
while respecting their culture. It is the so-called halal tourism, which has
had high attention from the authorities and the tourist industry.
This month, Embratur (Brazilian Tourist Board)
participated in the 1st edition of the Global Halal Brazil Business Forum, held
by the Árab-Brasileira Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Muslim
Associations of Brazil (Fambras Halal).
Embratur's Manager, Claudine Bichara, attended the
discussions about the lifestyle of the Islamic population, known for its high
levels of excellence and added value. "Halal products and services cover a
wide range of sectors and represent a great opportunity for Brazilian
companies," said Bichara.
The halal market respects the lifestyle of the Islamic
population and is valued at $4.8 trillion. Approximately 1.9 billion consumers
(24.5 per cent of the global population), mainly from Arab, European and Asian
nations such as Indonesia, India and Malaysia, are included in this segment.
Issues such as the correct time for prayers, hygiene
requests, the need to be directed to Makkah when praying, fasting during
Ramadan, among other points are considered when working with this type of
tourist. Halal-certified hotels also have praying carpets and no alcohol in the
minibar.
"These are details that do not generate great
adaptations for those who receive, but that make all the difference for
Muslims," Bichara said.
Already within this scenario of opportunities, the
city of Foz do Iguaçu, in the state of Paraná, is expected to become the first
city to earn halal certificate in Latin America. The certification is under
negotiation and will indicate that the city is friendly for the Arab-Muslim
population. The main changes will be made in hospitality, services, and
gastronomy sectors.
Among these procedures is, for example, the
availability in hotels of reserved and well signed spaces aimed at Makkah and
the offer of a copy of the Quran in the accommodations.
Source: ABNA24
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First Muslim international religious freedom
ambassador receives promise of prayer from SBC leader
By Tom Strode
December 20, 2021
WASHINGTON (BP)—The recently confirmed United States
ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom has received
congratulations and a promise of prayer from the acting head of a Southern
Baptist Convention entity.
The U.S. Senate voted 85-5 in a Dec. 16 confirmation
vote for Rashad Hussain, who had been nominated in late July by President
Biden. Hussain became the first Muslim to hold the position since it was
created in 1998 as part of the International Religious Freedom Act.
In congratulating Hussain, Brent Leatherwood, acting
president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said, “We
are praying for his success and we are eager to work with him. Religious
freedom is under assault around the globe and his position is vital to
confronting those who would undermine this fundamental right.”
Hussain, who served this year as director for
partnerships and global engagement at the White House National Security
Council, served during the Obama administration as special envoy to the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and special envoy for strategic counterterrorism
communications. The OIC is an intergovernmental organization of 57 largely
Muslim countries.
The ambassador-at-large serves as the primary adviser
to the secretary of State regarding global religious liberty and also advises
the president. He supervises the State Department’s office of international
religious freedom. Hussain’s confirmation makes him the sixth person to fill
the post since it was established 23 years ago. Sam Brownback, the previous
ambassador-at-large, served during the last three years of the Trump
administration.
The chair of the bipartisan U.S. Commission on
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) commended Hussain’s confirmation.
“With his years of knowledge and experience, Ambassador Hussain is well placed
to advance the U.S. government’s promotion of international religious freedom,”
Nadine Maenza said.
Religious Freedom Institute (RFI) President Tom Farr –
a leading, veteran advocate for global religious liberty – said, “This is a
critically important position in American foreign policy, and Rashad Hussain is
eminently qualified to fill it.” Hussain “admirably meets [the] qualifications
in every respect” that RFI told the Biden administration early this year were
needed for an effective ambassador-at-large.
China, the world’s most populous country, remains one
of the focal points for the United States in its efforts to defend religious
freedom around the world.
The Senate confirmed Hussain the same day it passed
without opposition a bill to ban the importation of goods made by forced labor
in western China amid a genocidal campaign primarily against Uyghur Muslims in
the region. The House of Representatives had approved the legislation Dec. 14.
The proposal now awaits Biden’s signature, which has been promised by the White
House.
The campaign by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
against the Uyghurs has included not only forced labor but detention in
“re-education” camps and a coercive population control program of abortion and
sterilization.
Messengers to the SBC’s annual meeting in June
approved a resolution that condemned the CCP’s treatment of the Uyghurs and
called for the U.S. government to take “concrete actions” to end the genocide.
With its passage of the resolution, the SBC reportedly became the first
Christian denomination to denounce China’s campaign against the Uyghurs as
genocide.
Source: Baptist Press
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Casualties in Afghanistan, Iraq much higher than US
admitted: NYT
Anwar Iqbal
December 21, 2021
WASHINGTON: Data collected after years of litigation
and months of investigation persuaded The New York Times to conclude that
civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan were much higher than the United
States ever acknowledged.
Summing up its efforts to probe the US wars in the
greater Middle East region, the newspaper wrote: “The promise was a war waged
by all-seeing drones and precision bombs.” But the documents NYT obtained
showed “flawed intelligence, faulty targeting, years of civilian deaths — and
scant accountability”.
The newspaper got access to the Pentagon documents
about the war through Freedom of Information requests beginning in March 2017
and lawsuits filed against the US Defence Department and the Central Command.
NYT reporters also visited more than 100 casualty
sites and interviewed scores of surviving residents and current and former
American officials. The findings, published this week in a two-part report,
revealed that the US air war was “deeply flawed” and the number of civilian
deaths had been “drastically undercounted”, by at least several hundreds, NYT
reported.
The document contradicted the Pentagon’s claim that
the drone technology made it possible to destroy a part of a house filled with
enemy fighters while leaving the rest of the structure standing. The NYT report
revealed that over a five-year period, US forces executed more than 50,000
airstrikes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, with much less than the advertised
precision.
Noting that before launching airstrikes the military
must navigate elaborate protocols to estimate and minimise civilian deaths, the
report acknowledged that often available intelligence “can mislead, fall short,
or at times lead to disastrous errors”.
The newspaper pointed out that sometimes videos shot
from the air did not show people in buildings, under foliage or under
tarpaulins or aluminum covers. Besides, “available data can be misinterpreted,
as when people running to a fresh bombing site are assumed to be militants, not
would-be rescuers”, the report added.
Source: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1664945/casualties-in-afghanistan-iraq-much-higher-than-us-admitted-nyt
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Biden adviser Jake Sullivan to visit Israel, West Bank
this week: White House
21 December ,2021
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan
will visit Israel and the West Bank this week to consult on Iran and a wide
range of other issues, the White House said on Monday.
Sullivan will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali
Bennett while in Israel and will visit Ramallah for talks with Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the White House said.
Talks between Iran and world powers aimed at reviving
the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been put on pause until next week after making
no progress.
In his talks with the Israelis, Sullivan will reaffirm
the US commitment to Israel’s security and “consult on a range of issues,
including the threat posed by Iran,” the White House statement said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US humanitarian exceptions on Afghanistan sanctions
blocked by China
21 December ,2021
China, backed by Russia, blocked a US draft resolution
Monday in the UN Security Council that would have provided a system for
humanitarian exceptions to economic sanctions imposed on Taliban-controlled
Afghanistan.
“They want the deletion” of a paragraph of the
resolution allowing the sanctions committee responsible for Afghanistan to
provide “exemptions from the freezing of assets” if it considers that “such a
waiver is necessary to facilitate further assistance to Afghanistan,” a
diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
China, which is “opposed in principle to sanctions,”
is “against a case-by-case exemption mechanism,” another diplomat confirmed.
“Humanitarian aid and life-saving assistance must be
able to reach the Afghan people without any hindrance,” China’s UN Ambassador
Zhang Jun said in a tweet Monday. “Artificially created conditions or
restrictions are not acceptable.”
Washington was hoping for approval on Monday of their
draft by the other 14 members of the Security Council, so that they could put
it to a vote on Tuesday, diplomatic sources said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Mideast
Lira plunges again after Erdogan cites Islam to defend
interest rate cuts
December 20, 2021
ISTANBUL:
Turkey's troubled lira nosedived on Monday after
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cited Muslim teachings to justify not raising
interest rates to stabilise the currency.
Erdogan has pushed the central bank to sharply lower
borrowing costs despite the annual rate of inflation soaring to more than 20
per cent.
Economists believe the policy could see consumer price
increases reach 30 per cent or higher in the coming months.
But Erdogan said in remarks aired by state television
late Sunday that his Muslim faith prevented him from supporting rate hikes.
"They complain we keep decreasing the interest
rate. Don't expect anything else from me," he said in the televised
comments.
"As a Muslim, I will continue doing what our
religion tells us. This is the command."
Islamic teachings forbid Muslims from receiving or
charging interest on loaned or borrowed money.
Erdogan has previously cited his religion in
explaining why he believes interest rates cause inflation instead of reining it
in.
High interest rates are a drag on activity and slow
down economic growth.
But central banks raise their policy rates out of
necessity when inflation gets out of hand.
The Turkish lira has now lost nearly half its value in
the past three months alone.
It was trading down more six per cent against the
dollar on Monday afternoon.
A dollar could buy 7.4 liras on January 1. It was
worth 17.5 liras on Monday.
"You cannot run a modern economy integrated into
the global economy on this basis," economist Timothy Ash of BlueBay Asset
Management said in a note to clients.
"Even Saudi Arabia really does not attempt full
shariah compliant macro(economic) management."
Fight with big business
Turkey's nominally independent central bank — stacked
in the past year with Erdogan's allies and supporters — has used four
successive rate cuts to lower its policy rate to 14 per cent from 19 per cent.
Diplomats think the powerful but increasingly
unpopular Turkish leader believes that economic growth at all costs will help
him extend his rule into a third decade in an election due by mid-2023.
Erdogan last month launched a self-declared
"economic war of independence" aimed at breaking Turkey's dependence
on foreign investment and the fluctuating cost of imports such as oil and
natural gas.
But the policy is meeting increasing resistance from
powerful business leaders who had largely rallied around Erdogan during his
19-year rule.
The TUSIAD big business lobby of major exporters
issued an unusually firm rebuke of the president over the weekend.
"The policy choices implemented here are not only
creating new economic problems for businesses, but for all of our
citizens," the big business lobby said.
Source: The Tribune Pakistan
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Rumi cannot be detached from his Muslim identity,
expert says
DEC 20, 2021
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency (AA),
Omid Safi, professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University, answered questions
on the works of Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi and how they are perceived today.
The Masnavi was historically called "The Quran in
Persian," as a sign of how thoroughly filled with references to the Quran
it is, Safi said speaking on the essence of Rumi's works.
"It is one of the great masterpieces of Islamic
literature, written by Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi, who was called the
"offspring of the soul of the Prophet." Its main message is one of
bringing humanity from the state of forgetfulness and brokenness to healing,
wholeness and becoming that "Insan-e Kamil," complete human
being," Safi added.
The Masnavi, a poem boasting more than 50,000 lines,
is considered one of the most influential works of Sufism and Persian
literature.
Safi argues that there is a different perception of
Rumi and his work when it comes to reading him in the West or the East.
“There are, of course, many perceptions of Rumi in the
West and many in the East. As a whole, Western perceptions of Rumi place him in
the tradition of individualized spirituality and the search for
"happiness." Eastern approaches sometimes reach him through other
Sufi approaches and wider Islamic teachings,” he says.
Commenting on Rumi’s popularity in many realms of the
life in the West, Safi argues: “Modernity has promised much and delivered
little in terms of actual joy, wholeness and harmony in the world. People know
somewhere in their own hearts that the way they live is out of touch, out of
harmony, and they turn to Rumi for answers.”
He adds, however, that despite Rumi’s Muslim identity,
his work has been secularized, detached from his deep linkage to Islam as a
Muslim philosopher.
“Many of the Western translators of Rumi downplay his
Muslimness, his deep connection to Islam, sometimes out of a blatant
Islamophobia and sometimes through a mistaken impression that to make Rumi more
universal, they have to take him out of the particular of his context.
Interestingly enough, they don't make the same claim for Shakespeare, the Tao
Te Ching or Da Vinci.”
Source: Daily Sabah
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70 extremist Jewish settlers defile Aqsa Mosque under
police guard
December 20, 2021
Dozens of extremist Jewish settlers escorted by police
forces on Sunday morning desecrated the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied al-Quds
(Jerusalem).
At least 70 settlers entered the Mosque in different
groups through its Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards under tight police
protection, according to local sources.
During their tours at the Islamic holy site, the
settlers received lectures from rabbis about the alleged temple mount and a
number of them provocatively performed Talmudic prayers.
Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation police imposed
movement restrictions on Muslim worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque’s entrances and
gates.
The Aqsa Mosque is exposed to daily desecration by
Jewish settlers and police forces in the morning and the afternoon except on
Fridays and Saturdays.
The Israeli police close al-Maghariba Gate, which is
used by Jews to enter the Mosque, at 10:30 am after the settlers complete their
morning tours at the holy site. Later in the afternoon, the same gate is
reopened for evening tours by settlers.
Source: ABNA24
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Iran: No Direct Talks with US in Vienna
2021-December-20
The Iranian negotiation team has not had any direct
talks with the US during the recent negotiations in Vienna, Foreign Ministry
Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in a press conference in Tehran on
Monday.
“Some messages have been received through (EU Deputy
Foreign Policy Chief) Enrique Mora in written and unwritten forms since the
beginning of talks in Vienna on the issues of negotiation (and nothing more)
and the answers have been given immediately,” the spokesman said.
"Despite its claims, the US has not yet made any
tangible proposals or text to the G4+1", Khatibzadeh said.
Iran makes any efforts to reach an agreement in the
talks, he said, adding that if the other side offers a tangible text, an
agreement can be reached in the shortest possible time.
He went on to say that the Iranian team just thinks
about achieving results in the talks but they do not trust the US intentions,
and unfortunately certain members of the European troika.
"We hope that we will reach a result if the other
side removes the sanctions effectively and verifiably", Khatibzadeh
stressed.
His comments came after the US national security
adviser claimed that he had sent a direct message to Tehran about Iran's
nuclear program.
Asked about relations between Iran and International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Khatibzadeh said that as a member of the IAEA,
Iran has always adhered to its undertakings under safeguards agreement and the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He added that everything that Iran has done has been
in accordance with the provisions of Iran's international undertakings, and the
Agency has been aware of all our actions.
The level, amount and quality of enrichment is in line
with the needs of Iran's peaceful nuclear program, and the Agency was aware of
what Iran has done so far, Khatibzadeh noted, adding that Iran will keep the
Agency informed of everything in the future.
Iran reached an agreement with the International
Atomic Energy Agency to install the IAEA’s new cameras at TESA Karaj complex to
remove misunderstandings about the country’s nuclear program amid the Vienna
talks.
Iran voluntarily allowed the IAEA replace the damaged
CCTV cameras at Karaj's site with new cameras after reaching an agreement with
the UN nuclear watchdog, Nournews, affiliated to Iran’s Supreme National
Security Council (SNSC), had reported on Wednesday.
It added that Iran’s voluntary move was a bid to
prevent the possible misunderstandings about the activities at the TESA Karaj
brought up during IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi's visits to Tehran in
September and December.
Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
(AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Sunday that the UN nuclear watchdog will
reinstall cameras at TESA Karaj complex in the next few days after meeting
Tehran’s conditions.
“Today, meetings between the technical and security
officials of the AEOI and the inspectors and technicians related to the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cameras are being held at the AEOI
building (in Tehran). In this regard, a morning meeting was held and the second
round of the meeting started at 14:30 (local time) and talks are in progress,”
Kamalvandi told FNA.
He noted that Iran was suspicions that the IAEA
cameras might have been used by enemies for the recent sabotage act at Karaj facilities
and therefore, after negotiations and writings with the IAEA, the Agency
accepted to provide us with a sample camera to answer to the questions of the
Iranian technical experts.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran, Pakistan Stress Continued Cooperation in
Fighting against Terrorism
2021-December-20
Amir Abdollahian and General Bajwa held the meeting on
Sunday on the sidelines of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Organization
of Islamic Cooperation Council (OIC) of Foreign Ministers.
During their talks, the two sides emphasized the need
for continued cooperation between Iran and Pakistan in fighting terrorism.
Amir Abdollahian said the two countries' relations
were at a suitable level in such areas as border security, calling for enhanced
cooperation in this regard.
Amir Abdollahian and Javed Bajwa also discussed the
latest developments in Afghanistan, with the Iranian foreign minister
emphasizing the need to establish an inclusive government in the war-ravaged
country representing all ethnic groups as the only way to establish peace and
security in Kabul.
General Bajwa, for his part, said the two countries
have cordial relations based on good neighborliness, adding that terrorism is
the common enemy of Tehran and Islamabad.
He called for the activation of a joint border
security committee between the two countries given the importance of promoting
security on the common border.
He also stressed the need for forging closer
cooperation between Iran and Pakistan on Afghanistan, particularly in the
battle against terrorism.
In relevant remarks in October, Chief of Staff of the
Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri that said Tehran and
Islamabad had agreed to work towards the establishment of full security along
the common border and improve bilateral military cooperation by holding joint
naval drills.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran confirms the death of its envoy to Yemen’s
Houthis after COVID-19 infection
21 December ,2021
Iran’s top diplomat to Yemen died on Tuesday after
reportedly contracting the coronavirus, the Iran's Foreign Ministry said on
Tuesday.
The death of Ambassador Hassan Irlu came after he was
recalled from war-torn Yemen for what Iran described as medical treatment.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Irlu was
being removed from his post over growing strains between Iran and the Houthi
militia, who hold Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
State-run media in Iran said he had become infected
with the virus in Yemen, where a war between Iran-backed Houthis and an Arab
Coalition has raged for six years.
The US State Department under then-President Donald
Trump had described Irlu as a member of Iran’s powerful paramilitary
Revolutionary Guard.
As for the latest US diplomatic efforts to resolve the
yearslong war in Yemen, State Department Spokesman Ned Price said the Houthis
continue to pose a “serious obstacle” to peace efforts.
Source: Al Arabiya
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US national security adviser to visit Israel,
Palestine this week
Servet Günerigök
21.12.2021
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will travel
to Israel and Palestine this week, the senior official's spokeswoman said
Monday.
Sullivan will be joined by Brett McGurk, Deputy
Assistant to President Joe Biden and Middle East and North Africa Coordinator,
and the State Department’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs,
Yael Lempert, said Emily Horne in a statement.
"In Israel, Mr. Sullivan will meet with Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett and senior Israeli government officials to reaffirm
the US commitment to Israel’s security and consult on a range of issues of
strategic importance to the US-Israel bilateral relationship, including the
threat posed by Iran," said the statement.
Sullivan is also expected to co-chair the fourth
Strategic Consultative Group (SCG) with his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Hulata.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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