Only Love, No Jihad - Bengal Has Deep Respect for All Unions of Love Even When They Transcend Religious Borders
New
Age Islam News Bureau
04
March 2021
• Canada’s Muslim Organization Urges 'Immediate' Action to Combat Islamophobia, Following Islamophobic Attacks against Muslim Women
•
Macron Admits ‘Torture and Murder’ Of Algerian Freedom Fighter Ali Boumendjel
•
Gurdeep Singh Makes History as First Sikh from KPK to Get Elected To Pakistan
Senate
•
Pope Francis Says He Will Visit Iraq as ‘Pilgrim of Peace’
•
ICC Opens Probe into War Crimes in Israeli-Held Territories
•
Algeria Prepares Law to Withdraw Nationality of People Threatening State
India
•
Only Love, No Jihad - Bengal Has Deep Respect for All Unions of Love Even When
They Transcend Religious Borders
•
26 Assam Muslim Women on ‘D-Voter’ List Move SC
•
J-K Police Busts Terrorist Hideout Of Hizbul Mujahideen In Awantipora
•
Muslims’ Share In Welfare Schemes More Than Share in Population: Yogi
Adityanath
•
‘Don't Agree With 'Love Jihad' Term’: Dy CM as BJP in Haryana Plans Law
•
Aisha suicide: Owaisi slams dowry system
•
Orthodox Church bishops in Kerala meet RSS functionary
•
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq released from house arrest after 19 months
--------
North America
•
Canada’s Muslim Organization Urges 'Immediate' Action to Combat Islamophobia, Following
Islamophobic Attacks against Muslim Women
•
Progressives Urge Biden to Quickly Honour Election Pledge On JCPOA, Abandon
'Max Pressure' Against Iran
•
US senators offer bill to curb Biden war powers after Syria-Iraq border strike
--------
Europe
•
Macron Admits ‘Torture and Murder’ Of Algerian Freedom Fighter Ali Boumendjel
•
COVID-19 Vaccine Does Not Break Ramadan Fast, UK-Muslim Medical Experts Urge
•
Pope hopes 'Fratelli tutti' in Russian will help promote fraternity
--------
Pakistan
•
Gurdeep Singh Makes History as First Sikh from KPK to Get Elected To Pakistan
Senate
•
Hindu General Panchayat Issues 24-Hour Ultimatum To Police To Arrest Hindu
Youth’s Killers
•
PM Imran lost right to rule, should resign now: Fazl
•
Dawat-e-Islami delegation calls on PML leaders
•
MNA urged to resign over child marriage
•
Education official seeks action against male teachers over ‘harassment’ in
Kohat
•
PM Imran names Sadiq Sanjrani as candidate for Senate chairman’s office
--------
Arab World
•
Pope Francis Says He Will Visit Iraq as ‘Pilgrim of Peace’
•
US, Israel Don’t Dare Target Hezbollah, Fear Response: Top Official
•
Iraq: Cardinal Sako says ‘something has already changed’ in the nation
•
Qatar FM has ‘positive’ meeting with Egyptian counterpart in Cairo
•
Arab Coalition destroys ballistic missile launched by Houthis toward Saudi
Arabia
•
UN experts call on Saudi Arabia to free three young Shia activists
--------
Mideast
•
ICC Opens Probe into War Crimes in Israeli-Held Territories
•
Iranian MPs: FATF Conventions Sponsored by Supporters of Terrorism
•
Deputy Minister Underlines Iran-Iraq Good Cooperation in Fight against
Terrorism
•
Spokesman Dismisses Blinken’s “Baseless” Allegations about Iran’s Role in Yemen
•
UN Chief Welcomes Iran’s Efforts to Establish Ceasefire in Yemen
•
Iran needs to address IAEA's concerns on uranium particles: US statement
•
Israel accuses Iran of ‘environmental terrorism’ for oil spill off its shores
•
Any new nuclear deal with Iran should be ‘dramatically improved’: Israeli
minister
•
Turkish court probes pro-Kurdish party as pressure for ban grows, say officials
--------
Africa
•
Algeria Prepares Law to Withdraw Nationality of People Threatening State
•
Algeria bomb plot foiled, three arrested, says defence ministry
•
Morocco sees Sahel extremists as magnet for local cells
•
UN sends advance monitor team to check Libya ceasefire between rival factions
--------
South Asia
•
Twenty Years after Invasion, US Proposes a New Afghan Government That Includes
Taliban
•
Bangladesh Moves More Rohingya Muslims to Remote Island despite Concerns
•
Rohingya Risk Being Forgotten in Global Vaccination Drive
•
Two Protestant churches targeted, attacked and ransacked
•
24 Taliban killed in Kandahar clashes: MoD
•
Afghan forces free 30 prisoners from Taliban captivity
--------
Southeast Asia
•
April 20 ruling on challenge against khat in vernacular schools
•
Umno and Bersatu to part ways for coming Malaysian general election
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/only-love-no-jihad-bengal/d/124456
--------
Only
Love, No Jihad - Bengal Has Deep Respect for All Unions of Love Even When They
Transcend Religious Borders
Mar
4, 2021
Kolkata:
Bengal has deep respect for all unions of love even when they transcend
religious borders: this was the refrain from interfaith couples in the city and
their families, who took exception to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi
Adityanath raising the issue of “love jihad” at his Malda rally to target chief
minister Mamata Banerjee.
In
his speech, Adityanath claimed that “love jihad was being executed in Bengal”.
“We made a law in UP. But there is appeasement politics here. So, state
government is unable to stop cow smuggling and love jihad—dangerous activities
that will show results in time to come,” he said.
Social
worker Shaona Khan, who recently joined Trinamool, is the daughter of Ustad
Rashid Khan and Joyeeta Basu Khan. At 21, she can’t recall a single instance of
love jihad being executed here. Instead, she said, this city was all about
sharing love. “My mother is a Hindu from Guwahati, while my father is a Muslim
from Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun. They have been married for 30 years and settled in
Kolkata. My two siblings and I have been born and brought up in Kolkata. Though
we have strong roots in UP because of my father’s family and a lovely home
there, which we visit every year, I wouldn’t trade my city of birth, Kolkata,
for any other place,” Khan said. According to her, the reason for this is
Kolkata’s “ecosystem” that allows breathing space to everyone. “My father is
known to be a son of Bengal. I can’t thank Bengal enough for providing us with
so much love, security and treating us like family. I would love to be in UP
and teach Yogi Adityanath a lot about love and equality towards all religions,
because India means secularism,” Khan added.
Sarod
player Shiraj Ali Khan married Atrayee Sengupta in January 2020. The grandson
of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was strictly against the conversion of his wife to
Islam. “We have been together for five years. There was no objection from the
families when we tied the knot. My wife practises her own faith. When our son,
Rayan, was born, we didn’t choose an Islamic name for him either,” he said.
Sengupta regularly applies sindoor, a practice among married Hindu women. “I
even have a thakurer ashon at home. There is no force on following any ritual.
We do whatever we feel like,” Sengupta said.
It’s
been 14 years since Rupsha Dasgupta married Fossils frontman Rupam Islam.
Dasgupta can’t connect with this extreme “Islamophobic conspiracy theory” about
“love jihad”. Fifty years ago, her in-laws also had an interfaith marriage.
“Even Rupam’s maternal grandparents had an interfaith marriage in
pre-Independent India. His father was a Muslim, while his mother was a
Christian. She never converted to Islam and Rupam has practised both faiths
while growing up. When we got married, the question of my conversion didn’t
arise either,” Dasgupta said. Her 88-year-old grandmother had no problems with
their marriage. When their son was born, the couple named him Rup Aarohan
Prometheus.
“Rupam
is now an atheist. Rup says his religion is ‘humanism’. Till date, Rup has had
no problems. Even his school has never asked any question about his surname.
Yogi Adityanath’s allegations about ‘love jihad’ are crazy. Kolkata’s culture
doesn’t single out people belonging to interfaith families,” she added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/only-love-no-jihad-say-citys-interfaith-couples/articleshow/81319034.cms
--------
Canada’s
Muslim Organization Urges 'Immediate' Action to Combat Islamophobia, Following
Islamophobic Attacks against Muslim Women
A
leading Muslim organization in Canada has called for action against hate crimes
in the country following a recent wave of Islamophobic attacks against Muslim
women.
------
03
March 2021
A
leading Muslim organization in Canada has called for action against hate crimes
in the country following a recent wave of Islamophobic attacks against Muslim
women.
The
National Council of Canadian Muslims said in a statement on Tuesday that racism
was a “real problem” in Canada, and called for the “immediate” creation of a
bipartisan committee to deal with racist and Islamophobic crimes in the
country.
Stressing
that “tension and fear are high,” the advocacy group accused Canadian
authorities of turning a blind eye to the crisis.
The
statement was made after a spate of recent attacks against black Muslims in
Canada.
Five
Somali-Canadian Muslim women have been assaulted in the city of Edmonton,
Alberta, in the past ten weeks. Last year, more than 60 such crimes were
reported in the city.
Local
media reported on 140 Islamophobic and hate-related incidents in 2020,
including death threats, in the Alberta province cities of Edmonton and
Calgary.
Assam
Ali, an Edmonton hospital nurse, told Global News that she has been targeted
repeatedly with slurs because of her hijab and dark skin.
“Most
of my visibly Muslim friends and family members have a story of some kind of
Islamophobia,” said Ali. “The general public hears about this through the
media, while our reality is that these are our sisters and our mothers.”
Last
month, a man uttered racial slurs against a Muslim female at the University of
Alberta, and in a separate incident, a man knocked down a female, threatened
her life and tore off her burqa, a robe used by Muslim women.
There
are an estimated 113,000 Muslims in Alberta.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/03/646443/Canadian-Muslim-organization-National-Council-Islamophobic-attacks
--------
Macron
Admits ‘Torture and Murder’ Of Algerian Freedom Fighter Ali Boumendjel
President
Emmanuel Macron
-----
03
March, 2021
French
forces “tortured and murdered” Algerian freedom fighter Ali Boumendjel during
his country’s war for independence, President Emmanuel Macron admitted on
Tuesday, officially reappraising a death that was covered up as a suicide.
Macron
made the admission “in the name of France” during a meeting with Boumendjel’s
grandchildren.
The
move comes after Macron stoked outrage in January when he refused to issue an
official apology for abuses committed during the occupation of Algeria.
Instead, he agreed to form a “truth commission” as recommended by a report
commissioned by the government to shed light on France’s colonial past.
Atrocities
committed by both sides during the 1954-1962 Algerian war of independence continue
to strain relations between the countries.
Boumendjel,
a nationalist and lawyer, was arrested during the battle of Algiers by the
French army, “placed incommunicado, tortured, and then killed on 23 March
1957,” the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
“Ali
Boumendjel did not commit suicide. He was tortured and then killed,” Macron
told Boumendjel’s grandchildren, according to the statement.
It
is not the first time the real cause of death was acknowledged.
In
2000, the former head of French intelligence in Algiers Paul Aussaresses
confessed to ordering Boumendjel’s death and disguising the murder as a
suicide, according to the statement.
It
added that Macron on Tuesday had also reiterated his desire to give families
the opportunity to find out the truth about this chapter of history.
Last
month, Boumendjel’s niece Fadela Boumendjel-Chitour denounced what she called
the “devastating” lie the French state had told about her uncle.
French
historian Benjamin Stora, who wrote the government-commissioned report, has
said there is a “never-ending memory war” between the two countries.
The
report has been described by the Algerian government as “not objective” and
falling “below expectations.”
During
his 2017 election campaign, Macron -- the first president born after the
colonial period -- declared that the occupation of Algeria was a “crime against
humanity.”
He
has since said there was “no question of showing repentance” or of “presenting
an apology” for abuses committed in the North African country.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/03/03/Macron-admits-torture-and-murder-of-Algerian-freedom-fighter-Ali-Boumendjel-
--------
Gurdeep
Singh makes history as first Sikh from KPK to get elected to Pakistan Senate
March
03, 2021
Gurdeep
Singh of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on Wednesday became the
first turban-clad Sikh representative from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in
Pakistan's Senate when he defeated rival candidates on a minority seat by a
huge margin in the election to the upper chamber of Parliament.
Singh
secured 103 votes in the House of 145 whereas Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (Fazlur)
candidate Ranjeet Singh secured just 25 votes and Asif Bhatti of the Awami
National Party received 12.
The
Election Commission authorities informed that five votes of minority candidates
were rejected by the Presiding Officer.
Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mehmud Khan had claimed that Singh would secure 102
votes whereas he obtained one more vote indicating that one Opposition member
also voted in his favour.
Singh,
who hails from Swat district, is the first turban-clad Sikh representative from
the province in the Senate.
Hindu
community leader Haroon Sarabdiyal hailed the election of Singh as Senator from
the province, saying it's good omen for the minority community.
The
total strength of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party led by Prime Minister
Imran Khan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly is 94. The extra votes were
polled by the members of the parliamentary parties supporting the PTI in the
province.
The
members of the Senate - the upper house of parliament - are elected for
six-year terms.
https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2021/03/03/gurdeep-singh-makes-history-as-first-sikh-from-kpk-to-get-elected-to-pakistan-senate.html
--------
Pope
Francis says he will visit Iraq as ‘pilgrim of peace’
04
March ,2021
On
the eve of his trip to Iraq, Pope Francis paid tribute on Thursday to those who
have suffered from years of violence, saying he came as a “pilgrim of peace”.
In
a video message, the 84-year-old offered his hand to “brothers and sisters of
other religions”, but also highlighted the heavy toll paid by Iraq’s Christian
communities, saying there had been “too many martyrs”.
“I
long to meet you, to see your faces, to visit your land, ancient and
extraordinary cradle of civilization,” the pope said, the day before his
three-day trip.
“I
come as a pilgrim, a penitent pilgrim to implore forgiveness and reconciliation
from the Lord after years of war and terrorism.
“I
come as a pilgrim of peace in search of fraternity, animated by the desire to
pray together and to walk together, also with the brothers and sisters of other
religions.”
There
had been “too many martyrs”, he said, while survivors “have in your eyes the
images of destroyed houses and desecrated churches, and in your hearts the
wounds of loved ones left behind and homes abandoned”.
Francis
is fulfilling the dream of a predecessor, John Paul II, by visiting Iraq --
despite a rampaging coronavirus epidemic and an upsurge in violence.
The
country’s Christian community -- one of the world’s oldest -- has fallen from
1.5 million in 2003 to just 400,000 today.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/03/04/Pope-Francis-says-he-will-visit-Iraq-as-pilgrim-of-peace-
--------
ICC
opens probe into war crimes in Israeli-held territories
March
4, 2021
THE
HAGUE: The International Criminal Court opened a formal investigation on
Wednesday into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories, in a move
blasted by Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu as the “essence of
anti-Semitism.” Palestinian authorities hailed the decision by ICC chief
prosecutor Fatou Bensouda as an “urgent and necessary” probe into the situation
in the blockaded Gaza Strip along with the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east
Jerusalem since June 2014.
The
move plunges the Hague-based tribunal — which has faced frequent criticism by
Israel and its ally the United States — into the midst of one of the world’s
most bitter conflicts and risks inflaming an already tense situation.
Bensouda
said she had decided there were “admissible potential cases” on both sides,
with the investigation focusing on the 2014 Gaza conflict, which left more than
2,000 people dead.
“In
the end, our central concern must be for the victims of crimes, both
Palestinian and Israeli, arising from the long cycle of violence and insecurity
that has caused deep suffering and despair on all sides,” the prosecutor said.
Gambian-born
Bensouda said the formal investigation followed a “painstaking” five-year
preliminary probe, and vowed it would be conducted “independently, impartially
and objectively, without fear or favour.” Israel has refused to sign up to the
court, set up in 2002 to try the world’s worst crimes, but the Palestinians
have been a state party to the ICC since 2015.
ICC
judges paved the way for a war crimes investigation when they ruled a month ago
that the court has jurisdiction over the situation due to the Palestinians’
membership.
The
probe will focus on Operation Protective Edge, the military operation launched
by Israel in the summer of 2014 with the stated aim of stopping rocket fire
into the country by militants of Islamist movement Hamas.
Around
2,250 Palestinians were killed in the 2014 fighting, mostly civilians, and 74
Israelis, mostly soldiers.
“The
state of Israel is under attack this evening,” Netanyahu said in a video posted
on Twitter about the ICC decision. “The international court based in The Hague
reached a decision which is the essence of anti-Semitism.” Israeli Foreign
Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said the country would “take every step necessary to
protect its civilians and soldiers from legal persecution” and said the probe
could impact the stalled peace process. The Palestinian Authority hailed
Wednesday’s decision meanwhile.
“The
crimes committed by the leaders of the Israeli occupation against the
Palestinian people — which are ongoing, systematic and widespread — make this
investigation necessary and urgent,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad
Al-Maliki said in a statement. There was no immediate reaction from the United
States.
The
US State Department said in February it had “serious concerns” about the ICC
ruling on jurisdiction, adding that Israel should not be bound by the court as
it was not a member.
In
2019, Bensouda said in her initial application for the probe that there is a
“reasonable basis” to believe crimes were committed by members of the Israeli
Defence Forces, Israeli authorities, Hamas and Palestinian armed groups.
These
include the Israeli military allegedly “intentionally launching
disproportionate attacks” during the 2014 conflict and “wilful killing and
wilfully causing serious injury”, she said.
Hamas
and Palestinian armed groups were accused of “intentionally directing attacks
against civilians” and “using protected persons as shields” during the Gaza
conflict.
The
ICC prosecutor also said there is scope to investigate the deaths of
Palestinian demonstrators from 2018 onwards.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610578/icc-opens-probe-into-war-crimes-in-israeli-held-territories
--------
Algeria
prepares law to withdraw nationality of people threatening state
04
March ,2021
Algeria
plans for the first time to deprive of nationality citizens who commit acts
abroad that are liable to “seriously damage the interests of the state or harm
the national unity,” the prime minister’s office said on Wednesday.
The
measure will apply to people who join, finance or glorify a terrorist
organization, it said in a statement after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister
Abdelaziz Djerad to discuss amendments to the nationality law and other issues.
The
new provision applies also to “everyone who deals with an enemy country,” the
statement said.
It
said the provisions of the law remain compatible with international conventions
and guarantee the right to appeal, without providing more details on reasons
behind the amendment.
The
measure is expected to be discussed again later at a cabinet meeting chaired by
President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/03/04/Algeria-prepares-law-to-withdraw-nationality-of-people-threatening-state
--------
India
26
Assam Muslim women on ‘D-voter’ list move SC
Mar
4, 2021
NEW
DELHI: Ahead of Assam assembly polls, the Supreme Court on Wednesday sought
responses from the Centre, the Election Commission and the Assam government on
a petition filed by 26 Muslim women from Muslim-majority Barpeta district
alleging that their names have been arbitrarily placed in the ‘doubtful voter’
list for the last 23 years.
"The
main point requires consideration," a bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and
Justices L N Rao and S R Bhat said after hearing counsel Jayshree Satpute and
Tripti Poddar, who appeared for Tahmina Khatun and 25 other Muslim women. The
bench asked the respondents to file their replies to the petition within four
weeks.
The
petitioners, 24 of whom are from Bheragaon in Barpeta district which has a
Muslim population of over 70%, alleged that Tahmina, followed by 25 other women
petitioners, had filed an application in 2019 under the Right to Information
Act seeking a copy of the report on the basis of which they were marked as
D-voters after failing to elicit any information from other authorities for
years.
The
electoral registration officer (ERO) responded on September 7, 2019, and told
Tahmina and later the other 25 women, "As per records, the D-mark is seen
to have been put in the year 1997, but no such records of putting the D-mark is
available in the office. No records of putting the D-mark are available."
The petitioners sought removal of D-voter status, arguing that by implication,
it doubted their Indian citizenship.
The
petitioners said there was no procedure or norm provided under the Constitution
or any law to mark a voter as doubtful. "The implication of 'D' mark
against an individual's name in the voter list is far-reaching and includes the
denial of basic human rights, constitutional rights, and other statutory
rights, like denial of ration and the right to vote among others," they
said.
They
said the electoral officers acted contrary to law by not affording any
opportunity to them before marking D against their names. "In fact, the
respondents have neither furnished any information about the procedure adopted
to mark nor any reasons for such actions, despite multiple efforts and several
visits to the offices of the respondents in this regard," they said.
Though
coming from an overwhelmingly Muslim majority district, the 26 women
petitioners said they and their families faced social stigma of being declared
doubtful voters. However, they did not mention whether their husbands and other
family members too have been placed in the D-voter list.
They
said that placing them in the D-voter list had led to loss of livelihood and
hindered access to government entitlements like right to food, education and
healthcare apart from staring at the consequences of incarceration and being
rendered stateless.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/26-assam-muslim-women-on-d-voter-list-move-sc/articleshow/81321379.cms
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J-K
Police busts terrorist hideout of Hizbul Mujahideen in Awantipora
03rd
March 2021
AWANTIPORA:
A terrorist hideout of proscribed terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen was busted
and destroyed in Awantipora, police said on Wednesday.
"Upon
information of terrorist hideout in the forest area of Seer/Pastoona, Police
along with 42 RR and 180 Bn CRPF launched a search operation in the said area.
During search one hideout of the proscribed outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen was
busted and subsequently destroyed," read a release by the Jammu and Kashmir
Police.
The
police said the size of the hideout is approximately 5 feetx7 feetx4 feet.
Incriminating
material of proscribed outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and other materials including
utensils, food items have been recovered from the hideout.
All
the material has been taken into police custody for investigation purpose,
police said.
A
case under relevant sections of law has been registered at Tral police station.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/mar/03/j-k-police-busts-terrorist-hideout-of-hizbul-mujahideen-in-awantipora-2271639.html
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Muslims’
Share In Welfare Schemes More Than Share In Population: Yogi Adityanath
MAR
04, 2021
Uttar
Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday in the state assembly
that Muslims’ share in the state government’s welfare schemes was many times
more than their share in the state’s population. He added that the state
government was providing benefits of welfare schemes to all people without any
discrimination.
Making
an intervention during the debate on the state Budget, he alleged that the
previous governments used a ‘pick and choose’ policy to identify beneficiaries
of welfare schemes, while his government was committed to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ mantra.
“The
Muslim population in UP is 17-19%, but their share in the benefits of welfare
schemes is 30-35%,” he said, drawing attention of SP member and Leader of
Opposition (LoP) Ahmad Hasan. He said there was no discrimination based on
caste, creed, religion, region and language when it came to implementation of
government schemes. “This is what we call the Modi model,” he said.
The
CM took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party and said that the kind of socialism
practised by stalwarts such as Acharya Narendra Dev, Jai Prakash Narayan and
Ram Manohar Lohiya is lost on SP leaders of today.
“Today’s
socialism has become a multiform brand—socialism of caste, socialism of family
and by the time socialism comes to Shivpal Yadav, it becomes ‘pragatisheel’,”
he said amid repeated interruptions by SP members.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/muslims-share-in-welfare-schemes-more-than-share-in-population-yogi-adityanath-101614833613262.html
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‘Don't
Agree With 'Love Jihad' Term’: Dy CM as BJP in Haryana Plans Law
March
04, 2021
Chandigarh:
As the BJP-led government in Haryana prepares to table legislation to check
"love jihad", key ally and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala is
not entirely on board and he has made it clear. In an interview to NDTV, he
says he does not agree with the term "love jihad", used by the
rightwing to describe what they call a ruse by Muslim men to reel in Hindu
women and force them to convert.
"I
don’t agree with this term called 'love jihad'. We will get a law specifically
for checking forceful religious conversion and we will support it. If anybody
converts willingly or marries to a partner of another faith, then there is no
bar," Dushyant Chautala told NDTV.
The
remarks come at a time Dushyant Chautala and his Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)
have been at odds with the BJP over the farmer protests. Mr Chautala has backed
the demand to review the central laws opposed by farmers, an important
constituency for the Haryana-based party. He even threatened to resign if the
farmers were not heard.
On
a law to check "love jihad" - several BJP-ruled states including
Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have already enacted such
legislation - the JJP is facing questions and apprehension in the Nuh district,
where Muslims form a significant chunk.
Mr
Chautala held a meeting with members of the community in Chandigarh on
Wednesday. "We had organized a meeting of people from Mewat with our
leader Dushyant Chautala. He addressed our concern regarding the new law to be
introduced in assembly," said Mohsin Chaudhary, head of JJP's minority
cell.
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Four
cases of interfaith relationships have been lodged in Haryana over the past
three years, an RTI (Right to Information) reply has revealed. The police have
moved to cancel the FIRs in two of the cases and a third ended in an acquittal.
The fourth case is in court.
The
RTI application was filed by PP Kapoor, a Panipat resident. The reply said a
total of four cases of 'love jihad' were lodged in Ambala, Nuh and Panipat
districts.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/dushyant-chautala-dont-agree-with-love-jihad-term-ally-as-bjp-in-haryana-plans-law-2383350
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Aisha
suicide: Owaisi slams dowry system
Mar
4, 2021
HYDERABAD:
A day after Aarif Khan was arrested for abetting the suicide of his wife Aisha
Banu Makrani in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday slammed
the dowry system in the country and said harassing women over the social evil
was not a sign of manhood.
“No
matter which religion you belong to, end this greed for dowry. Harassing your
wife, beating her up for dowry or any financial transaction is not manhood. The
family should be ashamed for forcing the girl to take the extreme step,” he
said while addressing AIMIM cadre here. He spoke in detail about Aisha, 23, who
committed suicide allegedly due to harassment by her husband and in-laws for
dowry.
Owaisi
expressed grief over the girl’s suicide. “How many more women have to suffer?
What kind of men are these that kill women? Is humanity dead among people?
There are so many men who torture women, physically assault them, seek dowry
and yet pretend to be an angel in the outside world,” he said, adding that one
may fool the world but can’t fool Allah. He appealed to all Muslim men to be good
to women and their families.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/aisha-suicide-owaisi-slams-dowry-system/articleshow/81321705.cms
--------
Orthodox
Church bishops in Kerala meet RSS functionary
Mar
4, 2021
KOCHI:
Senior bishops of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church met joint general
secretary of the RSS Manmohan Vaidya in Kochi on Wednesday.
Bishops
Geevarghese Mar Yulios, the metropolitan in charge of Ahmedabad diocese, said
after the meeting that the discussions were not about electoral politics but on
the feud between the Orthodox and the Jacobite factions of the Malankkara
church.
Mar
Yulios was accompanied by Yakoob Mar Irenaios of the Kochi diocese. The duo had
called on Muslim League leaders at Panakkad in January.
“The
meeting was related to the nation, not politics. A verdict of the apex court of
the nation has not yet been executed in Kerala. Not only that, there is a doubt
now whether the state government would act against the verdict. Moreover, some
people are conducting rallies and meetings to abuse the Orthodox Church. So, we
are on a mission to communicate with other organisations about the truth behind
the issue. The meetings with RSS as well as the League were held in this
context,” said Mar Yulios.
He
said he was close with Vaidya since they had both worked in Gujrat.
“BJP
or BJP’s policies were not discussed. The synod has entrusted us to meet with
various organisations to convey the truth behind the issue in the Malankara
church,” said Mar Yulios.
He
added that some politicians, including a few MLAs have spoken against the
church. “Meetings and rallies against the church have been taking place
repeatedly. Speeches were made against the apex court’s ruling. Some of them
even targeted our venerated bishops who had passed away decades ago,” said Mar
Yulios.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/orthodox-church-bishops-in-kerala-meet-rss-functionary/articleshow/81321780.cms
--------
Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq released from house arrest after 19 months
Mar
4, 2021
SRINAGAR:
Ahead of the auspicious Islamic occasion of Mehraj-e-Alam, which falls on March
11, moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) chairman Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq was released from house detention on Wednesday after 19 months. He had
been under house arrest since August 2019 when the Centre scrapped the special
status of J&K and split the erstwhile state into two Union territories of
J&K and Ladakh.
According
to officials, Mirwaiz was allowed to move out of his house at Nigeen in
Srinagar’s Hazratbal area from Tuesday. “I am happy to learn that I am a free
man now,” Mirwaiz told TOI on Wednesday.
A
Hurriyat spokesman, however, said the decision of the release has not been
officially conveyed to Mirwaiz so far.
Mirwaiz
said: “I will now undertake a campaign against drug addiction, which has
started eating up our society, particularly our youths.”
He
said he will ensure that there is no law and order problem in the locality
around Jamia Masjid in Nowhatta area of the city.
Meanwhile,
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti welcomed the release of Mirwaiz from “arbitrary
detention”. She termed it a good news for political, social and religious
wellbeing of the people of J&K.
Mehbooba
tweeted, “Good to hear about Mirwaiz’s release from arbitrary detention. I hope
that hundreds of Kashmiri men languishing in jails in & outside J&K
will also be released soon. It’s time they returned home to their families.”
Several
mainstream politicians, including former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar
Abdullah and Mehbooba herself, who were also arrested following the August 2019
move of the Centre and against whom the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) was
slapped, were released in a staggered manner earlier.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/mirwaiz-umar-farooq-released-from-house-arrest-after-19-months/articleshow/81318028.cms
--------
North America
Progressives
Urge Biden to Quickly Honour Election Pledge On JCPOA, Abandon 'Max Pressure'
Against Iran
04
March 2021
A
number of progressive organizations have urged the Biden administration to
swiftly join a 2015 Iran nuclear agreement that was abandoned by the Trump
administration in favor of the “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran,
calling the policy a “dangerous failure”.
Trump’s
so-called maximum pressure policy “led to increased suffering for the Iranian
public,” 32 progressive groups said in a letter to the White House on the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the nuclear deal.
They
said the policy isolated the United States from its closest allies in Europe.
They
also said they were concerned by “recent statements that could be construed to
indicate that Iran must take the first steps to meet its JCPOA obligations
before the United States takes its own steps.”
Biden
and other members of his administration criticized Trump’s withdrawal from the
deal before the presidential election and vowed to rejoin the deal if elected.
In
recent weeks, however, the Biden administration has insisted that Iran must
fully honor its nuclear undertakings under the JCPOA before the US re-enters
the deal.
Tehran
reduced its nuclear obligations under the nuclear pact starting a year after
Washington’s 2018 withdrawal, citing the remaining parties’ failure to protect
its interests under the internationally-endorsed deal.
Iran
argues that because the US withdrawal and its subsequent sanctions were the
main reason behind its nuclear commitments suspensions, it is the US that
should take the first step. However, Iran also proposed a synchronized action
by the two sides to return to full compliance with the JCPOA, a proposal that
was rejected by Washington.
“The
fact of the matter is that the United States was the first to violate the
deal,” the groups said.
“It
is therefore reasonable to expect the United States to at the very least take
concurrent steps with Iran to rejoin it,” they added.
Last
week, the White House officially acknowledged that the maximum pressure policy
has failed, without offering a clear path out.
In
remarks on Wednesday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price also admitted
that Iran remained compliant with the JCPOA before the deal was ditched by
Trump, and took steps away from the agreement only after the ill-judged
measure.
“The
IAEA, while the Iran deal, while the JCPOA was in full effect, while Iran was
abiding by it, they expressed confidence that Iran was living up to its
limits,” Price said. “I suspect if you go and ask them (the IAEA), they will
tell you that they were satisfied by Iran’s compliance with the deal. Iran was
complying with the deal.”
Republicans
still push for Trump’s maximum pressure
Meanwhile,
the Republicans, who lost the House of Representatives, the White House and the
Senate in recent years, have been working on a range of measures to stop the
Biden administration from re-entering the JCPOA, making a sharp contrast to the
progressive wing of the Democratic party.
Among
other things, the Republicans on Tuesday unveiled their most detailed plan to
block the Biden administration from unraveling Trump’s maximum pressure policy
against Iran and easing the sanctions the former hawkish president slapped on
Iran, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Richard
Goldberg, a senior adviser at the so-called Foundation for Defense of
Democracies (FDD), said such comprehensive rejection of attempts to rejoin the
JCPOA and lift US sanctions “doesn’t just send a message to the Biden
administration—it sends a very loud message to banks and companies around the
world.”
“The
message: Even if President Biden manages to lift sanctions at some point, the
moment Republicans take control of Congress or the White House pendulum swings
back to a Republican, US sanctions will return in full force if Iran hasn't
stopped its malign activities,” he claimed.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/04/646513/us-iran-deal-biden-sanctions-jcpoa-progressive-groups-
--------
US
senators offer bill to curb Biden war powers after Syria-Iraq border strike
03
March 2021
Two
US senators have introduced bipartisan legislation to take back the White
House's authorization for the use of military force in the Middle East, a week
after President Joe Biden ordered an attack on the Iraqi-Syrian border.
Democratic
Senator Tim Kaine and Republican Senator Todd Young led the Wednesday measure,
which would repeal 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force
(AUMF) against Iraq.
In
a statement, the senators said the bill is an effort to prevent the future
misuse of the expired Persian Gulf and Iraq War authorizations, but added that
“repealing these authorities will not impact ongoing US operations to counter
ISIS (Daesh).”
The
move came a week after the administration of Joe Biden conducted its first
illegal military action inside Syria to target the facilities of Iraq’s Popular
Mobilization Units (PMU). The attack killed one and wounded four others.
“Last
week’s airstrikes in Syria show that the Executive Branch, regardless of party,
will continue to stretch its war powers,” Kaine said. “Congress has a
responsibility to not only vote to authorize new military action, but to repeal
old authorizations that are no longer necessary.”
The
US caused considerable tension in Iraq with the assassination of top Iranian
anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi comrade
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of the PMU, near Baghdad International
Airport in January last year.
The
United States’ positions in Iraq have been targeted several times since the
assassination, which was directly ordered by former US President Donald Trump.
Under
the US Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the right to authorize
war.
Young
described the war authorities as “outdated”, saying Congress has been operating
on “autopilot” in recent decades with regard to authorizing the use of military
force.
“Congress
must not shy away from this debate and I look forward to working with my
colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance this important
legislation,” he added.
The
bill is also cosponsored by Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth, Chris Coons
and Dick Durbin, as well as Republican Senators Mike Lee, Chuck Grassley and
Rand Paul.
“For
decades, administrations of both parties have kept these authorizations on the
books to justify military action in the region without returning to Congress to
make their best legal case for the need for such action,” Duckworth said.
“I’m
proud to join this bipartisan resolution that would repeal these outdated war
authorities and I hope we can work in a bipartisan way to address war powers.”
Other
members of Congress have in recent days criticized the Biden administration for
the strike conducted in the early hours of Friday, questioning the legality of
the move.
“Military
action - in a country where Congress has not authorized war - is
unconstitutional in almost all circumstances,” Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan
Omar said in a statement.
Democratic
Senator Bernie Sanders said US presidents for too long exercised military
overreach under the guise of keeping “Americans safe”.
“The
president has the responsibility to keep Americans safe, but for too long
administrations of both parties have interpreted their authorities in an
extremely expansive way to continue war. This must end,” he said in a
statement.
Republican
Senator Rand Paul condemned “attacking a sovereign nation.” He also questioned
whether the US president is authorized to strike Syria.
Last
year, US Congress passed a resolution to prevent Trump from waging a war
against Iran. The resolution, whose chief sponsor was Kaine, was vetoed by
Trump, who described it as “very insulting”.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/03/646506/US-senators-act-to-curb-presidential-war-power
--------
Europe
COVID-19
vaccine does not break Ramadan fast, UK-Muslim medical experts urge
Ismaeel
Naar
04
March ,2021
Taking
a COVID-19 vaccine will not break a Muslim’s fast during Ramadan, British
Islamic medical groups said after concerns were raised ahead of the holy month.
“Taking
the COVID-19 vaccines currently licensed in the UK does not invalidate the
fast, as per the opinion of Islamic scholars. Individuals should not delay
their COVID vaccinations on the account of Ramadan,” the British Islamic
Medical Association said in a statement.
“Subcutaneous,
subdermal, intramuscular, interosseous, or intra-articular injections for
non-nutritional purposes whilst fasting does not invalidate the fast,
regardless of the injected content entering the blood circulation. These routes
are not classed as entry sites that would invalidate the fast. Receiving the
COVID-19 vaccine as an intramuscular injection, the only route for the vaccines
currently available, therefore does not invalidate the fast,” the medical
association added in its statement.
Ramadan
is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar and is expected to run from April
12 until May 12 this year. More than 1.5 billion Muslims around the world will
mark the month, during which believers abstain from eating, drinking, smoking,
and having marital relations from dawn until sunset. They also try to avoid
evil thoughts and deeds.
Fasting
during the month of Ramadan is also one of the five pillars of Islam. It is
followed by the Eid al-Fitr holiday.
The
NHS Race and Health Observatory’s director, Dr Habib Naqvi, told The
Independent newspaper said there were some concerns for Muslims taking the
vaccine during the daytime and feeling unwell after being vaccinated, with some
concerns being raised about taking pain relief medication post-vaccination.
“We
need to tackle and address early concerns raised by Muslim communities who may
be offered their vaccinations whilst fasting and working in frontline and
supporting roles. There is no reason why a first or second dose vaccine cannot
be administered during Ramadan. The content is halal, and receiving it will not
invalidate the Ramadan fast, as per the opinion of Islamic scholars,” Naqvi
told The Independent.
In
December, the United Arab Emirates’ Fatwa Council, the country’s highest
Islamic authority, issued a ruling allowing Muslims to receive coronavirus
vaccines even if they contain “non-halal ingredients” such as pork gelatin.
“Coronavirus
vaccination is classified under preventive medicines for individuals, as
recommended by the Islamic faith, particularly in times of pandemic diseases
when the healthy happen to be prone to infections due to the high risk of contracting
the disease, therefore posing risk to the entire society,” the council said at
the time.
Spokespeople
for Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have said that pork products are not part
of their COVID-19 vaccines. But limited supply and preexisting deals worth
millions of dollars with other companies means that some countries with large
Muslim populations, such as Indonesia, will receive vaccines that have not yet
been certified to be gelatin-free, according to the Associated Press.
https://english.alarabiya.net/coronavirus/2021/03/04/Coronavirus-COVID-19-vaccine-does-not-break-Ramadan-fast-UK-Muslim-medical-experts-urge
--------
Pope
hopes 'Fratelli tutti' in Russian will help promote fraternity
Mar
04, 2021
By
Robin Gomes
Pope
Francis hopes that reflection and exchange on his encyclical, Fratelli tutti,
can help dialogue grow between Christians and Muslims, not only in the Russian
Federation, but everywhere in the world.
The Pope expressed this wish in a message to the official presentation
of the Russian translation of the encyclical at a ceremony on Wednesday at the
"Pokrovskie vorota" cultural center in Moscow, Russia. Sponsored by the Spiritual Direction of
Muslims of the Russian Federation, the translation is the result of the efforts
of the Muslim International Forum and Medina Publishing. Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of the Catholic
Archdiocese of Moscow and Apostolic Nuncio to Russia, and Archbishop Giovanni
Aniello, officially presented the translation at Wednesday’s event in Moscow.
Pope
Francis regarded the news of the Russian translation as “a beautiful and joyful
surprise”. “In this way,” he wrote, “it
will be made available to a large number of men and women of good will who wish
to confront this text.”The Holy Father said he was also “delighted and
impressed by the fact that it was the Muslim International Forum that edited
this translation into Russian”. He
thinks that “reflection and dialogue on this Encyclical can be of help not only
to the Russian Federation, where dialogue between Christians and Muslims is
called to grow, but to the human family as a whole.” “Indeed, in the globalized and interconnected
world in which we live, a gesture that is made in one corner has repercussions
in every other part,” the Pope said in his message for the event.He expressed
his confidence that “open and sincere discussion on the issues of Fratelli
tutti can foster dialogue between religions”. “Indeed,” he continued,
“fraternity comes from recognizing the one Father.” “And, if we are all
children of the one Father, then we can call ourselves brothers and sisters
and, above all, live as such,” he said.
Concluding with sentiments of gratitude, the Pope said “I wish you all a
fruitful study of this text and that you may benefit from it in your personal
and social lives.”
http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/pope-hopes-fratelli-tutti-in-russian-will-help-promote-fraternity/58297/1
--------
Pakistan
Hindu
General Panchayat Issues 24-Hour Ultimatum To Police To Arrest Hindu Youth’s
Killers
March
4, 2021
SUKKUR:
Leaders of Hindu General Panchayat and Chamber of Commerce Jacobabad on
Wednesday gave ultimatum to police to arrest killers of Mahesh Kumar within 24
hours, else they will stage protests and observe shutter-down strike in the
city.
Panchayat
president Lal Chand Seetlani and chamber’s head Mir Ahmed Ali Brohi flanked by
the victim’s father Ashok Kumar said at a joint press conference at Jacobabad
Press Club that Mahesh was killed after ruthless torture and his body trussed
up in a sack and set on fire at a deserted place in Dangar Mohalla a week ago.
The
torched body was identified after an entire day after which the administration
handed it over to heirs and a case was registered at city police station, they
said.
They
said that lawlessness had become order of the day in Jacobabad where incidents
of robbery and theft had become almost a daily routine. A few days back, a
youth, Hafiz Iftikhar Lashari, was also injured by a gang of armed robbers when
he put up resistance to dacoits’ attempt to snatch his motorcycle. The youth
later succumbed to his injuries, they said.
They
said that police had completely failed to control lawlessness and people had
been left at the mercy of criminals. The incidents of crime had shot up
particularly after Jacobabad deputy commissioner started demolishing houses and
rendering people homeless, they said.
Later,
SSP Mohammad Tariq Nawaz met Hindu leaders at Panchayat Hall and assured them
that police had reached the culprits who would be caught within a few hours,
but their identities could not be made public at this stage.
PSP
rally against lawlessness
Activists
of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) took out a rally in Jacobabad on Wednesday in
protest against worsening law and order conditions in the city.
The
rally started from the party’s office and reached local press club where the
participants held a sit-in and blocked road.
PSP
leaders Zaheer Ahmed Jakhrani, Aslam Mugheri, Kareem Bux Pathan and others said
that lawlessness reigned supreme in Jacobabad. Two men were killed mercilessly
in the town within a few days. Mahesh Kumar was killed after torture and
torched and Hafiz Iftikhar Lashari was injured critically and later succumbed
to wounds when criminals fired at him on his refusal to let go of his
motorcycle, they said.
They
said that in the absence of police action, incidents of motorcycle snatching
and other crimes had become a daily routine and they had deepened a sense of
insecurity among citizens.
They
said that criminals had become so audacious they were now killing people with
impunity after committing robbery because they had apparently no fear of police
catching them. They demanded Sindh IGP, Larkana DIG and other higher
authorities concerned control lawlessness and take stern action against
inefficient and incompetent police officials. Killers of Mahesh Kumar and Hafiz
Iftikhar Lashari be arrested immediately, they said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610515/panchayat-issues-24-hour-ultimatum-to-police-to-arrest-hindu-youths-killers
--------
PM
Imran lost right to rule, should resign now: Fazl
MANSOOR
ALI
March
04, 2021
ISLAMABAD
- The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Chief and head of Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) Maulana Fazlur Rehman said yesterday that Imran Khan had no
other way but to resign as he had lost the right to rule the country anymore.
Addressing
a media talk after a meeting with delegation of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at his residence, Maulana Fazl said
that the real face of Imran Khan government was badly exposed after the
historical win of Yousaf Raza Gillani.
Maulana
stated that the win of Yousaf Raza Gillani had proved that parliament had shown
non-confidence over Prime Minister Imran Khan as the incumbent government’s
candidate lost with a clear margin.
Win
in election victory of democratic forces: Gillani
Maulana
maintained that Imran Khan himself had wasted his vote; saying that he himself
had also been wasted and had no right to rule the people of Pakistan.
Meanwhile,
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the opposition had defeated the
government through a democratic way and will always defeat the opposite sides
through free, fair and democratic way.
The
senior leader of PML-N Ahsan Iqbal stated that today was a historical day for
democracy of Pakistan; adding that the win of Yousaf Raza Gillani had proved
that no one could beat democracy and civil supremacy.
On
the occasion, Yousaf Raza Gillani thanked all opposition parties and said that
his win was the victory of people of Pakistan and democratic forces.
https://nation.com.pk/04-Mar-2021/pm-imran-lost-right-to-rule-should-resign-now-fazl
--------
Dawat-e-Islami
delegation calls on PML leaders
March
04, 2021
LAHORE
- Haji Muhammad Imran Attari, head of central Majlis-e-Shura, Dawat-e-Islami and its member Haji Ya’afoor
Raza Attari, called on the President and former Prime Minister of Pakistan
Muslim League, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Speaker Punjab Assembly Chaudhry
Parvez Elahi at their residence here. They inquired about the well-being of Ch
Shujaat Hussain and Haji Imran also offered special prayers for the speedy and
complete recovery of the PML leader. Ch Sabahat Elahi, Rana Khalid and Asif
Polani were also present on the occasion.
Haji Imran Attari and Haji Ya’afoor Raza Attari briefed Ch Shujaat Hussain
on various aspects of Islamic Dawat-e-Islami. Ch Shujaat Hussain said that
Dawat-e-Islami had maintained the position of preaching Islam in a very
efficient manner as those extending invitation of Islam were very near to God
Almighty. He said, “We have to do our
own deeds. Allah has endowed man with intellect and taught him to distinguish
between good and evil. Allah gives His servants the opportunity to repent of
their sins and take the right path.” Ch Shujat further stated: “The man does
wrong thing himself and then says that Allah is the owner, black can never be
white unless he himself works hard to fix it”.
He lauded the efforts of various sections of the Dawat-e-Islami,
especially the Islamic reform of prisoners in jails. Haji Imran and Haji
Ya’afoor expressed special thanks to Ch Shujaat Hussain and Ch Parvez Elahi and
said that their family had always supported the Dawat-e-Islami and served it to
the fullest.
He
also invited the Chaudhry brothers to visit the Faizan-e-Medinah, International
Center in Karachi.
https://nation.com.pk/04-Mar-2021/dawat-e-islami-delegation-calls-on-pml-leaders
--------
MNA
urged to resign over child marriage
Wisal
Yousafzai
March
04, 2021
PESHAWAR:
Civil
Society has demand resignation of MNA Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi for getting
married to a 14-year-old girl in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
Members
of the Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN) expressed disappointment over
the illegal marriage of MNA Maulana Salahuddin Ayubi with a 14-year-old girl in
Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the news, the girl was a student of
Government Girls High School, Jughoor, where her date of birth had been
recorded as Oct 28, 2006, which showed that she had not attained the age of
marriage.
With
the legal age of marriage for girls being 16 except in Sindh where it is 18,
Pakistan has the sixth-highest number of absolute child brides in the world
(1.9 million). Child marriage prevalence rates in Pakistan remain alarmingly
high, more than 21 per cent of girls in Pakistan are married before 18 and
three per cent before they are 15. Across provinces, prevalence is reported to
be highest in Sindh (33%), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (29%), Balochistan
(22%), and Punjab (20%).
It
is estimated that by ending Child and Early Age Marriage (CEAM) the country
could potentially save $77 million by 2030 or lead to a $6229 million raise in
earnings and productivity. It would also lead to the reduction of
multi-dimensional poverty level – the number one priority for the government.
Salahuddin
Ayubi was elected to National Assembly from constituency NA-263 (Kila Abdullah)
as a leader of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F).
Taimur
Kamal, Coordinator Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN) said: “MNA
Salahuddin Ayubi should immediately resign as he has violated the Child
Marriage Restraint Act 1929 according to which no girl below the age of 16 can
be legally married in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa or elsewhere in Pakistan”
“Girls
are being bought like heads of cattle in the name of marriage and smuggled out
of Chitral without inviting any attention,” said Coordinator of the Child
Rights Movement (CRM) Sana Ahmad.
“This
is a modern shape of human trafficking. Girls are bought and transported out of
Chitral by organized gangs. Oftentime wealthy people come to Chitral looking
for a second wife. No one cares about these poor girls afterwards,” she added.
Imran
Takkar, a child rights activist, said: “We need very clear strategies to end
child marriages long-term strategies, short-term, and medium-term strategies.
We need to talk about the problem rooted in our culture. We cannot solve it in
one, two, or five years. We need policies. We need legislation.”
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2287397/mna-urged-to-resign-over-child-marriage
--------
Education
official seeks action against male teachers over ‘harassment’ in Kohat
March
4, 2021
KOHAT:
The sub-divisional education officer (female) has demanded action against three
male teachers under the Harassment at Workplace Act allegedly for hurling
threats at her after she refused to revise a proposal for rationalisation of
female primary schoolteachers.
In
a letter addressed to the district education office (male), a copy of which is
also available with Dawn, Ms Asifa said she had prepared a list of
rationalisation of primary schoolteachers on Jan 13, 2021, which was approved
by the DEO.
She
said on Jan 26, when she was in the DEO office (female), the three male
teachers from different schools threatened her of consequences if she did not
revise the list.
In
the letter also addressed to the directorate of education, she said the
teachers were putting pressure on her through their cronies in the education
department and in political circles.
She
also warned of filing a defamation case against them for publishing a concocted
story to defame her in a local newspaper if action was not taken against them.
When
contacted, district education officer (female), Rizwana Liaquat, clarified that
she had no knowledge of any such case. If the victim had any grievance she
should have sent a complaint directly to her.
She,
however, admitted that the accused male teachers were in her office when Ms
Asfia had come to her office for some work.
BIKE
THIEVES ARRESTED: The Saddar police arrested a six-member gang of motorcycle
thieves on Wednesday.
Addressing
a press conference, DSP Nazir Hussain said over complaints of motorcycle and
cattle theft DIG Kohat division Tayyab Hafeez Cheema had constituted a team
under him which arrested the gang.
He
said four motorcycles, cattle, and weapons were recovered from the men.
Also,
district wildlife officer Abdul Samad Wazir and sub-divisional officer Shabbir
Khan led a walk to mark the World Wildlife Day on Wednesday.
On
the occasion, Mr Wazir said forests were a lifeline for both humans and animals
and provided a clean atmosphere. He said it was their duty to protect wildlife
and their breeding spaces.
Separately,
a truck hit an electricity pole near the old tax office in the wee hours on
Wednesday, disrupting power supply to a vast area for several hours.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610492/education-official-seeks-action-against-male-teachers-over-harassment-in-kohat
--------
PM
Imran names Sadiq Sanjrani as candidate for Senate chairman’s office
March
4, 2021
Sadiq
Sanjrani, the current Senate chairman, will once again contest the election for
chairmanship of the upper house of parliament as the ruling party's candidate.
Minister
for Information Shibli Faraz on Thursday tweeted that Prime Minister Imran Khan
has announced Sanjrani for Senate chairmanship.
Earlier,
sources had said many party members did not want to see Sanjrani again as
Senate chairman and wanted the party leadership to nominate a genuine party
activist or member for the coveted slot. Political experts have cautioned that
if the PTI insisted on Sanjrani’s nomination, it could face a similar situation
which it faced in the election on the Senate seat from Islamabad after
nominating Abdul Hafeez Shaikh against Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
On
the other hand, they believed if the PTI did not back Sanjrani, then this act
would annoy the Balochistan Awami Party, which is now the fourth largest party
in the Senate and second largest party after the PTI in the ruling alliance.
Blow
to the govt in Senate
The
much-hyped Senate election process was completed a day earlier after which all
eyes are now set on the coming election for the key offices of chairman and
deputy chairman of the upper house.
After
staging an upset in the Senate elections, the opposition parties have managed
to retain their majority in the upper house of parliament and are now hopeful
of getting the top offices of chairman and deputy chairman for which elections
through secret balloting will be held on March 12.
As
expected, a hung Senate emerged on 37 seats of the upper house of parliament as
the opposition and the ruling alliances now have 53 and 47 members,
respectively, in the (now) 100-member Senate.
Hours
after the ruling coalition’s candidate Finance Minister Shaikh suffered defeat
at the hands of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)'s joint candidate Gilani in
a major upset, the government announced that Prime Minister Imran would seek a
vote of confidence afresh from the National Assembly.
Rejected
votes played a significant role in the upset with Gilani securing 169 votes as
against 164 bagged by Shaikh, as the number of rejected votes exceeded the
margin of victory.
PDM
yet to officially announce candidate
Though
the PDM has not formally announced its candidates for the two offices, several
leaders, including PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, have hinted that Gilani
would be the joint candidate for the office of Senate chairman.
Besides
the two top Senate offices, the opposition parties are also yet to decide the
next opposition leader in the Senate as present opposition leader Raja Zafarul
Haq, who is among 52 retiring senators, has not contested the election this
time. Moreover, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is no more the largest
opposition party in the house and, therefore, technically speaking, it cannot
have a claim on the position of the opposition leader.
However,
sources said, if the PDM decided to nominate Gilani as the candidate for the
Senate chairman’s office, then the PML-N or Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl — the
other two major components of the PDM — could demand nomination of their
candidates for the offices of deputy chairman and opposition leader.
Sanjrani
was elected to the Senate as an independent candidate in the March 3, 2018
elections for the upper house of parliament and was sworn in as Senate chairman
later that month after he secured 57 votes out of the total 103 cast for the
seat, defeating the PML-N's Raja Zafarul Haq.
He
was the first-ever Senate chairman from Balochistan.
In
July 2019, the opposition had submitted a resolution of no-confidence against
Sanjrani as a first-step towards mounting pressure on the PTI-led coalition
government.
However,
Sanjrani survived the no-trust vote after 14 lawmakers from the opposition
ditched their party leadership by either voting against their own resolution or
deliberately wasting their votes.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1610648/pm-imran-names-sadiq-sanjrani-as-candidate-for-senate-chairmans-office
--------
Arab World
US,
Israel don’t dare target Hezbollah, fear response: Top official
04
March 2021
Hezbollah
Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem says the United States and Israel
do not dare attack the Lebanese resistance movement since they are aware that
the group’s firm determination to respond to any act on aggression will never
change.
Speaking
on Wednesday, Sheikh Qassem stressed that Hezbollah intends to remain in a
defensive position and does not want to initiate a war.
“Israel
must understand that the battleground is not open for it,” he said, adding that
any future battle will be taken to the depth of the Israeli-occupied
territories.
“If
Israel draws us to a confrontation, we are ready at any moment to teach it a
lesson that it will never forget,” the Hezbollah official said.
Currently,
any American or Israeli attack on Hezbollah is unlikely, Sheikh Qassem predicted,
adding, “They know that Hezbollah will respond to any act of aggression.”
The
Hezbollah official also said that one of the problems Lebanon is grappling with
is the pressure exerted by the US on the Middle Eastern country through the
imposition of various sanctions and conditions.
There
are no relations between Hezbollah and Washington, no matter if Donald Trump or
Joe Biden is in power in the United States, he added.
Hezbollah
was established following the 1982 Israeli invasion and occupation of southern
Lebanon. Since then, the popular resistance movement has grown into a powerful
military force.
Lebanon
fought off two Israeli wars in 2000 and 2006. On both occasions, battleground
contribution by Hezbollah proved an indispensable asset, forcing the Israeli
military into a retreat and shattering the myth of the occupying entity’s
invincibility.
Hezbollah
has on many occasions expressed its full readiness for confrontation in case
the Tel Aviv regime opts to launch an offensive against Lebanon.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/04/646530/Lebanon-Hezbollah-Naim-Qassem-US-Israel
--------
Iraq:
Cardinal Sako says ‘something has already changed’ in the nation
Mar
04, 2021
By
Stefano Leszczynski & Linda Bordoni
Pope
Francis’s 33rd visit abroad takes him to Iraq from March 5 to 8 . This
Apostolic Journey will begin in the capital, Baghdad, where the Pope is
scheduled to meet political and civil authorties and representatives of the
Catholic Church. He will then travel south to the holy city of Najaf to meet
the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a leading Iraqi Shia Muslim, as well as
religious leaders and communities of other faiths.For Iraq’s small Christian
community, the highlight of the trip will be the Pope’s visit to the north of
the country, where thousands of Christians in the area were killed under the
rule of so-called Islamic State between 2014 and 2017.Hundreds of thousands
more were forced to flee their homes in the face of violence and persecution.
Here, he will visit the cities of Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh to meet people who
are trying to rebuild their communities and churches.The Pope will return to
Rome on Monday, 8 March.Iraqi Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of Babylon
of the Chaldeans, told Vatican Radio’s Stefano Leszczynski that, as the entire
population prepares to welcome Pope Francis, something has already changed in
the nation.
Christians
and Muslims alike, said Cardinal Sako, are busy preparing posters of greetings,
and all media outlets are saying “Welcome Pope Francis! We are happy to welcome
you!”The Cardinal recalled a recent conversation with a Muslim lady, who
described this visit as “our last hope.” He said, “something is changing and
moving” within Iraqi society, and there is the hope the Pope’s presence will
serve also to help prepare a better future for all.Aside from all the logistic
preparations and the cleaning up of streets and cities, Cardinal Sako remarked
on how Christians are preparing their churches and other spaces for the
celebrations of Masses and meetings, everywhere the Pope is scheduled to go.He
underscored how one of the focuses of the journey will be on fraternity: “A
spiritual fraternity,” which he said will be especially highlighted when the
Holy Father travels to Ur, the birthplace of Abraham.Also in the forefront,
Cardinal Sako continued, is the interreligious aspect of the journey that
foresees, amongst others, a meeting with the Ayatollah Al-Sistani: “It will
have a big impact for Christians and Muslims.”
A
model of reconciliation for the Middle East?
Asked
whether he thinks Iraq can become an example of reconciliation in the Middle
East, the Chaldean Patriarch said: “This is our hope. Meanwhile, everyone now
is ready to take the first step.”Certainly, he concluded, the people of Iraq
really seem to be preparing the ground as everyone, the government and all
religious authorities, as well as Muslims, both Sunni and Shia - and Christians
of course - together with the entire population, are enthusiastically
“preparing, awaiting and expecting this visit.”
http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/iraq-cardinal-sako-says-something-has-already-changed-in-the-nation/58298/2
--------
Qatar
FM has ‘positive’ meeting with Egyptian counterpart in Cairo
03
March ,2021
Qatar’s
foreign minister met with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo on Wednesday on the
sidelines of a meeting of Arab states, Qatar’s state news agency reported, two
months after the end of a bitter regional dispute that placed the countries on
opposing sides.
Egypt,
along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, had cut ties
with Qatar in 2017 over accusations that Doha supported terrorism, a charge it
denies. But in January of this year, the Arab bloc agreed to restore
diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar.
Qatari
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met Egyptian Foreign
Minister Sameh Shoukry on the sidelines of an Arab League meeting, QNA
reported.
Sheikh
Mohammed was cited as saying both countries were keen on a return to warm
relations and that the meeting was characterized by a positive spirit and of
optimism.
Egypt’s
foreign ministry confirmed in a tweet the two had met.
Egyptian
and Qatari delegates met in Kuwait last month for the first time since the
dispute ended.
The
United States, which has close ties with all states involved, has seen the rift
as a threat to efforts to contain Iran and pushed for a united Gulf front.
The
row also rattled Arab power politics in the region, where Gulf states have used
their financial and political clout to influence events in Libya, Egypt, Syria,
Iraq and Yemen.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/03/04/Qatar-FM-has-positive-meeting-with-Egyptian-counterpart-in-Cairo
--------
Arab
Coalition destroys ballistic missile launched by Houthis toward Saudi Arabia
04
March ,2021
Joanne
Serrieh
The
Arab Coalition on Thursday destroyed a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s
Iran-backed Houthi militia toward Saudi Arabia’s Jazan, the official Saudi
Press Agency (SPA) reported.
“The
terrorist Houthi militia continues its attempts to target civilians… we are
taking operational measures to protect civilians in accordance with the
international humanitarian law,” the Coalition said in a statement carried by
SPA.
The
Arab Coalition announced overnight that its forces had intercepted two
explosives-laden drones launched toward Khamis Mushait, a southwestern city
home to the King Khalid Air Base.
Yemen’s
Houthi movement regularly launches drones and missiles into Saudi Arabia, many
of which Riyadh says it intercepts. Some have previously hit Abha International
Airport which is about 120 kilometer (75 miles) from the border with Yemen.
In
February, the Houthis claimed an attack on the Abha airport which caused a
civilian plane to catch fire. The militia said the airport was a military target,
according to AFP.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/03/04/Arab-Coalition-destroys-ballistic-missile-launched-by-Houthis-toward-Saudi-Arabia
--------
UN
experts call on Saudi Arabia to free three young Shia activists
03
March 2021
UN
human rights experts have urged Saudi Arabia to release three young Shia
Muslims detained for allegedly taking part in anti-regime protests when they
were minors, citing torture and unfair trials.
“We
reiterate our call to the authorities to release Mr Ali al-Nimr, Mr Dawood
al-Marhoon and Mr Abdullah al-Zaher or, at the very least, to retry them in
accordance with international law and standards, without delay,” the experts
said in a Wednesday statement, calling for the charges to be dropped.
Saudi
Arabia's state-backed Human Rights Commission said last month that the death
sentences given to Nimr, Marhoun and Zaher have been commuted to 10 years in
prison.
Ali
al-Nimr is the nephew of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Saudi cleric who had called for
reforms and was executed by the Riyadh regime in January 2016.
Ali
was sentenced to death over his alleged role in anti-regime protests in Eastern
Province in February 2012, when he was 17.
Since
2011, protesters in the province have been demanding reforms, freedom of
expression, the release of political prisoners, and an end to economic and
religious discrimination against the oil-rich region.
The
Saudi Human Rights Commission said on February 7 that Nimr’s sentence has been
commuted. He has served more than nine years in jail since his arrest.
“We
continue to receive allegations of torture and ill-treatment to extract
confessions, and in relation to the imposition of the death penalty for crimes
which do not meet the threshold of ‘most serious crimes’, required under
international law,” the experts said.
Agnes
Callamard, the UN investigator on summary killings, was among the experts.
The
kingdom's human rights record has come under growing scrutiny after the
administration of US President Joe Biden declassified an intelligence report on
Friday, assessing that “Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman
approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist
Jamal Khashoggi.”
Khashoggi,
a former advocate of the Saudi royal court who later became a critic, was
killed and his body was dismembered by a hit squad inside the Saudi consulate
in Istanbul on October 2, 2018. He had entered the premises to collect
documents for his planned marriage with his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.
In
rare public comments on Saudi Arabia, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet
said on Friday that people were unlawfully held in the kingdom.
Ever
since bin Salman became Saudi Arabia's de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has
ramped up its crackdown on activists, bloggers, intellectuals, and others
perceived as political opponents.
Muslim
scholars have been executed, women's rights campaigners have been put behind
bars and tortured, and freedom of expression, association, and belief continue
to be denied.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/03/646500/UN-Saudi-Arabia-Shia-activists
--------
Mideast
Iranian
MPs: FATF Conventions Sponsored by Supporters of Terrorism
2021-March-3
“Palermo
and CFT have been created by main supporters of terrorism (the West) and they
are not after transparency to fight against terrorism,” Vali Esmayeeli told FNA
on Wednesday.
He
added that the main supporters of terrorism are seeking to gain more dominance
over other countries, specially the freedom-seeking countries of the world,
through these conventions.
Also,
Representative of Iran's North Armenians at the Parliament Ara Shaverdian told
FNA on Wednesday that “the FATF sponsoers are, themselves, the main sponsors of
terrorism, and their explicit and implicit support for terrorist groups in the West
Asian region is a testament to this claim”.
He
noted that financial transparency and the fight against terrorism financing are
the appearance of the FATF and it will actually lead to the domination of
global arrogance over the economies of countries.
The
Iranian parliamentarians on Tuesday signed a statement, voicing strong
opposition to the country’s approval of the FATF conventions and requirements.
“A
group of MPs issued a statement opposing Iran's endorsement of the FATF
conventions,” senior MP Qassem Sa’edi told FNA.
He
added that 170 legislators have so far signed the statement, noting that the
signatures are increasing.
“In
this statement, the MPs explicitly have stated their opposition to Iran's
endorsement of the FATF conventions,” Sa’edi said.
Meantime,
an informed source at Iran’s Expediency Council (EC) told FNA that the Council
will not declare its final decision about the FATF on its Wednesday meeting.
Iranian
legislator Behrouz Mohebbi Najm-Abadi had said last Tuesday that ratification
of the remaining provisions of the FATF will impede Iran’s bypassing of the US
sanctions.
“While
our banking system is under the harshest US sanctions, the implementation of
the FATF provisions will hamper our ways to circumvent these sanctions,”
Najm-Abadi said.
The
lawmaker, who is also a member of the Parliament's Planning and Budget
Commission, added, "Implementing the FATF bills will bring about serious
consequences for the country.”
“Presently,
financial institutions based in neighboring countries, including banks,
exchange offices and private companies, are helping Iran to circumvent the
sanctions," Mohebbi said, warning that the implementation of the FATF
bills will provide information to the US and the others sanctioning Iran and
could block such economic dealings.
He
stressed that approving the bills will harm many sectors, including the oil
sales and the national currency value.
In
relevant remarks last month, a senior Iranian legislator in open remarks to the
country's officials reminded the devastating impacts of Tehran's trust in the
UN nuclear watchdog which led to the leak of the Iranian scientists'
information who were later assassinated, cautioning that meeting the Financial
Action Task Force requirements could repeat the same bitter experience.
“We
had this bitter experience in the (International Atomic Energy) Agency’s
inspections and now we should not repeat it with the country’s financial
information,” Eqbal Shakeri told FNA.
He
warned that the IAEA and FATF all operate under the supervision of the arrogant
countries and take orders from them, adding that observing the FATF rules and
regulations will produce results similar to what happened for the Iranian
nuclear scientists.
The
FATF placed Iran on its blacklist in February after Tehran refused to fully
adopt its provisions.
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry at the time denounced the move, and said the decision
materialized what the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia, the three sponsors of
terrorism in the Middle East, wished against Tehran.
"Unfortunately,
this is also part of the politicization of international mechanisms [carried
out] by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Zionist regime (Israel). Given
their influence on these mechanisms, they are trying to politicize them,”
former Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said.
"Saudi
Arabia, as the central bank of terrorism and the Zionist regime as a terrorist
state, are providing terrorist groups and organizations around the world with
the most support," he added.
However,
they blacklist Iran which has the highest level of cooperation and transparency
in the field of combating money laundering and financing of terrorists, he
added.
Mousavi
emphasized that Iran has been implementing all laws and regulations related to
money laundering and financing of terrorism for more than two years, saying,
"International mechanisms have advantages and disadvantages and placing
Iran on FATF's blacklist came despite all efforts we have made inside the
country and all regulations we have tried to observe."
Iran
has been required to fulfill dozens of FATF recommendations to enhance its
status from a blacklist of non-cooperative countries, while the country is
under US sanctions. The country's status in FATF has no impact on toughening or
easing the US sanctions.
FATF
has required Iran to implement a number of moves that include endorsement of
several conventions.
Palermo
bill is one of the four government bills seeking to bring Iran's anti-money
laundering and countering terrorism financing standards into line with those
defined by the FATF.
The
parliament has approved all the measures but except for the bill that updates
Iran's domestic law on countering financing of terrorism. All the rest have
been rejected by the Guardian Council – a watchdog that ensures laws are in
line with the Constitution and Sharia.
The
bills on Iran’s accession to the Palermo Convention and the convention against
the funding of terrorism (CFT) were rejected by the Guardian Council in
November 2019 due to some flaws that violated the country’s Constitution. The
bills were then amended by the Iranian Parliament, waiting for the next steps
in the Guardian Council.
To
fulfill FATF requirements, President Hassan Rouhani’s administration has
proposed four bills to the parliament for approval, two of which are still
undecided, including the Palermo Convention. They have been referred to the
Expediency Council for final approval.
Yet,
Iran has recently approved a national anti-money laundering (AML), which was a
domestically-developed bill.
In
its October 2019 meeting, the FATF decided to extend the deadline for Iran
until February to complete reforms under the specified action plan that
includes a list of 9 major moves, including the opening of its financial
transactions data bank to the FATF that is headed by the US Department of the
Treasury’s Assistant Secretary heading the Office of Terrorist Financing and
Financial Crimes Marshall Billingslea.
The
Political-Defense-Security and Legal-Judicial Commissions of the EC declared
last January that endorsement of the Palermo bill would run against the
country's interests.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991213000245/Iranian-MPs-FATF-Cnvenins-Spnsred-by-Spprers-f-Terrrism
--------
Deputy
Minister Underlines Iran-Iraq Good Cooperation in Fight against Terrorism
2021-March-4
Zolfaqari
made the remarks in a joint press conference with High Counselor of Iraqi
Interior Ministry Abdulhalim Fahim al-Farhoud on Wednesday.
He
said that Iran hosted an Iraqi delegation this week with high level meetings on
promoting cooperation and information exchange on issues concerning security,
border cooperation, fighting terrorism, organized crimes, fighting drug
trafficking and facilitating civil travels between countries.
Zolfaqari
also said that an agreement was drafted to be signed in a future meeting
between interior ministers of Iran and Iraq.
He
highlighted very good cooperation between officials from the two countries on
different areas, including Arbaeen ritual which is widely commemorated by
millions of Iranians traveling to Iraq during the occasion.
Although
terrorism has been defeated, Iran and Iraq have still close cooperation to
fight terrorism in various fields, including intelligence, education, border
control, and experience exchange, Zolfaqari said.
Fahim
al-Farhoud, for his part, said that he and his companions had several meetings
with Iranian counterparts and good conversation on security and issues related
to citizens went on in the meetings.
He
also said that the Iraqi delegation visited some defense companies in Iran to
get familiar with Iranian defense products and Iraq would use the products to
meet its
Earlier
this week, Commander of the Border Guards of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Police Brigadier-General Ahmad Ali Goudarzi and his Iraqi counterpart General
Hamid Abdullah Ibrahim stressed the need to expand border cooperation between
the two neighbors.
Goudarzi
and Ibrahim discussed the ways to strengthen and deepen border cooperation in a
bid to boost border security and remove problems originated in border areas.
"The
Islamic Republic of Iran has 15 neighboring countries and has the most common
borders with its neighbors in the world after Russia and China, which are
controlled and managed in the spirit of friendship between the regional countries,"
the Iranian official said.
"We
hope that in this meeting we will transfer experiences to improve the border
situation," he added.
Goudarzi
noted, "Since the beginning of the Iranian year [March 20, 2020], about
130 tons of various drugs have been seized on the borders of the Islamic
Republic of Iran."
"Iran
has a 1609-kilometer border with Iraq, and this vast common border is well
controlled and managed by the favorable relations and interaction between the
border guards of the two countries," he said, stressing that Iran will
strongly fight against the elements affiliated to the Global Arrogance, and
also Takfiri and terrorist mercenaries on the borders.
"We
expect Iraq to cover the border gaps and actively combat the smuggling of
weapons, ammunition and anti-cultural items," Goudarzi stated.
Hamid
Abdullah Ibrahim, for his part, stressed the need to transfer experiences and
information between the two countries' border guards, saying, "Equipping
and blocking Iraq's borders is on the agenda so that we can use these
components and transfer experiences to fight terrorism, insurgent groups,
smuggling weapons and ammunition, and anti-cultural items."
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991214000225/Depy-Miniser-Underlines-Iran-Ira-Gd-Cperain-in-Figh-agains-Terrrism
--------
Spokesman
Dismisses Blinken’s “Baseless” Allegations about Iran’s Role in Yemen
2021-March-3
“The
Americans cannot raise baseless allegations against others instead of
accounting for their six-year-long crimes in Yemen,” Khatibzadeh said on
Wednesday.
“Now
that the aggressors and enemies of the Yemeni people, who have been killing the
innocent people of Yemen for six years, destroyed the resources and
infrastructures of the great country, and made a profit from selling arms to
the Saudi coalition through the blood trade in Yemen, know that their inhumane
military strategy against the resistant Yemeni nation has failed, they want to
rid themselves of responsibility for these crimes and divert the public
opinion, while the historical memory of the Yemeni nation and the world will
never forget their crimes and they will remain infamous in history,” he added.
“The
new US administration claims to be trying to end the war in Yemen, but we have
not seen any practical action to stop the Saudi coalition’s aggression and it
(the US government) has continued in the wrong footsteps and positions taken by
the previous administration and raise baseless allegations against others and
ignoring the realities of Yemen, and their claims about establishment of peace
in Yemen have not gone beyond words and they have sufficed to a few political
maneuvers in this regard,” Khatibzadeh said.
“The
Islamic Republic of Iran’s positions have been clear since the beginning of the
Yemen war and we have always emphasized that there is no military solution to
the crisis in Yemen, and in this regard, the four-point solution proposed by
the Islamic Republic of Iran at the beginning of the war still remains a
fundamental solution,” he underlined.
Khatibzadeh
said that Iran will continue using its full capacity to advance the UN efforts
to bring peace to Yemen and supports any efforts to end aggression against the
Yemeni nation.
Blinken’s
allegations against Iran were raised while UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres in a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif welcomed Tehran’s efforts to establish ceasefire and start of political
talks in Yemen.
During
the phone talk on Tuesday night, Zarif and Guterres underlined the necessity
for security and opening of Yemeni borders and ports to send humanitarian aid
to the Yemeni people, specially in conditions of coronavirus epidemic in the
war-torn country.
During
the conversation, Guterres thanked Iran on the initiatives the country has
taken to help launch peace in Yemen.
The
two high-ranking officials had also in April 2020 discussed regional issues,
specially the crisis in war-ravaged Yemen.
During
a phone conversation with Zarif, the UN chief elaborated on the measures taken
by the UN to hold the Yemeni ceasefire.
Guterres
renewed his call for a global ceasefire, urging all parties involved to lay
down arms and let war-torn nations combat the coronavirus.
Zarif,
for his part, expressed Iran’s support for the Persian Gulf states' issues
through negotiations, stressing that, “Yemen’s crisis does not have a military
solution.”
He
added that a consistent ceasefire can be a good start for the political
resolution of the ongoing situation in the country.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991213000730/Spkesman-Dismisses-Blinken%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9CBaseless%E2%80%9D-Allegains-ab-Iran%E2%80%99s-Rle-in
--------
UN
Chief Welcomes Iran’s Efforts to Establish Ceasefire in Yemen
2021-March-3
During
the phone talk on Tuesday night, Zarif and Guterres underlined the necessity
for security and opening of Yemeni borders and ports to send humanitarian aid
to the Yemeni people, specially in conditions of coronavirus epidemic in the
war-torn country.
During
the conversation, Guterres thanked Iran on the initiatives the country has
taken to help launch peace in Yemen.
The
two high-ranking officials had also in April 2020 discussed regional issues,
specially the crisis in war-ravaged Yemen.
During
a phone conversation with Zarif, the UN chief elaborated on the measures taken
by the UN to hold the Yemeni ceasefire.
Guterres
renewed his call for a global ceasefire, urging all parties involved to lay
down arms and let war-torn nations combat the coronavirus.
Zarif,
for his part, expressed Iran’s support for the Persian Gulf states' issues
through negotiations, stressing that, “Yemen’s crisis does not have a military
solution.”
He
added that a consistent ceasefire can be a good start for the political
resolution of the ongoing situation in the country.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13991213000410/UN-Chief-Welcmes-Iran%E2%80%99s-Effrs-Esablish-Ceasefire-in-Yemen
--------
Iran
needs to address IAEA's concerns on uranium particles: US statement
04
March ,2021
Iran
has been given a chance to address the UN nuclear watchdog’s concerns on uranium
particles found at undeclared, old sites and Washington will watch closely, the
US told the watchdog’s board on Thursday.
“Iran
has now been given another opportunity by the Director General to offer up the
necessary cooperation before this Board next meets,” the US statement to the
board said, shortly after diplomats said plans for a resolution criticizing
Iran had been scrapped.
“The
US, like all Board members, will calibrate our views on the Board’s next steps
according to whether Iran seizes the opportunity now before it to finally and
credibly address the IAEA’s concerns,” it added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/03/04/Iran-needs-to-address-IAEA-s-concerns-on-uranium-particles-US-statement
--------
Israel
accuses Iran of ‘environmental terrorism’ for oil spill off its shores
04
March ,2021
Israel
accused Iran on Wednesday of being linked to a recent oil spill off its shores
that caused major ecological damage, calling the incident environmental
terrorism.
The
spill was caused by an oil tanker that was carrying pirated cargo from Iran to
Syria last month, Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said.
The
vessel sailed through the Gulf and the Red Sea without radio contact, switching
its tracking devices back on before passing through Egypt’s Suez Canal, Gamliel
told reporters.
It
turned the devices off again before entering Israeli waters in the eastern
Mediterranean, and dropped oil into the sea between Feb. 1-2, she said, naming
the vessel as the Panama-flagged oil tanker Emerald.
“Iran
is (conducting) terrorism by damaging the environment, and (when) Iran is
damaging the environment it isn’t just hurting the state of Israel,” Gamliel
said.
There
was no immediate comment from Iran.
The
accusation is the second in a week in which Israel has blamed its long-time
enemy Iran of wrongdoing at sea.
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Tehran for an explosion aboard an
Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week, an accusation rejected by
Tehran.
Tensions
have risen in the Gulf region since the United States reimposed sanctions on
Iran in 2018 after then-President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from a 2015
nuclear deal between Iran and major powers.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/03/04/Israel-accuses-Iran-of-environmental-terrorism-for-oil-spill-off-its-shores
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Any
new nuclear deal with Iran should be ‘dramatically improved’: Israeli minister
04
March ,2021
Any
new nuclear deal between the West and Iran should be “dramatically improved”
from the previous agreement, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on
Wednesday.
Steinitz,
a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urged US President Joe Biden
to put “enormous pressure” on Iran to change its behavior and dismantle its nuclear
program, which he said could affect not only the Middle East, but Europe and
the US.
“All
countries in the Middle East see eye to eye that this is a devastating threat
that should be prevented in advance,” Steinitz said at the CERAWeek by IHS
Markit online conference, speaking alongside counterparts from Egypt and the
United Arab Emirates.
“Iran
is a big shadow,” Steinitz said referring to the effect of Iran’s actions over
its neighbors Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. “They are violating all their commitments...
The previous agreement is far from being sufficient.”
An
eventual new agreement with the West over Iran’s nuclear program “should be
dramatically improved,” he added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/03/04/Iran-nuclear-deal-Any-new-nuclear-deal-with-Iran-should-be-dramatically-improved-Israeli-minister
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Turkish
court probes pro-Kurdish party as pressure for ban grows, say officials
03
March ,2021
Turkey’s
top appeals court has launched an enquiry into the pro-Kurdish Peoples’
Democratic Party (HDP) over alleged links to militants in a step that could
ultimately lead to a ban on the third biggest party in parliament, officials
said on Wednesday.
The
move coincided with President Tayyip Erdogan’s pledge on Tuesday to strengthen
freedom of expression and rights to a fair trial in an “action plan” that
critics said did not address concern about an erosion of human rights in
Turkey.
The
HDP has faced growing pressure after Ankara said last month Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) militants executed 13 prisoners, including Turkish military and
police personnel, during an army operation to rescue them in Iraq’s Gara
region.
A
senior member of Erdogan’s ruling AK Party on Tuesday endorsed nationalist
calls for the closure of the HDP, which has 56 members in the 660-seat
assembly. It is accused of links to the banned PKK, which it denies.
“The
judiciary has begun an enquiry,” an AKP official told Reuters. “The appeals
court has sprung into action. The possibility of it being closed appears pretty
high.”
Turkey
has a long history of banning parties although they have often been able to
re-form under new names. The official said measures may be taken to prevent
this happening again.
A
crackdown on the HDP in recent years has included the arrests of thousands of
party officials and members, while dozens of its elected mayors and lawmakers
have been ousted. It was defiant over the latest pressure.
“The
efforts to shut us down will diminish them further and make us grow more,” HDP
co-leader Mithat Sancar told his party’s lawmakers on Tuesday, recalling the
banning of a previous pro-Kurdish party in 1994.
“After
they closed the party the same political tradition grew in waves,” he said.
“They will see very clearly that we will emerge stronger from this tyrannical
darkness.”
Many
HDP deputies already face bids to lift their immunity from prosecution. The
party’s jailed former leader is among those charged over deadly 2014 protests
in Turkey calling for action to protect Kurds in Syria from ISIS.
Another
official said the appeals court had sought from prosecutors copies of the
indictment over the 2014 protests and details of cases against HDP deputies,
and will examine whether the party is a focus for PKK activities.
A
nationalist party allied to Erdogan’s government repeated on Tuesday its call
for the HDP’s closure over links to the PKK, which Turkey, the European Union
and United States designate a terrorist group.
More
than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK launched its
insurgency in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey in 1984.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2021/03/03/Turkish-court-probes-pro-Kurdish-party-as-pressure-for-ban-grows-say-officials
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Africa
Algeria
bomb plot foiled, three arrested, says defence ministry
04
March ,2021
A
bomb primed to explode in Algeria’s capital was defused after three members of
a “terrorist group” were arrested, the defense ministry said Wednesday.
“Security
services of the national defense ministry were successful... in dismantling a
network comprised of three elements supporting a terrorist group active in the
Tipaza heights” near Algiers, the ministry said in a statement.
“After
investigations, it was established that one of these elements... had dispatched
a homemade bomb” to Eucalyptus, an area in the suburbs of the capital, the
ministry added.
The
explosive device would have been used to perpetrate an attack in Algiers and
was found before being deactivated on Tuesday by a special army unit, the
statement added.
Six
extremists and three Algerian soldiers were killed in a clash in Tipaza in
early January, according to authorities.
The
defense ministry also on Wednesday announced the capture of a “terrorist” it
named as Okbaoui Abdi, also known as Abdi Ould Barka, in southern Algeria near
the border with Mali.
Algerian
authorities use the term “terrorist” to describe armed Islamists who have been
active in the country since the early 1990s.
Between
1992 and 2002, a civil war pitting the army against multiple Islamist and
extremist groups left an estimated 200,000 people dead.
A
2005 Charter for Peace and Reconciliation was supposed to have turned the page
on the conflict, but extremist groups continue to carry out sporadic
operations.
Official
media also said late last year that the army had foiled a planned redeployment
by al-Qaeda’s North Africa (AQMI), following the death of their leader.
AQIM’s
leader Abdelmalek Droukdel was killed in June by French forces in northern
Mali, but was replaced in November by Abu Obaida Yusuf al-Annabi, a well-known
AQIM veteran and Algerian national.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/03/04/Terrorism-Algeria-bomb-plot-foiled-three-arrested-says-defense-ministry
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Morocco
sees Sahel extremists as magnet for local cells
03
March ,2021
Extremist
groups in the nearby Sahel region, which recruit and train their followers
online, represent Morocco’s biggest militant threat, the head of its
counterterrorism agency said.
Although
Morocco has had only one major attack over the past decade - the 2018 killing
of two Scandinavian tourists - its location “makes it a target for the Sahel
groups” said Haboub Cherkaoui.
“The
terrorist threat persists as long as there are groups that recruit and train
their followers online including Islamic State in the greater Sahara,” he told
Reuters in an interview.
Since
it was set up in 2015, Cherkaoui’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation has
dismantled dozens of militant cells and arrested more than a thousand suspected
extremists, he said.
The
numbers point to the continued militant risk in Morocco after the rise of ISIS
in Syria and Iraq last decade caused a surge in extremist activity that
persists even after the group was defeated in its Middle East heartland.
ISIS
refocused on the Sahel region, he said, and along with other extremist groups
there has taken advantage of porous borders and trafficking networks.
Both
Niger and Mali have battled militant insurgencies while Libya’s civil war has
created space for extremist groups to operate.
In
late February, Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Dine El Otmani took part in a Sahel
security summit in Ndjamena and offered support for military action against
extremist groups, including through training troops.
Morocco
is also concerned that some of its nationals who joined ISIS in the Middle East
might have relocated to the Sahel, Cherkaoui said.
In
total, 1,645 Moroccans joined extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, including 745
who died in suicide attacks or in battle. Most of the 1,645 fought for ISIS.
Of
the survivors, 270 have returned to Morocco and 137 were prosecuted, said
Cherkaoui, adding that 288 women and 391 minors also went to the conflict
zones, following their main income provider.
Moroccan
law punishes by up to 10 years those who join extremist groups abroad.
Morocco
has offered intelligence that helped arrest extremists or foil attacks in
France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka and recently
the United States, Cherkaoui said.
“Our
success hinges on continued intelligence sharing with our partners,” Cherkaoui
said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/03/03/Terrorism-Morocco-sees-Sahel-extremists-as-magnet-for-local-cells
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UN
sends advance monitor team to check Libya ceasefire between rival factions
03
March ,2021
The
advance team of a UN observer mission has arrived in Libya, which after a
decade of conflict and chaos plans to hold elections in December, informed
sources said Wednesday.
The
group of about 10 United Nations staff flew into the capital Tripoli on
Tuesday, they said, to monitor a ceasefire between the country’s two rival
armed factions.
The
unarmed observer team is also tasked with verifying the departure of thousands
of mercenaries and foreign fighters who have been deployed in the oil-rich
North African country and have so far shown no sign of leaving.
Libya
has been torn apart by civil war since the ousting of long-time dictator
Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
The
Government of National Accord (GNA) controls Tripoli and most of the west,
while a rival administration led by general Khalifa Haftar who heads the Libyan
National Army (LNA) controls Benghazi and the east.
The
two sides reached a ceasefire in October, and UN-led talks since resulted in a
new temporary administration elected in February, led by interim prime
minister-designate Abdul Hamid Dbeibah.
A
diplomatic source in Tunis said the advance team, made up from the UN mission
in Libya and experts from UN headquarters in New York, arrived Tuesday via the
neighboring country’s capital Tunis.
On
its five-week mission it is to travel to Sirte, a city on the Mediterranean
coast halfway between the eastern and western power centers, as well as to
Misrata in the west and Benghazi in the east.
A
diplomatic source in New York said the team is due to submit a report to the UN
Security Council on March 19 on the ceasefire and the departure of foreign
troops.
According
to the UN, some 20,000 mercenaries and foreign fighters were still in Libya in
early December. A January 23 deadline for their withdrawal passed without any
signs of them pulling out.
The
Security Council in early February ordered UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres to deploy the vanguard of observers in Libya, following the October 23
ceasefire deal.
In
a report late last year, Guterres himself had advocated an unarmed observer
group be made up of civilians and retired military personnel from African
Union, European Union and Arab League member states.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/north-africa/2021/03/03/Libya-conflict-UN-sends-advance-monitor-team-to-check-Libya-ceasefire-between-rival-factions
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South Asia
Twenty
Years after Invasion, US Proposes a New Afghan Government That Includes Taliban
Peoples
Dispatch
04
Mar 2021
In
what seems to be its latest bid to exit the crisis in Afghanistan, the US has
reportedly proposed a participatory government in the country with all
factions, including the Taliban, TOL news reported on Tuesday, March 2.
According to the report, the US special representative for Afghanistan Zalmay
Khalilzad discussed the proposal in a series of meetings with Afghan president
Ashraf Ghani and other top politicians in the country recently amid the
continued targeting of civilians and government forces by the Taliban.
Khalilzad
was in Kabul on Monday where he met president Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the
head of Afghanistan’s High Council of National Reconciliation, to discuss the
status of last year’s US agreement with Taliban and also the status of
intra-Afghan talks. According to TOLOnews, Abdullah Abdullah’s office confirmed
that it has received a draft of the plan for the participatory government.
The
draft proposes the sidelining of the ongoing peace talks in Doha and initiation
of discussions at an international level to decide the details of an interim
government with the participation of Taliban which can later get the approval
of Afghanistan’s traditional assembly, the Loya Jirga.
The
intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha began last year in September following the
agreement signed between the Taliban and the US
in February 2020 according to which the US had agreed to withdraw all
its forces from the country by the end of May 2021. The Taliban had agreed to
participate in an intra-Afghan talks with the government in return. However, it
never committed to stopping aggression against the government forces.
The
fate of the agreement between the US and Taliban is uncertain now since the
electoral victory of Joe Biden whose administration has been on the defensive
about the withdrawal of forces at a time when there is no tangible result in
the intra-Afghan talks and no significant reduction in violence.
Though
president Ghani’s office has not officially commented on the proposal yet, in
the past he had been critical of such proposals and gone to the extent of
saying that the Taliban will not be part of any government in Afghanistan as
long as he is alive.
TALIBAN’S
OFFENSIVE CONTINUES
Thousands
have been killed in the Afghanistan war since the US-led invasion in 2001.
Though the majority of the NATO forces, part of the invasion, have now left the
country, the war has not ended. The Taliban which was once the main target of
the US invasion has now been identified as a partner in peace by in what looks
like a way out of what former US president Donald Trump called “the endless
war.” Trump had cited the rising economic cost of the Afghanistan war as a
justification of its withdrawal.
Meanwhile,
the Taliban has continued its attempts to take over as much of the country as
possible. It has capitalized on the vulnerability of successive governments in
the country, most of which were established with foreign backing, and the
desperation of the US to leave after more than two decades and over USD 2
trillion in costs.
The
Taliban intensified its offensive against the Afghan government even as the
Trump administration began negotiating with it and now controls a large part of
the country’s north-east and south. According to some estimates, the Taliban
controls more than 20% of all Afghanistan directly or indirectly. It has also
carried out several attacks on civilians and armed forces inside Kabul and
other government-controlled areas while simultaneously taking part in the peace
process in Doha.
The
Taliban recently asked the remaining NATO forces to follow the deal signed last
year with the US and leave the country by May. Afghan media also reported
preparations by both Taliban and government forces for offensives in the coming
months.
Even
as recently as Tuesday, March 2, three women working in a media organization
were gunned down by armed militants in two incidents of shooting in Jalalabad
city, east of capital Kabul, when they were going home after work. Though
Taliban’s spokesperson denied its role in the incident, the police claimed that
one of the shooters arrested at the time of the incident, was a member of the
group.
This
takes the toll of journalists and media personnel killed this year alone in
Afghanistan to four. In the last six months, a total of 15 media workers and
journalists have been killed in the country. In January, the editor-in-chief of
Sada-e-Ghor (Voice of Ghor) radio station was killed in the Ghor province. The
journalist group, The Afghan Journalist Safety Committee, condemned the attack
and issued a statement saying that the government has failed to punish the
guilty in the previous killings.
https://www.newsclick.in/20-Years-After-Invasion-US-Proposes-a-New-Afghan-Government-That-Includes-Taliban
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Bangladesh
moves more Rohingya Muslims to remote island despite concerns
MARCH
3, 2021
DHAKA
(Reuters) - Bangladesh is moving nearly 4,000 more Rohingya Muslim refugees to
a remote Bay of Bengal island, officials said on Wednesday, despite complaints
from rights groups concerned about the site’s vulnerability to storms and flooding.
Dhaka
has relocated more than 10,000 people to Bhasan Char island since early
December from border camps where more than a million refugees live in
ramshackle huts perched on razed hillsides.
“Today
2,254 Rohingya people arrived and tomorrow we are expecting 1,700 plus,” Navy
official Rashed Sattar said from the island.
Bangladesh
says the relocation is voluntary, but some refugees from the first group that
went there in early December spoke of being coerced.
The
government has dismissed safety concerns over the island, citing the building
of flood defences as well as housing for 100,000 people, hospitals and cyclone
centres.
It
also says overcrowding in refugee camps fuels crime, while some Rohingya said
frequent violence in the camps had driven them to relocate.
Once
they arrive on Bhasan Char, the Rohingya, a minority group who fled violence in
Buddhist-majority Myanmar, are not allowed to leave the island, which is
several hours’ journey from the southern port of Chittagong.
Bangladesh
has also drawn criticism for a reluctance to consult with the United Nations
refugee agency and other aid bodies over the transfers.
The
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says the agency has not been allowed to
evaluate the safety and sustainability of life on the island.
“The
process of relocating the Rohingya will continue... they are going there
voluntarily for a better life,” Mohammad Shamsud Douza, the deputy Bangladesh
government official in charge of refugees, said by phone from Cox’s Bazaar in
southeastern Bangladesh.
“Our
main priority is repatriating them to their homeland,” he said.
Bangladesh
has called on Myanmar to move forward the stalled process of voluntarily
repatriating Rohingya refugees, as international pressure mounts on the
military leaders following a coup that reduces the refugees’ hopes of returning
home.
“How
long will we stay here under tarpaulins?,” said a 39-year-old refugee who moved
on Wednesday with his family. “The little hope we had of returning to our
homeland was shattered after the coup.”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-rohingya-idUSKCN2AV2BL
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Rohingya
Risk Being Forgotten in Global Vaccination Drive
By
Simon Tran Hudes and Kyra Jasper
March
03, 2021
As
developing countries around the world scramble to secure enough COVID-19
vaccines to inoculate their own citizens, vulnerable refugee populations like
the Rohingya remain at especially high risk. Over 1 million Rohingya refugees
have fled Myanmar from successive waves of violence against the Muslim minority
ethnic group since the 1990s. Most have landed in Bangladesh, corralled into
overcrowded camps around Cox’s Bazar, as well as the previously uninhabited
island of Bhasan Char. Others have set sail on leaky vessels to Malaysia,
Indonesia, and Thailand, or made their way to India and Pakistan. While the
governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia have pledged to vaccinate the refugees,
they have yet to release detailed plans on how they plan to do so. This
constitutes a significant risk not only to the refugees themselves, but also to
the citizens of these countries.
Cox’s
Bazar, the region in Bangladesh where most Rohingya refugee camps are located,
has so far managed to fend off the worst-case scenario. The World Health
Organization (WHO) has confirmed approximately 400 cases and 10 deaths out of
more than 866,000 Rohingya in the 10 square miles of Cox’s Bazar. However,
testing efforts have fallen short. WHO has collected only 30,000 tests in Cox’s
Bazar since March 2020 – only around 3 percent of the population there. Some
Rohingya in the camps fear that they might be detained or possibly killed if
they show COVID-19 symptoms.
Another
public health risk is that the government of Bangladesh has shipped over 7,000
Rohingya, some forcibly, to Bhasan Char, an uninhabited island in the Bay of
Bengal which lacks basic services, including running water. Without health
infrastructure on the island, medical emergencies will require a three-hour
journey from the island to the mainland. The island is also frequently battered
by cyclones and prone to severe flooding, which would further exacerbate public
health challenges for the Rohingya who are forced to live there.
Dhaka
has initiated a draft proposal and budget to include the refugee population in
its National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for COVID-19 Vaccines. The
government is working closely with COVAX, a global vaccine distribution
facility led by the WHO, and has set aside 5 percent of vaccines for
applications like refugee access. But until those plans are finalized and publicized,
it remains unclear whether the Rohingya will be prioritized for vaccines
similar to Bangladeshi citizens or whether they will be last in line.
Additionally, the strict lockdown the government imposed on Cox’s Bazar in
April decreased the humanitarian aid staff deployed there by 80 percent. This
will make monitoring vaccine rollout to the refugees more difficult.
While
humanitarian aid workers report that the Rohingya are generally receptive to
receiving the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, the reduction in
staff will also impinge on their ability to contain the spread of
misinformation related to the vaccine, especially as the Bangladeshi government
has restricted internet and phone service within the camps. Another hurdle is
that Bangladesh is receiving its vaccines from India, who was contracted to
manufacture the AstraZeneca vaccine. New Delhi has long displayed an antipathy
toward Rohingya, including by making frequent threats of deportation.
Poor
communication between Bangladeshi government officials and Rohingya community
leaders remains a serious obstacle to vaccination efforts. As Daniel Sullivan
of Refugees International has reported, “engagement with the Rohingya community
has been limited to poorly coordinated, last-minute information campaigns
rather than genuine consultations,” while the government has stalled the U.N.
refugee agency’s efforts to build a community representation system. Rohingya
in Cox’s Bazar have expressed frustration at the lack of information from
government officials regarding COVID-19 safety measures and testing.
Malaysia
has also made initial commitments to vaccinate “undocumented migrants,” a term
the government applies to the Rohingya, which it refuses to refer to them as
refugees. Since 2017, more than 102,000 Rohingya have landed on Malaysia’s
shores. However, many are being held in migrant detention centers, effectively
cutting off humanitarian aid workers’ access to the Rohingya. Additionally, the
Malaysian government has said it will prioritize giving the vaccine to
Malaysian citizens and has not specified a time frame for when undocumented
migrants would receive the vaccine.
Chances
of vaccinating the over 600,000 Rohingya still in Myanmar are slim. Myanmar has
never provided basic services to Rohingya populations, and has actively
persecuted the group. However, over 130,000 Rohingya remain internally
displaced in crowded detention camps within Rakhine State. Vaccinating them
should be a priority if Myanmar wants to avoid another widespread COVID-19 outbreak.
Unfortunately, the February 1 coup will complicate efforts to contain the
spread of COVID-19, much more so in the remote parts of Rakhine where most of
the Rohingya live.
As
the United States brings the COVID-19 pandemic under control with its own
robust vaccination program, it will need to begin planning now for diplomatic
re-engagement in Southeast and South Asia. The United States may have a surplus
of vaccines by the end of the year with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine’s
recent approval for emergency use and Novavax showing promising results in
stage 3 trials. Washington should prioritize and plan for direct vaccine aid to
countries in the region that house significant populations of Rohingya. That
aid should be conditioned on those countries more explicitly integrating
refugees into national vaccination strategies.
In
a February phone call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Bangladeshi
Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen urged the U.S. to appoint a “special envoy”
for the Rohingya, and to take the lead on Rohingya repatriation efforts. Such
an office may be an opportune vehicle with which to assist Bangladesh in its
Rohingya vaccination efforts.
Bangladesh
deserves credit for taking in the majority of Rohingya refugees and saving many
lives in the process. It must now recognize that any potential COVID-19
outbreak among the camps represents a risk for all of Bangladesh. To ensure
smooth vaccine rollout, the government will need to better engage and inform
Rohingya community leaders. It should also explicitly include Rohingya in its
vaccination plans and commit to treating vaccination of Rohingya refugees just
the same as they would Bangladeshi citizens, integrating them into any tiered
rollout system based on age, job sector, health conditions, or otherwise. This
exact strategy worked in Jordan, where the government has already begun
vaccinating Syrian refugees in its own camps.
Governments
around the region can also reduce hesitancy among the Rohingya refugee
population by following Indonesia’s lead and publicizing that the vaccines are
safe and halal. Lastly, Bangladesh should immediately pause the relocation of
Rohingya to Bhasan Char, where there is no health infrastructure, constituting
a risk for widespread outbreak among the refugee population, which could lead
to new mutations and outbreaks in the wider Bangladeshi population.
Simon
Tran Hudes is a research associate for the Southeast Asia Program at the Center
for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. He can be
found on Twitter @simonhudes.
https://thediplomat.com/2021/03/rohingya-risk-being-forgotten-in-global-vaccination-drive/
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Two
Protestant churches targeted, attacked and ransacked
by
Sumon Corraya
03/03/2021
Bandarban
(AsiaNews) – A recent attack against two churches, one of which was demolished,
is causing concern among Bangladeshi Christians.
On
25 February, 10 Forest Department employees tore down the Sathirampara
Seventh-day Adventist church in Ali Kadam, Bandarban district. The building was
under construction. The congregation was replacing the old bamboo hut used as a
church with a brick building.
The
Forest Department said that the community was not authorised to build on land
under its jurisdiction. Yet, the area already has four mosques, three Buddhist
temples, four large markets as well as public and private schools. No problems
were reported in connection with any of these structures.
Sathiram
Tripura, one of the leaders of Sathirampara Church, told AsiaNews that people
from two villages in the hills have been coming to his makeshift house of
prayer for many years.
“Members
of the community set aside the money for 15 years to build the brick church,”
he explained. “Not being able to finish the construction is very sad.”
The
demolition took place while the men of the community were working in the
forest. The community includes more than a hundred people who now find
themselves praying in the open air, Tripura noted.
Without
a church the situation will become very difficult when the rainy season begins.
However, for Forest Department official S M Kawsar, his agency did not destroy
any church, it simply cleared government
land.
“Construction
takes a permit and Christians did not have it,” he explained. “In this village,
there are only three or four Christian families. There is no need for a
church.”
Another
incident occurred a few days earlier in Aditmari, Lalmonirhat district
(northern Bangladesh). A group of local Muslims attacked Emmanuel Church on 10
February, which is located in a predominantly Muslim village. The Protestant
house of prayer has existed since 2003.
Local
pastor Rev Lovlu S. Levy said that four people destroyed the church sign, cut
trees, forced the entrance, and stole 30 chairs and two carpets worth 14,000
taka (US$ 165).
“Residents
in this area are fundamentalists,” he explained. “When I first went to the
police they did not want to file the report of what happened; they also told me
not to inform journalists of the attack.”
Violence
against the church appears to be the result of anti-Christian propaganda at a
local Islamic meeting place (waz mahfil) where Muslim religious leaders engage
in hate speech.
Rev
Lovlu S. Levy also reports that anger against Christians is linked to the fact
that new members have joined the community.
“Muslims
are angry because we have received Christ, which is why they attack us. Now we
live in fear, ten new believers have fled the village for their safety.”
Bangladesh
Christian Association President Nirmol Rozario condemned these two episodes of
violence.
With
respect to the Sathirampara Church in Bandarban district he noted that everyone
has the right to practise their religion. “I call on the local authorities to
ensure that Christians can soon build their own church.”
As
for the attack in Aditmari, “radical Muslims tried to frighten Christians. We
condemn the attack and demand justice.”
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Two-Protestant-churches-targeted,-attacked-and-ransacked-52497.html
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24
Taliban killed in Kandahar clashes: MoD
04
Mar 2021
The
Ministry of Defense in a released statement on Thursday said that at least 24
Taliban fighters were killed in Arghandab, Zherai, and Shah Walikot districts
of Kandahar province.
MoD
stated Afghan national defense and security forces backed by the air support,
targeted “terrorists” in Arghandab, Jiri, and Shah Walikot districts of
Kandahar province.
The
operation resulted in 24 Taliban killed and nine others were wounded, the
statement said.
According
to the statement, some of the Taliban’s explosive devices, weapons, and
ammunition were also destroyed.
ANDSF
during the operation discovered and defused 13 anti-vehicle mines planted in
the mentioned districts and Maiwand district of the province to target
civilians and soldiers.
This
comes as 26 Taliban were killed and 3 other members of the group were wounded
in a clash with the Afghan national army a day ago.
Kandahar
is one of the Most insecure provinces, where the Taliban have a large influence
and are active.
https://www.khaama.com/24-taliban-killed-in-kandahar-clashes-mod-45242444/
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Afghan
forces free 30 prisoners from Taliban captivity
Shadi
Khan Saif
03.03.2021
KABUL,
Afghanistan
Afghan
security forces freed over 30 prisoners from Taliban captivity in the western
Herat province bordering Iran, authorities said on Wednesday.
"11
army soldiers, seven policemen, three Afghan Air Force personnel, seven
civilian workers of development project, seven government employees, and a
member of the public uprising force are released from prison," the Defense
Ministry said.
It
also shared pictures of the prisoners who were said to have been held in an
improvised Taliban prison in the Adraskan district of Herat.
At
least six Taliban insurgents were killed in the Tuesday night operation, it
added.
In
recent weeks, the Afghan security forces have broken into a number of such
Taliban facilities in Logar, Helmand, and Baghlan provinces, releasing dozens
of captives.
In
a separate development, Faiz Mohammad Faiz, a pro-government religious figure,
was gunned down in the capital Kabul on Wednesday amid the ongoing target
assassination spree.
Kabul
police spokesman Firdaus Faramarz told Anadolu Agency that the incident took
place early in the morning. He said the assassin fled the scene, and
investigations were launched into the incident.
Faiz
was associated with Jamiat-e-Eslah (Society for Reforms), a local civil society
group engaged in Islamic teaching and mobilization. Its central council head
Mohammad Atif was killed last month in a bomb blast in Kabul.
No
one claimed responsibility for the killing of Atif, but the government pointed
the finger at the Taliban. However, the Taliban, denouncing his killing, blamed
"circles within the government" for sabotaging the peace process with
such assaults.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/afghan-forces-free-30-prisoners-from-taliban-captivity/2163501
--------
Southeast Asia
April
20 ruling on challenge against khat in vernacular schools
March
4, 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR: The High Court here will rule on April 20 whether leave for judicial
review should be given to a parent and two organisations to quash the
government’s decision compelling pupils in Chinese and Tamil primary schools to
study khat or Jawi calligraphy.
Judge
Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid fixed the date after hearing submissions from T
Gunaseelan who represented R Visa Letchumy, former Chinese School Students
Association president Tan Kim Sen @ Tan Boon Tak, and Persatuan Hindu Agamam
Ani Malaysia chairman D Ravi.
“We
submitted that at this stage, leave should be granted as long as it is shown
that the applicants have an arguable case,” Gunaseelan told FMT after a virtual
hearing today.
Senior
federal counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly, representing the attorney-general,
submitted that leave should not be allowed as the applicants had no locus
standi to bring the action and they were also out of time to file the action.
Gunaseelan,
who was assisted by Keshvinjeet Singh, in his reply said the issues raised by
Hanir could be addressed when the merit of the dispute was argued.
The
three, who filed the application last May, said the decision to introduce khat
lessons for Year Four primary school pupils at vernacular schools was made by
the Pakatan Harapan government in January.
Following
criticism from educational groups, the government later announced that Jawi was
optional and would not be a test subject.
Tan,
who filed an affidavit in support of the judicial review application, said
khat, which originates from Saudi Arabia, had religious connotations.
He
added that Muslims use khat to represent God as Islam prohibits the use of
images.
“Khat
is a revered art as it is also the best way to preserve the Quran,” Tan said in
the affidavit sighted by FMT.
Tan,
who also referred to a number of articles written by Muslim authorities and
academics, said the Islamic calligraphy would confuse Muslims if non-Muslims
were allowed to use it, for example in posters for religious activities.
“Further,
the use of khat in business and immoral activities from the perspective of
Islam would cause discomfort to Muslims,” he added.
Tan
said the compulsory teaching of khat at vernacular schools was also against
Articles 11 and 12 of the Federal Constitution.
“This
compulsory subject for non-Muslim pupils is a way of inculcating Islamic
values, and parents have the right to reject it,” he said.
He
added that the compulsory teaching of khat was an irrational decision as the
art could not be used to draw quotations from non-Muslim religious texts.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/03/04/april-20-ruling-on-challenge-against-khat-in-vernacular-schools/
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Umno
and Bersatu to part ways for coming Malaysian general election
Shannon
Teoh
March
04, 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR - The largest party in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's government has
told him that it will not ally itself with his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia
at a general election expected soon after Malaysia's state of emergency ends in
August.
Bersatu
secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin said Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had
written on Feb 26 to Tan Sri Muhyiddin that their pact will end as soon as
Parliament is dissolved.
"The
political bureau has determined that Bersatu's stand will be decided at a
Supreme Council meeting this evening," Datuk Seri Hamzah, who is also the
Home Minister, said in a statement on Thursday (March 4).
Umno
secretary-general Ahmad Maslan confirmed the contents of Zahid’s letter in a
statement later, saying this was in response to an ultimatum made by Mr
Muhyiddin at a Feb 15 meeting.
“Muhyiddin
asked Umno to make a clear stand on the cooperation with Bersatu before any
further seat negotiations for the 15th General Election,” he said. “The Supreme
Council met on Feb 19 to discuss the Prime Minister’s request.”
Umno's
decision will likely mean a repeat of 2018's three-way election battle which
resulted in the shock end of the once-dominant party's six-decade rule as the
then Bersatu-led Pakatan Harapan (PH) swept to power.
The
Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) disintegrated after the loss, with just four out
of the original 13 components remaining in the coalition. Some of the parties
that left joined Bersatu's new Perikatan Nasional (PN) in the past year.
Some
studies and analyses have predicted that a three-cornered battle could result
in a hung Parliament, with PH potentially the largest bloc.
On
the other hand, if BN and PN were to join forces, they could win over
two-thirds of Parliament, as all three major parties representing the Malay
majority would be on the same team.
Parti
Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) is officially a member of PN, but it also has an
informal pact with Umno called Muafakat Nasional inked in 2019 to ensure
Malay-Muslim interests are protected.
Umno
had agreed to back Mr Muhyiddin as premier a year ago after PH collapsed, but a
faction in the party led by Zahid and former premier Najib Razak have since
agitated for a split amid grumbles at playing second fiddle despite being the
senior party in government.
Two
Umno MPs pulled support for Mr Muhyiddin in January, depriving the Premier of
his already wafer-thin majority in Parliament.
But
a state of emergency was swiftly declared, doing away with the need for
Parliament to reconvene or polls to be held until August, or earlier should a
bipartisan panel decide that the coronavirus pandemic is under control.
Federal
Territories Minister Annuar Musa - one of several Umno leaders who favour
cooperation with Bersatu at the next polls - has expressed doubt that the
decision to cut ties was determined at the party's last leadership meeting on
Feb 19.
"Doesn't
this move, when an election date has yet to be set, hand Umno a disadvantage as
the government, especially Bersatu, will no longer cooperate with Umno leaders
who have already taken the stance to take on or reject Bersatu?" said the
former BN secretary-general who was sacked from the position in January.
“What
more when the party must hold leadership polls this year. The party’s policy
heading into the coming general election must be determined by leaders who are
installed during the polls,” he added, referring to the expiry in June of the
three-year term held by current office bearers.
The
news also comes ahead of Umno's annual general assembly on March 27, where the
schism over whether to continue the alliance with Bersatu is set to take
centrestage. The assembly could also decide to delay party elections by up to
18 months.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/umno-and-bersatu-to-part-ways-for-coming-malaysian-general-election
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