Over Two-Thirds of US Muslims Experience Islamophobia: Study by the University Of California
New
Age Islam News Bureau
30
September 2021
•
Kul Jamaat Tanzeem, Representing Several Muslim Organisations Hold Protest in
Pune against Arrest of Clerics in Uttar Pradesh
•
Pakistan Is Epicentre of All Kinds of Terrorism, Says MQM Chief Altaf Hussain
•
Rohingya Refugee Leader, Mohibullah, 50, Shot Dead In Bangladesh Camp
•
Cyprus’ Top Diplomat: Turkey Is Creating New Ottoman Empire
North America
•
US 'Lost' the 20-Year War in Afghanistan: General Mark Milley, Chairman Of The
US Joint Chiefs of Staff
•
US defence chief says State Dept. failed to evacuate Americans sooner from
Afghanistan
--------
India
•
Indian American Muslims Condemns Forced Evictions And Police Brutality In Assam
•
Gujarat: Muslim Man allegedly tortured, killed in police custody, say SDPI and
AILC
•
Man alleges UP IAS Officer Mohammad Iftikharuddin lured him to convert to Islam
•
Hyderabad: Man Arrested For Thrashing Hindu Boy For Travelling With Muslim Girl
•
India Set to Take Part In Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Anti-Terror
Exercise In Pakistan
•
BJP Nominates Eight Muslim Candidates In Okha Municipality
--------
Pakistan
•
Ties between Taliban, Pakistan Will Be Not Easy As Hoped In Islamabad: Expert
•
Alarm over anti-Pakistan bill moved in US Senate
•
Pakistan denies providing military support to Taliban
•
KSA supported Pakistan more than our expectations: Parvez
•
PM Imran assures of expeditious progress on CPEC projects
•
Pakistan Army captain martyred, TTP commander killed in Tank IBO: ISPR
•
IBA Karachi expels student who exposed alleged harassment on campus
•
Imran has harmed country with abusive language: Nawaz
--------
South Asia
•
Efforts to continue former government of Afghanistan useless, says Taliban
•
Afghanistan central bank drained dollars before Taliban takeover: World Bank
•
All government employees will get paid, money transfer allowed: Taliban
•
Airline industry struggling after Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan
•
EU allocated over $300 million in humanitarian aid for Afghan people
--------
Europe
•
France’s Role in Fighting Extremism In Question with Scandal
•
Turkey praises Germany’s contribution to betterment of Turkish-EU relations
•
Council of Europe adopts Turkish lawmaker's report on climate change
•
EU allocates €300M for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan
•
EU to provide nearly €150M extra fund for Syrian refugees in Turkey
--------
Southeast Asia
•
Don’t Breach Constitution by Banning Transgender Muslims from Entering Mosques:
Sisters in Islam
•
Deputy Minister: Clash at Chinese temple in Cheras triggered by a
misunderstanding
•
China’s humanitarian aid arrives in Kabul
•
Former Malaysian diplomat says Dr Mahathir ‘needs to retire and stay retired’
•
For Malaysians with Indian ancestry, a chance to get a scholarship and further
your studies in India
--------
Arab World
•
US, Qatar Sanction Gulf-Based Hezbollah Financial Network; Bahrain Freezes
Accounts
•
US says it won't normalize or upgrade diplomatic ties with Syria's Assad regime
•
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince discusses Yemen war with US National Security
Advisor
•
Top Iraq Shia cleric Ali Sistani urges voting in parliamentary poll
•
‘We will remove you’, Hezbollah official told Beirut port blast judge
•
No Need for Social Distancing During Prayers in Mosques, Says Awqaf
--------
Mideast
•
Iran: UN Should Force Israel to End Aggression on Syria
•
Estimated 100 Houthis, govt forces killed in clashes in Yemen’s Marib
•
General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis dignified world Shiites: Belgian
pilgrim
•
AEOI Chief: US Shouldn't Meddle in Iran-IAEA Cooperation
•
Iran Kills Notorious Ringleader of Terrorist Group
•
Iran to hold military drill near border with Azerbaijan amid Tehran-Baku
tensions
--------
Africa
•
Muslims In Nigeria Seek Justice, Fight Oppression: Sheikh Zakzaky
•
Kenya launches crackdown on illegal Pakistanis
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamophobia-muslims-california/d/125479
--------
Over
Two-Thirds of US Muslims Experience Islamophobia: Study by the University Of
California
Dilara
Hamit
30.09.2021
Some
67.5% of the Muslims living in the US has experienced Islamophobia at least
once in their life, according to a study by the University of California,
Berkeley.
Women
reported more Islamophobic experience than men as the rates stood at 76.7% for
Muslim women compared to 58.6% Muslim men, the Othering & Belonging
Institute said in a press release on Wednesday.
According
to the survey, two out of three Muslims were exposed to Islamophobic acts,
while 33% of respondents said they had hidden their religious identities at
some moments to in fear of Islamophobic acts and 88.2% stated that they avoided
certain speeches and actions for fear of facing backlash.
An
overwhelming 93.7% of the respondents stated that Islamophobia affects their
emotional and mental health.
Nearly
45% of those aged between 18-29 were more likely than any other group to have
hidden their religious identity.
“The
survey, conducted two decades after the 9/11 attacks which led to a surge of
hate crimes and prompted government policies targeting Muslims, provides
insight into the experiences, lived realities, and psychological impacts of
Islamophobia on millions of US residents,” the press release read.
A
total of 1,123 Muslims, roughly half women and half men, joined the survey. The
participants live and/or work in the US and they are both citizens and
non-citizens. Among them are Muslims of various ages, national and ethnic
backgrounds, and educational levels. The survey includes over 60 questions.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Kul
Jamaat Tanzeem, Representing Several Muslim Organisations Hold Protest in Pune
against Arrest of Clerics in Uttar Pradesh
September
30, 2021
Members of Kul Jamaat Tanzeem protest at the
District Collector’s office on Wednesday. (Express photo: Arul Horizon)
------
Kul
Jamaat Tanzeem, a group representing several Muslim organisations in Pune, held
a protest at the District Collector’s office on Wednesday to protest the arrest
of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui, Maulana Umar Gautam and Mufti Jehangir by Uttar
Pradesh Police and the state Anti-Terrorist Squad.
The
organisations which participated in the protest include Popular Front of India,
All India Imam’s Council, Jamat-E-Islami E Hind, The Muslim Foundation, Jamiat
Ulema E Hind, and the Seerat Committee. They alleged that the accusations
against the Muslim clerics were politically motivated and should be dropped
immediately.
“These
arrests are undemocratic and unconstitutional. The conduct of the investigative
agencies and the administrative machinery in targeting Muslim leaders and
especially clerics is dangerous and a conspiracy to weaken the country. The
arrest of Maulana Kaleem Siddiqui is aimed at targeting scholars of Islam and
clerics, as part of the right-wing policy of the UP government. The charges of
illegal funding and conversions carry no grain of truth,” said Jahid Shaikh,
convenor of the Tanzeem.
Azhar
Tamboli of the Tanzeem said that a memorandum has been submitted to the
District Collectorate, demanding that the charges against the arrested persons
be dropped and they be released immediately.
“The
UP government is maligning the Muslim scholars on the basis of mere suspicion.
This is being done keeping in mind the upcoming elections. However, we will
raise our voices through the democratic mode of protest, so that such
injustices being done to the Muslim community are stopped by the right-wing
government in UP. We demand that the fake cases lodged against clerics be
withdrawn immediately,” said Tamboli.
The
Muslim Rashtriya Manch (MRM) Pune, however, opposed the protest by Tanzeem. MRM
state president and BJP spokesperson Ali Daruwala said the organisation opposes
the “conversion of non-Muslims” and is against the stance taken by the Tanzeem.
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
is epicentre of all kinds of terrorism, says MQM chief Altaf Hussain
30
September 2021
London
[UK], September 30 (ANI): Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of the Muttahida
Quami Movement (MQM) has said that Pakistan is the epicentre of all kinds of
terrorism.
In
an important statement released on Twitter today, he said, "I have been
pointing out to the democratic world including United Nations for many years
but unfortunately, all in vain."
He
said that Pakistan Army and its notorious Intelligence Agency - ISI had created
and are still busy creating their terrorist proxies and exporting terrorists
throughout the world e.g. Taliban, Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS).
Hussain
said, "Pakistani Army and ISI are also involved in creating, funding and
patronising terrorist factions in the political parties including my party, MQM
founded by me."
He
said that to weaken the original MQM the Pakistan Army and ISI had created MQM
Haqiqi, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement - Pakistan
(MQMP).
"Whereas
original MQM led by me has been banned illegally, all of its offices including
my house has been sealed, thousands of MQM office-bearers and members have been
killed extra-judicially. Hundreds are incarcerated in jails and hundreds have
been enforcedly disappeared," said the MQM chief.
Commenting
on the Afghanistan situation, Hussain said that taking over Afghanistan is the
result of the full support provided logistically, financially, medically,
militarily and intelligence sharing by the Pakistan Army and ISI to Taliban.
In
his statement, Hussain attached the list of other terrorist proxies created by
the Pakistan Army and ISI.
The
list included terror organisations like - Al Qaeda; Sipah-e- Mohammad;
Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-fiqha-e- Jafaria; Sipah-e-Sahaba; Jamaat-ud-Dawa; Al Rasheed
Trust; Jaish-e-Mohammad; Lashkar-e-jhangvi; Tehreek -e-Taliban;
Lashkar-e-Taiba; Lashkar-e-Islam; Jamaat-ul-Ansar; Khuddam-e-Islam;
Harkat-ul-Ansar; and Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. (ANI)
Source:
Yahoo News
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/pakistan-epicentre-kinds-terrorism-says-061711660.html
--------
Rohingya
Refugee Leader, Mohibullah, 50, Shot Dead In Bangladesh Camp
Sep
30, 2021
DHAKA:
An international representative of ethnic Rohingya refugees was shot to death
in a camp in Bangladesh by unknown gunmen late Wednesday, police said.
Mohibullah,
50, was a teacher who emerged as a key refugee leader and a spokesman
representing the Muslim ethnic group in international meetings. He visited the
White House in 2019 for a meeting on religious freedom with then-President
Donald Trump and spoke about the suffering and persecution faced by Rohingya in
Myanmar.
That
same year, he was bitterly criticized by Bangladeshi media after he led a
massive rally of 200,000 refugees to mark the second anniversary of the
crackdown by Myanmar’s military that caused about 700,000 Rohingya, including
Mohibullah, to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
The
unidentified attackers shot Mohibullah at the Kutupalong refugee camp at Ukhiya
in Cox’s Bazar district, said Naimul Haque, an commander of the Armed Police
Battalion in Cox’s Bazar. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared
dead.
No
groups claimed responsibility and it was not clear immediately who was behind
the attack.
Human
Rights Watch called Mohibullah a vital voice for the Rohingya community. “He
always defended the rights of the Rohingya to safe and dignified returns and to
have a say in the decisions concerning their lives and future. His killing is a
stark demonstration of the risks faced by those in the camps who speak up for
freedom and against violence,” Meenakshi Ganguly, the rights group’s South Asia
director, said in a statement.
“Mohibullah’s
death undermines not only the struggle of Rohingya refugees for greater rights
and protection in the refugee camps, but also their efforts to safely return to
their homes in Myanmar. Bangladesh authorities should urgently investigate
Mohibullah’s killing along with other attacks on Rohingya activists in the
camps,” she said.
Overall,
Bangladesh has been sheltering more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees from
Myanmar after previous waves of persecution.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Cyprus’
top diplomat: Turkey is creating new Ottoman empire
29
September ,2021
The
foreign minister of the divided island of Cyprus is accusing Turkey’s president
of attempting to promote a new Ottoman empire in the eastern Mediterranean and
the Middle East — and says such an approach to geopolitics could adversely
impact regional security.
Nikos
Christodoulides, whose Mediterranean island nation is divided into a breakaway
Turkish Cypriot north and internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south that
is a member of the European Union, pointed to what he called aggressive Turkish
behavior not only in Cyprus but in Syria, Iraq, Libya and other Arab countries
in the region.
“We
see the militarization of the Turkish foreign policy,” Christodoulides said in
an interview with The Associated Press, “and this is of great concern for all
the countries in the region.”
Christodoulides
invoked the Ottoman empire, which controlled much of southeastern Europe,
western Asia and northern Africa between the 14th and early 20th centuries from
Constantinople, which is now Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul. The empire
entered World War I on the side of Germany and the central powers that were
defeated, leading to its breakup and the rise of the modern Turkish republic.
Christodoulides
cited former Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s policy of “zero
problems with neighboring countries,” which was a flagship concept of the
ruling Justice and Development Party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“From
zero problems with the neighbors we end up today with Turkey having problems
with all neighbors,” he said. “There is not a single country that doesn’t have
problems with Turkey.”
“What
we are witnessing from Turkey is an attempt to promote a new Ottoman policy in
the region,” the Cypriot minister said. “Turkey wants to become the regional
hegemony.”
Christodoulides
was interviewed Monday, the final day of the UN General Assembly’s annual
high-level gathering of world leaders, after UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres hosted Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader
Ersin Tatar in hopes of jump-starting a return to negotiations to reunite the
Mediterranean island nation.
Numerous
rounds of UN-mediated talks have ended in failure, with the last push for a
peace deal in July 2017 ending in acrimony. That meeting also led to a shift by
Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots toward seeking a two-state deal rather than
pursuing their stated aim of reunifying the country as a federation made up of
Greek and Turkish speaking zones as called for by the UN Security Council.
Turkey’s
Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Turkey’s
government, which takes pride in the country’s Ottoman past, denies it has
expansionist ambitions in the region and insists that its actions in the
Mediterranean are geared toward safeguarding its interests and those of Turkish
Cypriots on the divided island against what it regards as Cyprus and Greece’s
disproportionate maritime boundary and energy exploratory claims.
Turkey
maintains troops in northern Iraq and frequently conducts cross-border
operations there to battle Kurdish militants. It has also sent troops to Syria
with the stated aim to clear militia forces linked to the Kurdish insurgency
from its borders. In Libya, Turkey provided military support to the country’s
UN-backed government, helping to tip the balance in the conflict against the
Benghazi-based forces that controlled the east. Turkey also signed an agreement
with the Tripoli-based government delineating the maritime boundaries which
triggered protests from Greece and Cyprus.
Christodoulides
said Erdogan’s recent announcement of a drone base in breakaway northern Cyprus
is an example of Turkey’s Ottoman policy.
“The
main reason for establishing this drone base is to control the Middle East, is
to control Israel, it’s to control Egypt,” he said. “It’s not for Cyprus,
actually, because you don’t need a drone base in Cyprus in order to see the
situation in the island.”
Christodoulides
said the Cypriot government vehemently opposes a two-state solution because it
will give Turkey full control of “a so-called Turkish Cypriot sovereign state,”
which isn’t the case today because only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Cypriot
north, not the international community.
“So,
they run with this to control the region, to promote its plan for the eastern
Mediterranean,” he said.
The
top Cypriot diplomat said that to understand Erdogan’s policy in Cyprus it must
be seen in the context of what Turkish forces are doing in northern Syria and
Iraq, in Libya and in some African countries.
Christodoulides
said Cyprus is working to bolster its security with its neighbors, especially
Israel and Egypt, but also the United States, recalling that Cyprus signed a
statement of intent for security cooperation with the US in 2018 that is “very
important.” Also important, he said: that the EU is considering developing “a
security wing.”
The
Cypriot minister renewed an invitation to Turkey — made last year by the
leaders of Cyprus, Egypt and Greece — to become a partner in reaping the
potential benefits of offshore gas deposits, while urging Ankara to end its
“aggressive” actions in the eastern Mediterranean.
“We
don’t exclude anybody,” he said. “We want all the neighboring countries to work
in order to take advantage of the energy possibilities of our region.”
Christodoulides
said all countries in the region have delineated their maritime borders except
Turkey, adding that it has refused to enter bilateral relations to determine
its border with Cyprus or go to the International Court of Justice in The
Hague, Netherlands.
“We
want and we’re ready to work with Turkey,” he said. “What we’re asking from
Turkey — just to respect international law, the UN Convention on the Law of the
Sea.”
He
said all other countries in the region understand the benefits of cooperation,
“but also the fact that united we will be able to tackle the challenges of the
region, to work together.” He pointed as an example to this summer’s wildfires
in Cyprus, Greece and Israel which saw many countries in the region offer help.
Cyprus’
long-term vision, Christodoulides said, is to establish a regional organization
for security and cooperation.
“It’s
the only region in the world that no such organization exists,” he said. “And
we believe that all the countries of the region, they can see benefits out of
this regional cooperation.”
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
North America
US
'Lost' the 20-Year War in Afghanistan: General Mark Milley, Chairman Of The US
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Sep
30, 2021
WASHINGTON:
The top US general conceded in a stark admission on Wednesday that the United
States "lost" the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
"It
is clear, it is obvious to all of us, that the war in Afghanistan did not end
on the terms we wanted, with the Taliban in power in Kabul," General Mark
Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services
Committee.
"The
war was a strategic failure," Milley told a committee hearing about the US
troop pullout from Afghanistan and the chaotic evacuation from the capital
Kabul.
"It
wasn't lost in the last 20 days or even 20 months," Milley said.
"There's
a cumulative effect to a series of strategic decisions that go way back,"
said the general, the top military advisor to President Joe Biden, who ordered
an end to the 20-year US troop presence in Afghanistan.
"Whenever
you get some phenomenon like a war that is lost -- and it has been, in the
sense of we accomplished our strategic task of protecting America against
al-Qaida, but certainly the end state is a whole lot different than what we
wanted," Milley said.
"So
whenever a phenomenon like that happens, there's an awful lot of causal
factors," he said. "And we're going to have to figure that out. A lot
of lessons learned here."
Milley
listed a number of factors responsible for the US defeat going back to a missed
opportunity to capture or kill al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden at Tora Bora
soon after the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
defence chief says State Dept. failed to evacuate Americans sooner from
Afghanistan
Servet
Gunerigok
29.09.2021
WASHINGTON
Secretary
of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday pinned the blame on the State Department
for the US' delayed evacuation of Americans and special immigrant visa (SIV)
applicants from Afghanistan.
Austin
was testifying at the House Armed Services Committee hearing, along with
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and CENTCOM Commander Frank
McKenzie.
“Again
the call on how to do that and when to do it is really a State Department
call," said Austin. "We provide an input."
The
defense chief said the State Department "rightfully" followed
Afghanistan's former President Ashraf Ghani's caution that "if they
withdrew American citizens and SIV applicants at a pace that was too fast, it
would cause a collapse of the government
"And
so, I think that went into the calculus," said Austin. adding that the
"SIV process was very, at that point, very slow, deliberate and not very
responsive."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Indian
American Muslims condemns forced evictions and police brutality in Assam
28th
September 2021
WASHINGTON
DC: The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) condemned the violent eviction
drive that began on September 20 in Assam, which was aimed at driving mainly
Bengali-speaking Muslims out of their homes. Nearly 800 families were evicted
in the drive, and four “illegally constructed” religious structures were
demolished.
The
raid occurred despite the fact that 246 people had filed a petition for a stay,
and a hearing scheduled for Tuesday had been deferred.
The
Council discussed videos of the incident show police firing at civilians as
they hid behind trees and huts, with two people confirmed dead from the
gunfire. One of the victims was Sheikh Farid, a 12-year-old boy. The other
victim, Moinul Haque, was shot in the chest and beaten to death with sticks.
Even after Haque’s death, a photographer on the scene was filmed repeatedly
kicking and jumping on his body. His wife, children, and parents have lost both
their home and the only breadwinner of their family.
MS
Education Academy
“The
violent eviction drive in Assam’s Darrang district follows a pattern of state
action against minority communities by treating them as ‘illegal encroachers,’”
tweeted Indian journalist Mahmodal Hassan in condemnation of the evictions.
Both
Farid and Haque were carriers of Aadhaar cards, proof of both their identification
and their right to live in their homes. The fact that they were targeted as
“illegal immigrants” shows that BJP leadership in Assam uses the term as a
smokescreen for inflicting violence on Muslims.
The
IAMC argued that the use of such terms adds fuel to the Hindutva rhetoric that
Muslims are foreigners in India. Under the Citizenship Amendment Act, Muslims
are already under additional pressure to prove their citizenship through the
legal documentation, despite the fact that families like those in Assam have
been living in India for decades, and such documentation is difficult to
obtain. Even for those with documentation, such as Haque and Farid, identity
cards do not guarantee protection against a discriminatory state.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Gujarat:
Muslim Man allegedly tortured, killed in police custody, say SDPI and AILC
29th
September 2021
Hyderabad:
A joint delegation of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) and All India
Left Coordination (AILC) on Wednesday visited the family of Qasam Abdullah
Hayat, who was killed in police custody in Godhra on September 16.
35-year-old
Qasam Abdulah Hayat was a father of two minor sons, 17 and 10, who was
reportedly intercepted whilst on his way back from Sewalya. The locality is 25
kilometers away from his residence in mohalla Eidgah, Godhra, Gujarat.
The
joint delegation said in a statement to the press that as Hayat had a beard,
and was visibly a Muslim, he was criminally assaulted by Hindutva goons in
complicity with local police. “He was illegally kept in police station without
producing him before the judicial magistrate,” the joint statement read.
MS
Education Academy
Hayat
was reportedly brutally tortured for three days until he died on September 16.
The photographs taken of his deceased body show that every part of his body was
fatally injured. It is likely that these injuries from the third degree torture
led to Hayat’s dead, the joint statement read.
The
brother-in-law of the victim, Qaim and his sister Bilkis had reportedly visited
the police station to see and serve food to Hayat on September 14. Hayat
reportedly narrated the torture he had gone through at the hands of the
in-charge of police station, H.N. Patel, SINR Rathod, constables Bhasker and
Ramesh Sidhraj. He was allegedly also assaulted by two notorious cow vigilantes
and Hindutva goons, Pravesh Soni and Partik Kharadi.
Bilal,
the elder brother of Hayat and Sahil, and his friend also reportedly went to
the police station and met him under police custody. Hayat had then narrated
the brutal thrashings he had got on September 15. Subsequently, Sahil was not
allowed to meet Hayat since the morning of September 16, when he wanted to
serve breakfast to him. However, he was forced to leave without “even serving
the tea,” SDPI and AILC narrated in the joint statement.
The
custodial death
On
the afternoon of the same day, Salim, a policeman, visited the house of Hayat
and informed Bilal that he had died. When the family members went to the police
station, they were informed that Hayat had committed suicide. SDPI and AILC
stated that if this incident was staged, which if put to scrutiny may not
stand. Hayat was reportedly later surreptitiously introduced as a beef trader
to the general public after his custodia death inside the police station.
HN
Patel had allegedly threatened Qasam, to kill him in an encounter claiming
himself to be a ‘master of encounters.’ SDPI and AILC further alleged that the
due of hindutva goons, Pravesh Soni and Pratik Kharadi were given free access
to beat Qasam in the police station.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Man
alleges UP IAS Officer Mohammad Iftikharuddin lured him to convert to Islam
Sep
30, 2021
Even
as the SIT begins its investigation into charges of forcing religious
conversions against Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Mohammad Iftikharuddin, former
president of Rajkiya Unnayan Basti in Kalyanpur has alleged that the officer
had once even "lured him to convert to Islam".
Nirmal
Kumar Tyagi, former president of Rajkiya Unnayan Basti, told reporters that in
October 2016, the then divisional commissioner Mohammad Iftikharuddin's convoy
reached Kalyanpur and residents of the settlement were told that they would
have to vacate the place, as this land was to be used for the Metro project.
Tyagi
alleged that when he pleaded the commissioner not to destroy their houses,
keeping in mind their poor financial conditions, the commissioner started to
lure him to convert to Islam by offering him money. "When the commissioner
was making this suggestion, a person present there started giving him
literature related to Islam," said Tyagi.
He
further said, "Several attempts of conversion were made in the settlement.
However, the locals decided that they would not accept the offer. When they
approached the court regarding the issue of vacating the settlement, the crisis
was resolved."
When
asked, he said that he would testify against the IAS officer if summoned by the
SIT.
Iftikharuddin
is presently serving as the Chairman of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport
Corporation.
It
may be recalled that the national vice president of Math Mandir Coordination
Committee, Bhupesh Awasthi, had alleged that Iftikharuddin was indulging in
anti-Hindu propaganda.
Awasthi
released videos of religious programmes of the officer who was then the Kanpur
Zone Commissioner. It is alleged that in these videos, Iftikharuddin is telling
people about the benefits of adopting Islam as a religion. The purported videos
also show a religious leader sitting besides the IAS officer.
Source:
Zee Newn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hyderabad:
Man arrested for thrashing Hindu boy for travelling with Muslim girl
By
Usama Hazari
28th
September 2021
Hyderabad:
What seems to be an implementation of the Uttar Pradesh (U.P) model of moral
policing, a Hindu boy was allegedly thrashed by a group of people for
travelling alone with a Muslim girl on his two-wheeler few days ago in the
Golconda area.
Deputy
commissioner of west zone, A. R. Srinivas, siasat.com that the boy and girl
were stopped by the accused Mohammed Rafee. Subsequently, a few others joined
him and allegedly thrashed the boy for absolutely no other reason but for
commuting with a person of a different religion.
The
issue came to light after a video of it was floating on social media, and
Twitter. According to Srinivas, the case took place three days ago and came to
light on September 27 after the video surfaced on. The DCP said that this is a
case of moral policing with a communal angle.
MS
Education Academy
“These
type of incidents are very rare,” DCP Srinivas remarked. A case was registered
against Mohammed Rafi under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the
accused was taken into custody. The DCP said that on Tuesday he was remanded.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Set to Take Part In Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Anti-Terror Exercise In
Pakistan
Sep
30, 2021
NEW
DELHI: India is likely to send a 3-member team to participate in a Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Pakistan next week, ToI has learnt. The Pabbi
Anti-terror Exercise 2021 is being held at Pabbi in Pakistan’s Nowshera
district from October 3 under the aegis of SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist
Structure (RATS) which seeks to promote counter-terrorism cooperation between
SCO member-states.The government believes its participation in the exercise, an
SCO event, will not in any way dilute its position that Pakistan continues to
promote cross-border terrorism. India's presence though will be seen as a sign
of the importance it attaches to the role of the Central Asia-focused regional
bloc in security-related issues, especially in Afghanistan.
With
Iran too joining the group, comprising Russia, India, China, Pakistan and 4
Central Asian countries as full members, SCO is likely to play a key role in
the efforts for a political and diplomatic solution to the situation in
Afghanistan.
India
was apparently the last country to confirm its participation in the exercise
which was announced in March this year following a meeting of the Council of
RATS in Tashkent. In line with the SCO protocol, Pakistan had invited all
member-states, including India, for the exercise which doesn’t involve troops
and is meant to identify and suppress channels that finance terrorist
activities. India is likely to be represented by officials of National Security
Council Secretariat in the exercise.
The
SCO Dushanbe Declaration earlier this month reaffirmed the ``special role’’ of
the SCO RATS in the joint fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism in
order to ensure regional security. It had also said that member-states will
continue to conduct joint anti-terrorism exercises, including the upcoming
Pabbi Anti-Terror 2021 exercise.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
BJP
Nominates Eight Muslim Candidates In Okha Municipality
September
27, 2021
In
an apparent bid to woo the sizeable number of Muslim votes, the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has nominated eight candidates from the community
for the October 3 election to Okha municipality in Devbhumi Dwarka district.
This is two more than the previous election in 2016.
Election
to 36 seats of the Okha municipality is due to be held on October 3 and
counting on October 5. Total 85 candidates are in the fray. Besides the BJP and
its main rival Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is also contesting from a
majority of seats.
“We
have tried to give fair representation to all communities. Hence the number of
tickets given to Muslims is higher,” said Pradip Khimani, convener of the
municipalities cell of Gujarat BJP.
“In
2016, we had fielded six Muslims and only one had won. Muslims account for
almost 80 per cent of voters in ward No. 2 and Ward No. 5… So the party has
given one more ticket each for Muslims in those wards,” said an insider.
This
year, three out of four BJP candidates in Ward No.2 are Muslims. Similar is the
case in Ward No. 5. The saffron party has fielded one Muslim candidate each in
Ward No.3 and Ward No.7 also. “Ward No.3 and 7 are seats where Muslim voters
are the largest electorate group but not as dominant as in Ward No.2 and 5.
Therefore, the party has continued with the same strategy as the previous
election,” said a party source.
There
are 50,196 registered voters in Okha municipality where share of Muslim voters
is estimated to be around 20,000.
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Ties
between Taliban, Pakistan will be not easy as hoped in Islamabad: expert
Sep
29, 2021
Brussels
[Belgium], September 29 (ANI): After the Taliban's take over of Afghanistan,
the relations between the outfit and Pakistan will be not as easy as hoped in
Islamabad and the Durand-Line will remain as a 'severe issue of content'
between both countries, according to an expert.
This
assertion was made by Siegfried O. Wolf, Director of Research at the South Asia
Democratic Forum (SADF), during a webinar titled 'After Kabul' on September 24.
Wolf
stated that considering the manifold support offered to the Taliban during the
last two decades, Pakistan has reason to anticipate a friendly regime in Kabul.
"There
are also reasons to believe that the relations between the Taliban government
and Pakistan will be not as easy as hoped in Islamabad." Wolf stated that
the Durand-Line will remain as a 'severe issue of content' between both
countries and added that the Afghan Taliban does not support Pakistani efforts
fighting the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
"The
Haqqanis [a major component of the Afghan Taliban and traditionally close to
Pakistan] seemed to have recalibrated their relations with Islamabad in favour
of the TTP," he added. According to Wolf, this could "energize
anti-state militant extremists and bolster Pakistan's ultra-conservative
religious groups."
Another
expert Antonio Giustozzi, visiting Professor at King's College London,
described the Taliban as "essentially quite loose and federal in
structure". He argued that the leadership [foremost the Quetta Shura]
rejected centralisation attempts and adopted a model which is 'resilient' and
'adaptive' to 'manage the diversity among the Pashtuns'.
The
"Taliban are designed to tolerate and to coexist with internal
conflict". "The Taliban, like in the past, are divided into groups,
there are leaders and figures who are competing for influence, there are
regional differences, but that does not imply that they are on the verge of
collapse or splintering," he said.
Meanwhile,
another expert of the region James M Page highlighted that the rapidity (and
shock) of the Taliban offensive that culminated, in its latter stages, in the
fall of Kabul should not have come as a surprise.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Alarm
over anti-Pakistan bill moved in US Senate
Iftikhar
A. Khan
September
30, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The bill moved in the US Senate seeking to assess Pakistan’s alleged role in
Afghanistan before and after the fall of Kabul to Afghan Taliban set alarm
bells ringing in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday.
Raising
the issue of the anti-Pakistan bill that aims to penalise and sanction
different countries, Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentary leader in Senate and
chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Sherry
Rehman said Pakistan was faced with a moment of serious peril after the hasty
pullout of US forces from Afghanistan.
Referring
to the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability bill moved
by 22 Republican senators, Senator Rehman regretted the US left Afghanistan
under a deal that it had directly made with the Taliban yet it was pressing
Pakistan to take responsibility for whatever was happening in Afghanistan.
“What is happening to Pakistan is actually worse than what has happened
before,” she remarked.
Read:
'Unwarranted' references to Pakistan in US Senate bill inconsistent with spirit
of cooperation: FO
Mentioning
that the bill directly targeted Pakistan, she said it was not the US
administration’s policy bill but it was important as it could gather critical
mass. “It also points to a rise in toxic sentiments about Pakistan on the Hill,
which many of us have worked very hard to reverse,” she observed.
US
left Afghanistan after striking a direct deal with Taliban, Senate told
Noting
that a smart policy was about anticipating challenges and tackling them with
unity and rational response, she said that at least a beginning should be made
to address the threats. Section 202 of the bill directly mentions Pakistan and
calls for an “assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including
the government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020.”
“They
are clearly saying that the government of Pakistan has supported the Taliban
but it’s disappointing to see that no one has actually put it to the parliament
for shaping collective responses nor dispelled disinformation that is damaging
and painful,” she added.
Senator
Rehman said: “While it is important to engage with all countries with
self-respect, particularly angry superpowers like the US that itself is in
turmoil over its 20 years occupation of Afghanistan, what are we doing to
empower our own selves? Instead of trying to unite the parliament around a
bipartisan foreign policy, the parliament has never met on the Afghan
transition, the humanitarian crisis there, and the response. All over the world
joint meetings are being held on Afghanistan but Pakistan’s government is in a
state of denial over dealing with the parliament”.
She
regretted that national unity, which should be the first step in foreign policy
was missing and said the PTI government was ignoring the constitution and the
parliament, and was busy in their war narrative.
“If
we even try to help Pakistan, we are told our leaders are corrupt. How is that
helping Pakistan? Our president Zardari also wrote op eds in the Washington
Post. He defended the whole of Pakistan, not just his party. Read the op eds
and see how parliament was conducted to unite in moments of danger. You need to
pay attention to what’s going on in the Pakistan Senate, not just the US
Senate. The PM of this country needs to respect the sanctity of the parliament
and come here and discuss the situation instead of playing the blame game and
disrupting unity. Is this how you defend the country?” she questioned.
She
said, “We are friends of Afghanistan, not spokesmen for any particular group.
We should not make decisions that hurt the country. The PM mentions sacrifice.
Yes, that is correct, but why make fun of that sacrifice by saying we will give
amnesty to outfits like TTP that have martyred not just our twice elected PM
Benazir Bhutto but also the children of Army Public School and many of our
brave soldiers.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1649226/alarm-over-anti-pakistan-bill-moved-in-us-senate
--------
Pakistan
denies providing military support to Taliban
September
29, 2021
Reacting
to a bill seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also
potentially extend to Pakistan in US Senate, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid
Ahmed on Wednesday said that the country did not provide any military support
to the Taliban.
"US
is accusing us that we facilitated Taliban but we only facilitated them to
bring them to the table at the request of US," he said while addressing a
ceremony in Islamabad.
The
statement came a day after the bill, titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism,
Oversight, and Accountability Act’, was moved by Republican senators. It
triggered an angry rebuke from Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari.
Rashid,
in today’s presser, said that Pakistan wanted the world to engage with the Taliban
so that peace can prevail in the neighbouring country. "We are standing
with the world and we want the world to stand with Afghanistan in this
difficult situation," he added.
Talking
about Pakistan's role in the recent developments in Afghanistan, he said that
Pakistan helped evacuate 20,000 to 22,000 people and the process will continue
till October 30, adding that the entire world lauded Pakistan's efforts in this
regard.
He
said that Pakistan's geostrategic position was very important and the world powers
understood it’s importance. "We will face more challenges [in future as
well] but we will emerge victorious eventually."
Criticising
India's role in Afghanistan, the interior minister said that India suffered
humiliation in the war-torn country and was now trying to harm Pakistan in any
way possible.
Source:
Tribune Pk
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2322524/pakistan-denies-providing-military-support-to-taliban
--------
KSA
supported Pakistan more than our expectations: Parvez
September
30, 2021
Lahore
- Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Pakistan Nawaf Saeed Al-Maliki called on Speaker
Punjab Assembly Ch Parvez Elahi at the Assembly Chambers here on Wednesday. On
this occasion, both the personalities exchanged views about bilateral relations
and matters of mutual interest. Provincial Minister Hafiz Ammar Yasir, MNA
Salik Hussain and Rasikh Elahi were also present during the meeting.
Ch
Parvez Elahi said: “The basis of our relations with Saudi Arabia is “La Ilaha
Illallah Muhammad Rasoolullah”. Whenever Pakistan faced a difficult time Saudi
Arabia supported us more than our expectations”. Parvez Elahi told the Saudi Ambassador that
the Punjab Assembly had passed the Quran Majeed Act making teaching of Holy
Quran Nazira up to class six and with translation up to Matric compulsory in
all government and private educational institutions and its implementation had
commenced in the right earnest. The speaker said that Punjab Assembly had made
it compulsory to write Khatamun Nabiyeen and Darood Pak with the name of Holy
Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him).
Source:
News Nation Pk
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://nation.com.pk/30-Sep-2021/ksa-supported-pakistan-more-than-our-expectations-parvez
--------
PM
Imran assures of expeditious progress on CPEC projects
September
30, 2021
Prime
Minister Imran Khan assured on Thursday of expeditious progress on projects
falling under the umbrella of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), despite
some relevant departments having faced difficulties due to the Covid-19
pandemic in the past.
The
prime minister, who was addressing a ceremony held in Islamabad to mark the
inauguration of a 600 kilovolt (kV) transmission line running between Matiari
and Lahore, pointed out that the pandemic had stalled communications in many
areas, led to travel bans and affected supply chains across the world.
Consequently,
difficulties were also faced in the execution of CPEC projects, PM Imran
explained, adding that the setback, however, was "temporary".
He
expressed the hope that with vaccinations against the coronavirus picking up
pace across the world, the coming waves of the pandemic would not be as intense
as earlier ones and in turn, the work on CPEC projects would not be affected
but expedited instead.
Earlier
this month, a Senate panel had expressed concern over the slow pace of
development on the CPEC and dissatisfaction being expressed by Chinese
companies over the negligible progress in the last three years.
Presiding
over a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development,
its chairperson, Saleem Mandviwalla, had said that the Chinese were not
satisfied with the pace of work on the CPEC and no progress on the portfolio
had been seen during the last three years.
“They
(the Chinese) are crying," Mandviwalla had said, adding the “Chinese
ambassador has complained to me that you have destroyed CPEC and no work was
done in the past three years."
However,
Federal Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar had
dismissed the reports a day after the Senate body's meeting.
He
had rejected a perception that CPEC had been slowed down over the past three
years and claimed that major work on the corridor projects had been completed
during the tenure of the current PTI government.
Politicians
ought to be careful while commenting on CPEC, Umar had said, adding that there
was no bar on criticism and recommendations but CPEC should not be described
like it had been “closed down, finished or destroyed”.
Without
naming Mandviwala, the minister had said he was a seasoned person and could not
be expected of speaking irresponsibly but perhaps he had been misled.
'State-of-the-art
transmission line'
The
Matiari-Lahore transmission line is one of the projects completed under the
CPEC, dubbed "state-of-the-art" by PM Imran in his address on
Thursday.
He
said the project was officially commenced in 2013, but work on it had not been
started until 2018.
"On
this occasion, I congratulate all those involved in the speedy completion of
this project over a course of three years," he added.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1649316/pm-imran-assures-of-expeditious-progress-on-cpec-projects
--------
Pakistan
Army captain martyred, TTP commander killed in Tank IBO: ISPR
September
30, 2021
A
Pakistan Army captain was martyred during an intelligence-based operation (IBO)
in Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
terrorists, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday.
In
a statement, the military's media affairs wing said that security forces
conducted an operation after receiving information about the presence of
terrorists in the area.
During
the exchange of fire, Captain Sikander — who was 27-years-old and hailed from
Pakpattan — was martyred, the statement said.
"TTP
terrorist commander Khawaza din alias Sher Khan was killed. Weapons and
ammunition [were] recovered from the hideout," the statement added.
On
Tuesday, security forces killed 10 terrorists in a similar operation in the
South Waziristan tribal district.
The
ISPR said security forces conducted the operation after receiving information
that terrorists were present at a hideout in the area.
During
intense exchange of fire, 10 terrorists, including four commanders, were
killed, it said, adding that weapons and a large quantity of ammunition were
also recovered.
"All
the killed terrorists remained actively involved in planting IEDs (improvised
explosive devices), conducting fire raids, and target killing of innocent
civilians. These terrorists were planning to conduct more acts of terrorism
inside the South Waziristan district," the statement had said.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
IBA
Karachi expels student who exposed alleged harassment on campus
Sumaira
Jajja
September
29, 2021
The
Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi on Wednesday expelled a
student who had witnessed and publicly highlighted an alleged harassment
incident at the varsity and had supported the female victim in lodging a formal
complaint with the management.
Mohammad
Gibrail was punished for taking to social media to report the incident instead
of using the "right channels" established by the institute, according
to a statement shared on IBA's Facebook page.
It
said the student "was given multiple occasions to reconsider his actions
and was counselled numerous times to reassess his actions. Having failed to do
that, the Disciplinary Committee has decided to expel the student as the IBA
has zero-tolerance policy towards the violation of its rules and regulations.”
Disciplinary
proceedings were started against Gibrail after he posted on Facebook about an
incident he observed in the IBA's finance department on August 25, wherein he
heard the manager of the department screaming at a female employee and saying,
"Mein tumhe puri raat betha kar rakhoon ga (I will make you sit here all
night)." The student later refused IBA's demand to take down the post.
In
its statement, the IBA said “it is important to note that [Gibrail's]
highlighting [of] the incident of alleged harassment within IBA has been
appreciated by the IBA administration.”
“However,
we need to emphasise, the act of the student of whistleblowing of alleged
harassment has nothing to do with the Disciplinary matter which was the basis
of the hearing and recommendation. The IBA Anti-Harassment Committee is
investigating the case as per IBA and HEC rules, regulations, and procedures.
We do not jump to any conclusions on the basis of hearsay and always follow
processes before any decision can be taken,” it added.
The
decision drew a strong reaction on social media and within the student
community. Though there was an outpouring of support for Gibrail, many students
and working women felt the next time many would simply look away if they saw
any wrong being done.
“In
a society where women are questioned again and again for their actions, we are
simply giving harassers a free hand and enabling them,” a female student from
Karachi University said.
Gibrail's
lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir said: "Shame on [IBA Karachi] for
expelling a student for exposing harassment of a female staff member by a male
staff member.
"It's
not the student who defamed IBA, it is IBA which is defaming rather exposing
itself with this step. A student's career has been ruined for speaking
truth."
Journalist
Zarrar Khuhro termed the decision "a gross overreaction from IBA which
must be set right".
"Such
measures can and will only backfire," he tweeted.
Meanwhile,
the now-expelled student maintains that he will not offer an apology. Talking
to Dawn.com, Gibrail confirmed the news of his expulsion from the IBA.
In
a Facebook post on Tuesday night, he wrote: “Have perceived from today's DC
behaviour that they have finalised my expulsion. I know that the people will
not stand with me when they will expel me because everyone would worry about
their career and well-being. Even still, I'm saying with all my complete senses
that I WILL NOT SAY SORRY EVEN IF IT WILL COST MY HEAD. I cannot be a
hypocrite, a person who has difference in his words and deeds, and a person who
takes decision by looking towards the number of people supporting him; I cannot
be that person."
The
expulsion letter issued to Gibrail, shared on Twitter by Nasir, stated that the
student "may file a decision review request with the Registrar office and
Executive Director office in writing" if he had any reservations about the
decision.
Gibrail,
who hails from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Lakki Marwat, was on a full scholarship and
has been a star student. He was set to graduate in two months. The student said
he was not even allowed to collect his possessions from the IBA hostel.
According
to the IBA statement, the BS Economics programme student was
"counselled" by various members of the IBA community. “However,
despite the counselling provided to him, the student refused to adhere to the
right channels that are expected to be followed by all members of the IBA
faculty, students, and staff,” it said.
The
Disciplinary Committee found him guilty of sharing details of the alleged
harassment incident on social media "without first following the SOPs that
are expected to be followed at IBA".
"Sharing
details about an alleged incident without having complete knowledge of the
context/ background on any public platform is against IBA’s rules and
regulations," the statement said.
The
student was also found to have “shared details of the employee (Facebook
profile including picture of the person) of the Institute even before the
victim filed an official complaint, which led to endangering the physical and
psychological safety of the employee, his coworkers, and the department".
Gibrail
"defamed the Institute, its Finance Department, and the employee [besides]
senior professors on various national forums" as well as "incited
students to protest and led demonstrations against the Institute and pit the
students and the IBA administration against one another which could have
jeopardised the security of the protesters and the administration personnel”,
the statement added.
The
IBA disciplinary committee further charged him with endangering the physical
and psychological safety of other students, employees, and faculty members
through the protests. He also “[attempted] to influence the decisions of the
relevant committees, which are completely independent and neutral, to achieve
desired outcomes through dissemination of the incident and chain of events on
mediums of communications outside the IBA and spreading misinformation and
twisting of facts”, the statement said.
When
reached out for comment earlier on, a lawyer had suggested that if a
disciplinary committee had been formed against the student or any other similar
action was being taken against him, he could approach the Sindh High Court to
challenge the legality and validity of such a committee as he had highlighted the
matter being a concerned and responsible citizen and had no personal interest
in the issue, and should, therefore, not be punished for performing his civic
duty.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Imran
has harmed country with abusive language: Nawaz
September
30, 2021
LAHORE:
PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif says Prime Minister Imran Khan has destroyed the
country as well as its culture and politics with his abusive language.
“It
was a grave misfortune for Pakistan that this person was brought and placed in
government’s highest office,” he said.
Addressing
his party leaders and workers from Lahore division through video-link from
London on Wednesday, Mr Sharif stressed his party workers should avoid indecent
language and respond to the government functionaries with facts and figures.
He
said the PML-N had become the most favourite party of the people of Pakistan.
He said the party leadership could proudly say that the PML-N was the only
party that took country to new heights. He said the PML-N government had
constructed motorways, farm to market roads, launched power projects, largely
controlled terrorism, launched orange line and metro bus projects and took
country’s economy to new heights.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1649261/imran-has-harmed-country-with-abusive-language-nawaz
--------
South Asia
Efforts
to continue former government of Afghanistan useless, says Taliban
Sep
30, 2021
KABUL:
The Taliban have said that it was useless to continue the former government of
Afghanistan.
Anaamullah
Samangai, a member of the Cultural Commission of the Information and Culture
Ministry, said their efforts are useless, reported Tolo News.
"Now
there is and will be no opportunity for such opportunistic people to deceive
the international community from the address of Afghanistan and the people of
Afghanistan," said Samangani.
This
comes in response to the efforts of former officials of the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan to continue the Afghan government in exile, headed by the former
Vice-President Amrullah Saleh.
A
number of officials and leaders of the former government said they will make
the former government operational.
In
an 18-article statement released by Afghanistan's embassy in Switzerland, a
number of leaders and officials of the former government said the activities of
the former government will continue, saying it is the only legitimate
government based on the peoples' vote, reported Tolo News.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghanistan
central bank drained dollars before Taliban takeover: World bank
30
Sep 2021
An
assessment prepared for Afghanistan’s international donors indicates that the
central bank of Afghanistan-De Afghanistan bank- drained $1.5 billion before
the Afghan capital collapse to the Taliban.
The
two-page report is compiled by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
early this month.
As
per the confidential report of International financial experts, the cash
shortage of the central bank of Afghanistan had started before the Taliban took
control of the country.
The
report also criticized the way De Afghanistan bank handled the crisis of the
bank months before the Taliban’s conquest, including the decision to auction
unusually large amounts of US dollars and move money from Kabul to provincial
branches.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
All
government employees will get paid, money transfer allowed: Taliban
29
Sep 2021
Islamic
Emirate of Afghanistan said that they have partly or/and completely paid
salaries of five ministries namely education, higher education, public health,
finance, and the central bank.
The
officials said that they are working to pay on a mechanism based on which they
will pay the salaries of all the government employees.
Speaking
in a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday, September 29 deputy Prime Minister
Abdul Salaam Hanafi said that they have established an exclusive commission to
address the looming humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Abdul
Salaam Hanafi said that the commission has allowed all the private banks in
Afghanistan to conduct money transfers in order for the traders to access their
money and import food ingredients and medicine.
“We
have created this exclusive commission so that we address the ongoing economic
problem, a spike in prices, and preparation for the upcoming winter season.”
Said Hanafi.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/all-government-employees-will-get-paid-money-transfer-allowed-taliban-346346/
--------
Airline
industry struggling after Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan
Sep
30, 2021
KABUL:
Post-Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, its airspace revenue has dropped and the
airline industry is struggling.
As
per industry analysts, the suspension of airline flights has harmed the airline
industry and the closing of Afghan airspace has caused revenue to plummet,
reported Tolo News.
The
estimated revenue loss from the closed Afghan airspace since the fall of the
former government is around USD 7 million, said analysts.
Airlines
that stopped or changed their offered flight routes have lost around USD 20
million, say airline officials, reported Tolo News.
Airline
companies expressed concern over the closed airspace and the reduction of
flights, saying that the airlines should immediately resume operations.
Officials
at Kabul Airport said all types of flights will resume in the future.
According
to the Civil Aviation Authority of Afghanistan, the country was receiving over
five billion Afs (Afghani currency) in revenue for the use of its airspace
annually, reported Tolo News.
Hakim
Reshad, a business analyst, said that the problems for the airlines could also
damage secondary industries.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
EU
allocated over $300 million in humanitarian aid for Afghan people
30
Sep 2021
President
of the European Union Ursula Von der Leyen on Wednesday, September 29 said that
they have allocated US$ 348.2 million in humanitarian aid for the people of
Afghanistan.
Leyen
on her Twitter post wrote that the EU is standing by the people of Afghanistan
and added that the EU’s flight brought aids to Afghanistan.
In
the meantime, the EU commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarcic has said
that they have delivered 32 tonnes of humanitarian aids to Afghanistan.
Lenarcic
has added that the aid will be distributed by UNICEF and WHO to the people who
are most affected by conflicts and cholera in Afghanistan.
Prior
to that, the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund released US$45 million to
help prevent the collapse of Afghanistan’s health sector.
The
humanitarian aid comes at a time when the people of Afghanistan are grappling
with a looming humanitarian crisis and they are in desperate need of relief
assistance.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/eu-allocated-over-300-million-for-humanitarian-aid-for-afghan-people-4574575/
--------
Europe
France’s
role in fighting extremism in question with scandal
James
Tasamba
30.09.2021
KIGALI,
Rwanda
News
of a scandalous cover-up involving the French Interior Ministry and cement
giant Lafarge’s ties with the notorious Daesh/ISIS terror group is nothing but
“hypocrisy,” according to an expert, especially given that France is rallying a
coalition of countries fighting extremist militants in Africa’s Sahel region.
Leaked
official French documents suggest that France’s intelligence agencies never
warned Lafarge that they were committing a crime before the company was charged
with “complicity in crime against humanity” over funding Deash/ISIS in order to
continue the company’s operations in Syria.
In
an interview with Anadolu Agency, Freddie David Egesa, a Uganda-based security
analyst, said some superpowers “show face” internationally, but join the fight
against terrorism as “double dealers” depending on which side their country
benefits most.
“In
this particular case, France dealing with Lafarge was not by default but a
fulfillment of one of their objectives. Against such a background, clearing the
affected countries of terrorism with such a level of hypocrisy by some
superpowers is putting expectations so high,” he said.
“It
is common knowledge that some superpowers join the fight against terrorism as
business in a way, getting cheap minerals and war-associated business. For
example, trading in arms in exchange for relevance as a protector.”
France
maintains about 5,100 soldiers in West Africa as part of its Operation Barkhane
with its headquarters in Chad’s capital N’Djamena.
Its
forces are mainly focused on tackling armed groups in Burkina Faso, Chad, and
Niger.
Thousands
of people have been killed and millions displaced in the Sahel, a region that
has become a major front for militants over the past decade.
French
President Emmanuel Macron in July announced a drawdown in its military presence
there.
The
French military has killed a number of major militant leaders in the Sahel in
recent years, the latest being Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of
regional Daesh/ISIS affiliate known as Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, the
militant group responsible for some of the worst violence in West Africa’s
Sahel region.
The
death of al-Sahrawi, who France listed as enemy number one and was wanted for
deadly attacks on US soldiers and foreign aid workers, followed the killing in
June 2020 of al-Qaeda leader Abdelmalek Droukdel.
Sahrawi
had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in 2015.
In
announcing the death of Sahrawi last week, Macron described it as “yet another
major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel.”
However,
Egesa argued that France’s blunder in Syria will bring its commitment under
serious scrutiny and it could complicate its efforts to rally support for
concerted action against extremism.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/france-s-role-in-fighting-extremism-in-question-with-scandal/2378706
--------
Turkey
praises Germany’s contribution to betterment of Turkish-EU relations
Nazlı
Yüzbaşıoğlu
30.09.2021
Turkish
Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakci on Wednesday praised Germany’s
contribution to the advancement of relations between Turkey and the European
Union.
Addressing
a webinar on Turkish-German relations and prospects for the post-Merkel era,
Kaymakci drew attention to the special ties between the two countries.
Historical
ties, cooperation in commerce and investment, the NATO alliance and the large
Turkish diaspora living in Germany a play role in the special ties between
Germany and Turkey, he noted.
Germany,
being the most important pillar and biggest net contributor to the EU budget,
also played a positive role in returning to a calmer state of affairs the
disputes over the Aegean, Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean after the
escalation in the summer of 2020, Kaymakci noted.
Referring
to remarks by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey will soon
ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, he noted that Germany is an
essential partner of the country in green transformation.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Council
of Europe adopts Turkish lawmaker's report on climate change
Omer
Tugrul Cam
29.09.2021
A
Turkish lawmaker's report on the climate change was unanimously adopted by the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Wednesday.
Ziya
Altunyaldiz, a member of the Turkish delegation to PACE, said the global
warming and climate change have triggered extraordinary meteorological events.
The
report, Addressing Issues of Criminal and Civil Liability in the Context of
Climate Change, is a recommendation for 47 Council of Europe member states to
act against those triggering the climate change.
Altunyaldiz
said the world is deeply feeling the effects of climate change as glaciers are
melting fast and Earth's temperature is rising.
According
to the lawmaker, if global environmental policies and practices continued the
same way, the cumulative damage caused by the climate change would reach up to
$8 trillion by 2050.
He
said urgent steps have to be taken to control the effects of climate change
"before it is too late."
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
EU
allocates €300M for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan
Jeyhun
Aliyev
29.09.2021
The
EU has allocated €300 million ($348.2 million) for humanitarian aid in
Afghanistan, the president of the European Commission said Wednesday.
"We
stand by the people of Afghanistan. Today’s EU humanitarian flight to Kabul
brought critical aid. More will come," Ursula von der Leyen said on
Twitter.
Separately,
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic announced that the EU
Humanitarian Air Bridge delivered more than 32 tons of life-saving cargo to
Afghanistan.
"This
EU-funded plane enables our partners @UNICEF & @WHO deliver critical aid to
Afghans affected by conflict & cholera outbreak," Lenarcic said,
adding that the EU "remains committed" to helping the Afghan people.
Earlier
this month, the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund released $45 million to
help prevent Afghanistan’s health-care system from collapse.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-allocates-300m-for-humanitarian-aid-in-afghanistan/2378465
--------
EU
to provide nearly €150M extra fund for Syrian refugees in Turkey
Agnes
Szucs
29.09.2021
BRUSSELS
EU
ambassadors approved on Wednesday €149.6 million ($174 million) extra funding
for Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The
financial support will extend the bloc’s multi-purpose cash assistance program
that provides monthly transfers for the most vulnerable refugees in the
country, the Council of the EU wrote in a press release.
The
scheme, officially named Emergency Social Safety Net, is the biggest
humanitarian program in the bloc’s history that has been helping 1.8 million
refugees to cover essential needs of rent, bills, food, and medicine.
The
additional €149.6 million will be financed from the remaining margin of the
2021 budget.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Southeast Asia
Don’t
Breach Constitution by Banning Transgender Muslims from Entering Mosques:
Sisters in Islam
29
Sep 2021
BY
DANIAL DZULKIFLY
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Banning transgender persons from entering mosques impedes on
their rights and personal liberties as enshrined under the Federal
Constitution, said women’s rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS).
In
a statement today, SIS also stated that the ruling by the Perlis state
religious authorities to ban transgender persons or “mukhannats” from entering
mosques along with several other state religious authorities to emulate such decisions,
is not justified as there is no appropriate context within Islamic teachings
for such actions.
“There
is no evidence from the Quran and Hadith that forbids a mukhannats from
entering the mosque,” it said, referring to the Islamic scriptures.
“Therefore,
the fatwa and statement of the mufti not only contradicts the Federal
Constitution but in fact not in accordance with inclusive Islamic traditions.”
Referring
to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia’s (Suhakam) report on discrimination
against transgender persons in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in 2019, SIS
reiterated that the community faces discrimination in terms of employment,
education, access to health treatment, harassment, violence and abuse by the
general public.
However,
SIS stated that the situation for the community would further worsen with the
fatwa and recent statements issued by religious authorities supporting it.
“We
once again hope that the muftis do not extend beyond their jurisdiction and
respect the Federal Constitution as the supreme law of the land that guarantees
not only the right of its citizenship but anyone else not to be discriminated
against.
“The
Federal and State Governments also have constitutional duties to protect and
ensure that there are no laws and government policies that oppress and oppress
anyone, including transgender people,’’ said the statement.
Following
the decision made by the Perlis state religious authorities, with the fatwa
announced by Perlis mufti Datuk Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, other religious figures
such as Penang mufti, Datuk Seri Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor also stated that
transgender persons must change their appearance to be gender appropriate
before they are allowed in mosques.
As
further reference, SIS stated that the fatwa and supporting statements go
against Article 5 of the Federal Constitution which details that no person may
be deprived of life or personal liberty except in accordance with the law.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Deputy
minister: Clash at Chinese temple in Cheras triggered by a misunderstanding
29
Sep 2021
BY
KENNETH TEE
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 29 — The commotion, which took place outside a Chinese temple in
Sungai Besi, Cheras yesterday, stemmed from a misunderstanding between
authorities and temple devotees who thought the building was about to be
demolished, a deputy minister asserted today.
Deputy
Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias explained that
officials from two government agencies and contractors had initially gone to
the Wong Low Shen See Chee How Temple to set up a construction hoarding beside
the house of worship.
The
two agencies present were the Kuala Lumpur Land and Mines Office and the
Department of Director General of Land and Mines (JKPTG).
A
construction hoarding is a fence or barrier between a construction site and
areas accessible to the public.
Jalaluddin
noted that a site vacation notice had already been issued several months prior,
on May 6 this year, by JKPTG in regards to a basketball court, guard post,
parking lots, pedestrian bridge and walkway located near the temple.
“As
announced, two schools are located in the vicinity of the temple — SJKC Tai
Thung dan SMK Jalan Sungai Besi — where 24 classrooms involving the secondary
school are due to be constructed.
“The
agencies along with the contractors had gone to set up a hoarding beside the
temple to pave way for an entry route to the aforementioned construction site
at the school and not to demolish any temple structures as claimed by a group
of devotees.
“In
the viral video shared on the temple’s official Facebook page, it was seemingly
portrayed as the authorities seeking to demolish the house of worship. This has
generated an unhealthy and negative perception among netizens, especially on
social media,” he said in a statement here.
Although
the incident has now been resolved, Jalaluddin said he viewed the matter
seriously as it involved public misconception between the temple devotees and
their trust towards the authorities, especially when certain quarters had
attempted to manipulate and exploit the incident through social media to sow
public disorder.
In
the incident, four individuals aged between 19 and 50 were arrested by the
police after a viral video that was posted on social media depicted a group of
people armed with sticks and metal rods clashing with police.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
China’s
humanitarian aid arrives in Kabul
30
Sep 2021
The
first consignment of humanitarian aids arrived from China to Kabul on
Wednesday, September 29, and was submitted to the acting minister of the
refugees and repatriates Khalil-ur Rahaman Haqqani.
The
assistance relief will be distributed to people in need in Afghanistan through
the ministry of refugees and repatriates.
The
aids include blankets and warm clothes that will be distributed to IDPs as the
winter season is approaching.
Earlier,
China had pledged to provide the people of Afghanistan with $1.5 million
unconditional aid and one million doses of the Corona vaccine.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/chinas-humanitarian-aid-arrives-in-kabul-45747457/
--------
Former
Malaysian diplomat says Dr Mahathir ‘needs to retire and stay retired’
29
Sep 2021
BY
SHAHRIN AIZAT NOORSHAHRIZAM
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Former Malaysian ambassador Datuk Dennis Ignatius has urged
former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to step down and stay away from
Malaysian politics.
The
author of Paradise Lost: Mahathir and the End of Hope claimed that if
Malaysians keep trusting older leaders, the country will be stuck in a loop as
old policies will keep coming back again.
“I
think he needs to retire and stay retired. I am a firm believer (that) we need
to stop looking at all these older people and I think we need to start looking
at the younger generation as in other parts of the world, people who are 30 to
35 years old are becoming prime minister and all that.
“For
us, we keep looking to all these older leaders and we expect things to be different?
It will never be different because they will come back with the same old
policies, the same mindset, the same ideas.
“It’s
time to let younger generations come up and I believe that the new generation
will be different from our generation,” the 72-year-old former diplomat told
Malay Mail today.
In
his book that was launched earlier this month, Ignatius claimed Dr Mahathir was
responsible for the fall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
He
wrote that he believes the Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) founder created a
culture that allows corruption, racism and religious extremism to thrive ever
since he joined Malaysian politics.
Ignatius
also said that Dr Mahathir had a role in PH electoral victory back in 2018, but
subsequently, betrayed the coalition that he had been entrusted to lead.
“My
contention is that not only did he see it (Sheraton Move) coming, he organised
it. He was the man behind the Sheraton Move, he was planning it.
“I
mean if we look at the Malay Dignity Congress and the way it was going and the
way he was talking about ‘the Malays are weak’, ‘they have lost power’, what
does all that mean? He was instigating it.
“If
we look at the ICERD (International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Racial Discrimination) ratification issue, Mahathir was the one who
announced that the country will ratify the accord at the UN (United Nations)
convention back in 2018. But when Umno and its allies made a big noise about
it, Mahathir did not defend his own policy,” he said.
In
October 2019, Dr Mahathir attended the Malay Dignity Congress and was presented
with the resolutions produced by the congress’ five clusters.
Over
5,000 people attended the congress, co-organised by five universities and NGOs
to look into the socio-political problems faced by the Malay community.
Prominent
political and cultural figures in attendance included Umno veteran lawmaker Tan
Sri Annuar Musa, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, then PKR deputy
president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, and singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza.
On
November 2018, PH government has decided not to ratify ICERD after a few
demonstrations were held in protest against the United Nations treaty that
prohibits racial discrimination, with Malay-Muslim groups and political parties
claiming that the convention will remove Malay privileges.
Malaysia
is one of 14 countries in the world that has not signed or ratified ICERD. Some
of the others are Brunei, Myanmar and North Korea.
Out
of 197 countries, 179 countries have ratified, acceded or succeeded and agreed
to be bound by the ICERD.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
For
Malaysians with Indian ancestry, a chance to get a scholarship and further your
studies in India
30
Sep 2021
BY
KENNETH TEE
KUALA
LUMPUR, Sept 30 — The Indian government is offering 150 scholarship spots to
the children of its diaspora looking to further their studies in India.
The
High Commission of India in Malaysia has opened applications for the
Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC) for the 2021-22 academic
year.
The
programme is under the Indian government’s Ministry of External Affairs and is
open to those aged between 17 and 21 first year undergraduate course applicants.
Application
is also based on four categories: children of Persons of Indian Origin (POI),
children of Non-Resident Indians (NRI), children of Indian workers in ECR
countries (studying outside India) and children of Indian workers in ECR
countries (studying in India).
The
high commission said 50 spots are reserved for the last two categories. However
it added that they will be open to applicants in other categories if not
filled.
The
deadline for submissions is November 30, 2021.
“The
amount of scholarship would be 75 per cent of the total Institutional Economic
Cost (IEC) subject to a maximum of US$ 4,000/- per annum in respect of NITs and
other Institutions covered under the Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA)
Scheme.
“IEC
includes tuition fee, hostel fee & other institutional charges (Food
charges are excluded).
“Applicants
who passed the qualifying examination (equivalent to 12th standard in India)
and have secured admission in an undergraduate course in the designated
institution and fulfil other eligibility criteria can apply for the SPDC,” the
Indian High Commission said in a statement today.
Source:
Malay Mail
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
US,
Qatar sanction Gulf-based Hezbollah financial network; Bahrain freezes accounts
29
September ,2021
The
US and Qatar announced “coordinated actions” against a major Hezbollah
financial network based in the Gulf, the State Department said Wednesday.
Seven
individuals were added to the Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT)
group for their alleged support to Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Qatar-based
AlDar Properties was also designated for being owned, controlled or directed by
one of the designated individuals.
“This
represents one of the most significant joint actions we have taken with a Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC) partner to date and underscores our extensive
bilateral cooperation on countering terrorism finance,” Secretary of State
Antony Blinken said in the statement.
Lebanon-based
Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organization by the US in 1997. The GCC
followed suit in 2016, and several European and South American countries have
also deemed the group a terrorist organization.
“Hezbollah
seeks to abuse the international financial system by utilizing global networks
of financiers and front companies to support its malign activity,” Blinken
said, adding that the US would continue to work with partners to protect the US
and international financial systems from terrorist abuse.
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
says it won't normalize or upgrade diplomatic ties with Syria's Assad regime
30
September ,2021
The
US has no plans to “normalize or upgrade” diplomatic relations with the
government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and also does not encourage
others to do so, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The
comments came in response to Reuters questions on whether Washington was
encouraging and supporting a rapprochement between Jordan and Syria after
Jordan fully reopened its main border crossing with Syria on Wednesday.
The
move was to boost the countries' struggling economies and reinforce a push by
Arab states to reintegrate Syria after shunning it during its civil war.
“The
US will not normalize or upgrade our diplomatic relations with the Assad regime
nor do we encourage others to do so, given the atrocities inflicted by the
Assad regime on the Syrian people,” a State Department spokesperson said in an
email. “Assad has regained no legitimacy in our eyes, and there is no question
of the US normalizing relations with his government at this time.”
It
was among the strongest comments to date on Syria from the Biden
administration, whose Syria policy has largely focused on ensuring the
permanent defeat of ISIS and providing humanitarian aid to Syrian people.
The
US has suspended its diplomatic presence in Syria since 2012.
The
Trump administration last June imposed its most sweeping sanctions ever
targeting Assad and his inner circle to choke off revenue for his government in
a bid to force it back to United Nations-led negotiations and broker and end to
the country's decade-long war.
Arab
states cut ties with Syria during the civil war, which the United Nations says
killed at least 350,000 people, and US-allied Arab states backed opposition
groups fighting Assad.
The
Egyptian and Syrian foreign ministers met on Friday on the sidelines of the UN
General Assembly in New York, in what Egyptian media said was the first meeting
at that level for about a decade.
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince discusses Yemen war with US National Security Advisor
29
September ,2021
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman affirmed the Kingdom’s initiative to
end Yemen’s conflict in talks with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan,
state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.
The
Crown Prince stressed the Saudi stance on the importance of reaching a
comprehensive ceasefire under UN supervision, allowing oil shipments to enter
Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah and opening Sanaa international airport to
selected destinations aside from allowing humanitarian flights.
The
Crown Prince and US official also underlined the importance of Yemen’s Houthis
participating in good faith in political settlement talks with Yemen’s
internationally recognized government under UN guidance.
Sullivan
reaffirmed US support to Saudi Arabia in defending its lands against all
threats including missile and drone attacks by Iran-backed Houthis, SPA
reported.
Since
January, Yemen’s Houthis have ramped up their attacks on the Kingdom and
launched dozens of cross-border aerial attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Iran-backed
militia targeted civilian areas and energy facilities in the Kingdom with
explosive-laden drones and ballistic missiles.
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Top
Iraq Shia cleric Ali Sistani urges voting in parliamentary poll
29
September ,2021
Iraq's
top Shia Muslim cleric on Wednesday urged Iraqis to vote in order to “carry out
real change” in next month's parliamentary elections.
The
statement from Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani's office came against the backdrop
of potentially high rates of abstention in the October 10 ballot, which follows
a popular uprising.
Initially
expected in 2022, the vote was brought forward in a rare official concession to
autumn 2019 protests, when tens of thousands of Iraqis took to the streets to
demonstrate against crumbling public services and a government they decried as
corrupt and inept.
Hundreds
died in months of protest-related violence.
But
the ballot has generated little enthusiasm among Iraq's 25 million voters,
while the activists and parties behind the uprising have largely decided to
boycott the ballot.
“The
supreme religious leader encourages everyone to participate consciously and
responsibly in the next elections,” the statement from Sistani's office said.
Even
if the process has shortcomings, “it is the best way to move the country toward
a future that one hopes will be better.”
One
of Shia Islam's top clerics, Sistani spent years under house arrest during
Saddam Hussein's repressive regime. After Saddam's fall in 2003, Sistani threw
his support behind elections, was a voice for moderation, and criticized
government graft.
In
his statement on Wednesday, he asked voters to “benefit from this opportunity
to carry out real change in the administration of the state and dismiss the
corrupt and incompetent hands from its main cogs”.
The
statement emphasized that Sistani does not support any candidate and appealed
to voters to choose those “who support the sovereignty of Iraq, its security
and prosperity.”
Political
scientist Marsin Alshamary said that in Iraq's last elections, held in 2018,
Sistani had said people could choose to vote or not.
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
‘We
will remove you’, Hezbollah official told Beirut port blast judge
29
September ,2021
A
senior official in the Lebanese group Hezbollah told the judge investigating
the disastrous Beirut port blast that it would remove him from the probe,
according to a journalist who says she conveyed the message and a judicial
source.
Judge
Tarek Bitar described the message in a letter to the public prosecutor, said
the judicial source. The justice minister and judiciary were following up on
the matter but a formal investigation has yet to be opened, the source said.
The
source spoke on condition of anonymity because it was a judicial matter and
judge Bitar’s letter was marked private.
Reuters
could not reach Bitar, who is not permitted to speak to the media in his
capacity as an investigating judge. He has not issued any statement about the
matter since reports of the warning began circulating in Lebanese media last
week.
Neither
the Hezbollah official in question, Wafik Safa, nor other Hezbollah officials
could be reached for comment.
More
than 200 people died when a huge stockpile of chemicals stored unsafely at
Beirut port for years exploded on Aug. 4, 2020.
Bitar
is the second judge whose investigation has been stymied by powerful factions
in Lebanon, where a lack of high-level accountability are blamed for systemic
corruption, governing gridlock and economic meltdown.
LBCI
journalist Lara al-Hashem told Reuters she was entering Beirut’s Palace of
Justice on Sept. 20 to follow up on news of a scheduled session of the inquiry
with lawyers and fellow journalists when she ran into Hezbollah official Safa.
“He
asked me will you see Judge Bitar? If you meet him, give him this message,” she
said.
Hashem
declined to give details of the verbal message but described as accurate an
account posted on Twitter on Sept. 21 by Edmond Sassine, a fellow journalist at
the privately-owned broadcaster.
He
said Safa had asked Hashem to tell Bitar “we have had it up to here with you.”
“We
will go along with you until the end of the legal road but if it doesn’t work
we will remove you,” Sassine tweeted, citing the message Safa sent to Bitar via
Hashem.
Sassine
declined to reveal the source of the account when Reuters reached him by phone.
Hashem told Reuters she was not the source for his information.
Inquiry
struggles
The
judicial source told Reuters that Bitar had sent a letter to the public
prosecutor “the contents of which were what Lara Hashem said - that Wafik Safa
told her ‘tell Judge Bitar that we will remove you’,” the source said.
Bitar
sent the letter at the prosecutor’s request, the source added.
“Bitar
did not put extra information in the letter. He put verbatim what Lara Hashem
communicated to him: ‘that we will remove you’. Specifically, Bitar wrote in
his letter ‘we will remove you through legal means’.”
The
justice minister, who the source said was following up on the matter, could not
be reached for comment.
Popular
anger
On
Monday Prime Minister Najib Mikati told LBCI, a private broadcaster whose
editorial line is critical of Hezbollah, that security precautions had been
taken as a result of threats said to have been made against Bitar. He did not
elaborate.
Reuters
could not reach Mikati for comment.
The
blast probe was frozen on Monday following a complaint from Nohad Machnouk, a
former interior minister Bitar wanted to question on suspicion of negligence
and maladministration.
If
the complaint is upheld, Bitar will be removed from the case. His predecessor,
Fadi Sawan, was removed in February following similar accusations of bias.
The
prime minister said he hoped Bitar will continue in his role, saying he did not
think Lebanon “could withstand the second judge being removed.”
Angry
families of the victims demonstrated outside the judiciary headquarters on
Wednesday after the investigation was frozen on Monday, some chanting slogans
against Safa.
Many
Lebanese say they are furious that no one has been held to account for the
disaster and they accuse the political elite of covering up one of the biggest
non-nuclear explosions on record.
Efforts
to question former and serving state officials, including the prime minister at
the time of the blast, ex-ministers and senior security officials on suspicion
of negligence have been repeatedly blocked.
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
No
need for social distancing during prayers in mosques, says Awqaf
September
29 2021
The
Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf) has announced the easing of
some Covid-19 precautionary measures in mosques.
This
is in line with the plan to gradually lift the restrictions imposed to combat
the spread of Covid-19 and work to restore normal life, starting Sunday
(October 3).
The
ministry said in a notice on social media on Wednesday that social distancing
will not be in place during the five daily prayers as well as Friday prayers.
However, worshippers have to maintain a distance of 1m during the Friday
sermon, while toilets and ablution areas can be opened in non-crowded areas.
Source:
Gulf Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.gulf-times.com/story/701355/No-need-for-social-distancing-during-prayers-in-mo
--------
Mideast
Iran:
UN Should Force Israel to End Aggression on Syria
2021-September-29
Takht
Ravanchi made the remarks on Tuesday during a UNSC meeting on the most recent
political and security developments in Syria.
“The
Security Council must act responsibly and force the Israeli regime to
immediately end its violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Syria,” he said.
“Such
acts of adventurism, which we strongly condemn, are a blatant breach of
international law and a threat to regional and international peace and
security," Takht Ravanchi added.
The
following is the full text of the Iranian ambassador's speech at the UNSC
meeting:
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful.
Madam
President,
I
thank Mr. Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria for
his input.
Thanks
to his efforts and cooperation of the Syrian Government, the next meeting of
the Constitutional Committee is expected to take place soon. This is an
encouraging development.
We
reiterate our support for efforts of the Special Envoy and the constructive
engagement of the Syrian Government in facilitating the work of the Committee.
We
encourage the Committee’s Co-Chairs to engage constructively and work in a
spirit of flexibility and compromise.
The
Committee must continue its work without any external interference or pressure.
Setting any artificial deadline for its conclusion or any other conditions or
requirements of such nature will negatively impact the Committee’s work.
It
must be ensured that it is a truly Syrian-led, Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated
political process.
Concurrent
with the Committee’s work, serious efforts must also be made in other areas.
First
and foremost, occupation of parts of Syria by foreign forces must come to an
end. Accordingly, all uninvited foreign forces must leave that country without
any precondition or further delay.
Equally
important, the Security Council must live up to its responsibility and compel
the Israeli regime to put an immediate end to its acts of aggression against
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. Such adventuristic practices,
which we condemn in the strongest terms, constitute flagrant violations of
international law, threatening regional and international peace and security.
Additionally,
fighting all terrorist groups must continue unabated as their presence and criminal
activities threaten security and territorial integrity of Syria as well as
peace and security in the region.
We
reject separatist activities or illegitimate self-rule initiatives in Syria and
condemn any efforts to support them. The sovereignty, unity and territorial
integrity of Syria must be fully respected by all.
Likewise,
Syria’s reconstruction and the return of refugees and displaced persons must go
hand in hand with the political process. They are interlinked, mutually
inclusive and mutually reinforcing.
This
requires depoliticizing humanitarian aids and the return of refugees and
displaced persons, as their politicization only prolong both the crisis and
woes of the Syrian people, who have already been suffering seriously from over
10 years of conflict.
In
this context, we recall resolution 2585 through which the Security Council has
called upon all Member States “to respond with practical steps to address the
urgent needs of the Syrian people”.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000707000392/Iran-UN-Shld-Frce-Israel-End-Aggressin-n-Syria
--------
Estimated
100 Houthis, govt forces killed in clashes in Yemen’s Marib
29
September ,2021
At
least 100 Iran-backed Houthi militia and pro-government troops have been killed
in the past 48 hours as fighting intensifies for the key city of Marib, military
and medical sources said Wednesday.
A
string of air strikes from the Arab Coalition targeted the Houthis, who have
stepped up their assault on Marib, the government’s last northern stronghold.
Sixty-eight
Houthis and 32 loyalists were killed in the latest clashes, military sources
told AFP. The tolls were confirmed by medical sources.
The
Iran-backed militia rarely announce casualties among their own ranks, but their
al-Masirah channel reported around 60 coalition air strikes in Marib
governorate in the past two days.
Hundreds
of fighters have been killed this month after the Houthis renewed their
campaign for the capital city of the oil-rich province.
The
Houthis initially escalated their efforts to seize Marib in February, hoping to
gain control of the region’s oil resources and strengthen their position in
peace talks.
Marib,
about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, sits at
a crossroads between the southern and northern regions and is key to
controlling Yemen’s north.
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
General
Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis dignified world Shiites: Belgian pilgrim
September
30, 2021
Regarding
the role of General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis in establishing
security in Iraq, the Belgian pilgrim stated, “What they did was great. They
dignified the Shiites so that no one can disturb the Shiites today. This is
true not only in Iraq and Iran but also in other countries.”
The
Belgian pilgrim who took part in the Arbaeen walk said, “Love for Imam Hussain
(a.s.) is the main love of life. This love creates gravity for us in such a way
that we cannot give up going in the Arbaeen walk in Karbala.”
“Some
pilgrims come to Arbaeen pilgrimage to pray for their needs to be met and for
their patients to be healed. They believe that they should get their needs from
Imam Hussain (a.s.) and Hazrat Abbas (a.s.). Because these holy lights will
surely answer their pilgrims. Therefore, whoever has any need, the main source
of light of divine grace is Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and his family
(AhlulBayt), and these lights must be resorted to,” said Hojat al-Islam Sayed
Mustafa, who is of Moroccan origin, in an interview with ABNA News Agency.
“How
to describe the taste of honey? It is difficult to express. In the same way,
the Arbaeen Walk stems from the love and affection for Imam Hussain (a.s.) and
is indescribable. If you ask anyone who participated in Arbaeen Walk, he will
answer that that he has a great feeling in his body, heart, and soul that
cannot be described,” Sayed Mustafa, who is active in propagation Islam and
teaching in Belgium, said, describing his feelings about the Arbaeen Walk.
“The
lessons of justice, the uprising against the oppressors, and the uprising of
truth against falsehood are the lessons of the uprising of Karbala. These are
not only lessons for Shiites and Muslims, but the uprising of right against
wrong is attractive to all freedom seekers in the world. Human beings should
not only defend their family members and religion but should support all the
oppressed. These messages are taught to us by the uprising of Imam Hussain
(a.s.),” said Hojat al-Islam Sayed Mustafa in response to the question “What
lesson do we learn from the uprising of Imam Hussain (a.s.)?”
“The
way and lesson of the Prophet Muhammad and his family (a.s.) and Imam Hussain
(a.s.) is to have humanity. Because humanity leads to the final destination.
The path of humanity is only in the school of Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and his
AhlulBayt (a.s.) and there is nothing other than this path,” he said on the
messages of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his Arbaeen.
“In
Arbaeen Walk, we see that millions of people visit the shrine of Imam Hussain
(a.s.). Just imagine what will happen when Imam Mahdi (a.s.) appears? Hundreds
of times of this population, people will gather. “Indeed, my ancestor was
killed while he was thirsty”, Imam Mahdi (a.s.) will say from the side of the
Kaaba, as he appears. Then, the people of the world will hear this and will
rush to his aid. Today, Labbayk YA Hussain (a.s.) is Labbayk YA Imam Mahdi
(a.s.),” said the religious expert on the relationship between the beauties of
Arbaeen and the time of Advent of Imam Mahdi (a.s.).
“The
AhlulBayt (a.s.) taught us good and pure morality, and it is our duty to
propagate this ethic to the world. We hate the so-called Islam of ISIL, blood,
and murder. The behavior of ISIL and terrorists is not based on Sharia. They
introduce religion through murder and slaughter,” he said, introducing
propagation of religion of truth and good and pure morality of the AhlulBayt
(a.s.) as the most important duty of Muslims in the present age.
Source:
ABNA
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
AEOI
Chief: US Shouldn't Meddle in Iran-IAEA Cooperation
2021-September-29
Eslami
made the remarks on Tuesday upon his arrival in Russia to meet with the
Director-General of Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) Alexey
Likhachev.
"Washington
is not in a position to comment on how Iran and the IAEA work together.
Unfortunately, the IAEA, under pressure from the United States and the Zionist
regime, has replaced political cooperation with a political approach," the
AEOI chief said.
"The
US claim about the need for the IAEA to have access to the Karaj centrifuge
parts plant is null and invalid," he added.
Eslami
pointed out that Iran will not accept the IAEA’s insistence on installing CCTVs
in places that were damaged in the terrorist operations is in line with the
goal of the same [sabotage and terrorist] operation against Iran.
He
reiterated that the IAEA's demand regarding the damaged sites that have yet to
be rebuilt and their legal cases are still open will not get anywhere.
Commenting
on his visit to Russia, Eslami said that his trip is taking place in
continuation of regular consultations between Tehran and Moscow with the aim of
developing and strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the field
of peaceful nuclear energy.
Eslami
arrived in the Russian capital of Moscow on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties
and mutual cooperation with his Russian counterpart.
Meeting
with his Russian counterpart and the Director-General of Russian State Atomic
Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) Alexey Likhachev is the main reason for Eslami's
visit to Moscow.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000706000776/AEOI-Chief-US-Shldn'-Meddle-in-Iran-IAEA-Cperain
--------
Iran
Kills Notorious Ringleader of Terrorist Group
2021-September-29
The
statement said on Tuesday that the ministry officers in a complicated operation
spotted the headquarters of the terrorist group that was both supported and led
by the intelligence services of antagonist countries and intended to launch
terrorist attacks in Iran, and launched their attack against them in a timely
manner.
The
details of the Intelligence Ministry operation and the moment the head of the
terrorist group was killed are all recorded in a documentary titled “a thousand
knives” which will be aired in the news editions of the National Iranian Radio
and Television (IRIB) for information of the Iranian nation.
In
a relevant development last Sunday, the Iranian intelligence forces confiscated
a weapons cargo in Khuzestan province, Southwestern Iran.
Iranian
security forces identified and dismantled an anti-security group in
Southwestern Iran on Sunday evening.
Dozens
of weapons were seized in the operations which was carried out in the
Southwestern border region of Khuzestan Province, Southwestern Iran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000707000410/Iran-Kills-Nris-Ringleader-f-Terrris-Grp
--------
Iran
to hold military drill near border with Azerbaijan amid Tehran-Baku tensions
30
September ,2021
Iran
will hold a military exercise on Friday near the border with Azerbaijan, the
Iranian army announced on Thursday, amid tensions between the two countries
over drills.
The
exercise will be held “with the aim of improving combat readiness” in northwest
Iran, the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Brig. Gen. Kioumars Heydari,
commander of the army’s ground forces, as saying.
The
drill is dubbed “Conquerors of Khaybar” in reference to the battle of Khaybar,
fought in 628 CE between Muslims and Jews. Iran has been wary of Azerbaijan’s
relations with Israel, a major supplier of arms to Baku.
The
announcement comes after Azeri President Ilham Aliyev earlier this week
criticised Iran for holding military drills near his country’s borders.
‘Why
now? Why on our border?’
“Every
country can carry out any military drill on its own territory. It’s their
sovereign right. But why now, and why on our border?” Aliyev said in an
interview published Monday with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency.
“Why
weren’t the drills held when the Armenians were in the Jabrayil, Fizuli and
Zangilan regions? Why is this being done after we liberated these lands, after
30 years of occupation?” he added.
Source:
Al Aarabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
Muslims
in Nigeria seek justice, fight oppression: Sheikh Zakzaky
September
30, 2021
Leader
of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky told Tehran-based
Press TV that the Shia Muslims are fighting against oppression, saying that
commemorating Arbaeen will continue in the African country.
The
Tehran-based English-Language TV interviewed Secretary General of Islamic
Movement of Nigeria (IMN) Sheikh Ibrahim on Wednesday during which he discussed
the situation of Shia Muslims in Nigeria and their struggle against oppression
and tyranny.
Senior
Nigerian Shia cleric Sheikh Zakzaky said that “The Nigerian people will choose
the Islamic government if they have the right to vote.”
He
said he was sure that the Nigerian people would elect an Islamic government if
they had the right to vote.
On
the latest attack on the Arbaeen mourners in Abuja on Arbaeen mourners, he said
dozens of marchers were killed or wounded.
Meanwhile,
he said that the Nigerian security forces took away some of the casualties, so
he said that he could not give an exact number of casualties.
It
is not yet clear how many people were killed during the Arbaeen procession
yesterday and the day before yesterday in Abuja, the Sheikh said.
He
expressed certainty that dozens of people were wounded.
On
the previous attacks on Shia Muslims in Nigeria, the IMN secretary-general said
that the court gave them the right to claim damages, but so far they have not
been compensated.
He
stressed the right to hold the Arbaeen mourning procession, saying that their
Islamic movement in Nigeria is completely peaceful in line with the teachings
of Imam Hussein.
“The
victory of blood over gun,” he said adding the Shia Muslim in Nigeria are
fighting an ideology.
Source:
ABNA
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Kenya
launches crackdown on illegal Pakistanis
Andrew
Wasike
30.09.2021
Kenya
suspended a visa-free transit agreement with Pakistan on Wednesday after social
media sites showed videos of crowds of Pakistani nationals crowding residential
areas across the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
The
Interior Ministry ordered a crackdown on illegal Pakistani immigrants, saying
there has been an influx of Asian foreigners who at first were thought to be
Afghan refugees.
Interior
Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho ordered police working with the immigration
services to crack down on illegal foreigners.
“The
majority of these travellers have originated from Pakistan and have valid
transit visas to Saudi Arabia that are issued on arrival,” Kibicho said in a
statement. “Going forward, the government will restrict the number of
foreigners transiting through the country to levels that do not pose a risk to
Kenya's national interest.”
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/kenya-launches-crackdown-on-illegal-pakistanis/2378665
--------
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamophobia-muslims-california/d/125479
New ge Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism