Pakistani Cleric Beaten To Death over ‘Blasphemous’ Remarks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
New
Age Islam News Bureau
08
May 2023
Pakistan
• Insinuation That Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Was
Threatening Violence 'Highly Irresponsible': Pakistan
• Attackers kill Pakistani Sikh in drive-by shooting in
Lahore
• Steps to address Islamophobia, polarization in society
discussed
• 8-member SC bench takes up pleas challenging SC bill
today
--------
Mideast
• Zionist Enemy Summons Imam and Speaker of Al-Aqsa Mosque
for Investigation
• Crown Prince Of Saudi Arabia Has Ability to Receive
Permission To Refurbish Baqi Cemetery: Iranian Islamic Scholar
• Hamas warns Israel ahead of nationalist Flag March
through Old City’s Muslim Quarter
• Erdoğan’s Islamist ally Erbakan vows to close LGBTI+
associations on state TV
• Kurds cautiously back Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Turkish
election
• Arab League move fails to allay Lebanese concerns over
Syrian refugee ‘burden’
--------
Arab World
• Arab League Readmits Syria after 11 Years As Relations
with Assad Normalise
• Saudi Arabia, US urge warring Sudan rivals to agree
short-term ceasefire
• Saudi Arabia is 7th most optimistic nation globally:
Report
• Residents Find New-born Baby Dumped In front Of a
Mosque in Al-Raqqa
• Saudi Arabia to provide $100 million of humanitarian
aid for Sudan
• Saudi crown prince, US, UAE, India national security
advisers discuss relations
• Saudi Arabia to launch largest radio telescope in
Middle East
---------
North
America
• US Criticizes UN’s Decision Operating in Afghanistan
without Female Staff
• Mystery Surrounds ‘Blighted Property’ Notice At
Pakistan Embassy
• Sen. Juan Mendez, Arizona Muslim Alliance propose
Arizona Office for New Americans
--------
South Asia
• Turkish Companies Ready to Invest In Wind Power Plants
in Afghanistan
• IEA’s Plan to Provide Financial Support for Media
Raises Concerns: NAI
• Pakistani, Afghan FMs Meet, Discuss Peace, Security
and Economic Issues
• Afghan Refugees in Iran Face Problems to ‘Buy Bread’:
Shargh Daily
• IMF team flags risks to Bangladesh as reserves fall
further
• Advanced Tickets Almost Sold Out, ‘Pathaan’ Ready To
Take Over Bangladesh Box Office
--------
Europe
• Dilapidated Pub Transformed Into a Bright and Modern
Mosque at West Yorkshire, England
• Russia 'Targeting Mosques and Immigration Centres' To
Hit Army Recruitment Target, Says UK
• Russia launches mass strikes on Ukraine ahead of May 9
Victory Day holiday
• UK to mark coronation with street parties and a
concert
• UK police investigate vehicles registered under
Nawaz’s name ‘for crime’
• Kissinger makes Ukraine peace prediction
• EU defenceless against China – Berlusconi
--------
Australia
• Australia Now Has Its Own Grand Mosque: A Brief
History Of How These Buildings Fold Into The Urban Landscape
• ‘They’re trying to bully us out’: The mosque standing
firm against developers
--------
Africa
• Arab League Begins Negotiations between Sudan's
Warring Sides
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation appeals for urgent
aid to conflict-torn Sudan
• Sudan refugees cross into Ethiopia as battles rage on
• Battles raged in Khartoum ahead of talks in S.Arabia
---------
Southeast
Asia
• YouTubers Provide Halal Meals for Muslim Students In
The US
• HisyamTeh part of defence team in Siti Bainun's appeal
• Indonesia president condemns attack on Asean officials
delivering aid in Myanmar
• Info chief says Bersatu won’t table no-confidence vote
in Parliament, tells Anwar to focus on economy instead of gossip
--------
India
• Manipur Violence Is a Setback for Modi’s Christian
Outreach Moves in Kerala
• Modi’s backing of Inflammatory, Fictional ‘Kerala
Story’ Highlights Pressing Need for Opposition Unity
• Indian civilian prisoner dies in Pakistan before
repatriation
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistani-cleric-blasphemous-kp/d/129730
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Pakistani Cleric Beaten To Death over ‘Blasphemous’ Remarks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
May 8, 2023
ISMALABAD:
Pakistani man has been publicly beaten to death by an angry mob for allegedly
making “blasphemous” remarks during an opposition party rally in the
northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Nigar Alam, a
local cleric, was asked to give a speech at a rally organised by former Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Saturday night at
Sawaldher village in Mardan, a district where a university student – Mashal
Khan – was killed over similar allegations by fellow students in April 2017.
Alam was killed
by hundreds of people attending the rally of PTI's local chapter after he
allegedly “passed blasphemous remarks” as the gathering was about to conclude.
“When we saw
that the crowd was about to attack Alam, we escorted him to a shop in a nearby
market. But people broke into the shop and started attacking him with punches,
kicks and clubs,” said Rokhanzeb Khan, Mardan’s senior superintendent of
police.
Alam died on
the spot and his body was later taken to hospital for legal formalities. “We
have filed a first information report where the police itself is the
complainant, but due to the sensitivity of the matter, the FIR is sealed,” the
officer added.
Video of the
lynching has been shared widely on social media, with police seen vainly trying
to stop a frenzied mob from beating the man.
Blasphemy is a
hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan and even unproven allegations can stir mob
violence.
This February,
an angry mob entered a police station in Lahore, snatched a blasphemy-accused
from his cell and brutally killed him.
In December
2021, a Sri Lankan national, PriyanthaDiyawadanage, who was working as a
factory manager in Pakistan, was beaten to death by an angry crowd over
blasphemy allegations before setting his body ablaze.
International
and Pakistani rights groups say accusations of blasphemy have often been used
to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores. Pakistan’s
government has long been under pressure to change the country’s blasphemy laws,
but other political forces in the country have strongly resisted any such move.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistani-cleric-beaten-to-death-over-blasphemous-remarks/articleshow/100057884.cms
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"Hamas"
Condemns Extremist Groups' Biblical Lessons at Al-Aqsa Mosque
Women's
Prayer Hall, at the Wailing Wall which supports the esplanade on which the Dome
of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque have been built [Reza/Getty Images]
------
[07/May/2023]
GAZA May 07.
2023 (Saba) - The Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" strongly
condemned on Sunday the organization of extremist Zionist groups to teach the
Bible near the Bab al-Rahma chapel in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied
Al-Quds.
The website
(Palestine Online) quoted the movement in a press statement as saying:
"The holding of biblical lessons comes in the context of the enemy's plans
to impose temporal and spatial division as a prelude to changing the features
and identity of Al-Aqsa in favor of the false Zionist narrative and the alleged
temple."
The movement
held the Zionist enemy fully responsible for continuing those Judaization
policies and aggressive measures against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, noting
that our people and all the forces of resistance will not allow its desecration
or division, and it will remain purely Islamic, whatever the cost.
The movement
called on the Islamic nation to assume its historical responsibilities by
taking urgent action to protect Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa from the danger of
Judaization and desecration, which will lead to serious repercussions.
Source: saba.ye
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3238605.htm
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Museums
Commission To Organize Conference on Islamic Numismatics In Riyadh
The Museums
Commission is preparing to organize the “International Conference on Islamic
Numismatics”, from May 18 to 20, at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD)
in Riyadh.
-----
May 07, 2023
RIYADH — The
Museums Commission is preparing to organize the “International Conference on
Islamic Numismatics”, from May 18 to 20, at the King Abdullah Financial
District (KAFD) in Riyadh.
The conference,
which will bring together a group of prominent experts in the field, is expected
to highlight the significance of coins in writing history, and the knowledge
and cultural richness linked to them.
The conference
will include scheduled discussions and workshops led by local and international
experts tackling topics that will contribute to highlighting institutions and
collector groups and the value of the heritage content of Islamic coins.
It will also
include an enrichment journey that will take the visitors to the era of coin
minting in the early days of Islam, to reflect the role played by Islamic coins
throughout the ages as original and tangible evidence of civilization.
The visitors
will also meet experts in numismatics and historians of Islamic museums to
discuss rare pieces, historical heritage, how coins contributed to shaping
various civilizations, and methods of preserving these treasures.
By organizing
this conference, the Museums Commission aims to introduce the cultural and
historical heritage of the Kingdom, including Islamic coins and the aesthetics
they carry, as represented by Islamic decorations and inscriptions, and to
nurture an environment for creativity.
Moreover, it
seeks to contribute to highlighting the Saudi content — information and data —
in the museum sector through research, enrich institutions and collector
groups, underline the value of heritage, and establish partnerships that may
seize the opportunities offered by museums in this regard. — SPA
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/632232/SAUDI-ARABIA/Museums-Commission-to-organize-conference-on-Islamic-Numismatics-in-Riyadh
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US Muslim Faith
Leaders Voice Concerns over Mosque Attacks in Minneapolis, in the Midwest
FILE - Yusuf
Abdulle, standing, director of the Islamic Association of North America, prays
with fellow Muslims at the Abubakar As-Saddique Islamic Centre in Minneapolis,
Minnesota, May 12, 2022.
------
May 07, 2023
Mohamed Olad
Hassan
WASHINGTON —
Recent attacks
on mosques in Minneapolis, in the Midwest U.S. state of Minnesota, have
increased concerns by Somali American imams, mosque administrators and
community activists about the safety of their congregations.
Fires were set
at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center on April 23 and Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque on
April 24, Minneapolis police said. The locations are close to each other.
Jaylani
Hussein, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
Minnesota, was inside the Masjid Al-Rahma Mosque when someone set fire to the
third floor.
“I was inside
the mosque, meeting with the imam about the safety of his congregation, when I
heard someone shouting with, ‘There is a fire. There is a fire,’” Hussein told
VOA recently. “Thank Allah no one was hurt.”
He added that
more than 40 children who were in the mosque’s day care were safely evacuated.
Hussein has
been involved in the American-Muslim community’s fight against hate attacks,
but he said this was the first time he witnessed one.
“I could not
believe my eyes, I was shocked and bewildered that I was witnessing one of the
things I have been documenting for many years,” Hussein said. “We have been
receiving threatening calls and messages, but this was the first time I
practically witnessed it.”
On April 29,
authorities arrested Jackie Rahm Little on a state charge of second-degree
arson regarding the April 24 fire at the Masjid Al-Rahma mosque.
On Thursday,
Little was indicted on federal charges of arson and damage to religious
property while investigators look into a series of crimes targeting Muslims and
Somali Americans, The Associated Press reported.
Authorities are
also investigating LIttle as a suspect in a fire that damaged the Masjid Omar
Islamic Center on April 23, as well as in the January vandalism of U.S. Rep.
Ilhan Omar's Minneapolis office, among other crimes, U.S. Attorney Andy Luger
said at a news conference last week.
Imam Yusuf
Abdulle, executive director of the Islamic Association of North America (IANA),
which administers more than 40 mosques across America, said he fears a
continuation of such arson attacks could endanger the lives of Muslim
congregations in America.
“Apart from the
August 5, 2017, bombing of the Dar al-Farooq (DAF) Islamic Center in
Bloomington, Minnesota, the Muslims and their faith centers have been
witnessing verbal attacks and anti-Muslim political rhetoric, minor acts of
vandalism and spray-painted anti-Muslim graffiti. But these latest arson
attacks seem to be new messages that the danger is growing,” Abdulle told VOA.
The latest
attacks also come weeks after Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey officially signed an
ordinance that allows mosques citywide to broadcast the call to prayer five
times a day, following a request from the community and imams.
In an interview
with VOA, former IANA director Sh. Hassan Dhooye said, he thinks those who were
behind the mosque attacks were displeased by the legislation.
“You know, for
the first time a city in America has allowed its Muslim community to broadcast
call prayers. For us, it was historic, and for those against us, it was an
anger. I think the latest attacks could be a response to that,” Dhooye said.
Yusuf Mohamed
Omar, the director of the Muslim Coalition of ISAIAH, which represents over 20
mosques in America, shares the fear with the imams.
“It grew fear
in the hearts of the community because they feel their faith centers are under
target,” Omar told VOA. “I think the number of those spreading hate and fear
are few, but they carry out more wicked actions in different places and
different times to send a signal that they are more and unstoppable.”
Immediately
after the mosque attacks, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the acts and
voiced support for the Muslim community on Twitter.
“Here in
Minnesota, everyone must be able to practice their faith without fear,” he
wrote. “To members of our Muslim community – my heart is with you today. We
will not tolerate acts of violence toward our friends and neighbours.”
Mohamud Muse
Hassan, a Somali local activist, said the community is encouraged by the
cooperation and the level of response of the police and city authorities.
Speaking of
Mayor Frey, Minneapolis police Chief Brian O’Hara and Governor Walz, Hassan
told VOA, “All of them responded immediate and shared their console and concern
with the Muslim community. They had meetings with the faith leaders. Such
responses encourage us.”
This story
originated from this week’s VOA Somalia’s Torch Program. Some information for
this article came from The Associated Press.
Source: voanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.voanews.com/a/us-muslim-faith-leaders-voice-concerns-over-mosque-attacks/7082400.html
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UN Urges
Afghanistan’s Taliban to End Floggings, Public Executions and Stoning
A Taliban
fighter stands guard as a woman walks past in Kabul.(Ebrahim Noroozi /
Associated Press)
-----
ISLAMABAD (AP)
—
A U.N. report
on Monday strongly criticized the Taliban for carrying out public executions,
lashings and stonings since seizing power in Afghanistan, and called on the
country’s rulers to halt such practices.
In the past six
months alone, 274 men, 58 women and two boys were publicly flogged in
Afghanistan, according to a report by the United Nations Assistance Mission in
Afghanistan, or UNAMA.
“Corporal
punishment is a violation of the Convention against Torture and must cease,”
said Fiona Frazer, the agency’s human rights chief. She also called for an
immediate moratorium on executions.
The Taliban
foreign ministry said in response that Afghanistan’s laws are determined in
accordance with Islamic rules and guidelines, and that an overwhelming majority
of Afghans follow those rules.
“In the event
of a conflict between international human rights law and Islamic law, the
government is obliged to follow the Islamic law,” the ministry said in a
statement.
The Taliban
began carrying out such punishments shortly after coming to power almost two
years ago, despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than during their
previous stint in power in the 1990s.
At the same
time, they have gradually tightened restrictions on women, barring them from
public spaces, such as parks and gyms, in line with their interpretation of
Islamic law. The restrictions have triggered an international uproar,
increasing the country’s isolation at a time when its economy has collapsed —
and worsening a humanitarian crisis.
Monday’s report
on corporal punishment documents Taliban practices both before and after their
return to power in August 2021, when they seized the capital of Kabul as U.S.
and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war.
The first public
flogging following the Taliban takeover was reported in October 2021 in the
northern Kapisa province, the report said. In that case, a woman and man
convicted of adultery were publicly lashed 100 times each in the presence of
religious scholars and local Taliban authorities, it said.
In December
2022, Taliban authorities executed an Afghan convicted of murder, the first
public execution since they took power the report said.
The execution,
carried out with an assault rifle by the victim’s father, took place in the
western Farah province before hundreds of spectators and top Taliban officials.
Zabihullah
Mujahid, the top government spokesman, said the decision to carry out the
punishment was “made very carefully,” following approval by three of the country’s
highest courts and the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada.
There has been
a significant increase in the number and regularity of judicial corporal
punishment since November when Mujahid repeated comments by the supreme leader
about judges and their use of Islamic law in a tweet, the report said.
Since that
tweet, UNAMA documented at least 43 instances of public lashings involving 274
men, 58 women and two boys. A majority of punishments were related to
convictions of adultery and “running away from home,” the report said. Other
purported offenses included theft, homosexuality, consuming alcohol, fraud and
drug trafficking.
In a video
message, Abdul Malik Haqqani, the Taliban’s appointed deputy chief justice,
said last week that the Taliban’s Supreme Court has issued 175 so-called
retribution verdicts since taking power, including 79 floggings and 37
stonings.
Such verdicts
establish the right of a purported victim, or relative of a victim of a crime
to punish or forgive the perpetrator. Haqqani said the Taliban leadership is
committed to carrying out such sentences.
After their
initial overthrow in the U.S. invasion of 2001, the Taliban continued to carry
out corporal punishment and executions in areas under their control while
waging an insurgency against the U.S.-backed former Afghan government, the
report said.
UNAMA
documented at least 182 instances when the Taliban carried out their own
sentences during the height of their insurgency between 2010 and August 2021,
resulting in 213 deaths and 64 injuries.
Many
Muslim-majority countries draw on Islamic law, but the Taliban interpretation
is an outlier.
U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called a Taliban ban on women working an
unacceptable violation of Afghan human rights.
On April 5,
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers informed the United Nations that Afghan women
employed with the U.N. mission could no longer report for work. Aid agencies
have warned that the ban on women working will impact their ability to deliver
urgent humanitarian help in Afghanistan.
The Taliban
previously banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade and women
from most public life and work. In December, they banned Afghan women from
working at local and non-governmental groups — a measure that at the time did
not extend to U.N. offices.
Under the first
Taliban regime from 1996 to 2001, public corporal punishment and executions
were carried out by officials against individuals convicted of crimes, often in
large venues such as sports stadiums and at urban intersections.
Source: apnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://apnews.com/article/un-report-taliban-punishment-death-penalty-bf9fca3e2a177f9fb9fec8d52e57b91d
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Pakistan
Insinuation
That Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Was Threatening Violence 'Highly Irresponsible':
Pakistan
08-05-23
New Delhi: The
Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement clarifying recent
remarks made by minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while in India for the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO), saying, “Any insinuation, associating Foreign
Minister’s remarks with a threat of violence, is not only mischievous but
highly irresponsible.”
The statement
was referring to reporting on what Bhutto Zardari said at a press conference
for Pakistani mediapersons who came to Goa. To a question on India hosting a
G20 meeting in Srinagar, he said that it showed India’s “pettiness” and a “show
of arrogance to the world that to hell with international law, UNSC resolutions
and bilateral agreements, India will hold its events in Kashmir”. “Obviously we
condemn it and at the time we will give such a response that it will be
remembered,” he said.
In its
statement on Sunday (May 7), the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said,
“It [the insinuation that Bhutto Zardari was threatening violence] is an
attempt to shift focus from the Foreign Minister’s key message of conflict
resolution through dialogue and in accordance with international law and UN
security council resolutions. The journalistic norms must be respected while
reporting on sensitive inter-state matters.”
As The Wire has
reported, India and Pakistan both accused each other of supporting terrorism
and taking hypocritical postures on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
“As a foreign
minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As
a promoter, justifier and, I am sorry to say, spokesperson of a terrorism
industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out,
including at the SCO meetings itself,” Indian external affairs minister S.
Jaishankar said.
Bhutto
Zardari’s visit to India was a rare trip across the border since high-level
contact between the two South Asian countries had come down drastically. But,
it was made clear even before he arrived on Indian soil that there would be no
bilateral encounter and that the journey was only for the SCO meeting.
The highly
charged barbs also mean that it is highly unlikely that Pakistan Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif will visit India for the leaders’ summit in July.
Source: thewire.in
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://thewire.in/south-asia/insinuation-that-bilawal-bhutto-zardari-was-threatening-violence-highly-irresponsible-pakistan
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Attackers kill
Pakistani Sikh in drive-by shooting in Lahore
May 6, 2023
LAHORE: A
Pakistani Sikh was killed by unknown assailants in a drive-by shooting in the
eastern city of Lahore on Saturday, police said.
The man,
identified as Sardar Singh, was shot by gunmen riding on a motorcycle in
Lahore’s residential neighborhood of Nawab Town. He was on a morning walk
accompanied by his bodyguard when the attack happened, police said.
Singh received
a fatal gunshot to the head. Officer Asad Abbas said the bodyguard was wounded
in the attack.
The police
declined to explain why Singh had a bodyguard or provide further details. No
group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Religious
minorities often face violence in Muslim-majority Pakistan, even though the
country’s Constitution guarantees them equal rights and the freedom to practice
their faith.
Last month, a
Pakistani Sikh businessman and a Christian cleaner were shot and killed by
gunmen in separate incidents in the northwestern city of Peshawar. A day earlier,
a prominent Hindu doctor and eye surgeon was gunned down in the port city of
Karachi.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/attackers-kill-pakistani-sikh-in-drive-by-shooting-in-lahore/articleshow/100039603.cms
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Steps to
address Islamophobia, polarization in society discussed
May 8, 2023
The very first
International Conference on Media and Research at BahauddinZakarya University (BZU)
got immense appreciation not only at national level but globally also as many
themes confronting the Muslim world and Pakistani society with regard to Media
came under fruitful discussion.
The Conference
was organized under auspices of Institute of Communication and Media Studies
and academia, social scientists, researchers from known universities of
Pakistan, Sharjah, England, Turkey and many others attended the conference
physically and through online sessions.
In the opening
ceremony, Dr Zafar Iqbal, a known scholar and Dean Islamic International
University Islamabad highlighted the concept of Islamophobia and how it could
be addressed for long lasting and durable peace across the globe. He stated
that Islamophobia was a sense of an extreme fear and dislike of Islam as a
religion, an ideology, politically, culturally and economically. Dr Zafar
suggested that the Muslims residing in West should also join politics, law and
other social activities as it would help reducing mistrust because of frequent
interactions. Similarly, a culture of dialogue is also essential for bring the
people together.
The West should
not feel any sort of political, security, cultural or racist threat from
Muslims. Islam is a religion of peace, he maintained. About issues pertaining
to Media and Society in Pakistan, he stated that news organizations had become
mouthpiece of different political parties. He held Media organizations for
polarization.
He suggested
that masses should have shares in Media organizations so that they could
influence of editorial policy. The objective reporting can help to address
issue of rising polarization among people owing to political idealologies.
Professor Dr Stuart Allan from Cardiff University presented his work on
importance of pictorial display and reporting during war. He suggested scholars
to focus research in various dimensions of social media and artificial
intelligence in Media. He also stated that Science Journalism was gaining
special importance. He quoted different references from COVID-19’s reporting.
The journalists
should follow certain guidelines during pandemic situation and consult various
experts before writing their news stories. Dr Cynthia Carter, another keynote
speaker from Cardiff University England, in her work “ Inclusive Journalism,
Gender and Global Media Monitoring Project 2020” suggested that problems of
marginalized section should be highlighted amicably.
Source: pakobserver.net
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://pakobserver.net/steps-to-address-islamophobia-polarization-in-society-discussed/
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8-member SC
bench takes up pleas challenging SC bill today
By Maryam Nawaz
May 08, 2023
The Supreme
Court will resume hearing on a set of pleas filed against a bill curtailing the
powers of the top judge to initiate suo motu proceedings or form benches today
(Monday) at 12:30pm.
An eight-judge
bench will take up the pleas that heard them earlier. It comprises Chief
Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib
Akhtar, Justice SayyadMazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar,
Justice Ayesha Malik, Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Shahid Waheed.
In the last
hearing, CJP Bandial had turned down the attorney general's plea to withdraw
the stay order restricting the implementation of the Supreme Court (Practice
and Procedure) Bill 2023, which the top court had passed on April 13.
“Our stay order
of the last hearing is in place. Law related to the Supreme Court rules are
very clear,” the chief justice had said.
Meanwhile, a
request for the constitution of a full court and removal of some judges from
the bench, for hearing the case had also been made during the last hearing.
While
adjourning the hearing till today, CJP Bandial directed all parties in the case
to submit written arguments in the case, and also sought the record of the
debate held in the Parliament and standing committee on judicial reforms.
Chronology of
events
On March 28,
parliament passed the bill, aimed at curtailing the unbridled powers of the
chief justice. The bill restricts the chief justice’s powers to take suo motu
notices as well as to constitute benches on his own.
Instead, it
stipulates that these powers will be vested in a three-member committee,
comprising the chief justice and two-senior most judges.
However,
President Arif Alvi returned the bill back to parliament on April 8, without
giving his assent. Subsequently, the lawmakers passed the bill again on April
10 in a joint session and resent it to the president.
As per the
country’s law, the president has 10 days to give his assent to a bill passed by
a joint sitting of the Senate and National Assembly. However, even if the
president does not give his assent, the bill automatically becomes a law and
takes effect after that period, which in this case was April 20.
To prevent the
bill from taking effect, three petitions were filed in the top court which will
be heard for the third time today.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1068245-8-member-larger-sc-bench-to-take-up-act-curtailing-cjps-powers-at-1230pm
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Mideast
Zionist Enemy
SummonsImam and Speaker of Al-Aqsa Mosquefor Investigation
[07/May/2023]
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM
May 07. 2023 (Saba) - The Zionist enemy authorities on Sunday summoned the Imam
and speaker of the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem Sheikh
IkrimaSabri for investigation tomorrow, Monday.
According to
the Palestine Today agency, lawyer of al-Aqsa speaker Hamza Qattina said that
the enemy intelligence handed Sheikh Sabri a summons for investigation in
al-Mascobiyeh prison, tomorrow, Monday.
Lawyer Qattina
explained that enemy intelligence summons Sheikh Sabri from time to time for
interrogation and at other times prevents him from entering al-Aqsa or
traveling abroad.
In the past
weeks, the enemy's media launched a new incitement campaign against Sheikh
Sabri and called for his arrest.
In response to
the enemy's threats and its media and the incitement against it, Sheikh
IkrimaSabri emphasized the continuation of defending the blessed al-Aqsa Mosque
and not giving in to the enemy's campaign of incitement.
It is
noteworthy that activists launched, on social media, a campaign of solidarity with
Sabri in light of the threats of the Zionist enemy and the continuous
incitement against him.
Source: saba.ye
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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3238696.htm
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Crown Prince Of
Saudi Arabia Has Ability To Receive Permission To Refurbish Baqi Cemetery:
Iranian Islamic Scholar
May 7, 2023
TEHRAN- An
Islamic scholar says there is a high possibility to get permission from the
Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) to restore
the Baqi Cemetery.
ShahabMoradi
also wished that Iran can one day embellish the cemetery and morph it into a
heaven for all who follow the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and twelve Imams.
Speaking with
Mehr News that part of it was published on Saturday, Moradi noted that the
restoration of Islamic monuments including the Baqi Cemetery needs the
attention of both people and government.
“On one hand,
the government should put legal and diplomatic programs on the agenda, and on
the other hand, people and NGOs need to come to solve the issue,” the cleric
suggested.
The Islamic
scholar went on to highlight that it is the duty of politicians to pursue the
case because they have the ability and power to convince the Saudi officials to
refurbish the holy site.
“Since the ties
between Tehran and Riyadh are improving, so, it can be the best opportunity to
hold talks with the Saudis to accept the issuance of permission for the
reconstruction,” he added.
Moradi
continued by saying that regarding the destruction of Baqi, it is regarded as
an injustice and annoying issue for Muslims, especially Shias, and the matter
is unfortunately viewed as a petty topic by the Islamic society.
A famous figure
on TV and social media, ShahabMoradi was born in Tehran in the early 1950s.
He is one of
the well-known clerics in the domain of media, having lots of fans and is
considered as one of the famous and prominent Islamic experts in many television
programs.
Source: Tehrantimes.Com
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Hamas warns
Israel ahead of nationalist Flag March through Old City’s Muslim Quarter
7 May 2023
Palestinian
terror group Hamas warned on Sunday that it would not let Israel “Judaize”
Jerusalem ahead of a controversial nationalist march through the Muslim Quarter
of the capital’s Old City set for later this week.
Hamas
spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanou said in a statement that Jerusalem “will
remain the Palestinian capital” and that the Gaza-based group “will not allow
the Zionist occupation to implement plans to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the
city of Jerusalem through division…or flag parades.”
“The flag
parade in Jerusalem will not change the reality, we will maintain the
‘equation’ as imposed by the resistance,” he said, in reference to Palestinian
groups that have in the past responded to events in Jerusalem and on the
flashpoint Temple Mount site with rockets from Gaza.
The heavily
guarded Jerusalem Day Flag March has become an increasingly combustible issue
for Israel, drawing tens of thousands of national religious youth to mark the
anniversary of Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six Day War.
The annual,
provocative event drives fears of aggravated tensions with Palestinians. Two
years ago, the march played a role in touching off a brief war with Gaza-based
terrorists, and last year, it saw sporadic clashes and hundreds of participants
filmed chanting “Death to Arabs” and other racist and Islamophobic slogans.
The Palestinian
people, said al-Qanou, “will continue to protect the identity of Al-Aqsa
Mosque” and “thwart any attempt to expand Zionist control over Jerusalem.”
Earlier Sunday,
the terror spokesperson claimed that “Zionist groups” were holding “Torah
lessons” at the flashpoint site, the holiest site for Jews and the
third-holiest shrine in Islam.
Last month,
during the second week of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, fierce clashes
at the Temple Mount broke out when police entered the mosque, where hundreds of
Palestinians had barricaded themselves inside with explosive devices, rocks,
and fireworks, in order to target Israeli officers and civilians, according to
police.
Police managed
to overpower the rioters, but several people inside captured footage of
officers brutally beating and apprehending Palestinians, which went viral on
social media and sparked a massive uproar across the globe.
Hamas
terrorists also responded by firing several barrages of rockets at Israel from
both Lebanon and Gaza, leading to Israeli retaliatory airstrikes.
Subsequent
prayers at the site were largely peaceful and Israel barred Jewish visitors
from the site for the last 10 days of Ramadan.
Amid high
tensions in the aftermath, this year’s flag rally is scheduled to take place on
Thursday, May 18.
On Friday, a
senior Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel that the march would
be held along its original route, despite concerns about a possible escalation.
A Channel 12
report on Friday cited the current government’s lack of political
maneuverability on the issue: moving the route — when former prime
ministerNaftali Bennett left it in place last year — would harm its image as an
authentic right-wing alternative to the previous government.
In the past two
years, the Biden administration has urged Israel to change the route of the
march to go through the Old City’s Jaffa Gate, instead of Damascus Gate,
skirting the Muslim Quarter, which is largely populated by Palestinians.
But right-wing
and religious nationalist groups insist that the original route be maintained
as has been the case for decades, in what is meant to signify Israel’s
“reunification” of Jerusalem.
In 2021, Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to reroute the Flag March away from the
Muslim Quarter, though he waited until hours before the rally to make the
decision, allowing threats against Israel from Hamas and other terror groups to
pile up in the meantime. Despite the decision, Hamas fired a barrage of rockets
at Jerusalem, as the rerouted march was taking place. Shortly thereafter, the
IDF launched Operation Guardian of the Walls in Gaza, which lasted 11 days.
The next year,
Bennett came under similar pressure from the US, but ultimately decided to
allow the march to go forward on the original route, in what led to the
globally criticized scenes of participants singing “May your village burn,” as
they danced outside of the Damascus Gate. However, terror groups in Gaza
largely avoided responding in the way they had a year earlier.
While Channel
12 did not cite a source for any of its reporting, it said the security
establishment did not receive any intelligence alerts against the holding of
the Flag March along its original route.
The senior
official speaking to The Times of Israel clarified that additional security
consultations would be held on the matter before a final decision would be
made. A senior US official told The Times of Israel last week that the issue
was already on the Biden administration’s radar.
The Standing
Together grassroots group that advocates coexistence between Jews and Arabs
penned a letter to Police Commissioner KobiShabtai last week urging him to
reroute the rally.
“The parade is
a provocation whose purpose is to poke a finger in the eyes of Palestinian
residents of Jerusalem,” it wrote, expressing its concern that the march could
ignite further violence between Israelis and Palestinians.
Similar calls
were issued by left-wing groups Peace Now, EmekShaveh, and IrAmim.
Shabtai answers
to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a far-right firebrand who has
loudly advocated for allowing the nationalist march through the Muslim Quarter.
Source: timesofisrael.com
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Erdoğan’s
Islamist ally Erbakan vows to close LGBTI+ associations on state TV
May 07 2023
The state
television TRT on May 7 started to broadcast the official propaganda speeches
of the presidential candidates and political parties as only one week left to
the elections. Ruling People Alliance’s partner Islamist New Welfare Party’s
(YRP) leader FatihErbakan was the first politician to appear on the screen.
While
announcing his election promises, Erbakan said that the country’s LGBTI+
associations would be completely shut down, and they would be prevented from
making “propaganda” to the public.
"We will
protect our youth from disasters such as deism, atheism, and homosexuality and
provide them with the necessary spiritual and psychological support,"
Erbakan said, and promised to give permanent positions to Quran course teachers
as civil servants.
Before the YRP
joined the ruling People’s Alliance on March 24, the party and Justice and
Development Party (AKP) signed a protocol including subtle clauses that are
discriminatory against the LGBTI+ community. Furthermore, the top Turkish
executives, including President Erdoğan, has been attacking marginalized group
in their everyday propaganda speeches as the election date approaches.
Source: duvarenglish.com
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https://www.duvarenglish.com/imamoglus-election-bus-attacked-with-stones-during-rally-in-eastern-erzurum-news-62354
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Kurds
cautiously back Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Turkish election
May 07, 2023
DIYARBAKIR: Exhausted by crackdowns in
Turkiye’s Kurdish heartland, Ali is backing the main rival of President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan in elections next Sunday — though his faith in the presidential
hopeful is not great.
“It’s time for
a change,” the 50-year-old said in Diyarbakir, the Kurds’ unofficial capital in
southeast Turkiye.
“For anyone
watching TV in Turkiye, Kurds are terrorists,” said Ali, who declined to give
his full name for fear of retribution.
“But I would be
lying if I said I fully trust the opposition candidate,” he added, referring to
Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the secular CHP party.
Representing
roughly a fifth of Turkiye’s 85 million people, Kurds have suffered repression
throughout the course of the post-Ottoman republic, which was created by CHP
founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923.
Turkiye
officially denied the existence of such an ethnicity, depriving Kurds of
cultural and education rights.
Many Kurds
embraced Erdogan’s AKP when it ended decades of secular rule in 2002, seeing it
as more inclusive and committed to changes.
Erdogan tried
to broker a deal to end a bloody Kurdish fight for an independent state,
seeking to etch his place in history as the one who finally settled one of
Turkiye’s most painful problems.
The collapse of
the talks in 2015 and a failed coup attempt the following year prompted Erdogan
to resume military operations in Kurdish regions, pushing him closer to
Turkiye’s nationalists.
After holding
out for much of the campaign, the pro-Kurdish HDP party has officially backed
Kilicdaroglu, an endorsement that might just tip the close vote.
The HDP’s
support “is a major boost” to Kilicdaroglu, said Hamish Kinnear, a senior
analyst at the VeriskMaplecroft risk consultancy.
Mehmet
EminYilmaz, who wears a traditional Kurdish scarf, says he is ready to vote for
whomever the HDP points to.
“I am Kurdish.
The HDP defends my rights. If the police unjustly detains me today, the HDP
will take care of me,” the 60-year-old said.
But while the
election is one of Turkiye’s most important in its modern era, deciding the
future of its longest-serving leader, there is little excitement on the streets
of Diyarbakir.
“The people are
intimidated, there are cameras everywhere. If more than two people gather, the
plainclothes police arrive,” said ErdemUnal, the CHP chief in Diyarbakir’s
historic Sur district.
“Erdogan left
Kurds with two options: mosque or prison,” he said.
“Diyarbakir has
turned into an open-air prison,” he said.
Erdogan’s
alliance with the Huda-Par (Free Cause Party) has opened additional wounds.
Huda-Par has
links to the Kurdish Hezbollah movement, which is distinct from the Lebanese
group of the same name.
Comprising
Sunni radicals, the Kurdish Hezbollah was implicated in the extrajudicial
killings of Kurdish and women’s rights activists in the 1990s.
Some analysts
viewed the Kurdish Hezbollah as a regime tool for fighting the Kurdish
insurgency led by the leftist PKK.
EyupBurc,
founder of the pro-Kurdish IMC TV channel that has since been shut down, said
Erdogan’s embrace of Huda-Par meant he was trying to hang on to the most
conservative elements of the Kurdish vote.
“Surveys show
around 15 percent support for Erdogan in Diyarbakir, and it’s melting further,”
Burc said.
Kilicdaroglu’s
leftist CHP is almost invisible in Diyarbakir.
But the
74-year-old former civil servant appears to attract local sympathies because of
his openly Alevi faith — and less emphasised Kurdish identity.
Most Kurds call
Kilicdaroglu “Piro” from “pir,” a Kurdish word for grandfather that also
describes an Alevi religious leader.
But many Kurds
have long-standing reservations about Kilicdaroglu and his six-party opposition
alliance.
It backed
Erdogan’s military incursions into Syria, which hit Kurdish areas controlled by
a sister party of the PKK.
The HDP’s support
for Kilicdaroglu follows the arrest of more than 100 Kurdish activists,
journalists and lawyers in what the government billed an “anti-terror”
operation.
The roundups
were aimed at “sending a message to Turkiye’s (mostly Sunni) west,” said
NahitEren, who heads the Diyarbakir bar association.
Abbas Sahin,
whose Green Left Party will represent pro-Kurdish candidates in the
parliamentary portion of the ballot because of a threatened shutdown of the
HDP, vowed that Erdogan would be consigned “to the dustbin of history.”
But Gulistan
AtasoyTekdemir, the HDP co-chair in Diyarbakir, said Kurds expected “courage”
from the opposition candidate, insisting that their support should not be taken
for granted.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2299416/middle-east
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Arab League
move fails to allay Lebanese concerns over Syrian refugee ‘burden’
May 07, 2023
BEIRUT:
Lebanese people remain divided over Syria’s return to the Arab League following
a 12-year suspension.
Foreign
ministers from Arab League member states on Sunday agreed to reinstate Syria’s
membership and called for a resolution of issues resulting from the country’s
civil war, including the flight of refugees to neighboring countries.
However, many
Lebanese fear that the decision will do little to encourage Syrian refugees in
Lebanon to return to their homeland.
Maronite
Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi said during Sunday’s Mass that the growing
number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has become a “heavy burden” on the
country, economically, socially, demographically and regarding security.
Al-Rahi
expressed doubts about the intentions of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
and called on the agency “to cooperate with the Lebanese ministerial committee
by providing it with the necessary information about Syrian refugees registered
with the agency in Lebanon.”
The patriarch
asked: “Is there an intention behind the international community’s stance to
settle Syrian refugees in Lebanon?
“Do they not
prefer the return (of Syrian refugees) to Syria for fear that they may migrate
to their countries? How can Lebanon, burdened as it is, bear the addition of
2,800,000 Syrian refugees and 300,000 Palestinian refugees?”
The patriarch
called on “the international community to provide assistance to Syrian refugees
on Syrian soil.”
In the first
comment by a Lebanese official on the Arab foreign ministers’ decision, Abbas
Hajj Hassan, the agriculture minister in the caretaker government representing
the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, said: “The return of Syria to the Arab League is
the return of all Arabs to an active role in the region and on the
international stage.”
The Grand
Jaafari Mufti, Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, accused Europe and Washington of
attempting to displace Lebanese people by settling Syrian refugees in the
country.
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Arab League
readmits Syria after 11 years as relations with Assad normalise
May 7, 2023
Arab League
foreign ministers adopted a decision to readmit Syria after more than a decade
of suspension on Sunday, a league spokesperson said, consolidating a regional
push to normalise ties with President Bashar al-Assad.
The decision
said Syria could resume its participation in Arab League meetings immediately,
while calling for a resolution of the crisis resulting from Syria’s civil war,
including the flight of refugees to neighbouring countries and drug smuggling
across the region.
It was taken at
a closed meeting of foreign ministers at the Arab League’s headquarters in
Cairo, said Gamal Roshdy, spokesman for the Arab League’s secretary general.
While Arab
states, including the United Arab Emirates, have pushed for Syria and Assad’s
rehabilitation, others, including Qatar, have remained opposed to full
normalisation without a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
Some have been
keen to set conditions for Syria’s return, with Jordan’s foreign minister
saying last week that the Arab League’s reacceptance of Syria would only be the
start of “a very long and difficult and challenging process”.
Sunday’s
decision said Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and the Arab League’s
secretary general would form a ministerial contact group to liaise with the
Syrian government and seek “step-by-step” solutions to the crisis.
Practical steps
included continuing efforts to facilitate the delivery of aid in Syria,
according to a copy of the decision seen by Reuters.
Syria’s
membership in the Arab League was suspended in 2011 after a crackdown on street
protests against Assad that led to a devastating civil war and many Arab states
pulled their envoys out of Damascus.
Recently, Arab
states have been trying to reach a consensus on whether to invite Assad to an
Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh to discuss the pace of normalising ties
and on what terms Syria could be allowed back.
Saudi Arabia
long resisted restoring relations with Assad but said after its recent
rapprochement with Iran — Syria’s key regional ally — that a new approach was
needed with Damascus.
Source: dawn.com
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Saudi Arabia,
US urge warring Sudan rivals to agree short-term ceasefire
May 08, 2023
JEDDAH — Saudi
Arabia and the United States have urged Sudan's warring rivals to agree to an
effective short-term ceasefire during the ongoing Jeddah talks.
Under the
auspices of Saudi Arabia, representatives of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the
Rapid Support Forces commenced pre-negotiation talks in Jeddah on May 6.
Saudi Arabia
and the United States urged both parties to engage in the talks seriously to
advance facilitating the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and
restoration of essential services and subsequently expand negotiations to
achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities.
The parties
agreed that they bear a heavy responsibility to help alleviate the suffering of
the Sudanese people, including the responsibility to reach a near-term
agreement on security measures to facilitate the delivery of emergency
humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services to those in need.
The parties
began a review of the proposed Declaration of Commitment to Protect Civilians
and facilitate and respect Humanitarian Action in Sudan.
They also began
discussions on security measures the two sides would need to quickly take to
facilitate the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and restoration of
essential services, in accordance with the declaration’s principles.
Saudi Arabia
and the United States welcomed the commitment of the two sides to a
constructive and mutually respectful approach and urged them to observe the
current ceasefire and refrain from provocative actions on the ground to sustain
a positive atmosphere for the pre-negotiation talks.
The talks that
resumed on Sunday will continue in the coming days in expectation of reaching
an effective short-term ceasefire to facilitate humanitarian assistance. — SPA
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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Saudi Arabia is
7th most optimistic nation globally: Report
May 07, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia has emerged as one of the most trusting and least polarized countries in
the world, according to the latest Trust Barometer report from Edelman, the
leading global communications firm.
The company
measures levels of trust from more than 32,000 respondents in 28 countries
across business, government, media and NGOs.
The 2023
report, titled “Navigating a Polarized World,” examines the lack of trust amid
a feared economic collapse and how institutions can build trust in a divided
world.
The report also
shows that Saudi Arabia is the seventh most optimistic country, defying the
trend of economic pessimism and polarization.
Elevated levels
of trust were found across all institutions, including a strong trust in
government at 83 percent. By comparison, the global average of trust in
government is only 50 percent.
Additionally,
73 percent of Saudis trust business, 79 percent of Saudi employees trust their
employers, and 73 percent buy products based on their beliefs and values. Trust
in NGOs came in third at 66 percent. The World Health Organization was found to
be the most trusted multinational organization, ahead of the UN and the EU.
KenanaDahlan,
general manager of Edelman Saudi Arabia, said: “The Edelman Trust Barometer has
proven to be an invaluable tool in highlighting critical global issues. In
Saudi Arabia, the results indicate an increase in trust toward the government,
which is now viewed as a key player in driving positive change alongside the
business community.
“Furthermore,
the survey shows that Saudi Arabia has emerged as the most unified country
amongst all those surveyed, indicating a strong sense of national cohesion and
solidarity.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Residents Find
New-born Baby Dumped In Front Of A Mosque InAl-Raqqa
May 7, 2023
Al-Raqqa
province: Residents have found a newborn girl who was abandoned for unknown
reasons, where she was dumped near the door of “Al-Imam Al-Nawawy Mosque” in
Al-Raqqa city within SDF-held areas.
This comes in
light of the growing phenomenon of abandonment of children by their families,
for many reasons, especially the deterioration of living conditions, illegal
relationships and other reasons.
According to
SOHR statistics, this is the 27th case of abandoned new-born babies since early
2023 with 11 cases documented in regime-controlled areas, 15 documented in
SDF-controlled areas and one in areas controlled by Turkish-backed factions.
Source: syriahr.com
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https://www.syriahr.com/en/298231/
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Saudi Arabia to
provide $100 million of humanitarian aid for Sudan
May 07, 2023
RIYADH — Saudi
Arabia will provide Sudan with humanitarian assistance worth $100 million and
will organize a national popular campaign to collect donations.
Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed
Bin Salman directed on Sunday King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center
(KSrelief) to organize the campaign through the Saham platform.
The campaign
aims to alleviate the effects of the situation that the Sudanese people are
currently witnessing.
Advisor at the
Royal Court and Supervisor General of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah said that
under the generous directive, relief and humanitarian assistance and medical
assistance will be provided to displaced persons in Sudan.
He thanked the
King and the Crown Prince for their noble and unsurprising positions, which are
an extension of the humanitarian role of Saudi Arabia in standing with those
affected and needy throughout the world in various crises.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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Saudi crown
prince, US, UAE, India national security advisers discuss relations
May 08, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received national security advisers
of the UAE, the US, and India on Sunday evening, the Saudi Press Agency
reported.
The Crown
Prince, Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Jake Sullivan, and Ajit Doval discussed
enhancing relations to boost regional growth and stability.
Senior US
officials also attended the meeting.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2299546/saudi-arabia
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Saudi Arabia to
launch largest radio telescope in Middle East
May 07, 2023
RIYADH: The
Saudi Amateur Radio Society is preparing to launch the largest radio telescope
in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Construction on
the 20-meter diameter device is done and tests will be conducted before it is
linked to the radio telescope system developed at universities.
The radio
telescope will be sited at the astronomical observatory in Mashar National
Park.
Prince Badr bin
Fahd, the president of the association, said the project was in line with Saudi
Vision 2030 goals of sustainable development, digital transformation and
attracting investments in the fields of technology and innovation.
Source: arabnews.com
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North
America
US Criticizes
UN’s Decision Operating in Afghanistan without Female Staff
By Nizamuddin
Rezahi
May 7, 2023
After a
month-long assessment, the United Nations has announced that it will continue
its operation in Afghanistan without the presence of female staff, prompting
criticisms from US officials.
Some members of
the US House of Representatives have criticized the UN’s position to continue
operating in Afghanistan without its female staff. They called the continuation
of humanitarian aid only for men, a serious punishment for Afghan women and
girls, who have been completely erased from public life.
Members of the
US House of Representatives, including Michael McCaul, the Chairman of the
Foreign Affairs Committee of this House, have said in a letter to Antonio
Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, that the organizations should not come
along with the ban on women’s work in Afghanistan and emphasized that a
“decisive” answer should be given.
It is also
stated that the UN should continue supporting Afghan women and girls instead of
compromising with the gender-based restrictions, which bares women to work for
international aid organizations in Afghanistan.
The members of
the US House of Representatives have emphasized that the UN should oppose the
idea of operating in Afghanistan without its female employees, and should avoid
implementing humanitarian aid programs that solely benefit men.
Furthermore, it
is stated that restrictions violate the basic rights of Afghan women and girls
and endanger humanitarian efforts throughout Afghanistan. “The United Nations’
response to these restrictions are in contrary to the UN Charter, and will have
an impact on the credibility of this organization,” the letter stated.
Source: khaama.com
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Mystery
surrounds ‘blighted property’ notice at Pakistan Embassy
May 8, 2023
Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON: The
mystery surrounding a Pakistan Embassy building in the US capital got more
complicated on Sunday when a notice about its blighted condition disappeared
days after it was pasted on the front door.
Since the local
government offices in Washington remain closed on Sunday, no one was available
to clarify when they pasted the notice and why they removed it.
When Dawn
contacted officials at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, they said that
“since we never saw the notice, we cannot say when or why it was removed”.
A photo of the
“Blighted Property” notice, taken on Friday, said the Building Enforcement Unit
of the Department of Buildings (BOD), Washington, “has inspected your property
and deemed it to be blighted”.
It asked the owners
of the property, Pakistan Embassy, to “complete and submit a blighted building
response form, within 30 days” or “your property will be designated as blighted
and reclassified accordingly”. The notice also warned that “unauthorised
removal” of this red notice could lead to a fine of $500.
Media reports
published earlier this week claimed that the Washington DC government had
downgraded the property classification of this embassy-owned building on the
city’s historic R-Street NW.
The building
has been up for sale for the past few months and received offers much below the
prevalent price in this neighbourhood.
The reports
warned that the declassification will further reduce the market value of the
building while increasing taxes on its assessed value.
The building,
which used to be a chancery in the past, was put up for auction late last year.
The bidding process was later cancelled by Pakistani authorities, under
pressure from the Pakistani American community.
Several
community members claimed that they were willing to offer much more than the
highest bid of $6.8 million for the property located in the heart of the city.
Earlier media reports, however, put the pre-auction evaluation of the building,
on ‘as is’ basis, at $4.5m. The building has been unoccupied for over a decade.
The building’s diplomatic status was also revoked in 2018, making it liable to
pay taxes to the local government.
In 2008, a
Washington Post report on blighted properties in Washington listed a
“paint-peeled columns and boarded-up windows” of a building owned by the United
Arab Emirates, and “the hip-high grass and missing front door knob of a
building owned by the Pakistani government.”
In December
2017, the US State Department responded to a plea for action from a local
government official, Eleanor Holmes Norton, saying that it was ready to
“aggressively engage” foreign countries with derelict properties in the
nation’s capital.
In another
letter to the local government, a State Department official said buildings
owned by several countries, including Pakistan and Argentina, have lost
diplomatic protections. A 2018 report in the Washingtonian magazine noted that
“a 1906 Beaux Arts beauty, the onetime embassy of Pakistan has been vacant for
about a decade — and it shows.
A demolition
notice hangs to the left of the front door. Some windows are broken, while
others are covered with cobwebs“. The report noted Pakistan has moved its
embassy to “expansive new digs” near the Van Ness Metro.
An earlier
Associated Press report noted that this “large building at the corner of 22nd
and R street in downtown Washington, sticks out like a wart in the otherwise
upscale neighbourhood”.
The building’s
“plywood covers the windows, sleeping bags and empty bottles litter the
shuttered doorways and head-high weeds sprout through the asphalt of the empty
fenced-off parking lot,” the report added.
Source: dawn.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1751510
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Sen. Juan
Mendez, Arizona Muslim Alliance propose Arizona Office for New Americans
MAY 7, 2023
by Jeremy
Yurow, Cronkite NewsArizona state Sen. Juan Mendez and the Arizona Muslim
Alliance have joined forces to propose an Office for New Americans in Arizona,
similar to ones in 13 other states that help immigrants assimilate into the
U.S. The initiative is meant to improve immigrant rights and services by
providing a centralized location for resources such as language classes and
resettlement assistance.
“I’ve moved all
across America and I understand what it’s like to start your life over again,”
said Mendez, a Tempe Democrat. “I know what it feels like to be alone to have
to navigate all different kinds of services that are already provided to
people.”
Mendez and his
wife, Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe, come from families of immigrants. Mendez’s
parents immigrated from Mexico while Salman’s mother is from Mexico and her
father is from Palestine.
Mendez said he
has been working on the bill for years and is collaborating with the Muslim
community, which he said is well-organized and has experience establishing
similar offices in other states.
“It was through
the Muslim community that I met the first person who’s actually worked in this
area, who’s helped establish these similar offices in other states,” he said.
“So once we got connected through the Muslim community, then it felt like, ‘Oh,
I can actually do something real.’”
The senator
noted that he is not trying to create anything new, but is seeking to
centralize services that already exist and make them more accessible.
Susan Bassal,
the secretary of the Arizona Muslim Alliance, said the Office for New Americans
could be particularly helpful for Afghan refugees who fled to the United States
after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021. Bassal, an attorney, explained
that the alliance had previously established a refugee task force to coordinate
relief efforts and provide assistance to refugees, which could serve as a model
for the proposed office’s work.
“(The task
force allowed) these relief organizations that were already existing to work
together,” Bassal said. “They’ve been able to provide everything from job
training to English lessons.”
Bassal
suggested that an Office for New Americans in Arizona could provide one-stop
shopping for programs such as the International Rescue Committee and Arizona
Immigrant and Refugee Services. The IRC provides job training, language
instruction and assistance with basic needs like housing, while also helping
refugees and immigrants navigate the U.S. immigration system and advocating for
their rights. AIRS offers a wide range of services to immigrants and refugees,
including legal assistance, language instruction, job training, health care
navigation, case management and community integration support.
Mendez said he
would like to propose the bill at the beginning of the next legislative
session. However, he is unsure how the Republican majority will respond.
“Statewide,
Arizona has a pretty good record or reputation of taking in immigrants compared
to other states,” Mendez said. “This is the kind of issue where it could be
bipartisan. This doesn’t necessarily have to be like a progressive issue. We
want everybody to have a chance at success in Arizona.”
If Arizonans
want an example of how an Office for New Americans could operate in their
state, they don’t need to look far: Nevada lawmakers established one in 2019.
Charina de Asis, the executive director of the Nevada Governor’s Office for New
Americans, said it has enhanced “the success, integration and inclusion of
immigrant and refugee families in the state.”
The office
helps immigrants navigate the complexities of state government by offering
programs that cater to the specific needs of immigrants and refugees in Nevada.
For instance, the Nevada Initiative for Language Access ensures that state
government is accessible to those with limited English, and its Skilled
Immigrant Integration Program helps communities find ways to include immigrants
and refugees in the workforce.
The office
provides support to independent refugee resettlement agencies during crises
such as the Afghan humanitarian crisis, when it worked with a county and a
state college to find temporary housing for refugees coming to the state. It
also connects immigrants and refugees to community resources, including
affordable housing and small-business assistance.
De Asis said
immigrants and refugees face similar challenges, no matter which state they
live in.
“(This
includes) language barriers, lack of social network and employment opportunities,
access to health care and education, and experiences of prejudice and
differences in culture,” she said. “Having an office like ONA helps make
tackling these challenges a little bit easier.”
Mendez said his
office is investigating whether Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs can establish and
administer such an office without legislative approval. Cronkite News reached
out to the governor’s office for comment but has not received a reply.
In Michigan,
then-Gov.Rick Snyder, a Republican, used his executive power to establish an
Office for New Americans in 2014. At the time, the GOP controlled the Michigan
State House and Senate.
AzzaAbuseif,
executive director for Arizona’s branch of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, said she met with Hobbs on Jan. 31 and they discussed ways to work
together to support the Muslim and immigrant communities. She said she believes
that Hobbs might be open to establishing an Office for New Americans in the
state.
“It’s something
very important to establish that office, ”Abuseif said. “I’m a refugee myself,
so having something like that would have been so helpful for both my parents
when they came here to have that sort of support from community members and
community organizations.”
Source: news.azpm.org
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https://news.azpm.org/p/news-articles/2023/5/7/215877-sen-juan-mendez-arizona-muslim-alliance-propose-arizona-office-for-new-americans/
--------
South Asia
Turkish
Companies Ready To Invest In Wind Power Plants in Afghanistan
By
Fidel Rahmati
May 8, 2023
The Ministry of
Water and Energy reported on Sunday that a Turkish company is interested in
contributing to a 200 MW wind power project in Afghanistan.
According to
the Ministry of Water and Energy, the acting Water and Energy Minister, Abdul
Latif Mansour, met with the President of Turkish 77 construction company
SulimanCiliv and discussed energy production from various sources.
“Both parties
agreed to sign a cooperation agreement to invest in a 200 megawatts wind power
generation project as soon as possible so that based on this agreement, the
practical works of this project will start in the future,” the Ministry said.
On the other
hand, the second phase of the Kajaki hydroelectric project was completed by the
77 Turkish companies, which Mansour referred to as “a valuable achievement for
the people of Afghanistan.”
Mansour also
praised the investment in the energy industry and reaffirmed the Ministry’s
leadership’s commitment to collaboration.
Afghanistan’s
primary energy sources are hydropower, fossil fuels, and solar power. However,
at the moment, more than half of the country’s electricity is imported from its
neighbours.
Afghanistan has
much potential for developing wind power as it is a plentiful renewable energy
source. However, the country still needs to fully realise this potential due to
a lack of infrastructure and investment.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/turkish-companies-ready-to-invest-in-wind-power-plants-in-afghanistan/
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IEA’s Plan to
Provide Financial Support for Media Raises Concerns: NAI
By Nizamuddin
Rezahi
May 8, 2023
Acting Minister
of Information and Culture, Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah, has said the ministry
plans to provide financial support for the media.
The prospect of
the plan being implemented has raised concerns about the loss of media freedom
under the Taliban administration.
Minister
Khaikhah, in a meeting with journalists in Ghazni province on Saturday (May 6)
said the interim government has considered providing financial support for
media.
The Ministry of
Information and Culture is working on a plan so that the media should receive
financial support and continue serving the Afghan community.
Free speech
experts and media-supporting institutions are not very optimistic about the
implementation of this plan. They believe that Islamic Emirate is trying to
control media and enforce censorship.
In response to
this plan, Nai-Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan has said that the Taliban’s
financial support should not undermine the independence of the media.
Nai has
emphasized that the financial support should be in good deeds and does not
affect the independence, operation and content of the media–adding it should
not enforce censorship.
A university
lecturer in journalism and media expert told to Khaama Press that the
allocation of financial support to media from the Taliban administration is
worrisome.
He believes the
economic challenges of the media and journalists have positioned the media
community in a dire situation, and the Taliban are trying to increase their
influence over media and change the content of media to their advantage.
This comes as
nearly 50 percent of the media outlets ceased operation mainly due to economic
challenges caused due to the late regime change, and the return of the Taliban
to power in August 2021. It is also reported that 95 percent of female
journalists have lost their jobs.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/ieas-plan-to-provide-financial-support-for-media-raises-concerns-nai/
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Pakistani,
Afghan FMs Meet, Discuss Peace, Security and Economic Issues
By Nizamuddin
Rezahi
May 8, 2023
Pakistan’s
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday hosted the Acting Afghan
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and discussed key issues including peace,
security, trade and connectivity.
The two sides
held a candid and in-depth exchange on key issues of mutual concern, including
peace and security, as well as trade and connectivity. The two sides reaffirmed
their desire to pursue continuous and practical engagement in different domains
that would benefit both countries.
The Foreign
Ministers emphasized the need for enhanced coordination to counter terrorism
which threatens the security of both countries.
The two sides
also stressed on the importance of removing trade barriers to enhance economic
development and regional connectivity.
The high-level
Afghan delegation who are on a visit to Pakistan from May 5-8 includes the
acting foreign minister, the acting minister of commerce and industry, and
several other personalities.
Besides holding
bilateral meetings, the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister also participated in the
5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers’ Dialogue on May 6.
With the
participation of the Chinese Foreign Minister, the three sides agreed to
advance political engagement, counterterrorism cooperation and enhance trade,
investments and connectivity under the trilateral framework.
Chinese Foreign
Minister Qin Gang asked the Taliban Acting Foreign Minister to ensure the
safety of Chinese nationals and institutions operating in Afghanistan.
In return,
Minister Muttaqi stated that the Afghan interim regime is fully committed to
cooperating with its regional partner to fight terrorism, and boost economic
development and connectivity in the region.
Since the
return of the Taliban to power in August 2021, China and Pakistan have
maintained close ties with Afghanistan’s de facto regime. Besides delivering
humanitarian aid, China has already considered taking economic initiatives in
the war-torn country.
Source: khaama.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/pakistani-afghan-fms-meet-discuss-peace-security-and-economic-issues/
--------
Afghan Refugees
in Iran Face Problems to ‘Buy Bread’: Shargh Daily
By Nizamuddin
Rezahi
May 7, 2023
The Iranian
government stopped issuing special bank cards to Afghan refugees some time ago,
making it difficult for them to buy bread from bakeries, Shargh Daily reported.
The newspaper
has also highlighted that Afghan refugees are faced with similar restrictions
to benefit from other public services in Iran.
Shargh Daily on
Sunday published a report stating that it is still unknown why the relevant
officials at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs are not taking decisive actions
in this regard.
“If the
relevant officials are not happy with the increasing number of Afghan refugees,
they should deter the country’s immigration policy to avoid the influx of
migrants. If such policies are not on the agenda, the restrictions negatively
affecting the lives of the most vulnerable segment of the society are useless,”
the report stated.
Over the past
four decades, prolonged conflict, instability and poverty have forced Afghans
at different stages to migrate to different countries, including Iran and
Pakistan. the Iranian government claims to have hosted more than five million
Afghans.
The newspaper
adds that Afghan nationals currently residing in Iran are faced with challenges
of a different kind.
It is also
reported that more than 600,000 Afghan students are studying at different
levels in schools and universities in Iran.
If Afghan
nationals complete their high school in Iran and wish to take a university
entrance exam, they will have to go to Afghanistan and retune with an Afghan
passport to enroll in university and pursuer degree programs.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/afghan-refugees-in-iran-face-problems-to-buy-bread-shargh-daily/
--------
IMF team flags
risks to Bangladesh as reserves fall further
May 8, 2023
The International
Monetary Fund flagged risks to the Bangladesh economy such as inflation, growth
and foreign reserves as it concluded its mission under the $4.7 billion loan
program.
"Persistent
inflationary pressures, elevated volatility of global financial conditions, and
slowdown in major advanced trading partners continue to weigh on growth,
foreign currency reserves, and the Taka," according to a press release
from the IMF following the conclusion of the staff team visit on May 7.
The IMF will
conduct the first review of its Extended Credit Facility, Extended Fund
Facility and Resilience and Sustainability Facility arrangements later this
year, the press release said.
Reserves are
expected to fall to $29.86 billion, the lowest in seven years, after import bill
payments for two months next week.
Exports fell
16.5% to $3.95 billion in April from a year earlier as orders from clothing
retailers slowed. Inward remittances that help the country’s balance of
payments declined 16% year-on-year to $1.68 billion in April.
In February,
Bangladesh received $476 million as the first installment of the IMF loans,
while the disbursement of the second tranche is expected in November.
Bangladesh
highlighted a more flexible exchange rate and reforms to banks’ lending rate to
the IMF team, which visited the country from April 25 to May 7.
Banks will be
allowed, starting in July, to set their lending rates at a maximum of 3% above
the six-month weighted average rates for Treasury bills. The rate corridor, a
key IMF condition, replaces the 9% cap on the lending rate.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/imf-team-flags-risks-to-bangladesh-as-reserves-fall-further/articleshow/100065651.cms
--------
Advanced
Tickets Almost Sold Out, ‘Pathaan’ Ready To Take Over Bangladesh Box Office
May 8, 2023
After all the
dilemma and confusion, Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster film ‘Pathaan’ is finally
getting ready for its release in Bangladesh on May 12. The news has already
created a lot of buzz in the neighbouring country and advanced ticket sales
have started in several cinema halls across Bangladesh. Importing Hindi films
has always been a demand from cinema hall owners in the country. Now, that
demand is finally being fulfilled with the ‘Pathaan’s release.
If you are a
Shah Rukh Khan fan living in Bangladesh and eagerly waiting to see his movie on
the big screen, then there's good news. After breaking all box office records
in India, the action entertainer is expected to witness similar box office
success in Bangladesh. The film will be released in 38 halls across the
country. There will also be an e-ticketing system to easily calculate how many
tickets have been sold. According to reports, ever since the advance ticket
sales started yesterday some of the show tickets are already sold out and the
frenzy surrounding the Bollywood film is immense.
Earlier in
February this year, a consortium of 19 Bangladesh film associations decided to
allow Hindi-language films to release in the country and suggested that 10
Indian films should be released in a year, and 'Pathaan' is one of them.
Bangladesh film censor board cleared the film last week.
With its
release in Bangladesh, Pathaan will definitely create history. Films produced
by Bollywood have been banned from cinemas in Bangladesh since the country's
independence in 1972, in a bid to protect the local movie industry. However, in
2009, the decision was relaxed to allow Salman Khan’s 'Wanted' to open in the
territory. The release was met with protests led by a local film industry
organization and the film was pulled from the 50 cinemas it was running in
after a week.
‘Pathaan’ which
was released on June 25 minted over Rs 1050 crore in the worldwide box office.
The Sidharth Anand directorial, also starring Deepika Padukone and John Abraham
in the lead is the first Hindi film to be released in Bangladesh post-1971.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news/advanced-tickets-almost-sold-out-pathaan-ready-to-take-over-bangladesh-box-office/articleshow/100067385.cms
--------
Europe
Dilapidated Pub
Transformed Into a Bright and Modern Mosque at West Yorkshire, England
Natasha Meek
Sun, 7 May 2023
These amazing
photos show how a dilapidated former pub has been transformed into a bright and
modern mosque.
Plans to
redevelop the former Horse and Farrier on King’s Road into The IQRA Centre were
approved in July last year.
It received an
outpouring of support from worshippers - leading to the creation of a grand
prayer hall, community space and rooms for educational programmes.
The team’s
vision was brought to life in around seven to eight months after donations hit
the £800,000 mark.
Now the mosque
has offered an invite to people of all faiths and backgrounds ahead of a
long-awaited open day.
Trustees and
the centre’s Imam will take guests on a guided tour around the new-look site
before a Q&A and chance to build deeper connections over food and drink.
The open day is
part of a national scheme run by the Muslim Council for Britain.
Educational
space at The IQRA Centre (Image: Newsquest, Mike Simmonds)
Shahidur
Rahman, one of the founding trustees of The IQRA Centre, said the community
space is already being used for regular kickboxing lessons and food parcel
donations.
Meanwhile plans
are already in the works for events such as summer BBQs, fun days, and
activities for children or people with dementia.
The final
touches are now being made to the building - such as repairs on a dangerous,
unusable staircase.
Looking back at
the start of the IQRA Centre’s journey, Shahidur said: “There’s been massive
objections and stuff like that as you expect from a pub turning into a mosque
venue.
"We’ve
done a lot of work so it’s now how we can work together, make activities,
understand each other. A lot of people can come in and see what we’ve done.
“There’s going
to be a lot of stuff we want to do.
“People don’t
need to think it’s ‘them and us’.
“There’s going
to be a lot of changes that we’re trying to manage like car parking so people
can talk to us, we’re trying our best.
Source: uk.news.yahoo.com
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https://uk.news.yahoo.com/see-inside-former-pub-transformed-135654210.html
--------
Russia 'Targeting
Mosques And Immigration Centres' To Hit Army Recruitment Target, Says UK
By Kevin
Schofield
08/05/2023
Russia is
having to entice Asian migrant workers with big-money bonuses and fast-track
citizenship in an attempt to hit its recruitment target for the war in Ukraine,
according to UK intelligence.
Mosques and
immigration centres are being targeted as part of the mass sign-up drive, the
Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.
They said the
Kremlin wants to recruit 400,000 volunteers to send to the front line, but is
wary of provoking “domestic dissent” by introducing mandatory mobilisation.
Details of the
recruitment campaign were revealed in the MoD’s latest intelligence update on
the war.
It said that
immigrants agreeing to join the Russian war effort are receiving bonuses of up
to $2,390 and salaries of $4,160 a month.
They are also
being offered the chance to become Russian citizens in just six months, rather
than the usual five years, if they agree to fight on the front line.
“Recruiting
migrants is part of the Russian Ministry of Defence’s attempts to fulfil its
target of 400,000 volunteers to fight in Ukraine,” the UK said.
“The
authorities are almost certainly seeking to delay any new overt mandatory
mobilisation for as long as possible to minimise domestic dissent.”
Meanewhile, the
MoD also revealed that Russia is facing its “worst labour shortage in decades”
as a result of the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Russia’s
population has reportedly decreased by two million more people than expected, the
MoD said, with 1.3 million leaving the country in 2022 alone.
“Mobilisation,
historically high emigration, and an ageing and shrinking population is
limiting the labour supply,” they said.
“This will
likely lead to a reduction in the potential growth of the Russian economy and
risks stoking inflation.”
Source: huffingtonpost.co.uk
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Russia launches
mass strikes on Ukraine ahead of May 9 Victory Day holiday
May 8, 2023
KYIV: Russia
launched a large-scale wave of strikes on Kyiv and across Ukraine sowing
destruction and injuries, officials said early on Monday, as Moscow prepares
for its cherished Victory Day holiday that marks the anniversary of its defeat
of Nazi Germany.
At least five
people were injured due to Russian strikes on Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said,
while Russian missiles set ablaze a foodstuff warehouse in the Black Sea city
of Odesa and blasts were reported in several other Ukrainian regions.
The fresh
attacks come as Moscow prepares for its Victory Day parade on Tuesday, a key
anniversary for President Vladimir Putin who has evoked the spirit of the
Soviet army that defeated Nazi German forces to declare that Russia would
defeat a Ukraine supposedly in the grip of a new incarnation of Nazism.
Russia
intensified shelling of Bakhmut hoping to take it by Tuesday, Ukraine's top
general in charge of the defence of the besieged city said, after Russia's
Wagner mercenary group appeared to ditch plans to withdraw from it.
Three people
were injured in blasts in Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district and two others were
injured when drone wreckage fell onto the Sviatoshyn district, both west of the
capital's centre, Mayor VitaliKlitschko said on his Telegram messaging channel.
The Kyiv's
military administration said that drone wreckage fell on a runway of the
Zhuliany airport, one of the two passenger airports of the Ukrainian capital,
causing no fire, but emergency services were working on the site.
It also said
that in Kyiv's central Shevchenkivskyi district, drone debris seemed to have
hit a two-storey building, causing damages. There was no immediate information
about potential casualties.
Reuters'
witnesses said they had heard numerous explosions in Kyiv, with local officials
saying that air defence systems were repelling the attacks. It was not
immediately clear how many drones were launched on Kyiv.
SerhiyBratchuk,
spokesperson for the Odesa military administration, posted on his Telegram
channel photos of a large structure fully engulfed in flames, in what he said
was a Russian attack on a foodstuff warehouse, among others.
After air raid
alerts blared for hours over roughly two-thirds of Ukraine, there were also
media reports of sounds of explosions in the southern region of Kherson and in
the Zaporizhzhia region in southeast.
Vladimir Rogov,
a Russian-installed local official in Zaporizhzhia, said that Russian forces
hit a warehouse and Ukrainian troops' position in Orikhiv, a small city in the
region. Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.
Separately,
Russian forces shelled eight locations in Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine
on Sunday, the regional military administration said in a Facebook post.
In the past two
weeks, strikes have also intensified on Russian-held targets, especially in
Crimea. Ukraine, without confirming any role in those attacks, says destroying
enemy infrastructure is preparation for its long-expected ground assault.
Putin invaded
Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, calling it a "special military operation"
to defend Russia from neo-Nazis in Ukraine, but Kyiv and its allies say it was
an unprovoked, land grab.
The invasion
sparked the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two and has killed
thousands and forced millions to flee the country.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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UK to mark
coronation with street parties and a concert
May 7, 2023
LONDON: Britain
on Sunday celebrates the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla with
street parties around the country and a concert at Windsor Castle.
Following
Saturday's glittering ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey featuring royalty
and leaders from around the world, the emphasis shifted to a chance for the
public to mark the "Carolean" age after Queen Elizabeth II's 70-year
reign.
The medieval
majesty of the coronation ceremony has its roots in the England of 1066 but the
"Big Lunch" parties look to bring 21st-century Britain's diverse
communities closer together.
Monday has been
declared a public holiday -- meaning people can let loose on Sunday without
having to worry about a hangover.
Charles and
Camilla hope the long weekend "will provide an opportunity to spend time
and celebrate with friends, families and communities", Buckingham Palace
said.
After the
post-World War II hardships, street parties were a major feature of Elizabeth's
coronation in 1953 -- and a memorable part of celebrations for her long reign
in 1977 and last year.
The Big Lunch
is an attempt to keep alive that more neighbourly spirit.
'Celebration
and friendship'
"From a
cup of tea with a neighbour to a street party, a Coronation Big Lunch brings
the celebrations to your neighbourhood and is a great way to get to know your
community a little better," Buckingham Palace said.
It is likely to
see multiple hit-and-miss attempts at making Coronation Quiche -- the specially
created baked savoury tart featuring spinach, broad beans and tarragon.
The king's
sister, Princess Anne, was due to attend a community street party in Windsor,
west of London, while his nieces Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie -- Prince
Andrew's daughters -- will attend a big lunch in the same royal town.
Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak will host a lunch at his 10 Downing Street office and residence,
inviting in community volunteers and Ukrainian refugees.
"People
are marking this momentous occasion in the spirit of unity and hope for the
future," he said.
Stars and
lights
Take That,
Lionel Richie and Katy Perry are among the stars performing on the East Lawn at
Windsor Castle, with 20,000 people set to attend.
The show will
hark back to the June 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations to mark Elizabeth's
record 70 years on the throne, just three months before her death at the age of
96.
Welsh
bass-baritone Bryn Terfel -- who sang during the coronation service -- will
also be performing, along with Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Andrea Bocelli,
Paloma Faith and Nicole Scherzinger.
Hollywood star
Tom Cruise, actress Joan Collins, adventurer Bear Grylls and singer Tom Jones
will appear via video message.
The Royal
Ballet, the Royal Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal College of
Music and the Royal College of Art will come together for a one-off
performance.
Buckingham
Palace said the centrepiece would be "Lighting up the Nation", in
which well-known locations across Britain will be lit up using projections,
lasers, drone displays and illuminations.
They include
the seafront at Blackpool, Sheffield's Peace Gardens, the Eden Project nature
park in Cornwall and the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle.
Ancient
symbolism
Charles was
crowned monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms on
Saturday, during a ceremony steeped in a millennium of ritual and spectacle.
After a
lifetime as the heir to Queen Elizabeth, the 74-year-old became the oldest
sovereign ever crowned at Westminster Abbey.
Justin Welby,
the Archbishop of Canterbury, placed the solid gold Saint Edward's Crown on
Charles's head as a sacred and ancient symbol of the monarch's authority.
Welby also
crowned Queen Camilla, the king's wife of 18 years.
Cries of
"God Save the King" rang out from the 2,300-member congregation.
Trumpet fanfare
sounded along with gun salutes across Britain and beyond.
Returning to
Buckingham Palace in the day's second horse-drawn parade, the royal family
appeared on the balcony to applause and more chants of approbation from tens of
thousands of well-wishers braving a spring downpour.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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UK police
investigate vehicles registered under Nawaz’s name ‘for crime’
May 8, 2023
London: The
registration of three vehicles under the name of former prime minister Nawaz
Sharif without his consent or knowledge has prompted an investigation by London
police, with the PML-N saying the vehicles could be misused for a crime or for
terrorism.
Mr Sharif first
came to know about the vehicles falsely registered in his name when the Driver
and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) sent a letter to his residence at Avenfield
House with the registration details of a vehicle attributed to him.
This prompted
Mr Sharif’s office to report the activity in March to the DVLA, triggering an
investigation.
Khurram Butt, a
London-based PML-N spokesperson, revealed that a second incident occurred last
month, and that another vehicle was registered under the former prime
minister’s name.
A third vehicle
under his name was discovered when a traffic violation fine was issued, an act
described by Mr Butt as “uncovering a malicious attempt by some individuals to
exploit the name and reputation of the PML-N leader for criminal purposes”.
London
authorities are pursuing the investigation and following up on all leads to
find out who is responsible for registering these vehicles falsely.
The DVLA
informed Mr Sharif that his name had been removed from the vehicle
registrations, but advised him to pursue the matter with police as it revealed
a fraudulent claim made in his name.
The spokesman
said he suspected Nawaz Sharif’s name was being deliberately used for wrong
purposes, and that he suspected supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were
behind the fraudulent act.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1751514/uk-police-investigate-vehicles-registered-under-nawazs-name-for-crime
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Kissinger makes
Ukraine peace prediction
7 May, 2023
Former US
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has told CBS News that the conflict in Ukraine
may be approaching a turning point, and that Chinese-brokered peace talks could
begin by the end of 2023.
"Now that
China has entered the negotiation, it will come to a head, I think by the end
of the year," the 99-year-old diplomat told CBS in an interview broadcast
on Sunday. By that time, he continued, "we will be talking about
negotiating processes and even actual negotiations."
With the
release of its ‘Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis’ in
February, China put itself forward as a potential mediator between Moscow and
Kiev. The Chinese plan was rejected outright by the US and EU, while Russian
President Vladimir Putin described some of its 12 points as “in tune” with
Moscow’s position, and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky welcomed only a
handful of its points, but maintains that Kiev will not compromise with Russia
in any way.
Zelensky’s
refusal to negotiate with Putin’s government – the Ukrainian leader banned
contact with the Kremlin in a decree last October – is just one stumbling block
faced by China or any other potential middleman.
Russia
considers the conflict in Ukraine a proxy war between itself and NATO, and
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday that any negotiations
would not be held “with Zelensky, who is a puppet in the hands of the West, but
directly with his masters.”
In Washington,
the administration of President Joe Biden publicly claims that it is up to
Ukraine to decide when to seek peace. Zelensky has been offered no incentives
by the US to do so, with Biden offering to continue supplying him with weapons
“for as long as it takes” to achieve his war aims. Among these aims is the
capture of Crimea, a Russian territory since 2014. American military leaders
have publicly admitted that the chances of this happening are slim to none.
Kissinger drew
the ire of Kiev last year when he suggested that Ukraine should accept a return
to the “status quo ante,” or relinquish its territorial claims to Crimea and
grant autonomy to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, in the name of
peace. He has since suggested that these territories become the basis of
negotiations after a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal.
Moscow has
repeatedly said that it is open to talks with Kiev but only if Ukraine
“recognizes the reality on the ground,” including the new status of the regions
of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye as parts of Russia. Otherwise, the
Kremlin has stated, Russia will settle the conflict by military means.
Source: rt.com
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EU defenseless
against China – Berlusconi
7 May, 2023
Former Italian
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi warns that the EU would be unable to defend
itself if China decided to attack one of its member states. The veteran
politician urged Brussels to adopt a robust military strategy and invest
heavily in defense.
Berlusconi made
the remarks in a video interview recorded on Friday by Sky TG24 news channel.
He is currently in the San Raffaele hospital in Milan and is being treated for
leukemia, which was diagnosed in early April.
The former
prime minister said the EU is hardly a force to be reckoned with in the
international arena, and should China decide to “occupy Italy, and maybe some
other European country, we would absolutely not be able to counter it.”
“The best thing
we could do would be to go to school to study Chinese,” he added.
To improve its
standing, Berlusconi said, the EU needs to adopt a “single military policy,
with strong cooperation between the armed forces of all European countries.”
He also
advocated an increase in defense spending and the establishment of a
300,000-strong “emergency corps.”
Politically,
Berlusconi said he would like to see a “truly united continent” – something
which would be more achievable if the bloc dropped its ‘unanimity principle’ in
voting in favor of an 80-85% majority, he argued.
He went on to
stress that the EU can and must play a greater role in the world, including
standing up to what Berlusconi described as “Chinese imperialism.
Last month,
Bloomberg reported that the current prime minister, GiorgiaMeloni, was
considering withdrawing from China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project.
According to sources
cited in the article, however, there is a lack of consensus on the matter
within the ruling coalition.
Speaking in
late March ahead of her visit to China, European Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen said that while “decoupling” from Beijing is not in the EU’s
interests, Brussels should become “bolder” in its relations with China – which
is growing “more repressive at home and more assertive abroad,” she added.
Commenting on
Von der Leyen’s remarks, the Chinese ambassador to the EU, Fu Cong, said her
message was incoherent and contradictory, while calling out the
“misrepresentation and misinterpretation of Chinese policies and Chinese
positions,” and advising the European Commission chief to find better
speechwriters.
Source: rt.com
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--------
Australia
Australia now
has its own grand mosque: a brief history of how these buildings fold into the
urban landscape
May 8, 2023
A referee’s
whistle pierces the air. A player dribbles a ball across a court; goal! Cheers
erupt.
These are the
familiar sounds of Australian life. Children squeal with laughter. The barbecue
sizzles. The muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.
Opened in 2022,
Melbourne’s Grand Mosque and the Werribee Islamic Centre offer a host of
facilities that connect with the multicultural community of Tarneit, 25
kilometres west of Melbourne’s CBD.
Grand mosques
mark the urban space of major historical cities such as Mecca, Medina, Cordoba
and Tunis. More recently, these buildings have been built in cities like
Algiers and Abu Dhabi.
The notion of a
“grand mosque” has been shaped by the location of the mosque, its scale and its
historical importance.
But what makes
a grand mosque “grand”?
Building the
grand mosques
Historically,
ruling and social elites such as religious leaders, monarchs, princes and
princesses financed and built mosques for their communities.
This charitable
act was an important legacy, and mosques were also a reflection of the powers
of dynasties.
There was great
community involvement with the mosque, primarily through attending daily
prayers. But mosques also provided civic, educational and cultural spaces to
provide for extensive community involvement. These buildings were intellectual,
scientific and literary centres, playing a crucial role in Arab-Islamic
civilisation.
The idea of a
“civic mosque” dates back to the early days of Islamic civilisation, with
universities attached to mosques, such as the University of al-Qarawiyyin in
Fez, Morocco.
The most famous
mosque in the world is the Great Mosque of Mecca, or the al-Masjid al-Ḥarām. Located in Saudi Arabia and first
built in 638 AD, it can be called a grand mosque because of its historical
significance, its capacity of 2.5 million and the way it intersects with the
global Muslim community.
The Sheikh
Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi is a centre of science and knowledge which can
accommodate 40,000 worshippers. The largest mosque in the UAE, its design
includes references from Pakistani, Egyptian, Moorish, Arab and Indo-Islamic
architecture.
Completed in
2019, Djamaa El Djazair in Algiers, Algeria, is the third-largest mosque in the
world, with a capacity of 120,000 worshippers.
A “grand
mosque” doesn’t need to have a capacity in the tens of thousands. With a
capacity of 1,000 worshippers, the Grande Mosquee de Paris is the largest in
France and the third-largest in Europe.
Constructed in
the 1920s, the mosque’s unique architecture and the provision of social and
communal spaces all testify to the important role Islam plays in the diversity
of Paris.
Through a
combination of scale and architectural design, these grand mosques make their
mark in the urban landscape.
An Australian
grand mosque
The first
contact of Muslims with Australia dates back to the 18th century, when Macassan
fishermen travelled to the Kimberley region and Arnhem Land to collect sea
cucumbers.
Muslims began
to settle in Australia from the 1860s, largely working as cameleers and
pearlers. The first mosque in Australia was completed in 1882 in Maree, 600
kilometres north of Adelaide. Since then, mosques have been built in cities,
towns and suburbs throughout Australia.
Now, Australia
has its own grand mosque.
Melbourne’s
Grand Mosque opened its doors last year.
Planning,
fundraising and building by the community are pillars of the new design
processes and identity of mosques in Australia. The prayer hall can fit 2,000
worshippers. The building also includes a sporting centre, a community hall and
a childcare centre.
Built for A$8.5
million, the community raised the funds to realise their vision over a period
of ten years. The community wanted to make a grand architectural statement
which would meet the spiritual and social needs of Australia’s Muslim
community.
Eventually the
complex will incorporate a library, sports facilities, childcare, educational
spaces and hospitality.
Architecturally,
the mosque respects traditions of a central dome above the prayer hall, bringing
light into the most sacred space. However, the dome is smaller than in
traditional mosques and is set back into the building, allowing it to not
dominate the streetscape.
This allows the
building to play a social role in a suburb where there are multiple religious
groups of similar size.
A mosque for
the community
The “grand
mosque” is not just about the scale of architectural features – the minarets,
arches and calligraphy.
The grand
mosque of today is about community: their involvement in the design processes
and its openness as a hub for diverse communities of the 21st century.
Grand mosques
have long punctuated the urban space in major cities. Today, the realisation of
a grand mosque such as the one in Melbourne transforms the idea of “grand” to a
level of social interaction and community aspirations.
Source: theconversation.com
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---------
‘They’re trying
to bully us out’: The mosque standing firm against developers
May 8, 2023
As factories
and warehouses give way to swish apartments and cafes, a plan for a small
basketball court behind a mosque is proving a fault line in the transformation
of old North Melbourne.
Since 2010 the
Australian Muslim Social Services Agency (AMSSA) has operated an inconspicuous
mosque and community centre in Boundary Road, opposite the North Melbourne
public housing flats.
It is renowned
for its community work, notably during the Andrews government’s contentious
hard lockdown of housing estates in mid-2020, when it provided not only crucial
food and care for fearful residents but also an operational base and local knowledge
for officials and police.
“If it wasn’t
for community organisations such as AMSSA, people would have been starving
three days into the lockdown,” said one thankful public tenant in evidence to
the Victorian Ombudsman’s investigation of the government’s shambolic siege.
Now the mosque
is struggling for its survival in this faded corner of industrial Melbourne,
under state and Melbourne City Council plans to remake the area as a mid-level
residential and commercial precinct.
Neighbouring
developers are fighting AMSSA’s proposal for a $1.8 million single-level
basketball court and meeting hall behind the mosque.
AMSSA believes
it is part of a strategy to drive it out of the area.
“They want our
property,” said secretary Adam Mohamed. “We think they’re pressuring us to sell
up; they’re trying to bully us out.”
The dispute
raises uncomfortable questions for government about the vulnerability of
community agencies such as AMSSA in the face of urban “renewal” projects and
land rezoning that, in this neighbourhood, have tripled land values since 2010.
Over 20 years,
AMSSA raised funds from Somali and other Muslim communities, and in 2010 it
bought the Boundary Road warehouse because of its proximity to public housing
in which many Somalis live.
It is one of a
handful of mosques in the inner city – a cultural, social and sporting as well
as religious hub. But it is sandwiched between neighbours with big plans that
do not include a mosque next door.
To the north,
prominent developer David Wardlaw has approval for a $750 million project
including luxury apartments designed by high-end architects Fender Katsalidis.
To the south and west, the Marcocci family – of the Marcocci Property Group –
is looking to relocate its University Food Group, to allow redevelopment of the
expansive warehouse site.
For more than
three years, Wardlaw and the Marcoccis have opposed the basketball court at
every turn through the planning and building approvals process, including at
the Melbourne City Council and appeals to the Victorian Civil and
Administrative Tribunal and the Building Appeals Board.
AMSSA has
triumphed throughout, with VCAT member Alison Glynn rejecting the Marcoccis’
argument that the basketball court is an “underdevelopment” of the site,
concluding instead that it “provides a demonstrable benefit in improving
facilities at a valued community service”.
Wardlaw slammed
the planning process and, in particular, the city council’s support of the
mosque’s plan as “utopian woke crap”.
“We know it was
a bad decision and was not made with any planning merit,” he said.
He described
the mosque – a former warehouse – as an “eyesore” and the proposed basketball
court as a “disgrace”.
In an
extraordinary escalation of the dispute, the Marcocci family is now threatening
to challenge at the Supreme Court a Building Appeals Board ruling in favour of
the mosque – a move that could further delay construction of the basketball
court for months or years.
Tim Adams, an
architectural draughtsman who designed the building, said he had not seen such
intense opposition to a simple construction job in his 45-year career.
“The
infuriating thing is that by now, a project like this would normally be up and
going. It has cost a community organisation a great deal of money.” he said.
And that, said
Mohamed, seems to be the point.
More than half
of a $350,000 state government grant towards development of the basketball
court has been absorbed fighting planning battles. A deadline for completion of
the project is approaching, and the mosque has little to show on the ground for
its efforts. Meanwhile, construction costs have exploded.
Wardlaw, who
has worked closely with the Marcoccis through the dispute, acknowledged the
financial strain the fight is causing. “It may be a case of who has the most
money,” he said. “They’ve [AMSSA] got limited funds.”
Mohamed
confirmed that Wardlaw had offered to buy the mosque site, but said the
property was not for sale.
He said AMSSA
chose this North Melbourne location to serve the community and especially the
people in the flats across the road. “Maybe the developers will try to close
the public housing as well,” he quipped.
Nearby resident
and city councillor Rohan Leppert avoided commenting specifically on the
dispute, but said the mosque was “at the heart” of the community.
“It’s important
to recognise that places of worship and community facilities are entirely
legitimate inclusions in the mix of land uses in this area,” said Leppert.
Source: brisbanetimes.com.au
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--------
Africa
Arab League
begins negotiations between Sudan's warring sides
08-05-23
The Arab League
(AL) held an emergency meeting in Cairo this weekend, the third of its kind in
three weeks, to discuss the ongoing military clashes in Sudan.
Sudan has been
suffering deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the
paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital city of Khartoum and
other areas since April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of
initiating the conflict.
Shortly after
the outbreak of the conflicts, the AL held two emergency meetings on April 16
and 30, respectively, to discuss the situation in Sudan.
This weekend,
top diplomats in the Arab world gathered in the Egyptian capital once again,
trying to see how they can cooperate to help the Sudanese talks succeed, so as
to ensure Sudan is not dragged into a long armed conflict.
"The top
priority for the Arab League now is to find a real solution and to stop the
bloodshed, to protect the livelihoods of people in Sudan, especially since this
country is relying on humanitarian aid. The consequences have been exacerbated.
This is not about calling the RSF a militia or not. The top priority now for
the Arab League is to find a way out of the current situation," said Amira
Sayed, a researcher on African affairs at the Egyptian Gazette.
The Arab League
meeting came after Egyptian Foreign Minister SamehShoukry wrapped up a busy
week to discuss the crisis in Egypt's southern neighbor.
Shoukry spoke
to the commanders of the rival Sudanese sides, General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan
of the SAF and General Mohamed HamdanDagalo of the RSF. Shoukry also discussed
the recent developments with seven Arab and African foreign ministers including
those of Kenya and Djibouti.
So far, the
deadly clashes have left 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded, according to
the Sudanese Health Ministry.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/07/arab-league-begins-negotiations-between-sudans-warring-sides/
---------
Organization of
Islamic Cooperation appeals for urgent aid to conflict-torn Sudan
07.05.2023
The
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has appealed for urgent humanitarian
aid to Sudan amid the ongoing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support
Forces (RSF) paramilitary group.
At least 550
people have been killed and more than 4,900 injured in fighting between the two
military rivals since April 15, according to Sudan's Health Ministry.
In a statement,
the Jeddah-based grouping said OIC Secretary-General HisseinBrahim Taha “made
an urgent appeal to the OIC Member States, financial and humanitarian
institutions and international donors to provide urgent humanitarian assistance
to Sudan.”
Taha called on
the donors and partners to “focus on the provision of medical supplies and
health services to Sudan.”
He also
appealed for support for “Sudan’s neighboring countries’ efforts in hosting the
numerous Sudanese and foreign refugees.”
The OIC also
called for “the full respect of the humanitarian principles and standards and
invited the parties to facilitate the delivery of the humanitarian assistance
to those in need in different parts of the country.”
Representatives
of the Sudanese army and the RSF held their first face-to-face talks in Saudi
Arabia on Saturday in an effort to resolve their dispute.
A disagreement
had been fomenting in recent months between the Sudanese army and the
paramilitary force over RSF integration into the armed forces, a key condition
of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.
Sudan has been
without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military
dismissed Prime Minister AbdallaHamdok's transitional government and declared a
state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."
Sudan's
transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President
Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.
*Writing by
Ikram Kouachi
Source: aa.com.tr
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Sudan refugees
cross into Ethiopia as battles rage on
08-05-23
Hundreds of
refugees fleeing ongoing violent unrest in Sudan have crossed the border into
Ethiopia. Fighting broke out in Sudan on April 15 between the army and
paramilitary forces, and so far at least 700 people have been killed, most of
them civilians.
"Our
safety and life comes first, we can't be thinking of the things that we have
left behind." says one woman currently taking refuge in the border of
Metema.
The situation
comes as gun battles and air strikes on Sunday again flared in Khartoum,
Sudan's capital, which has been rocked by four weeks of fighting despite the
latest ceasefire efforts backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Multiple truce
deals have been declared and quickly violated since fighting erupted between
army and paramilitary forces.
Fierce combat
since then has killed at least 700 people, most of them civilians, wounded
thousands and driven a mass of exodus of Sudanese and foreign nationals.
In embattled
Khartoum, fighter jets have bombed enemy positions as terrified residents
stayed barricaded indoors amid dire shortages of water, food, medicines and
other staples.
Across the Red
Sea, in the Saudi city of Jeddah, talks were underway aiming for a ceasefire
that could aid the desperate efforts to bring humanitarian aid to the besieged
population.
The generals
leading the warring parties have blamed each other for the violence, but have
said little about the talks being held in Jeddah since Saturday.
Army spokesman
Brigadier General Nabil Abdalla said the talks were on how a truce "can be
correctly implemented to serve the humanitarian side", while Mohamed
HamdanDaglo, who heads the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), only said on Twitter
that he welcomed the technical discussions.
Riyad and
Washington have supported the "pre-negotiation talks" and urged the
belligerents to "get actively involved".
- 'War of
attrition' -
Hopes for these
and other international efforts to silence the guns have been modest as
fighting has raged, threatening a descent into full-scale civil war and a major
humanitarian disaster.
"The
lowest common denominator of the international community is a cessation of
hostilities," said Sudan researcher AlyVerjee at Sweden's University of
Gothenburg. "But there is no apparent consensus on what to do beyond that
initial objective."
To be
meaningful, Verjee said, any new truce declaration would require a
"credible process to monitor and verify ceasefire non-compliance",
and mutually agreed "consequences in the likely event of ceasefire
breaches".
Meanwhile both
sides have pushed on for military advantage on the ground, in the capital and in
fighting elsewhere, including the long-troubled Darfur region.
Andreas Krieg
of King's College London said that "the battle for Khartoum is quickly
developing into a war of attrition where both sides have similar capabilities
and capacities".
The army, commanded
by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has air power and probably more troops, at
around 100,000 forces.
But the RSF,
which emerged out of the notorious Janjaweed militia accused of war crimes in
Darfur region, employs guerilla tactics that, Krieg said, can make them
"more agile".
- 'Spillover
challenges' -
Both the army
and the RSF have sought to present themselves as protectors of democratic
values, despite having jointly staged Sudan's latest coup in 2021.
Burhan and his
former deputy Daglo jointly ousted Sudan's longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in
a 2019 palace coup, following mass pro-democracy protests.
A
military-civilian administration was supposed to steer post-Bashir Sudan toward
democracy, but the generals launched another coup in 2021 to assume full
powers.
They have since
fallen out in a bitter power struggle, with the latest flashpoint a plan to
integrate the RSF into the army -- a conflict that exploded into open warfare
four weeks ago.
US intelligence
chief Avril Haines has warned of a "protracted" conflict that would
"create a greater potential for spillover challenges in the region".
At least 700
people have been killed in the fighting so far, according to the Armed Conflict
Location and Event Data Project. The Sudanese doctors' union said 479 of the
dead were civilians.
Hundreds of
thousands have been displaced either internally or to neighbouring countries,
while the UN has warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis and the threat of
famine.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/08/sudan-refugees-cross-into-ethiopia-as-battles-rage-on/
--------
Battles raged
in Khartoum ahead of talks in S.Arabia
08-05-23
Air strikes
battered Sudan's capital on Saturday (May 6), as fighting entered its 22nd day
only hours before the warring parties are to meet in Saudi Arabia for their
first direct talks.
The street
battles in the city of five million inhabitants continue to cause destruction.
Hundreds of
people have been killed since the outbreak of the conflict on April 15 between
Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the regular army, and
his deputy turned rival Mohamed HamdanDaglo, who commands the paramilitary
Rapid Support Forces.
Multiple truces
have been reached, but none has been respected.
In a joint
statement, the United States and Saudi Arabia said the army and RSF would hold
direct discussions in Jeddah on Saturday (May 6), describing them as
"pre-negotiation talks".
"Saudi
Arabia and the United States urge both parties to take in consideration the
interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the
talks toward a ceasefire and end to the conflict," they said.
The army
confirmed it had sent envoys to Saudi Arabia to discuss "details of the
truce in the process of being extended" with its paramilitary foes.
Daglo, commonly
known as Hemeti, took to Twitter to welcome the talks and thank the US, Saudi
Arabia and other international players for their efforts.
The general,
whose force descended from the Janjaweed militia accused of war crimes Sudan's
Darfur region, affirmed "the need to reach a civilian transitional
government that... achieves the aspirations of our people".
Both the army
and the RSF have sought to present themselves as protectors of democratic
values, despite staging a coup in 2021 that derailed the country's transition
to civilian rule.
International
mediation
On Saturday
morning, witnesses said warplanes pounded various parts of the capital
Khartoum, where telecommunications company MTN said all of its services had
been interrupted.
Burhan had
given his backing to a seven-day ceasefire announced by South Sudan on
Wednesday, but early on Friday the RSF said it was extending by three days a
previous truce brokered under US-Saudi mediation.
The US-Saudi
statement noted the efforts of other countries and organisations behind this
weekend's talks, including Britain, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab League,
the African Union and other groups.
Khalid Omer
Yousif, a former minister, expressed hopes the talks would lead to "a
complete ceasefire that paves the way for a comprehensive political
solution".
At least 700
people have been killed and thousands injured in the fighting that has
displaced hundreds of thousands either internally or across the border to
neighbouring countries.
Neighbouring
South Sudan, which had negotiated the seven-day truce extension, said late
Friday that its president, SalvaKiir, had spoken to the Sudanese generals about
"his concerns and those of the IGAD leaders" from the East African
regional grouping.
While the army
had previously said it favoured "African solutions to the continent's
issues", it was ultimately the US-Saudi initiative that gained leverage as
Sudan had been suspended from the African Union since the 2021 coup.
Burhan and
Daglo had together orchestrated the coup in October that year, derailing the
democratic transition that had been painstakingly stitched together following
the ouster of former autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
But they later
fell out in a bitter power struggle, most recently over the integration of the
RSF into the army.
Humanitarian
crisis
The
announcement of the direct talks came following warnings from US intelligence
chief Avril Haines of a "protracted" conflict that would "create
a greater potential for spillover challenges in the region".
The fighting
persisted despite warnings from US President Joe Biden on Thursday of possible
sanctions against those responsible for "threatening the peace, security,
and stability of Sudan" and "undermining Sudan's democratic
transition".
Sudan suffered
decades of sanctions during the rule of Bashir, ousted in a palace coup in 2019
following mass street protests.
The UN refugee
agency, UNHCR, has said it is preparing for an outflow of 860,000 people as a
result of the conflict.
The UN has also
warned the fighting could plunge an additional 2.5 million people into food
insecurity within months, meaning 19 million people would need aid to stave off
famine.
Its children's
agency, UNICEF, said "the situation in Sudan has become fatal for a
frighteningly large number of children".
Source: africanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/05/07/battles-rage-in-khartoum-ahead-of-talks-in-sarabia/
---------
Southeast
Asia
YouTubers
Provide Halal Meals for Muslim Students In The US
08 May 2023
Zeanaaima Mohd
Yusof and Yasmin Natasha Hairul
PETALING JAYA:
A Malaysian man working in a school in Omaha, Nebraska, in the US has embarked
on providing halal food for Muslim students studying there, using the money he
is receiving from creating content on YouTube.
Huzaifah
Baharuddin, who has over 55,000 subscribers on YouTube, started the initiative
a few days before the fasting month after a group of students aged 10 to 12
complained to him over the lack of halal food available.
They told him
they could no longer stand just having nachos and peanut butter sandwiches as
their daily meals in school.
“The cafeteria
only serves non-halal meats like pork, and I’m not sure about the chicken (if
it meets halal standards),” said Huzaifah, who works as a support staff at the
school.
After
discussing the matter with his wife, Samantha Brown Baharuddin, who hails from
Omaha, they decided to make use of their YouTube revenue to purchase halal
meals for the Muslim children, who come from various nations.
“I’m thankful
we can use that revenue to help these students to some extent,” the 31-year-old
Taiping native told FMT.
Known online as
“Jai and Sam”, Huzaifah and Samantha also have over 237,000 followers on
TikTok. Their videos involve their daily activities in the US, including
cooking traditional Malay food.
Huzaifah moved
to Omaha two years ago to marry Samantha, becoming one of the few Malaysians
who were allowed to exit the country to get married at the height of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
However, he
often misses his hometown, especially when Ramadan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri
come around.
“I was never
excited about Ramadan bazaars in the past, but now I’m quite envious (of
Malaysians back home) because they get to go bazaars and almost everyone there
is fasting. The vibe is different,” he said.
“With that
said, in some bigger cities (in the US) like Texas, they do have ‘bukapuasa’
events because there are a lot of Muslims there.”
To nurse his
homesickness, Huzaifah said he would often visit Dearborn, a city in the state
of Michigan, where the majority of residents are Muslims.
“Almost all the
workers in the supermarkets in Dearborn are Muslim,” he added.
Source: freemalaysiatoday.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2023/05/08/youtubers-provide-halal-meals-for-muslim-students-in-the-us/
--------
HisyamTeh part
of defence team in Siti Bainun's appeal
Monday, 08 May
2023
KUALA LUMPUR:
Lawyer DatukHisyamTehPohTeik will be in the team of lawyers representing
RumahBonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali (pic) in her appeal in the abuse case
of Down Syndrome teenager known as Bella.
High Court
judge Justice Ahmad Bache was informed of the matter by lawyer Nur
'AminahtulMardiahMdNor during case management of the appeal here on Monday (May
8).
The defence
also informed the court that it has filed a certificate of urgency to expedite
the hearing of the appeal against the Sessions Court's decision that rejected
Siti Bainun's stay application.
The certificate
of urgency was filed together with the appeal in light of Siti Bainun's health
conditions.
The court then
fixed May 18 to hear the matter.
On May 3,
Sessions Court judge IzralizamSanusi convicted and sentenced Siti Bainun to 12
years imprisonment after finding her guilty of two counts of neglect and abuse
by causing Bella physical and emotional pain.
In his
decision, Sessions Court judge Izralizam said Siti Bainun's defence had failed
to raise reasonable doubt in the case.
Siti Bainun was
sentenced to 10 years in jail for the offence of negligence and 12 years for
abuse, and ordered for both sentences to run concurrently from the date of
sentencing.
The court also
ordered Siti Bainun to sign a five-year good behaviour bond with RM5,000
collateral in one surety as well as for the accused to serve a six-month
community service with an aggregate 200 hours after completing her prison
sentence.
The court also
dismissed Siti Bainun's application for a stay of execution pending an appeal
to the High Court.
In his
dismissal, Izralizam said the defence had not shown any exceptional
circumstances that could warrant a stay.
Source: thestar.com.my
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/05/08/hisyam-teh-part-of-defence-team-in-siti-bainun039s-appeal
--------
Indonesia
president condemns attack on Asean officials delivering aid in Myanmar
Monday, 08 May
2023
JAKARTA, May 8
— Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo today condemned an attack in Myanmar on
Asean officials delivering humanitarian aid, and called for an end to violence
in the strife-torn country.
Jokowi, as the
president is popularly known, did not provide details of the incident but said
it would not deter efforts by Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean) to push for peace in Myanmar.
“Stop using
force, stop violence because it’s the people who will be victims. This
condition will not make anybody win,” he said, adding that Indonesia encourages
all stakeholders to have a dialogue and find solutions.
It remained
unclear who was behind the attack.
Myanmar’s
shadow National Unity Government, which is allied with the anti-junta militias,
the People’s Defence Forces (PDF), said it was not aware of any attack.
The PDF did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
A spokesperson
for the Myanmar junta did not respond to a request for comment. — Reuters
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/05/08/indonesia-president-condemns-attack-on-asean-officials-delivering-aid-in-myanmar/68205
--------
Info chief says
Bersatu won’t table no-confidence vote in Parliament, tells Anwar to focus on
economy instead of gossip
By
ShahrinAizatNoorshahrizam
Monday, 08 May
2023
KUALA LUMPUR,
May 8 — PartiPribumiBersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) does not plan to put forward a
no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the next
Dewan Rakyat sitting, its information chief DatukRazali Idris said today.
The senator
also said that Anwar — who is also the finance minister — should pay less
attention to rumour-mongers and concentrate on the country’s economic recovery.
“Neither Tan
Sri MuhyiddinYassin nor Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin have raised any statement
on any number.
“These numbers
from sources are just small political gossip. Why does the prime minister want
to be affected by these baseless claims?” Razali told reporters at
Bersatu’sAidilfitri open house at Wangsa 118 here.
“I think that
the prime minister has to focus on the current economic affairs,” he said.
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/05/08/info-chief-says-bersatu-wont-table-no-confidence-vote-in-parliament-tells-anwar-to-focus-on-economy-instead-of-gossip/68207
--------
India
Manipur
Violence Is a Setback for Modi’s Christian Outreach Moves in Kerala
Soroor Ahmed
The recent move
by a section of the Church in not-so-polarised Kerala to soften their stance
towards the
Bharatiya Janata Party can be seen in the light of a similar stand taken by the
National Conference and People’s Democratic Party in Muslim-dominated Jammu and
Kashmir in the past. In the Northeast states, where Christians form an
overwhelming majority, regional political outfits did not hesitate in joining hands
with the saffron party. This had happened even in Manipur, where Hindus and
Christians are almost equal in number. Kukis, who are predominantly Christians,
lent their support to the BJP in last year’s assembly election.
The proclivity
of some Christian groups towards the BJP sounds somewhat puzzling for the
co-religionists living in the rest of India, as they are repeatedly being
targeted by Hindutva groups. Vandalisation of churches has not stopped and BJP
governments in the states are making anti-conversion laws, yet Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is busy wooing Christians, especially in Kerala, where he on
April 24 held a roadshow. This followed a visit to a church in Delhi on Easter
Sunday (April 9).
With elections
not in sight in Kerala, why has the BJP suddenly turned its attention towards
the southern state? And that too when only about 2% of Christians voted for it
in the 2021 assembly polls, against 10% in 2021? Some commentators are of the
view that these exercises are being undertaken keeping in mind the G-20 Summit
scheduled in September.
The other view
is that the BJP is trying to drive a wedge between two minority groups –
Muslims and Christians – who together form 45% of Kerala’s population. Though
at present both the Left Democratic Front and Congress-led United Democratic
Front are strong, the BJP has a long-term plan to emerge as a political
alternative, as in West Bengal where many Marxist office-bearers and workers
had crossed over to join it.
Apart from
this, the BJP is trying to exploit the situation which has emerged following
the weakening of the Kerala Congress, a regional outfit not to be confused with
the Indian National Congress. Kerala Congress is considered to be the
representative of Christians of the central part of the state. A couple of
Christian leaders of the Kerala Congress on April 22 formed the National
Progressive Party. Though the NPP founders deny that it is a pro-BJP outfit and
claim that it espouses the cause of rubber-growing farmers in central Kerala,
political observers are of the view that the new party may become a constituent
of the National Democratic Alliance.
But the bigger
question is why after Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and even Manipur, some
Christians in Kerala are showing their inclination towards the BJP? There may
be some differences with Muslims in Kerala, but Christians elsewhere in India
realise that in the long run, befriending the BJP may prove counter-productive.
Little to fear
in Kerala, Northeast
At the very
outset, it should be understood that there is no scope for Christians in
Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram to face a security threat from any extremist
elements, as is the case in the rest of India. In the same way, Christians in
Kerala, who are 18.4% of the population, have less to fear from outfits like
the Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which are not very strong there –
though the RSS is expanding its influence. Besides, Kerala has 26.5% Muslim
population and 54.7% Hindu population.
So in the
Northeast and Kerala, Christians in general do not fear attacks on their
houses, churches, schools, seminaries etc. and nobody is questioning their
eating habits. In these places, even hardened BJP leaders and workers belonging
to this community eat beef. However, it is also true that the Enforcement
Directorate is working overtime against some of their priests.
Anti-Christian
violence in Odisha
This is not the
case with Christians living in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha
etc. They have not forgotten the Kandhamal (Odisha) riots of 2007-08.
Officially, 39 Christians were killed, but unofficial figures vary between 100
and 500. At least 40 women were sexually assaulted, and 395 churches and 4,000
houses destroyed. In all, some 60,000-70,000 Christians were rendered homeless
and thousands others were forced to convert to Hinduism.
In 2007-08, the
BJP was not in power at the Centre, but was an alliance partner in the state.
Just ahead of the 2009 Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha, chief minister
Naveen Patnaik broke an 11-year-long relationship with the BJP.
As there is
hardly anything to fear in at least three Northeastern states and Kerala,
Christians here do not mind treating the BJP as another political party. They
know that there is no scope for witch-hunting and ‘gharwapsi’ (return to the
Hindu fold), so why not give the BJP a chance? In the small Northeast states,
which enjoy special category status, the ruling party always wants to befriend
the party in power in Delhi and enjoy all sorts of grants and concessions.
Manipur developments
However, the
situation in Manipur is somewhat different. The large-scale clashes between
Meiteis and Kukis has acquired communal overtones, as the former are mostly
Hindus and the latter Christians. The state has 41.39% Hindus, 41.29%
Christians and 8.4% Muslims.
There are
historical reasons behind the latest bloodbath between the two equally strong
communities. As churches are being targeted in Manipur at a time when Modi is
trying to woo Christians down in the south, the communal nature of rioting has
come as a setback to his outreach. Christians across the country are alarmed
over the recent developments in Manipur.
Kerala’s
specific problem
A sizeable
number of Keralites live abroad, especially in the Gulf countries. As there are
several issues – for example the Palestine problem – on which Christians and
Muslims may differ, it is bound to have its impact back in the state. Muslims
and Christians are upwardly mobile communities in Kerala and they differ from
their co-religionists in the rest of India. There are instances of
inter-community marriages too, which some Christians, like the Sangh parivar,
call love jihad.
Though the
Indian Union Muslim League is an alliance partner of the Congress-led UDF, the
voting patterns of Christians and Muslims are almost identical. In the 2021
assembly polls, 39% Christians as well as Muslims voted for the LDF, a slight
rise from 2016. In the same way, 57% Christians and 58% Muslims voted for the
UDF. Only 2% Christians voted for the BJP. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, over
two-thirds Christians and Muslims voted for the UDF, which bagged 19 out of 20
seats. If these figures are taken into account, there is nothing for the BJP to
cheer about in the near future.
If some
Christians of Kerala are looking towards the BJP, they are just imitating the
National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party. This is obviously because the
thinking of Muslims of the rest of India is not in consonance with that of
Jammu and Kashmir, where Muslims are in majority.
If we go back
to the pre-Partition period, we would observe that Mohammad Ali Jinnah played
up the security card among Muslims more successfully in the states where the
community was in a minority. In the North Western Frontier Province, where
Muslims formed more than 90% of the population, the Congress formed the
government under Dr Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan after the March 1946 election and
remained in power till the creation of Pakistan. He and his younger brother
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, also known as Frontier Gandhi, continued to oppose
NWFP’s inclusion in the new country.
Source: thewire.in
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://thewire.in/communalism/manipur-violence-is-a-setback-for-modis-christian-outreach-moves-in-kerala
---------
Modi’s Backing
of Inflammatory, Fictional ‘Kerala Story’ Highlights Pressing Need for
Opposition Unity
Prem Shankar
Jha
Barely a year
after the release of The Kashmir Files, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is again
using another grossly incendiary film, The Kerala Story, to fan hatred of
Indian Muslims in order to consolidate the “Hindu” vote and stay in power next
year.
The Kashmir
Files was a hugely distorted and highly inflammatory depiction of the planned
murders of prominent Kashmiri Pandits in the early months of 1990, which was
designed to ethnically cleanse the valley of its Pandit community. The Kerala
Story accuses Muslim organisations in Kerala of supplying 32,000 recruits to
ISIS, the self-styled Islamic State terror group which briefly established
control of territory in Syria and Iraq. Many of these, it claims, were women
recruited to serve as the wives of IS fighters.
The brazen
disregard for the truth displayed by both films reflects how completely the
Bharatiya Janata Party, under Modi, has become a conduit for lies. For, one
brief look at the actual Kashmir files – not the screen version but the Union
home ministry’s papers – would reveal that the killing of selected Pandits in
1990 was planned and paid for, in weapons and cash, by the Pakistan army’s
Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and carried out by a handful of self-styled
mujahideen recruited by it from among the many thousand young Kashmiris who had
joined the rebellion against India after the Gaukadal police firing upon
civilians in Srinagar in January 1990 that took between 24 and 55 lives.
How opposed the
average Kashmiri Muslim was to becoming a part of Pakistan, even after the 14
years insurgency of insurgency and draconian repression that followed, was
revealed by two international opinion polls carried out in 2004 and 2009 . The
first was conducted by MORI, Europe’s premier sampling survey organisation, and
the second jointly by MORI with GALLUP. The 2004 poll showed that 61% of the
population of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh wanted to remain a part of India and
only 6% preferred Pakistan.
Similarly, the
2009 poll, which was initiated by Chatham House, Britain’s premier foreign
policy think tank, and confined to the Kashmir valley, showed that even in the
four worst-affected districts of the valley, only 2.5 to 7.5% of those surveyed
preferred Pakistan to India.
That was the
strength of the bond between Kashmiri Muslims and secular India that Modi
fatally weakened within weeks of coming to power by breaking off all talks with
the Hurriyat Conference, unleashing a reign of terror in the valley, gutting
Article 370 of the constitution, and turning Jammu and Kashmir into a Union
territory, thereby disempowering Kashmiris within their own state. That is the
bond that The Kashmir Files has weakened further by creating alienation not in
Kashmir but in the Hindu population of the rest of India.
The Kerala
Story is intended to do the same to the 1200 year-old bond between the Hindus,
Christians and Muslims of Kerala. It is a measure of Prime Minister Modi’s
insecurity about his party’s – and his own – future that he is now openly
endorsing the grotesque lie cooked up by his bhakts and his propaganda machine
that there was an exodus of Muslims from Kerala to join Daesh, the Islamic
State in Syria and Iraq.
Here is what
Modi said in a pre-poll speech at Ballari in Karnataka, on May 5:
“ In these
changing times, the nature of terrorism is also changing …Bombs, rifles and
pistols… (have been replaced by) a new type which undermines society from within,
makes no sound. The Kerala Story is a film based on one such conspiracy in
Kerala”.
What is the
theme of The Kerala Story that Modi is asking the people of Karnataka and the
rest of India to treat as gospel? It is that Muslim organisations in Kerala supplied
32,000 recruits to ISIS when it established its brief, blood -soaked control of
territory around Raqqa, Deir-ez-Zor and Mosul in Syria and Iraq. Many of these,
it claims, were sent to serve as wives for the IS fighters.
What is far
more incendiary, the film depicts in graphic detail how many of them were Hindu
girls who had been converted to Islam before being inveigled into going.
Several
reviewers, who did not bother to do the 30 minutes of research on the internet
that has gone into the writing of this article, have stated that this is “a
serious issue lost to bad direction, and worse writing” (India Today). The
Organiser, the de facto mouthpiece of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, has
described the film as “a dangerous truth told with a calculated balance”.
But the entire
film is such a bald-faced lie that to find the prime minister of India mouthing
its praise and endorsing its contents in a public speech brings shame upon the
entire country. Study after study, both in India and abroad, has noted the
almost complete absence of Indian Muslims in the ranks of the IS. On December
20, 2017, Hansraj GangaramAhir, Modi’s minister of state for home affairs in
his first stint as PM, reported to the Rajya Sabha that only 103 people who
“sympathised” with ISIS had been arrested across 14 states by the National
Investigation Agency (NIA), according to the data available with the
government. The minister added: “Very few individuals [from India] have come to
the notice of the central and state security agencies who (sic) have joined
ISIS.”
Uttar Pradesh –
India’s most populous state – reported a paltry 17 sympathisers, followed by
Maharashtra (16), and Telangana (16). Kerala had reported only 14 and Karnataka
a mere 8. What is more, these were individuals accused of being ’sympathisers’
– and who had not left India to join ISIS in the desert.
Two years
later, at the start of Modi’s second term in June 2019, minister of state for
home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy stated in a written reply to Lok Sabha that the
NIA and state police forces had registered cases against ISIS operatives as
sympathisers, and have arrested 155 accused from across the country.
Three years
later, in a detailed study published by the Manohar Parrikar Institute of
Defence Studies and Analysis at New Delhi, Adil Rasheed reported that until
2019 less than 100 migrants working in the Gulf were thought to have been lured
into ISIS while 155 had been arrested in
India for having ISIS links.
“The mystery
behind the very few Indian names appearing in the long list of foreign fighters
in the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” he wrote, “has puzzled
strategic thinkers for some time now. This pleasant yet inexplicable surprise
finds a historical precedent in the conspicuous absence of Indians from the
legions of foreign ‘mujahideen’ fighting the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan
in the 1980s and from the Taliban and al Qaeda’s ‘Islamic Emirate’ of the
1990s”.
The figure of
32,000 recruits from India, and the assertion that a large number of them were
women, is therefore absurd – all the more so because estimates by the European
Union and the Central Intelligence Agency in the US have put the maximum
strength of the IS at its height at around 30,000.
What is more, 5,000 of them had been recruited
in Europe and most of the remainder had come from Arab countries devastated by
civil war after the so-called Arab Spring. The largest number had come from
Libya, whose economy had been totally destroyed by the concerted Euro-American
attack upon it in 2011. The idea that 32,000 Indian Muslims had also joined IS,
whether as fighters or sex slaves, is therefore ludicrous.
That Modi,
speaking in Hindi, should have gone to the length of endorsing such a
dangerously incendiary film at Ballari in Karnataka before a large crowd whose
grasp of the language is poor to non-existent, reveals that his intended
audience was not Kannadigas, but the vastly larger masses of unemployed and
desperate youth in the Hindi-speaking belt. These are the young Indians to whom
he has so far been unable to provide jobs and a secure future, and who are now
being primed to attack Muslims in order to retain their support for the BJP in
the 2024 general election.
If there is a
lesson the opposition needs to learn from Modi’s endorsement of a film that he
has almost certainly not even seen the trailer of, it is that he will stop at
absolutely nothing to come back to power in 2024 and is willing to plunge the
country into communal violence, not to mention war with a nuclear armed
neighbour, if that is what it will take. This is what has transformed the role
of the opposition in the next general election from one of winning the maximum
number of seats to saving India from disintegrating in a sea of blood.
It is,
therefore, imperative that they put aside their political rivalries with each
other and unite to meet the threat to India’s very existence that the BJP under
Modi and Shah now poses to India’s very existence. The leaders of all the major
opposition parties, including the Congress, are now fully aware of this. But,
as the no-holds-barred struggle between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot in
Rajasthan, and AICC general secretary and former Delhi Congress party chief
Ajay Maken’s incessant diatribes against the Aam Admi Party have shown, this
realisation has yet to trickle down into the second rung of the Congress
party’s leadership.
The resistance
at this level is understandable, for these are the leaders who manage party
cadres at the ground level, and the surrender of some seats to other parties
inevitably leads to demoralisation and defections of cadres in those
constituencies. All opposition parties, and particularly the Congress, face
this problem, but there is a solution to it.
This is for the
opposition to agree to confine coalition building to the Lok Sabha elections
and continue to fight each other in the Vidhan Sabha elections. This would not
have been possible earlier, when Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections were held
more or less simultaneously – as used to happen till the 1960s – but today
presents no major problem.
By
concentrating entirely upon national and international issues in his relentless
campaigning during the past nine years, Modi has made it possible for the
opposition to do the same. If it comes to an agreement over this, its victory
in 2024 will be assured.
Source: thewire.in
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://thewire.in/communalism/narendra-modi-kerala-story-opposition-unity
--------
Indian civilian
prisoner dies in Pakistan before repatriation
Still, 199
fishermen and one civilian shall be released on May 11 and will enter India on
12th, said PIPFPD official
May 07, 2023
KallolBhattacherjee
An Indian
prisoner, who was to be repatriated next week, has died in a hospital in
Karachi, civil society activists informed on May 7.
The deceased
named Zulfiqar, was expected to enter India along with 199 fishermen who are to
be released by Pakistan. India has been urging Pakistan to release the 631
fishermen and two civilian prisoners languishing in Pakistani jails despite
completing their prison terms.
A
representative of Pakistan India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy
(PIPFPD) said that Zulfiqar, one of the two civilian prisoners on the list, was
admitted to a hospital in Karachi where he passed away on Saturday.
According to
PIPFPD, at least 654 Indian fishermen are in Pakistan’s jail and out of that,
631 have completed their sentences. In comparison, 83 Pakistani fishermen are
in Indian jails.
Despite the
tragedy, the repatriation of the 199 fishermen and one civilian is expected to
go ahead without difficulty next week. “They will be released on 11th and enter
India on 12th,” said Jatin Desai of PIPFPD.
The fishermen
and civilian prisoners have been part of India-Pakistan diplomacy for decades
as straying fishermen are often arrested by the authorities on both sides due
to a lack of understanding about maritime boundary.
Apart from the
fishermen, India has been urging Pakistan to provide consular access and
release 22 civilian prisoners who have completed sentences but continue to
remain in jail.
India had
reiterated this point on January 1 while exchanging the list of civilian
prisoners and fishermen last January 1. Every year, both sides exchange the
list of such prisoners on January 1 and July 1, according to a 2008 agreement.
Source: thehindu.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-civilian-prisoner-dies-in-pakistan-before-repatriation/article66824282.ece
--------
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pakistani-cleric-blasphemous-kp/d/129730